User blog comment:Sprinklemist/Sprink Talks About Stuff/@comment-1874924-20110702041147

From what I know about your character backstories, Sprink, it wouldn't surprise me at all if you’ve already dealt with something similar to this, but here goes. Since you don't want names, I'll use "Richard Roe", which is a name used in legal proceeding when a person's identity is either unknown or is to be concealed for some reason.

Richard Roe has a birth defect called phocomelia, which is the same defect that the morning sickness drug thalidomide became notorious for causing. (Richard, however, has the much rarer congenital form, with both his parents being carriers of the gene. His parents don’t have symptoms.) In Richard’s case, his arms failed to develop, leaving his normal and fully functional hands attached more or less directly to his shoulders, a trait known as “flipper hands”. His arms are not completely absent, but are only about 4 inches (10 cm) long, with no elbow joints. He has normal wrist joints.

Richard is a towhead of Norwegian descent, with very fair, easily sunburned skin. He is ruggedly handsome, which makes his deformity all the more jarring when people first meet him. He’s used to the stares, though, and they have long since ceased to bother him. Among people who have gotten to know him, only those who actively dislike him make any reference to his deformity unless it’s directly relevant to the matter at hand. He does not respond to such taunts, having learned that response only encourages the taunter.

Richard exercises a great deal, with his workouts geared primarily to keeping him limber so he can do things like dress himself without assistance. Although he can (literally) tie his own shoelaces, he wears flip-flops whenever he can because he has learned to use his feet as a reasonably functional second set of hands, and flip-flops facilitate this because they are so easy to slip into and out of. The most noteworthy aspect of his wardrobe is his specially designed shirts, which are covered with cargo pockets to make the most of his limited reach.

All in all, Richard can do most physically oriented tasks of daily life passably well. The major exception, of course, is athletics. He can’t throw or catch a ball effectively, for example, and he isn’t all that good a runner because of the role that arms play in helping a normal runner keep his balance. He can and does play soccer reasonably well, and he is the backup placekicker on his school’s football team.

Richard has some aptitude for leadership, but does not seek to lead under normal circumstances. Because he is used to overcoming adversity, though, having survived and even thrived under a handicap that most people can’t even imagine, he may assume leadership in a crisis, or try to rally his team when its morale is low.

Richard currently plans to become a software developer because he has shown an aptitude for it and it is a field where his handicap won’t be a serious problem. He auditioned for Total Drama to inspire others who live with severe physical handicaps, but he has no specific plans for the money if he wins.