Smokescreen and Atalanta: Anatomy of a Relationship
Added 2023-08-26 00:35:29 +0000 UTCOkay, despite the title of this post, I'm not going to completely dissect the relationship between Smokey and Atalanta, but I did want to talk about it just a bit. Or rather, talk about the evolution of it in Smoked.
As I’ve indicated in several of the recent Kid Sensation books, Smokescreen and Atalanta are now a couple. In fact, the timeline of Smoked encompasses the events that led up the formation of that relationship. That said, they’re also involved in a high-stakes mission during the story. Ergo, showing the development of their relationship is a more delicate dance than I had anticipated.
Basically, I think the action-packed parts of the story have all of the requisite elements: danger, excitement, etc. But just as essential in this instance is making sure all of the subtle gestures are present to form the foundation of a relationship, whether if be eye contact, blushing at compliments, and so on.
In short, I don't want it to seem like they just became a couple out of the blue, so I’m massaging some of the particulars a little bit more before wrapping up the story. Hopefully I’ll weave them in well enough to make the relationship’s development appear seamless and natural - just like in real life.
