[Xishi cosplay] Honor of Kings Mermaid's Song, a dragon ball as our pact, this heart remains unchanged

This studio photoshoot for Xishi's Mermaid's Song was conducted against a pure white shadowless background. The core concept was to strip away unnecessary environmental interference, leaving the visual center entirely to the costume details and character aura. The design language of the Mermaid's Song skin is extremely unique, intertwining white, cyan, and gold, possessing both the heritage of Eastern mythology and a sharp mature woman (Onee-san) trait.
To highly restore this styling, a lot of effort went into the preparatory work. The dragon horn accessory on top of the head is one of the visual centerpieces of the entire set; its semi-transparent material tends to reflect light under studio lighting, so the wearing angle and fill light methods were adjusted on-site for a long time. The silver-gray long straight hair needed to maintain a very smooth texture, and the blunt bangs couldn't look heavy, requiring the makeup details of the eyebrows and eyes to be revealed. The eye makeup abandoned heavy strokes, opting instead for light pink and purplish-red tones, paired with purplish-pink contact lenses, striving to convey the character's cold and deep gaze even in close-up shots.
The blue dragon ball in hand was a key prop during the shoot; it is not only the character's signature element, but also the core connecting the setting of "a dragon ball as our pact, this heart remains unchanged." To capture the crystal-clear feel of the dragon ball at the fingertips, I tried various hand postures. From the moment of gripping the dragon ball with tightened strength to the natural sinking of the shoulders, the posture of the entire upper body needed to maintain a subtle balance—avoiding stiffness while carrying Xishi's poise of having everything under control. The composition of sitting on the ground with legs stretched out showcased the details of the leg stockings and skirt hem while reinforcing the visual tension through the extension of body lines.
The pure white background places extremely high demands on the character's physique; with no shadows to help conceal flaws, every single inch of line has to rely on bodily control to be showcased. To make the lines of the waist, abdomen, and legs smoother in front of the lens, I constantly reminded myself to keep my core engaged, and the placement of my feet was repeatedly confirmed, with arches pointed and toes naturally relaxed to avoid awkward joint dead angles. The style of this set leans toward a mature woman (Onee-san), so sweet smiles were reduced in expression management, replaced mostly by a calm, even slightly distant gaze facing the lens. Occasionally lowering the gaze toward the dragon ball, or looking straight into the camera to convey that unwavering certainty that this heart remains unchanged.
Every time I prepare for a character with such complex settings, from fitting and styling to the actual shoot, it is a process of constant trial and error and minor adjustments. The tiny golden ornaments on the costume and the pleat directions of the cyan gradient fabric all needed to be arranged on-site according to the lighting. As a coser, translating flat design drafts into three-dimensional images with flesh, blood, and emotional expression is something I have consistently delved into. This Mermaid's Song tests not only the ability to pull off the costume, but even more so the understanding of the character's inner temperament. Setting aside complicated backgrounds and using the purest light and shadow and minimalist composition to set off the character herself was my biggest takeaway from this shoot.