Work Text:
Cover Art
a part of me (apart from me), 2026, digital (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, & InDesign)
Track List
Song titles, artists, and album titles link to Wikipedia wherever available. The note (♫) and play (⏵) icons link to Genius lyrics and YouTube official videos respectively.
To view the entire track list, be sure to scroll up-and-down within the container, as well as side-to-side on mobile and narrow browsers.
Liner Notes
Thorki is the type of ship where every song reminds me of them. So, in order to compose a cohesive and reasonably concise fanmix, I had to prioritize narrowing my scope to a defined focal concept.
Early on, I knew that I wanted to follow their relationship journey as it has evolved over time, as well as to emphasize the back-and-forth interplay between both characters.
The ship already epitomizes many of my favorite narrative themes—compare-and-contrast, opposites-attract, parallelism, combinatorics, etcetera. Pairing these with your Telling the story of canon
request suggestion enabled me to refine my song selection. And, gradually, the playlist began to take shape.
Take shape being the operative phrase. For, as I compiled and arranged the songs, a literal geometric shape emerged: the sine wave.
Now, I’m one of those people who unironically enjoyed high school calculus (even if at this point I no longer remember most of the nitty-gritty). Mathematical structure still remains an essential underpinning of many of my creative works, including both my stories and my art; this piece proved no different. So, bear with me on this somewhat nerdy tangent; I promise that it will be worth it in the end. 🤓😉
Nonetheless, if you do prefer to skip the math, feel free to collapse the following sections:
Mathematical Musings, part 1 🧮
A sine wave’s defining features include:
- Sine is a periodic function. That is, it endlessly repeats its values at regular intervals.
- Sine is a trigonometric function. It examines the relationship between a triangle’s angles and side length ratios as it rotates around the center of a circle.
- Sine, and its counterpart—cosine—are infinitely differentiable. In simplest terms, one function represents how the other is changing in a given moment.
If that all sounds a bit complicated, they say a picture is worth a thousand words:
You can see that we have a shape that is a) self-similar, b) constantly oscillating in value, and c) within a single period of its repeating pattern, can be divided into two mirrored sections: one positive; and one negative.
Those two sections became anchors for my double album concept and unlocked the fanmix’s narrative.
I bisected the playlist into two “discs”. Disc 1, entitled A Part of Me, manifests sine’s positive values and represents themes of unification and togetherness. Disc 2, entitled Apart from Me, manifests sine’s negative values and inverts the first disc’s themes, focusing instead on division and separation.
However, as Thor and Loki’s dual-dueling journeys show us: even in the brightest light, shadows lurk / even in the darkest recesses, glimmers spark; the differences between good and evil are never cut and dry; and the superficial contrasts between these brothers reveal a deeper symmetry.
As such, both discs encompass both central themes. The first depicts not just unification, but the journey from initially coming together to being torn apart; and the second depicts not just that division, but the journey back from being divided to coming together once more.
Mathematical Musings, part 2 🧮
Furthermore, sine’s inherent structure provides additional internal scaffolding. A sine wave’s cycle comprises four quadrants, based on the function’s angle:
- From 0° to 90° (0 to π⁄2), sine’s value is positive (+) and increasing (↗︎)
- From 90° to 180° (π⁄2 to π), sine’s value remains positive (+), but it starts decreasing (↘)
- From 180° to 270° (2π to 3π⁄2), sine’s value becomes negative (−) and continues decreasing (↘)
- From 270° to 360° (3π⁄2 to 2π), sine’s value remains negative (−), but it starts increasing again (↗)
The exact point at which a period function currently exists in its recurring cycle is also referred to as its phase (Φ).
Speaking more broadly now, one might compare these quadrants to the phases of the moon. Like the moon, the sine wave waxes and wanes; is convex, then concave; is full and bright, then is empty and dark; and, twice a cycle, it reaches a tenuous equilibrium. Or, if you will:
🌌🌌🌕🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌
🌌🌔🌌🌖🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌
🌓🌌🌌🌌🌗🌌🌌🌌🌓
🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌘🌌🌒🌌
🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌🌑🌌🌌
I decided to embrace this phase phrasing in further subdividing the playlist, into a sort of four-act structure. Each phase contains five songs, for a total of ten per disc, and twenty in all.
On the topic of phases—did somebody say MCU?
