ACTIVES: Collective name for Members, Associates, and AWLers.

ARBM:  Arson, Rape, & Bloody Murder. Not a list of Attila the Hun's favorite hobbies, but the CULTish grouping of Jack Harness, Ted Johnstone, and Bruce Pelz. Although their activities were not the genesis of the CUL T's foul reputation, ARBM did bring the art of CULTish nastiness to full development. For any of the current crop who feels up to the challenge, the following classified advertisement appeared in FR 380 shortly after the death of Johnstone (whose real name was David McDaniel, under which name he wrote and sold several science fiction stories and a notable Man from Uncle novel. He also wrote the so-far unpublished Man from Uncle novel, The Final Affair, which was to wrap up the series.)

Wanted: part time pseudo-worker. Must have nasty sense of humor and willingness to indulge it, somewhat overblown sense of sexual accomplishment, and ability to put up with others of equal humor. Must be willing to join CULT. Several times, even. Apply to A_BM, c/o The CULT. Any race, age or sex acceptable; we are an equal opportunity insulter.

ASSOCIATE:  A CULTist who has moved overseas or someplace.

AWL(er): Active Waitlist(er). One of the first five persons on the CULT Waiting List.

BAKER, E Joseph: (Member #68, Periods 109-117) A LASFan who published FR 116 completely translated into Esperanto, to the consternation of the rest of the CULT. The ``easily read and understood'' phrase in TRC is a result.

BOARDMAN, John, PhD: (Member #78, Periods 137-184) To date, the only person expelled from the CULT by vote of the Members. Expulsion was for refusing to withdraw a threat to refuse to publish letters from certain other Members, but it's not the way he tells it. The expulsion did not end Dr. Boardman's dispute with the CULT; approximately 80 Periods after his expulsion a Petition was presented to the CULT and duly passed by the Membership proclaiming that John Boardman did not have more rights than a grasshopper. It should be noted, however, that inasmuch as no grasshopper was involved in the debate no one was ever sure how many rights grasshoppers actually have.

BRANDON, Carl J: Historically renowned figmentary fan and CULT Member (Member #32; Periods 29-51), a joint creation of Terry Carr, Ron Ellik, Dave Rike, Pete Graham, and other Berkeley fans. Carl served as OA during t he Fourth Cycle, thereby making the CULT one of the few secular organizations ever to be ruled by a fictional critter. ``Carl probably did as good a job as anyone else, despite the inevitable handicap of all non-existent persons.'' --John Champion

XXXXXXXXXXXXX: You don't wish to know that information.

BREENMARK: Named after Walter Breen (Member #66, Periods 103-156), a prominent figure during one of the CULT's more ribald eras. This was an indication, usually an icon of a propeller beanie next to the name on the roster, identifying those to whom it might be considered Risky to send the more adult CULT~zines. It has not been in use for several Cycles mostly because the outside world has gotten Adult faster than the CULT . . . but, with the likes of Jerry Falwell, Tipper Gore, and Dan Quayle, one never knows. The last Member to be Breenmarked was Aljo Svoboda (Member #117, Periods 287, 292-302).

BUCKET:  CULTish vehicle to Hell, originally discovered by Bill Sarill (Member #55, Periods 72-76), who claimed that the CULT was going to Hell in one. Although the CULT has been eternally going Hellward in this conveyance ever since, the closest it has gotten so far is Knott's Berry Farm.

CENTAUR:  Means of locomotion for streetcars in the CULTfiction stories by George Scithers (Member #76, Periods 132-136, 157-610, Associate 137-156). Due to the energy efficiency and environmental safety of this mode of t ransport a proposal was submitted to the proper authorities for a grant to develop commercial applications of this discovery. Alas, the Department of Transportation rejected the proposal, claiming that streetcars were mythical creations.

CLEMENCY:  What the OA grants to an erring CULTist (Member or Waitlister) when forgiving some or other procedural sin. Apparently the OA is not authorized to sell Indulgences or punish CULTists for heresy, which takes some of the fun out of being OA. We are all, sadly, growing older and getting slower, so a little slack from time to time helps keep things going better.

