[Genderless]

Because it's for a design contest, I focused on design and did my best to make sure it could be captured well with a fairly simple flat art style.

This design is centered around the concept of "the beauty and goodness which comes from limits and struggle"

My first idea for this is these flowered chains, where chains are often heavy and used to restrict movement and freedom, but instead I've subverted that by covering them in flowering vines which use these chains as a foundation to grow on. This truly good angel's ethereal energy lifts these chains up, giving them a near weightless look, still a visual reminder of their past weight and the ways they shaped this angel's past, but they no longer have power to limit the angel's future.

Following the flower motif, the angel's upper body is clothed by multiple layers of loose cloth with golden trim, which too defy gravity under the angel's power. The layered bunching look of the fabric too evokes the image of the petals of a flower, showing how the angel themself has blossomed in much the same way as the flowers on the chains. Even still their hands are covered by a cone of fabric each, secured at the wrist. Their hands are free to be used, but generally remain hidden under the fabric. This too is part of the theme of restrictions and breaking through them.

I've drawn the skin and wings as #FFFFFF white, but this is a stylization which doesn't need to be taken as the literal color. I personally imagine that in a realistic rendering, this angel's feathers are as white as a white dove's, and that the skin is uncanny in how white it is, almost like opaque marble for skin. If you would want the skin a different color, the wings would still match the skin. The feathers also capture light in a way which gives them a slight golden shimmer.

I haven't named them, but I do imagine them as some flavor of nonbinary.

[BornFromAshes]

First of all, I wanted to thank you for entering,, it brings me great joy to see how many people show an interest and it makes me extremely happy.

Secondly, the amount of thought you've put into this design has me blown away. Your analogies are phenomenal, I love that each part of them has a purpose. I find myself very much drawn to them because of the chained-but-free symbolism, but also because of the cohesive colors and the fragile pale skin and dove connection.

In short, I'm very much in love with them, and the whole judging is going to be very hard. Thank you for your effort, I'm still awed by your imagination and conceptualization,, <3

[Genderless]

I'm glad you like them! I love when designs are full of thematic unity, so when my first idea was the flowers growing free on the chains, I could use that same core idea to guide everything else. They're probably my favorite character design I've made recently, just because I really like a lot of the same things you do, and I could work a lot of cohesive symbols together in the design.