Rogue & Gambit in new X-Men '97 clip!

SUCCESSION S04E03

turns out i have to make an unnecessarily wordy thoughtspost about doombox too bc there is nothing about this character that isn't fucking ridiculous and also really funny and i'm kind of really obsessed with all of it. ordinarily i would just start firing but in this case I need to just. paste his bio and then go through it step by step because every phrase here is absurd when looking at how he's handled along with the other characters and the world as a whole. here we go

first sidenote: i should also add 'nonsensical' to the list of descriptors up there, because this is a fighting game and no doubt has the typical Bad Fighting Game Writing at play that doesn't really hold up when put under scrutiny as i'm about to, but understand that this is something i've come to love about the genre and its typically batshit lore, and it further enhances the experience for me. it's all utter nonsense and its my favorite shit ever.

the biggest thing to me that makes his entire shtick ridiculous is that he was explicitly made to be a weapon. like his express purpose is destruction and/or killing people, and he certainly has the disposition to be doing that. except that he is not doing that. he's out there playing Ball Game, evidently of his own volition.

i feel it is also important to highlight that he was not originally or intentionally a boombox; he just kinda lives in there. his own bio frames it as happenstance, but sonata's dlc skin lore** implies he isn't permanently stuck in there and can kinda just hop out and take control of whatever he wants whenever he wants. there is an entire goddamn tank just sitting there in the background of one of these stages. he is a weapon. there is heavy artillery readily available to him that he could be commanding if he wanted to, but he's not doing that either. he is still a boombox. i think he likes it in there. *there's an argument to be made that maybe he's not powerful enough to control something that large, or maybe just that switching hosts is really tiring or risky. im just saying though there's like a bajillion host devices better suited for A Fucking Weapon than a boombox, but he seems really committed to this for some reason. while im here btw it's fucking terrifying that he apparently can possess thing that are Not tech as well **as a side note from that the specific mention of her boomhammer is interesting. i don't think it's an intentional implication but i enjoy the idea he has an affinity for sound-based devices; i like to think the boombox left an impression on him with its being the initial thing he possessed and got used to

and then there is the berserking. the 'rampaging', as it is otherwise called. not exactly strange on its own given his temperament and designation, but strange for the way it's characterized as only a tendency. it's only that he's prone to rampaging. he rampages often, but not all the time. just often! what is he doing he is not rampaging? getting a custom trimmed jacket with his own logo emblazoned on it? like a nerd? and on the flipside, what exactly do these rampages even entail? because it's apparently not anything destructive or disruptive enough for anyone to care about stopping him under normal circumstances.

like how are you a giant angry "not exactly stable" weapon of a guy and everyone's like 'yeah that's fine. that's our doombox!' toxic's specific wording regarding his getting unfucked postgame is "back to his old raging self", which implies to me there's almost a certain fondness, or at least amusement, at his being like this. i know one of the core themes of lethal league is letting these oddball misfit dudes do their thing and freely be who they are, but like. is doombox sincerely just not a threat for that? like really? dice's interactions also sort of imply that his actually trying to kill someone is really out of the ordinary for him so truly like. db my man what ARE you doing out there. * re: toxic and dice's talking about him; i do also find it amusing that one of his defining traits is just being pissed off all the time. again, not surprising given his purpose/designation as a weapon, but funny in that it's like. how he's KNOWN; in the sense that it is immediately noticeable and a cause for concern for other characters to see he is Not angry. fuckin social barometer of a guy. local angry guy isn't angry, something's wrong.

