#petra's diary

[that-one-i-think]

Hey, if any of y'all MCD folks need different body type references might I recommend l9oking at the character models from the game Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West! The games have a large variety of body types and you can even use it for armor inspiration! Also, the characters are hot! Especially Kotallo and Petra

[30-before-30-but-im-27]

Petra, Jordan - One of the 7 Wonders of the World

Entry to Petra is included in the Jordan Pass. There are many hiking trails to explore Petra of varying times and difficulties. We did a combination of the Siq (the Treasury) trail, followed by Jabal Haroun trail, and then the climb up 900 steps Ad-Dier Monastery Hike. To explore most of Petra and its beauty I'd recommend a full day. We had a lovely opportunity to have tea with a couple of Bedouin ladies. We had two Bedouin women, one Brit and me, an Easter European, and it was such a great conversation about our families and tattoos over tea.

[eartht0lei]

how tender with the dew!

[darthlexapro]

My Spotify wrapped. ✨

[flashlight-smallknife]

Chase Petra rly fucking nailed it with this one ngl

[petrabasil]

damn ok

[maryvivianpearce]

🌷fave new to me films of April 2023 🌷

in viewing order: RRR dir. S.S. Rajamouli (2022) / What Happened Was… dir. Tom Noonan (1994) / The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1972) / Porco Rosso dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1992)

[farceurfae]

{January 10th, 2025}

//Chase Petra is on a loop in my brain

[aggressivewallflour]

Birthday present <3

[wanderthemaze05]

cleaned up

[mhrsb]

most boring met gala theme ever imm glad all my friends agree

[azvolrien]

Jordan - Day 5

           Today we visited PETRA.

           If that doesn’t pique your interest for this entry, nothing will.

           The day didn’t start very auspiciously. We made another early start – even earlier than the last two – in order to leave the hotel at 6.30 and reach the Petra visitor centre for its opening time at 7. However, we then had to wait at the gate – with hundreds of other increasingly-impatient tourists – for more than an hour while a convoy of armoured cars and police vans drove back up the access road out of the site, some of them toting gun-turrets. I never got all the details of what was amiss, but according to Reem some people wanted by the police had been found on the site, apparently necessitating a great deal of armed backup to bring them in.

           The gates opened eventually, not too long after was scheduled, and the herd set off down the road with a cheer. Some people stopped to take a horse-ride into the city, but all of our group went on foot. We stopped to get our first taste of Petra at the Obelisk Tomb a little way outside the site proper, across the access road from the mysterious God Blocks – as the group of odd free-standing cuboids hewn from the rock are called; also known as the Djinn Blocks – before we set off for the Siq.

           The canyon into Petra would be a wonder all on its own without any help from the Nabataeans. The mini-siq at Little Petra utterly pales in comparison. The access road winds its way through the narrow, meandering cleft in the rock, cooled by a pleasant breeze and shaded from the sun by the wind- and water-eroded near-vertical cliffs to either side. The cliffs tower unimaginably high above the road – the only place I’ve been that made me feel any smaller was the Grand Canyon, and that was in 2003 so I actually was a bit smaller – and are striped in layer upon layer upon layer of every conceivable colour that sandstone comes in, from subtle greys and warm yellow-duns up to the dusky pinks and reds that we really associate with Petra, with the occasional streak of hard volcanic black. Even within each layer, the flowing lines of fossilised ripple-marks make sure no one surface is totally homogenous.

           You can tell I studied geology.

           More Nabataean carvings appear as the Siq snakes on, mostly water-troughs and little shrines but also one big relief that once showed a man leading a string of camels but is now reduced to a few disembodied legs. After about twenty minutes to half an hour (depending on walking speed) you round the corner out of the Siq and are faced with probably the most iconic sight of Petra, the huge rock-cut portico of the Treasury, or Al Khazneh to use the Arabic name.

           Al Khazneh is a familiar sight these days, appearing in countless films and documentaries, but pictures – even moving ones – cannot possibly capture its full effect. The tomb – for it is a tomb, not a treasury or a palace – is staggeringly huge, looming so high above the tourists thronging around its base that it’s pretty easy to get pictures of it without anyone blocking the view. I was glad for our early start (not a phrase I thought I’d use), because the site was still relatively quiet by the time we reached Al Khazneh; it was much busier on our way back later in the day.

