i feel like most people don't realize that disability benefits in the us depend almost entirely on how long a person was healthy before becoming disabled, and how wealthy they already were. like if you become disabled as an older person who previously had a decent paying job you can recieve literally four times as much money every month as the maximum amount that someone who has been disabled since childhood will. this is seen as legally justified because people who've worked longer and earned more money have "paid into the system" for longer and in greater amounts and are thus seen as more deserving of assistance.
COVID-19 vaccines have been effective at keeping people from getting severely ill and dying from the virus, but they’ve required different boosters to try to keep on top of all of the coronavirus variants that have popped up. Now, researchers have discovered an antibody that neutralizes all known COVID-19 variants.
The antibody, called SP1-77, is the result of a collaborative effort from researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Duke University. Results from mouse studies they’ve conducted were recently published in the journal Science Immunology, and they look promising.
But what does it mean, exactly, to have an antibody that can neutralize all variants of COVID-19, and what kind of impact will this have on vaccines in the future? Here’s what you need to know.
What is SP1-77?
SP1-77 is an antibody developed by researchers that so far can neutralize all forms of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was created after researchers modified a mouse model that was originally made to search for broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV, which also mutates.
The mice used in the study have built-in human immune systems that mimic the way our immune systems develop better antibodies when we’re exposed to a pathogen. The researchers inserted two human gene segments into the mice, which then created a range of antibodies that humans might make. The mice were then exposed to SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein (which is what the virus uses to latch onto your cells) and produced nine different families of antibodies that bound to the spike protein to try to neutralize it.
Those antibodies were then tested and one—SP1-77—was able to neutralize Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and all Omicron strains (including the current circulating ones) of COVID-19.
The antibody works in a slightly different way than many of the antibodies people make to vaccines. To infect you, SARS-CoV-2 has to first attach to ACE2 receptors in your cells. The current COVID-19 vaccines block this binding from happening by attaching to the spike protein’s receptor-binding domain (RBD) at certain spots, a press release from Boston Children’s Hospital explains.
The SP1-77 antibody also binds to the RBD, but doesn’t prevent the virus from binding to ACE2 receptors. What it does do is block the virus from fusing its outer membrane with the membrane of your cells, which is what needs to happen to make you sick.
“SP1-77 binds the spike protein at a site that so far has not been mutated in any variant, and it neutralizes these variants by a novel mechanism,” study co-author Tomas Kirchhausen, Ph.D., said in a statement. “These properties may contribute to its broad and potent activity.”
“oh we can’t hold the Queen accountable for the actions of her ancestors!!!”
her ancestors? you mean her dad?
y’all realize she was crowned in 1953 right? Nearly 70 years of imperialism with her face stamped on it. She’s the longest-lived, and longest reigning British monarch.
Y’all look at her and see a kindly withered old gramma with memeability, but completely ignore the amount of damage that she and her family have done to so many countries.
“oh well, what did you want her to do, just walk away from it?”
yes.
Yes, I do expect people to look at the harm that systems they uphold do to the world at large and then actively refuse to continue their participation in them. I do not believe that is too much to ask of anyone, let alone one of the most powerful women in the entire fucking world.
Sorry that I’m not particularly impressed with her #girlboss legacy when the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and Australia are still feeling the monarchy’s effects on their homes and families.
70 years and she never once thought, “Hm, maybe imperialism is a bad idea?”
I hope the old woman kicks the bucket, and I hope that her family continues to disintegrate until the entire thing comes crumbling down. May independence finally come to the people England has been crushing under its boots for centuries.
Also, it’s not even her dad, the Mau Mau Rebellion and the “Malayan Emergency” both ended in like 1960. The British Empire, that she was the head of at the time, used concentration camps to deal with both.
