#the amount of ‘people who didn’t evacuate don’t deserve to be rescued’ i’ve seen…

[creampuffqueen]

here we fucking go again. another natural disaster in the southern us where non-southerners are acting stupid. what’s new?

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch. 19 Endeavors Agency

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next part of the series! I just realized I hit over 2000 followers, and I honestly don't deserve it at all. Thank you guys for your compassion and understanding, and I hope to generate more content you like. I might be willing to do an event, and turn my requests back for a short amount of time, but we'll see.

Masterlist

“Are you all ready for tomorrow? I still don’t know how I feel about you staying at Endeavor’s agency for the week.”

You hold in a sigh, choosing to smile instead--even if he couldn’t see you.

“Yeah dad, I’m all ready to go,” you knew of your dad’s--distaste--for the number two, even if he wouldn’t say it, “and I hope I’ll be able to learn a lot from this--although I know you’re probably the better teacher.”

He hums at your praise, you can hear his amusement over the phone.

“I’ll always have room for you at the office, just say the word.”

“I’m sure you’ll have your hands full with Bakugou, dad.”

“I hope to reform that boy, by the looks of him, he has pride sewn into the very fiber of his being.”

“Sounds about right-”

“Plus, he was getting a bit too cozy with my daughter, I have half the mind to question him about it.”

“Dad!” You elongate the word, turning it into a groan at the end as he just chuckles at your misery. 

Moving on from the topic, you change the conversation to something lighter--mundane things about school and work before having to hang up the phone. He was unable to come home tonight, meaning you wouldn’t be seeing him until you got back. Unfortunately, you were used to calls instead of in-person goodnights--even if it was a bit lonely sometimes, you pushed on. 

 After ending the call, you get ready for bed--thoughts of the week ahead making it difficult to fall asleep.

-----

“Everyone has their costumes, right? You can’t wear them out in public unless you’re given permission--and don’t lose them either, understood?”

“Yep, loud and clear!”

“Speak properly Ashido, it’s yes sir. You all need to mind your manners.”

“Yes sir..”

You grin at Mina’s dejected face, only patting her back in comfort once you were dismissed. You wave goodbye to her as she heads to her station, looking back in search of your internship buddy. 

After spotting him, you make your way over to his side to see his attention on Iida as he marches off.

“Todoroki?”

He turned to look at you, blinking owlishly as he snapped out of whatever thoughts he had been consumed by.

“Hakamata, hello.”

In some ways, you were looking forward to the internship. Ever since the sports festival, you’ve been able to regard Todoroki in a brand new light. He wasn’t as stuck up as you first took him for, if anything his reactions only made it seem that way. 

The boy was just--awkward. 

“Shall we get going then?”

He nodded in agreement, and you both leisurely walked towards your train. Sitting side-by-side after baording, suitcases in your laps respectively. The trip there was pretty quiet, and you were glad to say it wasn’t an awkward one. It was different, being so used to rambles from people like Mina and Izuku, or even loud and rowdy conversations with Eijiro or Bakugou. Yet with Todoroki, words weren’t needed to fill the air, it was comforting all on its own. 

It didn’t take long to reach Tokyo, arriving at the station quicker than you thought. You both get off, having to walk the rest of the way to the large building. It was bigger than your father’s, and you felt slightly intimidated. Todoroki looked over as your steps faulted, tilting his head in silent communication. You give a tight smile, ushering your nerves down as you make your way inside. 

“Hello!” The woman at the front desk beamed, “Endeavor has been waiting for you two, why don’t you go and head up to his office!” 

She gave you the quick directions, waving you off as you stepped into the elevator. Todoroki had seemed tense now that he was actually about to see his dad, and you couldn’t blame him. Your last interaction with the man wasn’t the best, if anything you were downright rude.

All within reason, of course. 

You arrive on the floor that his office was located on, stepping out of the elevator and having to walk through a room filled to the brim with sidekicks to get to the room. After receiving the okay to enter, you step inside to realize the entire part of the building was his office. The room was huge; marble walls with high ceilings, a crystal chandelier hung above a seating area and all the way towards the far wall, at a large oak desk, was the man who you’d have to put up with for the next week. 