As a longtime Thorki lover, I must acknowledge that I am decidedly not an MCU buff when it comes to lore. Although I generally watch the new Thor subfranchise installments as soon as I can, I haven’t kept up with anywhere near all the (many 😜) MCU releases, especially in more recent years. As part of my canon review, I actually sat down to watch the entirety of Infinity War and End Game for the first time (to which, oof, all I can say is *ouch* 🥲😭❤️🩹).
All that is to say that I do know that the MCU also has subdivisions called Phases
. While my album’s four phases do not directly coincide 1:1 with the events/movies of the MCU’s Phases One through Four, they do echo canon’s narrative sequence. Above all, I wanted to retell canon in a way that felt organic and harmonious as a musical experience, without sacrificing flow for exact timeline adherence.
Still, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how well canon’s arcs naturally coincided with my sine wave concept.
Disc 1—my Phases I and II—primarily focuses on MCU Phase One, namely the original Thor and The Avengers storylines, which progress fairly linearly.
Disc 2—my Phases III and IV—is more metaphorical, opening with The Dark World (a phase shift
, if you will). It spans MCU Phases Two through Three, extending into Four and beyond, becoming more allegorical as the album proceeds.
Likewise, the sine wave’s recursive nature reverberates throughout the entire album. Even within the discs’ and phases’ individual arcs, superimposed ups and downs—waves upon waves—transpire. Every minute vibration represents not just the Thor and Loki who we see on screen, but the entire course of their relationship, wherein the only constant is change, playing out over centuries.
It is; it always was; it always will be.
Below, I walk through each song and explicate how it contributes to these overarching themes:
Disc 1 — A Part of Me
Disc 1 opens in a primordial proto-universe, wherein Thor and Loki’s fated connection has been established long ago, before the existence of Asgard and Jotunheim—or, indeed, even time and space.
Like the original Thor movie, I evoke pre-canon themes of childhood and coming of age. Phase I rapidly accelerates as the brothers grow up and grow together, unstable tensions all the while percolating beneath the surface. The trajectory climaxes mid-disc, at the sine wave’s peak amplitude, then shifts.
Between Phase I and II, the relationship reaches a tipping point, then begins to plummet as the conflicts exposed in Thor come to a head. Phase II then follows Loki’s descent into villainy during The Avengers, culminating in his defeat and imprisonment.
Phase I
- The Fountain of Salmacis by Genesis
In desire for conquest
He found himself within a glade he’d not beheld before[Hermaphroditus]
Where are you my father?
Give wisdom to your son[Narrator]
Then he could go no farther
Now lost, the boy was guided by the SunThe Fountain of Salmacis serves as a prologue to the entire playlist, hearkening to all that shall inevitably come to pass between Thor and Loki.
The song recounts the Greek myth of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis, found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
At nearly eight minutes, it’s the mix’s longest song; its epic length, ethereal tone, and subject matter all establish the mythic origins of the brothers’ lives as gods.
I love how this piece showcases “beginnings”, not only of the textual myth but also more abstractly: Genesis the band as early pioneers of progressive rock; and Genesis the book in biblical narratives as well.The union/conflict tug-of-war between the song’s characters evokes Adam and Eve—the Garden of Eden, the first consummation, the Fall of Man—such as in these lines:
[Narrator]
Unearthly calm descended from the skyAnd then their flesh and bones were strangely merged
Forever to be joined as oneLikewise, Salmacis’s figure parallels Loki’s “otherness” and alludes to his sex and gender fluidity—a theme that I noticed in your letter and body of work, and a mutual favorite of mine.
The characters’ interplay reminds me of the pursuer-distancer dynamic, which I’ve observed throughout Thor and Loki’s relationship; who inhabits which role frequently flip-flops, just as our modulating sine wave.
- Blue Ridge Mountains by Fleet Foxes
Lie down with me my dear, lie down
Under stormy night, tell nobodyBlue Ridge Mountains is the quintessential brother-brother amperslash anthem.
I first discovered it during my OG Thorki era; it has since become one of my longest-standing favorite songs and has a home on every. single. one. of my brocest playlists—home being the operative word.
The lyrics transcend the specific title locale, embodying home as an archetype, idealized by nostalgia. The wistful, intimate tone transgresses the hazy boundaries between platonic brotherly love and romantic-sexual desire:
But Sean, don’t get careless
I’m sure it’ll be fine
I love you, I love you
Oh, brother of mineI also love how both these and the opening lines suggest furtiveness; practically all of the conflict across the entire Thor series results from inter-family secrecy and deception.