CLIFF-HANGER:  A f/r at the last possible minute to save the publisher's Membership. The most consistant practitioner of the mad dash to the post office was Don Fitch (Member #72, Periods 122-253, 256-271, 273, 275-328, 600-present).
 

CLUT: A variant spelling of <169>CULT,<170> invented as a typo by William C. Rickardt (Member #36, Periods 30 1/2-71, 73-74) in the Third Cycle. Its use was especially common during the Eighth and Twenty-fifth Cycles when the IWL numbered over 20 hopefuls.

CRUD AND A MORAL SHIT, A:  A perjorative used by CULTists when they were being descriptive rather than threatening (cf. OLD CULT JOKE). It has gradually fallen out of use due, it is assumed, to the ignorance of current CULTists rather than a change in circumstances that would vitiate its accuracy.

CULT HYMNAL: A scurrilous, vile, and somewhat humorous publication brought out near FR 98, containing sundry new verses set to old tunes, dishonoring its author's current adversaries. Copies of this legendary and hard-to-get item are rumored to sell at high prices; inquiries should be sent to Bangs Leslie Tapscott (Member #59, Periods 80-226, 237-244). When last heard of, it was still considered Classified Material and unsuited for general distribution.

CULTOON:  A humorous cartoon of CULT Members at work & play, originated by Jack Harness (Member #22, Periods 22-104, 106-108, 113-133, 254-255, 263-270, 273, 335-338, 340-?, Associate 199-212) i n FR 38. The typical CULTist, according to these, wears a long, monkish robe with a hood, and is Up To No Good.

CULTSTITUTION: The governing rules of the CULT. The current version is TRC (The Ratified Constitution) first published in its final form as f/r 297.13 (22 February 1973) and amended a few times since. The most recent edition is the 23rd published in 1993.

CULTZINE: A publication distributed by a Member of the CULT, Associate, or Waitlister to the CULT. The three official flavors of CULTzines are Fantasy Rotators (FRs), fractionals (f/ractionals or f/rs), and Decimal Oscillators (d.o. ). The CULTstitution contains very specific definitions for each category of CULTzine.

CYCLE: Thirteen consecutive Periods, beginning the day after the pubdate of the 13th Member and lasting through his next following pubdate. The First Cycle included the Periods of FR 1 through FR 13.

DIEHARD: Dian Hardison, the only Member expelled by an OA (for libel, but not of then-OA Scithers), who at the same time appointed another Member to receive votes for re-instatement. None appeared.

DISCLAIMER: A call which ostensibly disclaims a double-entendre or pun in conversation or correspondence, originated at the Fanhilton, a Slanshack presided over by Bjo Trimble and inhabited by various LA CULTists.

DRAGON, THE: An unofficial CULTish mascot of sorts which made its appearance during the Twenty-third Cycle as a cover illustration on a FR and reappeared in various CULToons for several Cycles thereafter -- usually with an oblique reference to the original art. The original art was discovered by Ted Johnstone on a coffee table in the apartment of Jerry Jacks and concerned a heroic, unclad, well-muscled and well-endowed male, chained to a wall, being warmed in a very sensitive area by a small, fire-breathing dragon.

ELDER PROPHET: Denis Moreen (Member #3, Periods 1-29), the CULT's very first OA, who dropped out of the CULT and fandom at the end of the Second Cycle and wasn't rediscovered until the end of the Twenty-second when he was contac ted and drafted onto the Waiting List. Named such because of what he said he felt like when he received a history of the CULT in the mail. What he said when he found out he had been drafted onto the Waiting List was equally colorful.

EXULT: Collective name for ex-CULTists. --GHScithers.

FRed: The FRed is the Member charged with getting the FR into the mail on the Scheduled Pubdate. His authority over the CULT is limited to his FR Period, which see.

FR PERIOD: The Period of a particular FR, beginning the day after the Scheduled Pubdate of the previous FR (no matter how much later than the the scheduled pubdate that the FR might actually be published) and ending three weeks later, with (and including) the Scheduled Pubdate of the FR whose number the FR period bears.

