Aidan King

Blue Winds Dancing

            In any story, the repetition of a word, theme, or symbol typically     marks that thing as important to the author and reader.  It reflects the message of the piece as a whole. In Tom Whitecloud’s Blue Winds Dancing, the word in particular is “home.” It represents more than where he grew up; more than just a birthplace. “Home” means family. It means friends, love, comfort, and protection. “Home is where the heart is” so the saying goes, and for Whitecloud, this couldn’t be any truer. Home is the most beautiful place in the world, and it’s so important to him, he uses the word fifteen times in all.

That land which is my home! Beautiful, calm – where there is no hurry to get anywhere, no driving to keep up in a race that knows no ending and no goal. No classes where men talk and talk and then stop now and then to hear their own words come back to them from the students. No constant peering into the maelstrom of one’s mind; no worries about grades and honors; no hysterical preparing for life until that life is half over; no anxiety about one’s place in that thing they call Society. (P. 276, para. 5)

            Home means more than simply being nostalgic when being away; it’s more than getting excited when it’s time to return; it’s host to your closest friends, kindest neighbors, and fondest memories. Whitecloud attempts to capture the true essence of “home” in this piece. Not only “beautiful” and “calm”, home is a place for freedom.

Home is all these things, and being away in the world of bankers, politicians, and lawyers has taught Whitecloud that. At one point in time, he may have hated his home; hated his family, and all the familiarity and lack of change, but he learned that you truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. All his life, his keys to happiness and comfort were right in front of his eyes: Home. A place to escape the drudging monotony[1] of “the thing they call Society”, where you work, buy, consume, and die.

While Blue Winds Dancing is truly a reflection on “home”, Whitecloud also shines a critical light upon society, calling into question the legitimacy of life and humanity as we journey through it daily. It’s not just a place to work, settle down, and have kids until the day you retire, implies Whitecloud. It’s where you belong. For him, life is about the “ring of axes in deep woods, the crunch of snow beneath my feet. I feel again the smooth velvet of ghost-birch bark. I hear the rhythm of the drums…” (para. 6).

For the majority of others, however, life is about living in squalor and lavishness, working the same jobs that were worked generations before simply because they were worked by generations before. And despite the state of existence that Whitecloud longs for, he can barely escape the cycle he’s in: Going to school, nodding his head to his teachers and classmates with a smile on his face, and sleeping until it’s a new day. The longer he stays in the cycle, the deeper the rut goes. Society has been twisted and tainted for years and years, and Whitecloud himself shows just how tiring being a member of sophisticated life truly is.

“I am tired. I am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized. Being civilized means trying to do everything you don’t want to, never doing anything you want to. It means dancing to the strings of custom and tradition; it means living in houses and never knowing or caring who is next door. These civilized white men want us to be like them – always dissatisfied – getting a hill and wanting a mountain.”

Those in a sophisticated niche view any who refuse to conform to the confines of society as outcasts; social pariahs. They’re inferior: less wealthy, less successful, less happy, and less intelligent. “Hobos and prostitutes and criminals are individuals who never adjusted, he [his sociology professor] said. He could learn a lot if he came and listened to a bunch of bums talk. He would learn that work and a woman and a place to hang his hat are all the ordinary man wants. These are all he wants, but other men are not content to let him want only these. He must be taught to want radios and automobiles and a new suit every spring.” (Para 12)

What started as an ode to home, family, rolling green hills and trees blowing in the wind, suddenly turned into a critique of the average human existence, and how pitiful and despicable Whitecloud sees it. The tone shifted, almost to uplift the reader, making him reflect on his own home, and then pulling him back down to reality. Whitecloud is scornful of society, and treated his time amongst “civilized” people as both painfully monotonous and a learning experience at the same time. But he’s almost home, almost free of the “white man’s world” as he puts it.

He closes the story in his home, with his family, friends, elders, and peers. “I watch eyes, and see now that the old people are speaking to me. They nod slightly, imperceptibly, and their eyes laugh into mine. I look around the room. All the eyes are friendly; they all laugh. No one questions my being here. The drums begin to beat again, and I catch to invitation in the eyes of the old men. My feet begin to lift to the rhythm, and I looked out beyond the walls into the night and see the lights. I am happy. It is beautiful. I am home.” (Para 33)

Despite his contempt for society, Whitecloud ends with a pleasant note. Bringing the reader’s mood up, down, and up again with a heartwarming crescendo of sorts. You are a product of your home. It birthed you. It raised you. Nurtured you. It showed you how to succeed within yourself, and taught you how to fall as well. Home is…simply that. It’s just home. Like love, words alone do not have the power to describe it. You just have to wait until you’re there before its meaning can reveal itself.

