lamb to the slaughter

[ascensionrite]

independent, private, highly selective agnus of dmc4 . 

this is a sideblog to @adagaium . if you're mutuals with ardyn, consider yourself mutuals with agnus. this blog is super low activity. ( by percival. he/him, 31+ )

[ascensionrite]

˗ˏˋ rebellilted​: ࿐ྂ 

@ascensionrite​​ encountered the legendary demon hunter.

  “ Hey now big guy, why don’t we try talkin’ ‘bout things first, yeah? ” This is the part of his work he hates— how does one deal with having a world already broken, turned upside down?

Angels? In Fortuna? Where they worshipped the Dark Knight Sparda as a Savior? Where did it all go wrong?

Then again, here stood the cambion that hunted demon kind, who was he to cast pointed fingers at the wrongness of the Order. Divinity makes his skin crawl, sets his teeth on edge, but he tries, he tries, he tries.

       “ I’d rather you didn’t blast me seven ways to sunday, and I don’t know that you can deal with the power drain right about now. ”

child of God, you stand before the sinners! He has asked of you to bring them to His kingdom, and it is by His will that it shall be done — such is the nature of the choirs of heaven. 

agnus may not speak his own holy name, but how easily enochian drips from his tongue ( thousand-thousand voices to mirror his thousand-thousand wings; his voice does not waver then — ). yet, before the son of sparda, he finds himself lost in bitter memories ( bloodied feathers, plague upon plagues! if they would not listen to the cherub, then He would cast his judgement! ), the sound of gunfire; his vessel breaking apart ( a great weight off of him ). 

i’d rather you didn’t blast me seven ways to sunday, speaks the cambion, and the cherub’s green eye blazes gold. but, the second statement is true. agnus does not have the power left to condemn this demon son to purgatory, to hell — not yet. ❛ what - what good would talking do? ❜ wings spread from his shadow, but his body remains as it is ( a strong body meant to endure, and endure he has! ) — ❛ i should - i should blast you seven ways to sunday, it’s His will, and i, ❜ 

       nervous, stumbling, burning and holy! 

❛ i am His servant! but, if you want ... you want to say your piece, cambion ... then speak! He - He is always, always listening. ❜ 

[ascensionrite]

hi i want to uh talk abt what tf the ascension ceremony is and how it worked and why things went wrong 

anyway i know i mentioned it once but like the reason agnus isn’t like. dead - dead is uuuuh you can destroy a physical form but it isn’t that you kill the being? because he’s not one of those bayonetta style angels, and by this i mean regardless of whether or not those are the angels of the world lore-wise, agnus does not serve jubileus, he serves God. he is not affiliated with the hierarchy of laguna, he is affiliated with the choirs of heaven. he holds the rank of cherub, and his powers revolve around “giving blessings". 

which is what the ascension ceremony was meant to be: a way to give blessings.

the ascension ceremony involved alchemy, yes, but beyond that, it involved divine power. agnus had been living a “human life” prior to finding himself in the order, he has nico?? his daughter with A Human and that was not miraculous anything, it was “the way humans love other humans”, but i digress. 

until the ascension ceremony, agnus had been able to keep his true nature as a cherub under wraps. he was seen as a powerful alchemist who was incredibly religious; he was bullied for being socially awkward and people said he had the personality of a sparrow so of course they didn’t ever think he was some unbelievably powerful entity second only to seraphim and God. but for the ascension ceremony, he found it wouldn’t work on alchemy alone. so he had no choice but to unleash his holy abilities and clearly, that caused a lot of trouble. because now he was a cherub and of course sanctus did horrid shit and agnus’ mental state ended up in shambles. 

people went through ascension and some of them were deemed worthy . most of those became angels of the ninth choir ( human in shape, but gained their own wings ). a small handful gained powers similar to archangels ( the eighth choir ), and two people genuinely became dominions. one of those is credo. 

others went through ascension and weren’t deemed worthy. they became ‘demons' and agnus tried to fix this by giving his wings. he could negate the demonic powers of most of them, as they gained demonic power to oppose an angel of the corresponding choir. unfortunately, sanctus had power like a fallen seraphim and agnus, the cherub didn’t have the power to convert that demonic power to holy power

the third group of survivors of ascension were for lack of a better term, relatively unchanged. they gained no new powers from God, but sometimes inner powers were awakened. arguably, nero would fall under this category. he gained no New Powers, only had dormant ones come to the forefront. 

the fourth group were those who died, which happened more often than any of the others. agnus would give proper burial to the dead, and always hoped their souls would reach heaven.

