From character to costume.

Cosplay allows me to bring characters I love into the real world. When I put on a costume, I often become more expressive, outgoing and confident than I am in everyday life.

It also gives me room to explore appearances that are harder for me to try outside cosplay, including short hair, masculine characters, dramatic makeup and clothing from imagined worlds.

Open the wardrobe

WHY I COSPLAY

Love is where every costume begins.

I usually choose a character because their design, personality or story has stayed with me. Recreating them is my way of showing that affection and thinking more carefully about what makes the character meaningful.

The finished photograph is important, but the transformation begins much earlier. Choosing the clothing, styling the wig, applying makeup, preparing props and deciding how the character should move all become part of the creative process.

INSIDE THE WARDROBE

Three characters, three different transformations.

Siqi cosplaying Lappland in a black and white costume while holding two weapons — Photo of Siqi by a photographer, used with permission.

Look 01

LAPPLAND · ARKNIGHTS

Elegance with an edge

Lappland is my favourite character in Arknights. I am drawn to the contrast between her elegant appearance and her unpredictable, almost dangerous energy.

I wore this costume for a photoshoot during the summer of 2023. The long black coat with white fur, short cape, sleeveless dress, gloves, boots, gold pocket watch and blood-stained blades created a look that felt refined and threatening at the same time.

Once the costume was complete, it became easier for me to embody her controlled posture and wild confidence. I felt elegant, powerful and slightly intimidating.

Look 02

HEINO AND DOLIA · HONOR OF KINGS

A date beyond the original story

Heino and Dolia are one of my favourite couples in Honor of Kings. Their story moves from childhood friendship and love towards separation and forgetting, which always felt painful and unfinished to me.

During the Qixi Festival in 2025, my close friend and I cosplayed the pair and imagined a happier moment for them. We used a toy store as the setting for a casual shopping date. Even the Sanrio character plush toys in our hands matched the blue and pink colours of our costumes.

Cosplaying Heino also allowed me to try a short-haired masculine appearance. After completing the wig, makeup and costume, I felt surprisingly confident and protective. For one day, I could express a version of myself that felt handsome, playful and completely natural.

Siqi and a close friend cosplaying Heino and Dolia during a toy store date — Photo of Siqi and a close friend, taken by a friend and used with permission.

Siqi in a Heino cosplay looking into a mirror while holding a soft toy — Photo of Siqi by a friend, used with permission.

Siqi wearing a pale blue winter outfit inspired by Furina at Shanghai Disneyland — Photo of Siqi by a photographer, used with permission.

Look 03

FURINA · GENSHIN IMPACT

A winter princess of my own

Furina is my favourite character in Genshin Impact. When I visited Shanghai Disneyland during the winter of 2025, I wanted to bring her into the park without wearing an outfit that was too cold or impractical.

Instead of reproducing an official costume, I created my own winter interpretation. I combined a pale blue Lolita dress with white knitwear, a fur-trimmed cape, blue shoes and a small crown. The snowflake and castle details suited both Furina and the Disneyland setting.

Wearing the completed outfit made me feel like a small winter princess. This experience reminded me that cosplay does not always need to be an exact copy. It can also be a personal interpretation shaped by place, weather and imagination.

MORE THAN PRETENDING

Cosplay helps me discover parts of myself.

I do not see cosplay as hiding behind another person. Each character gives me permission to explore a different kind of confidence: elegant, masculine, dangerous, playful or soft. The costume may only last for one day, but some of that confidence stays with me after I take it off.

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