Cosplaying Shun (Small) on Day 1 of the Firefly ACG Expo went much smoother than expected. My main motivation for coming to the Firefly ACG Expo this time was to faithfully recreate this look of Shun from Blue Archive. Having seen many creative fan works before, her sharp yet playfully charming personality has always been deeply appealing.
Let's talk about the hair and makeup first. The hairstyle features long, straight black hair with relatively thick blunt bangs and face-framing wisps on the sides to flatter facial contours. To match the character's traits, I trimmed the curve of the wig bangs several times beforehand so the entire piece sat naturally. The vibrant emerald-green contacts were an eye-catching choice; paired with a generous sweep of pink blush under the eyes, the 2D anime aesthetic was dialed all the way up under the bright convention lighting.
I was very satisfied with the details of the costume. The top is a modified black mandarin-collar shirt featuring white piping around the collar and two bright green ribbon bows on the chest. The cloud pattern on the front has a metallic reflective finish that creates dynamic color shifts under different hall lighting, which looked stunning. As for the black-and-white plush animal ears on top of my head, they were not only the visual focal point throughout the expo, but practically became my trademark—several fans recognized me specifically thanks to this animal ears cosplay element.
Day 1 at the convention was mainly dedicated to exploring the floor and taking convention photos. The venue's orange background doors and gray floor tiles complemented the color palette of this outfit perfectly, allowing for great framing with effortless snaps. The small prop in hand, while modest, filled the empty space in poses nicely so my gestures didn't look stiff.
Regarding my schedule, on Day 2 I will be staying at Tw's Blue Archive doujin booth B25 the entire time. The doujin booth section is always the most exciting part of any anime convention, filled with high-quality original creations, artwork, and an energetic atmosphere. Being at the booth to showcase the outfit and interact in person allows for wonderful exchanges about character interpretations. Even though two consecutive full-day schedules take considerable stamina, seeing everyone enjoy the styling makes all the costume prep and makeup testing completely worthwhile.
For the pink blush in this look, I actually experimented multiple times to nail down the blending area and intensity, wanting to preserve the character's spirited energy without looking muddy under the lens. The combination of green contacts, black hair, and a black top unexpectedly brightened my skin tone. When passing photographers with long lenses liked the styling and asked for a few shots, that sense of recognition was truly where the joy of cosplay lies.
Looking back at the selfie taken on Day 1, my overall vibe felt very relaxed. Without overly complicated poses, just a simple hand lift and a subtle head tilt naturally captured Shun's effortless and spontaneous charm. With booth creators and visitors constantly walking by, taking this half-body shot during a lull in the crowd resulted in a clean frame where my expression felt closest to a natural, candid state.
Tomorrow at Tw's Blue Archive doujin booth B25, I will maintain the exact same styling and energetic spirit. I hope to meet more friends who love this look, chat about character details in Blue Archive, or discuss the fun convention merch we picked up. Balancing stamina and shoot quality across two consecutive days is demanding, but none of that dampens the passion for cosplay itself. As long as I can bring the character I love into reality, every bit of effort is deeply meaningful.