And while this isn’t is bad as crimes against humanity, she has also been directly interfering in the drafting of our laws for years we recently found out and then were expected to forget.
during the time queen elizabeth has ruled (1953 onwards), she directly colonized the following countries:
Sudan (finished fighting for independence in 1956)
Ghana (finished fighting for independence in 1957)
Malaysia (finished fighting for independence in 1957)
Singapore (finished fighting for independence in 1959)
Cyprus (finished fighting for independence in 1960)
Nigeria (finished fighting for independence in 1960)
Somaliland (finished fighting for independence in 1960)
Tanzania (finished fighting for independence in 1961)
Cameroon (finished fighting for independence in 1961)
Kuwait (finished fighting for independence in 1961)
Sierra Leone (finished fighting for independence in 1961)
Jamaica (finished fighting for independence in 1962)
Trinidad and Tobago (finished fighting for independence in 1962)
Uganda (finished fighting for independence in 1962)
Kenya (finished fighting for independence in 1963)
Malawi (finished fighting for independence in 1964)
Malta (finished fighting for independence in 1964)
Zambia (finished fighting for independence in 1964)
Gambia (finished fighting for independence in 1965)
Maldives (finished fighting for independence in 1965)
Barbados (finished fighting for independence in 1966)
Botswana (finished fighting for independence in 1966)
Guyana (finished fighting for independence in 1966)
Lesotho (finished fighting for independence in 1966)
Yemen (finished fighting for independence in 1967)
Eswatini (finished fighting for independence in 1968)
Mauritius (finished fighting for independence in 1968)
Nauru (finished fighting for independence in 1968)
Fiji (finished fighting for independence in 1970)
Tonga (finished fighting for independence in 1970)
Bahrain (finished fighting for independence in 1971)
Qatar (finished fighting for independence in 1971)
United Arab Emirates (finished fighting for independence in 1971)
the Bahamas (finished fighting for independence in 1973)
Grenada (finished fighting for independence in 1974)
Seichelle (finished fighting for independence in 1976)
Brunica (finished fighting for independence in 1978)
Solomon Islands (finished fighting for independence in 1978)
Tuvalu (finished fighting for independence in 1978)
Kiribati (finished fighting for independence in 1979)
Saint Vincent and the Bernardines (finished fighting for independence in 1979)
Saint Lucia (finished fighting for independence in 1979)
Vanuatu (finished fighting for independence in 1980)
Zimbabwe (finished fighting for independence in 1980)
Antigua and Barbuda (finished fighting for independence in 1981)
British Barbudas (finished fighting for independence in 1981)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (finished fighting for independence in 1983)
Brunei (finished fighting for independence in 1984)
Hong Kong (“given” to China in 1997)
Anguilla (still a colony)
Bermuda (still a colony)
British Antarctic Territory (still a colony)
British Indian Ocean Territory (still a colony)
British Virgin Islands (still a colony)
Cayman Islands (still a colony)
Falkland Islands (still a colony)
Gibraltar (still a colony)
Montserrat (still a colony)
Pitcain, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno islands (still a colony)
Saint Helena (still a colony)
Ascension Island (still a colony)
Tristan da Cunha (still a colony)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (still a colony)
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (still a colony)
Turks and Caicos Islands (still a colony)
as well, of course, as Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which are still a part of the British kingdom, although i am unsure whether the people in them consider their countries to be colonies
so, yeah. “ancestors” my ass
and that’s not mentioning that none of these countries ever got reparations and all of them (as well as pretty much any other third world country) are still victims of british imperialism
sources: list of countries that have gained independence from Britain (link), British Overseas Territories (link)
I will never not think it funny that this church I went to when I was 12 gave us banana bread as a means of being like "this is the flesh of Christ", which...
Fruits and nuts in your body of Christ? More likely than you might think!
Anyway, this church is incredibly homophobic, kicked my aunt out for being gay, so it's like...so fruits are allowed inside Christ but not inside your church, got it.
Torrid is such a shitshow of a brand now. I mean, it kind of was before but at least the clothes actually felt like they'd last the amount of time they should last for how fucking much they cost.
I got three shirts for Christmas, all of them were thin to the point of being pretty sheer. All of them. I don't wash my clothes in a normal washer and I don't use a dryer, so realistically, my clothes should last a good while, but I have a shirt from Torrid I got back in like 2014 and it feels 10x more solid than any of the shirts I recently got.
And it's like, you know none of those shirts were under $25. That's an absolute fucking ripoff. I have a shirt from Shein, got it for $5, higher quality than the shirts I got from Torrid.