           Further along the track, as paving gives way to soft pinkish sand, Petra’s Roman-style theatre sits at the edge of the city’s great central basin. It’s not in such good nick as those in Amman or Jerash as its seating area has suffered more weathering, but the rock-cut bowl of it is still impressive to see. A spot called the High Place of Sacrifice sits on a flat-topped pinnacle above the theatre and we considered detouring to see it on the way back, but ultimately decided against it as ‘High Place’ is if anything an understatement and we couldn’t stomach the climb.

           The group stopped for a brief look at Qasr Al Bint, one of Petra’s central temples and one of its only (mostly) surviving free-standing structures, i.e. having been built rather than carved. We then scattered for a few hours of free time, under instruction to meet back at the visitor centre at 4, and Mum and I made for the trail up to the Monastery (also actually a tomb).

           This was why we were too tired to climb to the High Place on the way back. The Monastery was quite high enough for one expedition. The trail doesn’t look all that long on the map, but the map does not account for the distance vertically. It probably covers about the same length horizontally as from Al Khazneh to the central basin, but just keeps. Going. UP. Some people had hired donkeys to ride up, but it didn’t look very safe so we kept going on foot. A simple rising slope might have been less strenuous, but the trail to the Monastery is mostly stairs, and not particularly low or even ones either. An Inca message-runner would have been out of breath by the top.

           It is, however, worth the climb. The Monastery is not dissimilar in design to Al Khazneh with its columned Hellenistic façade, but is carved to an even bigger scale rearing 45m above the courtyard in front, with deep-cut statue niches in place of Al Khazneh’s bas-reliefs. The niches are empty now, if they were ever filled at all, but the statues they could have held would have been colossal.

           We found a quiet corner for a snack before heading back down to the basin, making a short detour off the trail to have a look at the Lion Temple (also actually a tomb) before stopping for lunch at the picnic tables beside the Nabataean Tent Restaurant. We then had a look around the Great Temple neighbouring Qasr Al Bint (actually is a temple, likely devoted to the chief Nabataean god Dushara) and, pretty tired by this point, walked slowly back to the visitor centre to see the Petra Museum. It’s not a huge museum, but houses a good range of artefacts rescued from the elements on the site and does a better job of explaining Petra’s history than the interpretation panels in the city itself do.

           It doesn’t take long to go around the museum, so we met with the group at 4 as instructed and returned to the hotel for a break before heading back out for tea at a local restaurant. I had a camel burger which was pretty good, but couldn’t finish the accompanying chips. They were pretty good too, but they serve really big portions here.

           A few of us then took a taxi back to the visitor centre to visit Petra by Night ™. This was essentially a candlelit walk back through the Siq to a bit of a light show at Al Khazneh and I wasn’t sure it totally merited the 17JD admission fee, but it was still pretty atmospheric watching the upper levels of the tomb slowly light up in silver as the moon rose over the mountains.

           The Siq in daylight is a welcome refuge from the sun. The Siq at night is a great place to twist an ankle despite the paper lanterns marking out the trail, but we made it back to the hotel relatively unscathed, mercifully not with such an early start tomorrow.

           ‘Petra’, by the way, is what the Greeks named it. To the Nabataeans, it was ‘Raqmu’.

[nottragic-stilltoothsome]

Everything I found in Szarr's palace, for all your fanfiction-writting needs. I haven't found any other post like this one, so i hope i m not copying anyone. Posting it here, because editing the official wiki feels intimidating. Feel welcome to add anything I missed.

Astarion's siblings (the other spawn):

Petras - one of the two you meet in the Flophouse.

Dalyria - the other one from the two you meet in the flophouse. Her diary can be found in the "guest room". Before Cazador turned her, she was a doctor, a "Physician General to the Parliament of Baldur's Gate". She thinks vampirism is a disease and plans on curing herself of it by drinking blood of someone young and healthy - other spawn's daughter, Victoria.

Leon Onufrio - before Cazador turned him, Leon was a sorcerer. He is the one whose daughter's (Victoria's) body is found, cursed, in the room where with the Kozakuran dictionary.

