The Fallout: Equestria Mapping Project · 10:43am May 6th, 2012
OUT OF CHARACTER: Yes, I've officially lost it. For most of this month, I've found myself consumed with a mania for trying to map out the Equestrian Wasteland.
You'd think that would be fairly simple, wouldn't you? After all, there's plenty of excellent maps that've been done already!
Well, to me, there are three primary FO:E stories --- the original by Kkat, plus "Project Horizons" and "Pink Eyes". Any worthwhile map must be inclusive of all three.
This, unfortunately, rules out the excellent "global map" by Nsko because there's nowhere on it that the descriptions of Hoofington given in Project Horizons can match up. In PH, there is a major port on Hoofington's north side and "the biggest river in Equestria" flowing in from its south side, while Fillydelphia is off to the southwest and Manehattan to the northwest. Not only are Hoofington's features on the Nsko map almost wholly opposed to these descriptions, but there's no place else on the map which could match them either.
Somepony else had a stab at mapping out the FO:E locations, but it's simply a rationalized overlay onto a Fallout 3 map of the Washington, D.C. area --- which in no way matches the sort of geography found around Ponyville and Canterlot, and which has a number of errors relative to the original fiction anyways.
Beyond that, I haven't been able to find any other maps other than a few concentrating around the Ponyville/Canterlot area. So, I've been going over the fiction and trying to hash out a map of my own in an attempt to make everything actually fit.
Not an impossible task --- but definitely an arduous one, so far.
What makes it really crazy, though, is that I don't want to stop there. I want the Rand/McNelly Atlas of the Equestrian Wasteland, dagnabbit! Which means working in other FO:E fics as well, as many as will reasonably fit, including my own "New Pegas" (you bet your flank I squee'd on hearing RBD reference "Las Pegasus" during Season Two!). To this end, I've already spoken with the authors of "Tales of a Courier: Reloaded" and "Thorncroft", and we have a creative relationship going (meaning I hash things together, and they get to toss in their two bits and neighsay away what doesn't work for them).
And yes, I know Kkat has said that nothing outside of FO:E itself is canon to FO:E. Of course, fanfics by definition are fanon, not canon, putting all of us on the same hoofing. In my book, the only important things are continuity and suspension of disbelief, both of which are crucial elements to any work of fiction.
Therefore, I want to create a map that believably meshes multiple fanfics without breaking continuity. If you'd be interested in that, drop me a line.
Well of course if you want my opinion or such I've read my fair share of the FO:E stories. Not sure how devout I'd be towards making the map, but I can provide feedback
103077
Well, the main thing I need is help with positioning information. If you read an FOE fic which is on the list, OR you're an author who'd like to be included on the list, then just forward snippets containing information on where a major point of reference is in relation to another.
This includes, probably especially, references to points from OTHER fics, because that helps me place where one fic's map should be in relation to others! For example, "The Big 52" from Pink Eyes starts from a Canterlot suburb, which neatly anchors PE's map to FOE's map.
I also accept map sketches, though I expect to be doing most of that myself (and frankly, I'll probably have to redraw various maps to make things fit together properly anyways).
Where would be a good place for the buffalo to live? Past Old Appleoosa, right?
113134
Yep. Right now I call it the "Buffalo Treaty Zone", or the "Okiedoke Territory". That's Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a big chunk of northern Louisiana. Old Appleloosa's situated in what would be northern Arkansas, which is about as far east as you can get and still have a "western" feel to the countryside.
114662
Wait what. Why are you defining this with American states?
That's cool though. Keep me posted on this map thing.
114693
Several reasons:
1) The only large-scale map anyone else has put together --- and a damn fine one it is --- doesn't match FO:E geography very well. Project Horizons, right off the bat, is very very descriptive about Hoofington's environments, with "the biggest river in Equestria" flowing in from "far to the south" and its north-side naval base at Ironmare. On THAT map, Hoofington has no river at all and the sea is southeast. Not even an inlet or bay to allow for a northern shore.
2) Most of the canon show names for places are riffs on American cities --- Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Las Pegasus and so on. Because of that, there's a long-standing popular fanon idea that "Equestria is built on the ruins of human civilization".
3) A lot of the geography in FOE lore seems to click with the US map. Hoofington was still a major headache until I realized that it's set in a volcanic caldera, which let me add significant landmass to the map without just hoofwaving it. The more I began matching up geography between fics, the clearer the flow of the War became, too.
4) War never changes...
114736
Ruins built on ruins built on ruins. Not sure if i totally agree with it for normal ponies, but as far as FoE goes, I like it :A
I'm pretty much just running with FoE vanilla as far as locations go, until later in the story, so none of that really concerns me hahaha.
115007
S'cool, I just love to overthink stuff. -:D
Can my city Wintertrot get added to the map? It's a major city, close to the former Equestria-Griffin border. The city is locked in a near constant blizzard on account of a Megaspell. I'm still working out all the details of the permanent winter, but the snowfall from the city coats several miles around the city.
125946
Don't see why not; I'll see what I can work out.
125955 Sweet. Also there's a settlement called Two Towers, you can put that whereever you please, just far enough away that it would be out of radio range.
Books Bend to that map I think would have it about 800miles west of Ponyville or so, located in a massive impact crater made by a star or pony size gem with massive magical reserves.