HEAP'S DISEASE: A complaint suffered during the Fifteenth Cycle and later. It is the issuance of too many f/ractionals (--Al Snider) or the use of too many typefaces (--GHScithers), both by George R. Heap, when he had access to all too many Xerox® machines and typing elements for his Selectric® typewriter.

IWL(er): Inactive Waitlist(er). Those on the Waiting List who are not on theActive Waiting List. In the first two Cycles, the IWL was called the Unofficial Waiting List.

KEEPER OF THE FLAME, THE: GHScithers, the tireless recruiter who kept the CULT alive during several inactive eras. GHS replaced Walter Breen in Membership position #13 at the beginning of the Thirteenth Cycle (FR 157) vowing not to depart until the Bucket actually Got Somewhere. The CULT has yet to arrive but GHS departed for a few Cycles, and has been in and out of the Bucket since.

LATEPUB: Publishing one's Fantasy Rotator late. Originally, there was no penalty for Latepub, and the CULT very nearly dissolved in the ensuing chaos. For many Cycles, Latepub (with prior notice) could be as much as six weeks, and carried no penalty whatever -- one could publish a one-page Roster six weeks late and still be legal. Latepub was eventually tightened to three weeks, and then to the present two, plus a page-per-day-of-lateness rule. Latepub still forms a large part of the CULT's traditional squabbling over its Rules: whether to keep the requirement that Latepub always be announced, whether to allow an automatic extension when the Scheduled Pubdate falls on a holiday, and so on. The present system does let the CULT know fairly quickly if a Member isn't going to publish a legal FR.

LETTER DEADLINE DATE (or LETTER~DATE): The last day during which CULTish activity can reach the FR editor's eager clutches and still count for credit to that FRed's FR. At one time it coincided with the Scheduled Pubdate (which see ), an almost unworkable arrangement. It is now on the Saturday just before the Scheduled Pubdate of the FR.

LOST AMENDMENT: The amendment to the CULTstitution creating an award called the Vorz. Although proper language was drafted no one will admit to knowing what it is. Members or Waitlisters who wish to create general ill-will by rediscovering it are advised that it was last seen in Terminus . . . or Fort Mudge . . . or Owlswick.

MAD LIMERICIST, THE: A plague that descended upon the CULT in the Twenty-seventh Cycle when someone began anonymously composing limericks of a derogatory nature about other CULTists. The limericks were so poor that no one was surpri sed when Brian Burley (Member #125, Periods 329-?) admitted authorship.

MENACE: A person unappreciated by the rest of CULTdom. The most notorious person to so qualify was George Senda, a noted fannish felon and hot topic of gossip in the early 1970s. Eventually he discovered that, while Our Little Group lives up to its reputation more often than not, the CULT remains an organization of friends who have certain standards for admission to the fraternity. Senda departed one step ahead of a CULTstitutional amendment (never actually passed) to limit to one the number of Members with the initials ``GS.'' Other Menaces were Walter Breen and Dian Hardison.

NASTIEST BASTARDS IN FANDOM, THE: Our Little Club. Research reveals that this appellation was coined by Bruce Pelz (Member #56, Periods 77-197, 201-236, 241-246, 248-271, 359-360) in a limerick published in FR 77 . Though no longer completely accurate it still comes closer to the truth than imaginable substitutes.

NITPICKING: The standard or garden variety CULT~ac, ``According to fannish traditions, the CULT spends all its time squabbling among itself about rules. Nowadays (c.1960) it doesn't confine itself to just rules.'' -- John Champion. ``Nor nowadays.'' (c.1967) -- BLTapscott. ``Or even today!''(c.1969) -- GRHeap. ``Especially today!'' (c.1990) -- GHScithers. Complaints on this have been found as far back as FR 8.

NON-INTEGRAL VIBRATOR: Another form of CULT publication invented by GHScithers. Only one of these was ever published, thank Crom.