Leon put a protective counter-curse on her, to discourage other spawns from attacking her. Despite his efforts, Dalyria bit her, hoping it'd cure her vampirism. Needless to say, it didn't and Victoria died @easterlingwanderer found out that if you use "speak with the dead" on the body, it turns out that it was a random urchin and Leon did get Victoria out of the city on time. After removing the curse inflicting you with necrotic demage, you can loot a letter of her body from her father instructing Victoria to read said dictionary, so she can freely move around the castle.

In the favoured spawn room, you can learn that Leon was the one usualy occupying it (along with his daughter). His diary reveals that he put extra effort to be Cazador's best hunter, so he can keep Victoria away from others and that he came up with a plan with Figaro to disguise and sneak Victoria out of the palace.

He also notes that he doesnt like the way Violet looks at Victoria and Cazador's wicked smile, when Leon asked him what his master was planning to do with his daughter.

Violet - you can find her Diary in the Dormitory of Spawn. She notes that she put garlic in Yousen bed as a prank.

Aurelia - a tiefling

Yousen - @neophytepagan noticed he is a gnome

Other:

The chamberlain of Cazador was Antwun Dufay. In his diary, which can be found under his bed in his room after a successful passive perception check, it says that he had a lover Lurianna (a werewolf, who can be found dead by walking through fake north wall of chamberlain's office, or through another fake wall in Chamberlain's private room). He knew about Cazador's Black Mass enough to fake his death in order to avoid the threat of taking Astarion's place. Unfortunately for him, it seems he confused the actual death potion and fake death potion, and really died. His lover drank the other potion, which melted her guts. The actual fake-death elixir can be found in his desk, which puts the player in 10-turn coma. He ordered the elixir from Bonecloaks', where he also ordered most of the things the palace needed to function (like bloodstain remover, candles and food for "guests").

Godey - Cazador's right hand. Astarion says that while Cazador was the master of the palace, the kennels (the room where the spawn d be tortured, when they did something Cazador didnt approve of) was the domain of Godey. Godey tortured the spawn when Cazador didnt feel like it. Cazador trusted Godey with the key to the sealed ballroom for the duration of the ritual.

Through the palace, fanatic-servants cleaning the palace: Syrin - human, Greenfern - wood half-elf, Vilhelm - human, Varderola - also human. All of them are servants, who Astarion said are devoted to Cazador and came to the palace of their own will, beggining Cazador to turn them into vampires. Vilhelm is most noteable, as you can talk to him and he asks Astarion why isn't he downstairs, that he is late and the ballroom is already locked. If pressed, he informs that Godey has a key and that the Cazador is going to punish Astarion for missing the ritual (and from his expression, he seems to quite like the thought).

Chamberlain Dufay wrote a blooddonnors ledger, instructing the Spawn to favourite the lower class as prey, as too many missing patriars may drow too much attention.

The language Cazador uses is Kozakuran, from a distant land of Kara-Tur. Astarion notes that they were strictly forbidden from learning it. From Cazador's Journal you can learn that Astarion was not an unreliable narrator when he said Cazador liked torturing him the most: Cazador paid the most attention to him in the journal.

In the favoured spawn room, there is a ledger with the list of spawns who have been favoured (its only Leon and one time Violet).

Amanita Szarr - on her 13th birthsday, invited by her Uncle Cazador. She was invited to the ballroom. She became a vampire, but was not happy about it. She rejected her family name Szarr and named herself Lady Incognita. She claims she stays in the attic and writes stories. One of the books written by her can be found on Cazador's desk.

Mrel Alkam - vampire mastress from Athkatla that Cazador wrote a letter to.

[meanbossart]

What is your take on Astarion's relationship with his siblings?

I have put unreasonable amounts of time into thinking about what the dynamics were like during Cazador's reign in that house. I mean, imagine sharing the same tasks, bedrooms, and general experiences of abuse and duress with the same people FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS. That's absolute madness. If any of you have had experiences with co-living with family under stress for any extensive amount of time, you know very well the levels of emotional 4D chess-ing that tend to take place as a result. You end up distributing so much frustration and anger around and often onto the very same people you will ultimately seek comfort from - this is that situation but blown up to impossible proportions.

