 dressed. If you really want to blend in, you can look up and dress like Southerners generally do. Jeans are a staple. Light, bright colors are popular for women. 

Strangers who are older than you may call you terms of endearment like honey, sweetie, sweetheart, baby, young man, or young lady.

Like, someone may see you struggling with your bags and say, “Here, honey, let me help you with that.” 

This is cultural and not meant to be romantic in any way. It’s a sweet paternal/maternal gesture. Older women tend to do it more often. Older men doing it can sometimes be creepy, but a lot of times they mean it in the same parental way the older women do. 

Don’t try to do it to other people, because it’s  exclusive to older born-and-raised Southerners, but don’t take offense if it’s done to you. 

Hold doors open for people behind you. Give a small, polite smile if you make eye contact. Strangers may say hello to you as they pass you on the street, so return the greeting. 

Dutch culture is direct in a way that would be extremely rude in the US South. Southern culture is very indirect. So, be mindful. (Southerners are known for polite, passive aggression if they do get offended, which may be difficult to pick up on.) 

Say “excuse me” or “pardon me” when you have to get around someone. Make sure you use a light tone though! “Excuse me” or “pardon me” said in a strong tone can be perceived as aggressive.

Strangers will engage in small talk with you wherever you go. Respond and roll with it. 

Driving is generally not as aggressive as in the North. People in the South generally don’t honk at other drivers. 

Try the regional cuisine! Southern food is known for being heavy and sugary, but it’s more diverse than a lot of people think. Florida has great Cuban food. Louisiana is known for Cajun and Creole food. Georgia and the Carolinas are known for BBQ and Atlanta will have Soul Food. Texas is known for Tex Mex. Look up the regional specialities of wherever you are.

Feel free to ask random people for directions or advice. Because of the small talk culture, Southerners are more open to being approached and are generally happy to help.That’s almost exactly how I (19F)acted after my SA. I was unconscious when it happened. Woke up somewhere random with my ‘friend’, she told me what happened. I ran home, drove to my boyfriends and just sobbed. It took a bit to tell him what happened but I did. I personally also felt the *need* to have my bf have sex with me to, I guess, erase what the other man did?

Just comfort her. You’re doing your best right now and you staying by her side is what she needs. Tell her whatever it is, you love her and want to protect her. Offer to take her to the doctors and even legal assistance. I wish you both the best.Greatly appreciated. I've been stuck fighting fire in South Carolina for a year, and I refuse to stay down here very much longer, so I'm hoping for FDNY ems to be my way back home, even if I have to drive 600 miles a few times to do it. 

I'm not worried about the physical portion, part of my work day is spending an hour in the gym (I do kinda love getting paid to work out). I don't have any shady past or medical problems, so that's not a concern. I'm not sure how my credentials stack up, though. 2.5 years volunteer firefighting in westchester, 1 year career in SC, a Bachelors and more firefighting certifications than it would let me list, but no NYC911 or real ambulance time.The Daedric Build- Part One: Brace Yourself by Ash Sweetring
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking this journey with me. One of my specialties in cosplay is armor building. I work with a variety of materials and absolutely enjoy learning new techniques and having new Xperience. (Pun!)
With the recent announcement of Salt Lake Comic Con’s FanXperience January 29-31, I decided I wanted to challenge myself; and YOU are all going to be by my side through the process. I am building a beautiful set of Daedric Armor. No, I’m not kidding and yes, I may be slightly looney. The Daedric Armor I’m constructing is based off of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I happened to get my hands on the original artwork concepts for The Elder Scrolls and I came across the set and I fell in love. I knew I had to make it almost immediately. I also knew that this specific project would test every piece of knowledge that I have picked up during my cosplay career.
This will be a seven part online tutorial of how I constructed my set. I hope you enjoy it!!
Are you ready? Don’t worry, we’ll take this slow.
Please, if you have any questions at any time during my online tutorial, don’t hesitate for a moment to ask! Bracers- Daedric bracers are by far the most intricate pieces on a costume that I have ever constructed. They compile a multitude of different patterns, colors and let’s not forget- spikes! The traditional colors of a Daedric contain Black, Silver, and Reds. I’m a rebel (alliance) and decided to give the set a new twist and I’m replacing the color Red with a deep Purple.
I began the build with a basic bracer pattern. This pattern is very similar to the one by the amazing Kamui Cosplay. The only difference was I based mine off of a rounded elbow tip instead of a pointed one. I made this bracer from a German material called Worbla. I started with this and left space between the connecting of the pieces on the bottom of my arm. Later, I will attach elastic pieces connecting the bridge pieces to tighten the bracer to my pleasing. As I get to this point I will show examples.
Once I had the basic bracer complete, I added detail to the surface. To plan this out, I used lined pieces of paper and I drew out what I wanted each layer to look like and taped it to the bracer. This gives you an opportunity to plan out how you want your bracer to look before you start playing with expensive materials.
I then started on my fingers! I made small house shaped patters that fit all of my finder joints when they were curved into rings. I then attached pieces of elastic around the bottom bridges and created sort of claw rings. Together, I have fourteen rings.
When I had the separate patterns for the bracer layers, I flattened the patterns onto Worbla, traced and cut. This part is where your opinion and wants come into play. How pointy do you want the layers? How far do you want them to stick out? These are all questions you should wonder before heating and applying the goey cookie dough like material. I chose mine to be fairly level with the bracer so that I don’t get it snagged on passing objects.
The next steps were detail work. First I drew out where I wanted to place details. I added then added things like rivets (made of Worbla), trim (from Foamies), and I Dremeled out all unwanted layering. Once I was happy with the amount of detail placed into the piece, it was time to sand. Now, sanding I believe is absolutely your choice. This is a rough, rigid looking costume. I sanded because I think it makes it easier for the primer to lay. It just needs to be sanded
enough to have a rough texture. (I used a 320 grit Dremel piece).
Now you prime! I used two different methods on the bracer so that I may show you guys both
techniques. The primers that I used were Gesso and Wood Glue. Out of the two I prefer to use wood glue. Gesso requires sanding after application of layers. The wood glue does not. If you’ve never used Gesso before, you can find it at your local art store or grocers like Walmart. It is a white, chalky smooth goo that is used to prime canvas boards before painters, paint. Wood glue, is well… Glue for wood.
My biggest tip before applying any primers is to remove any sanding dust from the piece. Whether you use a chip brush, air or your fingers- get that stuff off the best you can. It will make your priming experience much easier.
I wish I had taken more pictures of this painting process, (I will with other pieces) but, I get so excited when it’s time to paint because it is my favorite part. So, I will explain the processes as best I can. When your primer is completely dry, take a color pallet (find one at a local grocer) and fill it will your base color (a color used to show contrast between deep divits of the piece, and upper edges) mine was black. You’re accent color, mine in this case in the Purple, and your top main color, mine was a metallic silver. Start coloring your piece with your base color making sure you cover all areas of the piece that is going to be covered by
your main color. I used the black as the bottom layer, and I layered it