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Witch0Winter's Maps & Graphics Thread

Witch0Winter

Cuddly Cartographer
Patreon supporter
Location
Colorado, USA
Pronouns
she/her
For the record, I would support a unified graphics thread, but as others have made their own threads, I figured I would make one for now as well. So here is one with some of my latest work that I'm pretty proud of.
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This is a world that diverged from our own in the years 420 and 421 AD, as the Jin Dynasty in China falls terribly hard at the same time that Constantius III, Emperor of Rome, does not suddenly perish and so the world is forever changed. The times after the point of divergence begin to truly diverge from our own as the Roman Empire, in a last saving throw, manages to stay together thanks to Constantius III and his successors. In China, the invasion of northern nomadic peoples spells doom for the tenuous dynasties that had asserted themselves after the fall of the Jin. The Northern China Plain and Yangtze River Valley were split into many competing and divided states warring upon one another. In the south, the Liu Song hold on for a bit longer, laboring under the idea that they will usher a return to China’s glory, but it is not to be. The remnants of the Liu Song will instead reform in the south around Guangzhou and eventually form the modern state as Yue.



Time passes and the world changes. Rome survives through the better incorporation of Germanic peoples into the empire, particularly in border regions that allows them to the weather the storm of nomadic migrations, even if they have a few crises along the way. Some time later In Arabia, the nomadic Arab herdsmen are united by a new religion arising out of the powerful coastal towns of Mecca and Medina. They unite Arabia under a single empire led by a Caliph, and take stabs at breaking out into Roman and Persian territory. These attempts, however, fail and force the restless Muslim warriors, traders, and diplomats in another direction: Africa. Crossing the Red Sea into the land of Axum, the Arabs carry out long campaigns throughout coastal East Africa (and inland where they can survive) that sees massive tracts of land brought under control of a centralized settled government for the first time, and united even more strongly by the religion which spreads rapidly in the region. It will not be the last place Islam spreads, but it will be where it is strongest outside Arabia itself. For centuries afterward, East Africa will be the central axis of power around which the Muslim world rotates, providing great amounts of resources, trade, and manpower directly to the Caliph that allows him to stand on more equal footing with the other great Muslim rulers of Persia (converted through a mix of invasions and diplomacy) and the Muslim empires in India (converted through missionaries). The focus on the spread of Islam through seafaring trade and missionary work will later help convert much of Southeast Asia, with particularly large effects.



The Roman Empire, at the same time, is not slow to realize the potential of Africa either. Camels were brought into Rome for the first time with the Arab invasions, and left afterwards by the invaders and their numbers increased through trade with the Arabian Empire. These animals, for the first time, would allow enterprising Romans to cross the vast sands of the Sahara into the fertile Sahel of West Africa, and the great peoples that dwell there. The traders who ply the dangerous desert routes for gold, salt, and ivory bring with them new architectural techniques, Latin systems of writing and books, Roman organization, and most importantly of all: the Christian religion. Christianity spreads like wildfire across the Sahel, particularly as Rome tends to favor the peoples of the Sahel who are Christian over those who aren’t, and gives them weapons, training, and supplies in exchange for spreading the word of God across Africa. The trade would go on to make all sides rich, and the great kings of the Sahel will become, in time, some of the richest men in history.



It is in China, however, that some of the greatest and most rapid strides are made in virtually every field. While Rome and Arabia struggle to keep vast empires together and play family politics and while India is stuck in a cycle of empires continually growing and shrinking, the stabilizing of the Chinese states in the 9th and 10th centuries allows for great amounts of growth. Competition breeds ingenuity, and the Chinese are no stranger to either. The warring states, stuck in a vastly long Winter Period since the fall of the Jin in 420, make great technological strides that put them ahead of much of the world. They learn how to use wooden blocks to create crude but efficient printing presses, and to use special chemical mixtures to create powder that lights upon contact with fire. The smaller states that will later be formed into Qin find themselves constantly competing for more innovations and ways to gain a foothold against each other. Literacy begins to climb for the first time since the fall of the Jin, bureaucratic reforms enable smaller states to fight far above their weight class, examinations for government officials weed out the week, and improved methods of trade and travel enrich coastal nations like Yue and the peninsular Lu. Chinese writing, art, philosophy, religion, mathematics, and economics spread rapidly through East Asia, particularly in the states of Goseon (particularly Goguryeo who uses these advantages to take over and rule the peninsula after a century of conflict), the Viet state of Cham Pa to the south, and to the Yamato of Nihon. These changes not only effectively Sinicize much of East Asia but also rapidly advance the states that lie within. These reforms even reach the nomads of the north and will eventually lead to the conflicts between the settled and nomadic peoples of the Grass Sea that form the Grand Khaganate.



