#ah..

it was joshua's idea to use child soldiers against the ncr, in particularly gruesome ways. it was his responsibility to train, condition, and command them to that end. the fearlessness to give ones life for the legion instilled at a young age.

when joshua crucified enemies of the legion, he would not simply tie them to the cross. no. he would nail them to it. citing that he thought it was more fitting that those so capable of committing sin should feel the pain that god's son felt, when he gave his life for them to commit such in the first place. let it strengthen their bid for repentance, as their pitiful souls pray for forgiveness to a god they never believed in. :3

"when those within the legion's ranks are disloyal, some are punished, the others made to watch" - well, this punishment - in a sense - was primarily performed by joshua, especially in the early years of the legion.. considering his role training the recruits, and drilling / commanding the legionaries. he turned punishment into a spectacle. whether this was during battle, or during their training. as a field commander, it might not usually be his job to train their armies for battle - however again, in the early years of the legion, he was the only one to train the fledglings. not to mention the only one who was able to relay orders in several different languages, while also simultaneously teaching them english. something which carried on as one of his duties, even if moving forward he shared the responsibility more and more with other legion commanders. regardless, he was often called upon to doll out punishments in front of these audiences due to his brutality and menace - typically when such punishments were meant to kill. it would not have served to simply kill, or maim. no. in order to command his own respect, and to inspire ultimate obedience to caesar without question, it had to strike fear that would linger far past the moment itself. eventually, his mere presence would unnerve the legionary slaves, and the things he would do to torture were things most would not think to inflict upon another. ( note : to make matters worse, these punishments weren't strictly performed upon legionaries, or those deemed fit to serve caesar in a military role. this treatment would also extend to disobedient slaves - men, women and children alike. despite the latter's punishment rarely resulting in death ).

in a similar vein, from early on it was his job to terrorize the tribes who refused them - as they were meant to serve as a warning to those whom would think to make the same mistake. this required them to make similar statements, in order to deter further disobedience from potential slaves. oftentimes he would make this ritualistic, drawn out and as brutal as possible. for he could sometimes get entire tribes, or certain individuals to submit, while their leaders were forced to watch their own die. starting with the weak, until there was no one left.

he applied the same severity to his own as he did his enemies. no hesitation, no question, visible doubt or exceptions.

the clinical nature in how he performs such brutality, and that it was always done for a reason. to serve a purpose. intentional, and never for the sake of chaos.

the truth of his origins conflicting with the types of things he does, of course contribute. however, stories of his deeds have also mutated as they are spread across the wasteland as most legends do.