Im having thoughts again so
Ok. I LOVE the idea of angels as parasites. When they take a vessel, they feed and sustain themselves off the soul within the vessel. Its why they cant just take over dead bodies like demons (as well as the whole consent shebang). Its also why when they leave the vessel, the original occupants are left in varying states of disarray. The more they feed off the soul, the more damage done to the owner. Souls are very powerful, i imagine they give off like residual energy and thats enough to "feed" an angel normally, so most people are left (fairly) in tact. (Heaven contains billions of souls, just floating anywhere nearby fully sustains them- and angels sustain Heaven in return. Its a symbiotic relationship). Archangels naturally require more sustenance so they cause more damage, but not too much worse- thats ofc if you disregard their cruelty. Raphael goes WAYY overboard that first time we see him, leaving the guy vegetative. And then you have a few special cases.
1. Anna- when she first restored her grace, was her soul fully consumed? (Also reminds me, an angel is separate from their grace- they can lose their grace, leaving them "human", so what are they really? Are they just a "consieceness/ego"? Can we call Anna a human even before she gets back her grace, if all she had done was transfer herself into a new body?)
2. Lucifer- or more specifically, him and Nick. In s14, Nick is so lost and almost dependent on Lucifers presence, and even managed to summon him from the empty, which no way he managed with a simple spell. Im thinking maybe their grace and soul got mixed a little? So lucifer was both in and out of the empty simultaneously, allowing him to be woken and revived (nearly).
3. Castiel- After s4, he was revived still in his vessel, but it no longer has a soul. He can still exist in it, but it makes him weaker than he should be, even with the power boost. Over time he gets weaker at a faster rate too than he would if there was a soul he could feed from. If he willingly left the vessel (like in s15) he could leave a door open for himself like AU Michael. But If he were forcefully ejected from his body then (MoL egg or Alastairs exorcism), would he be able to return to it?
Theres also the idea of bloodlines and true vessels- what makes a soul compatible with an angel? Do you think certain bloodlines "taste" better?
Disclaimer: my memory isn't perfect, if I say anything that contradicts canon, take it as the creative liberty of my 'verse.
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Well, we do have the Grigori who, cut off from Heaven, have resorted to feeding on human souls.
So parasite angels! Human souls as a universal fuel! Fun/creepy stuff.
Personally, I think of angels as plants/solar-generators and Heaven as the Sun. Sort of. Heaven does the photosynthesizing. It generates grace and gets the most out of a soul without harming it.
When an angel is connected to Heaven, everything is fine. No one is feeding off of and cannibalizing anyone. But once an angel gets cut off—then they're a problem. Then they can't generate grace. They can only bite off pieces of a soul and digest it inside. Like an organic animal. It's harmful and inefficient and horrifying. But they survive.
There are also angels who have an abundance of grace and decided to snack on a human soul anyway. They're also a problem.
(I always found the idea of an angel eating a demon fun. They don't have to, but it works wonderfully as an intimidation tactic/psychological torture. And demons were once human; there's a kernel of a soul deep within them still.)
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Archangels! I don't think they're dependent on souls. They came before humans, before Heaven. They were helpers of God. He needed them to fight off his sister and the Leviathans.
They're likely self-sustaining. Enough so that being cut off from Heaven, either on Earth or in the Cage, wouldn't diminish them. They're their own mini-Suns.
(Not to say that they won't bite into a soul for a boost in their power. They probably have. Michael definitely.)
I don't think there's a connection between the physical well being of a human and the state of their soul, necessarily. Remember soulless Sam? Guy was going around and hunting monsters, no problem. Lily Sunder? She was kicking angel ass with barely a wisp of her soul.
It's likely be something else causing the damage. I talked a little about that something else here.
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Angels and their convoluted connection to humanity and divinity. The canon inconsistencies confuse me. I've given up on making an elegant explanation for it.
Just got this one: you are what you eat.
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Pre-series Castiel would have no problem eating a soul.
Post-series Castiel would be really reluctant to do so. Would barely manage to choke it down, horrified and disgusted.
He goes from 'human/emergency-food' to 'human/stranger/friend/family'. Not to mention the whole deal with the Leviathans. Then the deal with eating the grace of his siblings.
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Yeah, some souls probably taste delicious. The purer the soul, the fresher the taste.
Michael, as voracious and brutal as he is, never ate souls clearly meant for Heaven. He tore into the souls that reeked of sulfur, of soot and decay.