the "reasons for playing in the league unknown" bit also strikes me as a little odd even though it REALLY shouldn't. i'm like 97% sure it's just written like that to make him seems mysterious and unpredictable and dangerous, but it's a weird thing to call attention to when you consider that...less than half of the other characters' reasons are known? raptor is there trying to get info on his dad, that one's well out there. dust & ashes i think have some kind of implied reason for being there as well but it of course isn't elaborated on, and grid is like trying to impress "the youth" and establish a profile or something. nitro seems like he might not actually be IN the league as an official competitor? it's just helpful for him to know how to ball for the situations he gets into with his investigations. everybody else's "reason" pretty much seems like they're just out there to have fun. and toxic says as much in the story mode intro! the game was developed for people to escape the monotonies of shine city! so to imply doombox has a separate, non-recreational reason for being here is weird. the easiest read on it for me is just that he was drawn to it cause it's intense and destructive but at the same time.... if all he wants is an excuse to wreck shit....why are you competing in a structured sports game with rules and shit my dude. you are a weapon. just go attack people. except that we've established that he doesnt really do that. so. once again. what IS he doing out here

----

aside from the bio though, there's of course random little tidbits of characterization throughout the game itself and they are all also likewise ridiculous.

he refers to himself in third person, which is always an amusing choice for a character in general. it carries with it a certain sense of ego, an awareness of and and pride in one's presence and gravitas. this was mostly just surprising to me bc before i started looking at everything, i'd assumed he was more or less mindless and, yknow, robotic; without much personality/reason for being there beyond being the Biggest Baddest Best At Ball Game Guy doombox is already very imposing, so this is frankly a well-earned sense of pride for him to have.....but it still doubles back to being funny again because, as i've established above, he could stand to be a hell of a lot scarier! but he doesn't seem to notice or care that there are many readily-available options for becoming more powerful and/or establishing himself as unquestionable top dog. so instead he is a boombox. third-person is also often used for characters who are a little dumb, and i think this applies to doombox as well. he is a weapon, and clearly a brute-force-over-precision type of weapon at that, he doesnt need smarts. i think this is also sort of hinted at with his voice lines; where the other characters have some kind of snarky phrase or one-liner for their kill/score voice line, doombox just goes "bye-bye". Which is still appropriately Disrespectful, but it's also very, uh... simple. again i just think there are... more imposing things a guy like him could be saying there, but i guess he hasn't got anything more than fucking. bye-bye.

anyways the ego thing i think is well-echoed by his stupid fucking jacket. none of the other characters have their logo as part of their design and i'm pretty sure the rest of the symbols are just game abstractions and don't exist in-universe, but like. doombox is just going around wearing a jersey with his own damn face on it. ok. to be clear i love his jacket but it is literally so silly for him to have that. imagine being the guy having to custom-fit a fucking boombox. did db pay for it? how? we're getting into unproductive territory here but you could ask a million questions about that jacket and they all have hysterical implications. while im on the topic of designs i'd also like to say that while i don't count any of the other blaze redesigns as "canon" like actual events the characters went through between games [like raptor in particular would have already had to have the stitches since that's his backstory, it's just they weren't a design point before], doombox is in a weird spot since the first game's design for him was very specifically referencing its HUD in a meta way for his flavor and that was pretty much the entire extent of his flavor; while in blaze he and the HUD are very much separate distinct things with their own flavor. there's more to talk about here later but as it pertains to design what im saying is i think he just went out and found a better and cooler boombox to be in between games. and also got a funny jacket. *actually i have no idea if there's even a Timeline here. the gut vibe i had been running on was that blaze happens a couple years after the original, but looking at it now that doesn't seem right. does blaze Replace the timeline of the first game? are there even Events in the first game to count as a timeline? do they run concurrently?

alright anyway the last point here is the 3rd-person thing is even moreso interesting to me though bc i was under the assumption that 'doombox' was something akin to a codename he was given when other people saw this big fucking Thang rampaging through the streets. but seeing as 1. he's definitely aware of it, and 2. not even the damn scientists who made him knew he was in a boombox [as implied in his dlc skin lore], i'm led to believe he came up with the name himself. the fucking tape in his cassette player does just say 'doom' on it so i am choosing to believe that's either where he got the name, or that he put that on there himself.

