#sent: herserenityluminary

[cynicalmusings]

I could see this happening every now and again.

ABSOLUTELY. i was literally thinking of drawing something similar but you beat me to it, heh

if they found out that cerces was tagging along with anaxa, they would absolutely jump at the opportunity to speak with them, because like… you’re telling me what’s the titan of reason? THE titan of REASON? and you’re expecting me to BE NORMAL ABOUT IT? it’s such a prime opportunity for them to ask questions and would definitely set their curiosity ablaze.

in addition to being slightly annoyed by the never-ending chatter, i can see anaxa getting low-key jealous as well… not super jealous, no, but a little irked by the fact that they’re talking to cerces more than him. he’s supposed to be their conversational partner. not cerces. him.

(also, you know that ‘friendship ended with x. y is now my new best friend’ meme? yeah that’s reader with anaxa and cerces respectively. /j)

[cynicalmusings]

A quick sketch; this could have happened.

omg… it 100% could have if they weren’t both so stubborn… it would have been so beautiful…

(and your art is GORGEOUS as always. you made them look so… serene. and absolutely stunning. thank you so so much!)

[cynicalmusings]

Curiosity rook me, what do you think of Nietzsche's opinion on Socrates?

if we consider nietzsche’s general position on rationality and the rejection of its value, i do get where he’s coming from, and it’s just… consistent that a guy who’s all about the naturalistic aspects of humans as opposed to the ‘rational’ aspects of humans would disagree with socrates and his approach to morality and the pursuit of knowledge and all that stuff. so that’s great. i do love how complicated nietzsche’s relationship with socrates seems to be, though; like, the mixture of deep respect and fundamentally disagreement about basic metaphysical principles feels very… genuine, in a way?

to bring in socrates!reader here (because i can’t resist. i’m sorry), funnily enough, i think nietzsche’s criticism is more effective against them than the actual socrates, because they’re in some ways more extreme than the man himself. for example, socrates did have a wife and children; he likely wasn’t quite as opposed to life & the enjoyment thereof as nietzsche (or even plato through his presentation of socrates in the dialogues) occasionally makes him out to be, and criticises him for. the reader, on the other hand, is more frugal, not allowing themselves to get distracted from their quest by getting into a proper relationship with anaxa despite acknowledging their feelings for him; and this is actually an aspect of their character which i want to critique in the fic, on the grounds of whether we should even strive to unerringly pursue truth at the cost of connection and personal indulgence, or whether it’s actually counterproductive and harmful to us and others. you can definitely respect them for sticking to their principles, but is their approach in itself misguided?

there’s also definitely an element of selfishness in the reader’s attitude which i want to explore. namely, to what extent, if at all, are you obligated to value other people, or return emotional bonds offered to you? it seems pretty obvious to say that nobody is obliged to make friends with people they don’t want to make friends with, or reciprocate somebody’s care for them on principle. but, if you are always prioritising your own pursuits above all else, including the care you do hold for others and they hold for you, there also seems something unfair or at least questionable about that.

i don’t really know, to be honest, and i don’t intend to give a clear answer to the fic, like ‘the reader was right all along and anaxa was pathetic and sad for wanting to pursue his feelings for them LMAO’, or vice versa. however, i do want to provide some critiques of both anaxa and the reader’s approaches to pursuing what they do: both are questionable, neither of them are totally right, and something seems to go wrong at some point with both of them, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still elements of value in their method or their views.

[cynicalmusings]

Painting practice:

OMGG IT’S GORGEOUS

i love what you’ve done with the lighting from the right to the left… and the scenery/ background is beautiful as well! thank you so much for using them for your practice — i’m sure they’d be honoured, heh

[cynicalmusings]

Nothing particularly insightful, some sketches:

the facial expressions are SO funny oh my goodness help me—

the bottom two to the left are also spot on and definitely the kind of positions they would lounge about in! the bottom middle gives off ‘look anaxa. i am learning to read through osmosis’ energy as well

as ever, you make them so gorgeous! even when staring blankly into the depths of one’s soul. thank you again!!

[cynicalmusings]

Decided to dedicate some time to coloring the first image; amusing expressions for the others.

waaaa you’ve made them so cute and squishy! the first image is 100% their expression when somebody makes a philosophical claim within a twenty metre radius of them

[cynicalmusings]

Quick sketch before I leave; does this fit your vision better?

oh my goodness… you’ve made them so beautiful… that is indeed the direction i was thinking of!

[cynicalmusings]

(Saw this meme and knew it was meant for them.)

Decided to draw something more to conclude the day. I experimented with a different style for the other artwork.

haha, yes! the meme is such a fitting one for them because it matches the crazy smart x chaotic smart dynamic of theirs to a t

[cynicalmusings]

Have you read Paine's 'The Age of Reason'?

i have not! although i might try and find a pdf version so that i can do so when i have some time spare.

[cynicalmusings]

I am always experimenting, and it seems this artstyle works best for Socrates!reader. Added the olive branch :)

they're so adorable aah! they kind of look like they could be related to aglaea

just a few tidbits about colouring which i haven't mentioned yet: i think they'd have grey hair (a shade roughly in between the trailblazer's hair and jing yuan's — maybe with the slightest hint of a brownish/ reddish tint to it as well) with lighter tips — just to get that 'wiser than their years' vibe across.

for their eyes, i haven't been super sure yet, but i'm leaning towards something quite dark; maybe a dark olive green colour? again, olive symbolism, and it could contrast nicely with their lighter hair. i've also been thinking they could have little shards of some lighter colour in their eyes — maybe just white, or something a tiny bit more yellow/ gold, but still pale — to make their gaze that little bit more piercing.

[cynicalmusings]

Hello! I have been following your Socrates!reader posts for a while, and figured I should add to your physical characterization of them:

The image to the right could be a manifestation of the black tide/what the reader could do to quell it. As for the left, I decided to capture a moment of thought for them. Tried to make the design as androgynous as possible. Thanks.

i love this so so much! you perfectly captured their vibe in the 'thinking' mode, and the black tide stuff is really interesting and something i didn't think of before. they look so gorgeous in your art style, too (i love the hair in particular! it looks really voluminous)

thank you so much for making art of them! i'll treasure this gem in my photo library