[Ellen Joe cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: Convention Shard Farming and In-Car Snaps

Right after the anime convention wrapped up today, I got back to the car and took advantage of the remaining light to quickly snap these photos of Ellen Joe. Given the limited lighting and tight vehicle space, I framed them as closer mid-shots, which conveniently shifted the entire visual weight onto the upper-body garments and makeup. Today's look featured a dark gothic maid outfit—a black bodice paired with white ruffled puff sleeves, layered with criss-cross leather straps across the chest and silver metal buttons that offered rich dimensional depth. The choker with gray spikes around my neck served as the centerpiece of the look; to make it stand out crisply on camera, I reinforced the inner lining so it wouldn't sag. Because the puff sleeves are quite voluminous, I tucked my arms closer to my body when posing to keep the silhouette sleek. The wig was a black base with red dip-dyed ends, pinned with two metallic cross and geometric clips, capped off with a white lace maid headband and small gray horns to unify the style. To ensure the wig hugged my face cleanly, I used plenty of hair wax and setting spray to sculpt defined layers into the bangs and sideburns, preventing them from blowing out of shape outdoors.

For makeup, crimson contact lenses were non-negotiable. I deepened the reddish blend beneath the lower lash line and dotted a few subtle freckles, pairing them with an impassive, deadpan stare that aligned perfectly with her iconic reluctant 'not pleased to be of service' attitude. The lip color was a low-saturation muted nude with a matte finish, ensuring the complexion looked clean and crisp straight out of camera despite the dim in-car lighting. The small prop in my hand—a slender stick with a round tip—conveniently simulated the pipe-smoking gesture, harmonizing smoothly with today's overarching vibe.

Everyone has been grinding intensely for shards in the Zenless Zone Zero x Yadea crossover event lately, and after pacing the convention floor for two days, I managed to rack up quite a few. I ran into many fellow fans on site to compare exchange progress and strategies; it's definitely been quite the grind. Although my feet were aching from walking the convention halls all day, seeing the previews on the camera screen while resting in the car made all the exhaustion feel worthwhile. Shooting inside a car presents framing challenges, as window frames and seat seams easily fragment the composition, so I leaned back into the headrest, using the dark leather upholstery as a low-key backdrop to accentuate the contrast of the black-and-white maid outfit. The natural light filtering through the side windows had a slight harshness, yet carved out nice three-dimensional highlights on facial features. I still have several batches of convention shots to sort through, plus ongoing crossover shard tasks to finish, and I plan to browse the remaining convention days—hoping to capture even more striking frames then.