Chapter 1: What Are the Olympics?

Keisha, JR and Julie are excited about the summer. They are excited about the Summer Olympics. They want to watch their favorite sports and athletes. Keisha, JR and Julie want to learn about the 2024 Summer Olympics. What is one way you could learn about the Olympics?
What are the Olympics? Keisha gets a book about the Olympics. Keisha, JR and Julie read about the Olympic Games. The Olympics are games that bring athletes together from all over the world. An athlete is a person who plays a sport. Over 10,000 athletes will play sports in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Use context clues to find the meaning of the word ‘athlete’.
The Olympics began in Greece in 776 BC. The only event was a short, fast run called a sprint. An event in the Olympics is a sports contest. Every four years, men from Greece would go to a field in Olympia. The men would compete to win the race. The winner of the race wore a wreath of olive branches on his head. Where was the first Olympics? Find Greece on a map.
The Olympics changed as time went on. The Olympics added more events. One event was a chariot race. Men rode in a cart called a chariot. Horses pulled the chariot in this race. More men came to compete in the Olympics. Women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games starting in 1928. These ancient Games were played every four years for over 1,000 years. Why are these games called the ancient Olympics?
The first modern Summer Olympics were played in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The athletes came from countries around the world. There were 241 athletes at the first Olympics. Leaders from these countries thought the Olympic Games were a good idea. They decided to have Olympic Games every four years just like the ancient Games. Why are the Summer Olympic Games held every four years?
The Summer Olympics have been held almost every four years since 1896. They have only been canceled three times because of World War I and World War II. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games was delayed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why have the Olympic Games been canceled before?
Julie sees a timeline in the book. The timeline shows when the modern Olympics began in 1896. The timeline shows that the Olympics have been held in many cities all around the world. Julie sees that the Summer Olympics was in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996. She sees Olympic Games in Australia, Greece, China and London. “Look!” says Julie. “Did you know the 2024 Summer Olympics is in Paris, France? France is in Europe.” What is a U.S. city that has hosted the Summer Olympic Games? Use a device to look up what other U.S. cities have hosted the Olympic Games before.

Chapter 2: Where Is the 2024 Summer Olympics?

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games is in Paris. Paris is in France. JR says, “I want to go to the Olympics in Paris.” Keisha tells JR, “You cannot go to the Olympics in Paris.” She shows JR where Paris is from the United States. JR would have to take an airplane. “That is really far,” says JR. Keisha says, “Don’t worry, JR. You can watch the Olympics on TV. We can learn about the Olympics on the computer.” Find Paris on a map or a globe. Find your state on the map or globe.
Discuss how far Paris is from where you live. Keisha, JR and Julie look on the computer. They want to learn more about the 2024 Summer Olympics. They find a website about the Olympics in Paris. This will be the third time Paris has hosted the Summer Olympic Games. The last time Paris hosted the Olympic Games was 100 years ago! Paris has worked hard to get ready for the Olympics. They need to be ready for many people to come watch the athletes compete. This summer the Olympics will begin on July 26. The Olympics will last for 17 days. Find July 26 on the calendar. When does the Olympics end?
Keisha, JR and Julie read about the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony is the night before the sporting events begin. There is a parade with athletes from each nation. This year, Paris is doing something different. All the athletes will come into Paris on boats along the Seine River. The parade will end in front of an outdoor area called the Trocadéro. Paris is expecting at least 600,000 people to attend this event. It will be the largest opening ceremony in Olympics history! What is different about the opening ceremonies in 2024?
Part of the opening ceremony is the lighting of the Olympic torch. This will show that the games can begin. The torch will be first lit in Olympia, Greece. 10,000 people will then take turns carrying the torch across land and water as it makes its way to Paris. The torch will go through many different cities on its journey. What does the Olympic torch show?
Athletes from 206 countries from around the world will compete in the Olympic Games in Paris. There will be 329 different events across 32 sports. Skateboarding, breaking, surfboarding and sport climbing are all new sports added to the 2024 Olympics. Each country will send their best athletes to compete for medals. The athletes from each country make up a team. The best athlete or team in a sport wins a gold medal. Do an internet search to learn more about the newly added sports of skateboarding, breaking, surfboarding and sport climbing.
Every Summer Olympic Games has a mascot. The mascot tells the history and culture of the city hosting the Olympics. Keisha reads that this year’s mascots are named Phryges. A Phryge is a small cap, or a hat. These caps were worn by people from a long time ago. A Phrygian cap stands for liberty, inclusivity and the ability of people to support meaningful causes. Why do you think every Olympic Games has a mascot?
JR wonders what Paris is like. He types “Paris” into the computer. “It looks like Paris is warm in the summertime,” he says. He also learns that Paris is a major city in France. Keisha, JR and Julie click on a website about the 2024 Olympics. They learn a lot about the upcoming Olympic Games, including where each event will take place. They watch videos about the events and athletes. This is a fun way for Keisha, JR and Julie to learn about the Summer Olympics. Do an internet search on the 2024 Paris Olympics and the city itself.

Chapter 3: Learning About the Events

Keisha, JR and Julie are learning more about their favorite Summer Olympic events. Keisha loves water. She likes to swim in her pool. She wants to learn more about the water events. JR loves horses. He goes to horse therapy each week. He wants to know about Olympic events with horses. Julie likes to walk on a track. She wants to know about the track and field events. How can we learn more about the Olympics?
Keisha uses the computer to learn more about swimming at the Summer Olympics. The fastest swimmer wins in four different swimming styles: the freestyle, the backstroke, the butterfly and the breaststroke. She also likes to watch the divers on the diving boards. The divers do flips and turns before diving into the water. What are the four kinds of swimming styles?
Some events are for individual athletes. Some are team events. Keisha learns about other water events: water polo, sailing, rowing and canoeing. Water polo has two teams throwing a ball into a goal in a pool. Rowing has individuals or teams row a boat through a course. Keisha is looking forward to watching the water events on TV. What other water events take place besides swimming and diving?
JR looks up the horse events. Horse events are called equestrian events. JR sees three types of equestrian events. They are called equestrian dressage, equestrian eventing and equestrian jumping. In equestrian events, the horse and the rider show how they can jump, move and run. The horses jump over fences and move through different obstacle courses. The horse and rider that jump, run or move the best get a gold medal. JR can’t wait to watch the horses jump over fences on TV. What does equestrian mean?
Julie searches for athletics. This tells her about the track and field events. Athletes try to run faster, jump higher and throw farther than other athletes. Individuals and teams can run short and long races. Some athletes compete in long jump and high jump events. What types of events are in athletics?
Julie did not know the Olympics have throwing events. Some athletes throw a heavy metal ball. This event is called shot put. Julie sees a picture of someone jumping with a stick. This event is called pole vault. She thinks that looks interesting. Julie wants to watch these events on TV. Why would the shot put event take place on a field?
“Hey, what is gymnastics?” Keisha asks. Gymnastics is for individuals and teams. The athletes are strong and flexible. They balance and move their bodies gracefully. They flip on balance beams. They do somersaults. They do jumps in the air and land on their feet. JR sees a picture of an athlete doing flips around a bar in the air. What do athletes do when they compete in gymnastics?
Keisha, JR and Julie learned about some events at the Olympics. The Olympics have many more events, such as volleyball. Volleyball can be played indoors or on a beach. Badminton, tennis, wrestling and weightlifting are some of the other sports in the Olympics. All of the sports have their own set of rules the athletes must follow. Following the rules of their sport will help the athlete or team win. What event do you want to watch during the Olympics? Why is it important to follow the rules in a sport?

Chapter 4: U.S. Olympians

About 10,500 athletes will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Each athlete has a sport they do best. Athletes will participate in 32 different sports at the Summer Olympics this year. Many athletes come to the Olympics hoping to set new records. A record means they got the highest score or fastest time of any athlete who’s ever competed in that event. How many sports will be at the Summer Olympics this year?
Olympic athletes work hard to do their best and set records. They practice every day. Many of them started practicing when they were very young. Athletes have coaches. A coach helps the athlete to know what they need to work on. A coach cheers and encourages the athlete. The coaches want their athletes to do their best and win a medal at the Olympics. What helps Olympic athletes do their best?
Keisha, JR and Julie want to learn about U.S. athletes who were winners in past Olympics. Julie learns about famous U.S. Olympic runners. Carl Lewis was a fast runner and jumper. He won ten Olympic medals. Florence Griffith Joyner was known at one time as the fastest woman in the world. She won five Olympic medals. Who was a famous Olympic runner?
Keisha learns about famous U.S. Olympic swimmers. Mark Spitz was a fast swimmer. In the 1972 Olympics, he won seven gold medals. In all, he won 11 medals. He set 33 world records. Who is Mark Spitz?
JR learns about famous U.S. Olympic gymnasts. Simone Biles is a great gymnast. She was the first U.S. female gymnast to win four gold medals at one Olympics. She won Olympic medals in the floor and vault events. Who is Simone Biles?
Keisha learns about athletes in new Olympic sports. Skateboarding and surfing are new Olympic sports. Skateboarding and surfing began at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Carissa Moore is a great surfer. Carissa Moore was the first-ever winner of the Olympic gold medal in women’s short board surfing. Which sports were introduced in the Tokyo Olympics?
Famous Olympic athletes are all remembered for their achievements. They set records and won medals. Athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics will look up to these athletes of the past. Why are Olympic athletes from the past important?

Chapter 5: Special Olympics

Keisha, JR and Julie enjoy learning about the Olympics, the events and famous athletes. Julie is looking at websites. She sees a website for the Special Olympics. She asks JR and Keisha if they have heard of the Special Olympics. JR says, “Yes! I have been an athlete in the Special Olympics!” Who has been in the Special Olympics?
The Special Olympics are for athletes with a disability. The first Special Olympics Summer Games was held in 1968. The Special Olympics allow athletes to compete and make friends with others. The Special Olympics help athletes gain confidence in themselves. What are the Special Olympics?
The Special Olympics was started by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She had a sister named Rosemary. Rosemary had a disability. Eunice and Rosemary liked to play sports together. Eunice had an idea. In 1962 she had a summer day camp in her backyard. Children with disabilities learned to play sports at the camp. This is how the Special Olympics started. Who started the Special Olympics?
Now the Special Olympics are in over 193 countries. There are more than 5.6 million Special Olympics athletes across the world. They can compete in 37 different sports. The Special Olympics has small competitions that take place every year. The Special Olympics also has big competitions that take place around the world. They are called the Special Olympics World Games. The World Games take place every two years. The last World Games was in Berlin, Germany, in 2023. The next World Games will be in Italy in 2025. Italy is in Europe. How many different sports are a part of the Special Olympics?
Some Special Olympics sports include:

• Swimming.
• Running.
• Basketball.
• Bowling.
• Gymnastics.
• Softball.
• Tennis.
• Volleyball.

What sports are you interested in?
Keisha and Julie ask JR more about the Special Olympics. JR says, “I was in the Special Olympics. I was in a wheelchair race. Here is my scrapbook from the Special Olympics.” JR shows Keisha and Julie his scrapbook. JR has pictures of his friends running, jumping and riding bicycles. What is one sport JR plays?
Keisha, Julie and JR read more about the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics are held every year. They can be held in your school, in your city or in your state. Athletes must be at least 8 years old. Athletes can compete till any age they want. The Special Olympics are a great way to stay active as you get older. Athletes must also practice and do their best. Maybe Keisha and Julie will join JR’s team next year. How can the Special Olympics help athletes?

Chapter 6: Teamwork

JR shows Keisha a picture. It is a picture of JR winning a medal at the Special Olympics. Keisha asks, “How did you win your medal?” JR says, “I was in a relay race with my friends. We worked really hard. We had to practice racing around the track. Our teacher was our coach. We practiced handing each other the baton. This is a picture of my team. We won the medal together. We cheered for our team. It was our teamwork that helped us win.” How did JR win his medal at the Special Olympics?
JR knows how to be a part of a team also. He knows teamwork helps teams win. People on a team show teamwork by practicing together. They show teamwork by encouraging each other and listening to the coach. A coach helps the athletes. A coach tells the athletes what job they will do on the team. A coach helps the athletes work together as a team. Why is it important to listen to the coach?
Many events at the Olympics are team events. The U.S. women’s 3x3 basketball team won the gold medal in 2021. They worked as a team to win. Other team Olympic events include:

• Soccer.
• Water polo.
• Handball.
• Volleyball.

Talk about these sports and how the athletes work as a team.
Some athletes compete alone. But their score is added to their teammates' scores. The team with the best score wins a medal. Some of these Olympic team events are:

• Gymnastics.
• Archery.
• Cross-country running.
• Equestrian.
• Synchronized swimming.

Talk about these sports and how the athletes work as a team.
Being part of a team is hard work. Everyone must work together. Working together is better than working alone. Everyone encourages each other and cheers each other on. A soccer player knows their job on the soccer team. They cannot always kick the ball. They must pass the ball to their teammates before they can score. Soccer players know how to be part of a team. Talk about the importance of team members working together.
Keisha, JR and Julie want to be on a team together. They want to be on a team that races. They practice together. JR races with his wheelchair. He practices hard. Keisha and Julie are not fast, but they get faster when they practice as a team. They will work together and get faster. They will cheer for each other. It feels good to be a part of a team. Whether they win or lose, they can be proud of themselves for working together. What could happen if a team doesn’t practice?
This bold text is a questions, so comment these bold texts for the answers.

Summer of Adventure Sale – 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Andrew Larder