NOT EVEN DEATH CAN RELEASE YOU: This actually belongs to the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, and is a measure of how difficult it is to be expelled by LASFS, though George Senda managed it. Traditionally, death is not a reason for dropping a CULTist from the Roster, but failing to meet the correspondence requirements is. Several CULTists have died, some during Membership, some afterwards: Kent Moomaw, John Champion (ex-OA), Lee Jacobs, Ed Baker, Ted Johnstone (ex-OA), William C. Rickhardt, George R. Heap (ex-OA), Terry Carr (ex-OA), Johnny Lee, John P. Conlon, Walter Breen, and possibly others of whom we have lost track.

Official Arbiter:  The sole elected official of the CULT. There was no OA during the First Cycle; the first OA, Denis Moreen (cf. Elder Prophet) wasn't elected until FR 20. The howling chaos which has accompanied each subsequent period during which the identity of the OA was indeterminate has almost convinced the CULT of the need for the OAcy. Almost.

OC: Old Cultist or Original Cultist, a title borne by Ted White (Member #5, Periods 1-29, 30 1/2-123, 125-133, 135-138, 140-171) who was the last of the original 13 to leave the Bucket. Nowadays ``Old Cultist'' could be applied to George Scithers, Dave Rike, or Howard DeVore depending on how one measures oldness, or to White again, if he works his way back up the IWL to Membership. This term has fallen out of use.

OLD CULT JOKE: An exotic type of repartee popular during the halcyon days of Los Angeles CULTdom and the ARBM axis. Example: ``Call me that again, and I'll kill your sister. Ho-ho, just kidding; Old CULT Joke.''

OTHER MATTER: Although CULTish matter has, traditionally, been written, there have been occasional aberrations. These have included feathers (by Harness: ``just add Ed Baker and tar''), cacti (which Fitch set aside but never actually distibuted), slices of salami (cotto), film clips from strange pornographic movies, miniature figures (a wizard, by Edeiken), packages of grape Flavor-Aid, the hard-cover book To Serve Man (written, published, and distributed by Scithers; technically, the whole book qualifies as a f/ractional rotator, since it carries a proper f/ractional number), and name badges from the Latvian Loganberry Festival. A suggestion that kittens might be distributed was quashed by an alert OA who n oted that all f/rs must be essentially identical to be legal.

OTTO MATIC, DR: The first computer program to apply for Membership in the CULT. He appeared on the IWL during the Twenty-fourth Cycle and seemed to be some sort of variation on the Eliza program altered to simulate the repartee of a Freudian psycho-analyst. Those who denigrate the efforts of those trying to create artificial intelligence should note that this one was smart enough to depart before it had to publish a FR.

OUT: (var: out) No longer in the CULT. Unwary Members have even been dropped for putting ``I'm out'' in a letter to an FR.

PERIOD: The length of time from the day after one FR's Scheduled Pubdate to and including the Scheduled Pubdate of the next. It was fixed at 2 weeks by FR 1, a wholly unworkable interval. Ted White suggested lengthening it to 3 weeks as early as FR 4, but the change wasn't made until FR 25. At that time, the letterdate was a week prior to the Saturday before the pubdate because all of the submissions had to be typed on mimeo stencils or ditto masters and duplicated by the FReditor. Various mundane-minded Members have suggested that the Period be made equal to a mundane month; luckily, more tradition-minded Members have managed to retain our strange measure of time.

PRESS GANG: A CULTish recruiting party, usually sent out when the Waiting List gets too short. The name is derived from the method used by the British navy to man their ships in the 18th century which, although more gentle, does bea r a certain resemblance to the methodology employed by various CULTists over the years.

REVENGE!: A boardgame that was designed for the CULT by Jack Harness and last published as f/r 308.5007. The object of the game, played on a board that bears some resemblance to a double Monopoly board, is to kill off the other players. The title is derived from a rule that allows each player to reincarnate once.

SCHEDULED PUBDATE: Although Ted White advocated firm, fixed pub~dates as early as f/r 3 1/2, it was not until a tridecycle later that OAs stopped moving Scheduled Pubdates to cope with spectacular wuckups and the like. Nowadays, a FR may (with notice) be published no more than two weeks after its Scheduled Pubdate; once it was six weeks. The Scheduled Pubdate is the identifying date of an FR listed on the roster; it is the point from which the letter deadline and the allowance f or late publication are measured. The fact that Scheduled Pubdates are known well in advance is a convenience to Members who, with a glance at the calender, are able to determine when they will be next struck by some sort of catastrophe. George R. Heap once calculated these dates well into the twenty-second century.

