[A Ke cosplay] Honor of Kings convention photos, the dual-blade assassin

This time, we shot the cosplay of A Ke from Honor of Kings outside the venue of the Firefly ACG Expo. Cosplaying this character first requires handling the details of the entire outfit. The main red leather attire combined with the dark gray diamond-patterned chest design shows a very clear texture under outdoor natural light. The blue neck collar and silver forehead ornament are the finishing touches. A lot of time was spent backstage trying to fix the hair bun and metal accessories on the wig, requiring many hairpins to make the wig present a fluffy yet sharp arc while ensuring the headpiece wouldn't fall off during vigorous movements. What truly tests physical strength is actually those four silver dual-sword props; although the material is lightweight PVC, holding them in hand while continuously waving and striking poses still demands a lot of wrist strength. Especially when performing high parry poses, core tightening is required to maintain balance.

The lower body matching incorporates many details visually. Black shorts plus hollow-out strap designs, paired with black stockings and high-heeled boots with red straps. The material of the stockings makes the leg lines look slender under light and shadow, and also increases the overall sexiness. To make the combat movements look sharp, anti-slip treatment was applied at the junction of the stockings and boots, ensuring that kneeling actions wouldn't deform and preventing the stockings from snagging. In terms of makeup, red pupils and the red shading at the outer corners of the eyes are the key points. To fit A Ke's cold temperament, facial expression management strived to keep the gaze sharp and solemn. When applying eyeshadow, the outline of the outer eye corners was specially deepened, which, combined with the colored contact lenses, makes the gaze look more piercing.

During the shooting process, the photographer guided many low-angle and close-up compositions. For example, the moment when the dual swords cross in front of the body for defense, or the look back over the shoulder. To capture that tension-filled movement, the angle of the arms and the center of gravity of the body were adjusted over and over again. The half-kneeling posture on the grass was repeated several times, putting a lot of pressure on the knees, so finding a good balance point was necessary. There were many people at the convention site, with quite a few photography enthusiasts holding long lenses around. During shooting breaks, everyone would also exchange ideas on prop-making methods and action poses. Although the large crowd often limited framing, everyone was very orderly, and some even helped hold reflectors. When walking in this outfit, the red braided ropes on the back create a strong sense of drag; the overall heaviness combined with the coldness of the props allowed me to better immerse myself in the character's atmosphere.

The weather at the convention was quite cooperative, without intense exposure to the sun, but walking around in high heels was still very tiring. My heels were also rubbed raw, and I could only grit my teeth and persist to maintain the styling. Fortunately, every time I saw the light and shadow effects presented on the screen, I felt that all this hardship was worth it. In the future, I might try to adjust the holding posture of the dual swords to make the movements look more natural, especially the flipping angle of the wrists. This styling basically restored the concept of the design sketch, and I also hope to leave more nice-looking pictures at the convention. Every outdoor shoot is actually a dual test of physical strength and patience, but being able to gather with so many friends who love ACG, helping each other tidy clothes and discussing shooting angles, is in itself a very special experience. Although this version of A Ke doesn't have many dialogue settings, that sharp and fierce assassin vibe needs to be conveyed through body language, which is also what I have been pondering and practicing throughout this shoot.