Summer of Adventure Sale

Summer brings longer days and endless hours of sunshine, making a European summer trip more tempting than ever. Whether you’re looking to soak up the sun in Greece, enjoy local wine tastings in Italy or take rides along countryside lanes in France, we’ve got the perfect hiking and biking adventures for you.
To help you start planning, we’re offering up to 15% off some of Exodus Travels most popular trips, so you can get that Summer of Adventure feeling! Available on selected departures between May 1st and September 30th, 2024. With over 400 trips on sale, talk to our agents today to figure out what summer adventure you want to experience.
In a couple of months’ time, you could be discovering the legendary site of Pompeii and the romantic towns of Positano and Ravello on our Highlights of the Amalfi Coast trip. Or take a journey back in time, on our Highlights of Ancient Greece, to visit the fascinating archaeological ruins of Acropolis, Epidaurus and Mycenae. If you’re interested in biking, consider Cycle Northern France: Brittany to Normandy to take you past stunning medieval villages, the historic Omaha Beach and harbor towns that are known for their oysters and refreshing apple cider.
Make 2024 the Summer of Adventure to remember forever. With tours in over 100 countries on sale, get inspired by checking out a few adventures below or contact us to find your perfect trip.
Our Top Picks for Summer 2024;
With so many trips to choose from, here are just a few to get you started. Culture, Wildlife, Hiking or Cycling; find your adventure this summer!
Highlights of Ancient Greece – Cultural Journey through thousands of years and major UNESCO World Heritage sites
Tour Starting in Athens, this tour covers significant archaeological sites such as the Acropolis, Mycenae, and Epidaurus. It also includes visits to the medieval castle town of Mystras, Olympia—site of the ancient Olympic Games, Delphi, and the stone forest of Meteora, a major Orthodox community. The journey spans the Peloponnese peninsula and central Greece, featuring stunning coastlines, forests, and mountains.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Explore the ancient sites of Mystras and Delphi •Visit Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games •Enjoy spectacular Meteora
Highlights of the Amalfi Coast – Cultural Discover one of the most fascinating and romantic destinations in the world
Tour Based in quiet Agerola, amid the green Lattari mountains, this tour explores the Bay of Naples’ famous sites, including the well-preserved ruins of Herculaneum and the legendary Pompeii. The journey extends to the dramatic Amalfi Coast, offering excursions to Capri, scenic views from the Path of the Gods, and the charming town of Ravello. Experience the region’s rich cultural heritage and breathtaking landscapes, celebrated by artists and writers throughout history.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Enjoy boat trips along the Amalfi Coast and to the island of Capri •See the romantic coastal towns of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello •Visit both Herculaneum and Pompeii •Enjoy Italian hospitality at family-run Hotel Due Torri
Cycling Vietnam – Cycling Experience the real Vietnam by bike
Tour This two-week cycling tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi covers diverse landscapes, from colorful fishing villages and rice terraces to jungle-clad mountains and white sandy beaches. Highlights include swimming on a tropical island, exploring the ancient port of Hoi An, and ascending the scenic Hai Van Pass for breathtaking coastal views.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Take a cycling holiday through Vietnam’s most scenic landscapes •Savour mouth-watering cuisine •Crawl through the Cu Chi war tunnels •Relax in charming Hoi An •Cruise among the limestone formations of Ha Long Bay •Overnight on a tropical island
Cycling Puglia & Matera – Cycling Cycle from the UNESCO town of Matera through Italy’s heel to Lecce
Tour Explore the cultural and natural treasures of Italy’s Puglia and Basilicata regions. This itinerary includes Matera’s intriguing Sassi houses and the UNESCO-listed trulli houses of Alberobello. The journey proceeds through idyllic countryside to Ostuni, the White City, and onto Gallipoli along the dramatic Ionian coastline. While cycling across the Salento Peninsula, experience the quintessential Italian lifestyle amidst olive groves, limestone cliffs, crystal-clear waters, and baroque towns.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Ride from the stunning UNESCO town of Matera •Enjoy gentle cycling through olive groves and past conical trulli houses •Sample fine seafood and wine from the Salento coast •Stay in accommodation bursting with character
Loire Valley: Walks, Wine & Chateaux – Hiking Discover regal estates and fine wines in the glamorous Garden of France
Tour Enjoy a walking tour in the Loire Valley, where stunning royal castles meet premier winemaking. Stay in a chateau near Tours and a country manor in Beaumont-en-Véron, ideal bases for exploring the region. Visit notable castles like Amboise and Chenonceau, and tour picturesque vineyards, sampling exceptional wines along the way.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Stay in a 15th-century chateau and 17-century country manor house •Tour Chenonceau, a magnificent chateau stretching over the Cher river •Visit wine producers to sample their celebrated drinks at source •Visit the lavish Château Royal d’Amboise, once home to French monarchs •Meet members of the Loire wine brotherhoods, practically unrivalled in their knowledge of the local produce •Enjoy tranquil walks through vineyards and along the Loire River
Iceland’s Laugavegur Trek – Hiking Hike one of the best-loved walking trails in Iceland to discover otherworldly landscapes
Tour Iceland is renowned as a premier trekking destination with its dramatic landscapes shaped by volcanic activity and glaciers. The Laugavegur Trail is a highlight, featuring a week-long trek from the colorful mountains of Landmannalaugar to the dramatic Thorsmork region, exploring craters from the 2010 eruption. All meals are included while camping. Additionally, early summer treks enjoy nearly 24 hours of daylight, while trips in late August and early September offer potential sightings of the Northern Lights.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Take the best-known trekking route in Iceland •Discover natural hot pools, waterfalls, lava fields, craters and volcanic fissures •Experience 24-hour daylight in July, chance of the Northern Lights in late August and September
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Earth's orbit experiences an “Orbital Eccentricity”, 100,000 year cycle orbit and inclination variation, going from circular to elliptical, the hemispheres experience more or less sun or exposure to the sun for extended periods, causing ice ages. Scientists estimate we are near the minimum, a 6% change in solar energy. At peak, the earth experiences a change of 30%.
Modern Day Primates, in the wild and captivity, are able to communicate, near and far, using verbal and gesture components, even to other species. Have been observed using wood as tools, and in using medicinal plants to treat wounds.
44 million y a - Hominid ancestors acquire Herpes virus.
10 million y a - Primate ancestors develop genes to digest alcohol.
6 million years ago - Primate ancestors split from Chimpanzee/Bonobo line (15 million DNA mutations have occurred since then; each person born today has 100 mutations distinct to them, most don’t survive.)
5.3 m y a - Mediterranean Sea experiences the Messinian Salinity Crisis, for 600,000 years the Straight of Gibraltar closed off, causing the Mediterranean to shrink down to two inland seas with Italy and Greece separating them. Ends in the Zanclean Flood, a river of Atlantic sea water flows thru Gibraltar and fills the Mediterranean in 2 years.
5 m y a - Arabian-African continent reconnects with Asia. Land based Turtle species start going extinct.
4 - 3 m y a - Hominid ancestors acquire pubic lice from Gorillas (genetic evidence).
3.6 - 2.58 m y a - Considered the Neogene Period.
3.3 m y a - Stone tools found in Kenya and Ethiopia.
2.6 m y a - Mode One Stone Tools found in Ethiopia, would subsequently spread. Flourished to 1.7 million y a in southern and eastern Africa. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) Era (2.6 m y a till end of last Ice Age, 11,000 y a). Subdivided into the Early- or Lower Paleolithic (c. 2,6 million years ago - c. 250,000 years ago); the Middle Paleolithic (c. 250,000 years ago - c. 30,000 years ago); and the Late- or Upper Paleolithic (c. 50,000/40,000 - c. 10,000 years ago)
2.58 million - 11,700 years ago - Considered the start of the Quaternary Period, and covers the Pleistocene.
2.4 – 1.4 m y a – Homo Habilis (4.5-3.5 feet tall).
2 m years ago - Earliest Hominids start eating meat.
1.9 – 1.8 m y a – Homo Rudolfensis.
1.89 m y a to 110,000 y a - Homo Erectus (first to leave Africa and spread across Asia).
1.8 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found on Java.
1.7 m years ago - Mode Two Stone Tools (slicing, hand-axe/butchering, evidence of drilling tools) appear in Kenya and southern Africa.
1.6 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found in northern China.
1.6 - 1.5 m y a - Africa, Turkana Boy dies, likely from a tooth cavity infection. He was either 8 or 11-12 years old and 61 inches tall. Brain 880 ccm.
1.5 m y a - Kenya, possible start of Hominids using fire to cook food. (increase in caloric intake, which would lead to evolution; however, Paranthropus Boisei is the local species, brain 500-550 ccm, 54 inches tall)
1 million years ago - Likely split between ancestor of Homo Sapiens and proto-Neanderthal-Denisovan species. (Mitochondrial DNA evidence.) South Africa, evidence of fire use for cooking.
1 m - 700,000 y a - Java, Java Man dies, brain 900 ccm. 5' 8" tall.
900,000 y a – Possible earliest use of boats.
820,000 - 580,000 y a - Durum Wheat develops out of natural hybridization with Einkorn Wheat (genetic analysis).
800,000? y a - Low world temperatures recorded. Height of Ice Age?
790,000 y a - Levant, oldest Fire hearths found. (Homo Heidelbergensis, 1,250 ccm brain, 69 in tall)
740,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
7-200,000 y a – Homo Heidelbergensis (East Africa and Europe, likely first to hunt large animals with spears)
640,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
550,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
540,000 - 430,000 y a - Art: Sea shell formed into decoration by Homo Erectus. (Could indicate when sea shells began to be used as whistles and horns.)
530,000? y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, high CO2 content in the atmosphere, 524-474,000).
500,000 y a - South Africa, evidence of Spears. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spread from Europe to Caspian Sea, Denisovans occupied land from Caspian to the east.
450,000 y a - Earliest physical evidence of Neanderthal.
450,000 y a - Global temperatures had dropped, stayed that way for thousands of years.
430,000 - 230,000 y a - Durum Wheat cross-breeds with wild Goat Grass (genetic analysis).
400,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 424-374,000).
400,000 y a - Germany, oldest Spears found. France (Terra Amata), possible evidence of manmade shelter using prepared wood.
360,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
335-236,000 y a – Homo Naledi (South Africa, 4’9”)
310,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 337-300,000).
300,000 y a – Mode Three Stone Tools (smaller knife-like, scrapers, developed in Europe by Neanderthals)
300,000-200,000 y a – Africa, Origin of Male Y-Chromosome that all current males are descended from. (40% of males do not reproduce.)
270,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
240,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 242–230,000).
200,000 y a - France, evidence of Neanderthals fishing. Africa, "Mitochondrial Eve," source of all Human Haplo-groups that everyone is descended from, existed at this time.
194,000-135,000 y a - Penultimate Glacial Period.
190,000 y a - Early physical evidence of Denisovans. (At least three interbreeding events would occur with Homo Sapiens. EPAS1 gene, hemoglobin concentration, Tibetan plateau.)
190,000-50,000 y a - Flores Island, evidence of tool use by the Human Hobbit.
170,000 - 80,000 y a - Body Lice evolve (genetic evidence, feed on human skin, live in clothing; evidence of clothing)
164,000 y a – South Africa, heat treating Silcrete Stone to enhance stone tool production.
140,000 y a - Homo Sapiens found in Europe.
130,000 y a - Evidence of humans in North America. Crete, earliest human settlements found on the island. Art: Neanderthal necklace made of eagle talons. Croatia: Neanderthal teeth show possible dental work.
125,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 130-115,000). Sea levels 4-6 meters (18 feet) higher then today.
110,000-15,000 y a - Last Glacial Period. Grey Wolves would migrate from North America back to Asia prior to the maximum.
100,000-60,000 y a - Flores Island, bone fossil evidence of the Human Hobbit.
100,000 y a - Oldest example of proper human burial. South Africa, Pigment (paint) Creation Kit found. (would cover bodies in mud/clay and then spray the paint over the bodies, sun screen-protection from insects)
90,000 y a – Harpoons.
86,000-37,000 y a – Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens begin interbreeding, based on genetic evidence found so far.
75,000 years ago - Likely rise of Hunter Genotype in Homo Sapiens.
75,000 y a - Art: Drilled snail shells found in South African cave.
73,000 y a - South Africa (Blombos Cave), evidence of Red Ochre art on pieces of stone, stone with deliberate lines cut into it possibly representing count marks.
72,000 y a - South Africa, Beads found in cave.
70,000 y a - Mitochondrial DNA suggests this is when the Haplo-group of early humans migrated out of Africa to populate the rest of the world.
70-60,000 y a - Earliest evidence of bone and stone arrowheads (for Spear Throwers), found in South Africa. 64,000?
70,000 - 35,000 BCE - Neanderthal burials in Europe and Middle East.
68-16,000 y a – Smallpox evolves from an African Rodent Virus.
67,000 BCE - France, burial shows skulls with Trepanation (cutting holes to relieve brain pressure), earliest example of surgery.
65,000 y a - First humans settle Australia.
64,000 y a - Spain, oldest evidence found of Cave Art (Neanderthal hand).
61,000 y a - South Africa, possible evidence of a Sewing Needle.
60,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
60,000 y a - Evidence of man/Neanderthal using herbal medicine.
55,000 - 40,000 y a - Italy, evidence of Neanderthal using Pine Tree Resin and Beeswax for hafting tools, in cave. (Beeswax can be used in making Candles.)
52,000 y a - Last evidence of Denisovans.
52,000 – 41,000 y a – Archaeological find of “Bast” tree fiber twisted into primitive cordage, possibly as handle for a Stone Tool. (meaning they had access to Clothing, Nets, Cord for Fishing or Hafting tools, rope; thinking processes of Counting, Sets, Patterns, and possibly abstract thinking)
50,000 - 10,000 y a - Mode Four Stone Tools (long blades).
50,000 y a - Australia, last evidence of megafauna. Siberia, needle made from bone found in Denisovan cave. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spreading to western edge of China.
50,000 years ago - End point of development of Gatherer Genotype (can survive famine), Teacher Genotype (can handle new and different environments, analytical).
45,000 y a - Evidence of Neanderthal and Homo Sapien interbreeding. (Fossil found, DNA tested.) (France, to create stone tools required precision, “Soft Hammers” were likely used.)
44,000 y a - Evidence of art found in Indonesia.
44,000-40,000 y a - Europe experiences cold and dry weather, displacing populations.
43-42,000 y a - Germany, oldest musical instruments (flutes) found.
42,000 y a - Australia, skeleton of man suggests Atlatl use, pre-dating earliest evidence; earliest example of cremation found. Spain, small amounts of Natural Gold found in a cave.
40,000 y a - (Mankind is at the “Forager” level.) Last evidence of Neanderthal. (Inheritance of "STAT2" gene, immune response. HYAL2 gene, helps skin recover from sunburns.) China, test on body found that ate a lot of fresh water fish. Possible example of oldest petroglyphs. Beads found in Lebanon.
40,000 - 26,000 y a - Studying toe bones, showed they became smaller and weaker, indicating shoes were worn. Prior to this, shoes were likely bags wrapped around feet to protect from cold.
38,000 BC - First appearance of Mode Five Ground Stone tools on Japan. (rock was quarried; thin slivers of flint stone, attached to hafts, man is learning the use of a "handle" for tools and "leverage", create Adzes, Celts, and Axes; grinding helps to penetrate trees and was likely discovered when grinding plant matter; found buried with owners; were traded) Lasted till 14,000 BC. (Would not become popular elsewhere until 10,000 BC?) Germany: Clay Figurine featuring human with lion like appearance, thought to be earliest representation of a Deity.
35,000 BCE - Europe, earliest examples of "Venus figurines" found buried in graves (some showing they were deliberately broken or stabbed repeatedly); would later spread to rest of Eurasia. Early examples of skulls and long bones showing red ochre, indicating possible relic worship.
35,000 y a - Germany, flute made from a vulture bone found.
30,000 BCE – Solomon Islands, first humans settle (60 km sea voyage).
31,000 - 27,000 y a - Evidence of Pit Fire (Earthernware) Pottery developing.
30,000-20,000 years ago - Explorer genotype (Ice Age refugees, idiosyncratic, asymmetrical, contrarian mentality)
30,000 y a - Evidence of starch residue on rocks, indicating where plant matter was pounded and ground. (Would likely be the pre-cursor of developing bread from roots of cattails and ferns. Quern Grinding Stones would spread and gain popularity.) Georgia, Flax used as a textile (harvested, dyed, and knotted) found in Dzudzuana Cave. Fertile Crescent, Einkorn wheat harvested in it's wild form. Evidence of man using the Atlatl. Poland: Boomerang carved from mammoth tusk found. France, Lunar Calendar. Likely when Bolas (stone weight(s) and length of cord) began to be used.
28,000 y a - Europe, oldest evidence of rope.
25,000 - 15,000 BCE - Blood Type A develops in the Fertile Crescent. (able to survive Plague, Cholera, Smallpox)
27,000 y a - Australia, oldest example of petroglyphs found. Czech Republic, earliest example of "Weaving" of material together to create baskets and basic cloth. (Leads to counting and simple math, organizing.)
26,000-13,300 y a - Considered "Glacial Maximum", ice sheets extend to the 45th parallel north. (26,500 considered to be maximum glacial reach.)
23,000 - 12,000 y a – Europe, Perforated Batons found, made of antler, assumed to be a form of Atlatl that uses a leather strap or string to wrap around the spear and give it a slight spin, arrow or spear thrower (similar to Swiss Arrow). Right and left handed throwers find preference. Most carved with Horses, have one or two holes (one had 8 holes).
23,000 y a - Israel, Ohalo archaeological site, hunter-gatherer society (6 brushwood shelters, 132 stone tools some attached to hafts, stone Sickles, dwellings showed flint tools were made at entrance, cooking at other end, grind stone showed sand and cobbles to place and had U-shape of seeds around it) that grew/harvested Barley, Millet, Bromus (grass in same tax tribe as wheat/barley/rye, can be used for fermenting beverages, can be eaten by humans and animals), Rubus (same family as Rose plants, similar to blackberries), and various fruits (seeds from 13 different species), earliest evidence for “Bedding” material.
22,000 – 17,000 y a – France, Solutrean inhabitants make use of Antler.
21,000-17,000 y a - France, Atlatl's found in caves.
20,000 y a - Height of the Ice Age, sea levels 120 meters (360 feet) lower. Mode Five Stone Tools (microliths glued to handles, Fertile Crescent). Earliest example of a building/house found. Ukraine, Bullroarer (wood on rope that is swung around to create sound over long distance) found. Iraq-Iran, Zarzian Culture, had domesticated Dogs.
19,050? - 13,050 y a - Oldest Dryas Period, stadial, abrupt cooling period. Sea levels rose 10-15 m in 500 years.
17,000 BCE - Mesopotamia, Wild Emmer Wheat harvested.
18,000 - 17,500 y a - Siberia, earliest example of a domesticated dog found frozen. Germany, Bow and Arrows found. Early evidence of Darts used.
18,000 y a - Japan, oldest pottery discovered.
15,100 - 14,000 y a - Morocco, earliest example of a cemetery.
15,000 y a – Mode Five Stone Tools reach Europe. Southern France, cave art depicting possible Musical Bow, Nose Flute; "The Sorcerer," a figure showing human and many animal qualities (bison), made out of Clay.
15,000 – 10,000 y a – France, Stone Oil Lamps.
14,500 y a - Oldest example of bread making, Jordan desert.
14,160 - 13,820 y a - Archaeological find: infected tooth partially cleaned out with flint tools.
14,600 - 13,600 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 16-24 m.
14,000? y a - Older Dryas Period, around 200 year cooling period.
13,500 - 8,200 y a - China, wild Rice domestication event occurs.
15-10,000 BCE - Himalayas, development of Blood Type B.
11,050 BCE - Syria, attempts at domesticating Rye.
13,000 y a - Greece, evidence of lentils found. Earliest evidence of Amber used in jewelry. Israel, archaeological evidence of beer like gruel for ceremonial purposes found at Haifa. Likely beginning of Slavery.
