This time, quite a long time was spent preparing the costume and props for Raye. The white-base uniform with black and gold accents, combined with the three-dimensional geometric badge at the collar and the black tie with gold stripes, features a highly strong sense of design. To stay close to the character's image, I specifically chose a solid-textured fabric to make the top, trying my best to fit that crisp, slightly military-style feel in the original design. Putting it on, I could truly feel the unique spirit and drive of this character, rather than just going through the motions. The blonde hair styling (wig) also took some effort: I trimmed the layers and thickness, and the gold hair color paired with that black-decorated headband with a gold border gives the overall head styling more detailed elements, preventing it from looking monotonous or loose.
As for the sword props, I was initially quite worried about whether their size and weight would affect my posing. Once I actually got it, I found the center of gravity was adjusted beautifully. Even though it has a relatively large sword design, it felt very handy when performing horizontal slashes or holding poses. The black and red geometric lines on the blade look incredibly textured under the cool lights, and when placed together with the black, white, and gold color scheme of my outfit, the visual impact instantly surged. When publishing this set of works, my heart was actually quite moved. After all, this character has highly classic designs in the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG card art galleries, and trying to recreate her this time meant capturing that sharp yet elegant unique tone of the original design as much as possible.
The lighting on the day of the shoot was actually on the dimmer side with no strong natural light, but this gave us some creative space instead. We chose this white curtain with a dense diamond texture as the background, and then added a complete set of cool-toned cyan-blue lights to the environment. This cool-toned lighting highly tests the makeup, so I specifically made some subtle adjustments to the layers of the base makeup and eyeshadow to ensure my facial features remained three-dimensional and clear under the cool lights. Meanwhile, to create a sense of drama in the frame, we directed a warm yellow spotlight from the side. The intersection of cool and warm lights, combined with the texture of the curtain itself, outlined the character's contour lines with extreme clarity.
This lighting technique unexpectedly fit the character's combat atmosphere; that strong contrast between cool and warm felt like echoing a certain resolve. The circular flares formed by the lights hitting the curtain were not intentionally placed, yet they added a touch of dreamy, nostalgic texture to the entire photo set. During the shoot, I tried different perspectives and actions, capturing both sitting poses and half-body close-ups. When holding the sword, I paid close attention to the position and strength of my fingers, wanting to display that touch of sharpness beneath her elegance.
Looking at the overall shoot, transforming a 2D card art illustration into a flesh-and-blood real-life image truly requires a lot of detail polishing. It's not just about the makeup, hair, and costume being in place, but also the posture, gaze, and even breathing striving to draw closer to that soul. Under the alternating cool and warm lights, I found subtle changes in the character's temperament—sometimes calm, sometimes carrying a touch of softness. Perhaps this is the unexpected joy of a real Cosplay photoshoot.
During the shoot, we also encountered some pitfalls. For instance, the wig easily got messy due to the large range of movements, but right at those messy moments, we captured that authentic, vivid breath instead. I also repeatedly adjusted the grip angle of the props to match different camera positions, striving to present the most comfortable visual proportion in the frame. This included the metal geometric badge at the collar, which reflected a different sheen under the lights—another small obsession of mine regarding the details of this costume.
Regarding the comment 'the anime and card art styles are so different, the anime is so much cuter' that everyone mentioned, I actually resonate with it a lot. In the original card illustrations, she is a cool and badass duelist, but with my own interpretation, I might have brought in a bit of my personal traits in the gaze and the curve of the movements. Therefore, the photos shot this time carry both the sharp aura of the character and the approachable warmth of a real person.
As for the 'good news and bad news' meme, I can't help but play along. Although there isn't a 20-episode anime plot, in these photo sets, I tried to preserve the character's silence, stubbornness, and determination when holding the sword at the exact moment the shutter clicked. Actually, every cosplay is a journey deep into the character's heart for me. Bringing Raye from her card arts into reality this time was a complex preparation, but showing her off in front of the camera made all those troubles worth it. The moment the frames came out, it felt like handing in a highly satisfying answer sheet. I hope everyone enjoys the texture of this final shoot.