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fernshawart · 2 years

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How to write a cane user character

(Written by a cane user)

A few months ago, I wrote a small guide on good disabled characters and why they were good that gathered quite the attention, and I thought that doing another more specific guide this time would be interesting for writers or just people that are curious ! This guide will include general informations, some things to do, some things to avoid and some ideas that might revolve cane users's lives.

Things to know about cane users

Cane users are pretty diverse, and putting us in little boxes usually isn't the best idea if you want to make a character that has substance and isn't just "the disabled one". Here some infos about cane users that might be helpful knowledge !

Canes don't have ages. Most cane users in media are portrayed to be old, but truly, anyone can have the need to wield a cane ! I've been using mine ever since I was 17.

Can users can have a large variety of problems for their canes. Some canes are used to avoid pain from effort. Some canes are used for balance purposes. Some canes are to make walking less exhausting (works the same as walking sticks !) And sometimes, it's multiple problems at once.

Not everyone needs their cane 24/7. Some always need it, some can make small efforts without it but overall often need it, and some people, like me, can spend quite a lot of time without it. I almost never use my cane in my house, and mostly take it outside !

People with canes can run. We're not necessarily slow, I'm even faster than a lot of my friends.

Not using a cane can come with consequences, but not always. Some people might be able to walk without a cane but then suffer horrible consequences, but for others, canes are just a commodity for specific occasions.

Canes don't have to be looked down upon. Look at some characters with canes that look cool as hell ! Arsène Lupin, Roguefort Cookie, Brook ... Their canes serve their style !

We can be pretty healthy. Some people can have canes just because they were born with a bent leg and that's it. Our cane doesn't define our health status.

Canes aren't a curse. Think of them as something positive. It's a tool to make our lives better. You don't see someone sitting on a chair and think "awh, it's sad that they need a chair". It's more something like "hey it's cool that this chair is here so they can sit down"

Things to do

Make them use their cane. And when I mean use, I mean that canes are just funky long sticks usually made out of metal. Have fun with it ! Let them use it as a weapon ! Trust me, one hit in the knees with a cane and you're DOWN. Use it to reach stuff that's too high for everyone ! Have fun. Be creative.

Let them decorate their cane. It's an extension of their body ! You usually put on clothes that you like, don't you ? It's the same for a cane. If they like cutesy stuff, let them paint in it pastel colors ! If they like a more flashy style, add some stickers on it ! If they're a fancy person, give them a beautiful crafted cane with jewels on it !

You can make them a little shy or uneasy about their cane. Some people don't feel worthy of confident enough to wield one. It's not rare to see people think they're "not disabled enough to do so"

But on the other hand, you can do the complete opposite !! Make them proud of that cane ! Make them act like they're feeling pretty and more confident with it ! One thing i like to think about with my own cane is that I look like a cool gentleman. That boosted my confidence immensely.

Things to avoid

Don't make it their whole world. And by that, I do not mean that their cane shouldn't be a defining trait of their personality. Think of Toph from ATLA. She is blind, and you usually can't think of her character without describing her as blind. However, that isn't her entire personality trait. Make cane users have a goal in life, friends who enjoy them for who they are and not just pity them, have fun ... Don't just make them the disabled one.

Don't try to make the character's life just a plain disaster unless it's the focus of your story and you really know what you're talking about. Having a character who's always in pain, who feels bad about relying on their cane and/or who's angry at the entire world for being disabled is a REALLY tricky subject to use if you don't want them to be either a mass of unhappiness and angst for no good reason or some inspirational porn of the character who inside is deeply tortured but outside keeps up a facade because they shouldn't cry to avoid making others uneasy.

Do not, and I repeat, do NOT try to heal them, especially in a magical way. Bad idea. A lot of disabled people's goal isn't to be healed. It's to live a normal life. Making it so the ultimate goal for them is to be healed makes it as if they were worthless as long as they were disabled. Making their situation better physically or mentally is one thing. Curing them completely is really bad. "But some disabled folks want to be cured !" True, true. But if you are able bodied, I'm not sure if you can have the right mind to understand all of the complex details about this situation that leads to someone's life choices and the end result may look like you think the only thing that can make disabled people happy is being freed from their condition. I think it's best to just avoid it altogether. If you need a more nuanced idea, try to give them a solution that still has a few downs ! For exemple, a prosthetic that feels like a real arm, acts like a real arm and basically replaces it perfectly is a full cure. But a prosthetic that takes time to adjust to, needs repairs sometimes and doesn't look 100% like an arm can be a better narrative choice

Smaller thing, but don't make the handle uneasy to wield if you draw the character design. You can decorate most of the cane, but if you have chunky spiky decorations on the place you're supposed to clench your hand over, you're gonna hurt yourself. I've seen quite a lot of jewel handles or sculpted metal handles and usually their not good. If it's detailed metal, your hand will end up cramped in little parts and it can hurt. If it's a jewel, it's so easy for it to slip out of your hand it's unpractical.

