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spooksicl-e · 3 days

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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!!!

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spooksicl-e · 8 days

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some hardwickes for the soul<333

#emotional support watson during finals szn #my good time boy #my art #the @ is my insta #art #fanart #fanartist #sherlock holmes #granada holmes #acd holmes #edward hardwicke #john watson #dr john watson #jeremy brett #david burke #gen #watsholmes #sherlock

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spooksicl-e · 17 days

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co-parenting<33

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spooksicl-e · 19 days

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uni is going great guys.

#‘you’ve seen that one right’#prof i’ve been drawing them for the silly people in my phone for four years straight.#you want me to write about queerbait yeah ok i guess ill write about queerbait.#can you hear how tired i am.#my art #art #fanart #fanartist #sherlock holmes #sherlock #bbc sherlock #johnlock #john watson #spoon speaks

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spooksicl-e · 25 days

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he was a man of habits, narrow and concentrated habits, and i had become one of them… i was a whetstone for his mind. i stimulated him.

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spooksicl-e · 1 month

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the sillies!

#added archie hiyaaaa<333 #sherlock & co.

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spooksicl-e · 1 month

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i cannot fucking believe that my victorian literature course gave me a hyperfixation. i feel like i'm accessing the primordial core of all yaoi

#is this how it feels to win.#thank you op.#victorian watsholmes you will always be beloved 2 me #haedraulics #queue was worth a wound

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spooksicl-e · 2 months

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society if they leaned into the friendship that i KNOW john watson and bill murray had

(he’s married)

#bbc murray doesn’t exist outside of john’s blog but he’s real to me.#society can’t comprehend this much testosterone.#i have so many concepts with the two of them… if i could write…… it’d be over for all of you.#i like to give soldier!john a bit of stubble. as a treat.#my art #the @ is my insta #art #fanart #fanartist #sherlock #sherlock holmes #john watson #bill murray #bbc sherlock #martin freeman #johnlock #(lie)

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spooksicl-e · 2 months

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thrilled to have worked on this piece, ecstatic that it was chosen as the header for the upcoming shco case<33

#i’m trying to act normal #in truth i am very much Not Normal about this #shoutout to elzey for critiques <3 #my art #fanart #fanartist #sherlock and co.#sherlock and co #sherlock & co.#sherlock & co #shco #sherlock holmes #art #sherlock #the retired colourman

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spooksicl-e · 2 months

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Hi! I just wanted to say that I am absolutely OBSESSED with your art. I have chronic pain + as disabled and the one with John sitting on his bed, the scar tissue, the cane, the tears in his eyes…I have spent hours just looking at every tiny detail in that picture. The way you design John as a character is amazing and I love the disability rep in everything (and SHERLOCK HE’S SO!!!)

Soooo yeah! Thank you!

ALSO.

Can I use the little Valentine’s Day picture of John as a PFP? I will be 100% sure to give you credit in my bio if you’re ok with it.

Thanks again!

❤️

hiya!! thank you SO much for your compliments—disability representation is incredibly important to me as someone who has rapidly lost a lot of their mobility within the past two years, and i am so glad to hear that someone else can connect with my art displaying those struggles!

i think media needs to expand their representation, and john watson’s character in every iteration has always felt like a perfect opportunity to do so (and if adaptations don’t want to do it, then goddammit i will do it myself‼️)

and yes! you may use my art for your icon with credit! thank you for asking<333

#spoon speaks #asks #ineffable-brainrot

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spooksicl-e · 2 months

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Hello! I love your art and wanted first to thank and compliment you for it then to ask you a thing about the references you used for your last Holmes and Watson art. Apart that they'er both beautiful men, Holmes' physique resembles to my eyes a lot Jeremy Brett's, exp in this one photo of his. (Warning, it might require sunglasses)

I wanted to ask you if you happened to take him as a reference for Holmes and David Burke for Watson.

I love your art, it's fantastic and i hope this little ask didn't disturb you

hiya! thank you so much for your compliments, i’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the drawing!

i tend to take general influence from jeremy brett, david burke, and edward hardwicke in my victorian designs of holmes and watson, though incorporate my own headcanons as well, so they’re not entirely faithful (i ought to make more proper granada fanart though haha)

for the drawing you’re talking about in particular, i also drew inspiration from peter cushing’s portrayal of holmes as a small experiment (since i do so often find myself only looking to brett for inspiration, seeing as he’s my favourite holmes)! i believe that may be most visible in the hair.

when it comes to their physiques, i haven’t looked at body references of any actors in particular, just a few models for anatomical purposes. i am honoured that you thought it accurately resembled brett though—one can only be pleased when positive comparisons are made to jeremy brett.

hopefully this answered your questions! thank you sm for the ask:D

#spoon speaks #asks #amypihcs

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spooksicl-e · 2 months

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