You heard a bitter sigh come from your companion, and you give a quick glance of reassurance in his direction. He does the same before you two make your way into the room. If you thought it was intimidating before, the scarce lighting made it even more so--the room relatively dim, save for the rays of the setting sun peeking in through the wall of windows on the right hand side.

“Shoto, I’ve been waiting for you.” A deep voice speaks up as you both stop to stand in front of his desk.

Endeavor is standing as well, smirking down at the both of you before focusing his attention on his son. 

“I’m glad you made this decision. You’re finally ready to walk down the path of the mighty.”

“I have no intention of following any path you’ve created. Only I can decide my future.”

The surge of pride you feel as Todoroki stands up for himself falters as a chuckle falls from Endeavor.

“Is that so?” He glances between the both of you, “you both should go get ready then, we’re going out.”

“Where to?” Todoroki answers, looking surprised. 

“I’m going to show you both what it means to be a hero.”

-----

The sun has long been set as the three of you patrol the streets of Tokyo, whispers following as you did. It was very different, the energy a complete contrast from what you’ve seen with your dad and his patrols. People called out to him all the time, big grins on their faces’ as they waved enthusiastically. However, the people around here looked intimidated by the large pro hero. In awe yes, but nervous to approach him at the same time. You couldn’t blame them, Endeavors aura was very nerve-wracking.

However, despite the feeling he gave off, things were calm. The peace surrounded everyone and everything around--laughter and smiles was seen all around. It was great; this is how life should be, no one should be fearful. 

“Rescue, evacuation, and suppression. There are the three fundamentals required of all heroes. Most agencies are established on a foundation of either “rescue” or “suppression”. However, my agency does not. Remember that. We are grounded in all three of these fundamentals, combined.”

You and Todoroki nod, listening to Endeavor’s speech as he stomps on. 

“You have to remain focused--memorize every single detail of your jurisdiction. Don’t let a single irregularity slip by. Be on-site faster than anyone else. Minimize all casualties by keeping all citizens far away as possible.”

He didn’t look back once--his focus never wavering, remaining on the crowds around him. 

“These are the basics of the basics, do you understand?”

“Yes sir.” You answer.

“Yeah.” Todoroki spoke, as enthusiastic as ever.

“Then keep up.”

In the blink of an eye, Endeavor was gone. You blinked owlishly, sharing a look with Todoroki before you both rushed off after the number two. It was hard to keep up, the hero using his flames to accelerate his speed. 

Todoroki was using his ice to help him, almost in the same way, while you used the move you picked up in the sports festival--allowing your light to harden under your feet, to extend and give you a boost. While you would be faster if you allowed your body to transform into light particles, you weren’t very efficient with it, you’d need some more training before you could try to use it in your day-to-day activities. 

You finally heard the wailing of police sirens and the screeching of tires. 

You were shocked Endeavor had noticed so far away, but you suppose that’s what it means to be the number two hero. 

In a less populated area, down a mostly deserted road, there was a large truck being tailed by three different police vehicles, with no sign of stopping. The getaway truck was being reckless, swerving all over without a care of what--or who--it ran over. 

Trying to boost your speed to get there quicker, you were left to stop short as the truck suddenly came to a screeching stop. Endeavor had stopped the truck with his own body, acting as an obstacle halting it from moving any further. You watched in awe as the criminals inside were apprehended accordingly, Endeavor having full control of the situation. While you weren’t able to do anything but watch--since you were only interns and didn’t have hero licenses to be able to use your quirks like that in public--you still took in every detail you could, exactly like Endeavor had told you to. 

The way there were no casualties, or any injuries of the citizens for that matter, and even though there was damage to the area around him, it was insignificant to what could have been if they continued on for even just another few minutes. In the short amount of time it took for Endeavor to race over and stop the villains, so much had already been done.

‘A real pros power…’

“Let’s go. We aren’t done.”