Perhaps the greatest effect the Chinese states have on the world, however, is yet to come. Islam reaches Southeast Asia in the 11th century, and results in a vast series of wars between Muslim and non-Muslim southeast Asians. The Chinese occasionally meddle in the affairs, but largely the conflicts go ignored until the mid-14th century when the Malay peoples form a single dynasty controlling the straits that link the Donghai and Ratnakaran Oceans. After a century of conflict that had begun to include quarreling with the decidedly non-Muslim Chinese (though large enclaves in the Chinese states exist, particularly in Guangzhou and Lin’an), the new dynasty closed the straits to Chinese traffic except without heavy tolls and promises of special treaties with the Malays. This measure immediately impacted the profits and sustainability of coastal Chinese states and of the trade-heavy Nihon. A solution eventually arose: traders had for quite some time ventured north past the island of Ezochi and the string of islands there and towards a different string of islands that, it was said, led to an entirely different and vast land. The Emperor of Nihon had already been sending ships north to explore the lands after he had decisively claimed Ezochi just a decade before, and so sent vessels further north and to the legendary lands beyond. These lands would turn out to be the northernmost region of Jinshan (Gold Mountain), the first of two continents found by the East Asians. News of the discovery spread fast, even if not every Chinese state was interested. It would be the coastal states like Yue, Lu, and the Later Yan who would be the first to tentatively send their ships, crews, and later settlers beyond the bounds of East Asia towards the promised riches of the New World. Crossing the Donghai Ocean straight across was not possible at the time, and so a steady stream of ships turned north, around the curve of the world and cold waters of northern Asia and Jinshan, and then headed south to the warmer and richer lands there. They found areas like the Golden Bay to make land, interact with the natives, and set up trade. Some went even further south and found the great empires of the New World, the Aztecs, Mayan states, and the new but powerful Inca.



The interactions between the East Asians and peoples of Jinshan and Yinshan were complicated from the start. Disease brought from the Old World, even in far more limited forms than our own world, inflicted pain on the native populations and the population suffered. The Chinese were not ones to conquer, however, and instead worked on setting up trade, alliances, and settlement among the peoples already there. This was particularly apparently in regards to the Aztecs and Incans, who managed to hold on despite population and became well-regarded by the Chinese despite some of their violent ways. Settlement of the Chinese in their own states was largely confined to the West Coast of Jinshan, where connection to East Asia was easiest. Settlement among the Aztecs, Incans, and other peoples certainly happened but there would not be any Chinese-led states in the region. Chinese contact would instead help spur on further developed of the native states throughout the two continents, with many formerly tribal or Bronze Age peoples flourishing with new technologies, philosophies, and weapons of war and trade; the horse was something of a revolution. In the east, Norsemen happened upon the places they called Newfoundland and Vinland and established colonies of their own there, though the sparsely-populated outposts would never achieve the political or cultural dominance the way the Chinese could. The balance of power in the Shans was forever after in Southern Jinshan and Western Yinshan. Over the next few centuries, native empires grew rapidly in the Mississippi Valley (using our own term for convenience) and in the south of Jinshan where various Aztec dynasties grew northwards, creating ever-larger empires of commerce and resource exploitation. The Incan Empire itself, under Chinese influence, grew to new heights of power and extended across much of the Western Coast of Yinshan.



Industrialization brought only more complications to the world. Beginning in the 17th century and progressing onward, the industrialization of the Chinese states and those in the Shans spread a whole new world of technology different from anything seen before. Travel on rails, mass media and production of books, high rates of literacy and the sciences, and revolutions in warfare. A few times states almost conquered all of China, most notably the expansionist Shu Republic, which was the first of its kind in China. Rail lines crisscrossed the width and breadth of East Asia, and the Grand Khaganate began to come into its own as a major power, conquering and pacifying many parts of northern China that had once belonged to the states now part of the Han Summer Union. Africa was particularly affected by industrialization, as the new methods of fighting disease and faster transportation allowed both native African states and settlers to reach deep into the continent. The centuries-long Scramble for Nzere began in earnest, with the result being a massive organization of many industrial states of various origins. Rome was slow to catch on to industrialization for some time, even as the nations of the Riksradet caught on, and languished thus. For a time, it seemed that internal rebellion and outside intervention might topple the Roman Empire as the 19th century began. At the same time, in the second wave of industrialization, the nations of the Shans came into their own, particularly the oil-rich nations of Anahuac and the Federation of Jinshan. The world’s first collectivist state also came about in the era with the birth of the Nēhiyaw Collective in 1795.



