Author: Storytayler
Description: Twilight and eight fellow unicorns from Ponyville enroll at Princess Luna's revived school for advanced magic studies. Best known as the Winter Magic Academy, the establishment is located on an ancient island of mysterious history since Luna's banishment over 1000 years ago. While the ponies think they're in for simply a semester of intensive magic studies, they will encounter much more than they initially expect through personal struggles and mysterious misadventures.Tales of the Winter Magic Academy (New Chapter 40!)
(ALTERNATE LINK Until Fimfic link works)
Tales of the Winter Magic Academy (All Links Alternate)
Additional Tags: Harry Potter-esque Winter Sequential Anthology
(Holy 6 star already!)
98 kommentaari:
Definitely taking a look at this one.
VastaKustutaMaybe...
VastaKustuta*nearly 40k words*
Nah.
I'm interested in the idea, but the amount of words. ;-;
VastaKustutameh, I plan on reading some of the larger fics one day, so I'll add this. Plus, it'll be nice to have some pony reading to do over the holiday break.
I'll definitely read... when I have time.
VastaKustutaSemester break is almost here and then I'll be all over this.
No, just no.
VastaKustuta@Shadow Heart
VastaKustuta<-< What?
@wackypony
VastaKustutaI won't read this -_-
The fact that this thing has a tag I've never seen before, and the description looks awesome.
VastaKustutaMakes me want to read this.
This sounds like it has potential to be very good. Will add to my 'to read' list.
VastaKustutaNot First
VastaKustutaalso, reading the description to this with a dirty state of mind makes this sound very potentially clop XD
VastaKustutaThis sounds like fun... hope it's well-written!
VastaKustuta@wayne
VastaKustutaThat goes for almost anything really if your mind's dirty enough. Even looking for any accidental implication it looks normal to me.
Now I do wish there was an alt link, FiMfiction hardly ever works for me.
40k words is a lot, but I'm going to read it, because it's had a lot of effort put into it and I appreciate stuff like that.
VastaKustuta@Celestia
VastaKustutaThose perverts are disgusting aren't they?
Also, give me the word, and I will end Prince Travesty.
40k words? Even better.
VastaKustutaMan, this looks really interesting, but schoolwork gets in the way. CURSE YOU, SCHOOLWORK THE PLATYPUS!
This is a very good story thus far, and I hope that you'll at least take a chance with it. Congrats to the author on getting it posted on EqD. You deserve it.
VastaKustutaWelp... this is interesting.
VastaKustutaI anticipated the story to be reviewed and posted a week after submission. Then it would have been released right as winter break started for a number of people... unfortunately it passed through everything in two days. XD
Please give the story a chance! I know it's long, but if you take it day by day it's not too bad... right? :3
holy solid 5 stars celestia
VastaKustutaI think I might check this one
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaIf it is as interesting as it sounds I'll do with this what I did to 'Party' and read it all at once. <-<
What Seth said, but without the "might". I am gunna read this just as soon as I get done checkin my mail.
VastaKustuta@Sethisto
VastaKustutaNot anymore! No story is perfect. ;D
@wackypony
The story's not actually over, so that may be a while until you can read it all at once! XD
Wow, thats a lot of words.
VastaKustutaOh snap, the image changed on me. Anyways... don't worry about length, well with me at least. I demolished the first 30 chapters of FO:E in a weekend. Mmmmm, that was a great weekend.
VastaKustutaAnyways, I shall read now and rate after ;)
I have never seen a fic laid out like this one has been. Going to read it.
VastaKustuta@Aesahaettr-
VastaKustutaI wouldn't have it any other way. :D
@Wraithguard
I like unique set-ups! I figured having a more anthology-like story would mix things up for fan fic readers. Though it's an "anthology", all throughout is a deep, interconnecting story arc. Hope you enjoy it!
>Tales of the Winter Magic Academy
VastaKustuta-Strangely enough, reading that I first thought : Neverwinter Night.
Well this looks like an incredibadass story.
VastaKustutaBut a long story is logistically implausible for me right now. Bookmarking to read eventually.
Especially since the last 2 stories to receive this level of ratings love were Moonspire Run and The Best Night Ever and those are in my top 10 Ponyfiction of all time.
40k words!?
VastaKustuta...
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Glad to see this up here!
VastaKustuta@G3stalt
VastaKustutaWith the story as long as it is, I wish more people had that attitude! But then again, I wish I had thought to send the story to EqD earlier in its development, or otherwise when most readers were on their winter breaks. XP
@Vanner
VANNER! Since you posted, I might as well admit: for the five descriptive words, I was considering "Anime-ish Harry Potter with Ponies" for a while, just for kicks.