13,000 - 12,700 y a - Fertile Crescent, archaeological evidence of man corralling and using pigs.
12,900 - 11,700 y a - The Younger Dryas Period, when temperatures went cold instead of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum.
10,000 BCE - Jericho, considered mankind's first town, is established. Buildings of clay and straw, dead buried under homes. (Would reach 70 dwellings by 94,000 BCE.) Chickpeas domesticated. Earliest evidence of the Bottle Gourd being domesticated and used (Africa and Asia variety). Azerbaijan (Caspian Sea), petroglyphs of reed boats. Starting point of Ocarina type flutes. Cyprus, humans arrive. Germany, Jet artifact (Botfly larvae, which can be eaten). Curved Stone Oil Lamps.
11,700 y a - Considered the beginning of the Holocene.
9600 BCE - Southern Levant, earliest use of wild Emmer Wheat.
11,500 - 11,000 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 28 m.
11,400 y a - Cypress, archaeological evidence of pigs (indicating they had been domesticated and brought from the mainland).
9400 - 9200 BCE - Jordan Valley, Fig trees found, indicating earliest agriculture since these trees could not reproduce.
9130 - 7370 BCE - SE Turkey, Gobekli Tepe, oldest known worship location.
9000 BCE - Syria, oldest (Saddle) Quern found. Mesopotamia, Copper first used. Bartering of Cattle and agricultural products likely occurring at this time.
9000 - 3300 BCE - Neolithic Era, roughly. Time period of when man has begun herding, before using bronze.
11,000 - 9,000 y a - Mesopotamia, domestication of Sheep; Rammed Earth construction technique developed. Iran, Domestication of Goat (focused on management of the animal, varieties would come later).
11,000-4,000 years ago - Warrior genotype (farmers, soldiers, inventors); Nomad genotype (life upon a horse, can handle different environments, good immune system)
11 or 10,000 y a - Last Ice Age ends.
8800 BCE - Emmer Wheat spreads beyond the Levant.
8700 BCE - Iraq, Copper pendant.
8500 BCE - Domestication of Barley. Domestication of peas occurs around this time. Turkey, Beer production found at Gobekli Tepe. Domestication of Cattle from the Aurochs (two separate populations, one in Mesopotamia [pop. 80], the other Pakistan). (Rendering cattle bones into Tallow allows for the creation of Candles. Beeswax also used.) Oregon, oldest pair of shoes found made from bark twine. Oats possibly start to be harvested, crop mirrors wheat (is like a weed).
8400 BCE – Cyprus, earliest dug Water Well (26 ft).
10,300 - 8,700 y a - China, Millet harvested.
10,200 - 9,500 y a - Emmer Wheat domesticated(?).
10,000 - 7,000 y a - Archaeological evidence of boats.
8000 BCE (10,000 years ago) – Genetic evidence of breeding Pigeons. Palestine, archaeological evidence of pastoralism. Pre-Pottery Neolithic people in the Fertile Crescent form perfectly smooth stone vases. Iran, Goat domestication. Believed to be when primitive dairy-cheese making began. Flax cultivation. China, Quern Grinding Stones. England, Antler used in headdress costume.
9,500 y a - Cyprus, earliest evidence of cat domestication. SE Anatolia, cold-working, annealing, smelting, lost wax casting of Copper.
7570 BCE – Indus Valley, Lapis Lazuli artifacts.
7500 - 5700 BCE - Anatolia, Catal Hoyuk develops as a spiritual center, found many clay figurines and impressions (feminine, phallic, hunting).
7400 BCE - A monolith ends up submerged in the Straight of Sicily.
7176 B.C. – Earth hit by one of the most massive Solar Storms from the sun ever recorded (visible at night with the magnetic field interaction).
7000 BCE - Archaeological evidence for pastoralism in Africa. China: evidence of mead (honey, rice, water fermented) in pottery; evidence of musical instruments. India, first archaeological evidence of Dance (cave art); evidence of dentistry. Armenian Highlands, art depictions of Cymbals. Durum Wheat made thru artificial selection in Europe and Near East. Greece, earliest evidence of grain silos. Turkey, Catal Hoyuk, art depiction of a Slinger. Afghanistan, Lapis Lazuli mined and traded to Indus and Mesopotamia societies. Europe, Cave Wall art of Honey Collecting.
7000 - 6600 BCE - China, domestication of Soy beans.
7000 - 6000 BCE - Turkey, domestication of Bitter Vetch. (Too bitter for human consumption without being boiled several times, has been found to be great for cattle feed.)
6500-3800 BCE - Ubaid Period (Mesopotamian citystates rise, evidence of specialized workers, evidence of taxation)
6500 BCE - Turkey, evidence of lead smelting at Catal Hoyuk. (Wrapping the dead in textiles, too.) China, archaeological evidence of Silk. Kosovo, oldest Ocarina found in Europe.
8,200 - 7,600 y a - Sea levels rise rapidly. Linked to North American great fresh water lake (Agassiz, Ojibway) sudden draining into Atlantic Ocean. 8,400 y a?
6050 BCE - Moldova, evidence of man extracting salt from a natural spring.
8,000 y a - Western Europe, white skin first appears. Iran: earliest evidence of irrigation; man starts choosing sheep for their wooliness, not just meat and skin (2-3,000 years later, would start wearing wool). Georgia, earliest evidence of wine. Spain, cave painting shows people collecting honey from a wild hive, using a container to hold. China, Buckwheat cultivated (near Tibetan plateau), possible first example of Influenza. Earliest evidence of the Ard Plow used (castrating bulls to train 4 years to become Draft Oxen, also means they can be used to haul logs thru and from forests). Mediterranean, Broad (Fava) Beans, Broccoli. Portugal: Almendres Cromlech, begins, aligned to equinox and solstice, occupied for 2,000 years, would become largest complex in Iberian peninsula, equal to other large complexes in Europe. Anatolia: Obsidian polished into mirrors. Spelt Wheat appears. First Stone hafted Axes. Earliest evidence of “Cock Fighting” game fowl. (Iraq, Kiln.)
6000 - 3500 BC - Mesopotamia (Sumer), Poppy domesticated.
7,8-5,000 y a - SE Turkey, Einkorn Wheat grown and domesticated.
5600 BCE - Evidence of The Black Sea Flood, turning the fresh water lake into a salt water sea, rose shorelines and displaced populations (source of flood myths in religions).
7500 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? Lasts for 500 or more years.
7500 y a - Earliest example of chickpeas being used. Poland, archaeological evidence of cheese making. Ukraine, Romania, earliest examples of traps used for hunting. Pakistan, evidence of Cotton found in copper beads. Egypt, earliest Combs found (placing a leaf in the teeth can create a primitive sound instrument).
5500-5000 BCE - Serbia, Copper Smelting.
5200 - 4700 BCE - Iran, earliest evidence of a wheel, for pottery, made of stone or clay.
7,000 y a - Earliest example of Dolmen, single chamber tomb, consists of two stones supporting another on top (table design), found in western Europe, would spread and be common 4000 - 3000 BCE in Europe. Iranian plateau, evidence of Bronze made with naturally occurring arsenic. Tin would replace as the major ingredient (and releasing non-toxic vapors) in the late 3000 BCE period. Iran, evidence of wine found, using sealed containers. China, Hemp domestication (smoking was likely cause for spread, Iron Age would use for production); Rammed Earth construction technique, Silkworm domestication begins. Egypt, Badarian culture starts farming, used boomerangs. Roundels, circular enclosure often with entrances aligned to solstice, would be constructed in Central Europe (Germany, 120-150 altogether). Siberia, oldest carpet found (likely a funeral gift, from Armenia, featured griffons). Mesopotamia: first use of Stamp Seals for government purposes; Rotary Quern milling stones are introduced. Armenia: possible origin of Apricots. Lake Zurich, cultivation of Pear. Indus Valley Civilization, using Bitumen aka Asphalt for waterproofing (a basket), adhesive. Bulgaria, Turquoise beads.
6950 - 6440 y a - Papua New Guinea, cultivation of Taro and Yam.
4800 BCE - Egypt, early evidence of peas being grown. Cairn of Barnenez, Brittany, England, begins (burial monument and later bronze age use, considered one of the oldest and largest man made structures).
4700 - 4200 BCE - The town of Solnitstata, considered the oldest known settlement in Europe. Built around a salt deposit.
6,500 y a - Croatia, earliest example of an oven found. Slovenia, dental filling made with beeswax. Indus Valley, irrigation. Wine production reaches Greece. Carnac Stones, Brittany, France; would become large complex of standing stones, menhirs, domens, tumuli (burial mounds, with passage tombs), large rectangle formed by stone. Americas: various tribes domesticated “chili peppers.” Bulgaria, Carnelian beads. Manufactured Red Pottery Oil Lamps.
4500-4000 BCE - China, Investment Casting develops.
4200 - 4000 BCE - Mesopotamia develops true, easy to spin pottery wheels.
6,000 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? (Starting maybe 500 years earlier and ending 500 years later.)
4000 BCE - (Mankind has achieved “Farmer status.”) (Thought to be when Cattle were turned into Oxen for Draft Animal purposes.) Egyptians start building big Brick structures; manufacturing Papyrus; Gold artifacts; (domesticated Donkeys?). Earliest examples of Kilns. NE Italy, archaeological find of Appleseeds. Sicily, evidence of wine found. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Horse domestication begins (they became small and varied in size as compared to their wild ancestors). “Pontic Language Explosion”. [People from north of the Caspian and Black Seas migrated around Eurasia, ancestor of western languages. (shared origins with: milk, horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, grain, copper, carts, yoke, weaving, mead; patrilineal clans)]. Earliest examples of Viticulture (wine making). Levant, earliest examples of harvesting Olives; start using grain Silos. Art: Earliest depiction of Shoes, Sandals. China: example of a Loom for Silk production; Ramie (similar to flax, requires chemical processing, not as popular, believed to be used for Egyptian mummy wraps). Persia (Iran), Mung Bean domestication?, Chang (precursor to Harp) found on artwork, made with sheep guts. Mesopotamia: Stamp Seals come into use; Mirrors made of Copper; 30-40% of animal bones in settlements were pork (understood to be a way of removing trash from community, easy to feed and raise many); Uruk clay tablet describes two temples owning a herd of 95 pigs to be rendered into soap to clean linen; clay pipes for sewage. Europe, farming reaches northern regions. Anatolia, Silver production.
4000 - 1000 BCE - Ethiopia, Teff is discovered (can feed people and livestock, building material).
3800 - 3500 BCE - Czech Republic, possible evidence of earliest plowed fields.
5,700 y a - Lolland Island, a blue eyed, dark haired, dark skin woman spits out some Birch Bark gum; oldest complete human genome extracted; had Mononucleosis ("kissing disease"). Possible archeological evidence of pit traps used for migrating animal hunting.
3630 BCE - Oldest example of silk fabric found.
3600 BCE – Pork bones in settlements (Levant, Mesopotamia) dropped to 16-30% of total livestock.
5,500 - 4,700 y a - Georgia, tomb found had honey remains on pottery. (This culture could identify Linden, Berry, and Meadow-Flower varieties.)
3500 BCE - City of Uruk: (Mesopotamia) begins outward expansion and influence, later first example of organized warfare (would influence Egyptians to start building pyramids); "Cylinder Seals," a type of noble seal, that can be rolled unto wet clay (would be popular until 1000 BCE). Iraq, Kish Tablet, considered to represent the early transition from pictographic to cuneiform. Mesopotamia, earliest Harps and Lyres found; Gold artifacts. Modern humans settle the western coast of Europe, hunter-gatherers. Egyptians show Cat domestication; Gold Smelting; used a vertical Gnomon as a primitive Sundial? Iran, Beer made from Barley. Armenia, earliest Leather Shoe found. China, Pottery in shape of silkworm indicates earliest example of Sericulture (silk worm production).
3500 - 3350 BCE – Mesopotamia, earliest evidence of wheeled vehicles. Indus Valley civilization uses Stamp Seals with a type of script.
3400 BCE (5,400 years ago) - First metal casting. France, Cow skull showing Trepanation found.
5,400 -5,100 y a - Itzi the Iceman dies in the mountains of Northern Italy. Had a copper axe. Earliest evidence of tattoos. Shoes made from two types of animal skin (bear and deer). Arsenic residue in his hair.
3300 BCE - Egypt, tomb paintings show people Dancing. Indus Valley, develop Sanitation.
3200 BCE - Examples of using symbols to represent real life objects (would go to form written language). Ireland, construction begins on Newgrange, largest passage tomb in Europe, aligned to winter solstice. Egypt, Bead made of Meteoric Iron found.
3100 - 2900 BCE - Jemdet Nasr period (following fall of Uruk) would be known as establishing Cuneiform as a proper language.
3100 BCE - Upper and Lower Egypt unified. Mesopotamia, likely evidence of the earliest Lute type device.
3000 BCE - Onset of Bronze. Mesopotamia, Irrigation; Glass Beads appear (possible side effect of making metal); possible earliest Iron working (required higher temperatures), cuneiform mention of Pigeons. Sumer, Medical text found on tablet, believed oldest ever found. Egypt, Hieroglyphs of Pigeons and use of Homing Pigeons for message delivery, first record of a Doctor named, Imhotep; Antimony harvested from rock and made into eye makeup; earliest evidence of domestic Donkeys in the south. Egyptian Mummies show evidence of Smallpox (deathrate 30% especially among babies, can leave people blind). Dromedary Camels likely domesticated in Somalia at this time. (Camel hair can be harvested for shelter and clothing, outer guard hairs make for water proof coats. Camel milk readily turns into yogurt. To turn into butter requires a clarifying agent and extended process.) Chicken reaches Europe from Asia. England, earliest Stone Circles found. Slovakia, Romania, earliest chainmail found. Sheep chosen for wooly coat, not long hair. China, Clay Bells found. India, River Buffalo domesticated (water buffalo); Jute grown for fiber (burlap). Northern Iran, earliest examples of Trumpets. SE Asia, earliest records of Radish. Pakistan, Terracota female figurines.
2800 BCE - Solid evidence of plowed fields. China, Copper smelting discovered. Babylon, evidence of manufacture of soap like substance.
2700 BCE - Chinese treatise on health. 40 kinds identified.
2650 BCE - Egypt, dental work found.
2630-10 BCE - Egypt, Pyramid of Djoser constructed by Imhotep, considered first.
2600 BCE – Egypt, domestication of Honey Bee complete.
2600 - 1900 BCE - Indus Valley, Stoneware Pottery (meaning fired at 1000 degrees Celsius), would become a major industry; (Ivory?).
2580-50 BCE – Egypt, creates first true Ocean Dock for sea trading vessels (with Indus Valley).
2560 BCE - Great Pyramid of Giza completed.
2500 BCE - Evidence of The Amber Road, trade route from the Baltic Sea to Mediterranean Sea. E Iran, Bactrian Camels domesticated. Iraq, "Lyres of Ur," considered world's oldest stringed instruments. Peru, oldest Sling ever found. Egypt, earliest depiction of a Khopesh (sword). Sumerian Clay Tablet with instructions for manufacturing soap (heating mixture of oil and wood ash, earliest record chemical reaction, used for washing woolen clothing). China, axes with Corundum (precious stone). Harappan Culture of Indus Valley, chicken used for Cock Fighting, not food.
2500 - 2000 BCE - Mali, domestication of Pearl Millet. Turkey, Meteoric Iron dagger.
2400 BCE - Sumer, description of Prostitution and a Brothel-Temple to Fertility Goddess.
2300 BCE - Mesopotamia, Urukagina of Lagash, considered the earliest Law Code. (Widows and orphans exempt from taxes, state pays for funeral expenses, the rich must pay in silver and cannot force the poor against will, checked power of priests, protect from usury, abolished polyandry). Iran, Quince (fruit). China, oldest Gnomon (painted stick that casts a shadow for sundial purpose).
2200 BCE - China, first known tax, using salt. Iraq, tablet reads “22 jars of Pig Fat” (each jar 18 liters of Lard, 396 liters total, require 45 adult pigs; likely used to make soap to clean wool of sheep before turning them into textiles)
2200-2000 BCE - Turkey, Iron Smelting.
2100 - 2050 BCE - City of Ur: Earliest written Code of Law discovered. References Butter. (Fines for bodily harm, references murder, robbery, adultery, rape. Two classes of people: free and slave.)
4000 - 3000 y a - Mesopotamia, earliest Scissors (shear, spring type). India, Mung Bean domesticated.
2000 BCE - Murals show horses pulling chariots. Horses become common in western Europe. England, Great Orme Mine started, would become largest copper mine in region (most productive between 1700 - 1400 BCE), used bone and stone tools. China, Bells made out of metal (Bellfounding); domestication of the Swamp Buffalo (water buffalo). Ghana, earliest evidence of Cowpea (black eyed pea). India, Canola/Rapeseed; Diamonds being used to drill beads. Egypt, Lupin Beans. Greece, Kale grown.
1900 BCE – Homing Pigeons used for warfare.
1800 BCE - Egypt, medical text on gynecological issues; Safflower for pigment. India, Iron working.
1754 BCE - Code of Hammurabi (recognized Prostitution and gave women protection and inheritance; theorized that a fertility goddess had a temple that offered sex workers).
1700 - 1200 BCE - (Late Bronze Age) 8 societies in Middle East: Aegean, Egyptian, Hittite, Canaanite, Cypriot, Mitanni, Assyrian, Babylonian. Considered a "globalized world system." Next time this would occur is today.
1700 BCE – Mesopotamia: The "Mari Letters" reference Minoan society, King Hammurabi; clay tablets list Trigonometry Tables and Applied Geometry (for land ownership, speculated to aid in construction).
1628 BCE - Island of Thera/Santorini experiences huge volcanic eruption, possibly causing a tsunami thru eastern Mediterranean.
1600-1500 BCE - Greece, Helmet formed of boar tusks found.
1600 BCE – Levant, Mesopotamia, Pork bones rarely found in settlements (banned from temples in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt). (Found amongst the poor classes, difficult to tax since it did not produce wool or milk or could plow a field.)
1550 BCE – Papyrus Ebers, Egyptian medical text, mentions Chlamydia.
1500 BCE - Modern Trumpet design found in eastern Mediterranean. India, Pigeon Pea domesticated. Egypt, Mercury found in tombs; archaeologists find earliest Sundials; Emerald mines. China, Water Clocks.
1400 BCE - Syria, Hurrian Songs, cuneiform music tablet in Ugarit. Greece, oldest body armor found, made of bronze, Dendra Panoply (not actually worn, more of a showpiece, but clear representation of body armor for battle). China, Meteoric Iron axeheads. Art representation of Scale Mail in Egypt. Art: representation of Shields.
1350 BCE - Turkey, Hittites chronicle Egyptian prisoners of war bringing "the plague.”
1300 BCE - Uluburun Shipwreck, off coast of Turkey, had 300 sixty pound copper ingots (10 tons), 1 ton of tin, and tin objects and ingots of colored glass (blue, rose, brown). From Cypress/Minoa.
1300? - 900? BCE - Eastern Mediterranean experiences a 300? year drought. (Could also be: Cypress 1200- 850. Syria 1250-1187. Galilee 1250-1100)
1279 BCE - Battle of Qadesh (Egypt vs Hittites).
1200 BCE (3,200 years ago) - Onset of Iron smelting. Earliest Camel saddles appear. Last appearance of Megaliths. India, earliest evidence of Firewalking.
1200 BCE - Eastern Mediterranean civilization collapse. Drought in Greece. Earthquake series.
1188-1177 BCE - Egypt suffers invasions from "The Sea People."
1185 BCE - Syria, Ugarit Letter, Famine.
1140? BCE - Ramses 6th, mummy found to have Smallpox. No record of people dying from Smallpox.
1100 BCE - Phoenicians establish nation. Europe, Iron Age.
1100? BCE - Earth experiences a cold temperature period?
1100-750 BCE - Egypt, Iron Smelting.
1070 BCE - Egyptian mummy found with Silk in hair, earliest evidence of Silk Road.
1000 BCE - Early Cuneiform script (late stages, still pictograph in nature). Bactria, Barbat (primitive lute). Egypt, Kenaf is grown for fibers, leaves can be eaten by animals and humans (similar to Jute and Hemp; rope, rough fabric, sails). Mediterranean, Cabbage domesticated. China, Iron Age. Sport: racing Homing Pigeons.
930 BCE - Camel bones found in Arabian peninsula. Jordan, earliest Bloomery for Iron working found.
800 - 600 BCE - Ethiopia, Sorghum Wheat begins to be harvested.
800 BCE - Considered the beginning of Ancient Greece, after the Mycenae Civilization. China, Bloomeries used.
700-500 BCE - The Illiad orally composed. India, Diamond mining starts.
708 BCE – Greece, Olympics, Discus Throw.
700 BCE - Turkey, first Coins in Lydia. Assyria, first equipment recognized as a Saddle for a Horse.
660 BCE – Massive Solar Storm hits Earth.
600 BCE - Earliest example of a Steel Sword.
600-400 BCE - Ancient Greece rise of scientific inquiry and philosophy
550 BCE - The Illiad written down.
540 BCE – Sri Lanka, earliest record of Pearls.
500 BCE - Camels used in warfare. Persians use kettle drums for military maneuvers, frighten enemies. Greece, Grape Syrup, early form of sweetener and preservative; earliest written mention of what could be Influenza. Blackberries consumed around Europe. Spain, Disk Quern developed. India, Cholera described in Sanskrit. Romans manufacture dipped Candles.
430 BCE – Athens, Typhoid Fever outbreak during siege by Sparta.
400 BCE - The "Celts/Gaeil" settle Ireland. Greece, the “Hippocratic Corpus” seventy collected medical texts, mentions Pneumonia, Meningitis, Valerian Root.
396 BCE - Olympics, horn blowing competitions.
314 BCE - China, first mention of Sweet Orange.
298 BCE - Foot powered Loom.
200 BCE - China starts making paper.