MOVING on, another really good thing is that he does this

i just think it's funny he's continuing to use the thing as an actual boombox; i feel like that isn't something he necessarily Has to do. obviously he's susceptible to certain quirks and limitations of being a boombox re: mind control tape, but i don't think that means he has to play out its every function. i think he's doing that on purpose and i am filing it under "he likes it in there". hes listening to his jams.

also on a similar note,

this is also not important and i realize it's mostly just a quirky videogamey way to get around saying the robot kinda character is "asleep", but i do enjoy the implication that shine city's biggest terror is like out there running on 4 D-cells.

also i'm making this guy out to be a city street menace, and the vibe i had assumed for him before was like, a random encounter in the back alleys that you super do not want to run into; but his associated stage/hangout seems to be the desert/scrapyard? which i don't really have anything interesting to say to that, but it's definitely a different vibe for his character if he typically hangs out in more desolate areas.

---

i think maybe the most baffling thing doombox has going on is the apparent "rivalry" with dice. this is also bizzare from dice's side of things. what the fuck does it even mean to be "rivals" with doombox? what are they competing for? what kind of things does dice get up to that doombox would even give a shit about in the first place, let alone to be considered a rival in? i mean, like, the league, probably, but why dice specifically, out of everyone? would doombox's league rival not just be whoever's the [second] strongest there? i believe dice when he says they're evenly-matched, but there isn't really anything that implies dice is of particularly high prestige within the league so it feels like he shouldn't hold much interest as a target. to be fair dice doesn't seem like the type that would care about prestige, but again, if he's not out there flaunting his shit or trying to claim he's the best or whatever, why does db care? this would be a lot easier to understand if it was a one-sided thing on doombox's part like okay maybe dice pissed him off one day and he's still mad about it. whatever. that's the vibe they go for in story mode, but then there's dice's dlc skin description, which seems to run entirely counter to that and has dice as the aggressor:

when deprived of his usual sense and restraint, dice's first thought is I Gotta Go Fuckin Kill Doombox? even if he's over it under normal circumstances, it's clear both of them have some deeper-rooted beef in this exchange. there is yet another layer to this in that doombox is, weirdly enough, not really shown to be the kind of guy that's interested in revenge. again, going back to his own dlc description, he- and i quote- "couldn't care less" about the guys who made him capturing him and chaining him up. his only interest there is breaking out and getting back to doing his thing. if you want to be really generous, you could also read this vibe from the story mode epilogue: doombox was not the one hunting down the safety league, that was nitro. doombox was simply, as stated before "back to his old raging self". both of these to say, he simply does not seem to give a shit about people who have directly wronged him and only wants to Do His Thing. so. once again. what the fuck is going on with dice that they both have lasting beef here. i truly cannot fathom what either of them did to be so mad specifically at eachother. this rivalry is something they reference a LOT too like it's a big deal in-universe, or something otherwise really important to portray. like

lore so strong you gotta put it on an achievement!!!!! really!!!!! and there are no details whatsoever about this????? * while i'm here i'd just like to say have more questions about dice than fucking anything else in this game. sadly there's practically nothing to intuit from the game about any of his situations so i don't have much for coherent thoughts to post on him, but my god. what the fuck, dice. this rivalry is arguably the single strangest thing doombox has going on but it doesn't even break top 5 weird things about dice.