The 19th century, however, would be the time of greatest change, and have a massive effect on the world as it is today. It would be the so-called “Ice Age Century” in which temperatures around the world dropped even as tensions heated. Wars were fought across Africa and the Shans as industrial powers jockeyed for power and alliances were formed, fought, and were broken almost constantly. The House of Islam, for a time, was all but shattered as religious divisions threatened to unwind it, and it was only the so-called “Reformation” that could reunite the quarreling wings of Islam, though not nearly to the degree it had once been. Anahuac fought wars overseas for its allies, becoming the first power native to the Shans to exert itself on the world stage. The greatest conflict, however, came in the form of the Winter War, fought from 1829-1842. It involved virtually every nation in East Asia and only ended with the total destruction of the state known today as the Late Chu state. At the time, it was declared as the Late Chu dynasty in a fit of nationalist fervor following conflicts and famine earlier in the century and sought to unite the entirety of China under a single government and used brutal means to do so. The Chu managed to conquer almost all of the Chinese states before being defeated by a broad coalition including the Grand Khaganate, Nihon, and Cham Pa, as well as the Federation of Jinshan, though at the cost of millions of lives. At the same time as this bloodshed, The Troubles raged in the Roman Empire as it came apart at the seams to a series of governments and movements and warlords that saw the empire almost completely fall, were it not for a revolutionary government that arose, spread throughout the Roman lands, and eventually united them all in the new Spartacist Republic of Rome. Never before in human history had so many been witness to the violence that gripped the world in the 19th century.



Now, as the world moves into the 20th century, the peoples throughout seek to learn from the mistakes and take advantage of the breakthroughs that occurred in the past. The world has found itself in a long peace, with the various alliances and organizations managing to hold together in peace and harmony for a time. The Spartacists rule Rome and have helped it progress to a mighty nation, even if one still struggling behind its past greatness. New nations to become powers such as the Malagasy Empire—united by brilliant rulers and industrialized by their successors into one of the most dynamic growing powers—and the Mississippi Union seek to take up the mantle from the great nations of the last century who have begun to recede from past heights. It is a time when people are far more connected than ever before, where new technologies and breakthroughs are behind every corner from outer space to cyber space. The coming challenges as the world warms up seem at times almost trivial to the potential humanity wields.



At the forefront of all this is the Han Summer Union. It was conceived in the ashes of the last war, as humans looked up from the rubble and ruin towards the sky and the stars beyond, and the boundless potential that they as a united China and world would have. The Qin, successors of the so-called Late Chu, were one of the original supporters, strange as it may seem. They and the other states of the Chinese were able to see past their petty grudges and rivalries and the endless conflict that had plagued the long and brutal Winter Period towards the birth of a new Summer Period, in which a union of all Han peoples could make them all richer, smarter, and safer. It is not an easy union to maintain and has been rough around the edges. Some of the nations immediately outside of the Chinese sphere refuse to join, and movements inside sometimes threaten to unravel it. Yet it is a union worth fighting for and the many millions of China will not stop working hard to see that the birth of this new Summer Period will usher in a new age for all Chinese and for peoples across the world, moving towards an ever-brighter future.
 
Dangerous Days

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In 1979, the world changed forever. On October 23, 1979, a malfunction in the Soviet Union's early warning systems resulted in a limited nuclear exchange between the United States and her NATO allies and the USSR and her allies in the Warsaw Pact. While "limited" in nature and not species-destroying, the widespread destruction and chaos that followed changed the world forever. Many major cities across the globe, including New York, Moscow, London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Istanbul, and Beijing were hit by nuclear weapons. The nature of the mistaken war, later dubbed the "Hot War" despite it not being an official war, allowed for a much more limited exchange as the remaining Soviet and American governments scrambled to stop the violence. This likely saved the Earth, though radically changed all the countries within.

What followed the Hot War was little better than the war itself. A nuclear winter, combined with crop devastation from the nuclear-plastered American Midwest and Soviet farmlands (where many missile silos had been hit), left many in the world to starve or barely subsist on what food remained. During this period many governments existed only in theory or as little more than warlords with Constitutions. Even the American government largely consisted of whatever federal officials were left, party be damned. During this period many old grudges were taken out and borders shifted mightily. The Middle East saw a resumption of the Israeli-Arab Wars (which Arab states, starved of resources, eventually lost) as well as limited Iran-Iraq War that resulted in the Revolutionary Iranian government capturing the majority Shia areas of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. India pressed Pakistan until it gave up Kashmir, South African apartheid fell apart into a bloody civil war, and even the United States did not survive the transition whole. California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State joined together into a self-proclaimed "Pacific States of America" due to their feeling of isolation and being taken for granted by the rest of the United States. Under unlikely favorite President Ronald Reagan, the Pacific States of America successfully seceded and have existed ever since as its own state within the United Nations.