-----

You awake bright and early the next day, feeling exhausted from how long you stayed out last night. The three of you ended patrolling for the next few hours without any other exciting things to happen. Endeavor tended to mainly ignore you, but he did ask about what your goal was overall--if anything you were shocked that he was speaking to you civilly.

You explained how you wanted to get the experience you needed to be a great hero, and do it on your own accord. How you wanted to use your quirk to the best of your ability and save lives. You weren’t here to play around, you wanted to do something good--you wanted to be useful. He gave you a simple speech of encouragement--if you could call it that--before dropping the subject as he ranted to Todoroki about all the great things he could learn from him. 

 It was a night to remember, and you did learn something pretty valuable, so you’d have to give him that.

You walk out into the main area--the one you had to walk through yesterday to get to Endeavor’s office--with your hero uniform already on, ready to see what was on the agenda for the day. The room was large, holding plenty of office desks and important equipment, as if Endeavor had his own intelligence force right in the middle of his agency. Seeing as how many cases the number two hero took on--as well as how many cases his plentiful amount of sidekicks took on--it wasn’t a surprise.

Glancing around, you couldn’t find Todoroki, instead coming face-to-face with one of the many sidekicks held in the agency.

“Hey there kiddo, welcome to the Endeavor Hero Agency!” The woman laughs boisterously.

Her copper-green hair flickered around her head, a cocky smirk on her lips, and a wicked gleam in her amber eyes all made you alert. She wasn’t a threat, but her attitude was the exact opposite of Endeavor’s.

Just a bit weird.

“Ah, yes, thank you.” You bow, only to be thrown off guard as she pats--more like slaps--your back repeatedly.

“Oh come on, don’t be so formal! I’m going to end up putting you to work right away, even if you’re going to have to fight for the right to work alongside us!” She cackles loudly, and you sweat drop as she reminds you of a certain pinkett back at school.

“Luminary.”

You push off Burnin and look towards Todoroki as he walks up beside you, also just as ready as you were to start the day.

“Shoto, good morning.”

It felt a little embarrassing at first, to be calling Todoroki by his first name, but you remembered it’s what he had chosen as his hero name. The entirety of the night before, only code names were used, so now it was second nature. 

“Shoto-kun! I’d say the same for you, but you’ll probably be stuck with Endevor while miss Luminary here will have to kick it with us,” Burnin tries to slap you on the back again but you quickly dodge, causing her to grin to widen, “since, yanno, Endeavor really only cares about you!”

Todorki scoffs at the notion, even if it was true. He was eyeing Burnin as she continued to try and pester you. It’s odd, seeing you in a different setting outside of school. He noticed how quiet you’ve been, and while that wasn’t a bad thing, you were always pretty upbeat and talkative in school. 

You kept up with Bakugou’s rambunctious actions, Midroiya’s rambles, Ashido’s exuberant personality, and even Kirishima’s upbeat attitude. However, ever since you both stepped onto the train to come to the agency, you’ve kept to yourself for the most part. You soaked up all the information you could, even if you were being a little wary of Endeavor. 

Todoroki had indeed noticed, and he would be too in your position, shoot, he already was wary of his old man and all the ideas he had running around in his head. However, right now in this moment Todoroki saw the flicker of fire sparking again as you tried to keep the older sidekick from putting you into a headlock. It was good to see you as yourself, you always did know how to light up a room.

“Shoto.” The smile playing on the boy's lips fell as he heard his father.

You quickly detach yourself from Burnin’s hold, straightening up as Endevors approached. His hard gaze barely looked in your direction, focused on his son as always.

“Shoto,” he repeats, “We’ll be having an important mission today.”

Endoavor finally looks at you, the frown on his face stays in place--but it doesn’t get any deeper either. 

“As for you Luminary, you shall be shadowing Burnin for the time being.”

“Yes sir!” Burning salutes the pro before shrugging an arm around your shoulder. 