anyways, the final section and MOST interesting thing to me in all this is that, coming out of the first game, i was really under the impression that doombox is just the arbitrary final boss monster you gotta kill; no real purpose or personality his own to speak of, and most importantly just synonymous with the game itself and its aesthetics re: mirroring the HUD design. he certainly still holds the role of big scary final boss monster in blaze too, but blaze 1. has him much more fleshed-out as his own Guy, and more importantly, 2. doesn't really consider him a Problem like your typical big angry final boss monster. or at least not moreso than anything else going on in the game. he's not a threat to be eliminated, he's respected as a character and as a competitor in the league; and more than that he just seems to be... liked? as in, liked by other people in-universe? and he's liked enough that they'll readily help him out so he can keep doing his thing? i do think latch fixed him up postgame mostly bc he felt bad about being the one responsible for getting db brainwashed in the first place but like. the game could have just as easily gone "and then doombox was defeated yay" and left it at that. instead, they seem to have a vested interest in keeping him around. most transparently this is likely just a "we can't get rid of any of the playable characters or else story mode would be noncanon", BUT the point of this post is trying to read cohesive narrative sense into places there probably isn't any, and my read here is that doombox is a sort of inadvertent guardian of the league. for 1, he does still very much embody a lot of what the game [both The Videogame and the league itself] is about, but more importantly i think his presence is just really good at keeping a lot of the more minor threats at bay. if you try to fuck with the league, you will eventually be squaring off with doombox, most likely having freshly pissed him off in the process, and i can't imagine that goes well for who or whatever is in that situation. there's probably not much that wants to stand up to him by himself, and there's even less that can challenge the league as a whole unit; he's really just a good guy to have on your side like in general when you are running an illegal sports operation. i think at Worst toxic might see him as the league's funny little mascot but realistically i think she has more respect for him than that. either way i don't think he's going to care and it doesn't affect him much regardless. for this, doombox simply gets to keep doing his thing, whatever the fuck that may be. there are certainly still forces beyond his control at play here [as demonstrated in story mode by the safety league], and when these come into play, the league in turn looks out for him and keeps him on top of his game. i'm not sure if he has the, uh.... kind of cognitive ability that he could be grateful for this, but if nothing else, we know he seems to enjoy playing in the league, so he probably at least recognizes that he's not going to meet a lot of resistance in it and/or that it's a good environment to keep doing as he pleases. i don't mean for this all to sound so transactional, but it's hard to say whether he has much charisma in-universe for people to want him around for more "legitimate" reasons. likewise, there's also still a lot up in the air on how like... sapient doombox actually is. whether he can have complex motivations about anything or if he has some concept of "having friends" or if he can experience emotions besides rage; i tend to lean to "no" on those because i am really trying my damndest not to woobify this guy, but ultimately i don't think it matters much; in the end, he and the league are still mutually beneficial for eachother, and they still enjoy having the other around. and i think that's pretty cool :)

She was the only thing I was living for. I’m sorry for your loss, sir, but right now we need to get you airborne. Police will be here any minute. I’m well aware of that. I’m turning myself in.

— SMALLVILLE, “Bizarro” (7.01)

Favourite Resident Evil Characterizations Out of All Their Games [1/?]: Short Hair Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

Small practice using this expression meme as reference!!

Also, version without the glasses:

Click for better quality!!!

REASON [MONSTA X MINI ALBUM] ✧ VER. 2  ↳ KIHYUN

me last month seeing the elevator falling and the implication dazai might die: lol. lmao even

me this month seeing him drag his bloody broken feet until he can’t move anymore and telling fyodor he’s tired of being in pain and asking for a break from it etc:

hey sorry for just barging into ur asks randomly but i was reading the dash and saw you rebloggin a post from @\sysmemes and they are a sysmed :(

folds hands. ok. op i appreciate the concern & telling me this bc i& didnt know this earlier but like. i& dont. i& dont know what u want us& to do about that. the post specifically was about antisemitism & how ppl downplay & watering down really serious language; them being an exclus doesnt really negate that fact. like. maybe this is just my& compassion fatigue talking but like. i& may be m.ultigenic & also h.c-d.id but in the end we're& ultimately s.yscourse aligned. any system is welcome here as long as they don't bash other systems regardless of origins, fakeclaim them unless if sb has literally said they're faking or spreads misinfo on cdds. i have pro endos, endo neutrals & surprisingly enough some antiendos that follow me which is wild but. ig its just how it is. mostly bc like. i& can't find myself& to care. like. leave me& out of any nonsense bc this isnt a syscourse blog (/nay, this is us& generally speaking). i& dont know how else to tell ppl that. im&. exhausted atp. them or hell anybody potentially disagreeing w/ our& origins doesn't change anything bc we& know who we& are at the end of the day bc we're& the ones in our& head & not anyone else on this planet. idk. i hope im making sense. ty for telling me op but like. idk what u want us to do. /gen

*Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for 40 days and forty nights, he was starving.