List of tropes/ideas of scenes/details about canes to help you write new situations !

If you walk with a cane during winter, you can't put your hand in your jacket to get warm and there's a high chance your hand will get freezing. So after a long walk, you get an excuse for another character to hold their hand and warm them up.

If the handle is metallic, you get the opposite problem during summer. You can burn yourself so easy ! Easy accident if you want someone to help and get closer to the disabled person without it necessarily involving their disability.

Canes are SUPER useful when you're walking upon heights. They make things really easy, just like hiking poles on mountains ! I live on volcanoes and whenever we clim on a harsh slope, I'm always the first to get up there. Good moment for your character to get a boost of confidence if they get all the way up somewhere before their friends !

The first time using your cane feels magical. If you have chronic pains, it makes you feel like your pain disapear. If you can't walk right, it feels like everything is suddenly alright. The moment where a character chooses to wield a cane can be huge for character development. It's a moment of fear because of the impact a cane has on their appearance, but also a moment of confidence and relief.

Canes fall. All the time. And after a while, it becomes fucking comical. Trust me, putting a cane against the wall, seeing it fall and doing it three times again in a row while it doesn't want to stay up makes you embarrassed but also makes you want to laugh because of how stupid it looks.

When you get a cane, you stop being invisible. When you walk outside, generally speaking, people don't look at you. They don't care about you. But when you get a cane, people start to stare at you for no other reasons that you have a cane. Half of them are just curious, especially if you're young. The other half has a very specific look. The "oh, you poor thing" look. Which is, trust me, particularly awful to get, especially when you're just existing and doing nothing special. How does your character react to this ? How do they feel about it ?

I believe that is all I had in mind. I may add some more details in the future if I get other ideas, but this should already be a good start. I would be thrilled to answer questions if you have some, either in my askbox or through DMs.

I will tag this post with characters holding canes that aren't necessarily considered cane users but that some people may be interested in writing as such. Feel free to tell me if you'd like to see tags being added !

Edit : I'm highly encouraging everyone to look at the tag section under this post where a lot of other can users are sharing their experiences !!

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joeybarnacles · 11 months

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Pls reblog for a larger sample size

#i still don't know how to tag #disabled #disability #disabilties #handicap #handicapped

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explorationsoftheid · 7 months

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I was just reading a post where someone referred to anti anxiety medications as “a crutch”. They thought they would help them, but they “didn’t want to use them as a crutch.” I know they meant well but this annoyed me. I mean these are medications for a disease. I take medication for my high blood pressure. Is that a crutch? Should I only take it until I get over my condition? Maybe until I decide not to have high blood pressure any more? A friend of mine had a bad infection last year. They were on an assortment of antibiotics. Were they using them as a crutch? Should they have tried to tough it out without them? Medications are to treat diseases. Some we take for a short while, some of them we take for life. None of these are crutches, they are tools to keep our body working. Crutches, walkers, medications, hearing aids, these are all tools we use to function. They are no different than a wrench your mechanic is using to remove a bolt. They can’t get it off by hand, they have to use a tool to get the job done. My blood pressure medication, my friend’s antidepressants, my aunt’s walker, these are tools that help us get the job done.

And what the hell is wrong with a crutch anyway? Would you go up to someone with a broken leg and berate them for “only using that crutch as a crutch”? Crutch is being used as a pejorative when it is the most honourable class of tool. There are tools people use to work on machines, others to work the soil, others to shape and form metal or wood. But a special class of tool is the crutch. Crutches help people. Crutches give people back what they have lost. Only humans make crutches. A chimp may make a tool to get food. Only humans have developed tools to help others deal with a problem. Crutches are tools that let us keep going despite the challenges we are facing, challenges that would have stopped us dead a hundred or a thousand years ago. We keep going because we have crutches. Crutches as a class are the most honourable, most HUMAN kind of tool. There is nothing wrong with a crutch.

So the next time someone tells me that I’m only using something as a crutch I’m going to say, “You’re damn right.”