And I'm not saying Shein is a better company, I'm not here to praise Shein, it's a shit company. What I am saying is that it's fucking absurd that a cheap as fuck shirt that I got from a notorious website is higher quality than shirts that were $25+ each.
god can we stop softening the term "disabled". disabled isn't a dirty word. it's not "special abilities" or "differently abled" or whatever the fuck you want to call it. people have disabilities that cause life to be hard and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that?? it feels so invalidating when people are like "ohh you're not disabled!!! you have special abilities!!" like. omg a) it feels so infantilizing. b) by saying that you're basically saying our struggles aren't real...? some conditions are disabling. it's not hard to understand?? like there is NOTHING wrong with being disabled & using the word disabled. it's not offensive it's not a dirty word can we take the shame out of it pls oh my god. this goes for physical & non physical disabilities btw
it's always so fucking funny to me when terfs are like "how can you say trans women and women are the same thing! being born as a man makes you different!" because like. yes. trans women and cis women are different. so are black women and white women. and straight women and queer woman. and women from different countries and different socioeconomic statuses. there's diversity in the experience of womanhood? what a wild concept
incidentally, this why terfs tend to be white women. from the combahee river collective statement, 1977:
...we reject the stance of Lesbian separatism because it is not a viable political analysis or strategy for us. It leaves out far too much and far too many people, particularly Black men, women, and children. We have a great deal of criticism and loathing for what men have been socialized to be in this society: what they support, how they act, and how they oppress. But we do not have the misguided notion that it is their maleness, per se—i.e., their biological maleness—that makes them what they are. As BIack women we find any type of biological determinism a particularly dangerous and reactionary basis upon which to build a politic.
Terfism is *deeply* rooted in fascist concepts. They absolutely believe that 'real' women are all the same. And if you happen to fit the genetic make-up they prize they will squash the individuality out of you too. The ideology belongs to a movement that fundamentally sees women as breeders and subservient to men. Casting it in feminist-friendly langauge was always a strategy to undermine liberal and socialist feminism.
I'm so fucking thankful we finally have a study that proves how harmful it is to take pain pts off their long standing opiod treatments and I can only hope and fight for everyone we lost to cruelty and purity politics along the way.
Every suicide caused by untreated pain is blood on a doctor's hands.
I like to imagine these dudes’ lives wouldn’t even slightly change of the apocalypse ever happened. Just like “Damn that was wild, wanna build a working jacuzzi out of dirt?”
These guys are frauds who are destroying the local eco system with their fake bullshit. They use construction machines and water pumps, etc, to do these, take their video, then abandon them, leaving behind trash like cement bags and piping, the still water that stagnates and draws bugs, and dangerous open pits for humans and wildlife alike. This is all done for money, and furthermore does not show a realistic way of living “primitively.” Even if they had done this without excavators and other modern, gas powered machines, these aren’t liveable. There is no drainage for the pool, which means all the dirt from their bodies and leaves, etc quickly turning it gross, and attracting disease carrying insects. Not to mention what will happen when there is rainfall. Even out primitive ancestors knew better.
There are videos by other youtubers using drones to show what becomes of the sites after the shoot is done, how closely clustered these sites are, and all the detritus left behind.
The only channel that has been confirmed to be legit is the originator of this style of video, Primative Technology:
There are videos that go into deep dives on how you can spot fakes (and yes, you do want to not support fakes because most of them are doing some fucking damage), a very good way of figuring it out is how polished does the finishing product look?
In the video I linked, which is Primative Technology building a Wattle and Daub hut, the end product doesn't look fantastic in comparison to modern buildings, it's the marvel that he built an entire hut by hand on his own, he did that shit on his own and that's awesome.
In comparison, OP's video has an end product that is way too smooth, way too nice, way to pristine, if they were actually building those things completely by hand on their own it would look rough, that is the beauty of hand built houses, they look hand built. A hand tool cannot give you that same smooth finish that a power tool can and that gives the finished product a rough charm.
Also, I'm so goddamn tired of seeing these people building those pools, the pool's water supposedly being sourced from a natural place and the water is FUCKING BLUUEEEE.