Todoroki glances at you from the corner of his eyes, and he sees how your shoulders fall ever-so-slightly. It was practically unnoticable, but he saw it. You were disappointed, the only reason Todoroki convinced you to come was because he knew that working with the man who had the speed and instincts of a number two pro hero was a great opportunity--even if his old man was a scumbag. He had to acknowledge his talents. 

“I want Hakamata to come.”

The silence between the two was stifling, the heated glares acting as a silent conversation. You eyed Todoroki bewildered, confused as to why he was questioning Endeavor's decision. Sure, you were annoyed and somewhat disappointed, but you expected this. You were prepared to be treated as second best. 

After all, people like them were always good at making people like you feel inferior. 

“What?”

“I want Hakamata to be able to attend this mission with us.”

Endeavors eyes shut briefly, before doing the unexpected.

“If that’s what you want. Be ready, the both of you, we’re leaving soon,” he turns to the rest of the members in the room, “We’re taking a work trip to Hosu.”

“Yes sir!”

As Endeavor turns to leave, you smile brightly at Todoroki.

“Thanks Shoto.” 

“Uh, yeah, sure.” His head faces the floor, he couldn’t bring himself to look you in the eyes.  

“Let’s hurry then, we have a city to get to!”

“Right.”

-----

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[calliecat93]

ST: TNG S5 Watchthrough Episodes 10-13

(Trigger Warning: The section covering the episode Violations will be discussing topics such as assault and r***. While I don’t talk in-depth about the subject, it is a part of the episode even if they use the Midn R*** trope and thus will be mentioned. If these topics make you uncomfotable or are triggering to you even int he slightist, then please skip that section of the watchthrough. Thank you.)

New Ground: Alexander and Worf’s adopted mother have returned. Sadly Worf’s adopted parents are just too old at this point to properly care for a young Klingon child, and thus Worf agrees to allow him to stay on the Enterprise. Unfortunately not only is Worf completely unsure how to go about parenting, but… well, children are not always perfect little angels. Alexander is… well, a difficult kid. Worf having no idea how to be a parent certainly doesn’t help either him or his son. He tries, but… well, he tries. It’s perfectly understandable at least to me, why Alexander is like he is. His mother, someone who likely didn’t force him to choose either his human or Klingon heritage, was horribly murdered. Then Alexander finds out who his father is… and he sends him to Earth to live with his parents, who were no doubt loving but just not capable of caring for Alexander. Then Alexander is sent back to the Enterprise and again has to adapt to a new way of life, and his father not only is incapable of caring for him and clearly wants to raise him as a Klingon but is busy with Security duties and is now gonna send him to a Klingon school. And likely Alexander got no proper help with coping with his mother’s death or the various life changes that happened in a relatively short amount of time. I’d probably be more concerned if he wasn’t acting at least a little bratty. I don’t doubt that Worf cares about his son and he is clearly trying. Sending Alexander to his parents and now a Klingon school is probably the best option since he knows that he’s not able to are for him, so he has him sent tot ose who can. But without those proper emotional needs handled, it would cause a variety of emotional problems for Alexander like abandonment, anger, and… well, him lying and getting into fights is pretty expected. I was expecting to not like this episode, but it was alright. Alexander acted how I would expect a kid to act due to those circumstances and he’s never demonized for it. Worf isn’t made outt o be a bad parent, but someone very much out of his element and just not suited for the job at the current time, but he does try and int he end allows Alexander to remain, willing to tr and be the father that Alexander needs. It’s those kind of nuanced stories regarding parenign I wish that we got more of instead of them automatically having to be abusive or incompetent. I guess we’ll see what happens next, but still good eisode. 3/5.

