[Xiao Qiao Cosplay] Honor of Kings Green Snake Skin: Purely Handcrafted Anti-Gravity Hair Styling

At the CICF (China International Comics Festival Expo), I cosplayed Xiao Qiao's Green Snake skin from Honor of Kings. Having played this hero for thousands of matches, I am thoroughly familiar with her voiceline "must work hard to become stronger," so I decided to bring her complete Green Snake look offline as a tribute to my own gaming journey.

The outfit is mainly themed around green and white, complemented by metallic gold accessories. The halter neck design connects to a golden circular patterned decoration across the chest, matching the ethereal and lively feel of the skin's official art. The large white cuffs on the sleeves have a strong sculptural feel, resembling blooming white petals. To ensure these wide cuffs flare out naturally when taking photos, I used stiff interfacing fabric inside so they spread gracefully when tossing or raising my arms. The skirt layers are rich, with green-blue tulle alternating with white lining, creating a flowing, fluid rhythm when walking, with layered puffy skirt textures clearly visible under convention lights.

The hardest part of this look was actually the wig. Xiao Qiao has two iconic hair buns on top of her head and long braided tails hanging on both sides. To recreate this anti-gravity, 3D cartoonish game look in real life, I tried traditional round hair buns, but the results were unsatisfactory. In the end, I had to craft hidden support frames entirely by hand. I bent thin iron wire into the required arcs, secured them inside the inner base net of the wig, covered them with hair nets, and filled them with hair extensions and fibers. To hold the hair buns in place, I used almost half a bottle of strong-hold hairspray. Hidden wire was also added inside the braids to ensure fixed shaping across all angles and dynamic poses. Making an anti-gravity wig myself was an ultimate test of patience and skill, taking several days to finish, accompanied by true blood, sweat, and tears.

The round fan in my hand was also among my Handmade props. The fan surface was spray-painted in teal green as a base, with hand-painted cloud patterns and architectural silhouettes, trimmed with gold borders and embedded pearls to enhance texture. The 3D white flowers on the fan were sculpted from ultra-light clay, then meticulously painted and assembled. Holding this fan gave a substantial feel, making it my most important prop when posing at the booth, perfectly complementing the color palette of the overall look.

The convention lighting was complex and the background was quite cluttered, but photographer Mr. Ruixing skillfully used a wide aperture to blur the background distractions and highlight the subject. Wandering around the hall all day in green-blue high-heeled sandals left my feet quite sore, but whenever I faced the lens, I quickly adjusted to my best state. Getting ideal Convention photos isn't easy—one must navigate crowded convention halls while finding good light and angles within limited spaces.

To me, Cosplay is far more than just buying an outfit and putting it on. From reverse-engineering wig styling to hand-crafting props and refining character poses, every step embodies heart and soul. These Convention photos from CICF are a homage to Xiao Qiao from Honor of Kings and proof of my own craftsmanship. I hope to continue bringing this artisan spirit into recreating more beloved characters in the future.