[Castorice Cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail—Searching for the Warmth of Butterflies in a Purple and White Sea of Flowers

In preparing this set of Castorice cosplay photos, my priority was how to combine the gentleness of the background with the character's mystery. This costume has a lot of details; the silver-purple two-toned wig combined with a headpiece embedded with thorns and flowers requires careful angle adjustments to avoid covering my facial features. The set design in the studio took the most effort—the white iron birdcage, the giant purple flower clusters, and the white-keyed piano in the corner all required me to cast aside my usual posture habits as much as possible, with every movement from my hands to legs cooperating with this dreamy studio photoshoot atmosphere.

When I first saw this look, what attracted me most was the combination of clothing materials. The deep purple bow tie on the chest is paired with a cross butterfly decoration, leading down to a skirt stitched with tulle and silk, grading from deep purple to light purple. The butterfly wings design on the back was actually quite challenging; they needed to be secured very firmly so that no traces of wearing them would be noticed when looking back. The gradient-colored long gloves on my arms also received special treatment; to present a unified texture during the shoot, I spent quite a bit of time on concealing and applying makeup. Meanwhile, the white diamond-cut hollow thigh-high socks on my legs visually elongated the leg lines, demanding high control over strength during standing and sitting postures to display lightness rather than tightness.

The investment in props left an even deeper impression on me. That huge staff scythe, with a white long handle paired with a butterfly-shaped glowing blade and a purple glowing sphere resembling an eye at the bottom, was truly heavy. When shooting shots holding up the scythe, I needed to constantly adjust my breathing and posture to maintain the stability of the frame. The small purple butterfly interacting in my hand, along with that bunch of highly realistic purple hydrangeas, were excellent tools for me to soften the screen's emotion. Especially in that photo where I hold the purple butterfly with eyes closed in deep focus, I put all my attention onto my fingertips to simulate a state of perceiving the butterfly wings' vibration in a microscopic world.

The lighting and post-processing also determined the tone of this cosplay sharing set. Large areas of purple neon ambient lights, combined with the white main light from the softbox, let a touch of warmth peek through the cool color tones. I tried my best to keep my eye makeup sharp in front of the lens; the pink-purple eye shadow and light purple contact lenses paired with pointed elf ears instantly pulled the frame into that fantastical world. When taking the shot looking back, it specifically showcased the backless design of the costume. Paired with that pink flower casually picked up in my hand, it had to maintain sexiness while keeping that otherworldly distance akin to a butterfly fairy. The photographer and I repeatedly adjusted the light positions five or six times in front of the viewfinder.

Actually, every time shooting this kind of photo set that requires heavy scene support, the physical exhaustion is huge. Because the skirt is layered with multiple weights plus a long trailing veil, it's very easy to get tripped up by the tulle on the ground, especially when turning and moving between the white iron cage and the piano. But seeing the intertwined purple and white tones and the naturally draping sheer fabric in the final cuts makes me feel that all the preparation work was worthwhile. When shooting the few photos of sitting on the carpet holding the bouquet, spreading out the purple skirt with white and purple tulle scattered around made me feel completely integrated into that set design. That quiet atmosphere allowed me to forgo too many intentional expressions during the shoot; simply emptying my gaze could convey the exact emotion the character should have.

For cosplay, restoration is not just as simple as putting on clothes and a wig; the character's core temperament is often hidden in minute body language. This time, I attempted a variety of expressions: the gentleness of looking down and staring at a butterfly, the coldness of holding the staff and looking straight into the lens, and the playfulness and allure of holding a single flower while looking back. I hope that through this purple and white sea of flowers and those glittering shatter-light special effects, I can convey the character's feeling of being right between fragility and strength. At the same time, I would like to thank the set designer and photographer for their full cooperation, allowing this artwork to reach a highly ideal state in terms of visual effects.