One cosplay horror story is about a girl who cosplayed as a popular horror movie character at a convention. A strange man started following her around, believing she was the real 'evil' character from the movie. He got too close and made her feel very uncomfortable.
One more common horror story is dealing with the accessories. Homestuck cosplays often have a lot of small and detailed accessories. A cosplayer could lose one of these important accessories right before or during the event. It might be a small charm or a unique piece that really completes the look. Without it, the cosplay just doesn't seem right and the cosplayer is left feeling disappointed and a bit self - conscious.
I heard of a case where a cosplayer bought a very elaborate cosplay outfit from eBay for an important convention. The seller promised fast shipping. However, the package got lost in transit. When the cosplayer tried to track it down, both eBay and the seller were not very helpful. So the cosplayer had to scramble to put together a new cosplay at the last minute.
A common one is misrepresentation. Sellers might use photos of really nice cosplay items but send out something completely different. For example, a beautifully designed sword prop in the picture could turn out to be a flimsy plastic thing in reality.
One horror story is when a cosplayer's expensive and carefully made costume got ruined by someone accidentally spilling a drink on it at the convention. The cosplayer had spent months on it, and it was a real heartbreak.
One common element is the distortion of the hero's appearance. For example, a cosplayer might see a warped version of the hero they are cosplaying, which is really creepy. Another is the feeling of being followed or watched by something that looks like their cosplayed hero. It gives a sense of unease.
One horror story could be about a cosplayer who spent months making an elaborate Homestuck cosplay. At the convention, someone accidentally spilled a huge drink on it. All that hard work ruined in an instant. It was a nightmare for the cosplayer as they had put so much time, money and effort into it.
One horror story is when a cosplayer got an eye infection from cheap, unregulated cosplay contact lenses. The lenses were not properly sterilized, and soon after wearing them, their eyes became red, itchy and swollen. It took a long time and medical treatment to get better.
The worst encounter I know of was when a cosplayer had her costume partially ripped by an over - enthusiastic fan. The fan just rushed at her to get a closer look at the details of the costume and accidentally tore it. It was embarrassing and scary for the cosplayer as she was left exposed in a public place.
One horror story I heard was at a cosplay event. A cosplayer was approached by someone who seemed friendly at first. They started chatting about their cosplays, but then the person got really pushy about getting personal information like their phone number and address, saying they wanted to do a photoshoot together later. It was really creepy and made the cosplayer feel very uncomfortable.