For only two men to make something that big, that intricate, it would take YEARS. My parents, who did have help from relatives, me and my sister, and some friends, took 5 YEARS to completely remodel their trailer, and it's a single wide trailer. And they were just reworking what they had, they didn't have to cut down their own trees for wood.
gluten & dairy intolerant and sick as shit: a “what the fuck do i eat?” primer
most gluten-free, dairy-free (hereafter abbreviated gf/df) recipe sites are so clearly written by people who have the energy to cook - consistently enough that they don’t need to worry about food spoiling - and money for tons of ingredients and equipment. as a person who’s bedridden a large portion of the time, this is useless as shit!
so here’s how i’ve kept myself alive the past 6+ months for other sick folks looking for a realistic starting point, in descending order from least to most energy required. in addition to being gf/df, i can’t eat raw vegetables or red meat, need to avoid/minimize seeds and artificial sweeteners, and try to minimize soy when possible, so these suggestions align with that.
as always, check the labels first! other folks feel free to add on with any suggestions!
meals
gf cereal - chocolate gf off-brand rice krispies are a go-to low-energy meal that can also be a snack
bananas with peanut butter
rice cakes are my best friend - they’re like 4x cheaper than gf bread and the easiest option i’ve found so far. my go-to is rice cake, vegan cheese, 4 slices of deli chicken, a pinch of salt; 4 of those makes a filling meal for me
gf toast with peanut butter or butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar
gf oatmeal in the microwave, seasoned with brown sugar and cinnamon. if you need to avoid cross-contamination, make sure to only purchase oat products that are certified gluten-free; they can easily get cross-contaminated from wheat in the field
tofu scramble - season with curry powder, garlic and onion powder, chili powder, and salt. add whatever veggies you want - i do (frozen or canned) spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes
gf chicken nuggets - if i have a little extra energy i’ll make a vegan ranch using a vegan mayo base
gf/df pizza - they’re expensive. i’m sorry.
gf/df nachos - vegan mince with gf taco seasoning, olives, vegan cheese, corn tortillas chips. for a lower-energy version, i melt vegan cheese on tortilla chips in the microwave and add torn-up deli chicken and seasoning
frozen gf fries - plain or with vegan cheese sauce, vegan cheese, and/or vegan mince (seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and salt)
rice with ingredient - canned beans and/or peas; canned tuna cooked with curry powder; frozen edamame and canned salmon cooked with gf (tamari) soy sauce, honey, and chili powder
fish tacos - frozen fish cooked with cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper; cilantro-lime rice; avocado if you’re up for peeling/cutting; vegan cheese; corn tortillas
snacks
pre-popped popcorn
tortilla chips
gf/df cookies
gf/df chips (crisps) - in the UK, Seabrook is a great gf brand, and the classic ones are df as well
gf/df protein or granola bars
gf/df ice cream
tangerines, clementines, etc - they last longer than other fruits
My time has come. My cooking is what I like to call 'fuck it' cooking. This got longer than I expected, but I can't condense things for shit.
I also can't have dairy (besides butter, since it's mostly milkfat) and have been gluten free for a while. On top of that I can't have onions or garlic which cuts out most frozen gluten free options. It also cuts out pretty much every chip, popcorn, and cracker option besides the most plain options. Additionally, I can't have any beans or legumes which...is fun. My protein options are nuts, seeds, and meat because eggs are also out. My immune and digestive system have had a long string being Jim Carrey's Grinch just "Hate, hate, hate, double hate, LOATHE ENTIRELY."
Now, to further complicate things, I have a very hard time following recipes. So I don't (I get help with baking). And to complicate things even further, I don't have great teeth, so harder foods, such as tortilla chips, are not an option for me.
I keep a list of gf carbs on hand:
grits/polenta (Bob's Red Mill is fantastic, some brands are also heavy on iron content, so look out for that)
Rolled oats
GF Pasta
Rice
Instant Mashed Potatoes, the plain kind in a box. (Honestly don't get the bad press these get, they're fantastic)
Corn tortillas (I use these in place of basically all breads)
Now, we have to get into protein, because, like I said before, my protein options are very limited.
Certain frozen breakfast sausages fit my needs perfectly. Applegate is a long time fave, even though it's a bit pricy. Jimmy Dean is also an option, though it does contain soy so eating them is a gamble for me. I only eat two of these per day, so I can budget it.
Pumpkin seeds, people sleep on seeds in general, but many are nutritional powerhouses, with pumpkin seeds (and pumpkin seed butter) having a higher protein amount than all other nuts and seeds (and nut and seed butters). Sunflower seeds are also great. Pumpkin seed butter, while expensive, has a more mild flavor than sunbutter and can be mixed into a variety of dishes for an additional burst of nutrition for literally no effort outside of scooping and stirring it in. Sunbutter is my go to peanut butter replacement for all dishes that sound good with peanut butter.