[1] Not sure which is right. ‘Drudging monotony’ or ‘monotonous drudging’

     Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

  I had so many expectations for Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I can’t tell you how hyped up I was after reading thousands of raving reviews. Sad to say that, it was not my cup of tea. It seemed that I couldn’t get hooked on the book anywhere. Karou is a wonderful character and she is….likable, but her voice just couldn’t pull me in. The book was not lacking in descriptions, beautiful descriptive passages, but sometimes they seemed overwhelming and too much. I was constantly told how beautiful Akiva was and it was annoying. The story seemed to be all over the place to me and sometimes I found myself flipping pages because I had gotten bored. As a result, I don’t think I’ll be buying the sequel to this book when it comes out. Try it out, though, you may like it.

BLUE: Generally it means the person is more calm and laid-back. They have their own certain quirky ways about going along life, and are well precieved by their peers.

Amber: People with Amber colored eyes seem to be a little more pulled away from society. They do things out of the norm, but make sure to not let others know, or make sure everyone knows. There is rarly and in between. They are independent in terms of making choices, but it is the reception of their peers in which keeps them fueled.

Brown: A very fast moving and smart person. School isn’t as hard for you, and youre always on the go. Physical activities excit you and let you excel. Your taste in music is somewhat older, and more peacful than todays fast moving repeative noise. You are very popular amung your peers and you will remain that way through life, unfortunatly, your peers are always changing, leaving you with litte life long friends.

Gray: Grey eyes are very similar to blue eyes, and their traits, but they are a little more loud and obnoxious. They love to have fun, with anyone around them. Grey eyes are often looked up to by other people.

Green: Green, likes to move, but not in a sense of activities and sports, but wit friends, and at parties. You love to have fun, even at the cost of school, or deadlines. You are well recieved by peers and always a joy to be around.

Hazel: Interstingly enough, Hazel eyes seem to mix all the personalities into one. They are very quirky people, buy thrive off the complements from others. They ahve high grades in school, but can balance fun quite effectivly. Sometimes they can come off as a show off, or being obnoxious.

These were the finding of my assignment. I surveyed 200 people of different eye colors, interviewed 5 of each color and observed how each person of different eye colors reacted to different situations. My findings are not to be taken 100% seriously as there is no scientific proof of eye colors effecting personality, these are just the corrilations i found. Thank you! Have Fun and see if you fall under my descriptions.  

Locke described the way we perceive objects in the world in terms of primary and secondary qualities. Primary qualities are qualities that are universal to any subject experiencing an object and are not reliant on human sense experience. Primary qualities include size, shape, location and number. Locke’s argument is that these qualities remain whether someone is perceiving the object or not. Secondary qualities include sounds, smells, tastes and colours. These qualities do not reside in the objects but are observed by perception. If an alien had no colour receptors he would not be able to tell a ten penny piece was silver but would still be able to describe size, density and other such primary qualities. Secondary qualities require both object and perceiver to exist.

Realism argues that something exists independently of the mind. Anti-realists argue that there can be nothing independent of the mind. Naive realism argues that there is a world of objects that exist whether there is a perceiver or not. If a tree falls in a wood then it will still make a sound even if there is no one around to experience it. Representative realism sits closer to Locke’s primary and secondary qualities argument. It argues that there is a world of independent material objects but we only experience representations of this material world. Representative realism claims that these representations may not correspond to how an object actually is. An example would be how a straight object such as a pencil appears bent in a glass of water due to refraction. The object itself is not bent but our representation of it leads us to believe that it is bent. This therefore must be an illusion or a trick of sensory data. What we experience through our sense is never the true object but rather a perception of it formed by our senses. Representative realism thus argues that the real object does exist it is just our perceptions that deceive us. Naive realism is a two part theory of perceiver and object whereas representative realism is a three part theory including the perception as part of this process.

One of the main problems with representative realism is that it can argued that if we are only ever experiencing perceptions of objects then what is to say these objects do even exist. All of our experience is of perceptions of objects and never of the real objects themselves. Representative realism gives rise to Idealism. Idealism argues that all qualities are secondary or as Berkley put it; “in my head.” Representative realism seems to have little need for the real world if we never truly experience it. What is to say that all sense experience is not like the pencil in the glass of water and rather an illusion? It is almost impossible to describe what an objective or real experience might consist of because it seems that every experience is relative to a different viewpoint.

There are several criticisms that dispute the idea of representative realism. In the case of secondary qualities they may in fact be genuine qualities of an object. Secondary qualities are said to only exist if there is a perceiver to perceive them. Yet many would argue that some secondary qualities are just matters of fact. A poisonous leaf is poisonous as a matter of fact. This secondary quality is not subjective but rather a genuine property of the leaf. The leaf also remains poisonous whether somebody eats it or not. Another problem with representative realism is that we cannot know whether the sense data we interpret has any relevance to the object. Just because we receive blue sense data it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a blue object. There could be other life forms that perceive more colours than humans can. The argument is circular in that it argues if there is blue sense data then the object must be blue which therefore means the object must emit blue sense data which therefore means the object must be blue and etcetera until infinity.