Hero Worship: We essentially have a mish-mash of S2’s Pen Pals (Data saving/befriending a young child) and S3’s The Bonding (said child dealing with enormous grief but hiding it). So a young boy named Timothy has lost everything, including his family, and has been brought onto the Enterprise. To deal with the grief and pain, he decides to emulate Data, who had been the one who’d rescued him. As Data ‘can’t feel things’ (I know, I know, just roll with it), he decides to shut out his emotions and act as though he can’t feel anything. It is kind of cute to see how much Timothy looks up to Data and him dressing similarly and trying to act the same way isn’t surprising to see from a young kid. Normally this kind of plot I’d deem too childish for something like Star Trek, you usually only see this in children’s shows or comedies, but given the circumstances, it makes more sense than it would otherwise. Now I've made it clear how I dislike the whole ‘Data is emotionless’ thing since it's been made pretty clear that despite not expressing it in the quote ‘normal’ way, he does. It’s one thing for Data to believe that he doesn’t, but it feels like the show can’t decide if he does or doens’t. But for the context of this episode, going with this angle does work. timothy, being a kid and having the misconception that Data can’t feel, decide to act the same way in response to coping with the trauma. But of course, Timothy isn’t an android. He can’t live as something that he isn’t. He’s suppressing his trauma. IDK if just letting him keep acting that way as he slowly begins to act more like a child was what most counselors would suggest, but hey it worked. I just feel so bad for the poor kid, he blamed himself for what was a horrible accident, and when the kid finally breaks down… no child should have to ever go through that. Apparently pairing Data with kid characters is just guaranteed to make something good cause his interactions with Timothy were just really sweet, especially when he talks about how he wished he could do things like being able to taste as humans can. As I said, we’ve crossed this ground already and it’s no better or worst than say how The Bonding handled the topic of grief, thought he certainly does it differently. Still, it’s a nice episode. 3/5.

Violations: So… as I mentioned in the Trigger Warning above (if you did not read it, please do so) this is an episode about r***. It’s the Mind R*** variety, but it’s pretty clear what they were intending, so… needless to say, I shall repeat what I said in the Trigger Warning; while I won’t be going too terribly in-depth, if you are uncomfortable with this topic, please skip this part of the watchthrough and go on ahead to The Masterpiece Society. Alright, so now let's discuss the episode. The Enterprise is hosting a group known as Ullians, who are strong telepaths. They are all creepy as heck. Troi gets mentally assaulted, and… well the images that she sees make it very clear what the intention is, and yes, even knowing that it wasn't real did nothing to make it any less uncomfortable. Troi is comatose and while the audience sees who did it, the Enterprise crew has to deduct who the culprit is among the Ullians. So… how did they handle the subject? Well, they sure as Hell handle it WAAAY better than TOS did. I love TOS but if you’ve seen the episode The Enemy Within, while I do like that episode the way that they handled what Evil Kirk did to Rand, the aftermath with them allowing her supposed attacker to get close/in her face (yeah the audience knows it’s Good Kirk but no one else did and even then they should have NEVER allowed that), and a horribly OOC/disgusting remark by Spock towards her at the end makes it utterly rage-inducing to look back at. In comparison, the subject is handled with more tact and they do nothing anywhere near that horrid. However, I want to compare the different visions between the victims. The ones who get attacked are Troi, who I already went over, Riker, and Crusher. While Troi’s goes exactly as you’d expect in an episode covering this topic, Riker’s and Crusher’s visions (crewmen dying and reliving her husband’s death respectively) are very much scary but not portrayed as an actual r*** scene. So… umm… writers WHY did it have to be portrayed as a r*** scene? If we didn’t need that for Riker or Crusher (aka the only other female character), why do that to Troi when there were plenty of other options? Just to hammer the intent in? Which they had to have her go through it three times?! No, we didn’t need that. Troi’s been sexualized a lot throughout the show or given just gross, inappropriate scenairos like the whole prgnancy thing in The Child and Dear God the woman does NOT deserve that. Again, nowhere near as bad as in TOS, but still. Though credit to them, Troi does regain counciousness and is able to fight back against the culrpit when he attacks her again the third time (the second time is a little more complicated) so at least they allowed her that much. It is certainly not the worst thong covering this subject material that I’ve ever seen, not even in this franchise. IDK if the warnings were necessary, but it never hurt to be too careful. The episode was fine, certainly creepy and one I can probably rewatch without getitng angry like with The Enemy Within. But I repeat, quit sexualizing Troi show. The woman deserves a Hell of a lot better. 3/5.

