The Perfect Feathered Sidekick!

Welcome back to another blog after a short bit of a break! I know I haven’t exactly been posting with consistency lately, but it’s with good reason! But, I won’t talk about that right now! Instead, I want to FINALLY write what I wanted to write so many weeks ago! Over a month ago, I wrote a character focused piece on Sapphiria, and now, at last, it’s time to cover her sidekick, Atom!

Atom

No hero can truly stand without their sidekick, and that’s where Atom comes in! Atom is firmly the second most important character throughout the entire story. From the very first chapter, he is at Sapphiria’s side, supporting her however he can through thick and thin, and that has been a trend since the very first moment he was powered on!

Atom’s story begins many, many years before the calamitous destruction of Sapphiria’s homeworld. As a child, Sapphiria had no friends of any kind because of her differences, but she was an exceptionally talented engineer. In order to escape her loneliness, she devised a plan to craft the perfect automaton. Many nights were spent stealing components from a nearby workshop, and through a bit of luck and plannign, she was able to build the friend of her dreams!

Atom’s first form is that of a small bird Sapphiria used to watch behind her home. He’s small enough to fit on her shoulder, has a small beak, and three long tail feathers. While his body is composed of scrap for the most part, he is still a work of art with glowing blue eyes full of life! Of course, big things come in small, feathered packages, and Atom is definitely not an exception! OF all the characters in the Sapphire Verdict, he is easily the sassiest among them with a beak far too large for his small body! This gets them into trouble on many occasions, but despite his magnetism for trouble, there is no questioning Atom’s devotion to Sapphiria.

From the very beginning of the story, Atom has always had Sapphiria’s back. He is with her constantly and is always quick to jump into danger on her behalf, much to her fear, and they have a very comedic relationship. They’re always teasing each other, and Atoms little tantrums always amuse Sapphiria. He is always willing to do whatever he can to assist her, and if he can find a way to put a smile on her face, he won’t hesitate to do so!

What makes him tick?

Although most of the story is focused on Atom and his relationship with Sapphiria, he is, of course, a bird with quite the personality. He has many likes and dislikes, chief among them being his fondness for books! Atom LOVES books with all of his soul. Whenever he can get the chance, he’;ll find an excuse to curl up with a good fantasy book and read for hours on end. He’s read thousands of works over the years given how much time Sapphiria spends reading about mathmatics and science, and reading remains his one true weakness.

Additionally, he has a slight… problem, with his stature. One of Atom’s greatest dreams is to one day be turned into one of the titanic creations Sapphiria used to read to him about. He is always bringing up his obsession with becomming a Titan, and it’s a constant joke that definit4ely gets worn a little thin. In the present, surrounded by so many titans, his itch has only grown more fierce, and it stands to reason that he may one day get his wish… Or maybe Sapphiria will just keep teasing him!

Weirdly enough, one thing Atom hates more than anything else are birds. He despises birds with every feather on his body, and while he doesn’t want to be anything other than a bird, he hates his feathered cousins for a multitude of reasons.

On top of that, he has a strong fear of sand given a comment Sapphiria made once when she was younger. Now he sees sand as a terrifying force that can break his body apart before he has a chance to even realize it, and he’s deathly afraid of the Karasi desert because of it. Whenever they go to a beach, you can guarantee that Atom is getting a polishing out of it, otherwise he’ll never stop complaining!

One last thing to note about Atom is that he loves finding ways to help Sapphiria. This is one of the major reasons why he volunteered to lead her chorus, as well as a few other plot points I won’t spoil just yet. No matter what it is, or how tough it might be, he’s always ready and willing to help his friend!

Relationships

Clearly Atom has a strong relationship with Sapphiria, but what about the other characters in the story? Let’s talk about a few key ones!

Kaden - Atom’s relationship with Kaden will definitely toe the same line as Sapphiria’s relationship with him, but… that’s a spoiler for another time!

Gale - Atom is very fond of Gale given that she’s one of the few people that’s kind to Sapphiria, but Gale has a teendency to treat him as a bit of a prop. Whether it’s because she sees him as Sapphiria’s pet or a regular automaton, he doesn’t know, but he’s always cautious when she’s around.

Vargoth - While Vargoth is a brutal and merciless general, he has a strong respect for Atom. He’s one of the few automatons that has seen Atom’s true strength, and he knows just how terrifying Atom can be. Because of this, they have a surprisingly healthy relationship, and Vargoth is one of the few that Atom considers a close friend.

Nasic - Nasic would be one of the others Atom cosniders a friend. They get along quite well given how similar their attitudes are, but Nasic can get on Atom’s nerves every now and then. After all, he can only handle the mid-mission jokes for so long!

Hinaro - Strongly desires to peck Hinaro’s eyes out.

Stockton - Strongly desires to crush Stockton with the strength of a thousand stars. Consequently, the feeling is mutual.

Greatest Dream

This is a segment that I did not include on Sapphiria’s, but I think it is very relevant for Atom because it helps paint a clear picture for who he is. As a small bird, his greatest dream was finding a way for Sapphiria to have the life she wanted. After seeing her suffer so much, all he wanted was for her to find her powers, get accepted by her people, and find someone to share her life with. He did all he could to help her, but none of it mattered in the end.

Now, in the present, his dream is far simpler. All he wants is for Sapphiria to find peace. He knows better than anyone just how torn apart she is by the loss of her people, and it tears him to pieces to see her suffer every single day. All he does, all he struggles to accomplish as the Sapphire Eye, is so that she might stand a chance of recovering from her loss and finding a reason to live again, and that means more to him even over having revenge against Stockton.

Conclusion

As I have said many times, there is no better sidekick than Atom, and in the Sapphire Verdict, that’ll become clear as the brightest day! I hope this character deep dive has given you a better glimpse of the character that Atom truly is, and hopefully make you just a little more curious to know more about the Sapphire Verdict! The day will soon be upon us when Sapphiria’s story is unleashed, and when that day comes, Atom will be right by her side!

Next week, we’ll have some general updates to cover a LOT of what is happening behind the scenes right now, because it’s a lot! For now, that is, surprisingly, all I have, so… cheers!

The Flying Fennec