[Amiya cosplay] IJOY Two-Day Trip: Styling Records for Amiya and Priestess

This two-day IJOY trip was dedicated mostly to Amiya on the first day. For this convention, I prepared two Amiya outfits. The first was a classic light-colored uniform; the smock structure with large pockets and black straps was quite intricate, requiring safety pins at the back to anchor the waistline and project a crisp, sleek silhouette. This set was relatively lightweight, making it easy to navigate the convention halls. The second set featured a longer coat pairing, combining a black-and-blue color-blocked jacket with a white shirt and blue neckerchief. The absolute focal point of portraying Amiya is those simulated animal ears. To make them look natural, I tucked a wig cap and hairpins inside the wig, spending nearly half an hour securing them firmly. Although the convention venue blasted strong air conditioning, wearing long sleeves and a coat while pacing back and forth for photos still worked up quite a sweat. Even so, meeting fellow fans who recognized the character, exchanging Convention photos, and discussing shooting angles felt exceptionally rewarding.

Day two transitioned into Priestess. Priestess's costume carries a completely different aura: the upper body features a white off-shoulder ruffle design tied with a slender black ribbon at the neckline, matched with a dark pleated skirt on the lower half. For this look, I purposely selected black pantyhose to complete the Black stockings cosplay ensemble, pairing them with black leather shoes for a slender, elongated visual line. My makeup was also tweaked, intensifying the eyeshadow shading to impart a cooler, sharper look. To match the character's demeanor, the placement of the animal ears was slightly tweaked to appear more piercing and stern. On the second day, I hunted down solid-colored or dark-toned background walls inside the venue for photos; sunlight streaming through the convention glass illuminated the frames beautifully, yielding highly satisfying Convention photos.

Across the two days, from makeup trials and tweaking costume details to scouting ideal shooting angles on-site, the entire workflow was physically taxing yet deeply fulfilling. The wig's smoothness required constant combing, and garment creases needed smoothing between shoots. Convention lighting tends to be chaotic, so I opted for natural light zones most of the time during shooting, preserving the original texture of the fabrics in post-processing without excessive color grading. Transitioning between Amiya's lively vibrancy and Priestess's icy composure required time to adjust facial expressions and postures. Some on-site photographers excelled at capturing dynamic motion and offered fantastic advice on posing.

These two days at IJOY proved to be quite a physical test, lugging bags back and forth across multiple halls, followed by removing makeup, conditioning the wig, and organizing garments back at the hotel room at night. Yet looking through the images stored in the camera made all the fatigue vanish. Every time I do cosplay, it's a fresh exploration—not just a faithful physical restoration of the wardrobe, but an understanding and expression of the character's inner state. Next, I plan to get some good rest, slowly process and curate the Convention photos on hand, and look forward to meeting everyone at the next convention.