#celestial spheres

[upennmanuscripts]

Today we're celebrating the eclipse with diagrams from several manuscripts from the Schoenberg Collection! They range from the 13th to the 16th centuries, and include texts in Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian. You'll see, however, that the diagrams in the different books are quite similar to each other!

To watch the complete 30-minute video, go to YouTube:

[illustratus]

A traveller puts his head under the edge of the firmament

The image depicts a man crawling under the edge of the sky, depicted as if it were a solid hemisphere, to look at the mysterious Empyrean beyond. The caption underneath the engraving (not shown here) translates to "A medieval missionary tells that he has found the point where Heaven and Earth meet..."

The Flammarion engraving is a wood engraving by an unknown artist, so named because its first documented appearance is in Camille Flammarion's 1888 book L'atmosphère : météorologie populaire ("The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology"). It has been used as a metaphorical illustration of either the scientific or the mystical quests for knowledge.

The print depicts a man, clothed in a long robe and carrying a staff, who is at the edge of the Earth, where it meets the sky. He kneels down and passes his head, shoulders, and right arm through the star-studded sky, discovering a marvellous realm of circling clouds, fires and suns beyond the heavens. One of the elements of the cosmic machinery bears a strong resemblance to traditional pictorial representations of the "wheel in the middle of a wheel" described in the visions of the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel. The caption that accompanies the engraving in Flammarion's book reads: A missionary of the Middle Ages tells that he had found the point where the Sky and the Earth touch...

In Flammarion's L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire, the image refers to the text on the facing page (p. 162), which also clarifies the author's intent in using it as an illustration:

Whether the sky be clear or cloudy, it always seems to us to have the shape of an elliptic arch; far from having the form of a circular arch, it always seems flattened and depressed above our heads, and gradually to become farther removed toward the horizon. Our ancestors imagined that this blue vault was really what the eye would lead them to believe it to be; but, as Voltaire remarks, this is about as reasonable as if a silk-worm took his web for the limits of the universe. The Greek astronomers represented it as formed of a solid crystal substance; and so recently as Copernicus, a large number of astronomers thought it was as solid as plate-glass. The Latin poets placed the divinities of Olympus and the stately mythological court upon this vault, above the planets and the fixed stars. Previous to the knowledge that the earth was moving in space, and that space is everywhere, theologians had installed the Trinity in the empyrean, the glorified body of Jesus, that of the Virgin Mary, the angelic hierarchy, the saints, and all the heavenly host.... A naïve missionary of the Middle Ages even tells us that, in one of his voyages in search of the terrestrial paradise, he reached the horizon where the earth and the heavens met, and that he discovered a certain point where they were not joined together, and where, by stooping his shoulders, he passed under the roof of the heavens...

[elizabethminkel]

Earlier this week I reported on the very depressing for-profit fic pirating happening in certain corners of fandom—but (somewhat coincidentally, timing-wise) I also had the joy of reporting this story on fanbinding, and the work of the @renegadeguild! Featuring the words (and fanbinds) of the brilliant @celestial-sphere-press, @butterfingersbookbinding, and @fanboundbooks (who also talked about Renegade on the most recent Fansplaining episode).

Renegade's binders are strong proponents of the non-monetized gift economy—they truly embody the spirit of fanfiction, in my opinion, both in the communal way they share their work with fic writers and each other, and in the DIY way they approach making books:

There’s a strong parallel between the amateur, instinctive nature of fanfiction and the act of fanbinding. While plenty of fic is penned by formally trained writers, much of it is not. Tiffo, who binds as Fanboundbooks, likens the reverse-engineering involved in teaching oneself both activities. As writers, people try to figure out why stories work. Fanbinders collectively share the process of learning to turn that work into a physical object—tactile, clean, often beautiful. Fic is largely unencumbered by the forms and structures of traditional publishing, and fanbinders approach their work with the same spirit. “People will often say, ‘How do I do this?’ or ‘What’s the rule for this?’” Tiffo says. “The answer that we always try to throw in Renegade is, ‘This is what other people have done, but know that there is no rule to your book—you can make whatever you want.’”

