Jeu-Parti series by Macedon (PG to R)

[beatrice_otter]

ETA: links updated to permanent AO3 links

Hi, my name is beatrice_otter and I'll be driving the Star Trek van for the Small Fandom of the Month. I'm going to rec from each Star Trek series. I like primarily gen and het, so today's slash rec is a real rarity for me. Trust me, this one's worth it.

Fandom: STAR TREK
Pairing: Jake Sisko/OMC
Length: three stories, each medium/long
Author on LJ: none
Author Website: Macedon's Taberna
Why this must be read:

Macedon was, for years, one of the greats in the Star Trek fanfic world, especially in alt.startrek.creative. It was a great loss for the fandom when he retired from writing fanfiction. Fortunately for us, his website is still available. His story Wisdom and Beauty has already been recced; I'm reccing at least this series, and possibly one other this month. Macedon's greatest gift is the ability to take an idea, a theme, a moral (or a set of them, for his longer works) and make them come to life in the lives and thoughts of his characters. He explores issues realistically, without ever becoming preachy or moralistic or filled with platitudes, and he does it because everything (plot, theme, world-building, etc.) flows naturally from the lives of his characters. He makes every character he writes (original or not) be realistic, three-dimensional, and fascinating.

Jeu-Parti is the three-part story of Jake Sisko, the son of Commander Benjamin Sisko, and his relationship with a Vulcan named Salene. But it's also about more than that. It's about choosing to be different, about choosing to pursue your dreams at the expense of normality, about dealing with society's disapproval, about friendship, about love, about family, about mental illness, about the difficulty of building a relationship--friendship or other--across cultural lines.

Sisko stood just inside the doorway, hands clasped before him in
that way he had: poised to speak but frozen the moment before.  Then
he dropped his hands to his side and smiled.  "There's a special guest
who needs an escort.  He's your age, more or less, and I wondered if
you'd be willing to show him around the station?  The two of you might
get along."
     Jake's internal warning buzzer went off.  "One of the musicians?"
     "Yes, one of the musicians."
     Almost, almost, Jake asked, The castrato?--but checked himself.
If his father knew of his interest, he might change his mind.  His
father had mixed feelings about Jake's occasional obsessions with
research.  'Learn about people because they interest you, JakeO...not
because you want story ideas.'
     "Just let me put back on my shoes--" Jake said now.
     They circled around to the visitors' side of the habitation ring,
passing a number of musicians going to and fro in the hallway,
carrying instrument cases, folders of music, or calling out to one
another in various languages from dozens of worlds.  Bajor was hosting
a month-long music festival--her attempt to be seen by the Federation
as more than a charity case.  Art had a sacred place in Bajoran
society: the Inspiration of the Prophets, and Bajor hoped to become
one of the Federation memberworlds known for artistic contributions,
along with Betazed, Vulcan, Sivao, Cygnus, and Hamal.
     At the very end of the corridor, Jake's father stopped, hesitated
and turned.  "I asked you to be Salene's escort not just because
you're around the same age, but because you're both artists.  You'll
understand him in a way others wouldn't."  Sisko held Jake's eyes a
moment.  "I know I can trust you for discretion and tolerance."
     Meaning his father would expect it, but Jake still felt warmed by
the confidence.  Sisko hit the buzzer.  After a moment, the door
opened and he ushered Jake inside.
     "Captain Sisko, be welcome," said an unseen speaker.  The voice
was too pure and fluted to be male, too low to be a woman.  It rang
like an alto bell.
     The castrato.

If you don't like slash, you can read the first story without any qualms; each story stands on its own, and the first one is pure friendship. But I would still encourage you to try the other two stories. They're definitely worth reading.

Orfeo. (PG) When Bajor hosts an interstellar music festival, to which a very unusual star singer is invited, Jake must face questions about friendship, manhood and culture, as well as freedoms of belief.
Eye of the Storm. (R) This story is a sequel to the DS9 episode, "Nor the Battle to the Strong," as well as to "Orfeo."
Anslem. (R) Eleven years after his abrupt, late-night departure, Salene reappears in Jake's life. He finds a twenty-nine-year-old Jake whose writing career is beginning to blossom even while his private life is falling apart.