Getting my hands on this Tushan Susu cosplay costume was actually quite a rollercoaster, especially the pair of beast ears on my head—from placing the order to receiving the physical item, I waited nearly five full months. The workshop kept citing fabric shortages and pushing back the production timeline, but thankfully, when they finally arrived, the fur color and lush thickness did not disappoint. The brownish-yellow gradient transitions very naturally with slightly darker tips; once properly angled on my head, they didn't look jarring at all and blended harmoniously with the golden wig. The wig itself is a vibrant, sunny golden-yellow, styled with airy volume. That signature curved cowlick (ahoge) on top required hairspray and bobby pins to keep in place, and the hairline edges were carefully trimmed to avoid revealing the net in profile shots.
Regarding the wardrobe, this is a pink-and-purple modified Japanese style cosplay ensemble. The outer garment is a warm pink, contrasting with the soft lavender-blue inner lining so the palette never feels monotonous. The sleeves are generously wide, decorated at the cuffs and shoulders with orange-red gradient leaf prints that feature crisp lines without any color bleeding. A red sash is tied around the waist, draped with a wide deep purple-red front flap accented by white patterns, while red knotted cords, tiny golden bells, and yellow tassels hang from both sides. When moving, the bells and tassels sway along, requiring mindful care during shooting to prevent them from tangling. Because the hemline is quite short, I wore safety shorts underneath and kept movements measured, relying primarily on torso tilts and hand props for composition.
For the makeup, to faithfully match the character design, the base foundation was kept porcelain fair. The eye makeup incorporated soft pink eyeshadow paired with emerald-green contact lenses, while generous blush was swept across the tip of the nose and cheeks. In post-processing, I deliberately avoided over-smoothing the skin to retain natural pore texture, preventing the look of a plastic doll against a solid backdrop. The key prop was a rainbow swirl lollipop larger than my face; it actually carried some weight, and we shot two sets of poses with it. In the first set, I held the lollipop in front with both hands standing upright, letting the golden bell anklets on my bare feet peek through; since I wasn't wearing shoes, lighting across the feet needed careful attention to dodge unflattering harsh shadows. In the second set, I raised the lollipop beside my cheek with a slight head tilt and a sweet smile, creating a much livelier, playful vibe.
The shooting backdrop was a clean, seamless light-grey cyclorama wall with even, balanced lighting designed to make the subject and costume colors pop. The raw previews already looked solid; during color correction, I mainly finessed skin tones and slightly dialed back the saturation of the pinks and purples to prevent color clipping. The outfit offers a forgiving fit, with the red waist cord cinching the silhouette nicely. Waiting five months for the ears yielded an undeniably adorable result; though the wait was an endurance test, wrapping up this shoot with the quality I envisioned made it all worthwhile.