戰國末年

战 = 占 + 戈 : James II of England (zh) prepares to fight a war (战) in the anthill's bathroom (an4). He has a spear (戈) as a weapon and a yellow umbrella (占) as shield, following his hero Leonidas.

国 = 囗 + 玉 : Mnemonic symbol: a nation's flag. Let's say the Chinese flag.

In the observatory's kitchen (o2) Gitta Giraffe (gu) is practising her ballet performance. She got a whole crate (囗) full of jade bracelets (玉) and flags (国) and fixed one flag to each jade bracelet. This makes a perfect combination for throwing the ring with the flag waving behind it and catching the ring again after a few pirouettes.

末 = 一 + 木 : Mnemonic symbol: a Jehovah’s Witness, because they think the end (末) is near.

Mahatma Gandhi (m) set up a giant flute (一) on a Christmas tree (木), trying to raise awareness for the Roof of the World in the observatory's bathroom (o4). He chose the flute and the tree as symbols for the sky and nature, but as Jehovah’s Witness (末) enters, she thinks it's the sky that has fallen down on our heads, and the end (末) of days is ultimately here.

年 = 午 + 丨 + 一 : Nefertiti (ni) is having lunch (午) in the anthill's kitchen (an2). Unfortunately they didn't have any cutlery left so she has to use a dinosaur bone (丨) and a flute (一) instead of fork and knife. It will take her a whole year (年) to finish her lunch this way.