The Masterpiece Society: What is The Masterpiece Society, you may ask? They are a society of flawless, genetically engineered beings. They are engineered to serve specific functions and occupations, such as the scientist Hannah Bates being designed as… well, a scientist. They also terminate the flawed/disabled such as the blind… so needless to say Geordi’s not exactly fond of them. The Enterprise is there because, of course, the colony is about to be destroyed. So… it was okay. I didn’t find it good or bad. It’s kinda how I felt about Transfiguration in S3, I don’t really have any serious issues, I just don’t have a lot to say about it. The only thing I do want to talk about is the ending. So after the Enterprise has resolved the Issue of the Day, Bates fakes another incident to cause an evacuation. Why? Because after encountering The Enterprise, she wants to leave, but her leaving will cause issues due to her role. Nevertheless, she and those who want to leave are allowed… but Picard questions if this is best as it may cause societal collapse., the very thing that the Prime Directive is meant to prevent Ugh… what?! Okay yes, they’d clearly have some issues to work out, but they also saved the colony from getting destroyed. They were saving innocent lives. Certain death is MUCH worst than some societal reconstructing. Yes, problems and conflicts would arise, that shouldn’t be ignored… but the implication that saving their lives from a natural disaster was the worst? I don’t… why did they shove the Prime Directive in at the end like that? Their ‘interference was done only to save the society and those people should be allowed to make choices for themselves, their society shouldn’t dictate their life direction. The comparison is just ridiculous and I was very much on Bates’ side when she made her argument at the end. One scenario is recoverable, the other is not. Otherwise, it was fine. Again, not much else to say. 2.5/5.

So far S5 has been… fine. IDK, S4 was really good and maybe my expectations got raised too high due to it. I’m still enjoying it, but the quality has just been alright. It’s not bad, but doesn’t quite have that oomph from last season or even S3. But we still have half the season to go, so still plenty more to go through.

[marvelousmindloki]

I was seriously considering leaving Social Media over the schadenfreude posts about Houston and hurricane Harvey I’m seeing and comments I’m receiving. So, I need to get this off my chest. Two things:

Yes, Texas has terrible politicians who are an embarrassment to us. Houston didn’t elect them. Please look up gerrymandering, we are just as frustrated with these politicians as the rest of the country and we suffer for their stupidity and greed greatly.

Houston is Blue. Houston’s votes went to Hillary. Houston’s population is large and very diverse. I know this shouldn’t matter but the republican misconception is the one I’m seeing used most to justify the contempt and admonishment that Harvey victims shouldn’t ask for, or don’t deserve, help.

In fact most posts I’ve come across were not concern for the people who went through it or the incredible stories, especially of thousands of people who survived because they were able to post for help on social media and their neighbors and amazing volunteers came in boats to rescue them when the first responders were inundated and working as hard as they could, they’re posts implying or outright stating Houston deserved what it got.

The greater Houston area and region around it are huge and received over a years worth of rainfall in a few days. It is mind boggling. The rainfall, the scale, the size of the area, the number affected, the damage, is all mind boggling.

It was also terrifying to live through (and I’ve been through my fair share of natural disasters) and an incredible number of people lost everything and are just grateful to be alive. Some experienced unimaginable horror and did not make it out. Swept away in cars while trying to find shelter, or seeking refuge on their kitchen counters as they watched snakes swimming in their homes, some retreated to their attics and it cost them their lives when the water JUST KEPT RISING as the rain continued to fall at rates of more then 3.5″ an hour with no end in site. (If you remember one thing from this post, please let it be that you should NEVER go to the attic without an ax, make every effort to go to the roof!) 

We’ve all seen those images of highway and street signs nearly submerged, what doesn’t seem to click with people who aren’t here is that those weren’t just isolated incidents on flood prone streets under all that water, it was almost commonplace over the entire region to see the familiar sights of your area under an amount of water your brain almost couldn’t comprehend. 