#autistic adult #autistic community #autism community #autism #autistic experiences #autistic #neurodivergent #actually autistic #autistic feels #autistic culture #handicap #crutches #disabilties #disability pride

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spot-eats-monzerallasticks · 2 months

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“Metaphorically I can’t stand for anything”

Good times with scar 2024

#minecraft #minecraft youtube #hermitcraft #lol #omgggg #hermitcraft goodtimeswithscar #goodtimeswithscar #gtws #handicap

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transparentgentlemenmarker · 1 year

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It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. Helena receives her prosthetics ahead of Christmas... and has enjoyed every minute since first trying it on

December 28 2022

#handicap #kids

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badik2cbkw2 · 2 months

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Cute and Strong. Keep going !

#athletic men / teen / boy #handicap #hand in hand

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jemineye · 7 months

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you know, just because you can park in handicap spaces, doesn't mean you have to be an asshole and park halfway on the crosshatch lines. those spaces are critical and need to be clear for everyone who needs space. if you can't handle not taking up that space, you shouldn't be behind the wheel. simple.

#disabled #disability #physical disability #chronic illness #chronic disability #cripple punk #handicap #wheelchair van #wheelchair user #wheelchair bound beauty #wheelchair #wheelchair bound #mobility aid user #mobility assistance #babe with a mobility aid #ranting

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disabled-not-dead · 7 months

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broke-art · 1 year

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Macaque x handicapped reader

"Just hand over the locket." The lead gang member instructed stepping closer.

Your right hand flew to the locket forming a fist around the cool metallic heart.

"Then no body gets hurt." The leader mentioned, offering his hand. Although the smirk his lips formed promised otherwise.

You glanced at the busy street at your back. Feeling the adrenaline spill into your veins you sucked in a breath. Your home lay beyond the busy street but even pressing the cross walk would spur the gang to chase you.

You swallowed praying your weak heart could handle it. But your house was less than half a mile away and if you got close enough Macaque might hear you over the city's usual cacophony.

"Times up, chica. Grab her." The leader ordered stepping aside as four men walked towards you.

Your pulse ricochetted in your veins. Throwing all thoughts aside, you shoved your palm into the button to activate the cross walk, then ran.

Cars shot past, a few honking at your reckless decision and two barely missed you. And yet the fading shouts from the gang members, pressed your body to move faster. If only you could get close enough.

In your chest a familiar ache pierced near your heart making you cough and nearly stumble. But you couldn't stop. The small lead you had taken was slowly slipping away as the crosswalk finally allowed the gang passage behind you.

Dashing around the corner you ducked into a nearby alleyway.

Silently, you crouched behind a garbage can and pressed a hand over your mouth to silence your ragged gasps. The sound of pounding footfalls passing the alley way alerted you that for now atleast; you were safe.

The adrenaline faded with the realization and thus the pain in your chest doubled forcing you to your knees.

Your heart had been weak since you were young. The doctors had predicted you wouldn't live past your 17th birthday. Yet here you were 23 and still breathing.

Well more or less as at the moment, you could barely think through the pain. It felt as though your heart would sooner explode than keep a steady beat.

So you stilled allowing your lungs to recapture the lost air they so badly craved. And meanwhile you tried to conjure a plan while you waited for your rapid heartbeat to slow.

You could always scream, but it was unlikely Macaque would hear you over the city's over abundant noise. And that would definitely alert your attackers to your location.

Slowly, you pressed yourself to your feet and tried to ignore the way your heart seared in your chest. You pressed a hand to the growing ache in a false hope that perhaps the pressure would relieve the pain. It didn't. But atleast you could stand now, and breathe.

You peeked your head out from the alleyway hesitantly. No movement caught your eye and you felt yourself breathe a sigh of relief. Starting on your way you walked quickly taking a slightly different route home. All the while grasping the locket subconsciously.

You had no idea what those punks wanted with it. It was silver, yes. But it was clearly nothing fancy. Hardly worth any money. Though a small prickling in the back of your mind, warned that there was more to it than monetary value.

Especially as Macaque had warned you to never take it off when you left the house and never to let anyone get a close look at it.

Not that he would explain why. You had simply attributed it to his suspicion and paranoia of other people. You had thought it was because he figured someone would attempt to steal it.

And to be fair, some one had.

You turned the corner that led to your apartment only to freeze when you saw one of the punks leaning against the doorframe to the entrance.

Feeling a chill of fear skitter through your veins you stepped back only to hit something firm yet soft.

"There you are, chica." The leader's voice sounded behind you as he caught your arms.

