[Yao cosplay] Honor of Kings Prayer of Time, a fairy girl's spring dream

This time, I'm shooting the Prayer of Time skin for Yao from Honor of Kings. From the gradient treatment of the wig to the mint green tulle layers of the skirt, every detail strives to restore the light and dreamy feeling of the original artwork. The pair of white antler-like hair accessories on the head and the gem bow on the chest are the soul of the entire look, requiring repeated adjustments during wear to maintain symmetry. Two sets of scenes were specially prepared for the shoot. One is a bamboo mat paired with red maple leaves and paper lanterns, aiming to create the warm feeling of a brief rest in an autumn forest; whether making a finger heart while sitting on a bamboo stool or adjusting the edge of the stockings, the movements don't need to be too deliberate—just natural and relaxed. The other is a pure white solid-color backdrop with a mirrored floor, paired with a floral arch, using reflections to increase the space's transparency. When standing and lifting the skirt, it better displays the layers of the dress and the lines of the over-the-knee ruffled white stockings. The off-the-shoulder design and puffy sleeves of this outfit make the upper body look very light, while the chunky Mary Jane shoes balance the overall center of gravity, so walking doesn't feel floaty.

Soft lighting was used as much as possible to prevent harsh shadows from ruining the pink and white color scheme of the outfit, while emphasizing the reddish eye makeup to give the gaze a more agile and spirited look. During the Cosplay photography process, I communicated a lot with the photographer about snapshot moments, such as a side profile resting the chin on the hand or the moment of bending over to adjust the skirt. This sense of relaxation often fits the character's personality better than deliberately posed stances. Post-production mainly adjusted the color temperature and white balance, preserving the original pink and green color blocks of the clothing, while enhancing the clarity of the mirror reflection, making the reflection an extension of the frame. The entire shoot took about four hours, and changing scenes and touching up makeup in between required high efficiency. Fortunately, the final selected photos met my expectations.

Although many people say cosplay is an exclusive expression for 2D enthusiasts, I feel it's more of a healing way to bring those lively characters from games into reality. Yao from the Prayer of Time cosplay gives a gentle sense of guardianship; when wearing this outfit, I also hope to convey that feeling of quiet companionship. The costume's material uses glossy satin and light tulle, feeling very substantial to the touch. The gems and buckles on the chest are all hand-sewn, and such dedication to details can add a lot of points in front of the lens. When sitting in the bamboo mat scene, the orange of the maple leaves and the aqua green of the wig form a warm-cold contrast, which is visually very comfortable. In the white scene, being surrounded by soft ambient light makes the whole person appear even purer. The difficulty in shooting a look with such a large skirt lies in making the folds spread out naturally—neither messy nor stiff—so I was careful to control my range of motion when walking and turning. Additionally, the white stockings and ruffled decorations easily develop creases during movements, so I had to smooth them out constantly to ensure a neat frame.

Being able to present this Yao cosplay so completely this time couldn't have been done without the photographer's patient guidance, and I am also very grateful for the coordination of on-site props, making the whole picture look like a fairy tale. I hope this set of my interpretation can bring a bit of freshness to friends who like Yao, as after all, every character shines differently under different people's interpretations.