#//movie!Arktos feels threatened by lilli in so many ways haha the mere idea that he could fall prey to affection

[warncdandwiles]

writing a villain devoid of sympathy or mercy is harder than it looks since I'm a sucker for the ones with a twinge of love within them. The movie!Arktos is one I have to stick to my guns about. Rinkus is easier because he has a legit attachment in Sierra in-movie, but movie Arktos is portrayed as 100% willing to murder his daughter, and I sprinkled in a bit more nuance to that (titbits from the musicals and other media that I could find) but writing-wise I have to be mindful not to have him come too close to an actual feeling of love.

It wouldn't be interesting if he didn't feel...something. Or at least, the awareness that he could feel something. A toxic, possessive attachment that could transform into true love if he stopped being a monster. Shallow, to not risk real love.

Because if he was truly a force of nature with no sense of morality, he'd be above deliberate cruelty, pettiness and evil. He wouldn't understand those concepts. But he does.

And if he's capable of evil, then he's capable of good. Otherwise Arktos would have no agency as a force of nature --- and he does.