[Wishadel cosplay] Black Leather Jacket and Red Horns Styling in Arknights

"What a pity, not even ashes left~" Cosplaying Wishadel at the Beijing Arknights Only convention was an absolute blast, so I rushed to finish retouching and posting the photos while the excitement was fresh. The entire preparation process was quite demanding on energy. The most laborious part was the wing prop on the back; to support it and prevent it from deforming, several shaping steel wires were adjusted repeatedly. We also had to consider the aisles in the convention hall, slightly folding in the edges so they wouldn't accidentally hook onto people passing by. The black glossy leather wrapped over it provided the right texture, though wearing it was indeed stuffy and hot, drenched in sweat after just a short while. The matching semi-sheer black stockings, leather gloves, and shackle-like accessories took considerable effort to size properly, especially the white cross-straps around the wrists, which needed to be wound tightly to look best.

To achieve the character's distinctive crimson eye look, I specifically chose red colored contacts with strong enlarging effects, blended red eyeshadow across a wide area around the eyes, and winged the eyeliner upwards with an extended curve, paired with vibrant red lips and red nail polish to bring out a striking contrast. Three bottles of styling hairspray were used on the wig to firmly freeze the styling around the two red horns on top, holding up all day without collapsing.

For the shooting session, let's focus on the seated pose in the first photo. Because the wings on the back have significant volume, standing poses can sometimes make the upper body look top-heavy, so a seated posture was chosen. This pose naturally showcases the leg lines. Under the indoor convention lighting, the semi-sheer black stockings produce a noticeable reflective sheen, which, paired with black lace-up boots, flatters the leg contours wonderfully. Lightly pressing a hand against the lips, with eyes slightly unfocused before locking onto the lens, allowed capturing that cold yet playful mood. Black stockings as a material are particularly finicky with light; harsh overhead convention lighting easily makes them look flat and dark, so we brought a small fill light during shooting and specially preserved the leg luster during post-processing to avoid a dull look.

The second photo is a look-back angle, mostly shot in a slightly more open area outside the expo hall. This angle primarily showcases the upper body silhouette and the extension of the wingspan behind. The leather jacket over the grey tight-fitting tank top ends right at the waistline, which, paired with the black tactical pouch on the waist, brought out the overall mechanical and rugged feel. The photographer understood the character's temperament very well, crafting crisp, sharp lighting across the side profile while blurring out the cluttered booths and passersby behind.

During editing, no exaggerated processing was applied; we mainly unified the background tones, reduced noise, and restored a clean skin texture. After all, for a dark Gothic style character, overly pale and translucent skin wouldn't feel authentic—preserving a cool tone and real bone structure is just right. Although this costume restricts mobility, its static presence carries immense commanding tension, fitting that lofty yet mischievous demeanor. Despite aching feet from standing all day and the heavy costume, seeing the final photos made it all worthwhile.