[Theresa Cosplay] Arknights Tower of Babel: Fateful Reunion in Ruins and Seas of Flowers

The theme of this work is "I remain in the past, I bestow upon the future." As a veteran Arknights player, capturing those illustrations that once deeply moved me through the camera lens has been a long-cherished desire. This time, I finally found the opportunity to bring my partner along to materialize the emotional tension between Theresa Cosplay and Amiya cosplay in the Tower of Babel storyline between ruins and seas of flowers.

The difficulty of this shoot lay in controlling light and shadow. The reference illustration features intense light and shadow contrast; inside the cold, dilapidated concrete ruins, we needed a key light plus a reflector board to force that "divine descent" ray of skylight. Especially in the ruins photoset (which I chose as the cover), Amiya sits on the ground with dust scattered over her white bouquet, while Theresa leans forward slightly behind her. To portray that compassionate feel of someone in a high position without looking arrogant, my partner's and my body positioning and downward glances were repeatedly adjusted.

Regarding makeup and hair/prop styling, Amiya's rabbit ears were extremely difficult to fix—they had to be both upright and natural, requiring a massive amount of iron wire underneath to support that sharp yet dynamic silhouette. Meanwhile, Theresa's pink hair highlights, the black horns atop her head, and her intricate black-and-white lace skirt frequently snagged on broken glass and rebar in the ruins while moving around. We took plenty of protective measures beforehand to ensure movement wasn't restricted. Particularly in my chosen cover shot, the Cosplay black stockings on Amiya's legs appeared remarkably layered under backlight, which is a visual focal point I'm very satisfied with.

Shooting the floating picture frame series was also quite interesting. That flower branch looked as if it grew directly inside the frame; in reality, we secured the wooden frame with thin iron wires and added simple shattered-texture visual effects post-shoot. When the photographer asked us to touch the picture frame, both hands gripped it simultaneously with overlapping fingertips—that moment of genuine presence deeply moved me. The bond between the two characters that transcends life and death crystallized within this small wooden frame and flower branch.

The solo set in the sea of flowers carried a completely different vibe. Compared to the heavy feel of the ruins, that rocky ground covered with small white daisies immersed us fully in the quiet solitude of Theresa. It was actually extremely windy on the shoot day; Theresa's long hair and ribbons flew frantically, and we had to capture snapshot after snapshot before catching a brief calm moment. The glowing pink lines added in post-production were requested by me—the encircling special effects echoed the magical quality from the original illustration and balanced the visual ratio between cold, hard rocks and delicate white flowers just right.

Honestly, imitating top-tier artists' artwork carries huge pressure, as original compositions and brushstrokes are already near perfection. We didn't dream of achieving a 1:1 replica, but rather hoped to craft our own style using the language of photography. There was virtually no professional site assistance on set; the two of us hauled heavy bags of outfits and props up and down by ourselves, freezing with red noses in the ruins in midwinter. Yet seeing the perfect light and shadow in the raw photos brought an irreplaceable feeling of satisfaction.

Theresa's story carries so many choices and regrets, and being able to materialize this past warmth and future expectations in our own way was a deeply meaningful, ceremonial experience for me. I hope you can also feel the unique atmosphere belonging to the Tower of Babel in Arknights through these visuals, as well as the immense dedication and sincerity behind this photoset.