Apr 2024 Itinerary
Day 1: late flights, dinner at Gwangjang Market
Day 2: Colour testing, Han Yeosa marinated crab, Apgujeong’s Wiggle Wiggle & London Bagel Museum, Hangang walk, SM Entertainment, Lezhin Entertainment, 1 Million dance studio, apm Place
Day 3: hanbok, Gyeongbokgung, Myeongdong Gyoja, Myeongdong shopping, N Tower, Namdaemun, apm Place
Day 4: Ehwa Uniform, Lotte World, JYP Entertainment, brief Olympic Park walk, 1 in 1 cup, Aquafield Goyang
Day 5: Nami Island tour booked via Klook (Petite France, the Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island, Gangchon Rail bike), zipline into Nami, Myeongdong, karaoke
Day 6: Colour testing (at another place), Hongdae shopping, Myeongdong shopping
Day 7: National Museum of Korea, War Memorial, Banpo bridge, Gotomall, COEX Starfield (Starfield Library, COEX Aquarium)
I started planning about 2 months ago, bookmarking the places on Naver Maps, and decided on our schedule considering the area/location, Seoul Pass, etc. Imo I planned quite well given that we went to so many locations everyday and hit all of our personal must-gos. We were quite rushed at each location, and very tired at the end of each day, so my itin doesn't fit everyone's travel styles, but it was what worked for us. We also prioritized location/tourist spots over food, so our meals were more "whatever was near and seemed good" instead of specific must-go restaurants (except Myeongdong Gyoja and Han Yeosa).
Transport
Naver Maps. Most of the transportation used was via subway - quite convenient with English signage everywhere. Only thing was the many, many stairs at most subway exits, and it was sometimes a long walk, so by Day 4 when we were tired we sometimes called for a taxi. The taxis are quite cheap, so we took them when we were in a hurry as well. Thanks to this sub I had already downloaded the Kakao T app and read about how to use it, and it went pretty smoothly. Longest wait time was 2 minutes max, there was always one nearby. We either paid by cash or T-money.
Colour testing/colour analysis
1st was Ocollor, booked/paid via Klook, and confirmed booking time via KakaoTalk. It was $265usd for 2 people, there was an interpreter and went on for 1hr45mins. They classed me as autumn deep. Gave examples of makeup products, best and worst colours, etc.
2nd was @/colorsociety, booked via WhatsApp 1 month prior and paid onsite, 220,000krw for 1 semi-premium package + body type analysis. Almost immediately after I entered the room she asked if I was winter and was very surprised that that was not my previous result. She did my makeup for me, recommending products and teaching me how to do makeup, plus recommending clothes that suit my body type by sending me screenshots of various Korean clothes brands. We were done in 1 hour.
I booked two different testings exactly for this reason. I am leaning towards Color Society’s result, just because the colours she proposed seems to better fit me, and she did have a machine thing to test for undertones (which may or may not be more scientific? idk). The makeup she did on me, using specific products fit for winter tones, also turned out quite well and I would love to replicate that as my daily makeup. However, both testings were quite expensive and could’ve been longehad more content for such a price imo.
Money
We brought ~30000krw cash, bought T-money cards in convenience stores at the airport, and added money into them. When we went to Myeongdong we exchanged our local currency for 350000krw. The shop with the best exchange rate is right outside the Chinese embassy near the Chinese school - indeed there was a queue while other nearby exchange shops were empty. The cash was not enough for us - taxi drivers and underground malls/roadside stores/stalls all prefer cash, and apm Place (which we often went to) ONLY accepts cash. In total we should have prepared/exchanged 500,000krw.
We both used Wise card and whilst my friend’s card had a problem and could not pay for some reason, mine worked just fine, super quick conversion from my local currency to more krw when I needed it. I was even able to take out cash using Wise from a random ATM in Myeongdong, even though there was an expensive transaction fee.
Food/Tourist spots
Gwangjang: I knew it was a touristy spot more than an actual traditional market but the location fit our schedule the best. It didn’t seem too expensive, and the food e.g. fishcakes was good. Maybe because it was a weekday evening but it was only a brief queue for the famous kwabaegi and it was soooooooo good.
Han Yeosa: we went on a weekday lunch time and were pleasantly surprised that there was no line at all. It was expensive at 55,000krw/crab, but was good. 1 crab is enough for two people as it was very salty despite having rice and banchan. We both couldn’t fully finish our crabs, which was a shame.
London Bagel Museum: I had heard about the insane queue times and so originally did not plan to go. However when passing by we saw the short 30 minute wait, probably because it was a weekday afternoon, and since we were shopping around the area anyways we decided to go for it. The bagels were good, but not 1-hour wait time good. The soups were great tho. Very heavy mushroom flavour for mushroom soup, and very heavy black pepper taste for tomato soup (don’t order tomato soup if you can’t handle spice)
hanboks: I forgot which specific store we picked. Rather than deciding and prepaying online, I suggest going there, looking at different styles and prices, then pick a store. I went there with a specific store in mind but changed my decision when I saw a hanbok I really liked at another. They usually do have lockers for free, and some stores offer hair accessories, bags, etc. Prices are different depending on how long you're renting a hanbok for but usually 20000-30000krw/2hrs - shops will say 10000/2hrs on the door but those are prices for the simplest styles only. Anything that looks good will be more expensive so ask or make sure you know the exact price before deciding. Also evaluate how much time you really need to rent the hanbok - Gyeongbokgung is literally like 2 minutes walk away and you'll be done taking pictures within an hour. We returned ours just over an hour later.
Myeongdong Gyoja: The kalguksu is SO good I went again right before my flight. Unlike any other noodle or soup I’ve ever had. But was also quite salty and heavily flavoured.
N Tower: we put locks there! Get your locks from home/other places instead of buying at N Tower cause it's like 10000krw/lock iirc with very limited styles. The diagonal(?) elevator from Myeongdong up to N Tower is free. The cable car tickets up to N Tower and the N Tower observatory tickets are separate tickets, separate payments. I got so confused researching and planning this part ngl.
apm Place at Dongdaemun: open from 8pm-5am daily except Fridays and Saturdays iirc. A big, 8-floor mall full of clothes and only clothes. 99% of people were Chinese daigous (purchasing on behalf of others) and livestreamers selling to their customers. Most places ignored us and only offered wholesale to daigous, and did not do retail so we couldn't directly buy from them right there. You have to ask each individual store and ask about each piece directly. Sometimes you can just simply buy it, sometimes you have to buy two or more items from the store, sometimes the store doesn't do retail. 99% of sellers speak Chinese. It was a very special experience, and a very good way to spend time very late into the night without worrying about how to travel back to the hotel if you live in Dongdaemun. The clothes are more expensive than Myeongdong and underground malls, but of a better quality and design. All stores only accept cash from individual/walk-in buyers like us tourists. This is why we needed so much cash
Nami Island: now I did a lot of research on this sub and online about whether it was worth going to Nami Island (and surrounding attractions) and that’s up to individual opinion. My friend really wanted to go, so it was worth it for us. I originally thought about going ourselves, but it’s so difficult to get there (subway to KTX to bus) that I just booked a tour that would be more comfortable and allowed us to visit more places than if we went ourselves. Tour was good, guide was good, went smoothly. We did have the option to zipline into Nami (completely separate from the tour, pay for tickets onsite. I tried booking online tickets but didn’t have Naver Pay which would require a Korean credit card). The zipline was great, not scary at all, felt very safe given that we were above water, 10/10 would go again. We originally planned to take the Family course (directly to Nami) but decided to pick the Adventure course (zipline to a nearby island then speedboat to Nami) because of the shorter wait time. On a weekday afternoon, Adventure course had a 30 min wait time, Family course 1.5 hour; honestly not too bad, and you could eat at a nearby dakgalbi restaurant to wait. Adventure course was more expensive than Family, we paid 105,800krw for 2 people. The dakgalbi restaurant on Nami 10/10 recommend, although it is slightly spicy. Sights on Nami were…normal? Like I wasn’t expecting anything too amazing and that’s what I got. It’s a good waterside/forest-y walk in good weather but nothing too special. I would go only if I lived in Seoul/aren’t pressed for time in travelling and want a relaxing nature day imo. Having a tour guide/bus was also extremely important - booking or buying tickets and going to each of the attractions myself would have been a nightmare.
1 in 1 cup: amazing view, and we went on a weekday evening so there was literally nobody else on the rooftop. Breathtaking view of the hanoks especially on a good day without clouds or rain. We didn’t know that we could go up to the rooftop from behind the cafe without paying, so we paid for terrible tasting drinks unfortunately. But still worth it. We went by taxi from the nearest subway station.
Aquafield Goyang: 100% worth it if you have the time to relax. We were on a tight schedule and could only spend 1 hour in the actual jjimjilbang unfortunately, I would stay the whole day if I could. Bought tickets onsite as there’s usually onsite discounts for entry after 3/4pm. Was not crowded but still had a respectable flow of people in and out of various spas/rooms. Did not go into the sauna (you have to go completely naked) as we were not comfortable with that. The jjimjilbang is a separate area where you wear the provided clothes and sweat in rooms with different temperatures. Food court was wonderful. Spas were clean, very very spacious, very relaxing, wonderful experience 10/10.
COEX: Very good spot for last-minute shopping as there were many brands concentrated in one area. Huge mall with the Starfield Library, which was a bit underwhelming given all the tourists jostling for the perfect photo, and COEX Aquarium which I was pleasantly surprised by - the stamps at each area was quite fun, and the mermaid performance was fun as I'd never seen one before. I thought there was a hands-on doctor fish treatment or interactive fish-touching areas/events(?) but there wasn't any so I was slightly disappointed.
Clothes/Olive Young
If you’re looking for feminine, cheap clothes with less regard for quality, PLEASE visit underground malls and Myeongdong. Outstanding mentions include WANTT in Myeongdong (12900krw pants, SO comfortable, I went there three times to buy all the colours. 15000krw jeans, 9000krw crop tops, etc.), Myeongdong underground mall and Gotomall. Gotomall is huge!!!, you could shop there for hours, I could only skim half of it. There’s a lot of restaurants inside as well which a lot of locals were eating at so I’m sure they taste great.
I went to an Olive Young store at least once a day and it was still not enough!! Cosmetics are so cheap and the staff are soooo helpful, they can all speak basic English and if you're finding something specific just show them a screenshot or a Korean translation of what you need. I regret not buying more makeup and skincare products honestly. It's so cheap and good quality. Apparently prices for the same products can be different at different branches? Idk cause I never checked but I still bought anything I saw because it might not be in stock at the next branch, especially popular brands like CLIO and peripera, I couldn't find everything I wanted because specific shades were all out of stock.
We spent about 2,500,000krw for 2 people, excluding flights and hotel. I think a huge part of why I was so happy with this trip was 1) pleasant weather, it wasn't too hot or too cold, slightly sunny just enough for it to be warmly comfortable. Very little rain, and didn't ruin any of our plans. 2) We went in late April, which is not a tourist season, avoiding Easter and cherry blossom times. That meant there were very little queues and attractions were less crowded, so we were able to take pretty pictures and actually enjoy the facilities/views.
My only regret is not bringing enough cash, and missing the Banpo rainbow bridge. I went at 12pm and it was only a waterworks show, not rainbow lights.
10/10 trip, can't wait to go back to Seoul (and Jeju hopefully)

