Portrait of a Character – Thessa
Thessa came about as an alien version of the quintessential spoiled, rich hausfrau.
Scottish Wolfhound puppy representing Thessa (image is presented for educational purposes only).
Origins
When I first started writing The Cure is Worse than the Disease, I knew I wanted for there to be three wives in a wealthy Daranaean man’s marriage. The secondary, Libba, would end up as the focus of the piece, and the third caste female, Cama, would be little better than a slave. But what could I do with the Prime Wife? In order to create a contrast, this character originally came about as a means of sickening the reader. The idea worked, and the character fulfills her purpose well.
Portrayal
Like nearly all Daranaean characters, no one really ‘plays’ Thessa.
Personality
Imperious, haughty, and privileged, Thessa shows her true colors and bullies Libba and Cama into doing her bidding. However, that’s business as usual for Daranaean Prime Wives. When I came up with the idea of Thessa ordering everyone around, and even clapping her furry hands, and openly and crassly bragging about her price, the image was complete.
Relationships
Thessa’s only possible relationship is with Elemis.
Mirror Universe
There are no impediments to Thessa existing in the Mirror. Daranaeans don’t have the Y Chromosome Skew, but she probably would not be treated any differently. A Prime Wife would be sitting pretty in either universe.
Quote
“I was very expensive.”
Upshot
This character ended up being a huge reason why The Cure is Worse than the Disease works so well. While I do redeem her a bit in Flight of the Bluebird, the truth is that she is meant to be hard to like.
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