#simon voltaire

[gg-madscientist-tournament]

Girl Genius Main Character Tournament

Who is the better mad scientist?

Master Simon Voltaire

Prince Tarvek Sturmvoraus

Voting ended onSep 24, 2025

Voltaire

Sturmvoraus

Propaganda:

Voltaire:

He knows and controls everything in his city and has for years.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

[joyride-time]

Might as well ask for a useful miracle. A Softer World 875 edit.

[aelloposchrysopterus]

Zantabraxus's Parenting

“Mom,” Zeetha said. “Finishing school? Really?”

Queen Zantabraxus of Skifander folded her arms tight across her chest. “Young lady —”

“Please, Mom, please. Dad’s sending Gil to Paris to fuck —”

“Language, young lady.”

“— fine. Fool around at uni and I have to go to some stuffy castle in the middle of absolutely nowhere and learn how to be a ‘proper lady’ and that’s supposed to be fair?” Zeetha gave a pouty face her best go. It ended up looking like a constipated kitten.

“Zeetha, as you are my daughter, I feel compelled to do what is best for you, and right now that seems to be sending you to a finishing school. You must have manners if you are to interact with society.” Queen Zantabraxus nervously twiddled with a sword, knowing full well that bowing down to these Europan norms was not something she particularly wanted either, but she wanted Klaus to meet his daughter.

“Shit. I don’t have a choice.”

“Precisely! Now get packed, you’re getting picked up tomorrow.”

A winter’s ball in Paris. Simon Voltaire was grudgingly present, since it is generally considered impolite to miss a child’s debut in society. That child was currently twirling around on the floor in the arms of one of his preferred pupils. The boy was quite a genius, he must admit, and if Colette liked him — but she didn’t, not that way, she liked Xerxesphina, she’d never love a man — then a tolerable marriage could be arraigned by that accursed finishing school Queen Albia had coaxed him into sending her to.

“Hey.” A voice from up near the ceiling. “Can I hang out with you?”

“Of course,” the Master of Paris said.

Zeetha dropped onto the floor. “Thanks.”

“You’re one of Colette’s friends? From the finishing school?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re not a fan of parties?”

“I’m a fan of fighting,” Zeetha said. “I’m Skifandrian. And fighting isn’t polite, so I’m not supposed to do it in societal settings.” She kicked her leg aimlessly. “My Mom would let me, but the headmistress doesn’t, and Mom wants me to be able to ‘blend in’ because my Dad’s weird.”

Simon Voltaire nodded. “You don’t have to play by Europan society’s rules, you know. I always encourage Colette to be true to herself, and I think Queen Zantabraxus wants that for you too. Right now, at finishing school, you’re supposed to learn how that’ll help you live your life, but finishing school isn’t for everyone.”

“So I should always be true to myself, huh?”

“Always.”

“Queen Zantabraxus of Skifander, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Queen Albia of England, likewise.”

The two queens bowed to each other before taking seats on the plush couches in Albia’s sunroom. Albia served Zantabraxus tea and scones.

“I had hoped to meet you under better circumstances,” Albia said.

“Oh? And why should that be?” Zantabraxus took a sip of the tea.

Albia fidgeted. “It is my duty to tell you that the Princess Zeetha has run away.”

“Oh dear.”

“It would be a salvageable situation, save for that she has been found in the company of one Higgs.”

“A suitor?”

“A Jagergeneral.”

“My fellow queen,” Zantabraxus laughed. “Don’t be so narrow-minded. Is this Higgs courting my daughter or not? I don’t give a sow’s ear whether he’s a Jager or not.”

“Oh.” Albia quickly glanced at a folder she’d brought with her. “Yes, Higgs is romantically pursuing the Princess. I suppose I should get her away from him?”

“Absolutely not! I’m going to arrange a wedding!”

“It is one thing for Zantabraxus to arrange a marriage without consulting me, it is another thing for it to be to a Jager!” Klaus Wulfenbach bellowed out while adjusting his tie before the wedding of Princess Zeetha of Skifander to the Jagergeneral “Higgs”. “She’s my daughter, too!”

“Dad. You’ve never met her.” Gil fiddled with the buttons on his ill-fitting vest. He usually asked Tarvek to tailor his clothes — it was a convenient arrangement —, but there hadn’t been time enough. Klaus hadn’t told him about the wedding until right before they flew the Castle to Skifander.

“She’s marrying down! He’s beneath her!” Klaus punched a mirror.

Gil rolled his eyes. “Dad. He’s practically a hero in Skifander because of his fighting prowess and that whole incident where he saved Zeetha when she was paralyzed by that venom. To Zantabraxus, he’s a gift from Ashtara. Think of it as marrying sideways.”

“I don’t like it!”

“Dad. This isn’t about you.” Gil groaned. “Look, Zeetha’s happy, okay? It’s her wedding. Would it kill you to let her be happy?”

Klaus grumbled, but shut up.

The wedding happened without a single diplomatic incident. Before the guests knew it, Higgs and Zeetha were whirling in a blur of knives and ceremonial clothing in the ritual Skifandrian wedding fight. After that, Zantabraxus cut the wedding cake with a giant sword and the partying began. Gil hadn’t seen anything like it, and he’d been to some of the crazier U of Paris ones.

