@Juneberry: Huh! I don't think I'd ever eaten a juneberry before. Or noticed them growing. They're supposed to be native where I live, but I'm not so knowledgeable about plants and foraging. :P Maybe in one of those fruit punches with mystery mixed berry flavor. xD
As for my name, this was a character I made for a Dungeons and Dragons game. lol. Thornberry is a suitably adventurous (randomly generated) name for a Halfling and her creation just happened to have spanned the end of June and beginning of July.

Well, rather than it being DNA specifically, it's probably whatever our body secrets that contains self-identifiers. Those markers are supposed to tell the rest of our body that it's either a part of us, or came from us so it doesn't get attacked by our immune system. The point is, they're shaped by our DNA and so it's unique to each person (except for identical twins, maybe? I'd never smelled identical twins), and apparently it's supposed to help us avoid mating with relatives too. So it's not completely useless to smell DNA, however indirectly.

@June July Thornberry: I only know they grow in my area at all and have only tasted it because they were shown to me on a guided nature walk once. I also got to eat raw mustard leaf there. And rose hips. It was like a decade or so ago. Time has flown fast. I haven't had it since then honestly, but... Think similar to blueberries? That's how I've seen it described: "Like a blueberry, but better."

I see! I play DnD only recently myself. I'm playing a High Elf with a not-likely-fitting name, but meh. xD My poor DM has to deal with sooo many questions on my part. Also I'm that one idiot who opted to play a Druid with horrifyingly low wisdom. But it's fun~ And she's easy to play so far because I'm used to being oblvious and for some reason I chose that. (She's based on characters I play in MMORPGs honestly) Also she's dead already 'cause we're playing a campaign where we're all dead pirates trying to escape the underworld.

That really is an interesting piece of info! Mind if I share it around my writing circles? I can't help but wonder if that should be a concern if I can't smell it anyway... But... I mean, I know most of my relatives... I think. I can't imagine anyone in my family smelling good anyway. Especially me and my dad. We sweat a lot. I already worry for my boyfriend's future having to deal with me and how many showers I might have to take so he can. Though I'm not sure he has great smell either... But he's better than me >>

@Tuijp: In New Jersey there's legal requirements for minimum temperature and things like that that the landlord has to keep it. If a health inspector ever came, they'd be sued. Our heat happens to be too strong half the time though so right no for example it's freaking 75 degrees in here. Turning it off tends to be a good aid. Or opening windows... which I can't think about without laughing right now still. I'm horrible xD

@June July Thornberry: I mean, you probably *should* be extra distrustful of things on the side of the road. I also learned about a type of tree that has like... vines or something that touching is extra dangerous. My guide was the first case since colonial times to need medical treatment for it...And kept scars from the boils and whatnot. So I'll trust him and not touch things randomly. By not really going outside but still xD

It really is a neat premise, yep! Just don't touch the water. Seriously, you'll regret it... by burning.

And true, I do get a leg up there. I also can easily ignore skunks. Now if I just didn't choke on aerosol... xD

@Juneberry: LOL modern medicine might have made the evolved behaviour of avoiding suspicious things on the side of the road obsolete. xD But to avoid the pain, yeah point taken.

How hellish!

LOL Fairly sure you're not meant to inhale aerosols.