Just like everyday, you wake up in your Double King Sized heart shaped, rotating, red silk and velour covered bed. You make your way to the edge, rolling over a bevy of semi-hot, and ”too young for you” tattoo apprentices desperate to make it in the industry. A shock suddenly hits your system as you slowly begin to realize that your special night-time toothpick is not in your mouth. This is fucking unusual. Ever since you stopped chain-smoking cigarettes you’ve had a toothpick in your mouth. Still in your whitey tighties, you stand up on the bed and scream for everyone to leave, and start searching the red velvety sheets. Nothing to be found. Even your day time toothpick with the Carmen Electra scrimshaw given to you by Carmen Electra herself after her and Dave broke up is missing from its holder on the nightstand.
Your brain screams in an unknown agony as you jump from your bed onto your 2:5 sized Harley Davidson Road King, and race your way from the top of your triple decker, sextuple wide mobile home, down the spiral staircase, over the indoor olympic sized pool filled with ranch, past the double Jacuzzi of lime Jello, and over to your walk-in-bank-style-heavy-duty-safe, that of course houses your precious Golden Skull.
You place your finger onto the fingerprint pad and to your surprise, the safe doesn’t open as it normally does. Instead, it audibly gives an error code, “Error 666. Repeat. Error 666. Atchung Baby! Dave Navarro is inside the safe”.
In a panic, you switch over to the keypad and hastily type in your vault password, “NeverMarryABurlesqueArtist69#”. You fuck it up a couple of times obviously, but eventually, to your relief, the safe clicks open. You yank on the heavy door to reveal a tiny, demon-imp-like Dave Navarro hovering over your precious Golden Skull… which, not coincidentally, has both missing toothpicks in its mouth.
You scream, “Get away from my goddamned Golden Skull and toothpicks you crazy demon-imp-like Dave Navarro!!”
But before you can grab the imp by its wings and shoot it with your shotgun in a move that you personally learned from Dick Cheney while out on a hunting trip, it puts up a semi-transparent, but impregnable magical barrier. The demon-imp’s eyes begin to glow a bright flame-like yellow that most tattoo artists are unable to achieve on a regular basis, especially when dealing with pale, olive skin types. It starts to recite in latin over and over again, “Cresces et normales fies humano mediocri... Cresces et normales fies humano mediocri”
You’ve got no idea what the crazy-demon-imp-like Dave Navarro is chanting, but you kind of make out the words, “normal” and “mediocre” and it shakes you to your core. You start to feel sick to your stomach and your bones begin to ache like after a night out doing coke and nitros at Jumbo’s Clown Room in Los Angeles. You look down at your hands, and shockingly, your arms begin to grow longer, but as they do, you notice that your tattoos stay in the same place. Your finger and palm tats move down to above your elbow, and so on. You begin to feel motion sickness as your legs begin to elongate, carrying your head higher and higher into the air. You look down at your legs and the tattoos that were once on your feet are now located just above your knee.
It is all too much for you to handle and you fall to the ground, screaming in horror, your hands clawing at your face. The demon-imp-like Dave Navarro laughs an evil laugh (much like Pon’s laugh in Season 12 when he won the Tattoo-of-the-Day and knew he would have skull picks the next morning) and disappears in a puff of Marlborough smoke, causing you to retch violently at the smell of your ex-habit, eventually passing out in your own vomit.
You awake 6 hours later to see a pukish pool of lime Jello and ranch staining your hardwood floors in a weird Acid-Cat resemblance which makes you wretch again. You then remember the horror of what took place. You run to your 2:5 sized Harley Davidson and give the pedal a kick… to the sound of nothing. No matter how hard you try, the engine will not turn over or even give a spark. In a rush of adrenaline, you awkwardly stumble on your newly enlarged legs to your 3k square foot animal barn, bathroom, spa and sauna. You tear off your white chonies with one fell swoop and stare at yourself in naked disbelief through the full sized, wall to wall to ceiling mirror with golden hay backing. All of your tattoos have shifted, leaving your forearms, hands, legs below the knee, chest from the nipples up, neck and head free of any tattoos. Even your penis is ink free…
You take a second to evaluate your new human canvas. You enjoy your large form, especially the larger penis, although it is still small proportionally to the rest of your body. You begin to think that this might not be so bad, until you again, instinctively reach for your toothpick. You awkwardly run back to the Golden Skull to try and grab your toothpicks, but the crazy-demon-imp-like Dave Navarro is back, hovering above. Being Oliver Peck though, you don’t give up like bitch ass Chris on Season 11 Grudge Match. Instead, you grab your iPhone 16, not out to the public yet, and try to FaceTime with Dave and Chris. You suddenly get a text from the number 666 that states;
“Challenge: Both sides of your forearms, hands, legs below the knee, penis, chest from the nipples up, neck and head are free of any tattoos. You have 8 hours to find one of the Ink Master winners, teleport them to your Texas Sextuple-Wide, and begin your tattoo journey to fill in the missing spots. If you fail, you will never be able to hold a toothpick in your mouth again, losing all of your tattoo mojo. You must choose an Ink Master winner, what area they tattoo, and a design.
And your time… begins… NEOW!”

Link to Act 1
⬆️ read Act 1 there
Act 2
Lae’zel demands we go to the Crèche. And she’s right. Not about the crèche of course, but what’s in the creche. The Blood of Lathander. That perfect nightlight for the Shadow Curse. Back TO THE MOUNTAIN PASS.
uh… not going good. It was, but now it isn’t.
The good: Actually passed every check in the Zaith’isk so now I’ve got that sweet illithid bonus. Decide to chug every worm I’ve collected.
The not good: Failed to deceive, the Doctor ran, and I had to fight a lot of gith. The fight went beyond the Infirmary. Into that Vlaakith painting hallway. Where more gith joined up. And then the training room joined in. Half the crèche is dead. Haven’t even met the Inquisitor yet. I have no more Resurrection Scrolls. Left the crèche twice just so Withers can revive everyone else.
Time for extra caution.
Just go along with the Gith, all yes sir, here’s the prism sir, happy to help sir. But before that, I creep along the perimeter of the room, to that little secret access to the Blood of Lathander chamber. Quietly open it, readied just in case.
A quick In & Out of the astral prism, everyone was always gonna kill us. I know. I prepared. EVERYONE RUN TO THE TUNNEL. WARLOCK ASTARION CASTS HUNGER OF HADAR RIGHT BEHIND US, BLOCKING THE PATH. This is actually working. The Inquisitor + gith extras die in the cloud.
Operation “Everything is coming up Milhouse” actually worked.
I cheat the creche lockdown by entering the BoL vault but just fast travel back to the monastery sigil, drop down, breaking into the crèche from the secret cave way now. Assassin Durge does Assassin things.
Go to the egg room. Failed to persuade. Oh no… Lae’zel, please leave the room, I don’t want her to see what happens next. I steal the egg. I’m stealing it for Lae’zel’s backpack but I am stealing it. Gith aren’t happy but they can’t find me.
I want to blow up the monastery. I don’t. I want to but I don’t because I don’t trust that I wouldn’t get us clear of the blast. Acquire Blood of Lathandar with key piece.
Now for the shadows…
Jaheira has me twisted up, extra vine style. Giving long deliberation on each answer so I can persuade her I’m cool. I have zero inspiration points. Stressed Last Light will abruptly attack me because of how everyone else seems to aggro around me.
MOL SHOWS UP!
Thought for sure Mol was a casualty of my whole Act 1 accidental non-statue related “pissing off the Druids and having to fight too many to the death despite Non Lethal active” situation. Doesn’t matter now, I’m in. I AM IN A PLACE AND NO ONE IS MAD/DEAD!
Astarion is a rizzed up Warlock and I get Lae’zel to cast Enhance Ability (Charisma) on him. Have him talk Spider Boi Kar’niss into giving up his only lantern. Free the pixie, score free unbothered-by-shadowcurse power. Astarion is feelin’ sassy and with him I chat 3 thorms into a more permanent grave. Charisma + advantage is OP as heck and something my Durge sorely lacks.
And then Mizora pops up. But not to tell me I have a task to do, no, instead its Mizora in the colony with Intellect Devourers skittering in the background and the narrator says “this person is none too pleased with you.”
She’s still mad about Scratch!
I have to barter Mizora goods until she’s happy enough to leave and come back to tell me Wyll has a job a do. Ok. Time to resurrect Wyll. He’s alive. Still hornless (though I kinda miss the horns now)
As for Moonrise tower itself, my Durge did a power wash of the whole place. Left Astarion, Karlach and Wyll outside (mostly to keep the party alive in case of Durge death) while I was creep-stealth murderin’ everyone (except Araj Oblodra and the prisoners in the dungeon). Turns out taking out a whole crèche made my Durge a wee bit overleveled. And I’m okay with that considering how much of a struggle it’s been to get to this point.
Next up, let’s cure this Shadow Curse good guy style. Play a tune, awaken a fist, Halsin tags along. My Durge has to flee the Oliver shadow fight 5 dang times just to revive everyone back in camp. That spooky kid’s legendary actions are ridiculous. But. BUT. eventually I just have radiant gear equipped Lae’zel cast a ring of Radiant Spirit Guardians and kamikazi dash headfirst into a mob. The resulting explosion takes her out but it does end the fight. One spirit half decides to rejoin his other spirit half.
WE
MOSTLY
SURVIVED
I should’ve skipped talking to Isobel. We didn’t need a moon blessing. We had pixie power. I was prideful enough to think I could control the fight. I blocked doorways with boxes, bottlenecked Last Light to the best of my abilities. Marcus was dead, most of the horrors defeated, but then Isobel walked into Astarion’s Hunger of Hadar. Why Isobel?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! Now the light is crumbling and Wyll is furious at Durge. Everyone is! Even Astarion is like “darling, maybe don’t kill the moon maiden if there’s a next time. Hmm?”
Dude. That was your character’s fault. Like c’mon, Durge didn’t cast that! Durge has no magic.
Ok. Maybe I can still save this. Oh? I can’t? No? Jahiera just got swarmed and died? I can’t recruit my favorite druid and later recruit my favorite meat head?? This is depressing.
[takes a breather. Returns later]
Shar Olympics. I can cheat that with a knock spell. But first… I sneak past the undead and the sharran summons all the way to Balthazar’s front door. Which I unlock. Which I then open. Which I then chug some Invisibility Potion and run tf away. I’m not even there but it’s all out war between Sharrans and Balthy. It’s great. Even better, I’m not risking a thing. [chef kiss] THERE ARE 20+ Sharran justiciars/crusaders/avengers all mobbing Balthazar. He’s dead dead. I love it. Next stop. Yurgir
As rizzed up as Astarion is, I don’t trust my rolls, not after losing Isobel, Jahiera, and a future Minsc. So i stealth shoot the big cat. I feel awful about it but at least it initiates combat — Yurgir and his crew immediately stomp their way to us on our little broken stairway. Hunger of Hadar + Sneak Attack Arrows + Guiding Bolts + Wyll on guard ready to push-punch any back. It works. All are dead and none of those dead are me! Victory!
Now, I don’t have Gale so it’s not worth licking a dead spider so I just grab the Umbral Orb and run. Not about to do the other Shar Trials. Don’t want to. I sneak past the Sharran Librarians, grab the pointy Shar stick, kill all the rats because maybe I want that Scimitar. Who knows. Doesn’t matter. Cast knock on the biggest Shar door and FREE DAME AYLIN.
It’s a real bummer of a cutscene. There is no one watching Aylin fly triumphantly through the night sky (because someone’s gf just had to walk backwards into a death cloud).
Tower is empty. Obviously. Only Ketheric to deal with and we manage to survive that tower top appetizer of a fight. Wyll and Lae’zel were the real radiant heavy hitters. Oddly enough, we don’t seem to be on a timer because we can go back to camp and rest up…
Recruit Us. Sneak past the undead and get the githzerai brain. Get that buff. Free Mizora, get a sword that’s useless for Wyll’s current build.
CONVINCED KETHERIC TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF. Amazing. Aylin and Lae’zel and Wyll and Astarion all got dropped during the Myrkul fight. I’m alive though. Only alive because I’m a half Orc and I bounced back from 0 to 1 but I’m alive and got off a lucky Arrow of Many Targets shot.
I can’t believe it but I’ve survived Act 2. It’s a real mixed bag of good and terrible I leave behind.
I forgot to free Zevlor. I just realized that.
Act 3
Aggro is seemingly infectious.
Every dialogue screen has glitching colors.
Nearly everyone I talk to is mad.
Too many people have now perished in Baldur’s Gate to make saving it worthwhile.
My companions all have very low approval of me now so I sent them back to camp so they wouldn’t get worse.
Just gonna embrace bhaal. Not worth trying to be good anymore.
Dolor just popped up outside the Tribunal. Definitely chose the wrong dialogue prompt. Immediately got paralyzed / crit damaged / dead
I can’t even be a proper bhaaler
I should’ve kept my party with me regardless of their low approval.
Farewell my sweet unnamed half orc Durge. You didn’t want to be bad. The world wanted you bad.