Yeah, that's it for protein, outside what I can scrounge from non-protein heavy sources, like instant mash has 2g of protein.
My fat options are butter, coconut oil, and olive oil. Mostly butter and olive oil. Coconut oil expensive.
I take a carb, and either one or both of the protein options, toss in some vegan cheese, some extra fat, as well as a fuck ton of spices and dig in. Just fucking throw shit together and see what happens. There's no rules to cooking, outside "don't undercook shit that can make you sick".
Now, the prime part of my diet, the shit that has kept my alive, snacks.
Enjoy life is a saving grace, is it expensive? Yes. Is it the only brand I can consistently eat without having to worry about a hospital visit that's available at my grocery store? Also yes. Their chocolate chips are great. I also love their brownie bites, especially the salted caramel. Chef's kiss.
Chocolate milk*
Pumpkin seeds, electric boogaloo. They good snacks, too. If you've got the energy, you can toss them with some oil, some pumpkin pie spice, and bake that shit at 350F until shit's toasty, there's probably a better recipe for it online, but that shit will keep for a bit and is a great snack. Seeds are also great because if they're shelled, they're actually pretty soft.
Walnuts, love walnuts. They're just soft enough that my teeth are okay with them.
Whole almonds can fuck off, though. Hard ass fucking nuts. ANYWAY.
Now you might be asking, what about vegetables? What about fruit? My answer to that is a bitch is trying. I do like getting either frozen or canned (sodium free/low sodium) carrots, and then heating them up, mashing them, and adding them to like rice.
I also like bananas, but I live in Texas so during late spring to early fall (or whenever the fuck it decides to cool off) bananas go from green to brown in like two/three days. They go from underripe to banana bread if you so much as look at them wrong. I do have unsweetened applesauce, though. Love that shit.
Transition to chocolate milk talk line break.
*SO, I have a very interesting way of making chocolate milk, in that I have two ways of making it, because I like drinking it with cinnamon.
Medium energy: Make a small bit of cinnamon tea, mix in some cocoa powder/melt chocolate chips in (if I have the patience and desire) and maple syrup (while it's still on the stove), and then slowly mix in some oat milk after taking it off the stove, which should make it lukewarm.
Low energy, slightly feral, option: Dump chocolate syrup, cinnamon (yes ground), and maybe a bit of maple syrup into a cup, dump in some oat milk, stir vigorously, drink. Does the cinnamon mix in well? Not at all. I love it, though.
So... I technically drew this 3 years ago but forgot to post it. I think I was going to clean up the end and make a nice recap, but I ran out of steam and then just left it as a wip for years. I got reminded of it because I was talking to a friend about how to draw wheelchairs today.
This covers most of what I view as the most common errors when it comes to drawing characters who use manual wheelchairs. I hope it helps you a lot.
Image description is in alt text, but there is a back up image description under the cut in case that does not work for some reason
[image description: a 4 picture long wheelchair tutorial. the background is white and the text, when it appears, is black and in calibri. each step will be labeled with "Step #" and a description of the drawing next to it, and "text" and then the text that is written to explain it to follow.
Step one text: So, you want to draw a character who uses a manual wheelchair? Awesome! I can't approve more. Drawing characters who use wheelchairs is a bit different than drawing standing characters, because of obvious posing differences. But to start, you need to know what parts of a wheelchair you will draw. So, without further ado, here are 3 wheelchairs!
Step one image: a simplified drawing of a chubby woman sitting in a quickie GPV manual wheelchair and resting her hand on the handrim of one of the wheels. this is labeled "the artist"
step two: next there is a lineart drawing of three wheelchairs. one is a tilite TR series 3. this is an ultralight wheelchair with a bucket seat (the back is lower than the front), a big cushion and a short backrest that kind of contours to the back of the person who would sit in it. the caster wheels (front wheels) are very small and the footrest is just two little metal bars. next image is a quickie GPV. this is also an ultralight wheelchair with a low back, but its caster wheels are slightly larger, the back has regular upholstery (it does not look like it was made to conform to the back of the person who sits there) and the frame is boxier -- there is no bar underneath the seat where the wheels would attach, rather each wheel is attached to the side of the chair. the next wheelchair is an invacare tracer. it is how most people imagine wheelchairs when they hear 'wheelchair'. it has no cushion and it has a high backrest with handles. it has high armrests that would be comfortable to rest your elbows on if you were just sitting. the wheels are not bicycle wheels like the previous two but are rather plastic. it has big footrests and big caster wheels.