Representative realism makes a concerted effort to resolve problems concerning perceptual knowledge. The main issue with the argument is that there is no obvious conclusion that the material world exists. It helps to answer the problems posed by naive realism but not those that idealism suggests i.e. the existence of the material world. Representative realism makes reality unknowable as it is impossible to know what is real and what is not if all our knowledge is merely based upon our perceptions and interpretations of sense data.

I feel like I’m in a huge, deep pool. I am in the center and I am treading water. I have, in fact, been treading water for a while, weighing my options while doing so. My options are simple: sink or swim, but I have overcomplicated them in my mind.

I was recently enlightened to the fact that I have more options, or rather, I can make swimming much easier…or I can make sinking much quicker. If I chose to swim, it would be much easier if I would just relinquish control. Take a deep breath, go under, and sink until I reached the bottom. I then would realize, that while I have finally reached rock bottom, I have been presented with an interesting opportunity. Once I reached the bottom, I was then in a position to plant my feet firmly on the bottom, bend my knees and spring up, using rock bottom as a stepping stone on my way up. Doing so required faith, trust, and admittance…
Or…I could simply continue to wave my arms wildly, exerting massive amounts of energy to avoid grounding myself on the bottom, in fear of getting stuck. I could then sink involuntarily because of my previous decision to exhaust my energy needlessly.

I made a choice. I chose to swim.

There is less certainty in being able to swim once I have spent useful energy on useless fighting of the water trying to resurface, so I decided using the bottom as leverage was the smartest choice. I am also, in this moment, sure of exactly what the bottom looks and feels like, and although it proved beneficial this one time, I would not like to visit it again. Honestly, it’s just too far down to come back again.

I am now committed to swimming. I am not swimming for time, only for completion. This is not a race; I can take one arm at a time and take a breath when I need to for as long as I want. Funny thing is, now that I have decided to swim I notice my perception was off…this was never a pool I was in, it is more akin to an ocean. It’s full of currents, waves, unfamiliar spaces, unfamiliar species…once I took off the blinders, I realized my tunnel vision had downsized my world tremendously. But regardless of the size, I was here, and I was swimming.

I can only do this one stroke at a time, and giving up is simply not an option; never was, never will be. I prayed for change and God tossed me a lifeline. He is truly capable of doing for me what I clearly have never been able to do for myself. All I had to do is relinquish control and ask for help.

To make money in Runescape, one must make themselves into a somewhat entrepreneur, one who is willing to take risk in order to profit handsomely. Often great risk can be very rewarding, although I do not recommend this approach to making money.

I for one did do this once my merchanting took off, although it is completely optional. I ended up buying 21k death talismans for 700-1.5k each, and then bam an update kicks in and i end up making 150M selling 2.5k of them for 10-75k each.

Now I began my merching life by buying things like barrows armour, dragon hatchets, dragon skirts and using bogrods pouch exchange into shards. Even though this was profitable, it also required me to be extremely active.

Using this method I had to constantly update my offers to make sure nobody was beating mine, which was a significant hassle. 

I guess it is now time for the key points that are extremely helpful when merching.

1. Flipping larger items: When wishing to discover what the highest bid is for an item and the sell price you must first attain that item. I recommend flipping minor items to develop your cash pile, such as barrows. Now in this example say I purchase a dharoks set for 4,250,000 gp, write that price down and when it is time to sell your acquired items sell them for 1gp under that price.

Now sell the item back into the ge at lowest, until it instant sells. Say it sells for 4,200,000. I suggest you purchase this item for 4,200,001 gp, so that any of them sell to you. In my example this item has a 50k gap which is the profit you will earn.

2. This is the method I use, and that is flipping many smaller items. My bank is in the billions now thanks to this method, and it is so easy. My favorite items to flip are runes and essence, mainly because people often buy these in bulk. The only thing with runes though is you need money to start, I like to flip at least 300-500k runes at a time, often any higher than that and I lose some due to the 4 hour reset. (sometimes the runes sell and buy a little faster, however at these rates you can often make 6M from 6 ge slots in this period of time)

Often runes can have a 3gp gap, and sometimes even an 8gp gap if they are low in supply. Astrals are well known for this, however you must be cautious when flipping any item, as prices can fluctuate a great deal.

Do not panic sell, whatever you do. I bought at least 1M astrals when they were between 66-79 each, and have recently sold them for 210-220 each. If something is at a low and looks as if the low is unsustainable, the price is sure to rise soon.

When you are flipping, you are looking for percentage gain rather than total profit per item. 3gp per item may not sound like much compared to 50k from 1 item, however you must put things into perspective.