Matthew 4:1-2

aka: Blaine + 😈

a wonky little gif I made for my neocities cite!! I'm hoping to use it to organize my stuff and somewhere to put the stuff tumblr is........less friendly towards *wink* *wink* *wink* *wink* *wink*

Well if the good omens bartylus brainrot can't be stopped then it must be encouraged

Can you share any interaction or dialogue you can't stop thinking about?

(also, good whatever-time-it-is-in-your-timezone!)

Helloooo Ary, my dear

I hope you know what floodgates you just opened. I'm going to try to make this sound even a little bit concise and not just like a lengthy ramble, but no promises

It's going to be a mix of me gushing over Good Omens and how perfectly bartylus translates to it, so strap in ♡

First of all, Crowley. Barty. Need I say more?

Fanart credit: twosidedstarr on Instagram and Pinterest

Look at them! They're two of the same, swagalicious, out of pocket, impulsive idiots, and, I'm sorry, but Barty as the snake in the Garden of Eden?

In God's universe, Bartemius, now affectionately referred to as Barty, along with the rest of his human name, Crouch Jr. (not to be confused with Crouch Sr., who was also him, just a couple hundred years ago to be realistic), has been dealt a losing, rather shit hand. Course he is a demon, that's sort with the territory, but he was an angel once too. Doesn't really get what all the fuss was about, it was awful up there, all the white and the glass, gave him a headache.

He was never cut out for Heaven, and Hell is just depressing, and in either he's a miserable excuse for a being, either occult or ethereal, and that is why Barty, formerly Bartemius, Crouch Jr., formerly Sr., is so in love with Earth.

And then there's Aziraphale and Regulus, which is, I think, more of a reach but definitely still completely valid

Fanart credit: twosidedstarr on Instagram and Pinterest

It's important to note that Azzie here is softboi core to the bone, and Regulus is absolutely not. While I think they have a lot of the same fundamentals ideologies, like fierce loyalty, they are very different. Aziraphale wants to believe in the good will of angels only to, slowly, over time, realise how corrupt it is, and I think this parallels amazingly with Regulus's experience with Death Eaters and the Dark Side - BUT Regulus is NOT a softboi, I will not reduce him to this

Consider this analogy for further explanation

Aziraphale and Crowley:

Barty and Regulus:

Regulus can't just abandon Armageddon all together. Not because he particularly fancies being at war, but because of the opposite. He's not the coward Barty seems to think he is - he's not the one trying to run away from this. He's the one trying to fucking stop it from happening entirely, if not for his own sake then for all those innocent humans that aren't ready to be judged yet. That never asked for any of this. That are caught in the crossfire just so good and evil, whatever the fuck those even mean anymore, can figure out who's best.

Regulus has to try. If Sirius taught him anything it's that hope is worth the plunge, no matter what's waiting on the other side.

NOW why am I currently obsessed with this, may you ask? Does it have to do with David Tennant's David Tennant-ness? Yes, a lot actually. Because through him and his portrayal of Crowley, I was able to understand a version of Barty that I could see in Crowley, because I actually relate to him. Probably more than one should relate to a demon but that's the whole point of the show!

The glory and freedom, allure of humanity

It's the story of a demon and an angel that have fallen in love with humanity (and each other) and are willing to give everything up to stay together. Because, if they lose humanity, they lose the bridge over which they can be together, and when the end of the world threatens it's destruction what do they do?

Stop the end of the world, obviously

They go against everything they've been taught, everything they've been told is right and wrong and devine and instead of doing what they should they do what they want to do, which I just think is so beautiful. And opens up a lot for Regulus's character. I mean, Barty's a fallen angel soaked in corruption, he's not blind to it and escapes it in humanity, fueled by spite, whereas Regulus wants to believe he's doing the right thing, that's he's on the right side, and has only really a matter of days to understand that he's not - that there is no right side, only a wrong one. And, instead of fighting for the greater good, do you know what he fights for?

