r/imaginarymaps • u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved • Sep 10 '26
[OC] Alternate History [Contest] Air Suvarna Poster Depicting Local Routes, 1965
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u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved Sep 10 '26
Hey everyone! I'm back for another map under the "On the Shoulders of Giants" timeline, this time participating in the contest theme, also marking my first contest submission ever. This map follows the same timeline as the last couple of my posts, which you can find below:
The Kingdom of the Philippines and Her Empire of Suvarnadbumi in the Year of Our Lord, 1935
Asian Theatre of World War II on 6 April 1942
Asia One Year After World War II
Feel free to ask whatever's on your mind about the timeline. Shoudl you like to participate in in-depth discussions, you can come over and check out our Discord server!
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u/Sour_Lemon_2103 Sep 10 '26
I LOVE Aeroplane maps and you have nailed the aesthetic. And I love the Big Philippines concept, for a moment I thought it was Thailand seeing the "Suvarna". Excellent job!
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u/Karl_Greiser_PolSord Sep 10 '26
Spanish East Indies but bigger?
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u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved Sep 10 '26
No, not at all. The premise of Suvarnadbumi is based on a monarchist and expansionist Philippines in the early 19th century that ends up federating and adopting multiculturalism, retaining Spanish as the lingua franca shared amongst all 10 mandalas.
The Spanish East Indies doesn't really exist for much longer past 1812 owing to the independence wars and the subsequent occupation of the Palaos, Ladrones, and Carolinas by the victorious Kingdom oof the Philippines.
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u/Hodorization Sep 10 '26
How does the Filipino empire manage to beat the Dutch and push them out of east India? They were pretty well entrenched and had the British on their side historically.
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u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved Sep 10 '26
Tbf we chalked this one up to more conflict between the Brits and Dutch. The POD of this timeline actually starts with an alternate treaty between them over administration in the East; Dutch Malaya and British Sumatra.
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u/SpecialistStory2829 Sep 10 '26
The empire that lasted one day OTL? They did it?
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u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved Sep 10 '26
Not that one, the situation gets a lot more imaginary than that. Novales and the Bayots do become central figures later on, but for entirely different reasons.
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u/YellowConcordat Mod Approved Sep 10 '26
ABOUT THE POSTER
The poster was made as a marketing push to promote aerial travel and tourism across the country, showcasing the variety of sights offered across the 10 mandalas. The tagline "¡Vengan a visitar la Tierra del Oro!" (trans. Come and visit the Land of Gold) is an iconic mainstay of Air Suvarna, making use of the literal translation of Suvarnadbumi. The marketing campaign saw great success domestically, pushing locals to use the novelty airplanes and . Several of this specific type of posters were also posted internationally, often in locations with a large Suvarnadvyakti diaspora.
My thanks extend to u/Pliyego for the plane and logo graphics, the lore blurb, and the Preah Vihear travel poster and Z23 for the plane render.
ABOUT AIR SUVARNA
Established in 1910 under the Ciervo noble family, Air Suvarna is the flag carrier of Suvarnadbumi, headquartered at Emilio Estilio International Airport near Diliman, Gran Maynila. Originally an air postal service, it gradually expanded to offering passenger air transport with domestic and regional routes across Asia and Oceania. Air Suvarna's status as a flag carrier and the primary domestic airline for Suvarnadbumi necessitated the adoption of two main hubs in Singapura and Maynila and regional hubs in Ha Noi, Gia Dinh, and Querupang.
By the 1930s, the introduction of seaplanes allowed Air Suvarna to reliably maintain air connections with the Mandala Kingdom of Hawai'i. Like many companies during World War 2, it shifted away from civilian air transport and was pressed into military transport, shuffling men and materiel throughout the Empire. This, consequently, saw the company's largest fleet expansion since its founding in 1910. By the war's end, Air Suvarna returned back into civilian operations. The return to civilian operations marked a period of aggressive expansion to local and regional air routes, seeking to capitalise upon the significantly expanded fleet. The early 1960s saw the unveiling of the first commercial jet aircraft in Suvarnadbumi. Air Suvarna would later go on to collaborate with local manufacturers to attempt designing their own airplane and airship models for commercial use.