It's a shame seeing people conflate the bad actors of the pirating situation—many of whom don't appear to be in fandom and seem motivated by pure profit—with the work of fanbinders at large, and seeing people scared to try out fanbinding because of the recent news. Not-for-profit fanbinding is just as legal as writing fanfiction, and I don't speak for all fic writers, but if someone ever bound one of my fics, I'd be so touched I would almost definitely weep. 😭

[celestial-sphere-press]

Fanbinding: Hibernating with Ghosts by @fayet

Getting stuck in Kaedwen in winter had never been on Jaskier's plan.

Hyped to share photos of the set I made at the end of 2023 for the @renegadepublishing annual exchange! In addition to "Hibernating With Ghosts" these volumes include 30 pencil illustrations by @saeculorum-art, the fic's prequel Silent friend of many distances, and a song (The Siren Song) by @stillmadaboutpetra. I was over the moon that they all agreed to allow their work included so i could make this for the lovely Kitty / @perfectlynormalbooks (thank you for the intro to the wonderful fic!!).

This book was bound in Duo dragonfly cloth, with marbled lokta and hand-foiled cover accents. All art not by saeculorum is sourced from public domain woodcuts. I went a little harder than usual on the typeset, but it was a lot of fun and I finally had a good reason to use a vertical header (the chapter titles are SO LONG) and colored dropcaps (i was printing color for the art, anyway!). I justified my embroidery thread spending with a fun five-color color endband, and I colored the top edge.

I had a lot of fun making this and trying our a few different ways of doing things! Thanks again to everyone for a wonderful Renegade Exchange!

[mythrilthread]

A quick bind of Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit by @lazulisong, Linguistic Ambiguities in Vulcan Ethical Codes and Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations by @elumish as typeset by @celestial-sphere-press

This mini anthology was typeset to look like a thesis paper, so that’s where I went with cover design. Now, thesis works are typically bound very simply in our neck of the woods, usually with just the word “Thesis paper” on the cover, so I went with the deep red I once chose for my own graduation paper and a linostamped Starfleet Academy logo.

(Couldn’t help sprucing it up a bit with marbled endpapers in Starfleet primary colors)

Fun fact: I was wearing a Starfleet science officer pin for my thesis defence 🖖

(This is a rare case of me binding something I haven’t read even a little bit of, so I’m very much looking forward to cozying up with this one!)

[ashleys-doodle-corner]

This may be our last chance.

I finally finished the game a few days ago. I cried.

So it seems fitting to put this piece out (I did this a while ago) of the introduction cutscene when opening the game. It's a classic after all.

I also tossed in the iconic scene where everyone puts their weapons down, but with everyone actually putting their weapons down. Why does it have to be just Tidus, Wakka, and Yuna? Let everyone toss their gear on there too.

[jessequinones]

Stop Using Slurs in Children Stories!

I bet that caught your attention. You might be thinking, what stories use the N-word, or the F-word, well...none that I found. However, there are two slur words that are often used in writing mainly in children's literature because I don’t think enough people know them to be slurs. Those words are cripple and savage.

Before I begin, I need to address a few things. First, I'll only use these words in full for educational purposes so nothing gets confusing. Secondly, I’m not hating on any of these authors. I genuinely think these people might not know cripple and savage are slurs. However, I still need examples of what I’m talking about to explain how common these words are used in writing as well as explaining why it’s a bad idea to use them, so I’m using these authors, not as targets but as examples based on the books I have.

Both of these words (cripple and savage) have a lot of history behind them, and while I strongly suggest, not using them, if for some reason, they have to be used, you need to hire a sensitivity reader who’s a part of the communities that has been affected by said words before you publish your story.