The chorus extends these themes:
In the quivering forest
Where the shivering dog rests
Our good grandfather
Built a wooden nest
And the river got frozen
And the home got snowed in
And a yellow moon glowed bright
Till the morning lightThe vast, icy expanses of Jotunheim juxtapose starkly against the warm, golden glow of Asgard.
Likewise, this section always calls to my mind ancient patriarchal origins. During canon review I discovered that it fits even more perfectly than I had recalled, upon remembering Bor’s storyline.
And
our good grandfather
no less; I’m sure that we all know why there are nearly three thousand works taggedBad Parent Odin (Marvel).Whether Bor, Odin, or Laufey, the sins of the fathers now reverberate through the sins of their sons; e.g.
The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Finally, I always hear these post-chorus lines from Thor’s perspective as the older brother—the protector:
Terrible am I, child?
Even if you don’t mindHe wrestles with his guilt for failing to safeguard Loki from himself, again foreshadowing all that is to come.
- King And Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men
His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly
Past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Though far away, though far away, though far away
We’re still the same, we’re still the same, we’re still the sameWith King And Lionheart, the playlist continues its upwards trajectory. Thor and Loki grow, from boys into young men. Even as Thor’s coronation looms large, the ebullient tone hearkens to lingering innocence, playfulness, and companionship. They can overcome any adversary together:
Howling ghosts, they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you’re a king and I’m a lionheart
And in the sea that’s painted black
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you’re a king and I’m a lionheartPerhaps what I love most about that repeating titular line is how both words apply to both brothers. Although we might be inclined to only think of Thor in terms of such boldness and bravery, Odin himself says:
Odin
Only one of you can ascend to the throne. But both of you were born to be kings.
The song epitomizes Loki’s deepest desire:
Thor
Is the throne really worth what you’ve done? What you would become?
Loki
I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal. Now fight me!
Even with everything that we know shall soon pass, their devotion to each other rings true:
And as the world comes to an end
I’ll be here to hold your hand
’Cause you’re my king and I’m your lionheart - Thunder by Lana Del Rey
You roll like thunder when you come crashin’ in
Town ain’t been the same since you left with all your friends
You roll like thunder when you come crashing in
Regattas in the wind, that’s why you’re visitingI
am contractually obligatedsimply have to include a Lana Del Rey track on any playlist that I create, and Thunder was without question written for Thorki.As we approach the climax of Phase I, the tone deepens, and lyrics grow more contentious. I imagine this song primarily from Loki’s perspective of his brother during the movie’s early developments.
Thor seems to have everything: both old friends (Lady Sif and the Warriors Three) and new (Jane, Darcy, and Erik; later, the Avengers); confidence; success. What does he have left for, or need from, Loki?
Yet all is not as it seems on the surface:
You act like fucking Mr. Brightside when you’re with all your friends
But I know what you’re like when the party endsWe quickly see that those very merriments and ambitions prove to be Thor’s downfall, from which he spends most of the movie recovering.
Meanwhile, Loki’s own schemes will, too, ultimately fail to satisfy his own true desires:
You roll like thunder, pourin’ all your drinks
The party’s lit and you, my friend, half-cut when it begins
You roll like thunder, you’re tryna catch that wind
That lightning in the bottle, that moonbeam in your handAnd you try to see the bright side when each new day begins
But you’re not satisfied at the rainbow’s endThe aching melody carries an air of acquiescence: both brothers’ actions are leading toward their destructions, but neither can change the curve as it arcs toward culmination.
- Icarus by Bastille
Icarus is flying too close to the sun
And Icarus’s life, it has only just begun
This is how it feels to take a fall
Icarus is flying towards an early graveAmbition comes to a head in Icarus. Like we opened this first phase, we conclude it with a song inspired by Greek Mythology. Just as Icarus failed to heed his father Daedalus, Thor and Loki both defy Odin. Each, convinced that he knows best, seeks his own path:
You put up your defenses when you leave
You leave because you’re certain of who you want to be
You’re putting up your armor when you leave
And you leave because you’re certain of who you want to be, ohOne will return; the other will stray further still:
Standing on the cliff face
Highest fall you’ll ever grace
It scares me half to death
Look out to the future
But it tells you nothing
So take another breathWe have reached the pinnacle; we now stand on the precipice of the Bifrost, staring headlong into the abyss.
