Have you ever seen human beings wear clothes? Wearing this minimalist version of Lupa's battle suit, I couldn't help but complain to myself—they were truly sparing with the fabric! The original plan was to wear the full heavy armor to Wuhan CGF, but due to various practical constraints, that armored suit ended up collecting dust in my suitcase. To be honest, buying the complete armor only to leave it behind brought a deep sense of helplessness. Still, having committed to cosplaying the character, I had to grit my teeth and power through even in just the minimalist version.
I got up at 6:00 AM to start applying makeup. Because the minimalist Lupa suit exposes a lot of skin, the demands on the base makeup were exceptionally high. To complement the pink wig and cyan-blue contacts, I deliberately blended warm reddish-brown tones for the eyeshadow and winged the eyeliner slightly outward, ensuring the makeup would hold its ground under the intense convention hall lighting. Trimming the wig was quite a headache: the bangs easily obstructed vision, and the black horns and red dot hair accessories on the crown had to be clamped firmly in place using hairspray and bobby pins.
This form-fitting bodysuit was custom-tailored, offering an impeccable fit at the expense of restricted movement. To flatter my body silhouette, choosing the right undergarments was crucial—they had to stay perfectly smooth without showing visible seam lines. Wearing the black choker, bracers, the red cape over the left shoulder, and the silver emblem, not a single detail could be omitted. The cutout areas of the costume required extensive use of fashion tape; wearing it all day left my skin slightly red when peeling it off, which seems to be the unavoidable rite of passage for cosplaying this type of character.
On the props side, handling that red lance and massive banner was an absolute workout. The heavy armor alone would have been taxing, but pairing this pure white combat suit with a long spear and giant banner while roaming the venue still proved to be a formidable physical challenge. Raising the lance with one hand required tightening my core and pushing from the shoulder, otherwise the poses would collapse in the photos. For the suture scars across my midriff, I used specialized waterproof body paint pens, but due to sweating combined with fabric friction along the edges, I still had to duck into the restroom twice mid-shoot for touch-ups.
Pulling off the minimalist version is a ruthless test of physique and posture control. Without heavy armor to hide behind, every bodily curve and muscle contour is laid bare before the lens. To properly fill out this suit, I strictly controlled my diet and performed core exercises for a full week in advance. After reviewing a few studio test shots, I realized the minimalist cut actually tests lighting technique even more: because the garment itself possesses strong graphic design lines, finding the exact angles easily brings out a sharp, combat-ready intensity.
The convention floor was sweltering, with the venue air conditioning feeling practically decorative. The suit is completely non-breathable, and once soaked in sweat, putting it on or taking it off became a struggle. For lunch, I had to stick to foods that were easy to swallow without smudging my lipstick. Whenever convention-goers stopped by for photos, striking battle poses with the lance risked bumping into bystanders, requiring continuous apologies.
While leaving the full heavy armor behind due to various limits left a twinge of regret, seeing the cold, striking texture delivered by the minimalist suit in the convention photos made every bit of hard work feel worthwhile. This white battle suit with black trim carries phenomenal texture under the lights, flawlessly channeling the character's formidable, cutting aura. Given the chance next time, I will definitely bring out the complete armor for round two!