The United States and Soviet Union themselves were not long for the world, either. The two states managed to come together in 1982 in Hong Kong (a state very much in transition from British ownership to God-only-knows-what) to sign an accord officially ending the "war". The Hong Kong Accord would later be expanded to form a new world government to succeed where the UN had failed. Called the United Earth Government, it would be a governing body based out of an independent Hong Kong (after annexing Macau) that would seek to better govern and control world interests ahead of those of any single country. To encourage this, exclusive councils were done away with in favor of those made up of rotating countries. The UEG would also have unilateral control of human space activity, and every member country would be required to donate certain numbers of military assets so that the UEG would always be a force to be reckoned with. While seen as more extreme than the more-or-less defunct United Nations, the gamble succeeded following the official beginning of the UEG in 1991, and it continues to the current day of 2119. Though its only territory on Earth is Greater Hong Kong, the UEG has control over many space elevators, orbital stations, interplanetary outposts, and space colonies both in habitats and on other planetary bodies. Its navy in outer space is certainly something to be reckoned with.

In the fallout of nations, two new post-Westphalian meganations came into being: the United Nations and the World Soviet. The United Nations really only shares the name of its predecessor when it was formed in 1993-6 in response to the formation of the World Soviet. Instead it is a union of many states across the world who value social democracy, capitalism, and cultural independence. The nations that make it up are many, and are part of the UN for different reasons. NATO more or less became the outright militant wing of the UN, gaining new members in the aftermath of the Hot War in Eastern Europe. Nations in Southeast Asia joined to escape the Communists who had consumed Indochina, while those in Africa joined as the Sahara continued to advance and they felt themselves limited in options between destruction and UN membership. There is no true single leader of the United Nations, though the North American Republic (a union of Canada and what remained of the United States formed in 2001 with a new Constitution) tends to lead the charge, and the state is headquartered in Geneva. Life in the UN is one of being environmentally and culturally conscious while living most of one's life likely officially unemployed but surviving due to a universal income provided by the UN government. Most citizens live in various megacities while land around them has been reclaimed and spend their time working human industries such as art, literature, the erotic arts, and politics. AI is practically a natural part of the UN and a common sight everywhere, from the military to the supermarket to the bedroom. Those seeking excitement tend to join the military or journey the offworld colonies, a chance to begin again in a glorious land of opportunity and adventure.

The other primary nation in the world is the World Soviet, a union that began in 1989 and was finalized in 1991 between China, the USSR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos joined together as a single nation to recover from the Hot War and become a more united group of Communists. In reality, it was a power grab by China who cared little for grabbing the Warsaw Pact (though China-friendly Albania was able to join) and wanted instead to be a major driver in the force of Communism in the next century. China certainly succeeded and continues to be the dominant force of the World Soviet in 2119, especially as the New Ice Age continues to claim land in the former USSR. Headed from the sprawling capital of Astana, the World Soviet is a largely compact state besides its few other members in Albania, Ethiopia, and Mozambique, and has gone long ways towards creating a single World Communist culture and ideology by mixing various identities and philosophies of communism into one, creatively dubbed World Communism. World Communism is highly statist, proletariat-driven, economically-concentrated, and human-centered in philosophy and life in the World Soviet reflects that. Life is as communal as possible with families as we understand them barely recognizable in favor of communal living within the massive megacities that dot the landscape. Brand new cities founded as the New Ice Age advanced greatly reflect this in their utilitarian design that resembles from afar massive industrial factories. They are far from lifeless, however, and instead are abundant with the workers who drive them through raw human strength and power; the World Soviet is very suspicious of AI and generally uses only "dumb" machines with as much human influence as possible. This results in far more hard work for Soviet citizens, who look down on the lazy and decadent Westerners in the UN who spend all day in luxury. Not to say the World Soviet doesn't have culture--far from it, Soviet culture is at its peak now that it is shown more and more within the UN and independent nations and consumed all over the world and offworld--but that the average Soviet citizen is more concerned with family and friends and work life than UN citizens are with their endless artistic pursuits.

The other major faction of the world, though not so nearly united, is the League of Independent Nations. Formed originally by India, Indonesia, and Iran, the organization has grown in order to become a third path for many nations all over the world. Eschewing a single ideology, the nations of the LIN tend to be very diverse in population and political opinions and only seek companionship in order to remain separate from either the United Nations or World Soviet. While life highly varies within the nations, it tends to be one of personal independence, mixed with machines, and highly-focused on environmental concerns. India is certainly the leader in that aspect, as it has single-handedly grown itself into a superpower that has set its unique philosophies and ideas to a higher place on the world stage. Their current goal is to continue joining the disparate nations of the world together, particularly the independent nations of Africa, and eventually be able to directly challenge either meganation up front rather than having to rely on playing both off each other. This will be helped by the rising power of Indonesia and by Iran and Brazil having money poured into them by India to rise as world powers on their own. If one wants more adventure in regular life, country living, and diverse religions and philosophies one does not need to look further than the LIN.