When bots were around the price of essence often determined the price of runes. Now things have changed, so you must be more vigilant to not be caught off guard by price fluctuations. The most I have lost is approximately 10M over the time of my merchanting, so It definitely pays off.

Scientists and oceanographers are constantly carrying out research on the Blue Whale in attempt to assist in the survival of this magnificent creature which experts now estimate number less than 10 000 worldwide. Up until recently, one of the greatest mysteries of the sea was where these whales are born.

Most of the time Blue Whales swim far off shore only surfacing for brief periods usually for only a few seconds at a time. In late summer however many of these creatures gather to feed. Researchers then have a chance to tag them. They can then track them during the winter migration south with satellite tags. With this information, researchers have discovered that these whales mate and give birth in the tropics.

Blue Whales feed during the winter when they mate and give birth. They are twice the size of more commonly known whales. Experts know little about them. An adult female Blue Whale can weigh almost 180 tonnes which is heavier than 25 fully grown elephants. The heart alone is the size of a small car and weighs close to 500 kilograms. They grow to be as long as three buses.

Blue Whales do not have teeth. When they open their mouths, pleats of skin allow their throat to expand letting them suck in krill and tiny crabs. Plankton and krill makes up nearly all of the diet of the Blue Whale. The largest animal on the planet feeds on one of the smallest. It takes around one metric tonne of krill to fill a Blue Whales stomach and they can devour three and a half tonnes of these small shrimp-like crustaceans every day.

Cousins of the Blue Whale, humpbacks, generally do not eat during the winter months when they are mating and calving. Blue Whales, however, are three times heavier than their relatives. Blue Whales are so big that they need to eat continuously to keep up their energy levels all year round. Mating and calving require these giants to expend energy and a productive place to provide the fuel.

Blue Whales can also make some of the loudest calls of any animal but we require special technology to hear them. Scientists are capable of decoding certain sounds made by certain whales and attempt to interpret what they may mean by comparing the acoustic signals to the behaviour observed.

Scientists attach probes to the whales via a suction. The tags record how deep the whales dive, its pitch and roll and how it approaches its prey. These probes are also used to record surrounding sounds. The sounds the researchers are particularly interested in are the sounds of ships in the shipping lanes. The researchers hope that the information from these probes can answer questions such as how loud the sounds of the ships are compared to the whale and whether and how the noise from these ships affect the whales. The data may reveal whether the whales’ voracious appetite places them in peril from the shipping lanes. They use this data to identify danger zones.

Some of the higher density areas that Blue Whales use and return through every summer to feed are intersecting with areas of increasing shipping traffic. Ships are now not only becoming more numerous but they are bigger and faster as they supply more and more goods to the harbours of the world. This is the recipe for disaster for the whales. Could it be that after surviving the sharks and the whaling that ships strikes now pose the biggest threats to the survival of the Blue Whale?

Research offers the best hope for new shipping paths that will give the largest of the baleen whales the space they need. The challenge for protecting the Blue Whales has only just begun. For these almighty animals to have a chance we must respect the oceans for the decades ahead… for all creatures great and small….but in this case mainly for the great.

Colour: Image via Wikipedia

Colour, or color if you prefer the American spelling, has certain meanings to us in the West. In the rest of the world, ancient and modern, there are different viewpoints.  As there were in our own past. To the ancient Greek poet Homer the Mediterranean was a wine-red sea; to us the Mediterranean is a lush turquoise escape. There was no word for blue, of any hue, at that time for Homer to use in describing the sea he lived by.

Red:

In China, red is the symbol of fire, the south and the positivity of courage, loyalty, honour, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer. Red is used in weddings and to wrap monetary gifts. Obituaries are written in red and to write someone’s name in red ink means they are “dead” to you.

In Japan red is the hue of heroism.

In India, red is the colour of brides, for it is the colour of purity, fertility, beauty and the wealth of the goddess Lakshmi.

In parts of Africa, red is the shade of death. The Red Cross uses the colour green in these areas.

Orange:

In India the colour orange, or saffron, represents courage, sacrifice and renunciation of earthly cares. The colour orange/saffron is sacred in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.

Orange is the historical colour of the Netherlands and is often connected with Protestantism in Ireland.

Yellow:

In Italy a “yellow novel” is a crime story.

In China a “yellow movie” is x-rated. In Imperial China, yellow was the royal colour because it was the most difficult tone for them to obtain. It was used in clothing and buildings. The first emperor was known as the “Yellow Emperor”.

To the ancient Maya, the shade of yellow was connected with the south and the colour’s symbol also meant precious.

Green:

Many Asian languages have no word for green; rather it is part of the terminology for blue or for anything smelly, like in Thai. In Japan, the green traffic light is sometimes still called blue as are leaves and grass.

In China, green is linked with the east, the sunrise, and with life. In ancient China, the husbands of prostitutes wore green scarves.