Cripple:

Before I begin, please understand I’ve consulted with a disabled person who’s well knowledgeable in this topic to help smooth out my points. I’m not apart of the physically disabled community. As I’ve been told there���s a big debate going on within the disabled community in regards to if mental disabled people are allowed to use the word cripple or not. This is beyond my understanding of the word, and the community so when I mention the word cripple, I’ll be referring it to the physical disabled community and not the mental one. Everything I’m about to say has already been said by the physically disabled community. I’m not adding anything new or talking over them. If you would like to know more about the language of disability, please read Cy-Cyborg’s article on the matter: https://writingwithcycyborg.blogspot.com/2024/02/LanguageOfDisability.html

Cripple is a world that’s defined one of three ways, to either describe someone who can’t function properly, to describe a situation that’s overwhelming, or to describe an object that isn’t working.

Example one: DragonFire: Sphere of Eternity (book 1)

“I mean, this morning, no offence, you were crippled.” (Describing a person.)

Example two: “The economy was crippled.” (Describing a situation)

Example three: DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) (describing an object)

The word cripple, even when it was used in a medical sense has always been a word to punch down and insult the physically disabled community. It was used to attack them and point out their disabilities. It became a common replacement for the word injured because it has a more of a punch. Instead of calling someone “severely injured” use cripple instead, it’s shorter and a lot punchier of a word. Over time it became part of normal vocabulary to use it while describing something as severe, despite it still being used as an insult at the same time. Let’s look at an example of how it’s being used to describe an injury in Robert Vane's A Dragons Chains: Book one of the Remembered War

“I moved my three non-crippled legs…” In this example, the dragon has an injured leg. Why did the author use the word cripple instead of injured? I think it’s because of shock value. Is it cheap shock value? Yes, but shock value for the reader is still shock value. Tell me, what’s the difference would be if the author replaced the word cripple with injured? “I moved my three non-injured legs...” Does using the word cripple add to the sense of urgency? Add to the sense of how injured that character's leg is? Or was it merely just a place for shock value?

But how often is this word used? Let’s take a quick look at the DragonFire series. There are currently four books in this series at the time of writing, and the word crippled is used twelve times throughout four books. Knowing it’s a slur...that’s a lot.

Some of the examples in which it was used are in things such as DragonFire: Fallen Star (book 2) where it reads:

Or

“...he yelled, his scythed tail coiling round, only for the far less crippled dragon to kick him off.” DragonFire: Order of Enishra (book 4)

It’s not just the DragonFire series which does this, other examples include, The Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies

Which uses it four times in one book with examples such as “Lock these two in the truck with the cripple…”

Warriors: Forest of Secrets (book 3) has this line. “As Fireheart said goodbye to Yellowfang and went back to hunting, he felt a new surge of determination to bring Tigerclaw’s guilt into the open. For the sake of Redtail, murdered; for Ravenpaw, driven from the Clan; for Cinderpaw, crippled...”

And even Wings of Fire, one of my favourite book series uses it.

Here’s a question for you. Is it ok to use that word if the impact is meant to be insulting? In the Wings of Fire example, Queen Scarlet defeats Dune in combat, and is about to kidnap the main characters. Dune, still breathing can barley move upon which Scarlet killed him. Scarlet is one of those pure evil types of characters, this is something I could see her saying, but let’s take a step back and put your eyes in the eyes of a disabled child.

Here you are, a disabled child. You already know what the word cripple is, and it’s been used against you (don’t act like this doesn’t happen). You read Wings of Fire and you come across that sentence. What is the intent behind that sentence in the eyes of a disabled child? Are you supposed to be scared of Scarlet? Angry? Or are you upset, because even in a fantasy book with talking dragons, you can’t escape from real life or that word?

Some of you might say, “What if only the villains use that word?” While I can see Queen Scarlet calling Peril a stupid retarded motherfucker. It’s not something you want in a children's story, so why does cripple get a past?

I hope you’re getting the picture, it’s a very commonly used word, one which the disabled community has begged able-bodied people not to use. The word injured gets the same point across and it doesn’t have a history of it being a derogatory term. While replacing the word cripple with injured or severely injured isn’t a perfect fix, it’s at least getting rid of the other word which is a start at least.