Phase II
- traitor by Olivia Rodrigo
You betrayed me
And I know that you’ll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
Loved you at your worst, but that didn’t matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitorAsk anyone in Asgard which brother is constantly betraying the other, and literally everyone will agree: Loki is the traitor. But this song plays exclusively from his perspective, and is a straightforward jealousy ballad.
Likewise, ask any Thorki shipper; we See and Perceive™ Loki’s envy and resentment of Thor’s newfound relationship with Jane as not just brotherly concern but a lover scorned.
Tom Hiddleston deserved all the awards for this infamous delivery:
Loki
Come on, what happened to you on Earth that turned you so soft? Don’t tell me it was that woman. Oh, it was! Well maybe, when we’re finished here, I’ll pay her a visit myself!
I love how Olivia Rodrigo combines her effervescent style with such sullen lyrics; beneath his anger, Loki’s pain and sadness comes through:
God, I wish that you had thought this through
Before I went and fell in love with you - The Knife by Royal Thunder
Wake up, maybe you should look at yourself
You got your neck pressed up to the knife
Oh, step back, baby, get a hold of yourself
Your reflection is blocking the lightThe Knife doubles down on the backstabbing themes as our sine curve picks up speed. This track is the roughest thus far, both musically and lyrically.
It represents the sum of physical violence and havoc wreaked in Loki’s wake, from the Duel at the Rainbow Bridge extending to the Battle of New York.
The conflict has irrevocably damaged the brothers’ relationship; separation is on the horizon, closing in rapidly with no end in sight:
I’m falling for the hope that lives in your eyes
You don’t need me anymore
Now it’s my turn to go - Madness by Muse
I, I can’t get these memories out of my mind
And some kind of madness is starting to evolveAnd I, I tried so hard to let you go
But some kind of madness is swallowing me whole, yeahNow, I need to know, is this real love
Or is it just madness keeping us afloat? MmmAnd when I look back at all the crazy fights we had
It’s like some kind of madness was taking control, yeahFrom the beginning of Thor…
Loki
It’s madness!
Volstagg
Madness? What sort of madness?
Loki
Nothing! Thor was making a jest!
… to the end.
Thor
I will not fight you, brother.
Loki
I’m not your brother. I never was.
Thor
Loki, this is madness.
Loki
Is it madness? Is it? Is it?!
Again in The Avengers…
Thor holds Loki down and gestures to the chaos in Manhattan below them.
Thor
Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?
Loki
It’s too late. It’s too late to stop it.
Thor
No. We can, together.
Loki pauses, then slips a knife into his hand and stabs Thor.
Loki
Sentiment!
… and The Dark World…
Loki
If it were easy, everyone would do it.
Thor
Are you mad?
Loki
Possibly.
… and Ragnarok.
Loki
This is madness.
Need I say more?!
Seriously though, if there’s a single word that encapsulates the course of Thor and Loki’s relationship, Madness is absolutely it.
I had so many great madness songs in my musical repertoire—MADNESS by Anchor & Braille; Madness by Ruelle; Sound of Madness by Shinedown—that it was hard to choose just one.
But ultimately I selected Muse’s take for its upbeat electric energy.
Even amidst this phase’s dark downturn, the hope of reconciliation still remains, especially for Thor. Nonetheless, he also recognizes the path Loki has chosen, and what he must do in response.
The juxtaposed rhyming realizations—
What you mean
What you need
I need your love
—evidence their ongoing mutual interdependency and entanglement.
- Battle for the Sun by Placebo
I, I, I will battle for the sun, sun, sun
And I, I, I won’t stop until I’m done, done, done
You, you, you are getting in the way, way, way
And I, I, I have nothing left to say, say, sayI was excited to see Placebo on your likes list. Although I already knew and liked a handful of their songs, I’m not overly familiar with their oeuvre. Well, let me tell you, discovering Battle for the Sun proved transformational!
Really, nothing quite captures my initial reaction to hearing it for the first time better than my live blog:
PLACEBO BATTLE FOR THE SUN IS THE SICKEST FUCKING BROCEST SONG IN THE FUCKING WORLD HOLY FUCKING SHITTTTTTTTTT
Added it to [multiple playlists] it's literally SO FUCKING SICK FUUUUCCKKCKCKK
The entire song is incredible—BUT THAT CHORUS THO!