The world itself is, as always, highly mixed. While living standards tend to be rather high compared to our own, it did not come without a cost. In 2119 the world population is just around where it was in OTL's 2000. A New Ice Age began after a period of global cooling brought on by the Nuclear Winter of 1979-1984, and has consumed much of the world's north. This has lowered global temperatures and exasperated climate problems around the world. While there have been benefits in some areas, particularly arid areas in the Americas, Middle East, and Central Asia, it has had catastrophic results elsewhere. Even Europe has been forced to adapt heavily to the conditions and much of Russia was consumed by ice and snow. Some continue to live in these wastes, but most fled south. While world poverty is not really what we know in our world, world riches are not very well known either; most of the world lives somewhere in the middle. However, not all is bad. World peace has been maintained for the most part besides a few independence movements/war and regional conflicts like the Congo War (1999-2004), largely due to the influence of the United Earth Government. Humanity has moved far into space as well, colonizing virtually every planet and planetoid possible in the Solar System. In addition, many humans live on orbital habitats or habitats in the asteroid belt made from hollowed-out asteroids. It is hoped one day humans will live more offworld than on, and the first attempts at colonization of Proxima Centauri are underway. Overall it is a mixed world of choked megacities teeming with life and serene, rebuilt countryside ready to be renewed. It is a time of moving forward and upward, and of creating a new existence for humanity far removed from what once was.
 
Dia de Po'Pay

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In 1680, the Puebloan Revolt began in what would be the most successful Native American revolt in New Spain. Led by Tewa religious leader Po'Pay, the rebels killed around 400 Spanish and drove the rest of the settlers from the province, particularly around the capital of Santa Fe. In our world, the duration of Nuevo Mexico being free from Spanish settlement lasted but 12 years. Here, instead, Nuevo Mexico remained largely free of the Spanish until the Spanish Bourbons took control of New Spain. In response to the rebellion and the failed military expeditions to retake Nuevo Mexico, the Bourbons instead began a series of reforms to the colony and the other Spanish New World colonies, pursuing policies geared towards federalism and a light government touch on matters of economy and religion. Not nearly as much as the British colonies on the latter, but a real change from the Habsburgs. More specifically, the Puebloans were allowed their place in the colony so long as Santa Fe and other Spanish settlements remained Catholic. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough.

The new policies and general success of the Spanish Bourbons led to successful 18th century for New Spain and the Spanish colonies in the New World while the rest of the world seethed and fought the first intercontinental wars. The world as a whole remained relatively unchanged from our own as events in far off colonies did not do much to change the forces of history so much as gently guide it. The first real major changes came at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. The young United States devoted itself far more to the ideas of Jefferson while in Europe the Napoleonic Wars resulted in a somewhat different outcome. Napoleon was still defeated, in time, but with less help from Prussia and more from Austria who took the chance to advantage themselves over their rival. Spain faced many problems in the war and a number of refugees fled to Mexico, including revolutionaries. It was not long before Mexico, like the United States, strained for independence, which was gained in the 1820s under an imperial government. The new government took a strong federal stance to better manage some of its more far off territories, from Costa Rica to Alta California and especially Nuevo Mexico. The empire had its stumbling blocks and at times seemed ready to come apart at the seams, but managed to hold itself together through a growing and prosperous 19th century in which Mexico expanded its borders, its population, its economy, and its own national myths to create a structure that could withstand the worst forces on the inside and outside. Rebellions, ultra-conservative attempted coups, crackdowns on Native peoples only leading to revolt, and more were weathered in time by a solid and stable government based not just upon the emperor but upon the elected officials as well. This in stark contrast to the United States who weathered two civil wars to emerge as the more stable and centralized (and somewhat ironically named) Federal States of America. Mexico and the British were not slow to use the opportunity to claim parts of Orejon for themselves.

The 20th and 21st centuries only expanded the prowess of the Empire of Mexico, though not without growing pains. Economic downturns, political chaos, and wars that covered the world were all difficulties faced by the great empire, but were weathered by a resolute people who began to celebrate their cultural and religious diversity, especially as native peoples in the provinces of Arizona, Nuevo Mexico, and Tejas made their voices heard. Though not as influential over such vast areas, these people carved out for themselves religious, linguistic, and cultural areas that to this day remain influential in the cultural melting pot that makes up northern Mexico. None are more influential in the local provincial culture, however, than the Puebloan peoples. Despite many hardships faced, these peoples survived since the rebellion of Po'Pay to firmly establish themselves as part of Nuevo Mexico and make their own places in Taos, La Luz, Zia, and more into prosperous towns and cities that embody the rich and diverse culture of the province. So diverse is the province that in the 1980s the Mexican Imperial government designated the province as the Plurinational Province of Nuevo Mexico (Provincia Plurinacional de Nuevo Mexico) in order to recognize the many kinds of nationality and culture that exist within the massive province.