In Persian poetry, a dark-skinned desirable beauty is described as sabz-gandom-gun (green wheat coloured) or sabz-malih (a green beauty), as green means black or dark.

In Ancient Egypt, green was the colour of resurrection; the god Osiris, who was raised from the dead, is always shown with green skin, representing new life.

In Medieval European literature green was associated with lust and in early English folklore, green is the colour of the devil, the witch and of malevolent fairies. This may stem from the Celtic belief that green was an unlucky colour, heralding death.

Blue:

In Greek myth, the god Zeus made the rain fall when he was sad and made storms when he was angry. Blue was assigned to both rain and sadness.

In some  maritime western cultures, when an officer of a ship’s crew was lost at sea, a blue stripe would be painted on the hull and a blue flag would be hoisted upon returning home.

In Germany, “to be blue” is to be drunk.

In Hinduism, the god Krishna has dark blue skin and that is what his name means. Sometimes the gods Ram and Vishnu are also portrayed with blue skin: Vishnu is connected with water and clouds. The destroyer god Shiva is also illustrated in light blue and is called neela kantha, or blue-throated, for having swallowed poison during a battle.

Purple/violet:

In Medieval Europe, there were sumptuary laws governing what fabrics, textures and colours could be worn by the different social groups. Ordinary folk wore green and brown. The nobility wore blues and purples. By this time the “royal purple” was a much bluer shade than the Tyrian purple worn in the past.

In Japan, purple is the colour of death.

In China the correct translation of the name of the Forbidden City is “purple forbidden city”.

Byzantine royalty were born in a purple room, hence “born to the purple”.

In England, shades of purple were worn as the later colours of mourning, after the first year of wearing all black. This was called “secondary mourning” or “half-mourning”.

Brown:

In Japanese the colour brown is called “tea-colour”.

Black:

In parts of the Mediterranean, widows wear black for the rest of their lives. In Greece and Cyprus they are sometimes called “black widows” or “blackbirds”.

In Japan, honour is symbolised by the colour black.

In ancient China black symbolised the north and water.

In English heraldry, black equals darkness, doubt, ignorance, and uncertainty.

To the Maasai tribe in Africa, black is the rain, life and prosperity. This is similar to Native American philosophy.

The ideas of “black magic” and “white magic” come from the murky past of Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians referred to Egypt as Kemet, the black land, because of the life-giving silt washed up by the yearly Nile floods.

White:

In much of Asia (China, India, Vietnam and Korea) and Africa, white is the colour of mourning at funerals, but in Japan, wedding kimonos are often white. Japanese brides wear white to signify their “death” to their families.

In Ancient Egypt, white was also the colour of death.

Grey/gray:

In Scandinavian folklore, grey is linked to fairies and goblins and their garb is usually grey, showing their amoral nature.

In Classical Greek myth, the goddess Athena was said to have grey eyes, glaukós, (owl-like). The comparison to an owl demonstrates her aspect of great wisdom.

In France, “to be grey” is to be drunk.

UFO enthusiasts call aliens, “greys”.  

Pink:

June, 1918 Ladies’ Home Journal: “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” The change of pink for girls and blue for boys occurred in the 1940s.

In Japan, “cherry blossom pink” movies are x-rated. Their other word for pink refers to a peach shade.

Pink became the colour of the British Empire on maps in the 19th century.

A “pink novel” in Spain and Italy is a romance novel.

See also: http://socyberty.com/languages/the-world-of-colours-part-one/

http://socyberty.com/people/red-hair-revelations/

http://beyondjane.com/weddings/princess-brides/

http://socyberty.com/society/the-story-of-scarlet/

http://quazen.com/arts/colour-conformity-and-connotations/

Maya glyph – yellow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maya_glyph_yellow.svg

St. Wolfgang and the (green) Devil by Michael Packer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Pacher_004.jpg 

Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor, in Tyrian purple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Justinian.jpg

Japanese bride: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_kimono.jpg

Colour wheel: Image via Wikipedia

Colour, or color if you prefer the American spelling, has certain meanings to us in the West. Just think of how back in the 80s it was the done thing to wear a red power tie. How about gang colours in American cities? Some will have read on how anthropologist say girls like pink and boys like blue because of latent hunter-gatherer genes. The pink reminds the subconscious of ripe berries once gathered and the blue is the clear open sky of the hunter. In the UK, at least, blue was the colour of women and many older women still wear predominately blue. Pink was the colour of Her Majesty’s Empire on all our maps. My room in university was mint green because the head of maintenance read that green helped students to learn.  And every hair colour ad invokes our beliefs about blondes, brunettes and redheads.

