[Kiryuu Kikyou cosplay] That Black Cat from Blue Archive, Today's Daily Candid Snaps

Putting on this classic sailor outfit of Kiryuu Kikyou from Blue Archive and attaching her iconic blue halo and cat ears, today I'm sharing this set of daily candid snaps in a Japanese-style room. Kiryuu Kikyou from Blue Archive has always carried a somewhat mysterious yet lively catgirl trait. To recreate this setting, I specially adjusted the intensity of my makeup, particularly handling the eyeliner to lean towards a more rounded cat-eye effect. Paired with a short, straight black wig, I hope to visually get closer to the character's originally vivid and agile expression.

Let's talk about the ideas behind this shoot. What attracted me most about this costume were the details, such as the thin black ribbon around the neck, which brings out the visual focus immediately when paired with the blue-and-white sailor collar and the bright blue bowknot. The blue-and-black pieced gradient cat tail behind me, along with the floating halo above my head, is the absolute soul of recreating this character.

The shooting location was chosen in a traditional Japanese tatami room, utilizing the natural light filtering through the wooden shoji doors to create that somewhat lazy yet well-behaved lifestyle vibe of Kikyou in the game. Furthermore, beyond the essential halo and cat ears, this blue-and-black gradient tail adopts a feathered-stitching structure, which naturally drapes and fits the body when lying down or sitting, which is highly helpful for portraying the posture of a cat-like character.

This time, I brought a ball of blue yarn and a sketchbook as props. Lying on the mat to flip through pages like in the photo, or casually sitting by the wooden frame while letting the blue yarn entwine around my fingertips, adds a sense of realism as if she just finished playing a game with a cat. In terms of shooting angles, we tried to lower the camera position as much as possible to capture the approachability of her usual low-angle perspective. To match the setting, I also specially wrapped blue ropes around my knees; these small accessories are crucial for adjusting the layering of the photos. In terms of light selection, we intentionally avoided harsh overhead direct light, instead using the soft side light from doors and windows to outline the character's facial contours. Doing so not only makes the skin tone look more translucent but also emphasizes the white fabric texture and blue sheen of the sailor outfit.

Under this style and lighting, the texture of the school uniform performed better than I expected, with the drape of the sailor collar and the pleats of the pleated skirt well-presented in different sitting postures. Adjusting the light and shadow with straight-out-of-camera shots and simple post-processing preserves a lot of the raw, original atmosphere. I hope everyone can feel the relaxed and lazy daily vibe of this little cat.