That is not to say Nuevo Mexico is the only interesting place. All of North America has begun to enjoy a prosperous and stable 21st century. Northern Mexico has begun to see the fruits of transitioning into a post-industrial economy with technology, information, service, and other fields sprout from the cities of Chihuahua to the quiet forest towns of Orejon. Alta California and Tejas continue to be two other diverse and eccentric centers of mexican arts and culture as they both continue to transition from petroleum-based energy industries to green energy with solar and wind power becoming vogue. Central America, long prosperous provinces of Mexico, has led the world (only tied by the FSA) in agricultural technology and innovation as the rich volcanic soils provide bountiful harvests. Canada stretches from sea to sea as a kingdom in its own right--though still linked to Britain--and with the addition of more of the Pacific Northwest now has two poles around which its population orbits. The nation is world renowned for its quiet living, friendly people, and fattening foods. The FSA, though having a rough start to the 20th century, made a big finish and has come into the 21st at the top of its game. The government is generally a centre-left coalition that focuses on technological solutions to problems and international politics. The right city lights and growing job market have begun to attract people from all over the world to the nation. The three main nations of North America have even moved forward on ideas to create a common market between them all. Time will tell what will come of that, and indeed what will become of the everyday people who make up the nations. What is sure, on this Hallow's Eve in Mexico, the future is a bright one and the whole continent teems in anticipation of what is to come. And so, from the people of Nuevo Mexico, the Mexican Empire, and myself, have a wonderful and bright Halloween!
 
I agree with Alex; a lot of this is simply stunning. You certinaly have your style, and you do it well, and unlike some other map makers who try to avoid the fact they're working with pixels, your acceptance of it has produced some wonderful pieces. Admittedly, my favourite is the Svalbard map- not as intricate as the others, but the simplicity and aesthetic of it really makes it work. It puts me a lot in mind of old adventure game maps.
 
I agree with Alex; a lot of this is simply stunning. You certinaly have your style, and you do it well, and unlike some other map makers who try to avoid the fact they're working with pixels, your acceptance of it has produced some wonderful pieces. Admittedly, my favourite is the Svalbard map- not as intricate as the others, but the simplicity and aesthetic of it really makes it work. It puts me a lot in mind of old adventure game maps.
Thank you very much for the kind words! I admit I have a very special place in my heart for the Svalbard map, as I tried to style it specifically off some of the maps from the Nintendo and Sega games I played as a child and their overworld maps, and I'm glad it succeeded in that right. :)
Looks great, looking forward to seeing more.

Love your username too.
I hope to have some of my newer stuff up before long, particularly the election and QGIS work I've been doing, which should be fun. And thank you, I felt it was a nice change from a name that my friends and I made up as a joke in high school.
 
In a special SLP-first look, here is a little practice with the program QGIS at doing some maps from our own world! This time, I am doing some maps focusing on the 2016 state legislature elections for the United States of America state of Colorado.

Colorado is a state in the Mountain West region of the United States that encompasses a large region featuring rolling plains all the way up to Pike's Peak which is, at 4,302m, the highest point in the "Lower 48" United States (that is, all US states not including Alaska or Hawaii). The state, while quite large—10% larger than the UK and 1/3 the size of Germany—is sparsely populated, home to around 5.6 million people. The bulk of these people are concentrated in an area known as the "Front Range", a series of metro areas running up the edge of the Rocky Mountains between the mountains themselves and the empty plains further east. The largest cities/metro areas on the Front Range are Denver (metro population 2,853,077), Colorado Springs (metro population 712,327), Fort Collins (metro population 339,993), Boulder (metro population 322,226), Greeley (metro population 294,932), and Pueblo (165,123). In recent years, the Denver area in particular has seen a large population boom, with suburban cities within the metro area such as Aurora, Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, and Centennial growing to over 100,000 residents and becoming cities of their own, while still dependent on Denver itself as an anchor. Outside of the Front Range, Colorado has few cities but many smaller towns, from farming towns in the east to famed ski towns in the west, perhaps more than any other Aspen.

Politically, Colorado between the 1964 Presidential election, in which it—like most other American states—went to Lyndon B. Johnson in a landslide, and the 1992 election was typically a Republican state on the Presidential level, and after the 1962 elections until well into the 2000s Republicans would dominate the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives. However, after the 1970s Democrats would come to typically control the position of Governor (since 1975, Colorado has had only 1 Republican Governor, Bill Owens) and trade back and forth on the positions of Attorney General and State Treasurer. In Congressional elections, Colorado would also remain competitive between Democrats and Republicans for the state's House of Representative seats and 2 senate seats. This gave the state an impression of a more libertarian and free-wheeling Western-style Republican state rather than those of the east, particularly when mixed with the hardcore liberal outposts in places such as Boulder. The state also was one in which third party popularity was higher than back east; in 1980, Independent candidate for President John B. Anderson received 11.03% of the vote in Colorado, his 6th highest statewide performance in the election—a trend which continues to this day as 36.5% of Colorado voters do not identify with either major US party, compared to 31.0% identifying as Democratic and 30.9% Republican.