Dream brother, my killer, my lover
Dream brother, my killer, my lover
Dream brother, my killer, my lover
Dream brother, my killer, my loverI don’t know about you, but I could honestly listen to a 90 minute playlist of just that on loop!
There is, in fact, nothing left to say.Okay, there is actually one thing left to say: speaking of Disc 1 as a whole, this—its second-to-last song—and Blue Ridge Mountains—its second song—are the only two on the entire double album that use the word “brother”. How’s that for exponentially recursive parallelism?!
- A Demon’s Fate by Within Temptation
When the shadows remain
In the light of day
On the wings of darkness he’ll retaliate
He’ll be falling from grace
Till the end of all his days
From the ashes of hate
It’s a cruel demon’s fate
On the wings of darkness he’s returned to stay
There will be no escape
’Cause he’s fallen far from graceWe have arrived at the conclusion of not only Phase II, but Disc 1 as a whole. Our sine wave’s slope has reached its maximum acceleration, plunging us back to ground zero.
In a sense, Thor and Loki’s relationship has returned to a state of net neutrality. The battle was fought; the heroes won; the villain is imprisoned; the end.
But—in a periodic wave, every ending is a new beginning. The descent is only half over, and often the aftermath is worse than the war itself.
To mark the midpoint of the fanmix, I selected two songs from the same artist and album, Within Temptation’s The Unforgiving. The entire album screamed Thorki to me, so I struggled to narrow my choices.
Ultimately I selected A Demon’s Fate for its cataclysmic energy and sense of finality.
I also love how the pronouns shift between the verses—which use an I-you direct address style common in songs—and the chorus—wherein the addressee becomes a depersonalized “he”.
Angels have faith
I don’t want to be a part of his sin
I don’t want to get lost in his world
I’m not playing this gameLoki’s actions have finally forced Thor to let him go.
Disc 2 — Apart from Me
Disc 2 picks up immediately following Loki’s capture and imprisonment at the end of The Avengers.
In terms of the MCU timeline, this disc covers more ground in a less linear, more allegorical fashion than the previous one. The events of The Dark World and Ragnarok bleed together and superimpose upon one another all throughout; the lattermost songs then allude to later installments, including Infinity War, End Game, and beyond.
Phase III resumes our wave’s nosedive as it descends below the x-axis. Thor and Loki reach their lowest point. But as before, the trajectory shifts and the decline levels out. The moment in which they are furthest apart is also the moment at which they begin to come back together.
Phase IV watches this tumultuous journey back to each other, not without its own tribulations. But now that their souls have reunited in harmony, nothing—not even death—can keep them apart.
Phase III
- Fire and Ice by Within Temptation
Every word you’re saying is a lie
Run away, my dear
But every sign will say your heart is dead
Bury all the memories
Cover them with dirt
Where’s the love we once had?
Our destiny’s unsure
Why can’t you see what we had?
Let the fire burn the ice
Where’s the love we once had?
Is it all a lie?And I still wonder why heaven has died
The skies are all falling
I’m breathing, but why?
In silence, I hold on to you and IMy second selection from Within Temptation’s The Unforgiving, Fire and Ice, bookends the sine wave’s inflection point. Compared to the previous piece, this song is less hostile and more melancholic, carrying tones of regret and yearning.
When arranging this phase, I drew loose inspiration from the five stages of grief model.
However, like most literature currently indicates, the stages do not proceed neatly in order; rather, they fluctuate erratically—the
waves within the waves
.This song primarily represents denial + depression. Thor and Loki, though both back on Asgard together, have never been further apart. Alone in their respective prisons, each silently cries out to the other:
You run away, you hide away
To the other side of the universe
Where you’re safe from all that hunts you down
But the world has gone where you belong
And it feels too late so you’re moving on
Can you find your way back home? - The Door by Teddy Swims
I took a page out of your favorite book
You sold me lies just by the way you look
Taught me a language that I’d never speak
Baby, that ain’t for me, that, that ain’t for me
I dug my grave watchin’ the way you move
You took me higher than I ever flew, ooh
Too many times, gave you a second chance
Baby, I’m just a man, I’m, I’m just a manThe next two songs compare and contrast Thor and Loki’s perspectives of grief and separation. Both center on anger.
I hear The Door primarily through Thor’s voice. Now that Loki has been sealed away physically, Thor must likewise close off his heart and move forward. Even as he takes a page out of Loki’s book of tricks, previous trust has been irreparably broken:
Thor
I did not come here to share our grief. Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament.
