Fonts of Wisdom
Archive | |
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Name: | Fonts of Wisdom - Pryde & Wisdom/Excalibur (and more) Fan-Fiction |
Date(s): | July 5, 1997 - December 17, 2009 |
Archivist: | Luba Kmetyk |
Founder: | Luba Kmetyk |
Type: | Fanfic, Fanart |
Fandom: | X-Men, Vertigo, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Subreality Cafe, The Common People |
URL: | http://lubakmetyk.infinology.net/index.htm (archived version) http://home.att.net/~lubakmetyk/index.htm http://whatsnew.the-crypt.net/ |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fonts of Wisdom was Luba Kmetyk's invitation-only archive. It was a large multi-creator fanworks archive, hosting an extensive array of fanfiction and fanart. The main focus was on Kitty Pryde and Pete Wisdom, of Marvel Comics' Excalibur title. The archive was first updated on July 15, 1997, according to the What's New section of the site, and was a repository for Luba's own fanworks, as well as works she appreciated and wanted to save. In Luba's own words:
This is not intended to be a complete archive of all Pryde&Wisdom stories available, or all Excalibur stories available. These are stories I like to read. These may include stories where Pete and/or Kitty only make brief appearances, and stories about other Excalibur members and characters that have some contact with Pete and/or Kitty (such as Doug, Illyana, Betsy). I also have New Mutants and Hellions stories on one subpage, and on another subpage DC/Vertigo stories and even Image stories. My only rule is, I want to include them (and the authors graciously let me). If you send me a story, I will read it and consider it, but I reserve the right to decline it for my own reasons.
The last update of the site was in 2008, following Luba's hospital stay and nursing care[1]. At that time there were 3945 stories by 722 authors and art by 213 artists.
Idylls of the Cat
Luba's own ongoing Pete and Kitty stories, including her own version of continuity following the "Pete v Pete" scene of Excalibur #92 where Piotr assaults Pete Wisdom after he sees him with Kitty. In Luba's words:
Note: I started this series soon after Excalibur #92 (Pete vs Pete), and have made no effort to keep this within more recent Marvel continuity. In particular, I am ignoring the whole Onslaught/Dark Xavier mess, and Dark Beast, also. Xavier in this story may be dark, but it's his own fault; I don't accept Onslaught as an excuse for Xavier to act like a jerk. I'm treating Logan as basically normal, I just don't feel up to writing feral Wolverine. I'm also ignoring Betsy and the Crimson Whatever. And I've also ignored a lot of little things Ellis has done with Pryde and Wisdom since then, not because I don't accept them (I revere Ellis as gospel), but because it would involve too much minor revision.
The stories included R-rated erotica and the Dark Idylls series, which took a much bleaker look at Kitty's relationships, both with Pete Wisdom and with Piotr Rasputin.
X-Books
There were a number of sections for other writers' stories about Kitty and Pete, sorted into five different sections:
- The Heart of the Matter (Pryde&Wisdom stories);
- Pearls of Wisdom (Pete Wisdom stories);
- Mightier than the Sword (Excalibur stories);
- Major Arcana (X-Men stories w/ major Kitty/Pete/EXC roles);
- Minor Arcana (X-Men stories w/ minor Kitty/Pete/EXC roles).
There was also other sections for:
- X-Men stories Just Because - basically X-Men fics Luba liked that didn't include Kitty or Pete;
- Pandemonium (Illyana Rasputin, New Mutants and Hellions stories);
- Tag Team (Kai & Logan stories) - stories by Kaylee (KayJay) featuring Logan and her OC Kai;
- Canzona (The Ballad of Rahne and Sam) - a series by Denise K and Leary focusing on a relationship between Rahne Sinclair and Sam Guthrie;
- Tales of the Twilight Menshevik - a series by Tilman Stieve focusing on a relationship between Mystique and Val Cooper;
- Triptych: Diamond (Emma Stories) - stories featuring the White Queen, Emma Frost by various writers;
- Triptych: Amethyst (Betsy Stories) - stories featuring Psylocke/Betsy Braddock by various writers;
- Triptych: Garnet (Maddie Stories) - stories featuring the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor by various writers.
Vertigo/DC/et al
Luba's site was one of the few in the 1990s and early 2002s that had an interest in non-Marvel fanfiction. She collected Vertigo, DC, and a number of crossover stories, including comics crossed over with Babylon 5, X-Files, Farscape and Twin Peaks.
- Stories from the Shadows (DC/Vertigo stories) - by various authors;
- Bootleg Story Annex - the stories that didn't fit anywhere else but that Luba wanted to keep.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series
The Crypt was where Luba saved Spike-centric fanfic, having, in her own words:
I have a thing for bad Brits! <g> Therefore, most of these stories feature Spike, although I admit to a soft spot for Giles and Wesley, too. (Angel welcome if he plays nice with Spike and/or kills Riley)
Fanart
Speculum Mundi was the fanart section, with an extensive collection of fanart from across comics fanfic. Some OCs were included. There was also an adult section, unusual for a lot of fanart archives where the domains often restricted such materials.
