Runes

Runes (Proto-Norse: ᚱᚢᚾᛟ (runo), Old Norse: rún) are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets, which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialised purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark or fuþark (derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc or fuþorc (due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the names of those six letters).

Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialised branch of Germanic linguistics.

The earliest runic inscriptions date from around 150 AD. The characters were generally replaced by the Latin alphabet as the cultures that had used runes underwent Christianisation, by approximately 700 AD in central Europe and 1100 AD in northern Europe. However, the use of runes persisted for specialized purposes in northern Europe. Until the early 20th century, runes were used in rural Sweden for decorative purposes in Dalarna and on Runic calendars.

Rune (video game)

Rune is an action video game developed by Human Head Studios which was released in 2000. The game is based on Norse mythology, showing the conflict between the gods Odin and Loki and the buildup to Ragnarok, the end of the world. Built on the Unreal Engine, the game allows players to explore a fully realized Viking world.

Upon release Rune received mixed though generally positive reviews. A standalone expansion to the game, called Rune: Halls of Valhalla, was released in 2001. It as well as its expansion was also ported to Linux by Loki Software. Ryan C. Gordon, a former Loki employee, would also later port Human Head's 2006 title Prey. A port to the PlayStation 2 was also released under the title Rune: Viking Warlord in 2001. The game was re-released digitally under the name Rune Classic in 2012.

Gameplay

The game casts the player as Ragnar, a young Viking warrior. It follows a fantasy plot based on Norse mythology. The various enemies Ragnar faces include among others man-eating fish, goblins, zombies, Norse dwarves and other Vikings. As the game goes on, as in most games of its type, better weapons are accumulated. Late in the game you find yourself wielding weapons of enormous size, even though most weapons maintain their usefulness to the end.

Rune (comics)

Rune is a fictional vampire-like being from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint. He was created by Barry Windsor-Smith and Chris Ulm, and first appeared as a back-up story in Sludge #1.

Fictional character biography

Rune was a human-like alien in the Ultraverse, until he acquired the Star Stones, magical artifacts which made him virtually immortal, but cursed him with a monstrous form and a vampiric thirst for blood. Ages ago, he found himself stranded on Earth, and has been both worshipped as a god and reviled as a demon throughout history.

In issue 1 of his ongoing series, Rune seeks out super-powered teenagers, unaware of their government connections and robotic protection. Rune is captured and seemingly absorbed by a government computer system.

Rune is noted not for just drinking blood, but eating the entirety of his victims, such as one of the powered beings created in the 1993 first issue of the Strangers (Malibu Comics) series. His powers had led him to predict the incident so he lay in wait and planned so he could kidnap and consume one of the passengers.

Sick

Sick may refer to:

Music

Albums

Songs

Other media

People with the surname

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist is a 1997 documentary film directed by Kirby Dick about Bob Flanagan, a Los Angeles writer, poet, performance artist, comic, and BDSM celebrity, who suffered from and later died of cystic fibrosis. The film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded a Special Jury Prize.

Synopsis

The film chronicles Flanagan for several years leading up to his death in 1996. It explores various aspects of his life, artwork, and philosophy through interviews and other personal footage depicting Flanagan, his partner Sheree Rose, and the Flanagan family. Sick also features Flanagan's home movies, performance videos, and video diaries, as well as an excerpt of Flanagan's performance in the music video for "Happiness in Slavery" by Nine Inch Nails.

In the film, Flanagan explains his use of BDSM for sexual gratification and also as a therapeutic device to regain control over his body from cystic fibrosis. He discusses his conceptual, performance, and video art, which often relates to pain, illness, medicine, and sexuality. Flanagan also serves as a camp counselor for children with cystic fibrosis and meets with a young woman who suffers from cystic fibrosis and who visits him under the auspices of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Sick (Loaded album)

Sick is the second studio album by American hard rock band Loaded. It is their first album since reforming after they went on hiatus in 2002. It was recorded and produced by Martin Feveyear at Jupiter Studios in Seattle, Washington, and was released on March 30, 2009 in Europe and April 7 in the US, through Century Media Records. Writing for the album began in 2008 when vocalist Scott Weiland departed Duff McKagan's other band, Velvet Revolver, in April of the same year. Recording for the follow-up to their 2001 debut album Dark Days began and was completed in June 2008.

Following the release of the album, Loaded went on to promote it for over half a year; releasing one single, "Flatline", and touring in several regions, including the United States, South America and several countries in Europe as well as playing at several music festivals. The album received generally positive reviews, many of which made some comparisons to McKagan's former band, Guns N' Roses.

Background and production

Boy

A boy is a young male human, usually a child or adolescent. When he becomes an adult, he is described as a man. The most apparent difference between a typical boy and a typical girl is the genitalia. However, some intersex children with ambiguous genitals, and genetically female transgender children, may also be classified or self-identify as a boy.

The term boy is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both. The latter most commonly applies to adult men, either considered in some way immature or inferior, in a position associated with aspects of boyhood, or even without such boyish connotation as age-indiscriminate synonym. The term can be joined with a variety of other words to form these gender-related labels as compound words.

Etymology

The word "boy" comes from Middle English boi, boye ("boy, servant"), related to other Germanic words for boy, namely East Frisian boi ("boy, young man") and West Frisian boai ("boy"). Although the exact etymology is obscure, the English and Frisian forms probably derive from an earlier Anglo-Frisian *bō-ja ("little brother"), a diminutive of the Germanic root *bō- ("brother, male relation"), from Proto-Indo-European *bhā-, *bhāt- ("father, brother"). The root is also found in Flemish boe ("brother"), Norwegian dialectal boa ("brother"), and, through a reduplicated variant *bō-bō-, in Old Norse bófi, Dutch boef "(criminal) knave, rogue", German Bube ("knave, rogue, boy"). Furthermore, the word may be related to Bōia, an Anglo-Saxon personal name.