SEANCE: A face-to-face meeting of a group of CULTists. A Seance is held annually at the Worldcon immediately after the Saturday evening festivities; all CULTists, past, present, and prospective are welcome. High spots of past Seances are 1962, when Ted Johnstone, then-OA, threatened to dissolve the CULT on account of various second-hand threats to Tell All to the Postal Inspectors, 1971 when a frightened occultist chalked a pentagram on the door to ward off the demons we might be invoking, and 1982 when we evicted a group of trespassing filksingers from the allotted premises.

SECRET MASTERS OF FANDOM, THE: A term applied to Our Little Group by some of its more enthusiastic Members, mostly from the CULT's habit of infiltrating World Science Fiction Convention committees and other prestigious fannish organizations. While the CULT often takes pride in these activities it should be noted that the Worldcons most fondly remembered by fandom are, for the most part, those done without CULTic assistance.

SIXTY-NINE: FR 69, entitled ``Cadillac Glory'', was supposed to appear in the early part of the Sixth Cycle; it wasn't published until the latter part of the Seventh. FR 92 (John Champion) was entitled ``69''. In ``The Complete Roster'', Bill Donaho is Member #69 (Periods 109-123, 155-192). All references to this mystical number in CULTzines are about these CULTic phenomena, of course.

SMALL, UNINFORMED GROUP, A: Description once applied to the CULT by Alma Hill, who was never a CULTist. A movement was begun to find a volunteer to go and pee on her, but it failed due to the comparatively high value placed upon urine.

SPERMY MARY: A beverage discussed at some length in Eighth Cycle CULTzines. It would appear to be nutritious, but has little else to recommend it. Obviously, further research is necessary.

STREETCAR: A mythical mode of mass transport frequently depicted as being powered by a centaur; from a distance one can resemble an old oaken bucket. In CULTish legend streetcars can often be found travelling a triangle bounded by Terminus (consult Encyclopedia Galatica for exact coordinates of one; Atlanta GA was once known by that name; and there is a ``Terminus'' at the end of one of the branches of the Visalia Electric Railway in central California), Owlswick (in Buckinghamshire, northeast of London, between Longwick and Kindlewick, a couple of miles west of Clanking [I am not making this up!], which is on the railway line from London to Alesbury), and Ft. Mudge (about 20 miles southeast of Waycross, Georgia, on the main railroad line to Jacksonville; it is the last remaining name still on the map of a ring of forts built around the Okefenokee Swamp to cope with the Seminoles).

SUNFISH, OCEAN: The result of the fusion of two ocarinas. There was a brief theological dispute during the Thirty-second Cycle concerning the ultimate disposition of the holes.

TCR: The Complete Roster (-- BLTapscott) not to be confused with TRC. A listing showing who occupied which of the 13 places on the roster from the Beginning, FR 1, down to whenever TCR was published; TCR was last updated and published by GHScithers as FR 364b wherein the only detectable typo was in the report of his own CULTish record. Until that edition it had been traditional to list Ron Ellik CULT Member #0 as a CULTish mascot (Ellik was never a Member except as part of Carl Brandon); the practice was discontinued at the emphatic insistence of Peter Vorzim(m)er, Who cherished His position as the First Member and disapproved of Ellik's upstaging Him.

TLC: The Legal Constitution (-- BLTapscott) the 11th edition of the CULT's constitution (f/r 125 1/2); as TLC II, the 15th, 16th, and 17th editions of same.

TRC: The Revised Constitution (-- GHScithers) the substitute for TLC II. Circulated (erroneously numbered) as T17E, orThe 17th Edition, in various drafts throughout the Twenty-third Cycle, the fourth draft (f/r 297.13) was submitted to the Membership by YaleF Edeiken, Aljo Svoboda, and Ted A. Johnstone; it was the first constitution actually ratified by the Membership since the fifth edition (FR 39+), the intervening ones having been instituted by fiats of various OAs.