Warning: This is post is painfully long... as in, EPIC. NOVEL. Quit now while you're ahead. I really took the scenic route this time. Otherwise, you will be stuck here for at least an hour. If you decide to stay, pull up a chair. I hope you enjoy it or can relate, and if you have some of your own thoughts to share - please do.
I've never been much of a beauty haul person. I attribute that, in part, to the fact that I grew up in the 70's and 80's. We didn't have Sephora's. We had Crooks Drugs Store and Super S. Back then you were considered a beauty influencer if you had a bottle of Bonnie Bell's Ten-o-Six, Jean Nate, and more than one flavour of Lip Smackers. My twenties saw a major upgrade to Shiseido, Clinique, and Oscar de la Renta, but by the time I hit my thirties, I was either too broke and too cheap to keep spending $300 on face creams. Out came the olive oil and coconut oil from the kitchen pantry and this defined my skincare routine for the next two and a half decades.
That is... until two weeks ago.
I'm still early on my 'Mounjourney'. Week 15 to be exact. While I've had some early success (-35 lbs), I still have another 140 lbs to go. So, I don't look much different than before - the pants aren't exactly falling off my hips. But, there are subtle changes. For example, I can now pull my socks on - while still breathing - and not have it feel like an Olympic sport. I can put my underwear on, one leg at a time, while standing. And my fat belly is back to it's squishy, jiggly, biscuit-making consistency (cat owners unite!). Just like in the good 'ol days... before that galactic sized, dense, apple-shaped, chubby chunk overtook my entire mid-section and held it hostage starting the day after I hit menopause.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
One of the few advantages to being fat, is having a fat face. It gives you that youthful plump glow. It's like having your own personal anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, fat-filler factory built right into your face. No injections required.
While not outright 'Ozempic face', my face is definitely undergoing some subtle transformation... and I'm particularly enthralled. with it. I'm hoping this is just a temporary ugly duckling phase - like what I went through when I was 12. To be honest, I didn't even really notice it until my dear sister so kindly pointed it out to me one Saturday afternoon as we were driving to lunch. I was doing all the driving so she doesn't hit anything, and she had the luxury of just sitting there critiquing my face all the way to the restaurant. If you can't rely on family honesty to knock you down a few pegs, then what can you rely on in this world?
My sister, who is older than me (I'm still smarter... and prettier), has always kinda poo-poo'd my choice to reject the brand monopolized cosmetic industry in favour of kitchen condiments. Recently she was introduced to Sephora's by her granddaughter, which is how I ended up seated next to a post-menopause beauty critic for two hours. She offered to take me to Sephora's as her treat. Well, if you know me, you'll know that I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. You can say just about anything about my face if you're prepared to pay for lunch and take me on a shopping spree. Everything has a price - including me.
So off we went...
Well, little did I know that innocent little side excursion would lead me down the skincare rabbit hole I now find myself in. Suddenly I am immersed in this subculture of hydration, exfoliation, revitalization, rejuvenation, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, creepy crepey skin reversal, brightening, tightening, smoothing, protecting, plumping, peptides, acids, extracts, antioxidants AND snail butt juice (mucin actually - which, in reality is produced from glands in their feet - which is somewhat better than something coming out of their butt. But... pro-tip, you really do grab someone's attention when you mention you're smearing snail butt juice all over your face and body as part of your new daily skincare routine.
So with half of Sephora's inventory now taking up a sizable portion of real estate on my bathroom vanity, and a facial skincare routine so complex I've had to create a spreadsheet in Excel just so I can keep track of it all... my face is actually the least of my concerns.
Digging in the Dirt...
Lurking in the shadows of my labyrinthine mind, like a lost sock hiding in the dryer. is this fear of what my body will look like, and feel like, once (if) I reach my goal weight. It's a reality I'm fully aware of, but to be honest, I haven't yet fully come to terms with.
This isn't even a new thing - it is something I've pondered for many years. But when losing as much weight as I need to lose seemed so impossible, at some point I stopped worrying about the end result because it would never happen. That all changed when I started Mounjaro. Suddenly, optimism crept in and awoke the sleeping dragon. And now it's awake and feeding on my anxiety.
2009-ish
2008/09-ish was the last time I managed any real progress in weight loss. I lost about 50 lbs, with another 100 to go and then I gave up. Typical life crisis showed up and derailed it all - as usual. Sometime during that weight loss journey, I was standing at the checkout isle of the local grocery store. I picked up a random magazine off the rack to flip through while I was waiting. It happened to have a woman's weight loss journey as the feature story. This article was the first time I encountered the unfiltered reality of what significant weight loss actually looks like. To her credit, this woman allowed this magazine to photograph her abdomen and body post-loss, in all it's sagging glory. Back then, NO ONE showed this side of weight loss and I'm truly in aw of this woman's courage to have had the confidence to share that part of her with the world. Full Disclosure: I was horrified.
Waiting for my real life to begin...
Until that moment, in my mind, goal weight was the end of the rainbow. In my little fantasy world, if I ever achieved my ideal weight, real life could begin. I would finally have a perfectly proportioned body in perfect condition and would do all the things I had been putting off because I was too fat. Things like getting on a plane and going to see someone you love, and who loves you, before they die... but you never saw them, because you never went, because you didn't want them to see how fat you were, and then one day they died. And now they're gone. Forever. And you're still fat. And still waiting.
Not for one moment did I ever consider that my skin would have nowhere to go. That it would be left behind in this process. And that nothing could ever really be done to fix that - outside of surgery and scars. As fast as I could, I closed the magazine and put it back on the rack - hoping no one actually noticed what I had been reading. And then went out to my car and I cried. I cried and I cried and I cried. It was in that moment that I realized that I had ruined my body, forever. And there was nothing I could ever do to change that. I could never be 'normal' again. I was devastated.
The five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.
As odd as it sounds, I went through a grieving process over the loss of my own body. Despite the fact that it was an aesthetic loss - and in many respects, not even a reality yet - and minor by comparison to other forms of loss - it was significant to me none-the-less. It has taken me a decade and a half to finally reach the point of Acceptance. And even now, the closest I seem to really get to acceptance is to remind myself that "it is what it is", and it will be better than being fat. The fact that my weight had taken a significant physical toll on me these past few years, which was the prime catalyst for me starting Mounjaro in January 2024, has helped with that acceptance. But it is cold comfort and I am still struggling with the reality of what lies ahead - assuming I even get that far.
Everything AND the Kitchen Sink
This rabbit hole I now find myself in just keeps drawing me further and further down into the alchemy of skincare - face and body. I am both explorer and intruder in this world. This isn't my jam, but panic is setting in and I feel I need to at least try to do something NOW in an almost desperate attempt to try and mitigate the inevitable outcome of loose skin.
Side note: I need to haul my ass to the gym. I know this. I know building muscle will be the single most significant thing I can do to reduce the appearance of lose skin, but damn I hate exercise. This is still a work in progress. Some weeks are better than others. At least I'm going more than zero, but there is plenty of room for improvement.
While the general consensus seems to be that no cosmetic ingredient will fix sagging skin, some users on this subreddit have attributed their early adoption of a consistent skincare routine to reducing the amount of lose skin they had once they reached their goal. Granted, a lot of this could just be genetics. Some people are more blessed than others. Typically, I fall into the later group.
Regardless, this is the lead I've chosen to follow. I decided to throw everything and the kitchen sick (within the constraints of what my budget will allow for) at body skincare. I've made it my mission to single-handedly raise Sephora's profit margin for 2024. Morning, noon, and night I am slathering, basting, drenching and marinating myself head to toe in whatever elixir I managed to talk myself into this time. Last night my skin was so moisturized from moisturizer I literally couldn't sleep. It seems... dry, flakey skin is my comfort zone.
I'm too early in this skincare adventure to know what works and what doesn't. Right now I'm mostly focused on trying not to piss off my skin too much while I play with the chemistry set in the bathroom. If you have particular products or routines you swear by, I'd love to hear about them - especially if you're one who has lost a significant amount of weight and feel that it contributed significantly to reducing or eliminating your loose skin and/or improving your skin tone after weight loss.

I was just watching the lighting of the Olympic flame at the Temple of Hera. Hours of Politicians, semi politicians (ministers and committee head and others) thanking royals and other attendees for sitting and listening to each other thanking them for attending to sit and listen to each other. Eventually the "High Priestess" brought forth a pot of fire and they lit the torch which was followed by half an hour of dancing around the Maypole minus the actual pole and high priestess blather since I doubt they still worship ancient Greek gods (I don't understand Greek so I'm not sure what she said). No one shot down the obligatory white dove of peace for their dinner so I guess the ceremony was considered a success. This followed by shots of videographers videoing a guy running with the torch in one hand and an olive branch in the other. He is no Forrest Gump.
Wouldn't you like for once A single person to just get up and say "Let's light this puppy" take out a match and light the torch up? You know all those invited attendees are siting there thinking: "I'm sweating my ass off when will this be over" or "is there going to be free booze with lunch I sure as hell want to down a couple of Margaritas after this shit!" I think It would be very easy to write a comedy script about this event that is far more interesting than the actual ceremony was.
This sure as hell isn't a one off. People taking themselves too seriously are the causes of war and all other conflicts.
Lighten up already!
​

Excerpt from Outside Magazine:
Struggling with exhaustion, I attempted to hoist myself up out of deep snow after a fall. Beads of sweat dripped down my face as I spotted my guide, Kris Robinson, waiting patiently below. Unable to muster more strength, I sank down and took a moment to absorb the vastness of Canada’s Columbia Mountains. Then I radioed Kris for help. “Cross your poles on your inside ski,” he said. It worked, and it was advice that I won’t soon forget.
This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me. I’d never backcountry skied in British Columbia before; usually my time outdoors means cycling, hiking, or skiing near Boulder, Colorado, where I live. Yet here I was in the heart of the northern Selkirk and Monashee Mountains, where snowcapped peaks meet untouched powder, staying at the Gothics Lodge, on a trip in March with CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures.
For a backcountry destination, the lodge is relatively easy to reach. It’s located an hour north of Revelstoke, an old mining town and dream outpost for diehard skiers known for its spectacular alpine terrain and abundant precipitation.
I’d been invited to join a group of other outdoor-industry people for a four-day heli-skiing experience. “The Gothics is one of the CMH’s most approachable and welcoming destinations,” Jared Smith, president and CEO of Alterra Mountain Company—which owns CMH—told us. “Like all our lodge staff, the Gothics team makes you feel completely comfortable, by guiding you from the moment you arrive to the day you depart.” Jared said this trip would be a combination of training and incredible skiing that would lead to impactful experiences. He was right.
Our group counted just over 30 people, including athletes and innovators, some familiar faces, and others I was meeting for the first time. I was a backcountry novice compared to the likes of Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, actress Nina Dobrev, Olympic skier Nina O’Brien, former professional skier Drew Duffy, snowboarder Kimmy Fasani, freeskier and artist Chris Benchetler (Fasani’s husband), and Jesse White, Shaun’s brother and a creative-brand director.
The first thing I noticed upon arrival was a fleet of fat bikes and cross-country skis, a hint of the adventures ahead. Each day we’d wake at 7 A.M. for different activities. Day one was dedicated to training and preparation for handling backcountry powder, including avalanche safety sessions, helicopter familiarization, radio operation, and equipment adjustments by Pontus Carlsson, a ski tech from Sweden, who made sure we were ready.
That afternoon, in thick fog and stormy conditions, our guides led us through tree runs and gladed slopes. Justin Clarke was my patient tail guide. After a few falls and unclipped skis hidden under the snow, I began to find my balance and remembered that powder is soft. I also learned how to stay away from tree wells, which can swallow a skier, and that I should’ve worn bright clothing to make it easier for Justin to find me.
Evenings at the lodge were a mix of relaxation, camaraderie, and delicious food—and a nice respite for my burning quads. One night, CMH president and COO Rob Rohn told us about his start as an apprentice ski guide in 1984, working alongside CMH founder Hans Gmoser. Rohn has been with CMH for 37 years, and the company now offers trips in ten other B.C. locations in addition to the Gothic Lodge, as well as heli-hiking in summer. All told, CMH has access to three million acres of terrain, with over 750 square miles at Gothics alone.
After a snowy night, on day two we stayed on lower slopes and within the trees to mitigate avalanche risk. Helicopter pilots Blaze Oliver, Rich Fries, and Michael Beran took us to remote locations with spectacular views. On board, we were encouraged to drink “heli juice”—an electrolyte concoction to keep us hydrated. Stepping out of a helicopter at the top of a mountain, with no one to rely on but your guides and your group, gave me a sense of fear and awe.

A bit of an explanation on terminology before I start. I’ll be listing national spirit bonuses as either permanent, situation, or short term. Short term bonuses are bonuses that eventually expire, and no longer provide their bonus. Situation bonuses are permanent bonuses, but they may only be useful in specific circumstances, or may be invalidated by such circumstances. Permanent bonuses are, of course, permanent. They’ll be active for the entire game, even if the bonus itself lacks impact in the late-game. I will also be listing any innovation bonuses as a separate section, under whatever above category the specific bonus applies to.
Exploration:
Naturalist

• Permanent bonuses: Forest expansion, +2 housing on capitals, +2 food on houses, forest movement cost reduction,
• Situational bonuses: +1 food foraged from unimproved tiles, +0.5 culture foraged from unimproved forests.
  • Innovation bonus: +1 housing foraging unimproved forests.
• Short term bonuses: Warband +3 defense when in forests.
• Legacy requirement: 5 housing improvements.

The naturalist is an extremely situation national spirit. It needs two things to be successful; a great density of forest in your immediate surrounding, and easy expansion opportunities. Forests are self explanatory, as most of the bonuses naturalists require unimproved forests. But expansion is also a key component, in order to organically fulfill the legacy requirement for housing improvements. Do all this well, and you will be rewarded with regions that produce a decent amount of production and culture, without needing to build a large number of improvements. After all, each pop working a forest will provide all the housing and food it requires, alongside +1 production and +0.5 culture for the region. The problem with all this is twofold; first, this spirit does not have any synergistic way to produce exploration XP. You’ll likely need to focus on early exploration and landmark discovery to be able to finish this tree in a timely manner. Which is a bit of an issue, as this tree’s bonuses get less impactful and useful as time goes on. Additionally, forests are the cheapest and best source of early production, when improved. So the culture, food, and housing bonus to working unimproved forests directly competes with increasing the regions production. Once all the forests have been converted to log production, and that into planks or manuscripts/books – all that’s left is the forest expansion and movement, a minor housing buff to regions, and +2 food from housing. Not particular enticing. If this national spirit were to be rebalanced, I’d suggest lowering the cost of it’s ideas. That’d lean into it’s early utility, without changing it’s baseline bonuses.
Ancient Seafarers

• Permanent bonuses: water expansion, +1 production and +3 sight on docks, Boosted utility ships (movement, defense, sight range), +1 gathering from fishing improvements, Spawn utility ship cost down.
• Situational bonuses: Shells and Shell Dyer,
  • Innovation bonus: +1 food from shells, +1 exploration XP from shell dyes.
• Short term bonus; +7 attack/defense to early ships (age 3 and before) (includes free galley)
• Legacy requirement: 5 Utility Ships’

Ancient Seafarers is another situation national spirit. Needless to say, you’ll need access to a coastline with a reach supply in tuna to make the most out of this national spirit. It’s bonuses are focused on getting the most out of your ocean resource gathering endeavors. It’ll make your fishing improvements better, help build a fleet of utility ships to harvest resources outside of your boarders, improve your early navy to defend that fishing fleet from barbarians, and add a bit of bonus production to your harbors. That last bonus also provides a synergistic way of generating exploration XP. The weakest bonuses it has are the shell and shell dyer - They don’t exactly produce enough cash to make using a utility boat worth it, while there are better ways to use a pop to generate wealth. Their innovation does allow dyed shells to produce exploration xp, but that’s of limited utility. Overall though, a solid idea group if you’ve got the necessary setup to make it work.
Wild Hunters:

• Permanent bonuses: Access to bow hunter (1 spawned), elephant goods, scrubland expansion bonus, housing improvements +1 food, +1 improvement points from bone and ivory goods, Bow hunter +7 attack, +5 defense, enables regroup action.
• Situation bonuses: Meat +2 food, Salted Meat +4 food.
  • Innovation bonus: Meat and Salted Meat, +1 culture
• Legacy requirement: 5 bow hunters.