text: the wheelchairs on the left are the ultralight, sporty kind. I have one of them (the quickie). the one on the right is a more standard one you might find in hospitals or as the public wheelchair in grocery stores or the mall.
step three: first is text to accompany the tilite. "This wheelchair has a really thick cushion - it's pressure relieving, which you need if you use your chair ufll tiem and especially if you have a spinal cord injury. This wc has the smallest caster (front) wheels. They are hte most handy for turning in small circles." next there is text to accompany the quickie gpv: "This one has the one I use -- it isn't pressure relieving, but is still useful." next is text to accompany the invacare: "this wheelchair has no cushion - you do not want to sit on it for long. This one has the biggest caster wheels - they are useful for not 'tripping' when your front wheel gets caught on an obstacle.”
step four text: like with all complex drawings, you want to break it into simple shapes first. I normally have a box underneath the seat, a rectangle for the backrest, and a trapezoidal thing for hte area from the box to the footrest. these are the most important shapes, because your character will rest on them and they will move with your character.
step four image: the lineart of each wheelchair has been put on reduced opacity, so we can see the square representing the backrest of each seat (the square is the smallest for the tilite and biggest for the invacare), the box for each seat and area underneath it, and the trapezoid for the footrests. the next step labels the images of these simplified shapes as the lineart is removed. "Note the proportions of each set of shapes is not the same - just like how you wouldn't draw all your characters with the same proportions on their faces!"
step 5: we see the same shapes to form the wheelchair, but now with blue circles drawn where the back wheels would be.
text: next shape is the wheels - two circles
step six: next we see the wheels and shapes have been reduced in opacity and the basic structure of everything about each wheelchair: footrests, caster wheels, upholstery details, axles has been drawn on in orange.
text: the next stage is everything else that's structure - front wheels, handlebars, cushions, footrests.
Step seven: we see the lineart on top of the lowered opacity sketch.
text: you can then do detailing like axles, spokes, upholstery, etc and lines
step eight: next we see three drawings of different characters. there is patience, a skinny white woman sitting in a blue invacare wheelchair. kelley, a slightly chubby black woman wearing a stripey dress sitting in a red quickie gpv wheelchair and doing a wheelie while smiling. then luke, a white man with short blond hair wearing khaki pants. he is sitting in a tilite chair.
text: once you get your wheelchair basics, you need to find out which kind your character uses. here are three characters who each use one of the example WCs. patience uses the invacare. she needs one with a better cushion, but circumstance prevents it. Notice the chair is a bit wider than her hips - it's not custom fitted. Also notice she has to turn her elbows out awkwardly to move. the high armrests prevent a smooth push. her wheelchair has big caster wheels and far-back back wheels. it is made for stability and difficult to turn,but also difficult to knock over. Her chair indicates a lack of resources or temporary injury, and is primarily a transport chair
kelley uses a wheelchair like mine - it is fairly sporty, but has a box-y frame underneath. this makes it heaver than if it didn't.she has a mediocre cushion - it protects her, but only some. her back wheels are further underneath her body than Patience's, which makes it possible to do the wheelie (demonstrated here). her wheelchair is supposed to look line one you'd use full time, but it is a little old.
luke has a spinal cord injury. he has a very thick pressure relieving cushion for medical reasons. his chair is also ultralight, with no boxyness under the frame. his chair is the newest and lightest - it indicates his wealth/resources, but also that he needs to use on full time.
step nine: just a drawing of me sitting in my wheelchair holding my hands up to show fingerless wheelchair gloves. we're looking at me from above.