So, "strained" doesn't really do justice as a descriptor here. I believe the family had a dynamic, ever-evolving hierarchy within itself, years-worthy of time where the spawn shifted alliances and made "cliques" within themselves - rebels would evolve into pushovers and trusted friends would turn into snitches. You had endless amounts of drama within the group and flies on the walls would witness them cut each other's heads off one day and sob into one another's laps the next.

Naturally I think all of them were resistant to the concept of being a "family" at first, but it's pretty much impossible to not develop family-like ties throughout that long of a period. Following Cazador's death, I believe there would be further splintering within as some want to maintain said ties and others are eager to cut them - seeing both their siblings and the relationships themselves as yet another painful reminder of what Cazador imposed upon them.

I think Astarion falls into the latter category. If he had his way, he would never see, speak, or think of his brothers and sisters again. And while the sibling nomenclature is a deeply-rooted habit, he doesn't think it holds any legitimacy whatsoever (whether or not that's the case in his heart is another matter).

Dalyria (the moon-elf physician, whom I have come up with a story, personality, background and motivations during several long showers that might not necessarily line up with yours, so, if anything of what I'm about to say seems pulled out of a hat, it's because it was) is the opposite. She has grown attached to the constant presence of her siblings and taken a mother-goose role upon herself. With the Exception of Leonard and Violet (more on that later) she has decided they are her responsibility and wishes the group would stick together.

I like to think that there's a lot of history between those two in particular. Obviously, the interactions between Astarion and his siblings are very brief, but It's enough to run with. Dalyria shows a lot of concern and understanding towards him and even pleads when he threatens Petras' life - again, I think she did a lot of trying to pragmatically keep the peace among them and genuinely grew attached to a few - Astarion being the main one of said few. You even get the smallest hint of a on-and-off intimate relationship with the way he derisively calls her by her nickname.

Also, Astarion very occasionally showcases enough emotional maturity that I could see him latching onto the one other person around who seems to have her wits about her, but he's still flawed enough that Dalyria can think of him as a younger sibling that needs her care. Not to mention that, to me, she demonstrates a penchant for moral superiority and a dash of a machiavellian outlook, based on her diary and her completely unapologetic initiative to kill a child on the small chance it would lead her to a cure - not any child either, but Leonard's child. I can totally see Astarion sympathizing and gravitating towards someone like that.

Which brings us to the rest of the siblings - I would wager that, at least by the end of it all, Leonard and Violet were the odd-ones out. As it tends to happen within any tight-knit group, when one succeeds by stepping over the others (even if the reasons for it are justifiable) that brews a lot of resentment and eventual exclusion. Leonard not only did that, but he apparently still held onto hope of future and family outside the Szarr house; wheter or not everybody wanted out, I think a us-versus-them mentality is unavoidable under those circumstances, and Leonard was looked down upon by the others in their respective ways for what he was trying to do.

Violet just seems like she had gone a little cuckoo to me. We get very little about her, but when I think of an adult woman playing childish pranks on her roomates while you are all stuck in what's essentially a human trafficking ring... I think of a person who's either just a very silly breed of evil or who has lost touch with reality, and the latter is more interesting, imo. I think no one liked her, not only because she was a nuisance but also because she became completely emotionally untouchable. I think both Violet and Leonard are spawn who did not survive long after they were all freed.

I'll stop here before I ramble on for another 8 paragraphs about Aurelia, Yousen and Petras (Oh Petras, my beloved), but, yes, suffice to say that I believe it was kind of complicated LOL

EDIT: Not me calling Leon "Leonard" this whole post. Sorry buddy, you look like a Leonard.

[lilacxquartz]

Trouble in Paradis: The Case of a Thief

levi ackerman x f!reader

plot: in a world where there were never any titans to begin with, lived both you and levi. you were the merchant who set out to put bread on the table and levi, who was humanity’s most devoted house husband.

themes: yandere, oblivious reader, domestic, one shot — a/n: this will be a scenario collection :) — w.c: 1.4k • masterlist • ao3

Levi’s daily routine was a simple one, although it was never devoid of purpose.

