So I Dont Have Any Pictures Of The Recent Ones (but If Anyone Has Interest Ill Try To Get Those)

So I don’t have any pictures of the recent ones (but if anyone has interest I’ll try to get those)

But these are my fucked up birds, i draw a lot of them. A lot are missing heads or legs or something and all of them have plants somewhere

Axios

Ohio is purging its voter rolls before November election

See if you're on the list of more than 158,000 people.

If you live in Ohio, today is a good day to check your voter registration, and to consider booting JD Vance into the sun.

note I’d like to add on that last point from my personal experience is wether or not you use the cane to get up from sitting also depends on other situational things. Am I in a very squishy chair? Those are hard to get out of. Is there something like a very solid table i could be using for support instead? How high is the chair, how bad is the pain, etc

also thank you so so so so so much for making this, this is really really helpful and I will definitely be using this as a reference so I can make more characters like me!!

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!!!

another fucked up bird! (Plus concept doodles)

I’m planning on painting this one

[ID 1 : An image of a bird resembling a great blue heron, in place of its head there is a flower and its legs turn into tree branches with leaves at the end. The back leg looks like it has been broken. End ID]

[ID 2: a sheet of cardboard with several sketches, one of a heron, one of a crane like bird without a head who’s legs turn into tree branches, and one of a heron like bird who’s head is flower like and with one foot that resembles roots. End ID]

(this is my first time trying to write image descriptions so I’m sorry if they are bad)

Please ask me about these birds btw I’m dying to talk about it

another fucked up bird! (Plus concept doodles)

I’m planning on painting this one

[ID 1 : An image of a bird resembling a great blue heron, in place of its head there is a flower and its legs turn into tree branches with leaves at the end. The back leg looks like it has been broken. End ID]

[ID 2: a sheet of cardboard with several sketches, one of a heron, one of a crane like bird without a head who’s legs turn into tree branches, and one of a heron like bird who’s head is flower like and with one foot that resembles roots. End ID]

(this is my first time trying to write image descriptions so I’m sorry if they are bad)