Red: lust, passion, fire, sin, guilt, anger, courage, sacrifice, power, virility, fertility, dominance, blood, communism, socialism, Satan, danger, stop

Origin: The word red comes from the Old English word rēad, which has its roots in the Proto-Germanic rauthaz and the Proto-Indo European root reudh-. The word rudhira means red or blood in Sanskrit

Literature: The Red Badge of Courage, The Scarlet Letter, Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”

Phrases: “being caught red-handed”, “red-blooded”, “red-light district”, “in the red” (bankrupt), “seeing red” (irate), “red sky at night, sailor’s/shepherd’s delight; red sky in morning sailors/shepherds take warning”, “red as sin”

Orange: safety, warning, autumn, Protestantism

Origin: The fruit, prior to the introduction of oranges into the English speaking West, this colour was called ġeolurēad (yellow-red).

Yellow: cowardice, infidelity, warmth, sun, summer, happiness, optimism, gold, riches, liberalism, remembrance, caution

Origins: Yellow comes from the Old English geolu, or geolwewhich itself came from the Proto-Germanic word gelwaz.

Music: “The Yellow Submarine” – The Beatles, “Mellow Yellow” – Donovan, “Yellow” – Coldplay

Phrases: “yellow-bellied, lily-livered coward”, “yellow journalism” (sensationalist), “tie a yellow ribbon”

Green: ecology, environmentally friendly, go, envy, money, illness, growth, hope, Islam, spring, nature

Origins: The word green is derived from the Old English verb growan, “to grow” and the associated words grēne, and in its older form, grœni. In other languages we have the West Frisian grien, the Dutch groen, the German grün, and the Danish grøn. All the words have a connection to words for plant life.

Phrases: “green with envy”, “green around the gills” (sick), “green spaces”, “greenback”, “have a green thumb”, “greenwashing” (cover-up of environmental damage), “green” (young, gullible), “greenhorn” (inexperienced)

Blue: boys, peace, conservatism, sadness, ice, winter, sky, Virgin Mary

Origins: Blue has complicated etymological origins. There is the Middle English bleu orblewe, the Old English blāw (blue) and blǣwen (light blue), the Old French bleu, bleve,and blöe, and Frankish or possibly Old High Germa blāo.  The source of all these variations is the Proto-Germanic blǣwaz, from the Proto-Indo-European *bhlāw-, *bhlēw- (light-coloured, grey, blue and yellow), from *bhel- (to shine, be light). A Scots term for “blue-grey” is blae, from the Middle English bla (dark blue) which came from the Old Norse blār). The English word bleemeaning “colour, complexion” is also thought to be related. Further afield through a Proto-Indo-European root, the word blue is possibly interrelated with words from many modern languages which mean white, grey or yellow, like the Russian белый, belyi (white), and  the Welshblawr(grey). The root of it all may be the Proto-Indo-European *bhel- meaning “to shine, flash or burn”.

Phrases: “feeling blue”, “blue skies” (happy days), “blue-collar workers”, “blue stocking” (educated woman), “blue ribbon”, “blue blood, “blue moon”, “blue-sky thinking”

Purple/violet: royalty, imperialism, nobility, wisdom, episcopacy, mysticism, elegance

Origins: Purple arises from the Old English word purpul which stems from the Latin purpura, that came from the Greek πορφύρα (porphura. Porphura was the Greek name of the Tyrian purple dye created in antiquity from mucus secreted by the spiny dye-murex snail. This dye, depending on the manufacturing process, could make shades of yellow, green, red and purple. The darkest colour – a reddish, blackish purple – was the most expensive and was the colour of Tyrian nobility.

Literature: The Color Purple

Music: “Purple Rain” – Prince, “Purple Haze” – Jimi Hendrix, “Purple People Eater” – Sheb Wooley

Phrases: “born to the purple” (born to rule), “purple prose” (ornate or pretentious writing), “purple mountains’ majesty”

Brown: reliability, stability, conformity, dullness, earth

Origins: the term brown has its birth in the Old English brún, which meant anything dark in hue. It may be related to the Germanic adjective *brûnoz, *brûnâ meaning dark as well as glistening, like in “burnished”.

Music: “Brown Sugar” – The Rolling Stones, “Brown-eyed Girl” – Van Morrison

Phrases: “brown spaces”

Black: evil, death, decay, depression, sophistication, mourning, fear, secrecy, bad luck, witchcraft, occult, black magic, anarchy, non-conformity

Origins: Black originated form the Old English blæc (black, dark) and the Old Saxon blak(ink) which came from the Proto-Germanic *blakkaz(burned). That term came from, again, the Proto-Indo-European *bhleg- (to burn, gleam, shine), from the base *bhel- (to shine). The word black and its roots are related to the Old High German blah (black), the Old Norseblakkr (dark),the  Dutch blaken(to burn), and theSwedish bläck (ink). Before the word black was in use in England, the word for the colour black was sweart (dark, black). This word exists today as the word swarthy, dark-skinned.