The final exploration spirit is, like the others, a situation spirit. Wild hunters focuses on improving your ability to hunt wild game. It’s unique unit, the bow hunter, can harvest wild game remotely for the city that built it. They gain access to a new form of wild game, the elephant, that produces ivory (+1 exploration XP) instead of bone. They also improve yields from meat and game goods. All in all, quite a lot of good early bonus. They do lose some importance in the late game, when improvement points are less impactful, ranches produce 2 meat, and meat is processed into delicacies. But they still provide a cheap early source of food, and their synergistic relationship with elephant ivory means they can provide a decent alternative to harbors for producing exploration XP. All in all, a solid national spirit with no wasted bonuses. I’ll also note that the bow hunters themselves are a bit more powerful than the crossbow, and could potentially be turned to conquest, rather than resource gathering.
u/termix pointed out that the innovation culture bonus from meat is quite powerful early on, which is also true. I think the value of that bonus drops off after you get access to the kitchen, but it's definitionally a good boost if you can get the innovation.
Engineering:
God-King Dynasty:

• Permanent bonuses: Hills expansion bonus, Stonecutter discount, Limestone in capitals, Pyramid improvement, Great pyramid upgrade.
  • Innovation bonus: Stone Blocks +1 influence
• Short term bonuses: Stone walls and stone tower discount, Quarry discount (only invalidated during age 8. One of the longest “short term” bonus of a nation spirit I’ve seen.)
• Legacy requirement: 3 pyramid improvements

God-Kings at first appears to be situational, but it’s actually a more generalist build. Sure, having limestone does synergies with it’s quarry+stonecutter bonus but it’s not exactly required. God-Kings provides it’s own limestone. And a quarry on any hill will still produce limestone/marble. It’s only a question of how much you want to invest in building and working stonecutters? Which, of course, the engineering XP encourages you to exploit. About the only situation aspect to God-Kings is that you are required to have 3 or more regions to complete their legacy, as the pyramids are a once-per-region improvement. They are also horrendously expensive, so you might want a decent amount grasslands nearby to gather clay on, and few good high-effecency food resources nearby (flax or olives) so more of your workers can be working the brick and stone block production lines. In summary, God-Kings is very focused on raw production output, and synergistically producing engineering XP. But…. That can lead to food production issues, so something to keep in mind. I’ll also add a small gripe I have with them; the pyramids do not count towards unlocking the age of monuments, and they don’t count as a monument. They have similar production, they have similar flavor, and they are more expensive to build, but they aren’t a monument. If I was rebalancing this one (not that it needs it), I’d fix this.
Mound Builders

• Permanent bonuses: Grassland expansion bonus, Burial Mound unlocked, Burial Mound +3 sanitation. +1 region level on capitals, Mound Tradition town specialization, FOOD NEED HALVED
  • Innovation bonus: Burial Mound +1 improvement points
• Short term bonuses: Farm discount (specific to farm, not farm line of improvments)
• Legacy Requirement: 5 Burial Mounds.

Mound Builders, is dedicated generalist national spirit. Sure, it’s Burial Mound improvement needs grasslands to build, and the farms of course need grassland, I’ve yet to see a city spawn without a decent supply of easily accessible grassland tiles. So, in the unlikely event that you don’t have free grassland, this would be a rather poor national spirit to pick. Otherwise, mound builders lends itself to doing one thing, building massive, highly productive cities. While they don’t give any specific production bonuses (other than the +1 improvement points from Burial Mounds), needing only 1 food per pop massively reduces the amount of pops needed to produce food, letting them be re-assigned to other items. Additionally, while this national spirit does not have any innately synergistic ways to produce Engineering XP, Engineering XP is also relatively easy to produce with improvements early on. And with the food need reduced so drastically, that means more pops can be working these improvements. All in all, a solid national spirit pick.
Diplomacy - Olympians

• Permanent bonuses:Olympic Games mechanic unlocked, Hippodrome unlocked, Olympic games bonuses (wealth and knowledge). Line units defense bonus (10%).
  • Innovation bonus:Hippodrome +2 Diplomacy XP.
• Situation Bonuses: Envoy discount, envoy movement increased, (Technically permanent, but I don’t know if you can expel an envoy, so may not have a use case if envoys are deployed to all nations, and no minor nations remain)
• Legacy Requirement: 3 deployed envoys

A bit of a situation spirit. First, I would not pick this if there are less than 2 other nations in the game. Next, it may be difficult to fulfill the legacy requirement on an island map, or a continents map with less than 2 other nations remaining on the continent. Barring those game-setting conditions though, The Olympians aren’t a particularly location dependent spirit. They do benefit from having a number of unclaimed minor nations still around, but that’s not required. Primarily, they focus on doing two things; making envoys better, and hosting the Olympic Games. Which basically boils down to using a culture charge to generate some Exploration, Warfare, and Diplomacy XP, with bonus XP being generated based on how many envoy’s you’ve managed to deploy, and Knowledge and Wealth being generated if you’ve unlocked the necessary bonus ideas, and have 2+ envoys deployed. Essentially, giving you a few useful bonuses for engaging in diplomacy with the AI.A national spirit that lends itself to a more defensive, diplomatic style of play than the other spirits.
Warfare: A bit of a controversy on this one, I’ll just outline my opinion first. Warriors has the better long-term bonuses than Raiders, but raiders is a lot faster and easier to use, so it can snowball faster. If you are going for an early age of conquest victory, raiders is better. If you are going for a later victory, warriors will be better.
Raiders:Note: Raiders receive 2 free raider units when upon purchasing an idea.

• Permanent bonus: +1 warfare XP per unit in combat (doubles base XP bonus)
• Situational bonuses: Pre gunpowder units; raze x2 value, health recovery 20% from victory. (can be temporary, or permanent for some synergistic national spirits)
• Temporary bonuses: Spawn Raider ability, raider upkeep removal, raider movement increase, raider attack vs militia
  • Innovation bonuses: Bow Raider unlock, Raider attack/defense + 3 (bow raiders also benefit).
• Legacy Requirement: 10+ raiders

I’d consider this a situation unlock. It grants no real long-term bonuses, so the entire point is to spam out a lot of raiders to rampage across the countryside, conquering as many cities as possible. Kind of hard to do that if you’ve got no cities nearby to conquer. Otherwise, it’s a highly aggressive national spirit, focused on using the raiders quick movement capabilities and numbers to farm large amounts of Military XP from barbarians, and use that to spawn more raiders, buy ideas, and fuel force march + reinforce to capture city states and regions. The raiders themselves aren’t a particularly strong unit, their most distinguishing feature is their low moral, which means that, on the offensive, they tend to retreat from battle well before they’d risk being destroyed. Although, it also means that on the defense, they are easily broken and destroyed by superior units. I’ll also note that while their aggression can easily be countered by stationing 1-2 units in a city, the AI vastly underestimates the raiders range, and combat ability. If you have a raider in their territory, they will garrison units in the city. But with force march, your raiders can move much further than the AI expects. And you can combo force march and reinforce multiple times during a turn, letting you attack, retreat, heal, attack, etc. until a city has been captured. Which lets you take a fully defended city in a single turn, long before the AI realizes they need to garrison some forces in it. Raiders are also further empowered by an Age of Blood. Brutality gives them the siege engine buff against defenses, letting them tear through a cities defenses and defenders. However, it should be noted that raiders have a greatly reduced utility as the ages progress. Their stats are low enough that veterancy alone wont’ allow them to handle the threats that latter eras will throw at them, and they cannot be promoted into leaders or other units. There's been some debate that raiders is OP, but from my perspective that's a bit flawed. Gaining a lot of early vassals starts snowballing pretty fast, and high WXP generation + Reinforce and Forced March + large numbers of units makes that snowball start rolling really early on. So I don't think raiders would be all that OP, if the surrounding systems were rebalanced.
Warriors: - One free spartan when chosen!

• Permanent Bonuses: Capital buildings 20% health increase, Units defense 50% increase while fortified. units +1 combat XP when stationary, unlock Call Reserves,
• Situation Bonuses: Spawn Spartans, Spartan upkeep removed, Spartan +6 defense.
  • Innovation bonuses: Spartan unrest suppression +4, Spartan movement +10.
• Legacy requirement: 5 spartans.

Where raiders focus on numbers to quickly search the map and farm XP, warriors focus on deploying high small numbers of highly trained spartans to defend and attack enemies. Spartans are stronger than other age 3 units, and with their x2 defensive bonus are one of the strongest defensive units in the game. To put all that into perspective, warriors favor a combination of early aggression using their spartans to acquire new territory, transitioning nicely into a defensive position to hold all the territory they’ve taken. The spartans themselves are a bit more of a situation unit compared to the raiders; while their attack doesn’t exactly stay relevant through the ages, one of their innovations grants them increased unrest suppression, and combined with their extremely high defense and upkeep, they make for surprisingly good guardsmen. The only downside being that you need to use a culture ability to spawn more spartans, so you’ll want to use them sparingly.

FRANCIS VISITS RUSSIA WILL BE THE GO AHEAD SIGNAL FOR THIRD WORLD WAR= 666
In this post I explain how Pope Francis will be used to signal Holy War--
.
13 Mar 2013-- Pope Francis was elected 266th Pope--after Pope Benedict abdicated for no apparent reason
Thus fulfilling an End Times prophecy of 2 Popes living at the same time--which is referred to as the Glory of the Olives
POPE BENEDICT ABDICATES= 119
FRANCIS= 119
VATICAN= 119
.
why they chose this date--
13 Mar= 13/3
SAINT FRANCIS= 133
.
2013= 213
Pope Benedict's last mass was held on Feb 13= 2/13
GLORY OF THE OLIVES= 213
Proving the Vatican stages its events using numerology
.
13 April 2024= Pope Francis 133 Month anniv
THIRTEEN APRIL TWENTY TWENTY FOUR POPE VISITS RUSSIA= 666
THIRTEEN APRIL POPE FRANCIS SUFFERS HEART FAILURE= 666
.
25 Mar 2022-- Pope Francis consecrated Russia to the Virgin Mary--fulfilling one of the Fatima Prophecies
FRANCIS= 119
VATICAN= 119
RUSSIA CONSECRATION= 119
.
Another End Times Prophecy states a Pope will visit Russia
No Pope has ever visited Russia
2024 POPE FRANCIS VISITS RUSSIA= 322
.
My prediction for Pope's visit to Russia--
22 Aug= Day 911 of Putin's Invasion
223 days after Bitcoin crashed on 12 Jan 2024
TWENTY TWO AUGUST TWENTY TWNETY FOUR FRANCIS WILL BE THE FIRST POPE TO VISIT RUSSIA= 1109
39 days later--
30 Sep= 30/9= 39
WAR= 39
THIRTIETH SEPTEMBER TWENTY TWENTY FOUR USA CHINA RUSSIA TRIGGER WORLD WAR THREE= 911
.
I predict Globalists will stage a Virgin Mary Apparition stunt--
22 April= 11 months 9 days after Fatima Miracle anniv on 13 May
119 days after Christmas
VATICAN= 119
APPARITION= 119
TWENTY SECOND APRIL TWENTY TWENTY FOUR FATIMA APPARITION= 666
.
22 April 2024= 119 Months 119 days after the Pope Francis Peace Dove stunt on 26 Jan 2014
26TH JANUARY 2014 POPE FRANCIS PEACE DOVES WERE ATTACKED BY SEAGULL AND CROW= 666
.
24 Apr 2024= Day 1190 of Biden's Presidency
24 Apr 2024= 24/4/2024= 24/ 42/ 24= 6/6/6
so you can expect a major signalling event--
.
24 Apr 2024= 333 weeks after Trump announced on 6 Dec 2017 the US Embassy was moving to Jerusalem
US EMBASSY= 119
UNITED STATES EMBASSY= 119
TWENTY FOURTH APRIL TWENTY TWENTY FOUR UNITED STATES EMBASSY JERUSALEM BOMBED= 911
.
24 April= 114th day of the year
US EMBASSY JERUSALEM= 114
EXPLOSION= 114
BUILT TO BE BLOWN UP= 223
HOLY WAR IS TRIGGERED= 223
.
alternative scenarios--
22 April= 22/4
2024= 224
AMBASSADOR ASSASSINTAED= 224
.
24 Apr= 24/4
AL ASQA MOSQUE BLOWN UP = 244
.
12 Aug= 224th Day of the year
TWELVE AUGUST TWENTY TWENTY FOUR AL ASQA MOSQUE ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT WILL BE BOMBED= 911
.
22 March= 22/3---Skull & Bones date
I predicted they would stage something on this date becos--
22 Mar 2024= 11 years 9 days after Pope Francis was elected
right on schedule--
Moscow Terrorists Attack
.
119 Timeline--
9 Oct 2023--322nd anniv of Yale/ Skull & Bones
119 days later--
5 Feb-- King Charles has Cancer news broke--MONARCHY= 119
FIVE FEBRUARY TWENTY TWENTY FOUR BRITISH KING CHARLES HAS PROSTATE CANCER= 911
119 days later--
3 June= 1911 Weeks after Black Monday Stock Market Crash on 19 Oct 1987
911 days after US boycotted the Beijing Winter Olympics on 6 Dec 2021
119 days later--
30 Sep--my prediction for WW3
THIRTIETH SEPTEMBER TWENTY TWENTY FOUR USA CHINA RUSSIA TRIGGER WORLD WAR THREE= 911
.
Pope Francis also signals the date for San Francisco Quake Disaster---
San Francisco means Saint Francis
7 Sep is my prediction
266 days after the 266th Pope's birthday on 17 Dec--Saturnalia
223 days before the119th anniv of the 1906 San Francisco Quake on 18 April next year
SEVENTH SEPTEMBER TWENTY TWENTY FOUR SAN ANDREAS FAULTLINE= 666