"MACA-mmph!"

Your scream was muffled by another member yanking a gag over your mouth.

You thrashed wildly against the leader's hold only for him to pin your wrists behind you and tie them.

With the gag around your mouth your air flow was limited and your heart burned in your chest. The leader wrenched you into a nearby alleyway and shoved you against the wall.

"And here I was going to be generous. But you wasted me and my boys' time." He grinned pressing his forearm against your collar bone.

The pressure made the pain in your chest sky rocket and you screamed into the gag before writhing against his arm.

"Aw what the matter? Run yourself a little hard there, sweetheart?" He leaned against his arm steadily increasing the pain.

Tears pricked your eyes as your screams began to fade from a lack of oxygen.

"Well that's enough of that." The leader chuckled reaching for your locket.

"You're right. That is enough." A low voice resonated through the alley way.

You watched the alleyway fill with purple shadows with wide eyes when suddenly you felt the wall behind you give way and you fell backwards until someone caught you bridal style.

You flinched slightly as your eyes met the glowing white gaze of one of Macaque's clones.

You blinked in shock then stared at him in confusion as he carried you further into the void. Only it was odd. The clones Macaque summoned usually wore an evil grin. This clone's lips were pulled into a thin severe line.

And if you weren't mistaken you heard some racket in the distance. And though you wanted to ask, you knew the clone wouldn't answer you and the gag barely allowed you to breathe as is.

So, instead you tried to ease in his hold so you could try and get your air back. Still you're chest throbbed and you feared you might pass out from the pain regardless of the air you had.

Just then, the clone handed you over to it's master.

Macaque looked far more upset than the clone. And you briefly wondered if maybe it was because the clones were only a shadow of who he really was. He quickly untied you and gently removed the gag.

You gasped for air as Macaque frowned and touched the locket.

In an instant the pain vanished and you could breathe again.

You coughed a bit while Macaque looked over you for any other injuries.

"Wha- how'd you-" you sputtered between coughs.

"Calm down first, kiddo. I'll explain when you catch your breath."

Shooting him a suspicious glare that warned this conversation was not over, you leaned into his chest and started the breathing exercises Macaque had taught you.

As soon as your chest had a steady rhythm, rising and falling in time, Macaque wrapped an arm around you waist so your back was pressed snugly against his chest and cradled your locket in his palm.

"When I made this locket I imbued it with healing magic. So, your heart could rejuvenate a bit especially in emergencies."

You glanced up at him.

"Unfortunately it's a pretty powerful. And a few mortals tend to collect these kind of trinkets. Since it heals people fairly quickly."

You glanced at the locket.

"You made it to.. protect me?"

Macaque smirked.

"Heh of course-" he touched a hand to your cheek. "I don't think I could take losing you, kid."

#lego red son #lego monkie kid #jttw #jttw sun wukong #jttw wukong #lego #lego monkie king #lego nezha #lmk #redson #handicap #lmk monkie kid #lmk macaque x reader #lmk macaque

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aichabouchareb · 1 month

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Hello,

I am Heba, 23 years old, and Adam is my youngest brother, we are a family of 10 individuals, including parents and children, one of them is married and has a daughter. The fundraiser is my aunt who lives in Belgium.

In the early days of the war, most family members were injured as we tried to escape the intense bombing that hit our area, which resulted in the destruction of our home and car.

The picture here shows the date and that people were appealing for us

Translation: "Urgent Appeal

The Maqadma family's house has been bombed, and currently, the family is stranded in Bodrum. There are injuries among them.

Their address is Al-Tawam, an extension of Al-Nasr Street, before Astro Supermarket. There is a laboratory for analysis at the head of a side street, a street near Al-Tawam Pharmacy.

Their contact number

00972595690008

Help us spread it"

Thankfully, the injuries were minor to moderate, except for my father who suffers from significant damage to his hand and still needs an urgent procedure that can’t be done in Gaza.

My niece, Sara, who is a year and three months old, was injured in the head and hand.

My youngest brother, Adam, who suffers from cerebral palsy (we face difficulty in obtaining his chronic medications in Gaza), sustained minor injuries.

We were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital and stayed there for a month before evacuating to Khan Yunis and later to Rafah in search of a safe place.

Our family is in pursuit of stability, striving to rebuild a new life amidst the ruins. The destruction has also impacted our family's means of livelihood, which gave us no other choice but to evacuate from Gaza. Your assistance is sincerely appreciated as we want to stay save and save our lives.