Zeetha came running up to him. “Gil!”

“I’m so happy for you, sis,” he said, hugging her tight.

Higgs joined them, having walked at a more leisurely pace. “Hello, Gil.”

“Hey, Higgs.” They shook hands. “As I was just telling my sister, I’m really happy for both of you. It’s clear that you’re in love and that you like being together.”

“Awww, thanks.” Zeetha blushed. “Dad didn’t have an aneurysm when he found out about this, did he?”

Gil laughed. “No, but he wasn’t happy. He’ll come around, eventually.” His face fell. “I know he loves you, Zeetha, it’s just… he can’t fathom why you wouldn’t want an arranged marriage to, say, Tarvek Sturmvoraus.”

“Dude. I could never,” she laughed. “Not while you’ve got your eye on him, at least.”

Gil blushed. “Hey. That was cold.”

“I beg to differ,” Higgs said. “You’re fair game, Gil.” He smiled. “It was a pleasure to have this little chat with you, but Zeetha and I should go talk to some of the other dignitaries before they start threatening war.” He placed an arm around Zeetha’s shoulder.

“Gil, don’t forget to talk to Mom,” Zeetha said. “She won’t try to kill you.”

“That’s good to know,” Gil muttered, but by then, the couple was far away, mingling with Queen Albia and her daughters.

“Mom. We need to have a talk.” Gil was flopped out on a couch in Zantabraxus’s palace a few days after the wedding. Klaus had left, but he’d chosen to stay behind until the start of the next term.

Zantabraxus sat down on a chair. “I’m always here for you, son.”

“Right. Yeah. You are. It’s Dad who isn’t — sorry, that’s not what I came here to talk about. Wait. Is it? Ugh. I don’t even know anymore.” He waved his hands about dramatically.

“Talk.” She gently offered her hand.

Gil took it. He breathed in and then started talking. “So there’s this girl and there’s this guy and I like both of them so I think I might be bisexual and polyamorous and I know he feels the same way about her as I do and I get the feeling that he might like me too and Dad hates both of their guts and I just want to be with them and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

Zantabraxus smiled. “I’m really happy you told me this. I’ll be having words with your father.”

“Do you need to?” Gil awkwardly bolted upright. “Like, this isn’t important.”

“It is.” She gently patted him on the shoulder. “My son deserves happiness. And your father needs to stop being so controlling. Now, why don’t you invite your crushes to my palace for a week while we sort this all out?”

“Um.” Gil was wordless. “Thank you.”

“I’ll tell the priestesses to expect them next Monday, then?”

“Just don’t start planning another wedding already, okay?”

“Oh, I can’t promise that!”

Read on AO3.

[camelliamiddlemist]

simon voltaire chibi 

( if anyone was wondering of the irises that’s because france’s national flower are irises,also i have two signatures now...... because why not)

[sameenbyhat]

Girl Genius Character Classpects

Lucrezia Mongfish/the Other -- Prince of Breath (Destroyer of/with opportunity, choice, freedom)

Klaus Wulfenbach -- Maid of Rage (Creator of/with boundaries, hate, fear, refusal)

Bill Heterodyne -- Sylph of Hope (One who invites the creation of/with trust, optimism, harmony) (The Other broke him pretty damn badly)

Simon Voltaire, Collette Voltaire -- Witch of Life (Manipulator of/with domination, energy, temptation, luxury) (I tend to think of Collette as being who her father might have been when he was young.)

Tarvek Sturmvorous -- Knight of Heart (Exploiter of/with emotions, impulses, and empathy) (I was seriously thinking of having him be a Seer? But Knights _serve_, and Tarvek keeps doing all these selfless things (like rescuing many many people from the fire, helping run the Empire) even when they aren’t to his advantage. And we see him using Gil’s emotionality against him several times in the Castle arc, he’s ridiculously fond of lots of people in Paris (rescuing Collette from her clothes anyone?) I think he’d want to be a Seer of Mind, but what he _is_ is a Knight of Heart.)

Gilgamesh Wulfenbach -- Mage of Life (One who knows with/of energy, domination, temptation, activity) (Paris. Gil deals with his problems with direct action and enthusiasm, and he knows domination and temptation pretty intimately at this point, ah-heh)

Moloch Von Zinzer -- Knight of Doom (Exploiter of/with limitations, pessimism, submission, acceptance)

Agatha Heterodyne Clay -- Heir of Blood (One who invites manipulation of/with connection, compassion, obligations, commitment)

Thanks to @dahniwitchoflight for her analyses of the Homestuck aspects and classes.

Does anyone have thoughts?

[gg-madscientist-tournament]

Main Character Tournament

Who is the better mad scientist?

Queen Albia

Master Simon Voltaire

Voting ended onSep 5, 2025

Albia

Voltaire

Propaganda:

Voltaire:

He knows and controls everything in his city and has for years.

[gg-madscientist-tournament]

Girl Genius Main Character Tournament

Who is the better mad scientist?

Master Colette Voltaire

Master Simon Voltaire

Voting ended onOct 7, 2025