Third-party votes would, in fact, be what would give an election in Colorado to Democrats for the first time since 1968 in the 1992 Presidential election, when Independent candidate Ross Perot received 23.3% of the vote and thus allowed Democratic nominee Bill Clinton to carry the state with 40.1% of the vote to then-President George H.W. Bush's 35.9%. While President Bill Clinton would proceed to lose the state in 1996 to Republican nominee Bob Dole in a 45.8-44.4 squeaker result (Ross Perot and his Reform Party received only 6.59% of the vote this time), the chance of a Democrat to win the state had been tested. Since then, Colorado would go on to be won narrowly by President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, but changing demographics, shifting political attitudes in the state, and political reorganization caused Colorado to vote twice for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. 2016, though, would mark the first time since 1996 in which Colorado at the Presidential level would note vote for either nominee for more than 50%, instead voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at 48.2%, Republican nominee (and subsequent President) Donald Trump at 43.3%, and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson at 5.2%.

For the 2016 Colorado General Assembly elections, in which all 65 House seats and 18 Senate seats were up for election, Democrats and Republicans were both expected to put up quite a fight. Since gaining control of the General Assembly for the first time since the 1962 elections after the 2004 legislature elections, Democrats had lost control of the Colorado Senate in the 2014 Republican midterm wave and their lead in the House of Representatives had narrowed from 37D-28R to 34D-31R. While Democratic nominee John Hickenlooper had managed to win a difficult gubernatorial election for the Governor's mansion in 2014, a Republican victory enough to take control of the House of Representatives and thus the General Assembly would leave the state's Republican Party in a much stronger position, returning it to its pre-2004 form, more or less. Democrats, meanwhile, hoped that by flipping 1 Senate seat they could flip the narrow 1-seat lead the Republicans maintained in the Colorado Senate, 18R-17D, to win a trifecta control of the state government and allow for a greater range of powers over the state government.

In the end, neither scenario ended up happening. The Republican control of the Colorado Senate continued at its narrow 1-seat lead, while the Democrats would go on to gain back lost seats in the House of Representatives, putting them at 37 seats to the Republicans' 28 once more. Thus, the same equilibrium since after the 2014 elections was maintained for another two years until 2018, in which both parties in the mid terms will once more try and see who might control the Colorado General Assembly and the future of the great state of Colorado.

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Well, after a long absence I’ve finally managed to finish something! This actually started quite a while back, over a year ago, as just a fun little project to make a small little New England with only a rough idea in my head that I put aside for other things. Then with Kanan's and LeinadB93's (as well as all his contributors on Hail, Britannia) excellent work on graphical timelines brought attention to things like New England and Commonwealth projects, I figured I’d pick it up again, and that’s what this became. Big thanks to both of them for such amazing work and inspiring me to pick this back up again. Also a massive thanks, though he doesn't seem to visit that site anymore (does he visit this one?) to Martin23230. His MotM 3 contest entry was a massive inspiration and for years I wanted to do something, anything close to it, and in a lot of ways this is a big tribute to it, as while he lost that contest I feel his was the best there. Also a big thanks to @moth for his creation of the Yankee and Lib Con party logos, he was a big help.

Anyway, I admit this was more about learning techniques so apologies for any errors in things, and I hope you all enjoy.


Peace Only Under Liberty

The story I have for this is that Burgoyne succeeds in his Saratoga Campaign in 1777, severing the rebellious New England colonies from the rest of the colonies and helping the British isolate the rebels. The Tax Rebellions, as they’re known, come to an end not too much later and though they are more widespread than history books like to say, a lot of blame is heaped upon New England to help keep the peace. The other colonies begin to get more autonomy and move towards self-government while New England is put under more direct British control for a time, leading to further tensions between the citizens and those who rule over them. It also leads to New England developing a rather strict theocratical Puritan control of local governance that will last well into the 20th century, even after New England is eventually allowed to form from the remaining colonies not split off by the British (Maine being taken from Massachusetts as punishment) into the Commonwealth of New England in 1878 as part of the Union of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Her Commonwealths (it’s known as the British Union/BritU/BU for a reason). New England from there would develop, as it had already been doing so, as an area concentrated on commerce, business, and industry, which would help its population boom and coffers fill during the late 19th century and 20th century and help make Boston one of the primary ports of the Union. The national character which developed was one that was rather independent of the rest of the Union and nationalist, having felt wronged and slighted for their mistreatment and harder colonial government following the Tax Rebellions up to the creation of the Commonwealth, and to that was added a uniquely Puritan character to give the region its own uniqueness among the many varying states that make up the Union, which New England has at times resented its being a part of.