I’ve also heard it’s our fault for not evacuating: Residents of the gulf area are used to dealing with hurricanes, we take them seriously even if we put on a brave face about it. Nothing about this hurricane was normal. It was unusual to have one intensify and redirect at us so quickly and unexpectedly and to have it wander around in circles on us for days pulling a constant stream of moisture from the gulf. There was a risk it could have flooded anywhere within evacuation range. The forecast that it could dump 50″ of rain was heeded, it IS why we didn’t evacuate. We learned from Rita, where a 3-4 hour drive to San Antonio took upwards of 23 hours for many. People carried bottled water from their homes and walked up onto the freeways to deliver it among the gridlocked motorists suffering dehydration and heatstroke in their cars after Rita turned elsewhere. With Harvey, those people would’ve drown in their cars by the hundreds. The people from the coastal areas impacted by the Cat 4 winds and storm surge would not have been able to get out if Houston evacuated.

Yes, areas of Houston have some drainage issues, but +50″ of rain in a couple days would’ve overwhelmed anything. Even 40+ year old master planned communities with well planned and maintained drainage systems north of Houston flooded badly from the not-quite 40″ of rain they received. I can’t fathom how many times I’ve heard “then they shouldn’t have built in a flood plane”. At least 50% of the homes affected by Harvey were NOT in flood planes.

The people are coming together, working hard, and helping each other at a level that is like nothing I’ve seen in my life, it is truly awe inspiring. But the scale of this catastrophe is difficult to wrap your brain around, even if you’re living it.

Maybe I’m just in the anger stage of my grief but I’m tired of this script of undeserved stereotyping, blame games, and schadenfreude.

[componentplanet]

Skull of Pliny the Elder, Lost to Vesuvius in 79 AD, Possibly Found

Pliny the Elder. Image by Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder#/media/File:Como_-_Dome_-_Facade_-_Plinius_the_Elder.jpg

Archaeologists often don’t find out who a given skeleton belongs to. Most people don’t die with convenient stone or metal name tags that can survive a few thousand years. Unless the grave you find is specifically labeled, we have to infer the roles individuals played in society from indirect information. It’s even harder to identify specific individuals when people die in an unexpected disaster.

In this case, however, researchers may have identified a specific nobleman who lived and died in the first century of the Roman Empire. It’s possible that we’ve positively identified the skull of Pliny the Elder.

Historical Context

When Mount Vesuvius blew in AD 79, it buried the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii beneath meters of pyroclastic debris. Over the centuries, historians have made incredible discoveries at both sites. The suddenness of the disaster and the thoroughness with which both towns were covered preserved a tremendous amount of information about the Roman era, including a priceless collection of charred scrolls that vastly expanded our knowledge of ancient writers and their works.

Our knowledge of the eruption itself is derived from a single surviving eyewitness account. In approximately AD 104, Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to the Roman senator and historian Tacitus in which he described the events of the eruption. Pliny dates the eruption as 24 August, though some archaeologists have argued for an October date based on the presence of fresh olives in the city. Here’s an excerpt from his account:

At that time, my uncle [Pliny the Elder] was in command of the fleet. About one in the afternoon, my mother pointed out a cloud with an odd size and appearance that had just formed… The cloud could best be described as more like an umbrella pine than any other tree, because it rose high up in a kind of trunk and then divided into branches. I imagine that this was because it was thrust up by the initial blast until its power weakened and it was left unsupported and spread out sideways under its own weight…

Like a true scholar, my uncle saw at once that it deserved closer study and ordered a boat to be prepared.

The voyage that Pliny the Elder intended to make in scientific curiosity quickly became an errand of mercy. As he was about to embark, Pliny received a letter from a friend and her husband who lived near the foot of Vesuvius, at Stabiae, begging for rescue. Pliny ordered his galleys to see to the evacuation of the shoreline and took a faster vessel directly towards his friend’s home. Pliny the Younger recounts that his uncle “steered bravely straight for the danger zone that everyone else was leaving in fear and haste.” When his helmsmen encountered flaming cinders and ash near Herculaneum, Pliny the Elder responded: “Fortune favors the brave, steer to where Pomponianus [his friend] is.”