Why do we need this money and how will it be used:

Passing Rafah Border: 5000 for each person to pass Rafah border, which we will pay them for Ya Hala company: 10x5000= 50000

My father's treatment: My father needs around 5000 for surgeries, treatment, and physical therapy, he needs neurological surgery and cosmetic surgery, which will be made in Egypt.

Adam's treatment: 5000 Adam needs physical therapy because his condition got worsen due to lack of therapy during war, a new wheelchair, and doctor appointments.

If you have any questions you can DM on:

Instagram: hebaingaza

Whatsapp: +970595690007

You can find my detailed story here https://docs.google.com/document/d/10d9tlgIDVIqv2wyLP6gL7qj1PyLBIN-x2duDKAA8Ez0/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you for your time,

Heba

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jackdaw-kraai · 1 year

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#disability #handicap #mental health #i am so tired #this is such bullshit #but we stay silly :3 #i GUESS

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jackcast2021 · 5 months

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Quad girl taking her dog for a walk

#disabled girl #uses a wheelchair #paralysed #handicapped girl #disabled #disabled women #handicapped woman #uses a power chair #handicap #quadriplegic girl #quadriplegic woman #quadriplegic

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trans-girl-azzi · 2 months

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Guess who I saw on the way to Walmart?

Taylor Swift.…

And yep she parked her private jet in the handicap spot

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myramoonstar · 1 year

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Fairy Eclipse and Lunar LOOK WHO’S BACK FROM THE DEAD! This was inspired by @ayyy-imma-ninja ‘s Fairy AU of Sun and Moon. She said it was okay to draw fan art so I did. She also said she might add Eclipse and Lunar in the mix at some point so I decided I would draw my idea of what I think they’d be like in the AU. My idea for Lunar is that he’s a crafter or tinker. Likes making things, which is good since he had to make a prosthetic for his wing so he could even fly again. The prosthetic uses Blue Jay feathers to fix the wing and allow flight. Prosthetic concept came from this: https://www.tumblr.com/oakwyrm/686507987588841472/disabled-tinker-bell-anyone?source=share Timid, often has nightmares. Eclipse often comforts him. Eclipse is more of the warrior type. Could decide if the nail he’s holding would be a spear or a sword of some sort so for now it’s just a sword. He’ll do anything to defend his little brother. I couldn’t see Eclipse being bad as a Fairy so made him a warrior. He blames himself for not being fast enough to save Lunar from getting badly injured and horribly breaking a part of his wing. Doesn’t get much sleep, always on edge expecting trouble. They are probably traveling a lot looking for a safe place to settle. Have a comic idea that they meet @ayyy-imma-ninja ‘s Fairy Sun and Moon either because of Lunar’s nightmares or they enter the brother’s hollow during a storm and the brothers are both there. Probably won’t get around to drawing that anytime soon, but you never know.

@ayyy-imma-ninja I love the Fairy AU concept! Keep up the good work and I hope to see more from you soon! Hope you like this art piece!

Don’t expect much more art from me for a while. Still working on various other things and learning more.

#fnaf daycare attendant #fnaf security breach #sun and moon security breach #Sun and Moon #fairy au #Eclipse and Lunar #fairy #small #handicap

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transparentgentlemenmarker · 6 months

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La vie d'handicapée

#women #handicap

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judas-isariot · 10 months

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It is disability month, so let me tell you a story:

I once scroll on Tumblr and an artist I like made a post asking for physically disability people to tell their story so they can have an original and better take on his representation for his webcomic.

(I won't give his name by respect, I still believe he is a nice buddy just misunderstood the weight of his future statement and also because he is 100 times more popular and I don't want to receive death threat this week. I have enough already)

We exchange and he ask me to fully explain my disability so I did, an extensive dive of how it happen, medically how it work and his consequence (who can be really serious, I can be paralyse of both legs and if not carefull die of it just by doing sport) and after that he just say:

"Your disability is not interesting"

Not a sorry and when I asked "oh okay, what did you expect then cause I have other disable friend who might be closer of what you need" he never answer. I am all for representation but PLEASE if you represent, respect the people you try to represent. I told you everything from the fact I had it at birth to how to compensate, to the pain and unfair judgement and medicale record.

I am not upset, it might be too quick of a reaction from them, I still believe. But it hurt me, it truly does, that even people who want to represent us, actually don't care.

#disability #disabilties #story #tumblr story #rent #i suppose ?#artist #lack of interest #webcomic #month #disability month #handicap #physical handicap #physical

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