Now before I continue with the other slur, I can hear some of you say you’re aware disabled people are using cripple to describe themselves. Why can’t able-bodied people use it? Here’s the thing. Not everyone in the disabled community is doing this, and it’s not a monolith. The word cripple has been used as an attack against the disabled community for decades. It targets them, puts them down, and it’s only used against them. You only use the term to refer to something as injured so there's no reason to use it on an able-bodied person. The community in which it was used against is taking that word and trying to empower it amongst themselves. You’re not gonna complain if someone who’s black uses the N-word, so why are you upset when disabled people use the word cripple to describe themselves but are saying you can’t? That word belongs to them and their community, not yours. Also, one more thing before I go, not everyone in the disabled community uses this word or wants to hear it. There have been plenty of disabled people who are fine using that word to describe themselves but won’t say it around others if other disabled people express they don’t want to hear it. So be mindful if you’re gonna use it and please hire a sensitivity reader.

Savage:

This word...I have a lot of history with it because it’s a word that’s used against my community, (indigenous) people. And yet, just like the word cripple, it’s used all the time and while it’s a very common occurrence where indigenous voices aren’t heard, we’ve been telling everyone to just drop this word. Unlike the word cripple, we aren’t trying to claim this word, we just want it gone.

The definition of this word is an easy one to understand. It’s to describe a person, object, or an action as barbaric, wild, aggressive, unintelligent, or barely even human.

Example one: “They’re savages, savages, barely even human” Disney, Pocahontas (1995). (Used against people)

Example two:DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) by LJ Davies

“I opened my muzzled to respond, but another savage roar drew our attention…” (Used as an action)

Example three:

(Used against a group of people)

Example four: “Savage weaponry” (Use to describe an object)

I’m gonna be using the series DragonFire a lot for my examples, because out of all the books I got, that series uses the word 19 times throughout books one, two, and three. It was used twelve times in book three and I guess someone told LJ Davies about this problem because it doesn’t appear in book four. But it DOES appear in the spin-off series “Tales of DragonFire: Rebellion” twice, and THIRTEEN TIMES in “The Last Monster on Earth”. Overall, that's THIRTY-FOUR TIMES in the course of five books, all meant for children.

LJ Davies isn’t my only example. Chester Young, used it nine times throughout books 1 and 2 of the Celestial Heir books Rowan Silver, used it once in Eyes of Silver: Dragons and Skylines (book 2) And Robert Vane, used it once in the Remembered War series in book 4

Let’s start by showing off some examples and the impact they have and please note, that this might be something you’re just not experienced with. So just like with the disabled child, try to imagine yourself as an indigenous child. You’re fully aware of the word savage, it’s been used against you, and your people. So when you read a text like “Trade with the savages...they wouldn’t understand the concept!”

It feels awfully familiar to lines you read in your history books about your people. Keep in mind, that you wanted to read a story about dragons so you could get away from real life.

(From the Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies)

I know the United States called the Native Americans savage monsters while stealing their land, it was used as a way to justify their actions, make the natives appear barley even human or in most cases, not human at all, let’s not forget, for a good majority of the building of the United States, those founding fathers didn’t see anyone other than themselves as humans. Reading text, asking how people became savage monsters overnight should remind you how people labelled indigenous people in the past and still do today.

"To confirm the princess’s words, yes, there is an army out there whose numbers vastly exceed our own. Nevertheless, they are a crude mockery of the noble kind they once were, and they are now nothing but savages….There was a series of grunts and nods at that statement...” (DragonFire: Age of Legend, book 3)

I think, this text is a great example of what I’ve been trying to say. In this text, the character who is speaking and the grunts and nods are all dragons with human-like intelligence. They're a stand-in for us. The Elder (who spoke in said text) has been seen and viewed as one of the good guys. He calls his kind noble, and he’s working with a princess, (let’s not forget our history books on how the royal family treated indigenous people). He calls his attackers “nothing but savages”. In translation, their monsters, who are no longer noble or righteous. There’s an agreement with his statement, as if what he says is right and we should be agreeing with him.

In that sentence, understanding everyone is of human intelligence and is a stand-in for humans. We have an old white knight, calling the enemy savages while the royal family are the heroes who are trying to protect their land from those filthy, disgusting, savages. You can kind of see why I’m saying we really shouldn’t be using this word.

“Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages…” Warriors: Into the Wild (book 1)

Savages...indigenous people, they aren’t warriors, they would’ve killed Yellowfang, and left her to rot in the wilds, Thunderclan is better than those monsters. Am I making my point clear enough when it comes to the history of this word, who it’s targeted against and how it comes across when reading in children's media?

You might’ve noticed I’ve mainly been using examples when it refers to a group of people, not necessarily showing off how commonly it’s used as either an action or an object because honestly...those are just kind of dumb. A savage roar? What does that mean?

Ah yes, because we really needed the use of the word “savagely” to get the point across that Misuk just destroyed a person's skull. The “turning his head into a bloody pulp” wasn’t enough on its own. Without the use of the word savagely how else could we get the aggression and power across? When savage is used as an action it’s mostly because said character loses control of their humanity. They become savage when they attack and the end result is a bloody mess because that’s the only way indigenous, I mean, monsters, I mean barbarians, I mean savage people know how to fight. You often see these kinds of moments when the good guy who’d never hurt a fly loses control and unleashes hell, they turn into something that’s not themselves, they turned into a savage and these moments are meant to be shown as shocking as the character forgets who they are for a couple of seconds.

Indigenous people were savages, with savage strength, and a savage kind of culture. They scalp people, beat them to a bloody pulp, and ate your children. Those monsters needed to be killed. Whenever you use the word savage, it circles back to a group of minorities who were just trying to survive. This word has been used so much, that I don’t think many people realise the history behind it, which is why I said I’m not hating anyone who uses it, but please try to get a sensitivity reader. Get disabled and indigenous sensitivity readers, even if there’s no indigenous or disabled representation in your books, the words you use, still affect us and it’s a good thing to be aware of the words of which you speak and write.

Please be aware of these words, especially if you’re writing stories meant for children because the more children see these words, the more normal they’ll think it is and the more often they’ll start repeating it. I think there’s a time and place for these words, but saying them as an excuse to make something more shocking, isn’t the time or place.

[visualcontinuum]

.309. Solar eclipse with seven planets

[macabrecabra]

Finished late at night, posting during the day after being away from computer and napping 83

Proper ref of Zarabi, the god of fate and chance from my original worldsetting! The kind of guy you don't want to play games with as he has the power to rig them all. He is the god of the ucumbi people as no other god has fought as hard for their freedoms and rights in the Celestial sphere to the point of creating a city for them to express their culture in peace.

He's a mixed bag of cunning and cruel and empathetic and sneak thief and I adore him <3

[historysurvivalguide]

Astronomy Inspired Design in Media: Part 22

Lies of P (2023)

In the hub area of Lies of P, Hotel Krat’s magnificent centerpiece—aptly named the Stargazer—glows

Largely unchanged from how it appears in the concept art for the game

Armillary spheres are the most common form of astronomy inspired design and the Stargazer looks like a carbon copy of brass armillary spheres seen during the time period of Lies of P (1800’s) and earlier

Brass German Armillary Sphere from the 1500’s

Which makes sense, since even as a working instrument they can appear as an enigmatic work of art

Armillary spheres work by rotating the outer rings to represent the position of different celestial objects (stars and moons and planets) in the night sky for a given time of the year

The only piece to note about the Stargazer however is that unlike armillary spheres, the Stargazer does not appear to be able to rotate

“Astronomy Inspired Design in Media” is Wednesday (as I find them)

[cypriathus]

ÄYLCEPHOMUS CELESTIAL HIERARCHY

SERAPH (plural noun: SERAPHIM): They’re celestial humanoids with six fiery wings, one pair for flying, another covering the face and the final pair covering the feet, crotch or torso. They are the natural caretakers of their creator’s divine throne and bearers of sacred knowledge. They also help to maintain the equilibrium of the universe and carry out purification rituals by touching the lips with burning coal from an altar. They’re the highest in the celestial hierarchy, which means they’re the closest to divinity and the firmament of heaven. They’re most commonly seen in the Primum Mobile of The Angels and Empyrean.

