[Lucy cosplay] Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Holding a Pocky, Memories of a Photo Set from Three Years Ago

While flipping through my old photo albums, I accidentally stumbled upon this Lucy photo set taken three years ago, and the Pocky in my hand instantly brought the memories back to life. When I first received this cosplay commission, I was actually quite nervous; after all, the character Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners holds a very special weight in players' hearts. She is not only the epitome of Night City but also represents that paradoxical feeling of searching for warmth in a cold metropolis.
To capture that atmospheric vibe of Night City, the photographer Qianjin chose a very cyberpunk-style rooftop for the location shoot at the time. Look at those blurred, scattered warm yellow urban bokeh spots in the background, which form a stark warm-cold contrast with the cold blue metal railings in the foreground. Back then, to find this psychedelic and slightly lonely highlight texture, we ran around carrying equipment for a long time, finally starting the official shoot only when night fell and the city's neon lights turned on.
Actually, what I'm dangling from my mouth and holding in my hand in the photos isn't a real cigarette, but a Pocky chocolate stick! Because to recreate the character, the styling was pushed to the absolute limit, but replacing it with Pocky during the actual shoot helped avoid awkwardness while preserving that rebellious and casual vibe in the frame. Looking back at this detail now, I find that little clever idea at the time particularly cute. That short, light purple-white hair with bright yellow highlights at the ends, paired with the off-the-shoulder white top, left me quite satisfied with both the visual effect and the clothing accuracy.
There is actually a wonderful twist of fate in rediscovering this photo set today. Recently, isn't there a collaboration happening between Wuthering Waves and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners? When I saw the official collaboration teaser, I was completely stunned. After all, I had seriously done a cosplay of this character before, so having the opportunity to see a character I once played come alive with new vitality in the world of another hit game feels incredibly magical—as if the dimensional wall had been broken.
Going back to the shooting technique of this photo, a night portrait actually tests a photographer's skills heavily, especially in this kind of cool-toned, highly reflective scene embedded with cyberpunk elements. The subject's face needs sufficient fill light while still retaining the atmospheric mood brought by the ambient light. Qianjin put a lot of thought into the composition at the time, using the blue metal railing in the foreground as a frame to guide the visual focal point, and the background blur was handled just right without overshadowing the subject. Looking at it again now, this aesthetic is still top-notch, which is why I often say that great photography works are timeless.
After doing cosplay for so many years, the cost of maintaining one's passion is not low; every single photo set requires meticulous refinement of makeup, styling, and outfits behind the scenes. For a character like Lucy, whether it's her aloof and cold temperament or her gorgeous hair color and clothing, everything must be crafted with dedication to yield a high-textured final photo. Although three years have passed, the hardships of shooting back then have all turned into stories worth reminiscing about.
As an enthusiast, being able to experience wandering through a cyberpunk world in real life is inherently very interesting. In this cosplay sharing, closely re-examining myself from three years ago once again feels like encountering the hardcore enthusiast I used to be in the past.