[ascensionrite]

something something agnus has so many wings even in a human form there are like ... layers and layers of them on his back that can spread out & if you help him preen or whatnot he’ll literally lay down his life for u 

[brehaaorgana]

okay but what if angels are black holes and halos are just the light warping around them being pulled in by gravity 

[brehaaorgana]

paronomaniac said: Then receiving a visit from one is extra terrifying.

pugletto said: oooh… story fodder

elaienar said: That’s terrifying and I approve 100%.

WELL HERE IS THE THING, RIGHT? black holes you basically literally have to be in their gravity like pretty much on top of them to be sucked in. so that’s not really an issue. it’s TERRIFYING sure, but explains a few things which I will list:

my astronomy teacher said if you were somehow able to survive entering a black hole and reached the bottom or singularity, the way time works is that you would be able to see the entire universe laid out - like you’d know when the universe ended if you looked back outwards

which falls into line with the idea that the angels know all of time and everything except when it will all end precisely (or scientifically, the collapse of this universe is unknown, but supposing angels were black holes they would see until this unknown point)

matter falling into a black hole creates a disc of light which is probably among the literal BRIGHTEST things in the universe 

there are angels which are supposed to be the wheels of God’s Chariot, so it would make sense if, according to theories, that there ARE massive blackholes at the center of all galaxies which is what cause them to rotate, and those black holes are angels which make the galaxy spin. 

black holes were formed sometime after the big bang, which lines into the story of creation, that the angels came after the universe. 

angels can choose to physically manifest like humans, but aren’t actually. it’s said that you cannot survive looking at them or hearing them directly. NASA says that the “note” a black hole emits is the deepest sound found in the universe. i am just guessing here but you would probably die if you heard it up close instead of a bazillion light years away. ALSO side note cool fact apparently that “note”: “…It’s worth pointing out that the “sound” in question is 57 octaves (and one semitone) below middle C, which makes it 247×2−57≈1.71×10−15Hz, or one whole cycle every 18.5 million years.” CRAZY RIGHT although apparently some sing other notes and basically if there’s anything people know about angels it is that they DEFINITELY SING. anyways you can’t see black holes but you can see the things around them and the soundwaves surrounding them. 

also apparently scientists picked up a death “scream” of a star falling into a black hole but like…

anyways literally every angel is terrifying BE NOT AFRAID “haha okay but i’m crying though is that cool” 

black holes are probably angels. i’m just saying. 

[ascensionrite]

yo he has so many wings ??? even in his human form when they ??? spread out its such a Mess ??? the scars on his back are ... placed weirdly because human body translates angel scars strangely ??? when the wings do spread out , they’re ,,, layered but there’s A LOT ....

[ascensionrite]

the whole . cherubs are not only like the second tier below God & they are . like . u kno a bunch of wings & animal parts & THEY’RE ALSO ??? harmony & wisdom & ???? spiritual sanctuary ,,,, & im EMO bc . i have to also like write about this ... like in depth

[failmacaw]

THE NINE CHOIRS OF HEAVEN.  An info-graphic for my editorial class and god am I thankful it’s done.  Way too much went into this than what I had time for, but hey… I actually kind of like it?

Now excuse me, I must return to my fashion major lifestyle and go sew a coat u_u

EDIT:  Re-uploaded with easier viewing! 