Every single morning, he would rise from the bed with a slow, measured stretch and begin his day with an intensive sweep of the home of which you both resided in. It was entirely spotless throughout and he took his role as your house husband very seriously, doing whatever he could do in his power to keep you as happy as possible.

The afternoons were a quieter affair, of course. Sometimes, he’d settle for a game of chess with his good friend, Erwin, or reluctantly accept his fate as Hange’s guinea pig. Sometimes, he’d stop by Petra’s floristry to pick you up a bouquet for you to come back home to, and at other times, he’d work out with his beefier friends. He had to keep fit, after all, if he was going to protect you.

You, who worked worked at one of the many stalls, as a curator of many interesting things that you had worked with overseas trailers to bring to little old Paradis. One-of-a-kind trinkets, woven goods, and more. You were always back by the evening though and he would be waiting like the loyal, doting husband that he was, ready to fill your hands with a cup of hot tea or dive to give you a massage to spare your aching soles.

It was the least he could do for you, of course.

Levi Ackerman was content with his role, no matter how simple it all seemed, but sometimes, he’d run into some trouble.

~~~

You came home a little later than usual that day, kicking off your shoes at the front door with less care than usual in your stride. The air inside was warm, and welcoming and the scent of dinner wafted through the air, but you didn’t carry that same sense of joy that you always brought back with you.

Levi, of course, could pick up on this right away.

He knew all of your moods and even kept a diary to properly assess how to address you. If it was something hormonal, he’d be out to the general store, ready to splurge on some imported chocolate, or if it was a cold, he’d be over Hange’s pharmacy in a flash, ready to treat you however best he could. Today though, it seemed to be genuine sadness, with you looking upset from the moment you walked in.

“Did something happen?” he asked you in a tone that was more of a statement than a question. Levi’s voice was flat, accusatory, although, also determined. If you were upset, then he was too.

That’s just how things worked in this household.

You sighed as you sat down over a plush armchair, sinking your body into the cushioning. “It’s nothing, really, just a bad day…”

Levi shook his head softly, taking a step closer to you. “Doesn’t seem like nothing. What happened today?”

Your lips pressed together in a firm line, considering whether or not to involve him in this. Levi was always so patient with you, so gentle, and yet you always had your suspicions that there was something deeper, perhaps even darker brewing beneath the surface. His eyes were sharp and pointed, fixated entirely on you and when you didn’t satisfy his curiosity with an answer, he tried a different approach. Nothing ever damaging—never with you—but he needed answers and soon.

With a steady hand, he cupped your face, bringing your head to a tilt to meet with his soul-piercing glare. “Talk to me.”

You gulped down the unease you felt, and then finally succumbed to the weight of his demand. You knew that deep down, you shouldn’t keep things from your husband, that wasn’t the right way, so maybe he had a point to shake this information from you. It was out of care. It had to be.

“Someone stole from the shop today,” you finally admitted with a weary sigh, “I didn’t notice until it was too late and I didn’t notice until they were already making a break for it. I did try and stop him but… all that resulted was me being pushed back and the thief getting away…”

Levi’s eyes glinted with sudden anger, but he kept his expression calm and measured, not once revealing how he truly felt to further protect your feelings that were already hung by a thread. Poor you, having to deal with a thief, but also, that poor thief—what a sap—not knowing whose wife he dared steal from. Oh, he wasn’t going to let this one slide. Not a chance in hell.

“He pushed you?” he caught on. “Did he… hurt you?”

You shook your head. “No, no… it wasn’t like that,” you assured him, “he just pushed me away and I tripped.”

Levi’s eyes settled over yours as if gauging you for the truth to make sure you didn’t leave a hint of anything out. “Describe him to me.”

Albeit reluctantly, you did just that, from the way his hair curled to the colour of his eyes to what he wore. Once you were done, you spoke up with some hesitation, unsure of what exactly he was planning, “Why?”

“I’m going to file a report,” he lied, “clearly the authorities need to be on the lookout for a thief, right?”

“R-right,” you nodded.