Barty. A demon. A demon that was never evil and never cruel to him, a good person deep deep down

It just suits them SO WELL in my mind

But that's not enough for Barty, of course it's not. To him, he's still just a stubborn coward that still believes in God's Plan. To Barty, he's given up on them, and he can't tell him that he'd never do that, not in another six thousand years, not in eternity if they ever even make it there.

I've written out their version of the bandstand breakup, and I WANT more than ANYTHING to write Barty saying the words "you're so clever, how can somebody as clever as you be so stupid" right to Regulus's face (for those of you that haven't seen the show, don't worry, he absolutely deserves it in the moment). I want to write Barty's collapse, his last few hours on Earth, saying goodbye to the life he loves and his best friend, his partner, his Angel, who he'll never get to be with again. His desperation to find an out, to keep his little Regulus shaped slice of heaven that he knows he doesn't deserve

I want to see Barty when he believes Regulus has gone back to heaven, just hours before the end of the world, and that he never even got to say goodbye

Skip to 2:20

Also, come on, Barty driving through hellfire while blasting queen just to make sure he gets to the end of the world in time to stop it from, well... ending

Then of course there's the holy water scene, Regulus breaking the rules to get Barty a thermos of it so he doesn't end up risking own life to get it in less legal ways. Giving him LITERALLY the means of his own destruction, because Regulus is the only one how can

Because, you see, the trouble with loving someone is that, in doing so, you give them a step my step guide on how to destroy you. Not with holy water or hell fire, but deep deep within. You don't even realize it, Barty certainly didn't, at least not until right now.

I also really want to explore their dynamic! Barty shares Crowley's impulsivity and energy, and he's a bit of a gambler in my mind, getting more of a thrill out of just winning for once than the actual game

"It's not like you need human money," Regulus reminds him.

"Nah," he just shrugs, shoving his hands into his British pound lined pockets. "I just enjoy the game, really. It's fun, you should try it sometime."

"Definitely not."

"And the atmosphere. Can't get that kind of an atmosphere anywhere else."

"Think a nightclub might be similar? Perhaps a pub?"

"Eh. Too much lust, not enough greed, and I get enough of that downstairs," Barty corrects and gets out his keys. "Dinner?"

Regulus, on the other hand, is more reserved and to the point. I did come up with this particular distinction between them that, if someone were talking to them and they didn't really want to talk, Regulus would stay and listen though making it clear he wasn't interested, and Barty would just say "yeah, sorry, don't really care" and be on his merry way. I also think Regulus is a bit of a foodie, in that he loves the different types of human meals and flavors and how each reflect a different culture and background. It's just the little things for Regulus, food and books. Books that allow him to travel to different worlds in which God doesn't exist and he can be anything he wants to be, not just an angel bound to the Greater Good

Also Barty is an ABSOLUTE simp

Regulus, much the same and far less likely to admit it, is in love with the fascinating world of humans too. Most particularly the food. Technically they don't need to eat, it's not a requirement, Barty only ever does it when he feels it's neccessary for appearances or when Regulus insists that he just can't go on living without at least trying a bite. Regulus, however, is a connoisseur. When he acquired his townhome in central London back in 1979, his main concern was the size and capabilities of the kitchen. For comparison, Barty doesn't think he's ever once touched the kitchen in his flat, aside from the one time Regulus asked him to store a cake in his refrigerator. He's thinking of having it refinished into another plant room.

His all time favorite is French food, after a particular excursion during the French Revolution filled with temptation, miracles, crepes, and a near mountain of baguettes. He learned quiche, creampuffs, and croque in Paris, fell in love with garlic in Italy. Spain got him hooked on chocolate and olives, and the shrimp came about from one confusing trip to Japan that Barty isn't fully certain actually happened. He also likes waffles, but that's far too American for him to admit.

So Barty takes them to Le Gavroche, which he is aware is secretly Regulus's favorite, not because the food is good, but because the restaurant itself is so flashy and sought after it takes an angelic miracle to secure them a table. He, as a higher, or technically lower being, is not limited by human languages, well versed and able to communicate in any one he chooses, but there is an unspoken agreement in which he allows Regulus to translate the menu into English for him and does not remind him that he, too, knows French.