Music: “Black or White” – Michael Jackson, “Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse, “Black Dog” – Led Zeppelin, “The Man in Black” – Johnny Cash

Phrases: “in the black” (solvent), “to blacken his name”, “blacklist”, ”blackball”, “blackmail”, “black and white” (no middle ground), “the new black”, “that ole black magic”, “black day”, “black market”, “black comedy”, “black sheep of the family”, “black-hearted” (unloving), “black mood”, “my black dog” (depression), “black hats” (in film – the bad guys), “black hole of Calcutta” (overcrowded, poor), “black tie”, “black as sin”

White: heaven, peace, God, angels, purity, virginity, innocence, morality, brides, wedding, cleanness, nobility, winter, snow, ghosts, white magic, non-violence

Origins: White originated with the Old English hwīt, that came from a Common Germanic *χwītaz and the Old High German (h)wîz.The root word from the ancient past is from the Proto Indo-European *kwid-, seen today in the Sanskrit śveta (to be white or bright).The ancient Germans also had the word *blankaz (white, bright, blinding), which delivered the source for Romance words for “white” (the French blanc, the Spanish blanco, and the Italian bianco). (And perhaps “blank”?)

Literature: Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”

Phrases: “black and white” (no middle ground), “white hats” (in film – the good guys), “whitewash” (propaganda), “white flag” or “to show the white feather” (surrender), “man on a white horse” (hero), “white-collar workers”, “white elephant”, “white tie and tails”

Grey/gray: neutrality, age, depression, monotonous, dreary

Origins: from the Old English grǣg, the Old High German grāo and the Old Norsegrar.

Phrases: “grey power” (influence of the elderly), “shades of grey” (morally ambiguous)

Pink: girls, love, health, spring, beauty, cancer awareness

Origins: The term pink had nothing to do with colour but with flowers called pinks that had frilled edges. To give something a frilled edge is “to pink” and may come from the medieval German pinken (to peck). By the 1600s, the term pink/pinke as a colour meant a yellow tone which was mixed with blue to make green.

Music: the singer Pink, the group Pink Floyd

Phrases: “pink dollar”, “to be in the pink” (healthy), “seeing pink elephants” (drunk), “pink slip”, “pink-collar workers” (men doing jobs traditionally associated with women)

Is it not rather interesting that the colors red, black and white have not only the most connotations but the strongest ones?

See also: http://socyberty.com/history/the-world-of-colours-part-two/

http://socyberty.com/society/the-story-of-scarlet/

http://socyberty.com/people/red-hair-revelations/

http://quazen.com/arts/colour-conformity-and-connotations/

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sunset_with_funnel_clouds.jpg

Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight, Red sky in morning, shepherd’s warning.

Turkish tiles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Turkish_Tiles.JPG

The black sheep: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hebridean_ram.jpg

~ Equipment ~ 

Mind Helmet/ Neitzot Helm(e) filled with Kyatt Ambush Scrolls 

Barrows Gloves 

Mind/Body/Chaos Shield* or an Elysian Spirit Shield* 

Armadyl Chestplate/Black D’hide Body (borrowed or your own) 

Rune Crossbow 

Ruby Bolts (e)* 

Snakeskin boots 

Ranging Amulet (if lacking money, amulet of glory) 

Archers ring (could borrow and instead use black d’hide body) 

Black D’hide Chaps 

Ava’s Accumulator (Buy multiple of these, to waste less time) 

*The Chaos Shield gives better magic defense than the Mind or Body shields, but requires the completion of Elemental Workshop 4 quest. 

* The Elysian Spirit Shield has been comfirmed to have a 70% chance of blocking 25% damage from Nomad’s attacks (including 750 attack and possibly Max Hp-1). 

*If you have completed the Elite Seer’s tasks, you get an increased chance of hitting a special with enchanted bolts as a reward. (Credit to Runic Forge) 

*Please see Page 31, Post 4 for an alternative setup. I have not attempted Nomad using that setup, but if you’re stuck with my method, you could always try that one! 

~ Confrontation ~ 

Quickly summong your familiar, store your brews in it, drink your super set, bring out your inventory and climb into and down the tent. When you reach Nomad, he and you will start to converse. As inviting as his words are, cut him off by turning on some prayers (or curses). 

~ Prayers or Curses ~ 

If you’re using Prayers, put on Eagle Eye (or Rigour, if you have it) and Steel Skin. You could also put on Piety, but it’s not required. 

If you’re using Curses, put on Sap Magic or Deflect Melee. Sap Magic supposedly reduces Nomad’s hits, which is what we want. You can also put on Sap Magic AND Sap Melee. 

Alternatively, you could put on Leech Defense, which could be helpful. 