Loki
Go on.
Thor
I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you, vengeance. And afterward, this cell.
Loki
You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?
Thor
I don’t. Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you.
Thor can no longer risk his own wellbeing to shield Loki; he must protect himself:
I said I would die for you, baby
But I can’t take this pain no more
I thought I was willin’
But tonight I saved my life when I showed you the door
I don’t wanna lose you, baby
But I can’t play this game no more
I thought it would kill me
But tonight I saved my life when I showed you the door - Without Me by Halsey
Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?
Feelin’ so high, but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why (Yeah, I don’t know why)
Thinkin’ you could live without meMeanwhile, in Without Me Loki looks out upon Thor, stewing in his own bitterness. The song echoes sentiments from previous tracks, such as:
- the once-mutual support in King And Lionheart;
- Thunder, wherein Loki sees through Thor’s façade of victory;
- and traitor, as Loki envies the relationships that Thor has built with others while he remains alone.
Less literally, I also discern foreshadowing to Ragnarok. Even when Loki finally does actualize his ambitions and ascends to the throne, he ultimately remains lonely and unfulfilled without Thor by his side.
- Call Me by Shinedown
Wrap me in a bolt of lightning
Send me on my way still smiling
Maybe that’s the way I should go
Straight into the mouth of the unknownI’ve said it so many times
I would change my ways, no, never mind
God knows I’ve triedRemember that Shinedown shoutout in Madness? Well, they’re baaa-ack! Indeed, I did in fact end up selecting a different title from The Sound of Madness.
Call Me is another one of my quintessential Thorki songs, epitomizing complicated codependent relationships. The lyrics constantly vacillate between emotions, from bargaining to depression to—if not quite acceptance—a reticent resignation to separation:
Call me a sinner, call me a saint
Tell me it’s over, I’ll still love you the same
Call me your favorite, call me the worst
Tell me it’s over, I don’t want you to hurtIt’s all that I can say
So I’ll be on my wayAs the cycle replays again and again, both brothers tire of making the same mistakes. Something has to change.
- Stone Cold by Demi Lovato
Stone cold, stone cold
You see me standing, but I’m dying on the floor
Stone cold, stone cold
Maybe if I don’t cry, I won’t feel anymoreThe downwards momentum decelerates as it slides into the wave’s trough. Although the curve is at its minimum value, slope is at a standstill.
At long last: acceptance.
Stone Cold is another song primarily from Loki’s POV, and in many ways a mirror image of traitor. His jealousy of Jane abates after the loss of Frigga recontextualizes his bond with Thor and the importance of connection.
While he remains wistful, he finds peace in his self-sacrifice:
Stone cold, stone cold
I was your amber, but now she’s your shade of goldStone cold, baby
God knows I try to feelHappy for you
Know that I am
Even if I
Can’t understand
I’ll take the pain
Give me the truth
Me and my heart
We’ll make it through
If happy is her
I’m happy for youIn his (for now) final moments, he looks his brother head-on in the eyes and declares:
Loki
I didn’t do it for him.
Phase IV
- The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?) by Snow Patrol
What if this storm ends and I don’t see you
As you are now, ever again?
A perfect halo of gold hair and lightning
Sets you off against the planet’s last dance
Just for a minute, the silver forked sky
Lifts you up like a star that I will follow
And now it’s found us like I have found you
I don’t want to run, just overwhelm meThe fourth and final phase of our sinusoidal journey is the most metaphorical, calling back to every reunion, every betrayal, every admission, every absolution that the brothers have cycled through over their centuries together. Though we remain below the x-axis, the curve slopes upward again, holding the promise of always finding a way back to each other.
The phase opens with a section from The Lightning Strike subtitled (What If This Storm Ends?). At over sixteen minutes, the full track is almost a playlist within itself, and, although beautiful in its entirety, would have thrown off the mix’s balance.
Thankfully, this first section is so popular that it was released as a stand-alone single and has always been my favorite movement. Despite its truncated length, it captures the full track’s expansiveness, evoking a similar otherworldly resonance as The Fountain of Salmacis.
The melodic keys, cinematic swells, and percussive climax all point toward the end of times—Ragnarok, Infinity War, and End Game alike.
