[A2 Cosplay] NieR:Automata - Tiring Anime Convention, but Double the Joy

Spending a day as A2 at the ijoy convention felt much more fulfilling than I had imagined. I originally thought I would just stroll around casually, but from the moment I stepped through the main hall doors, photographers with cameras kept calling out to me, surrounding me in circles with all kinds of lenses. I ended up spending my entire day's energy repeatedly posing and constantly taking shots. Although my legs were aching terribly and my lower back hurt by the end of it, the joy of receiving so much attention from everyone was undeniably real.

Actually, deciding to do this A2 cosplay look was mainly because I really love A2's collaboration skin (Ice Queen style) in the game. That aloof, sleek, yet sharp aesthetic perfectly hit my personal taste. But to be honest, recreating the essence of this character in real life meant that no detail of the styling could be overlooked.

Let me talk about the wig worn today first: this long, straight silver-white hair creates bright highlights under natural and venue lighting, making it extraordinarily eye-catching. It takes quite some effort to care for daily. To maintain that signature messy yet realistic texture in front of the lens, I spent nearly an hour before leaving carefully styling the hair flow, and finally used styling spray to tease out a few loose strands to make the silhouette look legit. Combined with bright blue contact lenses matching the character, even though wearing them for a long time made my vision slightly blurry with double images, overcoming this minor visual issue during shooting was completely worth it to capture that hint of cool detachment in her eyes.

The black leather base top I wore today has a tailored fit that hugs the body closely. However, the downside is that in a slightly stuffy indoor venue environment, the airtight material becomes quite uncomfortable over time. Sweat naturally soaked the inside of the leather sticking to my skin, feeling a bit sticky. But on second thought, the halter neck and off-the-shoulder design of this outfit beautifully highlighted my neck and shoulder lines on camera, vividly showcasing the character's calm demeanor. The delicate strap decorations on the shoulders and arms added detailed textures of mechanical and combat elements. The bottom half—paired with black shorts, stockings, and thigh straps—was designed to present a nimble and slender combat figure. Although my stride was somewhat restricted when walking, the overall visual impact was fantastic.

In one of the photos taken today, the long blue prop fabric I held in my hand was actually a key visual element. Navigating through crowded subway stations with such a long piece of fabric could easily trip passersby or get caught in escalator gaps. Fortunately, I met several exceptionally kind subway station staff members who helped fold and organize the fabric, even finding a spot to temporarily bundle it up for easier transport. I am truly grateful for their kindness. Surprisingly, I particularly love the top-down snapshot taken on the subway stairs. Combining an everyday mundane scene with the cold, apocalyptic dystopia of the character setting created a wonderful sense of dimensional rift and gap moe.

Speaking of the convention atmosphere that day, the scale of ijoy was quite large. Looking around, you could see iconic characters from major and minor IPs. When cosplayers ran into each other, they would often help adjust hair or swap accessories, or even team up to find good lighting spots to take photos of each other, making it highly interactive. I was frequently stopped by unfamiliar fellow fans asking for photos. Sometimes I even realized that throughout the day, I hadn't raised my camera to take photos of the venue at all, instead spending the whole time acting as an NPC and backdrop in other people's albums—which is part of the unique social fun of Silver hair cosplay and conventions.

To preserve A2's cool, nonchalant core persona, I deliberately suppressed my usual smile in front of the lens, trying my best to respond to the shutter with a calm and slightly rebellious gaze. However, the shooting process wasn't as cool on the inside as it looked on the surface—I often ran into photographers requesting challenging poses, or props getting stuck somewhere unexpected and unable to be pulled out. In those moments, my composure broke down and I couldn't help laughing. These off-camera bloopers were even more vivid than the final shots, forming one of my happiest memories from this convention.

When the convention ended and I packed up my gear to head home, carrying a backpack stuffed with equipment and change of clothes, my energy was completely depleted. Although the day's harvest wasn't some grand achievement, being able to wear a costume I personally recreated, freely roleplaying my favorite character all day in the hall, and leaving behind photos I'm satisfied with—that alone is the best solace to wash away all tiredness.