[Xuan Li cosplay] Seaside Summer in The Legend of Hei 2: Heading into the Sea with Nezha

This seaside location shoot was quite sudden, but I'm really satisfied with the final result. Having looked at many concept art pieces of Lanxi Town before, I always wanted to find an opportunity to shoot a set with this relaxed and carefree summer island vibe. Luckily, both my close friend @低端鼠士 and I were free, so we packed our gear and rushed straight to the beach for a spontaneous seaside cosplay trip.

This time I cosplayed Xuan Li, and the most eye-catching part of the look was probably the pair of pointed elf ears. To make the ears look more realistic and natural in the sunlight, in addition to basic skin-toned foundation, I specifically worked on shading transitions around the edges and behind the ears to avoid looking fake under direct light. As for the hairstyle, the black wig was trimmed and styled to retain a slight messy touch while preserving the character's neatness. Paired with a white T-shirt and an open blue-and-white printed shirt, it echoes the ocean waves and blue sky nicely, instantly giving off a clean, refreshing vibe.

Meanwhile, my partner's Nezha cosplay was super fun, with his deep blue double buns tied with red ribbons, which were instantly recognizable. He was very expressive during the shoot, looking lively as he stood in the water making a peace sign. I have to praise the sunglasses he chose this time; combined with light gray athletic shorts, the casual style fit the character's lively nature perfectly. Standing together, we created a very complementary blue-and-white color scheme.

The weather was actually a bit cloudy during the shoot, but the diffused light spared us from the blazing sun. The soft lighting on our faces yielded great skin textures without needing heavy reflector fill. However, the hard part of seaside shoots is the wind and waves. Although the water was clear, standing on the wet beach as waves rolled in soaked our pant legs and shorts edges as we tried to maintain immersed. Especially when taking the second photo where I put one hand over my forehead to block the wind and sun, the wet sand was soft, making it easy to sink if standing unstable, so I intentionally found a firmer footing for that shot.

Regarding composition, we chose several camera angles. The first photo, a close-up from the main perspective, highlights our makeup details and outfit conditions, making it perfect for a social media cover image. The other mid-shot, taken from a high or low angle, framed both the distant mountains and sea as well as the nearby beach, giving it a real travel documentary feel.

Shooting a duo set outdoors tests mutual chemistry the most, as facial expressions and movements need to freeze in place within split seconds, especially when using a phone for taking selfies while managing expressions and framing at the same time. Although our feet were covered in sand and our shoes were filled with seawater by the end, looking at the raw photos, the unique laziness and airy feel of summer were completely captured.

In the context of Lanxi Town in The Legend of Hei 2, Xuan Li and Nezha are close companions who often travel together, making our seaside trip an emotional extension of their story. Rather than posing dramatically, we kept it casual and natural, projecting the characters' relaxed state into real natural scenery. To me, this is the most interesting part of modern cosplay—breaking the wall between the 2D world and reality to embark on a journey across time and space.