Links
- Outside the Lines fanfic mailing list
- C-FAN (Comic Fan-fiction Authors' Network)
- Fanfiction.Net
- Alara's Crossroads X - Magneto, Mystique, Xavier, Doug Ramsey, Elseworlds, Villains, XXY: the Genderswap Universe, and Darqstar's Shifting Sands X-Men Fanfiction Archive
- Alicia's Alternate Timelines - Cable (and Domino), Authority and Stormwatch, and Shadowlands
- DarkMark's Domain - Marvel, DC, Image, Tower, including Golden and Silver Age
- The Itty Bitty Archives - Cyclops, Logan, X-Men, Miscellaneous
- Alykat's World - Rogue, X-Babies, Beast, Iceman
- queenB's Hive - Cecelia Reyes, Maggott, Miscellaneous
- Tangerine's Dream - Angel and Psylocke, Ric&Shatty, Slash
- Kaylee's Thundercrack! - Gotham, the Dracoverse, Mooksville, Poi's fic
- Wolverine and Jubilee Page - Wolverine and Jubilee, X-Men, Blink and Sabretooth
Wishlist
Luba's site was also unusual for her "wishlist" section, where she posted ideas she would like to see for fanfic and art. As of the last Wayback capture on Feb 18/09, the list comprised of:
- a crossover with Vertigo's Lucifer Morningstar and Spike and/or Angel
- a crossover with the Hellfire Club (Sebastian/Emma version) and Spike and/or Angel
- a spy story featuring Pete Wisdom working with Clive Reston (with Kitty, Alistaire, Leiko and/or Shang Chi optional)
- more Cross-Time Capers
- an explanation of Sat-yr-9's interest in Kitty
- the X-Men (but *especially* Pete Wisdom) meet Miles Vorkosigan (yes, I *know* it's ridiculous!)
- Kitty Pryde as Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and Pete Wisdom as her Black King -- thanks, Gina!
- Romany Wisdom stories!
- Pete Wisdom growing up -- thanks, RhiannonAmaris and Gina!
- Pete Wisdom during his time in Black Air -- thanks, Jim!
- Brigid Shane stories
- 'classic' early Excalibur -- Dai Thomas, WHO, Gatecrasher and the Technet, Sat-Yr-9, Otherworld, etc
- the London Hellfire Club (Ellis version) vs the 'classic' New York Hellfire Club (Sebastian, Emma, etc)
- Pryde&Wisdom teaming with John Steed and Emma Peel (the originals, *not* the recent movie horror!) -- thanks, Brian!
- Pryde&Wisdom teaming with Jon Sable and Maggie the Cat
- Pryde&Wisdom teaming with Luke and Laura to rescue Robert and Anna Scorpio (from Faison and/or the Cassadines, of course!)
- Pryde&Wisdom teaming with Robert and Anna Scorpio to rescue Luke and Laura (from Faison and/or the Cassadines, of course!)
- John Constantine with *or* against Illyana Rasputin (obviously a magic/horror story) -- thanks, Duncan!
- Pete Wisdom and Jack Knight and John Constantine and the Shade
- Emma Frost and the Hellions vs Ivana Bauil and DV8 (the Ellis version, obviously)
- young Kitty with Jonny Quest -- thanks, Indigo! <g>
- Pete Wisdom with Jenny Sparks -- thanks, Dex!
- Domino and Zealot working together
- Gambit in New Orleans with the Alan Moore version of Voodoo
- Colossus finds out about Peter-son-of-Nereel
- the Mutant-X Kitty Pryde, now Black Queen of their Hellfire Club, meets the Mutant-X version of Pete Wisdom
- Kitty/Kurt/Colossus Challenge
- More specifically, remember Excalibur #103 with all the alternate Kittys and Kurts and Colossuses (Colossi?), and remember the page with a three-panel spread of three different alternates --
The challenge is to write stories for those scenarios (or any of the other alternate Kittys, Kurts and Piotrs shown in Exc#103, like the trio as depicted on the cover)
- and, of course, more Pryde&Wisdom/Excalibur/New Mutants stories of any kind...
Reviews and Recommendations
Her site, 'The Fonts of Wisdom' was initially created to showcase good Wisdom/Pryde fanfic, but has since made a stunning growth. In fact, based on her regular updating, excellent taste and smooth design, the Fonts has become one of the premier fanfiction sites on the net. It holds a stunningly high level of top quality fics, rejecting the dross must sites are padded with. For many writers, an archive request from Luba is a sign of 'making it' within the community.
This initially grew out of Luba Kmetyk's obsession with Pryde and Wisdom pairing, and expanded exponentially into one of the best 'for grown-ups' X-Men archives (and Spike archives) out there. Her selections tend to be a bit much on the sturm und drang side for me, but it's pretty much uniformly beautifully written. Luba split the archive into lots of categories, so look for the good authors on every page. I can barely put my foot in the door here -- there's too much. Look for Tag Team, DuAnn (the awesome Just Lucky, I Guess), Susan Crites, Phil Foster, Connie H (the classic Kid Dynamo), Luba Kmetyk herself (warning: although Luba is excellent, unflinching, and gives great smut, she has a nasty habit of not finishing stories), Mel, Melissa, and Amanda Sichter (Remember, When Falling).