I really don't understand all these complains about the story being too long. I have exactly the opposite problem: it seems whenever a decent fic appears, it either comes to conclusion too quickly or stops receiving updates at all. Maybe it's just my luck...
VastaKustutaI'll definitely give story one a try and if it's a good read, the lengthier it is the better.
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaany clue on how long it's going to become? i like long stories but i don't want to start new ones unless their complete, too many good fics i've read have died :/
but then again i'm aout of fanfic right now and i need something to read...
@Wento
VastaKustutaHopefully this is more encouraging than discouraging:
It's 51 chapters long (plus 12 short "transitional" chapters). That's usually a turn-off for many people... ha ha.
What I hope saves this, though, is that I already have over half of the work written. The entire story's been planned out for a couple months; I've just been spending a couple hours a day writing new chapters and editing older ones. The thing is, I like the idea of consistently releasing chapters (for "Tales" it's generally every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) so I refrain from posting a million chapters at once and then get caught up in work and post nothing for weeks.
I'm in the 'long stories please' camp, I read a huge amount and while short stories are great I much prefer something that I can enjoy over a few days.
VastaKustutaI also read off line (poor bandwidth)...any chance of a single big doc rather than/ as well as fifty chapters?
It won't stop me from giving it a go though!
WINTER Magic Academy? On a ANCIENT and MYSTERIOUS island? Sounds like the College of Winterhold to me ;)
VastaKustutaI just finished the first chapter, and it's pretty good so far. Looking at the 6-star rating, i'd imagine that it will improve drastically. I really like the premise; there have been lots of great stories about flight school, but not alot about magic school.
VastaKustutaThere's ALOT of detail. My biggest complaint with most stories is not enough detail, but the amount so far seems.... unnecessary. You describe the obvious far too often, and it kinda comes off as insulting the reader's intelligence. Or maybe i'm just trying to find something to dislike because that's who I am.
Anyway, the long length shouldn't intimidate anyone. It's quite accessible, and if you like the first three or four chapters, wouldn't you WANT to keep reading? If you don't like the beginning of a long fic, just don't read the rest, (unless people say that it only picks up speed after a certain amount of time).
I'm gonna have to read a few more chapters before giving a star rating, though.
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaawesome :D
definetly not a turn-off, i like long stories, they keep me occupied for longer, as i mentioned, the reason i generally don't read storys with "incomplete" tag is because of their tendency to suddenly stop updating due to something that happens in the authors life.
I'm reading 18 other fics right now, 3 of them has updated within this month :/ 5-6 within the last 2 months, so you could probably see why i don't like to start reading something unless there's something that gives me a reason too make an exception, and i'd say, having half the story done already is a pretty good reason so i'll dive right in as soon as i'm done with some stuff i have to get done :)
@Luna-tic Scientist
VastaKustutaSo, would you like a Google Document that has all chapters in one? I could try that! Everything IS in GDoc format; I just figured that putting a list of chapters on here would be annoying for the EqD peeps.
@Firmly_Grasp_It
When I look back, I would agree that there are loads of description. The simplicity, in a sense, is a way to set the tone (this isn't supposed to be a super-serious fic like some I've seen around). Sorry that it seems insulting, but if I may say, the amount of description decreases over time. [That WAS the main issue I was told of when I had the first few chapters reviewed.]
@Wento
VastaKustutaCorrection: 3 of them has updated since end of november, 5-6 from the beginning of october...
:P forgot it was december now xD
@Wento
VastaKustutaWow, really? I don't really follow a lot of fan fics myself, but I would've thought that if authors post a story, long breaks in between chapters are avoided like the devil. I guess it can't be controlled at times...
Timeliness and finishing what I start are two of my biggest strengths (alongside organization; why isn't Twilight my personality pony..?), so I guess it's hard for me to grasp starting something, especially what is now a 6-star story [still shocked], and just... leaving it.
If that's any reassurance for you... *yay!*
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaThat would be fantastic, thank you.
@Wento
VastaKustutaNever could figure out how to do the multi reply thing.
I have the same problem; for the longest time I only ready fics marked as 'complete', but eventually I caved and started on the interesting looking partials. I think my ereader has about fifty in the 'mlp_incomplete' folder.
That's not unique to fanfic of course; I'm still waiting for the next David Gerrold 'Chtorr' book (he keeps promising it 'soon', but I'm suspecting he might die first).
