A brief SF vocabulary

Agent

Cons with entrance fees have agents who spread information of the upcoming event and collect fees from participants from their respective countries. Finncon's agents only spread information and act as contact persons with fandoms abroad.

Anime

The word 'anime' is Japanese and means animated cartoon. In the Western Countries, the term means specifically Japanese animation. Unlike in the West, in Japan animated films and TV series are a pastime for the entire population, not just for children. See also manga.

Animecon

Animecon is an event that concentrates on anime and manga. The Finnish animecon is organised now for the second time, and again as part of Finncon. So it isn't in fact an independent event, even though it is arranged by especially anime-orientated people. The next Animecon (Animecon II) will be organised with the Finncon of 2004 in Jyväskylä.

Baltastica

Baltastica is a writing competition held in connection with Baltcon. It is open to residents of the Baltic Sea region. The competition will take place for the first time in 2003. Participants should read the rules carefully.

Baltcon

Baltcon is an annual science fiction and fantasy event. All such events in the Baltic Sea region can apply for Baltcon status, and the recipient of each year's status is elected in the previous year's event. Every other year Baltcon status is given to a country of the western zone (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany) and every other year to one in the eastern zone (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia). Baltcons have been organised since 1993.

Con

'Con' is a general term for science fiction events. It is a shorter form of the word 'convention'.

Eurocon

Eurocon is a status that can be given to any European science fiction and fantasy event. Eurocons have been arranged for thirty years, though not every single year.

Fandom

Fandom is a group of enthusiasts. Usually this term is associated especially with people interested in science fiction. Being in contact with one another is an essential feature of fandom. Fandom was born in the 20's, on the correspondence columns of SF magazines of the time. In Finland, organised fandom was created when the Turku Science Fiction Association was founded in 1976.

Fantasy

Defining fantasy in brief is difficult. Fantasy presumes things that don't or can't exist, like magic. Within a fantasy world these things are, however, natural. There are many kinds of fantasy, and no opinion should be drawn based only on so called cheap fantasy. Fantasy is much more than orcs and elves.

Finncon

Finncon is Finland's national science fiction and fantasy event. It is organised every one or two years, and so far it has been held in Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Turku. Unlike events in other countries, Finncon has free admittance.

Kaffee-Klatsch

Kaffee-Klatsch is a small-scale event, where a few fans and a guest of honour meet in a café to have a relaxed conversation. Participants sign up beforehand and their number is kept on a practical level (absolutely no more than ten), so that everyone has a chance to talk to the guest.

Manga

'Manga' is a Japanese word and means comics. In the Western Countries, it means especially Japanese comics. Definitions vary, but the most common prequisite is that the drawer is Japanese. Manga imagery is slightly different than in western comics. In Finland, manga has been published mainly by Like.

Science fiction or SF or sci-fi

Science fiction is hard to define. A fundamental element is scientific speculation. Science doesn't have to be so called hard science (physics, mathematics), but it can also be soft science (sosiology, psychology, musicology). Science fiction is usually abbreviated SF. In Finland, the term sci-fi or scifi is also widely used, but in English-speaking countries it usually means audiovisual science fiction, not literary. This is worth remembering when you talk to fans from different countries.

Worldcon

Worldcon is the largest science fiction event in the world. It is organised every year and its attendance numbers thousands. Most of the time Worldcon is arranged in the US, though not always. Worldcon 2005 will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.