Gregor Vorbarra
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Gregor Vorbarra |
| Occupation: | Emperor |
| Relationships: | Laisa Toscane Vorbarra (wife), Serg & Kareen Vorbarra (parents), Ezar Vorbarra (grandfather), Aral & Cordelia Vorkosigan (foster parents), Miles Vorkosigan (cousin), Ivan Vorpatril (cousin), Drou Droushnakovi (bodyguard-cum-nurse), Cavilo (lover) |
| Fandom: | Vorkosigan Saga |
| Other: | Gregor Vorbarra on the Vorkosigan Wiki |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Gregor Vorbarra is a major character in the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. He is the Emperor of Barrayar, Komarr & Sergyar. The character is introduced in Barrayar as a child, and has important roles in The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game & Memory.
Fandom
Gregor comes in for canonical angst by the truckload – orphaned at an early age, isolated by his role as emperor & initiated sexually by a psychopath – making him a relatively popular character in fanworks.[1] His angst over his father's monstrous character, his canonical suicide attempt, and the possibility that he might become insane are popular topics for fanfiction. One scenario that is often explored is him asking Aral or Cordelia to tell him the truth about his father. Gregor is also frequently written as a child, sometimes featuring his toy, Steggie. Other gen fanfiction explores his relationships with Aral, Cordelia, Simon Illyan and others, often focusing on the conflict between the person & the emperor. Dark AUs are sometimes written in which Serg survives, as well as AUs in which Gregor turns his back on the Imperium,[2] and there are a few dark-Gregor works. In some stories, Cavilo has a child she claims to be Gregor's.
His canonical relationship with the Komarran heiress Laisa Toscane (Gregor/Laisa) is fairly popular and gets fluffy fanfiction, as well as darker stories that address Serg, Kareen's death or his history with Cavilo. In one of the series' most common m/m slash pairings, Gregor is paired with Miles, especially after the influential A Deeper Season series. Other pairings are relatively rare.
Authors known for their Gregor portrayals include Avanti_90, Dira Sudis & Molly (Merryish). Although Vorkosigan fan art is rare, Gregor is a relatively popular subject. He has been depicted in scenes from Barrayar & The Vor Game, and with Kareen & others. No particular fan casting for the basis dominates.
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
Gen
- Five Things Gregor Vorbarra Didn't Do at Twenty by Lightgetsin. Character study tackling Gregor's depression (2006)
- A Maze of Twisty Passages, All Alike by Molly. Adventure with Ivan (2006)
- The Emperor's Curve by 'Yuletidefairy'. Young Gregor with Cordelia (2007)
- Second Son by jmtorres. A take on why Gregor isn't named for his imperial grandfather (2007)
- Pater Patriae by Philomytha. Gregor & Simon (2009)
- The Morning Coffee by Glishara. Conversation with Simon during Memory (2010)
- And They Think It's Hell by Dira Sudis. A take on the oft-written Cordelia/Aral tell Gregor about Serg scenario (2010)
- Walking Away From Omelas by Raven. Gregor & Cordelia (2011)
- The Boundaries of Our Dreams by Elvaron. AU where Gregor is raised by Ezar (2011)
- Legacy by Avanti_90. AU where Serg lives (2012)
- Shelter and Solace by Dira Sudis. AU in which Aral takes a young & traumatised Gregor to Beta during Vordarian's uprising; the most popular work tagged with the character at Archive of Our Own by kudos/bookmarks (2014)
Het
- Fairy Dust by Jedishampoo. Gregor/Laisa (2006)
- The Proposal by Josan. Gregor/Laisa (2006)
- Winterfair Socks by Dira Sudis. Gregor/Laisa framing a childhood scene with Cordelia (2010)
- Imperial Bedrooms by hedda62. Gregor/Laisa (2011)
- And I Know That It's Not Easy by Dira Sudis. Gregor talks to his baby son (2011)
- Anecdotal Evidence by hedda62. Gregor/Ekaterin; sex pollen. A rare example of an non-canonical het pairing (2013)
- The Family Expert by Minutia_R. Gregor talks to Mark about Cavilo (2015)
- See also the Gregor/Laisa article
Slash
- Losing Sleep by Stakebait/Mer. Explicit Gregor/Mark Vorkosigan. One of the earliest slash stories in the fandom (2003)
- A Deeper Season series by Lightgetsin & Sahiya. Pioneering Miles/Gregor work (2005)
- Improbable Scenes from an Impractical Courtship by Molly. Miles/Gregor (2009)
- Gestures and Words Unspoken by jmtorres. Gregor/various m; exhibitionism (2009)
Fan Art
- Vorkosigan Fanart: Gregor by Didodikali. On the balcony in Komarr; pencil sketch (2003–6)
- Emperor Gregor Vorbarra by Gemmiona. The person & the emperor; digital art (2008)
- Gregor and Laisa by KickAir8P. Digital art with a three-dimensional effect (2009)
- Gregor Vorbarra by Gemmiona. With portraits of Kareen & Serg in the background; digital art (2010)
- Gregor vs the Emperor by duVallonFecit. Another interpretation of the two sides to Gregor; digital art (~2011)
- The Duty by Aivven. Young Gregor in Kly's arms on horseback; illustration of a scene from Barrayar; digital art (2014)
- Gregor Vorbarra by AmiMercredire. Portrait; monochrome digital art (2015)
- Kareen and Gregor Vorbarra by Jubah/Croclock. Young Gregor with Kareen; illustration of a scene from Barrayar; cartoon-style digital art (2015)
- Kareen Vorbarra and Gregor Vorbarra by Jubah. Baby Gregor in Kareen's arms; oriental-style digital art (2015)
- Princess Kareen and tiny Gregor in #59! by Heckofabecca. Young Gregor in Kareen's arms (2016)
- See also the Gregor/Laisa article
Meta
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
References
- ^ As of June 2016, 'Gregor Vorbarra' is the third most common character tag on Archive of Our Own with 448 works, after Aral Vorkosigan (564) & Miles Vorkosigan (558)
- ^ An example is Three Men Who Never Left Barrayar by Gisho (2008)