@Storytayler
Glad to see your two strengths! That's one of the reasons I've not posted any of my scribblings, the horrible fear that I won't be able to finish it to my satisfaction. I'm a firm believer that there is a special hell just for the writers of unfinished works...
@Storytayler
VastaKustutahehe, funny thing is that i'm actually lowon reading material right now, at most i've been up to following 29 storys, then i went through them all and checked how long it been since their last update, had to clear out 6 storys because they hadn't updated for 3 months :/ then another one was confirmed by the author that it would never finish :(
my "read when complete" list is getting large though xD i wonder how long it'll be until fallout:equestria will finish, it's been on top of that list forever xD
@Luna-tic Scientist
dunno if there's any specifik way to do it, but i just press reply on everyone i want to reply to and copy the link :3
@WizardShy
VastaKustutaMeh, a mere 40K. It'll take me about 2 hours.
*read LoTR trilogy in 2 days!*
I used to index medical journals. My reading speed and comprehension is inhuman!
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaFear not! I, the Read Speed Master shall finish all current 11 chapters before midnight tonight!
Previously, during Hurricane Irene's passing over my NJ area, I read the entirety of "Past Sins" in 7 hours!
*super-genius brony!*
@Storytayler
VastaKustuta"Sluggy Freelance" has done stories like that, where different side-tales are happening to individual or small groups of characters, but all are tied together in one giant meta-plot as you find out later. It can be a really neat way to have a big "OH SNAP!!" reveal when the reader sees at last how it all joins up.
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaI've read around 80 fanfics so far, and am following about 15 incomplete ones. ;3
@Alondro
VastaKustutaActually, a prime example of separate stories all coming together under a unified underlying meta-plot would have to be the Cardcaptor-XXXholic-Tsubasa mega-story from Clamp.
Commenting this Halfway through the Spike ep, I totally enjoyed the episode, but I also like your spike for when he gets older naturally.
VastaKustutaNot sure the comment above pertains to my story... haha
VastaKustutaAnyhow, cumulative GDoc of the story should come by tomorrow.
@Alondro
VastaKustutaYeah, replying to myself. :P I've given up on trying to get the regular comments box to work for me.
Anyway, I know who the dark demon is! IT'S VOLDEMORT!! His spirit escaped hell and came to Equestria! And he was all like, "DUDE!! Look at all these unicorns I can suck the blood out of!" And now he just needs the Fillyosopher's Stone to come back! Oh noes! D:
Okay, I was way too quick to judge. If any story deserves its 6 stars, its this one. Great job!
VastaKustuta@Firmly_Grasp_It
VastaKustutaWhoa, thanks! Unfortunately the rating's dropped to a 4.8/5. Am I disqualified? XD
@Storytaylor
VastaKustutaJust spent the last 2 days reading this instead of writing final papers. Very well done. I usually don't read fanfics at all (this is only the second ever, FIM or otherwise) but I do read a lot of 'official' fiction and this is pretty much right up there. What really makes it for me is your attention to character development and I feel what you've created is very much in the same spirit as the show in terms of tone and topicality. You should be proud.
Somepony earlier said you write with to much detail. To that I say poppycock. JRR Tolken writes with to much detail. John Milton writes with to much detail. Your attention to detail is fine, especially in terms of setting and placement in the Twilight arc and the flashbacks/emotional development of Starlight. You've taken believable characters and kept them believable while also making your own characters fit in seamlessly. Keep doing that.
@Androidred0100
VastaKustutaI feel honored after reading your comment. If I may humbly reply:
I read somewhere on Ponychan that great fan fic works should be likable by those who don't even care for ponies that much in general. I took this to heart when planning "Tales", and darn it I'm happy to see someone's hinted at this.
Tone and topicality were key; I want "Tales" to remain as similar to the show as possible in regards to these elements. As for detail, it varies throughout (as you undoubtedly noticed); I admit at times my prose can be a bit much, but I would agree with you and say that many writers can describe a lot and still be interesting. I don't know how well I do it all myself, but I'm glad my writing hasn't bored you to tears. That's always a good sign, right?
Thank you again for your kind words, it was great to read your feedback.
Excellent then, your efforts have paid off. At least for me that is. Again, well done and keep up the great work!
VastaKustutaIt might be spiteful of me, but I loved that Vinyl Scratch hates Octavia.
VastaKustutaBy far the best Fan Fic I've ever read. Keep up the good work Storytayler. After reading this story I could almost see everything transpire in my head as if I were watching this as a TV show.
