One of the bane of a cosplayer's progress with their projects is finding the right props and materials, it's actually the very core of the whole process.
Luckily several Facebook-based online cosplay shops exist solely for cosplayers in need of class A wigs, made to order costumes, lenses and all the other necessities for beginners and veterans alike. And there's that one big Facebook group that serves as the common ground, a sort of Wall Street for all those online shops and individual sellers - the CNPH (based only in the Philippines). Usually, cosplayers find more joy spending on cheaper but still high quality secondhand products.
I myself just only took a step closer to my next cosplay project these past few days. It's a miracle for college students like me to even find the time and money to spend on their hobbies. I found a good deal with someone selling a medium length blue wig. The transaction process was actually fun with a mix of slight embarrassments at the side.
Selena's (the person I conducted a transaction with) terms were through LBC payment and delivery. My initial terms were payment through a different money transfer company, this is because I don't know of any LBC branches near my dorm. These initial terms almost drove the transaction to a close before either of us even got what we hoped for. Then came the surprising news...there is in fact a nearby LBC branch and also just a 10 minute walk from my dorm.
After learning of that fact, the transaction pushed through and also came some of the few embarrassments that I endured as I traversed through the outside world.
There's a first for everything and sending money through LBC is one of those first things for me. But first of, I had to kill time until the end of LBC's lunch break.
On Centtro Malls 2nd floor was an arcade. It has the conventional arcade machines - crane game, whack-a-mole, DDR - and it also has two units of XBOX 360's available for us with pre-downloaded games. The rate is 8 minutes per token and each token costs PhP 5.
It was my first time playing with a home console. The quality of the games were amazing but sometimes only the quality wins out and not the gameplay. During the 1 hour wait, I played Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken 6, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Dead or Alive 5.
Lightning Returns has good graphics, nice music and Lightning, despite the 500 years she hasn't brushed her teeth, was still sexy. However, even if I haven't been playing much Final Fantasy, I can say that the combat system has no thrill even with the cinematic combat. It's just wait and push the button (at least that's as far as I went with Lightning Returns). After spending six tokens, I went back to LBC.
The clerk was friendly in handling my naivety in dealing with the transaction. I guess it took me 15 minutes to fill out a simple form and after completing the transaction I had to go back in a walk of shame after forgetting my umbrella. It was fun nonetheless.
The next order of business was Selena sending the wig through an LBC branch that I prefer which is, of course, the same LBC branch that I sent the money with. Several complications rose up, however, because her side couldn't find the name or place of the branch nearest me so they had to send it to Robinson's crossing. A 30 minute walk from my dorm.
My mom and I picked up the parcel earlier this afternoon and I immediately tried it out. It's a really nice wig. I don't want to disclose any information on who my next cosplay project will be but I suppose the wig is a dead giveaway.
Luckily several Facebook-based online cosplay shops exist solely for cosplayers in need of class A wigs, made to order costumes, lenses and all the other necessities for beginners and veterans alike. And there's that one big Facebook group that serves as the common ground, a sort of Wall Street for all those online shops and individual sellers - the CNPH (based only in the Philippines). Usually, cosplayers find more joy spending on cheaper but still high quality secondhand products.
I myself just only took a step closer to my next cosplay project these past few days. It's a miracle for college students like me to even find the time and money to spend on their hobbies. I found a good deal with someone selling a medium length blue wig. The transaction process was actually fun with a mix of slight embarrassments at the side.
Selena's (the person I conducted a transaction with) terms were through LBC payment and delivery. My initial terms were payment through a different money transfer company, this is because I don't know of any LBC branches near my dorm. These initial terms almost drove the transaction to a close before either of us even got what we hoped for. Then came the surprising news...there is in fact a nearby LBC branch and also just a 10 minute walk from my dorm.
After learning of that fact, the transaction pushed through and also came some of the few embarrassments that I endured as I traversed through the outside world.
There's a first for everything and sending money through LBC is one of those first things for me. But first of, I had to kill time until the end of LBC's lunch break.
It was my first time playing with a home console. The quality of the games were amazing but sometimes only the quality wins out and not the gameplay. During the 1 hour wait, I played Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken 6, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Dead or Alive 5.
Lightning Returns has good graphics, nice music and Lightning, despite the 500 years she hasn't brushed her teeth, was still sexy. However, even if I haven't been playing much Final Fantasy, I can say that the combat system has no thrill even with the cinematic combat. It's just wait and push the button (at least that's as far as I went with Lightning Returns). After spending six tokens, I went back to LBC.
The clerk was friendly in handling my naivety in dealing with the transaction. I guess it took me 15 minutes to fill out a simple form and after completing the transaction I had to go back in a walk of shame after forgetting my umbrella. It was fun nonetheless.
The next order of business was Selena sending the wig through an LBC branch that I prefer which is, of course, the same LBC branch that I sent the money with. Several complications rose up, however, because her side couldn't find the name or place of the branch nearest me so they had to send it to Robinson's crossing. A 30 minute walk from my dorm.
My mom and I picked up the parcel earlier this afternoon and I immediately tried it out. It's a really nice wig. I don't want to disclose any information on who my next cosplay project will be but I suppose the wig is a dead giveaway.
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| I finally have an excuse to show my face again |
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