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"This latest personal project shouldn't take too long to complete!" Four weeks later...

So, I ended up revamping significant parts of my angel 'verse in the process of researching this (for one: originally, the only choirs shown were angels, archangels, and the seraphs), and I'm thinking of salvaging ideas from my "heaven AU" Marathon idea as well by having it take place in a more fantastical setting, rather than the modern-ish one I originally had in mind.

There is a lot of artistic license involved here, what with it using elements from multiple Abrahamic faiths along with stuff like sphinxes (not pictured).

--

* Ruler: The second-highest point of authority in Heaven, subordinate only to YHWH Himself. Rainbow-winged Jubileus is an enigma; they appeared on their own like the seraphs, but don't hang out with the other choirs and aren't inclined to be straightforward about anything but YHWH's will when they do show up. While they are known to the "outer spheres", it's entirely possible that no human or demon has ever seen them in person.

Jubileus has a number of titles, including "The Chromatic One" and "The Divine Androgyne" (they have a feminine upper half and masculine lower half). Asherah likes to call them "The Cryptic Pain in the Ass".

[First Triad]

* Seraphim: The attendants to the Throne of God, at least in theory. There are three Seraphim--Ephraim, Asherah, and Tabris--who each monitor a different sphere. Asherah and Tabris don't agonize over their jobs much, but Ephraim was possibly the least equipped of them to handle being Overseer of Earth. Regardless of his many mistakes, he pushes on.

The Seraphim aren't related to Jubileus, nor to the other angels; they came into existence independently of YHWH, much to His bafflement and gratitude.

* Cherubim: Contemplaters of YHWH's providence. These four quad-winged ladies represent different creatures and elemental powers, and the protection spells they cast on various regions still hold strong today. For this, the Cherubim are revered at those places on Earth and beyond, but in Heaven itself, they're infamous for being rather hard-assed.

* Thrones: Contemplaters of YHWH's power, judgement, and love; they're also the least humanoid of all the choirs. Appearing each as fancy wheels/rings with four wings and a disembodied eye, the Thrones are the ones you send in when you want the human(s) you're dealing with to freak the fuck out. Guess how often Ephraim needs to be reminded not to do this?

More Thrones exist than are shown here, albeit not many.

[Second Triad]

* Dominions: Lords of the lower choirs. Dominions number at a whopping two: twin brothers Metatron and Sandalphon. The former is thoughtful and serious-minded; the latter, a winged gremlin. While Metatron is respected well enough, many angels wonder how long Sandalphon will go without disciplinary action.

* Virtues: Operators of movement in the universe. Most of the Virtues are beautiful women, and all of them sport golden wings like their brothers in the choir below; while they're known for their compassion, their devastating combat prowess is where their reputation truly lies. It's not uncommon for a Virtue to escort an angel from the Third Triad (however much the archangels bitch about it).

* Powers: Governors of the natural order. The Powers took the casting-out of the fallen angels the hardest (besides Ephraim), and restructured their choir to emphasize discipline and self-control; they're not as strong as or quick to blows as their sisters above, but it's unwise to test the patience of a Power. It is very unwise to suggest that they're just bondage enthusiasts.

Many more Virtues and Powers exist than just the seven shown.

[Third Triad]

* Principalities: Guardians of Earthly communities and princes of the lowest triad. By far, the Principalities are the softest and kindest of the choirs, to such an extent that even the most bitter demons generally don't harass them; on the flip side, none of them are all that great at self-defense and are rarely seen without a bodyguard.

They number more than four.

* Archangels: Those who carry out YHWH's plans for humanity; hard-capped at seven members, the archangels are incredibly active in the affairs of humans and demons. They're led by Michael, the oldest member of this particular choir, who unfortunately has one hell of a stick up his ass; he's determined to prove that he's just as capable as the upper choirs of handling what needs to be done. His second, Gabriel, is more level-headed and flexible.

* Angels: The closest to humanity overall, and the lowest-tier (if one doesn't count puttos). Angels advise and protect humans--and to a lesser extent demons--and are by far the easiest to summon. Of course, like any divine being, they are magnitudes more powerful than your average Joe. This choir includes sphinxes, phoenixes, and technically ascended Proteans (who are their own can of worms, really).

--

Some notes:

* Jubileus is pretty much an OC made to handle the job that Metatron is given in many Judaic texts.

* I know that the fourth component of any given Cherubim isn't a fish, but it felt awkward to have one member be a normal humanoid, so Arariel's a mermaid.

* The idea to have the Powers' wings be bound like that came from some old art of Mangapunksai's.

--
[If you like my art, please consider commissioning me or tipping me at Ko-fi!]