VastaKustuta40k words huh? I'm surprised I haven't read it already. Nowhere near long enough, if its finished.
VastaKustuta@y2kyle89
VastaKustutaI love that you love it. :D
@Lunar Eclipse
Wow, sweet! I'm glad you like it. Seeing that it runs like a TV show tells me I'm doing things as planned.
@Ardent
Nowhere near long enough, huh? Would it please you if I informed you that it's current 61.5k word count is about 1/4 the total length? ;D
I've been back and forth on this fiction. I like the premise, the characters, and while I wasn't too big on Starlight's segment, I've liked all the character arcs I've read.
VastaKustutaBut the descriptions do feel like a bit of a chore. It's not that it's too much detail exactly; it's just such...I don't know, colorful detail? There are so many carefully thought out metaphors and the vocabulary used in huge. It isn't a bad thing as far as writing goes, but as a reader I just feel bogged down in it. I'm fairly intelligent, and I haven't had to pull out a dictionary to understand anything; but I do have to take a moment to process things occasionally. It breaks the flow for me.
I did notice, as said above, that the amount of descriptive detail has decreased slightly over time. I'll probably read a few more chapters today and hope that my opinion changes.
Keep up the good work, StoryTayler. Especially your release schedule. Sadly, most authors posted on EqD don't seem to keep a schedule. As a final note, I like your name.
@Ergo Cogito
VastaKustutaI'll keep this in mind. I love wordplay but at times I admit I can get carried away. I feel compelled at times to counterbalance long dialogues and such with a bit of a break and description. Unfortunately, having worked on several long fantasy novels before, this only forces me into wanting to explore those descriptions in greater detail.
In any case, I'll take it to heart as I revamp earlier chapters this week and return to the consistent release schedule. Glad someone appreciates it. ;D
@Alondro That's... that's scary, man.
VastaKustuta@White Ink
VastaKustutaI am a scary man. >:3
ohh, i like the ending on 15.5. i'm feeling a twilight episode coming up... *breathes in deep*
VastaKustuta...
...
...
*yay!*
So much potential, SO much potential, ruined by OC ponies... I actually enjoyed it pretty thoroughly until the whole "OC pony is socially awkward because I am and so my pony is" syndrome came up in like chapter 7 or 8. Really is a shame, it was a nice read up until that...
VastaKustuta@displayname
VastaKustutaIt's too bad you didn't like that episode. In reality I'm not a socially awkward individual, but I've hung out with lots of people that were.
If you don't like OC ponies in general then this isn't the story/anthology for you. However, if you don't mind OC ponies in general, I'd suggest trying the next episode (jump to chapter 10, 13, or 16). If you still don't like the flow and all, oh well. ;D
@displayname
VastaKustutaI do agree with you that some OC ponies are not handled well but I cant really find any problems with them in this story. Storytayler really draws them out and i feel like i acually know the characters. Windchasher is awesome.
Sounds interesting. I remember when everyone and their mother was reading Harry Potter, and being a fan myself I'll have to check this one out.
VastaKustuta@Spitfire8a
VastaKustutaYOU. I love you.
@TheDoctor
I remember those days too, only I never read them myself. I was told that this story had hints of Harry Potter within it, so I decided to read up and watch the movies before putting them on FimFiction and whatnot.
Oh man. [Accidental Crossover] tag for sure. But since that doesn't exist I just put "Harry Potter-esque" in the description. :3
@Storytayler
VastaKustutaYeah, I tend to judge a person based on their OC pony, sorry about that, just habit. The thing is I don't like anything when the focus is OC ponies. I don't know why, it just isn't my thing at all. I always finish what I start, so I do plan on finishing (most of) the story with some selective reading. It started too good and with too much potential for me too put down, despite my preferences.
I really need to ask, do you have any future projects or ideas lined up? And if so, do you plan on having OC a main focus again?
@displayname
VastaKustutaNow that I think about it, that habit (judging people by OC ponies) really makes sense, so I understand! However, with ToWMA being an anthology loaded with OC's (and the focus shifting from one to another every few chapters) it's hard to apply that habit to me... unless you assume I have multiple personalities. :3
Here's what I'll do, I'll get to dividing chapters into two readings:
1) anthology storyline [Multiple character foci]
2) main storyline [Twilight-only focus]
... This way people can either read the anthology with Twilight + OC's ~OR~ just the "main" storyline which follows Twilight. I'll arrange it all on GDocs when I can; then it'll be nice and convenient for readers!