Image by Wikipedia

Upon reaching Stabiae, Pliny found Pomponianus but not Rectina, the woman who had written him. The party found itself unable to flee by sea because the same winds that had brought Pliny to Stabiae prevented the cutter from sailing. The group took refuge in Pomponianus’ home for some hours, before the ash and pumice levels became so heavy as to compromise the structure.

Pliny, however, did not fare well in the open air. In speaking of events that night, Pliny the Younger notes that his uncle fell asleep at one point, “for his loud, heavy breathing was heard by those passing his door.” Once the group reached the sea, Pliny sat down to rest and called for cold water, but was unable to keep his feet, even with the assistance of two slaves. Pliny the Younger writes that his uncle: “suddenly collapsed and died, because, I imagine, he was suffocated when the dense fumes choked him. When light returned on the third day after the last day that he had seen, his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like a man asleep than dead.”

Pliny the Younger does not state what happened to his uncle’s body or whether it was specifically recovered for individual burial. It’s unlikely that his uncle was uniquely overcome by fumes, but a heart or asthma attack are both considered distinct possibilities for an older, heavyset man with breathing troubles operating near an active volcano.

Modern Discovery

More than a century ago, an engineer named Gennaro Matrone found a group of 70 skeletons near the historic shore of Stabiae. One of the skeletons bore multiple golden chains, bracelets, and a short sword decorated with ivory and seashells. I can’t find a picture of the actual sword Matrone recovered, but I’ve dropped a standard Roman gladius below, just to give you an idea what the basic form might have been:

Image by Rama/CC BY-SA 3.0

The idea that an individual decorated with golden bracelets and carrying a sword with a specific ocean motif might also be a highly decorated fleet commander was dismissed for lack of evidence. Matrone sold most of the bones to various private collectors, then donated the skull and jawbone to Rome’s Museum of the History of the Art of Medicine.

A new analysis of the bones has turned up evidence backing the Pliny theory. First, the jawbone wasn’t related to the skull (a not-unusual mistake when excavating a mass crave of 70 people) but belonged to someone much younger. The skull, however, could be Pliny’s based on an analysis of DNA haplogroups and cranial sutures. The haplogroup analysis indicated the owner was typical of Italian populations in the Roman period, while the cranial sutures suggested the owner was 45, plus or minus 12 years (based on the analysis of the top sutures), while the sides of the skull were both typical of someone who was 56, plus or minus eight years.

This doesn’t prove the skull is Pliny’s, but it strengthens the case. While the Romans of this era typically cremated their dead more frequently than burying them, it’s entirely possible that there was very little wood left to burn. Burning 70 people would have required a great deal of wood. At a certain point, mass burial becomes simpler.

Other Fun Vesuvius Facts

Two other fun things to have emerged from Pompeii and Herculaneum in the last few years, just in case you missed them.

In 2018, researchers announced they’d found someone who died a death worthy of Wile E. Coyote.

Suuuuuuuuper genius. Image credit: Lightrocket via Getty Images

Researchers believe the remains of the man’s head are located beneath the enormous rock.

Second, an analysis of the hundred or so skeletons found in the boathouses of Herculaneum, where people unable to flee attempted to take refuge, has found evidence that the temperatures inside the boat house were so high, they boiled the blood out of people. Multiple individuals show evidence of skullcap fractures caused by the sudden and violent explosions of their contents. Now, a new analysis of remains found in a different part of Herculaneum has found one man whose brain didn’t explode — it actually turned to glass.

Image by Petrone et al./NEJM

The moral of this story? Don’t live near potentially active volcanoes. But if you do live near potentially active volcanoes, try to die in a really interesting way so that scientists who study you can learn cool things from your demise.

And maybe wear dog tags. You’ll be doing the archaeologists of 10,000 AD a favor.

Feature image by Wolfgang Sauber/CC BY-SA 3.0

Now Read:

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from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/305454-skull-of-pliny-the-elder-lost-to-vesuvius-in-79-ad-possibly-found from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/01/skull-of-pliny-elder-lost-to-vesuvius.html