Following the Eurafrican Wars of the 1930s and 1940s and the Union's large role in the victory of the Ten-Part Alliance, New England underwent a political and cultural transformation of sorts. The ruling National Conservative Party, which had been in power for a large part of the Commonwealth’s existence, came crashing down in a quiet sort of revolution as a new generation with different social mores and ideas, working in a new booming postwar economy with high tech industry and new technological-based finance and business firms, took to the ballot boxes in the decades after and formed new parties, the ones shown on the map. These parties would address contemporary issues of the day and still do in the modern era, even if they have shifted around what is important to them and what wedge issues come up in campaigns. The primary parties are the Yankee Party, a social democracy party with a nationalist streak which desires autonomy from the Union and keeping New England culturally distinct from the rest; the Liberal Conservative Party, a centrist to centre-right party with liberal economic policies, a love of market economy and free trade, a push for open borders and further immigration (which has been on the rise since the 80s to New England) as well as increasing ties to the Union, and socially centrist to centre-left values; and the National Democratic Party, who take the nationalist and self-autonomous policies of the Yankees and apply it to Christian democracy.

The Yankees are the direct successors yet anathema of the National Conservatives, adopting their populism and desire for autonomy and cultural distinction but mixing it with labor and social democratic policies that arose from economic disputes in the 50s and 60s, while the Liberal Conservatives and National Democrats fight over the other sides of the issues. For years the Yankee Party was popular and large enough that they were essentially the government of New England, though in recent years that has become more contested as the Lib Cons—building their base out of the diverse and business-friendly cities and towns in southwest Connecticut on the New York border—have become competitive and taken the government several times. Even though the government secularized long ago and the NatCons are no longer around to choose successors more than voters, some of their legacy remains, from gerrymandering to voter ID issues that have become large issues in recent years, including the most recent 2014 election, which is explained in the map.

Well, I hope that covers it, I feel the rest is explained in the graphic well enough. Feel free to ask questions, and hope you all enjoy. Apologies if the description is a little short, this is a map that was intended as practice more than anything else but, it seems, I can’t do anything simply.

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I like that, both because of how convincingly professional it looks but also because it plays with the fact that OTL vague geographic terms like 'New England' could be applied so differently in a TL depending on the circumstances--this being at the opposite end of the spectrum to @Jared 's Decades of Darkness, where it includes New York, Michigan, Nova Scotia, and nearly managed half of Pennsylvania at one point.
 
I like that, both because of how convincingly professional it looks but also because it plays with the fact that OTL vague geographic terms like 'New England' could be applied so differently in a TL depending on the circumstances--this being at the opposite end of the spectrum to @Jared 's Decades of Darkness, where it includes New York, Michigan, Nova Scotia, and nearly managed half of Pennsylvania at one point.
One of those days I want to make a compilation of all New Englands I've seen.

From this to the "traditional" to "Add Maritimes" to "slices of New York" to DoD New England to I think you had Canada in yours?
 
I like that, both because of how convincingly professional it looks but also because it plays with the fact that OTL vague geographic terms like 'New England' could be applied so differently in a TL depending on the circumstances--this being at the opposite end of the spectrum to @Jared 's Decades of Darkness, where it includes New York, Michigan, Nova Scotia, and nearly managed half of Pennsylvania at one point.
I'm glad you like it! I think one of the enduring parts of the New England mythology in the United States is how one can define exactly how large or small it is as, unlike other large regions of the United States that are either covered in one state (California, Texas) or simply too large to be a truly cohesive unit (the south, Midwest), New England is just small enough to carry many traits and similarities alike that one could combine it into a single state without undue hardship but large enough that one can have fights over exactly how large it is, whether it is just as large as my own map; to the "traditional" size of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; to including upstate New York, to extending as far out as northeastern Ohio (!) where Connecticut formerly held its Western Reserve and where today residents still share similarities in politics and culture to New England more than to, say, the south of their state. It's one of my favorite bits of the American mythos.
 
One of those days I want to make a compilation of all New Englands I've seen.

From this to the "traditional" to "Add Maritimes" to "slices of New York" to DoD New England to I think you had Canada in yours?

Parts of it, yeah. And Greenland. On reflection I probably beat Jared in that case...

Something like one of the irredentism map I've seen on deviantart recently.
 
One of those days I want to make a compilation of all New Englands I've seen.

From this to the "traditional" to "Add Maritimes" to "slices of New York" to DoD New England to I think you had Canada in yours?

Then there's Colin Woodard's version in his non-fiction book American Nations, which has "Yankeedom" streteched from most of New Brunswick (sans the largely Acadian northeastern coastal areas) all the way to the Upper Midwest - plus eastern Long Island and adjacent portions of Pennsylvania and Ohio (largely the Western Reserve/Firelands in the latter case).
 
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