Future projects... well, just recently I've decided on a storyline that's connected to "Tales", but that'll be short and more of a history thing (yes, focused on OC's). On the other hand, I've been trying to come up with a story that would mainly involve canon characters. Knowing my tendencies it'll turn into a novel... the problem is I have no big ideas yet. I really aim for uniqueness in story concept and design (while remaining as loyal to canon as possible), and lately all of the good ideas are getting taken!
I'm guessing you're interested in a longer story involving the mane six? ;D
@Storytayler *examines the monster in the latest chapter* Wait... skeletal pony... red glowing eyes... *memory processing. File retrieved from category (Horror): Story of the Blanks.*
VastaKustutaOh... my... god... o________o
To all concerned readers:
VastaKustutaI had a writing break because my appendix burst and I overwork myself and blah. I'll be back on track starting January 23rd! Don't worry, I haven't given up or anything!
@StorytaylerHope ya get well soon, and yeah don't forget about the story while your away XD.
VastaKustuta@Storytayler
VastaKustutaYou best damn do!
People are calling 40 Thousand words long :\
VastaKustutaEnd of Ponies is 506 Thousand words long, and every second of it is worth your time.
@InsomniacOvrLrd Seriously! Ponies and people don't read enough these days! When I was a kid, I read the entire set of Encyclopedia Britanica's at school. But I can recall nothing of it. Too much info, fried brain. Now I am derp. :B
VastaKustutawhat's with FiMfiction.net?
VastaKustutaIt down it looks like.
VastaKustutapity.
VastaKustutaMain link is 404
VastaKustutaHa ha all I saw were those last few comments; I was about to freak! Yeah, FimFiction had a hack derp and whatnot. XP
VastaKustutaHope y'all are still enjoying the story. :B
College of Winterhold, anypony? Haha, actually this sounds kind of awesome. I'm not really the fanfic reading type, and I've only read two ever (and both were centered around Dash). So maybe I'll give this one a try...
VastaKustutaI tried to read this, I really did. I'm not a slow reader. But I felt like I was drowning in all the detail, and then the word choice was just off, like you tried to use a fancier word just for the sake of being fancy. I'll probably come back to this some day when I'm really bored.
VastaKustuta@Rachel Lynn
VastaKustutaIt was a purply beginning, and I keep forgetting to update it; after the first few chapters I "snap out of it" and get into a better flow. This comment only makes me want to go back over the beginning and change it all the more despite trying to get an update going today. XP
@Storytayler Voices from the sea... Well, it can only be... Davy Jones! And since he was singing... it's Davy Jones from the Monkies! And he's a Sea Pony too! :D
VastaKustutaThis is just the kind of story I'm looking for.
VastaKustuta@Savannah G
VastaKustutaHope you enjoy it! :D *pinkiepiesmile*
Oh wow this is gonna be a long one...
VastaKustutaIt's not often that I abandon a fanfic in the middle of reading. After the first chapter with Starlight, I skipped ahead many chapters to see when Twilight would be the main character again. I gave up after around 10 chapters.
VastaKustutaStarlight was one of the least interesting characters I have read. I guess I just can't relate to him at all. Who knows, maybe the rest was better, but I'm nt going to spend hours to find out.
@Toiski
VastaKustutaIt's true that Starlight's not the most fun character around. ;P
In any case, it sounds like you're not fond of the anthology set up, which is unfortunate, but that's what "Tales" is at the moment. I will say, however, that a Twilight-only version of this storyline will come out when the anthology is finished, so I'd invite you to return then (but that won't be for a while).
Long comment stack is long.
VastaKustutaANYWAYS.
I have a finished story out there that's 400,000 words long. 40k word story for me to read?
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Storytayler "...a Twilight-only version of this storyline will come out when the anthology is finished."
VastaKustutaLooking forward to that. Your writing's good but I got bogged down on this version because there are too many extraneous characters that I didn't much care about. Made the story seem very, very slow.
Storytayler, are you still working on Tales of the Winter Magic Academy?
VastaKustuta@Sigma
VastaKustutaHe made a blog post on fimfiction back in June that he had the entire story written and was going to release a chapter every two days until it was all online, but then he released a couple more chapters and went dark. I know at least one person has sent him an email asking what's going on, but they didn't get a response.
There are people commenting on both the story's fimfiction page and his own page wondering what happened, but right now it I think people are starting to assume the worst after such a long leave of absence with no information.
@jingerjargon
VastaKustutaAh well. I was afraid of that. Lacking correspondance from the author, I'll still hope that it'll be continued in the future.