[ilefttheburneron]

[aethereign-m]

aliferos:

some have entertained angels unawares but others get this–seraphim crashing on your couch (metaphorically of course; they wouldn’t fit on a sofa) with their hundred hundred wings beating the air lazily; their beryllium eyes shut. “you should get a place” you may tell them over breakfast. “not that you aren’t always welcome; but don’t you want somewhere to call your own?”, but the seraphim merely blinks; eyes sparking; and goes back to coaxing the coffee maker not to burn your morning caffiene high. (they don’t understand property you see; don’t understand the concept of owning a piece of the dust–earth is humanity’s birthright and all else is god’s…yes even them; their wings; their eyes; the half-burnt coffee on their 7-dimensional tongue) (you do not need to have a place of your own when you yourself are not your own; silly human) so the seraphim keep dragging themselves in at 2am; starlight caught in their feathers and whiskey on their breath; whispering “are you up? are you up? the kingdom of god is at hand–come and kiss me” before collapsing back onto the sofa; wings fluttering in the angelic approximation of helpless giggles) (…it turns out seraphim do indeed fit on the couch; with just enough room for one sleep-deprived human waiting for the kingdom of god to arrive) a glory of angels the city is full of wings

[ascensionrite]

something something agnus tore off his wings to try to make the lesser demons into lower ranking angels uuhhhh this is super scattered but 

these are the bianco angelos ... wing shields .... something something bianco angelos were made by agnus ,,, whatever happened in there they have no free will of their own ,,, which ,,, uh might be ... because oh idk angel wings + demon souls does not work well but agnus is nothing if not infuriatingly stubborn & also at the point where whatever gives even the slightest blessing is better than leaving them to just be wandering demons but still it took its toll 

after agnus tore off all of his wings he turned into the swarm of locusts ( infinitely cooler & more symbolic than one (1) big locust ) & fortuna suffered that & then it suffered three (3) days of darkness & then every person in the order who had been worshipping sparda died in a single night so tldr fortuna skipped the first 7 plagues but got hit with the last 3 

somewhere in the chaos dante manages to ? yeet agnus ? be it by destroying the locusts & then delivering the gunshot or by some other means ... agnus loses his mortal form ( & is not a bunch of locusts ) & goes back to heaven before he decides that even if humans keep disappointing him , he loves them a lot so he goes back ,,, & when he goes back he also has all of his wings ( the hundreds of hundreds of them yeah ) in his cherub form , although he really does stick to the mortal body for uh . reasons . like humans might have their eyes burn or go mad ? which is not what he wants thanks for coming to my tedtalk 

[poemsforpersephone]

QUESTION did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

ANSWER yes. my wings decayed.  i clutched at star systems to slow the fall  and the burns still smoulder, faint shadows of feathers seared  into bleeding skin. this is pain? i don’t like it. i want to go back. this aching… this is aching? why are my hands shaking?

l.s. | PICK UP LINES FOR FALLEN ANGELS © 2016

[ascensionrite]

guys , guys . agnus is . selectively mute . like yeah he sure stutters when he’s anxious which is literally always , but sometimes he can’t even figure out words . so , he knows many variants of sign language to communicate with many people who speak many languages . 

on that note , he wasn’t always selectively mute , nor did he always stutter . these both are born of trauma . before the disaster of sanctus traumatizing agnus heavily , he was really fairly chatty . he loved sharing his knowledge , be it with just normal people or the alchemists he used to work with . he also knows how to sing — as music is innate to angels of all spheres . 

eventually , he does manage to get himself to see a speech therapist as a way to overcome something born of trauma , although he never really goes back to being chatty with words , he’s become comfortable with sign language , where he is . in fact , very , very chatty . 

[ascensionrite]

CHARACTER COMBAT STATS 

★★★★★★★★★★ * —  strength ( cherub body ) ★★★★★★★★★☆  —  offense ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  —  defense ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  —  speed ( cherub body ) ★★★★★★★★★★ *  —  durability ( cherub body ) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆  —  accuracy ( human body ) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  —  agility ★★★★★★★★☆☆  —  stamina ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆  —  teamwork ★★★★★★★★★★ * —  stealth ( flight [ cherub ] ) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆  —  close combat ( hand to hand )       ★★★★★★★★★★  —  bladed weapons ( swords , daggers ) ★★★★★★★★☆☆  —  blunt weapons ( eg axes , shields ) ★★★★★★★★★☆  —  ranged weapons ( bows ) ★★★★★★★★★★ * —  superpowers / abilities ( combat alchemy . cherub power ) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆  —  traps/setups  ★★★★★★★★★★ *  —  medic ( alchemy , divine blessings )

𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐉𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐓 ?  — while it is not from combat , sanctus literally carved out agnus’ left eye , hence why agnus only has one in his human body . evidently , this is where dante shot him , too ? ( i haven’t played dmc4 in ages ) . that never healed , so he has a pretty impressive scar there . he has scars all over his back , representing the wings he tore away from his body to try to change lesser demons into angels . 