TRIDECYCLE: Thirteen consecutive Cycles of CULTic time, ending with the equivalent of a centennial. The First Tridecycle ended 4 October 1965 with the publication of FR 169 (a four volume monster). The Second ended on 23 June 1975 w ith FR 338 (unmarked by any CULTish celebration). Assuming no OA will move any scheduled pubdates between now and then, the Thirteenth Tridecycle will close with FR 2197 on 11 May 2082. The Third Coming of Peter James Vorzimmer has been prophesied for this time. -- GRHeap

TYPOS: hTe inevitable result of sitting at a typewriter hour after hour transferring the literary output of other CULTists to mimeo stencil or other publishable media. Several of the more imaginative examples have passed into CULTic lore and at least two Members have suffered semi-official alteration to their family names (Dick Smith, who was sometimes known as ``Smtih''; and Matthew Tepper, who endured several Cycles as ``Ttepper'' after complaining about being typoed as ``Mathew'').

UNCLE DICK'S LITTLEST THING: FR 461, published by Dick Smtih, which has the distinction of being the first FR to be published on microfiche. It also has the distinction of being the first FR to be published on illegible micro fiche. This was most frustrating to the rest of the CULT which now had to obtain special equipment just to be able to not read it.

VORZ, THE: The only CULTish award, it is presented annually at the worldcon Seance. There were definite standards established to regulate the bestowing of this dubious honor, but fortunately no one will admit to knowing what they are (cf. The Lost Amendment). However , a few pictures have survived (The Vorz Triptych).

VORZIMMER, PETER JAMES: Our Founder and Spiritual Father, Who created the CULT on 29 August 1954. Although Vorzim(m)er was the Being Than Which None More CULTish Can Be Conceived, He gradually withered and gafiated. His witheri ng took Him OUT after FR 8; He Returned for FR 10, left again after FR 18, and wasn't seen again until the Twentieth Cycle, this time with an additional M in his name. His Second Coming encompassed FR 251 through FR 262, during which He published one of the most magnificently illegible FRs on record and then departed, vowing that He wouldn't. There was an abortive Third Coming in the Twenty-eighth Cycle when George Senda tacked Him on to the IWL without His permission. In a rare burst of understanding about the true nature of the CULT (indeed, perhaps the only time He evidenced such understanding) He wrote an impassioned letter to FR 364 defending His illegible publication and threatening all and sundry with Thunderbolts (or worse) unless He was dropped immediately. He was retained on the Roster for another Cycle. He taught History at Temple University in Philadelphia and was the author of a book on Charles Darwin. He went by the name Vorzimer (one m) when the CULT was founded. He died in 1995, leaving a widow and two sons.

W & B: Whining & Bitching. The most common substitute for nitpicking.

WADING LIST: An early name for the Waiting List based on a typo in the First Cycle.

WO3W: Wide Open Three Way. A faaaaanish practice of the 1950s which was originated by Redd Boggs, Dean A. Grennell, and Bob Silverberg, who agreed to share all correspondence. In FR 1, Vorzimer cited this arrangement as His inspiration for the CULT. Other possible sources were the Seventh Fandom Apa, a short-lived grouping that centered around Harlan Ellison, and the Clique, a four-way correspondence among Bay Area fans Terry Carr, Dave Rike, Pete Graham, and Bob Stewart.

WULT: Collective name for the people on the CULT Waiting List. -- GHScithers

YO-YO: Originally Bob Lichtman (Member #63, Periods 90, 93-113, 116-121, 123-130, 162-164), so called because he kept bobbing between Membership and #1 on the AWL because of a series of cliff-hangers and the like. It has since come to refer to any person occupying the first position on the AWL.

ZROV: Among the more printable epithets hurled at CULT founder Vorzimer during the Second Cycle, when he started going to college, joined a fraternity, discovered the manifold joys of drink-until-you-drop beer busts and sex, and announced to the Membership that since he had matured and grown up, he was dissolving the CULT and that we should all pick up our toys and go home. No one paid any attention to him, and we have continued to amuse ourselves in this fashion to this day. Also : PJV,¯L'il Petey.

Return to Cult home page