[Alienated Mechanical Researcher 2.0] White Blade and Techwear: An Autumn Freeze-Frame at the IJOY Convention

For this Beijing IJOY convention, I brought the newly upgraded "Alienated Mechanical Researcher 2.0" version. Compared to the previous version, many iterations were made this time from makeup and costume tailoring to prop details. Happening right at the turn of National Day and autumn, the lighting inside the National Convention Center venue paired with this cyber-techwear white-dominated outfit significantly enhanced the overall texture.

Let's talk about the concept of this look first. The combination of white hair and beast ears actually tests the coordination of overall colors. To prevent the visuals from looking too floaty or abrupt, I chose brown leather boots as a grounding anchor, along with a geometric patterned hem of black and grey stripes and a badge on the shoulder, giving the visual focus a layered feel. The blue mechanical patterns on my face were meticulously drawn line by line by the makeup artist, which, combined with the lines of the glasses frame, deliberately creates a non-human feel while retaining some boyish charm. The effect we wanted to present was that subtle state of "having a bit of humanity but undergoing mechanical modifications."

The prop beside me is a long straight sword. The texture of the hilt matches the black, white, and grey base colors of the outfit perfectly, and holding it truly gets me into character. Special thanks go to the photographer @Berkshire for this shoot. He is exceptionally skilled at capturing the relationship between light sources and figures, yielding a studio-like quality even in the complex lighting environment of the convention hall. Furthermore, his understanding of composition is fantastic; for example, that close-up shot holding the sword horizontally beautifully captured the extension of the sword and the sharp gaze, which really surprised me. The post-production and lighting were handled very cleanly.

The convention venue was actually even livelier than imagined. Although walking around in this outfit carried some weight, walking through the hall made me feel everyone's recognition of this techwear design. From the feedback, it seems many people noticed the facial patterns and hair accessories at first glance, which was precisely the effect I hoped to achieve. This kind of recognizable design truly makes the character stand out faster.

This time, besides static standing, the photographer also helped me shoot some dynamic or sitting poses. In fact, the sitting state is closer to how a "researcher" feels outside of work—leaving the sword aside and being casual looks more natural instead. The clash of white, blue, and black colors looks very refreshing in front of the lens. For an autumn convention, this kind of styling that doesn't require overly heavy colors feels quite comfortable.

The post-production tones for the photos and videos were also processed, without excessive beautification, preserving the authentic skin texture and the creases of the white fabric, which really fits my preference. As a fully prepared set of convention photos, in terms of makeup restoration, shooting cooperation, and live atmosphere, this output can be said to be very complete, serving as an ideal comma for this period of preparation. I look forward to coming back to play in winter with a new piece or an advanced version of 2.0.