So, in conclusion, it's not really a concrete thing it's just the entirety of them. The story of Good Omens is so good and through the lense of Barty and Regulus, who are both very different and very similar to Crowley and Aziraphale, would be just *chefs kiss*. They're two idiots choosing each other over a war and how can you not fall on your knees as to how tooth achingly sweet it is?? "Aww, Reg. You were willing to kill the antichrist for me? Little ol' me?" "Shut up."

Ary, this was very long and hardly made any sense, so I apologize, but I had the time of my life writing all of this down for you. Did I actually answer your question? I have no idea! But I definitely did something, so... tada!!

Brainrot successfully encouraged, this going to be all I can think about for the rest of the day...

Can I plz request some solo phone backgrounds of the guys more specifically Kendall and Logan?! 🤩🤩🤩

just posted it here!! i'm not sure if this is exactly what you had in mind, but i threw in a little bit of both babie and manband kendall + logan for funsiesヾ(•ω•`)o although if you were looking specifically for showverse!kogan, i'm so sorry i didn't get to include any (；′⌒`) nonetheless, thank you for the request and i really hope you like them!!! 💜

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

Context: about every 100+ followers or so, I hold a "Follower Milestone Celebration" where I open doodle requests for a short time. I'm getting really close to the next one, but the last time I did it, there weren't that many requests, so I've kinda been discouraged from doing it.

But, this next milestone is kinda special since it's the big 1,000, and it'd feel weird if that's the one where I finally decided to stop doing it. So, I thought I'd ask what y'all want to do.

If you're not familiar with the general celebration rules, they are as follows:

One request per person per celebration. If you've made a request in the past, you can ask for another one, but only one per milestone.

One character per request. I might make exceptions for "animal buddies" or other small companions, but not 2 full-sized characters. I used to do them, but I wanna keep things moving and do as many requests as possible.

Don't be too detailed or specific. These are only doodle requests, something I can draw in less than an hour, so the art is gonna be a little simple. At most, keep it limited to 1 character + an action. Props are okay. Backgrounds are situational/simple.

Good Example: Kun3h0 eating a pizza.

Bad Example: Kun3h0 sitting cross-legged while eating a pizza slice in one hand, and holding a game controller in the other while playing Kirby Air Ride while GAB watches.

It's ONLY open to followers that followed before I made the official announcement. (This is not the official announcement.) This means that requests cannot be anonymous, since I have to verify the follower status. If you don't want your name published with your request, then just ask to be anonymous, and I won't mention your name when I post the doodle~

I'm being especially strict about that rule now. Anyone coming into my ask box with a sob story that wasn't following me is just gonna be blocked on sight now.

I don't do OCs. This includes other people's OCs. I used to allow them for mutuals and honorary mutuals, but it's both a confusing rule, and I actually feel a lot of pressure when drawing OCs since I want to make them as good as possible. I think y'all deserve the best, but that's hard to upkeep when I'm doing rapid-fire requests X(.

I will draw for fandoms I'm not familiar with, but I won't draw things that conflict with my moral values. I'm not gonna make a whole list of things/fandoms I won't draw, but if you've been following me on either of my two blogs, then you probably have a good idea of where my moral compass lies. Just ask if you're not sure. If I won't do it, then I'll just ask you to make a different request.

I don't do horny. It's not against my morals, but I won't do that kind of thing for free. Even if it's an innocuous kink that could pass under the radar, I'm not consenting to be a part of that at this time. Consider a commission if you want something like that from me.

That's the gist of it. There isn't a hard limit on how long the celebration goes or how many requests I'll do, but it's generally first-come, first-serve, but mutuals/honorary mutuals get priority. I like to think of it like microwaving pop-corn: I'll officially close things once requests either slow down or stop for a significant amount of time and/or I get burnt out.

Also keep in mind that none of this is an obligation to me, so I might reject a request for a reason not explicitly stated in the rules. It just depends on how comfortable I am with the request.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask (questions can be anonymous)~