~ The Battle Begins ~ 

When he jumps from his throne to attack you, shoot him and make sure you’re on rapid. When he lays down the mines, run south through a small opening (or large, depending on when you run) and then run to the second to last pillar on the west side. It would look like this: 

————–T————— 

–X———-N———–X– 

——–M———-M——— 

–X——-M—-M——–X– 

——–M—-Y—-M——— 

3X——-M—-M——–X– 

2————1————— 

–X———————–X– 

KEY 

T: Throne 

N: Nomad 

M: Mines 

Y: You (player) 

X: Pillar 

-: Floor 

1: Place to run to when almost all mines have dropped 

2: Place to run to milliseconds before Nomad talks 

3: Place to hide. Make sure it’s the northern one of the two standable-on tiles. 

(Thanks to Tejjy for the new map!) 

~ Abusing Nomad’s Flaws * 

Hide to the corner of the pillar mentioned in the diagram above and he will run after you; and remember, the mines aren’t *exactly* like that, but you’ll understand. 

He will then run after you if you did this correctly, and shoot him from any side of the pillar, and make sure he can attack you too. After a while he’ll teleport to the throne and say “You cannot hide from my wrath!” Alas, you can, hide behind the southwest corner of the pillar (sometimes he doesn’t fully teleport back to his throne, if this happens, hide on the west side) 

Now, he will attack you once he throws the 75 attack spell at you, which should hit into the pillar and be dispelled. 

~ A Moment of Relax, Recap and Relapse ~ 

Keep fighting, hopefully hitting specials, if not, don’t be discouraged. After a while he’ll say “Let’s see how well your senses serve you” and will have four clones appear in the middle forming a square or diamond. 

Since you should still be near that pillar, go to the WEST!!!! side of it, and they will not attack you. After 30 seconds, the clones will dissapear the fight will continue. Use these 30 seconds by drinking sara brews and restoring to full stats and also getting more saradomin brews from your tortoise. 

~ Getting Back in the Groove ~ 

Next, he will come and attack you again, keep brewing and super restoring when you have too. A good way to make sure you’re not drinking super restore potions when you don’t have to, quickly switch to your stats and look at the numbers. It only takes a few seconds if your eyes are quick and it helps preserve doses. After a bit of fighting he will then teleport you both to his throne. 

~ A Reminder to Stay Focused ~ 

He will start charging up for an attack. DO NOT use super restores because you will need them after; Use saradomin brews to over your max health (in case you hit a ruby special) and when he hits you it will deal your max lifepoints minus 10 (EX. 980 – 10 = 970 damage. 

A method to avoid accidently killing yourself with the ruby special is by switching to diamond bolts (e) until he is finished using his attack. This is much less risky but also takes up space; I don’t recommend using it because it takes up space and costs more money. 

~ A Slap in the Face ~ 

After he attacks, he will take a few seconds to rest from that attack, this is your chance to drink brews back to high health and then restore to full stats. He will then repeat the cycle over again until you have gotten him to 1/4 health. Once he reaches this amount of health, he will heal back to half health, and continue his cycle of attacks. (Isn’t it like a slap in the face?) 

~ Brew, Restore, Dismiss, Summon ~ 

Once you realize his health is reaching 1/4 again, make sure your terrorbird/war tortoise is empty and dismiss it. If your familiar still has brews left, congrats, you’re either doing very well or you could really use them. Either way, dismiss it, the potions will be left on the ground, letting you have free acess to them. 

Summon your kyatt either right before or during Beserk Mode, and get its’ scrolls ready. The kyatt hits fairly high, sometimes in the 20’s, and trust me, this can and will add up in your favor. 

~ The Final Stand ~ 

Beserker mode is dangerous and sometimes he can hit strings of high hits. If using prayers, put on protect from melee (slightly reduces damage, can be a lifesaver) and keep shooting. If using curses, put on Deflect Melee. 

Make sure you’re healing even if your not that far from full health because he can hit strings of high hits. 

Keep brewing and restoring (because high hits on Nomad are important here) and if you run out of brews- do not be discouraged, stay strong and fight. You should be able to beat him. 

~ My Almost Tragedy ~ 

I beat him with 0 brews, 2 super restores and 25 health left (before health update) ; I was devestated. Plus, this took me 18 tries, so don’t give in, just take breaks after a while! 

~My Stats at the Time of Defeating Nomad ~ 

Combat Level : 109 

Attack: 80 

Strength: 80 

Defence: 80 

Hitpoints: 80 

Ranged: 77 

Magic: 76 

Prayer: 70 

Summoning: 67 

~ My Thanks ~ 

I hope this helps you because this method certainly got me through the battle! 

~ The Revenge of Nomad ~ 

So, recently, or a while ago, there was a poll to vote which boss would make a re-appearance. I am pretty sure Nomad has won that poll. Great… 

I’m assuming if we see him again, he can’t be any harder, if so, we’re in some serious trouble. I’m hoping we’ll see him as a character on our side because I’d rather not have to fight him again (and I’d have to type up a whole new guide!)