I was searching through my discard file last night, trying to find a little scrap of description I wanted to use, and ended up reading the whole darn thing.
Tenshio used to be a very different character; he used to be much more... feral, I think would be the word. That was back when it was going to be a very different story.
I kind of like him the original way. It's too bad that it didn't work. Those scenes have this raw, textural quality that's fascinating and darker than most of what I write.
I've started in on the end scenes of the story. Now that I've gotten there, I think I was wrong about Tenshio being broken; I think he will be.
That certainly wasn't my intent- he's not the main character, he's a supporting character. He's not meant to have a massive crisis. But he turns out to be playing a much larger role in everything than what I had first thought. He's almost more human than Gilly is, and even my father is moved by him.
All he must do is act his part through the series of events that my plot dictates for him. Now I think that in the course of doing this, it will end up breaking his faith. He's too much invested.
I think though, in light of this, I must give him some greater part to play than just pacing the beach. I'm thinking of having Katashi survive the blast and return to kill the stupid human girl that just ruined all his plans. That will give Tenshio some outlet for his frustration and rage.
After all, he's not really a priest at all; not like an Anglican priest. He's an expert in the spiritual martial arts who's been scripted into the service of the Sacred Realm. He may be the epitome of self discipline, but that just makes him all the more lethal, and he may be unfailingly formal, but those are just good manners.
It's only right that I give the poor guy the chance to kill his enemy. I think it's a more well rounded and satisfying ending, as it allows both my characters to face and finish off their enemies.
