[Castorice Cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail BW 2026 Day 1 Phone Behind-the-Scenes Record

The crowd density inside the venue on the first day of BW 2026 was much larger than expected. Arriving at around 6:00 AM, the dressing room was already bustling with fellow fans. Putting on this Castorice look was more tedious than imagined, taking about half an hour from adjusting the wig's curvature to securing the neckpiece and collar. The blue and purple skirt hem easily tangled when arranged; especially when walking and turning around, I had to constantly pay attention to the direction of the skirt hem and streamers to prevent them from turning into a mess. To make the costume silhouette look better, the black waistband was tied a bit tight, which caused a slight feeling of restriction when breathing in—a common experience when wearing this kind of casual combat outfit.
The pose sitting on the ground in picture one was actually a casual snap when I sat down in the rest area after getting tired of shooting. The ground was the common gray concrete of the exhibition hall. Sitting directly on it without a mat made it easy for the edge of the skirt hem to get dusty, though fortunately, the material didn't attract lint too much. My eyes were slightly closed at that time just to rest for a bit, but it happened to be caught by the shutter. As for picture two, while the photographer was adjusting the equipment, I thought the diagonal placement of the scythe looked great, so I squatted down. The weight of the prop was indeed unexpected; the grip point of the scythe is quite far back, which shifts the center of gravity to the front end. Maintaining this pose for over ten seconds demanded a high level of arm stability. During the shoot for picture three, to avoid the messy background and crowds behind, I specifically looked for a relatively open aisle. The dark blue glossy high heels reflected a nice sheen under natural light, but there were some small water stains and dust on the venue floor, so walking in these shoes required extra care to prevent slipping.
During the shooting breaks, I encountered several other cosplayers dressed as characters from Honkai: Star Rail in the hall. Although we hadn't arranged a group photo in advance, everyone tactfully gave each other space to shoot. The photography approach for this set of Anime convention behind-the-scenes was quite casual; without external lenses, it relied entirely on the phone's stock camera to capture snapshots in an environment where natural light mixed with on-site illumination equipment. This kind of lighting often caused high contrast in the phone images, but looking at it from another angle, it preserved the lively, authentic atmosphere of the scene. The white butterfly accessory in the middle of the prop actually has great details; it wobbled occasionally when held. I tried fixing it with transparent film, but due to the limited area, I left it active. Carrying the giant scythe around all morning left some red marks on my palms and finger joints; taking off the gloves to let my hands breathe during the lunch break, I could feel the coolness of the air conditioning on my skin.
Upon returning, I noticed that several photographers had already posted sample photos for my event photo delivery. Although their control of lighting at the moment of the shutter was far better than my phone snaps, this phone-perspective behind-the-scenes material adds a sense of companionship. When chatting with fellow fans at the venue, I often heard discussions about how to hold this scythe steadily; indeed, the design of a prop directly determines the difficulty of getting good shots. Walking around the exhibition in this outfit inside the crowded hall was actually more physically exhausting than imagined, because I had to handle the pushing of the crowd while making sure the skirt hem and props wouldn't bump into others. Through this set of Anime convention behind-the-scenes, one can see the most authentic day under complex lighting and messy backgrounds; without fine retouching and filters, it serves as a special record of my state. Looking back at the entire event, my biggest takeaway is that the dynamic effect of this costume when actually moving around is much better than static standing, which provides a new direction if there's an opportunity for an outdoor shoot in the future.