Vorkosigan Saga/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Vorkosigan Saga Fan Fics, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in a certain 'fic, based on who recommended it.

Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found below. Make sure you sign your recommendation! No-name recommendations may be deleted at other tropers' leisure. Do warn when a fanfic includes sexual situations. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business. Likewise, warn if it may head into non-canon territory.

Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

Recommendations Template
Title of the Fanfic by Author OR Fic Trope Page, by Author (Link)
 * Recommended by: Troper Name
 * Synopsis: What's the story about? Give here a brief summary of the plot. It would be also useful to point out in what moment of the series the story takes place. If it's a Gen Fic but it has some romantic elements, note here the characters involved too.
 * Pairing(s): If it's a Shipping Fic, list here the pairings that feature in the fic (warn here if it's het, male slash or female slash). If it's a Gen Fic, remove this line. To tell the difference between the two, notice if the focus of the fic is on a romantic relationship or if it focuses on the other aspects of the story. In case of doubt, classify the story according to the genres it's been tagged: the Romance tag for Shipping, absence of that tag for Gen Fic.
 * Tags: If any are known. This would be things like WAFF, Lemon, Dark Fic, any Trigger Warnings, etc. This is also where you would put character names with Characterization Tags if doing so would be equally indicative.  ("uber!Harry" for Harry Potter, for instance.)
 * Comments: If you want to say something more about why you're recommending the fic, but please, keep it brief. We don't want Conversation in the Main Page.

Authors and Websites
Bujold_Fic at Livejournal
 * Recommended by Tropers/Scifantasy
 * The primary source for Bujold fanfic these days, and well worth an exploration.

Vorkosigan fanfic on Archive of Our Own
 * Recommended by Yrfeloran
 * Presently the primary archive used by Vorkosigan fanfic writers, containing well over 600 fics in the fandom.

General Fics
Stories which primarily focus on the normal goings on of the cast.

Pater Patriae by Philomytha
 * Recommended by Battle Hamster
 * Synopsis: A series of three conversations between Gregor and Simon: one shortly after his twentieth birthday, one after Warrior's Apprentice, and one after The Vor Game.
 * Comments: The characterization in this fic is excellent; Philomytha writes Simon very well in general, and Gregor's growth between the three scenes is well done.

Tides of Stars by Tel-Writing
 * Recommended by Pacifist
 * Synopsis: AU. After a shocking catastrophe, an older Miles Vorkosigan is again on the run, forced to survive in the past by his wits alone. He can't afford to lose, but to win he must overcome historical inevitability, the laws of physics, and himself.

The Will of the People by Gwynne
 * Recommended by cliffc999
 * Synopsis: Miles and Gregor share a moment as they await the voting results of Barrayar's first planet-wide free election, the founding vote of a Barrayaran Republic.
 * Comments: One can only imagine the looks on the poor Betan election observers' faces.

Warrior's Apprentice: Scenes from the Other Side by avanti_90
 * Recommended by Star Bright
 * Synopsis: What was happening on Barrayar while Miles was off accidentally creating the Dendarii.

Guerilla by Glishara
 * Recommended by cliffc999
 * Synopsis: An AU where the events of Diplomatic Immunity go entirely wrong, the Fourth Cetagandan War destroys Vorbarr Sultana in nuclear fire and occupies the planet again, and Emperor Aral Vorkosigan and the remnants of the Barrayaran fleet in space try to gather allies enough to remove the Cetagandans from the sky while Prince Ivan Vorpatril leads the resistance on the ground.
 * Comments: Although the synopsis mentions Aral, he's present only in the opening and the end chapter. This is entirely Ivan's journey from start to finish, as he grows into the leader that Barrayar needs. And as you might have already guessed, there are a lot of character deaths in this one, both on and offstage. It's a tale of war and politics with both heroism and tragedy, and where good men sometimes have to do bad things to save the people who count on them.
 * Status: Complete. There is an incomplete and apparently abandoned sequel.

Crossover Fics
Stories which crossover with other characters or works.

With a Star by DonSample
 * Crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 * Recommended by Looney Toons
 * Synopsis: While on his honeymoon on Earth, Miles discovers a thousand-year-old mystery—an enigmatic monument at Sunnydale Lagoon, for an even more enigmatic group of people.
 * Comments: A low-key, almost melancholy little story. It has a sequel by another author, The Vor Slayer by "vogonguard".

Shipping Fics
Stories whose primary focus is on romantic or sexual relationships between the cast.

A Deeper Season by Sahiya and Lightgetsin (AU)
 * Recommended by Battle Hamster
 * Pairing: Miles/Gregor
 * Synopsis: Gregor and Miles deal with the promise of a new technology that may affect their personal lives along with the galaxy as a whole - while dealing with a lot of politics - and courting each other.

The Rules of Barrayaran Sex by Philomythia.
 * Recommended by Voodoo Child
 * Pairing: Aral/Cordelia
 * Synopsis: Cordelia's never been good at following rules.