sakura_no_miko

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Steve/Thor, Tony/Loki

Warnings: possible blasphemy, off-screen sexing and voyeurism/exhibitionism

Other notes: religion, character study, alternate universe

Length: 5k

Summary: Even now, after everything he has been through, Steve can still remember the prayers his mother taught him as a child.

In which worship of the Norse gods is the world’s main religion and Steve is a true believer.

I’ve come across a few Steve/Thor fics here and there–mostly hot smut (for example, here, here, and here.) I’ve seen some nice character studies (here). It’s a nice pairing, but not one I’m terribly well-read on.

I did a whole slew of religious fic last year–well, fics dealing with religions and faith in various ways. I remember being struck by that scene in Avengers where Steve, who has Loki, a Norse god, in custody, remarks that “there’s only one God, and He doesn’t dress like that.” On the one hand, it’s a very Steve thing to say, very Americana, classical faith that remains despite the challenge of seeing evidence to the contrary. And yet, it still feels just a bit incongruous. There’s a term they use on tvtropes–Iron Atheist, or something–where a character remains a staunch atheist despite living in a world of magic or gods. Kind of a strange contradiction, but when you get in to matters of faith, sometimes you have to take a bit of not-quite-logical.

I really like this piece for examining the idea of a person of faith meeting their actual deity. Again, I’m not religious–though I do appreciate that the author points out that Coulson meeting his idol is pretty similar to Steve meeting his own god. That, I understand. There are people in life–writers, musicians, and yeah, the occasional movie star–who have affected my life and the way I think in ways that I probably couldn’t convey properly if I actually met them.

I like that Thor is very much a god in the Greco-Roman fashion–human-like, with failings and weaknesses. That tends to be much more interesting than an omnipotent god. I like that he can hear Steve’s prayers, everyone’s prayers. I didn’t care much for Superman Returns, but there was on particularly affecting scene where Superman talks about how he can hear people crying to him for help, from everywhere, all the time. The movie was pretty blatant with its religious allusions, but that scene–it made being godlike look painful.

Anyway. I liked this fic. It’s nice to see a benevolent god. It’s nice to see a person’s faith rewarded. Sometimes you just need a pleasant little fic in your day.

It’s also hilarious to contemplate prayers as an act of exhibitionist warfare.

(Looking for more fic recs?)
Originally posted on tumblr on 03/11/13