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 ?  — while agnus is a cherub & thus incredibly powerful ( second only to the seraphs & God ) , high ranking demons who were once seraphs ( eg. the morningstar ) or who have powers of a similar strength to a fallen seraph or higher ranking cherub ( eg sparda , mundus ) still top agnus in supernatural power & thus can leave lasting damage . his human body is only a human shell , so it can be damaged as any other human body . he is resistant to lesser dark powers ( eg demons that were once anything below the first sphere of angels , dark magic from non demons ) & poisons . the latter may be due to ‘ human trial & error ’ . he is also capable of withstanding hits from lower ranking angels in his cherub form . 

𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 ( BOLD any that apply. ) —  commander / duelist / honorable / dishonorable / would have others do their fighting / stealthy / long-ranged / melee / technological / sorcery / superhuman abilities / has fought in an illegal tourney / a lover of fighting / a hater of fighting / cowardly / reckless / strategic / uses underhanded tricks / renowned for their skill / trained / untrained / keeps skills secret / won a battle / lost a battle / ruthless / merciful

tagged : stole this from myself tagging : steal this

[ascensionrite]

agnus did love alyssa & her death devastated him so jot that down !!!!! she meant the world to him so moving on ... while angels are encouraged to love , he's not sure if he ever will be able to love someone like he loves alyssa & he really would've loved to just have been ... well . he thinks a lot about whether things would've been better if he was a human .... they could've raised their daughter together & avoided the fortuna ordeal & he really ... he wishes ... thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[ascensionrite]

something something agnus didn’t know how to raise a kid , he’s a cherub not a human . it wasn’t that he didn’t adore alyssa & nico , he did . but he also . wasn’t equipped to be a father whatsoever . did he leave her cruelly ? no . of course he didn’t . but he did leave , & that’s just as bad . 

after the ordeal in fortuna , agnus ... he doesn’t know how to face nico . he knows alyssa is gone & that does hurt him , & he’s just at a loss , because this . this is what happens when angels lay with mortals . people get hurt . but , he would love to one day reconcile with his daughter , as hard as it will be . & he knows she might not forgive him . & he’s . ok with that , because what has he done to earn her forgiveness ? 

[ascensionrite]

uHHHH ok a few things about my portrayal before i get docs set up i guess 

agnus is a cherub . second only to the seraphim ( not counting God ) , he was sent to fortuna because he was meant to guide the people away from false idols ( sparda ) . that went . not well . 

sanctus scares the everloving shit out of agnus . as agnus was to take a ‘ human form ’ to be among mortals , sanctus took the opportunity to uh . well , he found out agnus was an angel & there’s a reason agnus only seems to have one eye ( sanctus took the other one ) 

his ‘ ascension ceremony ’ was meant to purify the souls of the people in the order . when that didn’t work well , he started tearing off some of his hundred - hundred wings of his real form , turning the demon soldiers into lesser angels by the blessing of his cherub wings . it left him exhausted . 

his ‘ demon form ’ , the locust , is not a demon form at all . it is symbolic of the eighth plague , counting backwards from ten ( death of the firstborn ; God ) , nine ( days of darkness ; seraph ) , eight ( locust ; cherub ) so on so forth , looping back to agnus is a cherub . thus , this form is a way that God uh . tried to give another warning to the people of fortuna , it did not work . 

agnus really wants to go back to heaven , earth is Not great , he’s disheartened with humans & how far they’ve strayed . but , at the same time , he does also ... have a fondness ? of some sorts ? he cares , but he’s just not doing great . 

agnus doesn’t ? hate nero ? or dante ? he’s . very unsettled , though , considering his nature as a cherub , which , for those who are wondering , are not cute babies , they’re high angels & they’re made up of animal parts & eyes & hundreds of hundreds of wings — well , his angelic nature puts him at odds with demons so it’s just . kneejerk reaction . he has learned that not all demons are evil . similarly , not all people who say they are holy are actually holy ( sanctus ) 

[ascensionrite]

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