thorns & diamonds | arden [artwork by ptimiya on instagram]for the half-elven rogue so used to b

thorns & diamonds | arden [artwork by ptimiya on instagram]for the half-elven rogue so used to being used that she no longer trusts the world. for the girl who holds her heart closer than any of her secrets, and she has a lot of them. a playlist for femme fatals, badassery and confidence.control - halsey / how to be a heartbreaker - marina + the diamonds / diamonds are forever - arctic monkeys / hey hey hey - katy perry / kill of the night - gin wigmore / wicked ones - dorothy / going to hell - the pretty reckless / shoot to kill - tommee profitt feat. quivr / habit - gabrielle shonk / fear and loathing - marina + the diamonds / yellow flicker beat - lorde / shelter - dorothy / worth the fight - broods / the devil’s back - the pretty reckless / everybody wants to rule the world - lordei. control // halsey“They send me away to find them a fortuneA chest filled with diamonds and gold”Arden is considered as one of the best assassins in the Hand of Thorns, because she is ruthless and efficient. It’s for this reason that she knows some of the others are afraid of her, and respect her skill.ii. how to be a heartbreaker // marina + the diamonds“This is how to be a heartbreakerBoys, they like a little dangerWe’ll get him falling for a strangerA player, singing I lo-lo-love you”Arden knows she’s attractive and uses that to her full advantage, charming everyone she needs something from and then throwing them away once she gets what she needs.iii. diamonds are forever // arctic monkeys“Diamonds are forever,Sparkling round my little finger.Unlike men, the diamonds linger”Hey, Arden loves diamonds more than she loves people. Can you blame her for that? At least diamonds bring her money, make her pretty, and don’t try to use her.iv. hey hey hey // katy perry“'Cause I can be zen, and I can be the storm, yeahSmell like a rose, and I pierce like a thorn, yeah”“Smell like a rose and I pierce like a thorn” completely describes everything about Arden. This song is pretty self-explanatory and perfect for describing what kind of character she is.v. kill of the night // gin wigmore“I’m gonna catch yaI’m gonna get ya, get yaOh, ah, ohI wanna taste the way that you bleed, ohYou’re my kill of the night”Melding into the shadows, poisoned dagger at the ready, long hair tucked beneath the hood of her cloak; this is Arden in her element, stalking her target before she assassinates them.vi. wicked ones // dorothy“This night ain’t for the holy man with the holy planFor the promise landThis night, we got the evil handAnd the evil hand gonn’ raise the dead”It’s no secret The Branded aren’t exactly the best heroes, making deals with evil gods and working with necromancers. But they’re still going to save the world. They might just shed some blood along the way…vii. going to hell // the pretty reckless “You know I know, yes, I’ve been told I redefine a sin.I don’t know what’s driving me to put this in my head.Maybe I wish I could die, maybe I am dead”Arden knows she’s done a lot of wrong, for all her lies, the lives she’s taken, and the people she used. But maybe she still wants some sort of redemption.viii. shoot to kill // tommee profitt feat. quivr“Blood on our handsThere’s no telling what you’ll find in the shadows where we hideOnce you’ve seen itThere’s no going back in timeIt’s a darkness you can’t fight”For the Hand of Thorns, the assassins and spies who have been conditioned to see themselves only as weapons in the never-ending war of politics and secrets.ix. habit // gabrielle shonk“You play your game with no rules and no sense of respectYou live your life like a joke and a self-centered jerkYou cheat and lie, causing pain with no thought or regretsTo change your mind then you drink”Lying is Arden’s second nature. It’s too easy to lie. But sometimes, she does get tired. But she’s been doing it for so long, she doesn’t know what else to do or who else to be.x. fear and loathing // marina + the diamonds“I’ve lived a lot of different livesBeen different people many timesI live my life in bitternessAnd fill my heart with emptiness”Oh Banda, so sweet and so forthright. Maybe she’s starting to rub off on Arden, after all. Maybe caring about others isn’t so bad. Maybe she can be something other than cold-hearted and distant to her party. (Bonus: I’m patting myself on the back for choosing the same artist who sang about pushing other people away earlier in this playlist and coming back with this song about beginning to open up to other people. Character development through songs! There’ll be more songs like this, actually)xi. yellow flicker beat // lorde“And now people talk to meI’m slipping out of reach nowPeople talk to me, and all their faces blurBut I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prisonAnd I’m locking up everyone that ever laid a finger on me”Arden’s mind is focused on one thing: Revenge, and rescuing her sister, bringing Elena back to their mother. Whoever harms her little sister was going to feel the pain of her daggers and determination.xii. shelter // dorothy“I’m a world of painAnd you’re a safe placeWhen I run awayYou’re the only home I know”As much as The Branded is a bunch of assholes, they’re still people whom Arden has been through a lot with. They’re not so bad, if you look past all the personal issues.xiii. worth the fight // broods“I thought the shade around me, was making me feel blindI thought I was a hero, but I was just a child”Arden sacrificed her childhood to keep her family safe. She thought she was saving them, but she realized there was still so much of the world left for her that has now been tainted by Zanorin’s doing. And though she keeps it deep down and would never admit it, she wishes that despite her past and the decisions she’s made, she’d still find someone who’d actually love and care for her for who she was, flaws and history and all.xiv. the devil’s back // the pretty reckless“Hey meRemember when you were skinnyRemember when you didn’t worry”Maybe Arden still resents the fact that she never had a childhood, and maybe all the blood she has shed is starting to catch up with her, and her guilt is starting to overcome her. (Also that guitar solo? The best thing ever.)xv. everybody wants to rule the world // lorde“There’s a room where the light won’t find youHolding hands while the walls come tumbling downWhen they do I’ll be right behind you”The Branded rolls initiative, Arden unsheaths her dagger,   Banda’s arrow is nocked, Featherpaw growls, Lorde’s arm glows with power, Fraile’s music hangs in the air, Eli whistles and his quill zooms past them, Tiberius whispers his incantations, Ryu rises in the air, supported by the wind, Islath sends a fireball at a charging group of undead, and one by one, they unleash hell on their enemies. -- source link

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