He then smiled before taking a step back, flinging off his apron to drape over a nearby chair. “Dinner’s almost ready, help yourself to a bowl. Stew’s on the menu tonight - your favourite - made just the way you like it.”

“Wait, Levi, before you go—” you tried to catch him before he left, but by the time your voice caught up, he was already gone.

You slowly made your way through a hefty serving of the stew, indeed made the way you liked it, with the meat tender and falling off the bone. By the time he came back, it was significantly darker outside and the edges of his knuckles were raw with some blood clinging to his skin, indicating some sort of struggle.

“Are you okay?” you asked him, focusing on his hands.

“What? Oh,” he replied, realising that his little attempt to resolve the dispute or so to speak wasn’t without some evidence, “I tripped on the way here,” he decided to go with, bringing out a cloth bag filled to the brim with many items, “kind of a given, I suppose, just look what I had to carry back. No wonder, right?”

You got up, leaning over to peer into the contents of the bag, recognising them as your missing items, every single one recovered without a single scratch at all.

“No way, you got everything back?” you gasped, clutching the objects against your chest. “H-how?”

“They changed their mind,” he promised you, “maybe they felt guilty?”

“I thought you said that you were going to the police—”

Oops. Levi did say that, didn’t he? He took a sharp breath, before adopting a calm smile. “Yeah, I did. They were already there though, supposedly they were returning everything.”

You simply blinked. “That doesn’t sound like something a common thief would do…”

“I’m not sure what’s going on in their head either but that’s just the truth,” Levi comforted you, throwing a blanket around your shoulders as he walked you back to the armchair, ready to help make you forget all about the trouble from today, “besides, it’s all settled now, right? So… let’s forget about them.”

You stared at him, unsure how to respond exactly but ultimately settled on the notion that ignorance was truly bliss, offering him the same warm smile that he looked forward to by the end of each day.

“Of course,” you sleepily sighed, “how silly of me to concern myself with something that resolved itself.”

“Exactly,” Levi nodded along with you, “now sit tight, I’m going to fix you a cup of tea and you can tell me all about the rest of your day.”

With that, he left to attend to the matters in the kitchen instead, just a few strides away. He hummed softly as he gradually bought a pot of water to a simmering boil, portioning some tea leaves into a porcelain teapot. Your job lacked sufficient security, it seemed, perhaps he should appoint his good friends Farlan and Isabel to be the lingering, hired muscle. He recalled that they were out looking for work as well, so what a prime opportunity in the making!

Maybe they could even watch over you throughout the day too, perhaps going as far as reporting back to him when something seemed off.

Oh, how perfect it all was.

He wouldn’t let that happen to you again, after all, not for as long as he was around to protect you.

[marbl3-soda]

My MCSM headcanons (Part 5/5 - Last Part)

-Ivor keeps a diary he secretly hides. Sometimes, he would start by saying to people: "back in my day...".

-Harper is a bit sensitive, and always becomes sad when the plants she keeps die.

-Axel gives out pet rocks to people to be generous.

-Petra would punch and kick a vending machine if her snack was stuck.

-Lukas loves to play uno, but always loses.

-Olivia is learning french and loves squirrels.

-Jesse one time ate a poisonous potato by accident.

-Reuben likes to cover his hooves in mud and print them on paper.

-Torquedawg once broke CaptainSparklez's glasses as a joke.

-Captainsparklez is dyslexic.

-Stampy has an intense fear of doctors and dentists.

-Dan bites his nails when he's nervous.

-Lizzie has a mild allergy to almonds.

-Stacy is bad at handling cats.

-Cassie is a great artist.

-Winslow hides inside a trashcan when it's time for a bath.

-Gill constantly sings for no reason and sleeps with a stuffed animal.

-Aiden is a horrible liar, and he doesn't know long division.

-Maya loves to hit the gym. To be rude as always, she places her chewing gum under people's shoes, and sometimes on their hair.

-Whenever people compliment Stella, the first thing she would always say is: "I know right?".

-Xara keeps lava lamps for comfort.

-Romeo doesn't like children. He finds them annoying.

-Isa prefers sweet over spicy.

-Milo is good at tongue twisters.

-Gabriel takes care of stray animals.

-Soren is not a morning person.

-Magnus always gets noise complaints.

-Ellagaard is awkward at trying to comfort people, but does her best.