Description
"This latest personal project shouldn't take too long to complete!" Four weeks later...

So, I ended up revamping significant parts of my angel 'verse in the process of researching this (for one: originally, the only choirs shown were angels, archangels, and the seraphs), and I'm thinking of salvaging ideas from my "heaven AU" Marathon idea as well by having it take place in a more fantastical setting, rather than the modern-ish one I originally had in mind.

There is a lot of artistic license involved here, what with it using elements from multiple Abrahamic faiths along with stuff like sphinxes (not pictured).

--

* Ruler: The second-highest point of authority in Heaven, subordinate only to YHWH Himself. Rainbow-winged Jubileus is an enigma; they appeared on their own like the seraphs, but don't hang out with the other choirs and aren't inclined to be straightforward about anything but YHWH's will when they do show up. While they are known to the "outer spheres", it's entirely possible that no human or demon has ever seen them in person.

Jubileus has a number of titles, including "The Chromatic One" and "The Divine Androgyne" (they have a feminine upper half and masculine lower half). Asherah likes to call them "The Cryptic Pain in the Ass".

[First Triad]

* Seraphim: The attendants to the Throne of God, at least in theory. There are three Seraphim--Ephraim, Asherah, and Tabris--who each monitor a different sphere. Asherah and Tabris don't agonize over their jobs much, but Ephraim was possibly the least equipped of them to handle being Overseer of Earth. Regardless of his many mistakes, he pushes on.

The Seraphim aren't related to Jubileus, nor to the other angels; they came into existence independently of YHWH, much to His bafflement and gratitude.

* Cherubim: Contemplaters of YHWH's providence. These four quad-winged ladies represent different creatures and elemental powers, and the protection spells they cast on various regions still hold strong today. For this, the Cherubim are revered at those places on Earth and beyond, but in Heaven itself, they're infamous for being rather hard-assed.

* Thrones: Contemplaters of YHWH's power, judgement, and love; they're also the least humanoid of all the choirs. Appearing each as fancy wheels/rings with four wings and a disembodied eye, the Thrones are the ones you send in when you want the human(s) you're dealing with to freak the fuck out. Guess how often Ephraim needs to be reminded not to do this?

More Thrones exist than are shown here, albeit not many.

[Second Triad]

* Dominions: Lords of the lower choirs. Dominions number at a whopping two: twin brothers Metatron and Sandalphon. The former is thoughtful and serious-minded; the latter, a winged gremlin. While Metatron is respected well enough, many angels wonder how long Sandalphon will go without disciplinary action.

* Virtues: Operators of movement in the universe. Most of the Virtues are beautiful women, and all of them sport golden wings like their brothers in the choir below; while they're known for their compassion, their devastating combat prowess is where their reputation truly lies. It's not uncommon for a Virtue to escort an angel from the Third Triad (however much the archangels bitch about it).

* Powers: Governors of the natural order. The Powers took the casting-out of the fallen angels the hardest (besides Ephraim), and restructured their choir to emphasize discipline and self-control; they're not as strong as or quick to blows as their sisters above, but it's unwise to test the patience of a Power. It is very unwise to suggest that they're just bondage enthusiasts.

Many more Virtues and Powers exist than just the seven shown.

[Third Triad]

* Principalities: Guardians of Earthly communities and princes of the lowest triad. By far, the Principalities are the softest and kindest of the choirs, to such an extent that even the most bitter demons generally don't harass them; on the flip side, none of them are all that great at self-defense and are rarely seen without a bodyguard.

They number more than four.

* Archangels: Those who carry out YHWH's plans for humanity; hard-capped at seven members, the archangels are incredibly active in the affairs of humans and demons. They're led by Michael, the oldest member of this particular choir, who unfortunately has one hell of a stick up his ass; he's determined to prove that he's just as capable as the upper choirs of handling what needs to be done. His second, Gabriel, is more level-headed and flexible.

* Angels: The closest to humanity overall, and the lowest-tier (if one doesn't count puttos). Angels advise and protect humans--and to a lesser extent demons--and are by far the easiest to summon. Of course, like any divine being, they are magnitudes more powerful than your average Joe. This choir includes sphinxes, phoenixes, and technically ascended Proteans (who are their own can of worms, really).

--

Some notes:

* Jubileus is pretty much an OC made to handle the job that Metatron is given in many Judaic texts.

* I know that the fourth component of any given Cherubim isn't a fish, but it felt awkward to have one member be a normal humanoid, so Arariel's a mermaid.

* The idea to have the Powers' wings be bound like that came from some old art of Mangapunksai's.

--
[If you like my art, please consider commissioning me or tipping me at Ko-fi!]