Happy birthday to Miss Ayaka, and happy 4th anniversary to Genshin Impact! Seeing this fill-in-the-blank prompt, I unhesitatingly filled in: "I am Kamisato Ayaka's [dog]".
Looking back at that extended banner in Version 2.6, that was when I officially began playing Genshin Impact. At first sight, I was deeply captivated by the Shirasagi Himegimi's elegant and cool demeanor; she was the first limited 5-star character I pulled, and the main DPS who accompanied me throughout my entire novice phase. From knowing nothing about elemental reactions in the early days to gradually mastering combat techniques, Ayaka has always guided me across Teyvat, fostering a profound emotional bond.
To create this birthday photoshoot, I did extensive preparation for the costume. The most eye-catching feature of this outfit is the large white fur collar, which is delightfully fluffy and soft, pairing with light and dark blue satin fabrics to deliver rich visual depth. The wig chosen was a pure silver-white straight style; the bow hair ornament at the crown embedded with a deep green gemstone, along with the pastel pink-and-blue tassels draping by the cheeks, required immense patience to groom, ensuring every strand remained smooth, voluminous, and uncollapsed.
In terms of props, I selected a folding fan and an oiled-paper umbrella to enhance the Japanese traditional style ambiance. In the first photo, I used the folding fan with its deep blue base, golden ripples, and white petal motifs, boasting a refined bamboo rib texture. During the shoot, side-backlighting illuminated the hair contours to create a gentle rim glow, defining facial features three-dimensionally. The second and third photos feature compositions holding the umbrella—the deep purple Japanese umbrella patterned with white blossoms harmonized with the wooden veranda and red paper lanterns of the traditional courtyard, where warm lights cast upon the fur collar and arms in the dim environment to produce a striking contrast between warm and cool tones.
Shooting this set was physically demanding. Although set in an outdoor courtyard with ancient aesthetics, the weather was quite hot; wearing long sleeves topped with this thick, fuzzy collar and long skirt, I could maintain good posture initially, but became rather hot and sweaty toward the end. Thanks to the seamless cooperation of my team, everything wrapped up smoothly. Huge thanks to photographer @MushroomBangBangBang for accurately capturing beauty from multiple angles; retoucher @HuaZhizhi for color grading that enriched the atmospheric depth; and logistics support Wenyun, Little Red Riding Hood, and Fengxian for helping with lighting, handing props, and adjusting my skirt on set.
Through this Kamisato Ayaka cosplay, I gained a deeper appreciation of Ayaka's resilient inner strength beneath her gentle exterior and her sincere affection for the Traveler. Despite the strenuous shoot, bringing my beloved Shirasagi Himegimi to life in the real world was pure happiness. May she continue to share peaceful and wonderful times with the Traveler in Inazuma.