But, unlike the showdowns in Disc 1, Thor and Loki are now united once more, brothers in arms; more powerful together, there is no enemy that they cannot face:
I want to see you as you are now
Every single day that I am living
Painted in flames, all peeling thunder
Be the lightning in me that strikes relentless - Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine
A falling star fell from your heart
And landed in my eyes
I screamed aloud as it tore through them
And now, it’s left me blindThe stars, the moon
They have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day
I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heartFlorence + The Machine is another longtime fave artist from whom I wrestled to narrow down my selection, but ultimately Cosmic Love won out. The final single from her debut studio album, it symbolizes the duality of beginnings and endings.
The opening lines hearken to Thor’s literal eye loss, as well as the series’s overarching themes of blindness vs. sight, illusion vs. truth, and dark vs. light.
Thor now sees Loki for who he is and actively chooses to meet him where he is:
I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map
And knew that, somehow, I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with youThey may still be enshrouded in misfortune—but they are together. In the darkest hour, hope remains:
Loki
I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again.
- Die with a Smile by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
If the world was ending
I’d wanna be next to you
If the party was over
And our time on Earth was through
I’d wanna hold you just for a while
And die with a smile
If the world was ending
I’d wanna be next to youThanos
No resurrections this time.
As I mentioned previously, I had not watched Infinity War or End Game in full prior to signing up for this exchange. I did know that Loki died-died.
But⸺let me tell you⸺screenshots did not sufficiently prepare me for that one! *OUCH!*
I found the scene an incredibly powerful culmination of Thor and Loki’s relationship. In a reversal of The Dark World, Loki’s sacrifice is genuine. Never in their history has this exchange rung truer:
Thor
Loki, enough. No more illusions.
Loki
Now you see me, brother.
Fresh in the wake of Asgard’s destruction, with further doom impending just around the corner, Thor now loses his brother for a third and final time.
Yet, Die with a Smile is a relatively lighter song. Like Stone Cold, it carries a tone of acknowledgement and acceptance. Indeed, I discovered when extracting the Spotify data to compose my track list table, both songs are set in 3⁄4 time signature—the only two songs on the playlist to be so.
Loki’s corporeal death may be permanent this time, but his spirit lives on within Thor’s heart, instilling in him the strength to fight on:
I, I just woke up from a dream
Where you and I had to say goodbye
And I don’t know what it all means
But since I survived, I realizedWherever you go, that’s where I’ll follow
Nobody’s promised tomorrow
So I’mma love you every night like it’s the last night
Like it’s the last night - Life Eternal by Ghost
Can you hear me say your name–forever?
Can you see me longing for you–forever, forever?
Would you let me touch your soul–forever?
Can you feel me longing for you–forever and ever?Just as Asgard,
the realm eternal
, isa people not a place
, too Thor and Loki’s relationship transcends god and man; life and death; time and space.Life Eternal incorporates themes of time travel shenanigans and sets the stage for the new multiverse era.
Although the brothers now coexist only in separate timelines, their souls call out to each other across the cosmos. Memory keeps the relationship alive, and forevermore they shall metaphysically return to one another, reclaiming the union that was established in The Beginning.
Paradoxically, in order to finally be reunited, fate requires them to let each other go:
I know the light grows darker down below
But in your eyes, it’s gone before you know
This is the moment of just letting go
She said, “If you had life eternal”I also like how these feminine pronouns recall the gender themes of The Fountain of Salmacis.
- 1 John 4:16 by The Mountain Goats
And someone leads the beast in on his chain
But I know you’re thinking of me ’cause it’s just about to rain
So I won’t be afraid of anything ever againSeeing The Mountain Goats on your likes list delighted me; I’ve heard a lot of chatter about them and have always thought that they sounded right up my alley; however, I’d not yet made the time to sit down and explore their work. This exchange gave me the perfect opportunity!
I listened to quite a few songs before ultimately selecting 1 John 4:16, on the album The Life of the World to Come. Both titles exemplify this final phase’s themes of everlasting togetherness.
The song references a verse from the First Epistle of John:
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
The passage centers on love—how God’s love for us informs our love for each other.
The folk tone and religious themes tie the entire fanmix together and return us to where we began with The Fountain of Salmacis and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Indeed, our sine wave accelerates again, reaching another inflection point as it breaches the x-axis, arriving at zero once more.
We have now come full circle, both in our mathematical metaphor, and in Thor and Loki’s relationship.
Whether together or separated, they will always be a part of each other, connected by their
undying fidelity
and love.For, as the biblical chapter concludes:
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Playlist
You can preview the playlist below and follow it here on Spotify.