text: when you're choosing what wheelchair to give your character, think of both their disability and their resources and go from there. questions to ask yourself: is it made specifically for them or is it mass-produced or a hand-me-down (if it's custom, the seat will not be too wide or narrow in comparison to their body and their feet will rest on the footplate naturally). do they want more stability (further back back wheels, big caster wheels) or maneuverability (the inverse). do they need a pressure relieving cushion? how long are they using their wheelchair per day? how long have they needed a wheelchair? Do they have health insurance? do they have access to a lot of spending money? How much can they spend on their wheelchair? are they athletic etc etc
posing steps:
step one: a sketch of two people standing up. one just shows the outline of a person's body, with legs that are ind of triangle shaped, the other shows a sketched pelvis and rib cage to go along with the bones of the legs and arm. text: step one: Most people have this sketch anatomy they put before drawing their characters for real. I kind of scribble around like on the left, but some people use skeletons on the right.
step two: there are now too sketched pictures of people in wheelchairs. one shows lightly traced human form (arms articulated, curve for a stomach, legs that are kind of triangle shaped and pointing down) sitting in a wheelchair that is just the sketch of footrests and wheels. the other sketch shows the sketch of a body with a circle for hips and an oval for a rib cage and the person doing a wheelie (lifting the front end of the wheelchair off the ground and leaning back). their wheelchair is also sketched out and defined by a circle for their wheels and 2 lines, 1 of the seat and 1 for the backrest. text: you need one of those for your wheelchair character. important: they should have both the person's main anatomy features (Usually upper body and at least hips) and the wheelchair's. for me, these are the back wheels, footrest, and seat. why simplify to just those features? Take a look at this incredibly quickly drawn wheelchair.
step three: there is a lineart drawing of a manual wheelchair with slightly cambered (angled towards the seat) wheels, a backrest, and a footrest. the frame is light and there are no handlebars. there are labels pointing to different parts of the wheelchair: Backrest, handrims, wheel, axle, seat, footrest, and caster wheels (the ones in front). text: there are a lot of parts, and not all of them are essential to your pose. trying to draw the whole thing straight out of the gate will frustrate you.'
step four text: take a character in heavy armor: if you draw her pose without taking her armor into account, her armor will clip through her body. if you draw a wheelchair using character without keeping her wheelchair in mind from the beginning, the pose won't make sense.
step four image: next we see two lineart drawings of different characters. one is a bulky woman wearing plate armor. her hand is on her hip and she is trying to scratch her back with the other hand. there is the label "shoudlerpad clips through face" and "thumb clips through chestplate." the next drawing shows a woman in a wheelchair with one foot rested on her knee and her arms rested back, such that they would be rested on the back of a regular chair, but the back of her wheelchair is not wide enough for them to actually be resting on anything. the text here reads "elbows not resting on anything" and "foot not on footplate"
step five: there are two images, one is lineart on top of a 3d modelled apartment with sketchup, the other is a colored in version of that lineart with the background also colored in and no longer a 3d modelled screencap two characters, one old woman wearing a green jacket and one younger woman wearing a white shirt and blue undershirt, are sitting on a couch. the old woman is leaning forward and the young woman is resting her arm on the couch. behind the young woman is a bookshelf.
step five text: you may say you'll just draw the chair first and then the person, but while that works for regular furniture, it doesn't work as well for most manual wcs. take this comic panel with characters on a couch for example - I 3d modeled the room and then drew the characters on the furniture. it works because you don't move furniture in most poses - you rest on it. but your wheelchair needs to move with you, especially if it's an ultralight one.
step six image: there is a flat color drawing of barbara gordon in her wheelchair. she is wearing a black sportsbra and black shorts. in the first image we see she is doing tricks in her chair, zooming through the air (as if she has just launched herself off the ground in a skater park or somethign) while her left hand is resting on a structure and her right hand is heading towards the right handrim. the next image shows her right hand planted on the ground and her chair and body above her, such that she is briefly doing a one-handed handstand, but the motion line indicates that she is moving and this will not last. her left arm is near the handrim of her left wheel.
text: take exercise Oracle - she is doing tricks. Her WC is an extension of her body. That is crucial to getting natural looking manual wheelchair users after posing.
step seven: we see a lineart drawing of paula from young justice. she is sitting in a standard manual wheelchair with high armrests (goes up to the bottom of her ribs probably) and a high backrest (goes up to just below her shoulderblades). she is setting her hand on the armrest, leaning forward, and holding her other hand out.
text: of course, there are exceptions - if you have a clunky WC, it is harder to move with your body. Take Paula from young Justice - here, i drew her resting her hand on her armrest, because she has a clunker wheelchair. her pose is already mostly static - she's sitting down - and she poses around that.
