Here you are with your friends at one of your favorite anime conventions. You’ve just come out of a Cowboy Bebop anniversary panel, and now you’re on your way to get something to eat before the next panel starts. You’re wearing your best cosplay (the one you’ve spent several months working on) for everyone to see, and then the unimaginable happens – part of your outfit brushes up against an uneven part of the door and makes a small (yet noticeable) tear. Perhaps you’re debuting a prop that you’ve spent months on, only for part of it to get caught in the hotel elevator and snap off.

Chances are that somewhere down the line in your life of cosplaying and going to conventions, you’ve been on the receiving end of a cosplay mishap. Cosplay malfunctions are the last thing a cosplayer wants to worry about at a con; besides turning your best friend into a bodyguard to protect you from cosplay glompers. Never fear cosplayers, cuz’ D&A’s here to our fool-proof Cosplay Repair Plan filled with the Top 5 tools that you’ll need to handle nay mishap that happens to you, or one of your friends.

Number 5: Glue Gun

The majority of all cosplay repairs usually requires this handy dandy tool. It can fix most problems really fast and really quickly when you need it the most! Glue guns are a good tool to have for those broken prop-type of mishaps that can happen on accident. Depending on the convention’s rules and policies, you probably won’t be able to bring a glue gun in that’s larger than your own arm. For that we recommend looking for a smaller one to carry in a small strap on bag – to access easily of course.

Number 4: A Pair of Scissors or Shears

If you’ve got any loose threads on your outfit or need to make a slight trim on your wig, then you’re gonna need to make sure that you don’t go without this essential tool. Perhaps you want your Kirito wig to look great in Asuna’s eyes, or maybe you just want to make sure that your Ciel cosplay doesn’t have any noticeable threads that may turn Sebastian off in any way. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this classic repair tool.

Number 3: Fashion Tape

This one’s for the ladies. If your cosplay is a bit on the scantily clad side, then this is the best tool to use to keep it held in place to prevent male nosebleeds (or ‘growth spurts’). Depending on the color or size fashion tape might even slightly enhance the look of your cosplay.

Number 2: Safety Pins

This is usually the ‘last resort’ go-to tool if you don’t have any tape, glue, or even velcro on your person. Safety pins are great for those mishaps that happen mid-travel from panel to panel. Make sure you don’t stick yourself while trying to repair something on your outfit that may be slightly torn, otherwise it’s going to be the most uncomfortable three or four days of your life – unless you have an emergency backup cosplay outfit.

And Number 1: The Classic Needle and Thread

Everybody knows that this particular item is found and needed in every wardrobe emergency kit ever made! If you want to make that small tear in your outfit no longer noticeable to the human eye, then make sure that you have a needle and thread handy for those ‘quick fix’ moments. It’s a good idea to make sure that the thread color matches the color scheme of your cosplay outfit in some cases, but you also don’t forget the old fashioned black and white colors as well.

If you ever find yourself on the receiving end of a cosplay mishap during an anime convention, make sure that you’ve got a friend that has these five tools in a pinch when they’re needed the most! Accidents happen, so that’s why it’s always a good idea to stay prepared when that ‘dreadful moment’ that every cosplayer hates, happens.