Girl Genius/Characters: Difference between revisions
→Xerxsephnia "Seffie" von Blitzengaard
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** She rose to a very high status in a backstabbing family where she had to compete with [[Magnetic Hero|borderline superhuman charisma of Sparks]] without (apparently) being one herself. Also, they tend toward [[Large Ham|excessive enthusiasm]], while she always [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20130826 plans ahead]. This girl is not only very good at acting, she's brilliant in diplomatic skills. It should be no surprise that she gets along splendidly with those ''outside'' the clan — so far including Agatha, Gil and Colette Voltaire (daughter of the Master of Paris). Even when we ''know'' she is double-dealing (at very least), and half of the conditions she points out may "just happened to" be pulled together by her own deft hand, whatever she says is still hard to counter. In fact, usually what she says comes across as the most sensible thing in the given circumstances.
{{quote|'''Violetta''': Jeez, Seffie, I ''hate'' it when you're right...}}
{{quote|'''Tarvek''': Oh, Seffie is a darling. It's one of the things that makes her so dangerous. Don't let your guard down. }}▼
* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: The girl ''thrives'' in that family and the Order, what would you expect? She "supports" just about everyone, but only for her own reasons, so it happens...
{{quote|'''Krosp''': So you're related to that big chump back there?
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* [[Hoist By Her Own Petard]]: Despite being madly in love with Gilgamesh Seffie has managed to keep him utterly unaware of the fact via her considerable talents as an actress, and has managed to seamlessly disguise her dogged pursuit of him over the years as merely being pragmatic power politics. (Which to be fair it actually would be). She does this due to having been raised in a [[Deadly Decadent Court]] where exposing one's true feelings and vulnerabilities was, to put it mildly, strongly discouraged and because she's already aware Gilgamesh's heart belongs to Agatha so she apparently believes she can only hope to hook him via his intellect. The irony is of course that Seffie simply ''admitting she actually likes Gilgamesh for himself'' and not just because he's the Wulfenbach heir would almost certainly work far better than anything else she's tried, because that's how Agatha hooked Gilgamesh in the first place.
* [[In-Series Nickname]]: Virtually ''everyone'' calls her "Seffie", even on formal occasions. Only total strangers ever use her real name 'Xersephnia', and sometimes not even then.
* [[Lovable Alpha Bitch]]: Despite being an incredibly wealthy princess and one of the chief political manipulators of an extended family positively ''infamous'' for backstabbing and manipulation, essentially everyone in the narrative still likes Seffie. Her infamously cold-hearted and manipulative grandmother holds Seffie as her "prize pupil". Her ruthless brute of a brother positively dotes on her. Even her ''opponents'', such as Gilgamesh, still likes her (if not as much as she'd wish). Even Agatha, who is her ''chief romantic rival'', genuinely likes her. Her most devious relative readily acknowledges that Seffie has positively ''weaponized'' her likeability.
▲{{quote|'''Tarvek''': Oh, Seffie is a ''darling''. It's one of the things that makes her so dangerous. Don't let your guard down. }}
** Seffie's ability to be liked has even crossed the fourth wall. Several discussion threads in various forums have contained multiple comments along the lines of 'I like Seffie and want her to win - even when I ''shouldn't!!'''.
* [[Master Actress]]: She makes Zola look like a clumsy amateur trying too hard.
* [[Obfuscating Insanity]]: Not much, but occasionally she acts crazier than she is. Between ''training to'' perform maniacal laughter just right and [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20151030 using fits to cover her other shenanigans].
* [[Politically-Active Princess]]: Literally a princess, as her older brother was a prince (and is now arguably a king). And of all the members of her family we've seen so far, Seffie is second only to her ultra-Machiavellian grandmother at politics and diplomacy. The family doesn't hesitate to use her as their envoy on their most delicate negotiations, such as their attempted alliance with Baron Gilgamesh Wulfenbach.
* [[Sanity Has Advantages]]: Remember how the pecking order on Castle Wulfenbach was to large degree defined by "degree of sparkiness", and how Klaus personally doesn't think much of "mundane" nobles and their games? This factor does not seem to hinder Seffie at all, and she is constantly dealing with nobility, [[Mad Scientist]]s and not. From what we have seen, she plays the voice of sanity and is heeded as such, running negotiations with the crazier big fish quite well.
* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend|Unlucky School Days Friend]]: Suggested with regard to Gil. Whose letters she used to intercept "since she was a child".
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