Looking to buy or trade for full or partial bottles of:
Areej Le Dore: Russian Oud, Atlantic Ambergris, Gris Baikal, Santal Galore
Bortnikoff: Sayat Nova, Lao Oud, Oud Monarch
Chris Rusak: Beast Mode, IO, 33, Relief, Resonance
Comme des Garcons: Incense Series Avignon, Jaisalmer, Ouarzazate, Hinoki, Sugi
Folkwinds: Any
Gallagher: Behold Patchouli, Septamber, Wicked Good
Havenhollow: Any
Hendley: Bourbon, Cola, Fume, Mown
Kerosene: Blackmail, Fields of Rubus, Sacred Memory, Unknown Pleasures, Broken Theories
Olympic Orchids: Blackbird, Dev 2, Woodcut
Pineward: Fanghorn I or II, Apple Tabac, Bindebole, Eldritch
Slumberhouse: Norne
Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777: Taklamakan, O Hira, Mortal Skin
Strangers: Cigar Rum, Oliver
Toskovat': Generation Goddard, Things We Never Shared, Last Birthday Cake, Forlorn Embers & Black Reigns, My Past Selves' Flowers, Anarchist A, Inexcusable Evil
Zoologist: Bee
​
Would be willing to trade for above frags with my high partials of:
19-69 Cacti 100ml
Aesop Gloam 50ml
Diptyque Oud Palao EDP 75ml
D.S. & Durga Bistro Waters 50ml
D.S. & Durga Rose Atlantic 100ml
ELDO Tom of Finland 100ml
Escentric Molecules Escentric 03 100ml
Escentric Molecules Escentric 04 100ml
Escentric Molecules Escentric 05 100ml
Frederic Malle Cologne Indélébile 100ml (60%)
Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur 100ml
Kilian Apple Brandy 50ml
Le Labo Santal 33 100ml
MFK Aqua Vitae EDT 200ml
MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver 70ml
Strangers Parfumerie SM Cafe 30ml
Tiziana Terenzi Tyrenum 100ml
UFO Perfumes Love Potion No. 3 30ml
​
Image of bottles for trade - https://imgur.com/a/cdQNUaU
Check out my decants for sale in this post here

Blindside
Green Arrow x Daredevil
15 year old budding Olympic archer Matt Queen was the son of a famous boxer by the name of Jack Queen. The father and son had been secretly absconding, unknown to Matt, who thought they were on a vacation to a tropical island. Unfortunately, they would be found by the men who had been hunting Jack down. Jack was murdered, and Matt, left behind on a boat, where he would land on a nearby island, and was exposed to a mystical herb that blinded him, but enhanced his other abilities.
He hunted for weeks, barely surviving until he was found by an outlet of the Shadow Hand, and put to work, producing narcotics. Planning his escape, Matt would slowly but surely fight his way out, and get back to freedom, after a year. Quietly training himself over the years, Matt would become a member of a law firm, using the money left behind by his father to work as an advocate and activist, while acting as the vigilante Blindside
Blackbird
Black Canary x Black Widow
Natasha Lance was the granddaughter of former DSA member and Soviet defector, Louise Drake-Lance. Raised to be the perfect killer, she would eventually begin working as a spy, and was recruited by Alan Scott, much to the chagrin of her trainers. She would become one of SABRE's premier agents, and at one point would cross paths with Blindside, developing a liking for the vigilante, and they would soon become partners.
Longbow
Roy Harper x Hawkeye
Roy Barton, was adopted by a family of circus performers as a baby, raised to eventually take over the spot as the circus archer. However, his relationship soured with his adoptive family when they discovered he had secretly been training himself to become a vigilante and was banished. Taken in by Blindside, his hero, Roy would join the Young Titans, and eventually grow into the solo hero Longbow, overcoming a drug addiction to rise into becoming a tireless vigilante
Piercer
Kate Bishop x Mia Dearden
A young teenager born in a rich family, Kate was kicked out by her conservative parents after contracting HIV. Found by then mayoral candidate Matt Queen, Kate showed a wonderful talent for archery and marksmanship, and Oliver would take her in as a sidekick, as he took in Roy Barton before her. Despite her medical condition, Kate would blossom into a superhero of her own under Matt's mentorship, becoming the heroine Piercer.
Raptor
(Mockingbird x Cheshire)
A young assassin who encountered Roy and Oliver in their guises as Longbow and Blindside, Jade Morse was born to rich parents who sold her off to a mercenary group, who raised her to be one among them. At the time, she was undergoing a secret project that would raise her to the levels of an enhanced human being with peak physical capabilities. Despite this, both Blindside and Longbow managed to defeat her and her group, but not before she and Longbow left a significant impression on each other.
Recurve
(Connor Hawke x Blindspot)
Sam Hawke was Matt and Karen Hawke's son, born after Karen left Seattle, was a young teenager who would find out about his father, and begin idolizing him. Working as a janitor in Matt's office, Sam would develop a stealth suit, and began taking down Blindside's enemies, leading him to be discovered by Matt, and reveal his relationship to him. Matt would now train his son himself, and introduce him to Sean Wayne, another son of a famous hero.
Karen Hawke
Karen Page x Sandra Hawke
Karen was Matt's college friend, and later coworker, Karen was a secretary at Fyers Queen. She would discover his identity, and constantly feared for his safety. Their romance was tested many times when Karen found herself in danger because of Matt's enemies, eventually leading her to leave him- and Seattle, when she discovered her pregnancy after being attacked by Galahad.
Whitewing
Sin Lance x Yelena Belova
A young Viatnemese-Russian girl found by Natasha when she was investigating her old stomping grounds, Yelena was rescued by Blackbird, after she learned the former was forcibly being turned into a child soldier, put in the same program as Natasha. Raised and adopted by Natasha, Yelena would take the name Whitewing.
Deathwish
Deadshot x Punisher
A former US Army Sniper, Frank Lawton saw his family die after they were caught in the crossfire during a robbery. When his daughter was held hostage, Frank shot her kidnapper, but missed, and the panicked criminal accidentally slit her throat. Shattered, Frank fell into a deep depression which would only be replaced by a thirst for vengeance, and desire to never miss, knowing his daughter would be alive if the shot he took had been the right one. Dubbing himself Deathwish, Frank's rampage found him in the path of his former childhood friend, Blindside.
Foggy Fyers
Foggy Nelson x Eddie Fyers
A former cop who became a law student, meeting Matt at college, Franklin "Foggy" Fyers (named so because of his ever fogged glasses), became friends with him, and eventually opened their own practice in Seattle. He would be Matt's closest confidant, and when Matt went on a sabbatical, he would discover Sam Hawke, Matt's son from his former relationship. Immediately contacting Matt, he would help mentor the boy, making him an important figure in the Queen family.

We’re back with another round! This post will be a feature of all the miscellaneous scents my friend has tried lately, plus the occasional thing I got for myself. The rest of my recent picks will be posted later.

• My preferences: I like spices, vanilla, floral lavender, most florals, and woods. Hit or miss on gourmands as a whole due to multiple tricky notes like honey and butter; also hit or miss on ambers and musks. I avoid roses, prominent indoles, grass, smoke, leather, pepper, coffee, soil, patchouli, mint, butter, or anything soapy or powdery (which unfortunately includes a few synthetic florals). I'm also, sadly, anosmic to hedione.
• Friend’s preferences: He *loves* sandalwood (especially the real deal Indian sandalwood). He also likes lilac, floral lavender, chocolate, vanilla, bakery and boozy gourmands, woods/forest scents, and darker notes like smoke and leather. He avoids anything soapy, aquatic, or astringent, dislikes patchouli, is anosmic to benzyl acetate (present in some fruit and floral notes), and prefers stereotypically fem scents on other people (i.e. me).

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Alkemia Dryad (A playful woodlands frolic of balsam poplar, larch, kukicha twig tea, ponderosa bark, Australian sandalwood, wet moss, violet leaf, lily of the valley, and vanilla grass.)

• What I smell: It’s not screaming mainstream but it’s definitely more perfumey than I’d expect this combo to be. It’s also greener than I thought; I had expected more of a woodsy scent with floral and vanilla accents, but this is woods + green + vanilla. In this context, I am not a huge fan of the greenness of it. Pretty faint compared to some other scents in the order.
• What he smells: “Ooh! Very floral. Definitely not a me thing but I like it on you.” After explaining notes: “Oh yeah. No vanilla whatsoever.”
• Author’s note: I think he’s smelling everything I’m not here.

Fantome Ivan the Fool (Golden figs, oakmoss, Siberian fir, Russian leather, wolf fur, juniper berries, sparkling bergamot.)

• What I smell: Wood, oakmoss, and maybe a little juniper berry.
• What he smells: “I just get wood, but I can tell there’s more to this that I’m not picking out. It’ll probably become more obvious on skin.” After describing: “Oh. Gin. That’s why I couldn’t place it!” Unfortunately, he didn't like it when he tried it - the wolf fur might have come out in spades.

Fantome Ruslan (Black spruce, smoky opoponax, oud, fresh cedar, hinoki, oakmoss, dry fir needles, frankincense, black tea.)

• What I smell: In the vial, grass. On friend’s skin, I can’t tell what this is, but it’s vaguely woody and DEFINITELY not what he got.
• What he smells: On his skin, “Yeah, I don’t know what I’m smelling. (a few minutes later) ….Oh no, I’m getting poop out of this!”
• Author’s note: This is our first time having that happen with oud!

Little Book Eater Call of the Wild (Bergamot, balsam, leather, frosted pine, amber, smoke.)

• What I smell: “Hmm, this is surprisingly sweet. Like sweet woods.”
• What he smells: “Yeah, we’re on the same page. When I put it on, though, it calmed down into something like dirt.”
• Author’s note: Balsam sweetness?

Little Book Eater Walden Pond (Silver birch, pine, citrus, vetiver.)

• What I smell: “Faint. A little sweet. Citrus sweet?”
• What he smells: “It genuinely smells like a mountain lake to me. Very clean.”
• Author’s note: The contrast between this scent and LWF Lumberjack is striking.

Little Book Eater Walt Whitman (Fresh water, rain, fir balsam, cedar, and pine. The perfect combination for living off the land, pondering, and civil disobedience!)

• What I smell: Wow, that’s the strongest rain note I’ve ever smelled. Not that I’ve smelled very many rain notes, but I know it when I smell it.
• What he smells: “Yeah, jeez. I’m not feeling this one.”

Long Winter Farm Flannel + Fir (That first crisp day in the woods and that freshly washed favorite flannel you were so excited to finally pull out of the winter bins.)

• What I smell: Barely anything. On friend’s skin, there’s a little bit of skin/clothes smell but still hardly there.
• What he smells: The same.

Long Winter Farm Lumberjack (Spruce, vanilla, and vetiver)

• What I smell: “Very bitter tree. Almost earwaxy. Oh yeah, it’s the vetiver.”
• What he smells: “Yeah, pretty much. Not a fan.”

Luvmilk Book Wyrm (Tanned leather, sharp cedar, and warm crackling fire, blended with vanilla, oak, and a touch of patchouli and musk.)

• What I smell: “Leather.”
• What he smells: “Yeah, this is like a more tolerable version of Fyrinnae Fiend Slayer! This is totally what I wanted Fiend Slayer to smell like. And is it just the name or am I getting a little paper?” (it’s the cedar.)
• Author’s note: We made a small joint order from Luvmilk (the rest will be posted later) and everything we tried was 100% accurate to the notes, which was fantastic! This is rarely the case in a grab bag of 1-2mls since we both have some specific anosmia and death notes.

Nocturne Alchemy Royal Sandalwood Snow (Indian Sandalwood e/o, Australian Sandalwood e/o, New Caledonia Sandalwood e/o, Santalum absolute (Studio Limited) and Vanilla Bean liqueur)

• What I smell: Yup, that’s sandalwood. Perhaps somewhat buttery.
• What he smells: “…I don’t get sandalwood. Or vanilla. I get weak, but straight, movie theater popcorn. All diacetyl." (he mislabeled the chemical so I've put the correct name here)
• Author's note: Wut.

Nui Cobalt Social Justice Bard (A swirl of spiced rum alight with the reflection of the fireplace, slowly toasting marshmallows, a tendril of smoke from a pipe, and decades-old suede.)

• What I smell: This is what Alkemia Hearthstone wishes it was.
• What he smells: “I get basically everything here but the marshmallows. It’s pretty smoke-forward.”
• Author’s note: As musicians with a shared interest in bringing attention to marginalized composers, we are both social justice bards. :) And to get back to the main topic of this post: we made a small Nui Cobalt order specifically so we could both get 5mls of Dendrophilia.

Nui Cobalt The Mentor (Ancient sandalwood, well-worn linen, olive leaf, oakmoss, Earl Grey tea, and sacred temple incense.)

• What I smell: On friend’s skin, wood and moss.
• What he smells: Pretty much the same: “I get wood, moss, maybe a bit of incense. I wish the tea was stronger but maybe next time.”

Oakcha Libra Elixir (Rum, almond, sugar cane, sandalwood, dark chocolate, coffee, caramel)

• What I smell: “Uh, what even is this? I can’t figure out what I’m smelling.” After a minute or two: “It was kinda sweet at first, but it’s just weird now.” It was just kind of… bitter? Maybe like cheap coffee. On his skin, I can pick up on sandalwood, coffee, and something sweet.
• What he smells: “Out of the notes I think I’m mostly getting the caramel, but I can’t figure this one out either. Probably have to try it on skin.” He describes it as reminding him of tropical fruit and wood. In combination with his skin chemistry, the mainstream-ness really comes out and he was having trouble figuring out whether he liked it. On second wear, he said “it now smells like a slightly rummy mixture of Christmas-y spices and I’m even more confused.” Great longevity, but even after trying it several times now, the jury is out.

Osmofolia A Squirrel With An Evil Plan (Cracked acorns, weathered oak wood, dribbles of maple sap, a pinch of chai spice, shredded vetiver, poisoned buttery almond cookies, and the glint of watchful eyes.)

• What I smell: Ugh, not the shortbread again! Butter has done me in once more, but I can smell the spices too.
• What he smells: “I smell butter, but there’s definitely more than that. Some spices, is there honey in there?, wood in the background… definitely more than one note.” After explanation: “I think I mistook the maple sap for honey.” He loves it on his skin, and says it smells like snickerdoodles at first and the oak comes through as it dries.

Osmofolia Solario (Golden sunlit amber: de Laire's renowned smooth amber 83 base built on accords of sandalwood, oud, and hinoki. A pinch of saffron threads for warmth, hints of rose and spice, and a soft ambrette musk oil.)

• What I smell: “Very faint. A little woody, a little spicy?” On friend’s skin, I’m getting mostly vanilla for some reason.
• What he smells: “Yeah, I barely get anything.” On his skin, he says it smells vaguely musty and/or like dried flowers.
• Author’s note: Between this and the fact that neither of us could smell anything other than alcohol in OO Olympic Amber, I’m pretty sure we’re both anosmic to some subset of amber aromachemicals.

Stone and Wit Lost Temple (Birch leaves, cool air, incense)

• What I smell: “Oh yeah. Tree. But also some citrus.”
• What he smells: “Yeah. Citrus-y incense is definitely a thing.”

Strange Fire & Fumery Witch Wife (Pine trees that scrape the sky, rich sandalwood, teak, an old cottage, a trail of forget-me-nots to find your way home.)

• What I smell: “Very jammy woods and maybe some sandalwood to make it cozier.”
• What he smells: “This is borderline unpleasant. It’s almost smelling like floral foam.” He said it worked well on his skin, though; his first impression was that it could be too femme but that dissipated over time.
• Author’s note: Plasticky floral note in the vial? Hmm.

Wylde Ivy Solstice Faire (Ginger infused fruits, apple wood bonfires, golden hay bales, blonde sandalwood, smoked sugars, crimson tipped leaves, and spiced pumpkins.)

• What I smell: “Butter.” After interacting with friend’s skin chem, however, the butter has given way to spiced fruit. That’s an exciting first!
• What he smells: “Weird. I’m getting mostly a gingerbread cookie out of that, but there’s so much else going on that I feel like I should be smelling other things.” On his skin, he says it’s less buttery and generally works well on him. He enjoyed it even more on a second wear test, pointing out the smoked sugar and burnt apple wood.
• Author’s note: There are several notes that could have some hidden butter CO2 in them, but it looks like all’s well that ends well because my friend’s skin chemistry is Butter-B-Gone.