[Surtr cosplay] Arknights Divine Reverie Photography Record

This Divine Reverie look was actually deliberated over and over during the early preparation stages. Surtr's own temperament carries an inherent intertwining of ice and fire, so the choice of costume materials had to be precise. The character's iconic black horns, paired with that pair of golden wing decorations, was not an easy process from modeling to 3D printing and finally painting. I used several layers of different metallic primers and finished with a semi-matte gold layer so that on camera, combined with the on-site light sources, it wouldn't look costly or overly reflective, but rather have a battle-hardened weightiness. The main white tulle dress of the outfit, especially the outer layer designed with scattered sequins, was a part I valued highly. Under the warm-toned side-backlighting, those subtly shimmering particles on the skirt hem looked like scattered stardust, effectively making up for the monotony of pure white blocks in the frame.

The shooting location this time was a studio leaning towards an ancient Roman ruins style. The set was arranged with numerous ruined columns, scattered glass shards, and metallic components, while the dark red velvet drapery spread across the steps pushed the entire visual toward an atmosphere akin to a 'shrine under the twilight glow.' To complement this scenery, we intentionally avoided pure white lighting and opted for a large area of warm light sources to make the character look highly three-dimensional. The emotional expression for different movements was also deliberately designed; for example, when standing while holding the sword, I tried to keep my gaze sharp yet vacant, expressing her signature aggressiveness through the tension of my jawline. On the other hand, when sitting or leaning halfway against the steps, my posture was intentionally softened, working with the crook of my arms and crossed leg lines to showcase her laziness when stepping out of her combat form. However, even while resting, I still had to constantly pay attention to the angle of the horns on my head—they couldn't drop completely, as I needed to maintain that sense of pride.

The hardest part of this gear was actually that long-handled greatsword, which has quite a bit of weight in hand. When shooting sword-holding poses, not only did I have to support it, but I also had to avoid shaking that could cause motion blur, which demands a lot of core strength. In the process of cosplaying Surtr, the hardest part of character accuracy was actually her demeanor. She is not the type of character with rich expressions; it relies more on micro-expressions and details in her gaze. Therefore, throughout the entire shooting process, I tried my best to keep myself in an immersive state, earnestly feeling the connection between the environment and the character. Every single shutter press had to match her trait of being detached from the flames of war yet incredibly intimidating. I'm quite satisfied with the final results of the photos; the atmosphere was the core element I wanted to capture most this time. Being able to combine efforts on both the set and the costume to closely align with the character's intrinsic settings is what I want to achieve most every time.