[Xia He cosplay] The Outcast Bone-Scraping Knife Xia He, refreshing summer in front of the refrigerator

For this Xia He cosplay from The Outcast, I did a lot of preparation in advance. The character Xia He has an aggressively charming presence in the setting, known as the Bone-Scraping Knife. To recreate this temperament in front of the lens, a lot of thought went into the styling and the creation of the shooting atmosphere.

For the wig, I selected long wavy pink hair with slightly lower saturation, which displays a gradient luster under natural light. For makeup, I wore blue-green mixed colored contact lenses, blended reddish-brown eyeshadow on the eyelids, and focused on the translucency of the lip makeup and blush, aiming to present a lazy and slightly tipsy state. Regarding the outfit coordination, a white tight-fitting sleeveless tank top with letter prints just reveals the waistline, paired with light blue denim shorts featuring lace patchwork on the lower body, matched with a pair of long black gloves extending up to the upper arms. The black gloves element is very crucial; it adds a touch of danger and distance to the casual overall outfit.

The shooting location was chosen in a kitchen with wooden flooring and a built-in refrigerator. To match the refreshing summer theme, pink popsicles and iced Pepsi were prepared as props. The state in the photos looks very relaxed, but during actual shooting, a lot of effort was made to capture the perfect movements. For instance, holding the popsicle close to the lips required controlling breathing and keeping the gaze focused; I couldn't actually bite down, or the expression management would break. The refrigerator door had to remain open during shooting to let the cool light inside shine out, while coordinating with external lighting to illuminate the face and echo the skin tone with the cool light from the fridge.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, I kept trying different poses to figure out Xia He's everyday state. She doesn't need to force unnatural poses; simply leaning casually against the door frame or holding a can of cola with a slightly nonchalant gaze brings out the character's inherent tension. Between takes, because I was wearing shorts and the kitchen air conditioner was quite cold, my knees became a bit stiff, but as soon as shooting started, I had to quickly adjust back to that calm and leisurely posture. The cola can reflected light intensely in front of the lens, and we switched back and forth across several angles to find a spot where the lighting was softer.

Overall, this shoot deconstructs an anime character through an everyday slice-of-life scene. Taking a character who is bold and unrestrained in the world of outcasts, placing her in an ordinary kitchen in front of a refrigerator, and using subtle actions like eating popsicles and drinking cola showcases the other side of her when her guard is down. For me, this was an experience in attempting relaxed acting and pushing details to the extreme. The entire team put immense care into the set design and lighting, utilizing the cool light of the refrigerator combined with warm rim lighting to achieve the ideal texture.