[Xishi Cosplay] Journeying to the Glimmering Ocean at Daju Mansion with Dragon Maiden

This collab shoot centers around Xishi's "Dragon Maiden" skin from Honor of Kings. Hearing the iconic voiceline "Bound by the dragon pearl, this heart remains unswerving," imagery of deep-sea dragon palaces and shimmering ocean immediately flooded my mind, making me eagerly anticipate the final results from the "Daju Mansion • Glimmering Ocean" set.

The wig for this Dragon Maiden look features a silver-white hue blended with subtle ash-blue tones, with richly layered strands. The translucent dragon horns on both sides, combined with fin-like teardrop hair accessories near the ears, strongly heighten the vibe of a marine creature. The costume color palette primarily blends cyan-blue with pure white, complemented by a gold cutout chest armor that adds texture without feeling overly flashy—serving as the perfect visual centerpiece. Light white chiffon layers draped over the shoulders highlight the collarbone and shoulder lines, giving the character's ethereal elegance a tangible touch. Thanks to the breathable fabric, even under warm high-power blue studio lights, shooting remained comfortable, which greatly benefited long-duration emotional performance.

For makeup, I deliberately softened the lip color and paired it with peach-toned blush to highlight a clear, gentle demeanor. Heavy eye shadow was avoided in favor of subtle shimmer pearls applied at the outer corners, which, along with light amber contact lenses, helped focus the eyes before the lens. For close-up shots, a clean and sheer base is essential for Traditional style cosplay elegance, so I used matte powder to set the makeup and prevent oily shine under strong lights, maintaining a soft, natural skin texture.

In the "Daju Mansion • Glimmering Ocean" physical set, the art direction was remarkably attentive to detail. The massive white shell throne served as the core centerpiece, complemented by iridescent crystals scattered throughout. When blue spotlights pierced through these props, delicate rainbow refractions filled the air. Caustics and blurred blue bubbles drifted in the background, creating the sensation of being immersed in real ocean currents and deep abysses. Sitting on the edge of the white shell, I leaned back slightly into a relaxed posture. In the first photo, I intentionally raised my left hand as if reaching for the floating dragon pearl, while resting my right hand naturally beside my chin. This open pose nicely highlighted the leg lines peeking through the skirt's slit, along with the thigh ring details.

Photos 2 and 3 feature post-processed water dragon special effects, with translucent blue spiritual entities coiling around my arms and body. For these poses, I had to imagine the water dragon was actually present and interact with it through my gaze and body posture. This heavily tested dynamic capture; every time I extended a hand to interact with the fluid effects, I needed to maintain physical tension while keeping my facial expression relaxed. The reaching gesture in Photo 3 was particularly challenging, requiring several takes to find the perfect balance so my center of gravity wouldn't pull me forward. These fluid effects and splashing water in the foreground greatly expanded the depth, giving flat images a strong spatial dimension.

Photo 5 captures a standing pose pointing upward—a relatively relaxed gesture that highlights the chest pendant and the seamless fusion of chest armor and sheer chiffon. Photo 6 utilizes a large white carved picture frame as the foreground, framing me inside alongside dangling pearl chains like leaning out from a deep-sea crystal palace. This framed composition bridges the distance to the audience while enriching the image's narrative depth.

Reflecting on the entire shoot, the overarching feeling of this costume is "lightness." Yet because of the sheer tulle and lightweight materials everywhere, achieving a look that balances physical strength with grace required significant effort. Huge praise goes to the lighting technician and photographer—the cool-toned blue marine light on my face didn't make the skin look lifeless, but instead rendered the character's presence exceptionally pure and translucent due to ambient light scattering. After nearly two hours of coordination, we captured the most emotionally resonant moments. Although this theme heavily tests physical coordination with numerous gestures and gaze anchorings to memorize, seeing the graceful spirit of Dragon Maiden preserved in the final shots makes every bit of effort truly worthwhile.