CHERUB (plural noun: CHERUBIM): They have two large pairs of wings that appear to be like polished bronze and are said to create thunder by flapping them. They also have four faces; that of a human (front), eagle (right), lion (left), and ox or cow (back). They are the irresistible guardians of the heavenly garden and the pearly gates to their realm. They’re most commonly seen at the gates of heaven, the sacred garden, Primum Mobile of The Angels, and Empyrean.

OPHANIM, GALGALIM or THRONE (plural noun: THRONEs): When in their true form, they appear to be four interlocking, eye-covered wheels that surround either a celestial youth or fetus. They’re responsible for carrying out divine justice and maintaining cosmic harmony of all universal laws. They are also responsible for protecting the holy chariot and its mercy seat. They’re most commonly seen in the sacred garden, Saturn of The Contemplatives, Primum Mobile of The Angels, and Empyrean.

CHALKYDRI: They’re a unique angel breed because their appearance is far more animalistic compared to the others. When in their natural form, they have the head of a crocodile with a lion’s tail and twelve purplish-red wings. They are responsible for running the Sun’s course around the Earth, bringing the planet heat and dew. They are also responsible for alerting the birds of the multiverse for a new day to rejoice by breaking into song at sunrise. They’re most commonly seen in the Sun of The Wise, Primum Mobile of The Angels, and Empyrean.

DESTROYING ANGEL or DESTROYER (plural noun: DESTROYING ANGELs or DESTROYERs): They are very important angels of divine punishment and destruction as well as psychopomps for the recently deceased. They’re only allowed to exercise their punishment and torment on wicked sinners and infernal beings if the divine council has proclaimed the sentence. They either have two, six or twelve wings that mimic the colours of scavenger birds such as vultures and magpies. They’re most commonly seen in the sacred garden, Moon of The Inconstant, and Primum Mobile of The Angels.

WATCHER (plural noun: WATCHERs): Originally, they were dispatched by the divine council and even the titans to watch over the humans. Unfortunately, after procreating with humanity and bringing the Nephilim into the multiverse, most were kicked out of heaven. For those who weren’t abandoned or didn’t participate in this incident, they were forced to become celestial warriors that protected heaven from the attacks of infernal beings or shepherds that attend to their livestock. They have six wings of a gleaming alabaster dove and are commonly seen in the Moon of The Inconstant, Sun of The Wise, Mars of The Faith-Warriors, and Jupiter of The Just Rulers.

DOMINATION, DOMINION or LORDSHIP (plural noun: DOMINATIONs, DOMINIONs or LORDSHIPs): They govern the movement of stars, planets, and other celestial objects whilst performing a few other important duties. These duties include delivering divine judgement, showing mercy towards sinners, and helping angels in lower ranks to stay organised and perform their work well. They have four wings that either resemble a male cerulean warbler, golden eagle, or bearded vulture. They’re most commonly seen in the Sun of The Wise, Mars of The Faith-Warriors, and Jupiter of The Just Rulers.

VIRTUE (plural noun: VIRTUEs): They are known for controlling the elements that are present within the multiverse. They’re angels of motion who govern nature and assist with miracles, encouraging humans to strengthen their faith in the titans. Unlike most angels, their two or six wings don’t resemble that of existing birds as they possess up to five different hues that are not always or never found in nature. They’re most commonly seen in Mercury of The ambitious, Venus of The Lovers, Sun of The Wise, and Fixed Stars of Faith, Hope and Love.

POWER or AUTHORITY (plural noun: POWERs or AUTHORITIES): They have authoritative power over all forces of evil, restraining them from doing harm. They have four wings and their natural hues are either similar to the ferruginous hawk or Egyptian vulture. They’re most commonly seen in the Moon of The Inconstant, Mercury of The Ambitious, Mars of The Faith-Warriors, and Jupiter of The Just Rulers.

