How to write a cane user character
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 usersâs lives.
Things to know about cane users
Cane users are pretty diverse, and putting us in little boxes usually isnât the best idea if you want to make a character that has substance and isnât just âthe disabled oneâ. Here some infos about cane users that might be helpful knowledge !
Canes donât have ages. Most cane users in media are portrayed to be old, but truly, anyone can have the need to wield a cane ! Iâve 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, itâs 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. Weâre not necessarily slow, Iâm 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 donât have to be looked down upon. Look at some characters with canes that look cool as hell ! ArsĂšne 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 thatâs it. Our cane doesnât define our health status.
Canes arenât a curse. Think of them as something positive. Itâs a tool to make our lives better. You donât see someone sitting on a chair and think âawh, itâs sad that they need a chairâ. Itâs more something like âhey itâs cool that this chair is here so they can sit downâ
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 youâre DOWN. Use it to reach stuff thatâs too high for everyone ! Have fun. Be creative.
Let them decorate their cane. Itâs an extension of their body ! You usually put on clothes that you like, donât you ? Itâs 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 theyâre 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 donât feel worthy of confident enough to wield one. Itâs not rare to see people think theyâre ânot disabled enough to do soâ
But on the other hand, you can do the complete opposite !! Make them proud of that cane ! Make them act like theyâre 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.
Donât make it their whole world. And by that, I do not mean that their cane shouldnât be a defining trait of their personality. Think of Toph from ATLA. She is blind, and you usually canât think of her character without describing her as blind. However, that isnât 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 ⊠Donât just make them the disabled one.
Donât try to make the characterâs life just a plain disaster unless itâs the focus of your story and you really know what youâre talking about. Having a character whoâs always in pain, who feels bad about relying on their cane and/or whoâs angry at the entire world for being disabled is a REALLY tricky subject to use if you donât 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 shouldnât cry to avoid making others uneasy.
Do not, and I repeat, do NOT try to heal them, especially in a magical way. Bad idea. Disabled peopleâs goal isnât to be healed. Itâs 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.
Smaller thing, but donât 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 youâre supposed to clench your hand over, youâre gonna hurt yourself. Iâve seen quite a lot of jewel handles or sculpted metal handles and usually their not good. If itâs detailed metal, your hand will end up cramped in little parts and it can hurt. If itâs a jewel, itâs so easy for it to slip out of your hand itâs 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 canât put your hand in your jacket to get warm and thereâs 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 youâre 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, Iâm 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 canât 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. Itâs 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 doesnât 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 donât look at you. They donât 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 youâre young. The other half has a very specific look. The âoh, you poor thingâ look. Which is, trust me, particularly awful to get, especially when youâre 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 arenât necessarily considered cane users but that some people may be interested in writing as such. Feel free to tell me if youâd like to see tags being added !
Edit : Iâm highly encouraging everyone to look at the tag section under this post where a lot of other can users are sharing their experiences !!
