#the sun god and lionel's relationship shifts in act 3 pretty substantially

[calronhunt]

im so interested in whatevers going on with lionel and this sun god, would love to hear any rambles about that/how lionel is treated by her (that one drawing you posted of them a bit ago was what make me go 👀)

YEAAAAH I love to talk about lionel! For just a little bit of context, Lionel is a paladin part of the order of the Sun Wolf. Lionel's past is very shady, being a part of a gang practically since birth and having done a lot of Less Than Stellar things growing up, and was forced to join the order after being caught during a heist that went wrong. Lionel was only given the choice to join because he ratted out his fellow gangmates. If he didn't join he would've been killed with them so ya know. wasn't REALLY a choice.

Lionel is a bit of a special case in the Order simply bc they're pushing him as a "see we can FIX anyone!" kind of person. However, Lionel's background also means he's punished way harsher than others when he makes mistakes. He was a criminal after all! They gotta beat all of that evil stuff he learned out of him. Corporal punishment is super common for him (though at the start of the story, it hasn't happened for several months and he's been allowed to do normal paladin duties without an overseer). But that's why Lionel's got all the cuts in the piece/got scars on his back!

THE LAST BIT is that The Order is like. a 99% female order. Lionel transitioned after joining, and everyone was cool about it (nobody's misgendering him or anything, there are several t-girl paladins). HOWEVER, in the order, it is expected that that Sun God herself will sometimes give a paladin a child to carry. and for this current cycle, Lionel got picked to be the one to carry to like "prove that he's been fully rehabilitated." And lionel doesn't want that!!! He really really doesn't want that!! but once again, no isn't really an option, what the sun god says goes.

The Sun God tries to treat all her paladins fairly and justly, and she genuinely believes she's doing that to Lionel. She thinks that Lionel deserves the punishments and to have this final test of loyalty. She's like an abusive mother who tells you that she's doing this because she loves you, it's for your own good, you don't know any better, but i'm going to teach you the correct way to be. I know it hurts but you won't learn any other way. The pain will teach you to never do that again. And lionel, having been in the order for years now, thinks this is the way to be. That he's fully unfixable, he's a broken person and she's the only one who can offer him guidance.

It's not until he meets Raphael and they start becoming close that he realizes he wants some freedom, to be himself and to make mistakes. That he doesn't have to be good and pure all the time, and that it's okay when he's messy. That mistakes don't need to result in something painful. Raphael's carefree nature helps him realize that.

And The Sun God is not happy about that at all.