PRINCIPALITY, PRINCEDOM or RULER (plural noun: PRINCIPALITIES, PRINCEDOMs or RULERs): They are given the responsibility to guide and protect nations or groups of peoples, ensuring that everything runs smoothly. They also preside over the bands of angelic subspecies and charge them with fulfilling their divine ministry. They have four wings that possess the colours of a crowned eagle, king quail, and black-billed magpie. They’re most commonly in Mars of The Faith-Warriors, and Jupiter of The Just Rulers.

ARCHANGEL or CHIEF ANGEL (plural noun: ARCHANGELs or CHIEF ANGELs): They have various duties such as delivering far-reaching messages to entire peoples or communities, creation and facilitation of soul contracts, managing life on Earth, maintaining natural order, and preserving ancient mysteries. As their name suggests, they act as natural leaders for the other bands of angels. They have between two and twelve wings that mimic the colours of a violet-green swallow or resemble shimmering and untainted gold with a brownish undercoat. They’re commonly seen throughout the spheres of heaven, but most inhabit Mercury of The Ambitious, Mars of The Faith-Warriors, Jupiter of The Just Rulers, Fixed Stars of Faith, Hope and Love, and the Primum Mobile of The Angels.

CHOIR ANGEL (plural noun: CHOIR ANGELs): They’re musical angels who are responsible for spreading festive joy, righteous pleasure, the practice of preserving stories, and hymns of praise. They are usually seen carrying intricate trumpets of shimmering gold and ancient scrolls full of lyrical songs. It’s believed that if they blow their trumpets while standing on a holy rock, they are announcing the fateful day of judgement. They all have two wings that mimic the natural hues of the purple starling, lilac-breasted roller, and the train of a male Indian peafowl. They’re commonly seen throughout the spheres of heaven, but most inhabit Venus of The Lovers, the Primum Mobile of The Angels and the Fixed Stars of Faith, Hope and Love.

EARTHLY ANGEL (plural noun: EARTHLY ANGELs): They are entrusted with the affairs of the world and keeping records on the actions of people. They’re lowest in the celestial hierarchy, which means they’re the closest to the earth and humanity. Male-bodied messenger angels have the wings of a male loon and the plumage of the female-bodied resembles that of a house sparrow. Similar to choir angels and archangels, they are commonly seen throughout the spheres of heaven, but most inhabit the Moon of The Inconstant and Mercury of The Ambitious.

[starless-aria]

Big Mommy Milkers

[wekillitwithfire]

i used to be terrified of space (and i still could not be paid to go out there) but i thinking learning more about it and seeing these new photos from the space telescopes has made it a lot less scary and instead just really, really cool

[ketrinadrawsalot]

I've liked drawing wings and too many eyes on things for a while, but it really took off when I did the Sea Angels series and joined the Angelology II pin campaign.

[celestial-sphere-press]

Carmilla (Le Fanu) & The Vampyr (Polidori)

Starting off the new year right! I was incredibly blessed to spend 8 days in January in Athens, Greece, attending a leather bookbinding course taught by dimitris_bookbinding_corner alongside a lovely group of fellow @renegadepublishing members from around the world!

Dimitris was a fantastic teacher, patiently dealing with all of our in-jokes, quips, and my bad habits (even if they made him cringe 😂). His teaching style satisfied my own thirst to know *why* you do something, not just that you're supposed to do it. Dimitris also challenged us to push outside of our comfort zones (I'm sorry guys before this every endband I ever sewed I opened up the book for every tie-down. yes, even all the ones in the last post.). I learned so much, and I hope to be able to put it into practice in the future. I highly recommend his classes!

We bound a stunning Carmilla + The Vampyr combo typeset, created by fellow Renegade member @zhalfirin with art frames from Alphonse Mucha. I got a chance to work on leather and brass tooling skills in person (both things I was very nervous about!), repped Star Wars a lot, eat delicious Greek food and snacks, and best of all, the opportunity to spend a whole 8 days in Greece with the best group of people (and a whole lot of friendly cats!).

[rastronomicals]

5:46 AM EDT March 23, 2024:

Agalloch - "Celestial Effigy" From the album The Serpent & The Sphere (May 13, 2014)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: American Black metal