AmélieIS Progress Report

To see what I am up to: my World Ember 2024.

Courtship rituals

The entire goal of a courtship is to prove to your love that, while you're not their soulmate and most perfect partner, you're nearly just as good! And so you need to do just as soulmates do, practice magic together and have the same hobbies.

653 words
11 likes

Mineral vs organic magitech

Active magic inconveniently requires constant care and attendance, and so passive magic was created, controlled with a rune diagram program drawn with metals. The next step has been to downscale that to the metal-carrying molecules inside plants & fungi.

1820 words
27 likes

Communication hub

A public mental hub anchored in the gigantic mycelium of a fungi spreading under the whole empire. People mentally connect to it when holding a connector artefact and use it to communicate with each other or view other people's memories.

1305 words
8 likes

Fixed wards, clothes wards, and portable wards

They are a type of shield that completely cover a target to ensure its full protection from a wide range of dangers depending on their properties. Recent innovations have completely revolutionised their use and their impact on society.

1053 words
7 likes

Golden pricker

A cute and very very nice bird that has become the symbol of the city of Esteille. Remember that it has a protected status thanks to eating a dangerous algae and protecting our lives! No bothering of them under any circumstances, no matter how justified!!

548 words
21 likes

Domi moss—the carnivorous household moss

Bioengineered to anchor complex magic inside buildings, such as wards and adjustable house technology, it relies on photosynthesis or carnivorous feeding. A moss needs regular care to keep the magic going and to prevent it from turning on its inhabitants

657 words
14 likes

The imperial guards

Imperial guards are not only the most elite fighters in the country but also elite politicians. Always around the emperor and his soulmates, they are at the heart of power in the empire and do not refrain from influencing it.

868 words
9 likes

Enchanting

Enchanting consists of attaching magic to an object so as to confer it special properties. Basic enchantments are taught in all schools and can be performed by all citizens of the empire. Complex enchantments however are the specialty of enchanters.

838 words
6 likes

The science of solarpunk magic and ongoing challenges

Magic is divided between active and passive fields that are often combined to reach new weights. Recently, new technologies have allowed to bypass limits on magic power, magic complexity, and mass production. Next challenge: immortality.

1125 words
13 likes

The imperial palace

The heart of power and government in the empire, residence of the emperor and his soulmates. It is also part of a gigantic architecture anchoring the regional wards and has demi moss anchor building wards and adjustable house technology.

948 words
7 likes

Runic diagrams

The geometrical shapes and runes that guide magic into taking the correct form and serve as an anchor for enchantments. They range from simple lines and circles to enormously complicated structures that requires just as complex maths to design.

1060 words
9 likes

Flying carriages

One of the new fantastic magitechs made possible by the invention of magic anchored in plants. Fast, comfortable, and practicable, they have taken over all of society in the empire. Hop into an omnibus and let it bring you to your destination!

642 words
10 likes

The Sannian kidnapping announcement

Flyers sent over the borders by the Sanniens after they kidnapped the emperor, full of childish taunts and threats...

721 words
11 likes

Herbonumenology—healing with magic-anchoring plants and fungi

Classic healing magic has been revolutionised by herbonumenology: the use of magic-anchoring plants as medication, so as to allow for more complex magic to act directly inside the body. Immortality is finally within reach!

780 words
8 likes

Overview of the professions in the Empire

Most prestigious jobs: powerful politicians, star duellist, feared curser judge, highly specialised enchanters, healers, biomages and runes masters, and respected soldiers. Worst jobs: farmers, workers in the magitech industries, and magic fuellers.

2677 words
8 likes

Lime wood in magical artefacts

Bioengineered lime trees are used to anchor complex enchantments by getting planks out of them or by either replanting the entire tree inside a building or just "alive" planks. Fibres from lime bark are also used to make clothes with special wards.

915 words
11 likes

The imperial curse—the ultimate judgment on traitors

A legal curse worst than all others, proportionate to the height of the worst crime possible: a betrayal of the emperor. Criminals are cursed by the emperor himself to suffer disabling pain, relieve their mistake through their nightmares, and to never lie

709 words
9 likes

Imperial citizens

The inhabitants of the most powerful country on Earth. Despite a huge variety, they share similar values—respect of the emperor & the social hierarchy—and culture—a love for building painting competitions and martial magical card games.

1766 words
19 likes

Old Malik

Old Malik is one of the best rune master scholars. He lives in Quanahr and is the unofficial leader of Building 9A Rune where Hélène and Julie live and an absolute proponent of all rivalries surrounding the neighbouring wall painting competition.

924 words
7 likes

The lost Snowflake kitten

A tiny white terror that somehow found his way in the Dark Lord's manor and who runs around biting everyone he comes across! All bets are opened on how the Dark Lord is going to react when he will notice him...

641 words
18 likes

Winners of the neighbourhood wall painting competition

Painting the walls of your building with your neighbours is by far the most popular weekend activity. Friendly and not-so-friendly rivalries abound between communities, culminating in official competitions organised in all imperial cities.

1361 words
10 likes

Magic reservoirs

Local reservoirs where magic accumulates thanks to the gruelling work of people paid to pour magic into them. For a fee, this magic powers flying vehicles and mass production machines in magitech manufactures.

1260 words
7 likes

Adjustable house technology

Thanks to a bioengineered magic-anchoring moss, it allows for all rooms of a building to move freely, thus making stairs and corridors useless in residential buildings and even reducing the walking that has to be done to travel through cities.

887 words
8 likes

Arboise—Capital of the Empire

An ancient city state that rose to conquer an empire and to rule over 3/4 of the world. Nowadays, everyone looks up to the capital, and its inhabitant have remained the leaders of technological development and a worldwide cultural model.

1171 words
4 likes

The Twelfth Sannian War

From Arboise's days as a tiny city state to now that it has become a mighty empire, Sanna has always been the enemy. So far it has always avoided direct conflict with Arboise, but their latest defeat has dangerously cornered them...

1350 words
5 likes

Geography of the Empire of Arboise

In a vast world, full of dangerous territories, the Empire of Arboise has been slowly eating its way towards global domination. Year after year, its eternal rival, the Kingdom of Sanne, is becoming more cornered, more driven to act out its last rebellion.

723 words
5 likes

The Empire Renewal

Arboise has always been a tiny but powerful city-state, always springing from tis ashes to attempt once again to conquer the world. This is the story of how and why this last time they were finally successful...

772 words
6 likes

The University of Brauchat

"Act to learn and learn by acting!" Brauchat is one of the 3 best universities in Nélannie and counts the king among its alumni. Very hands-on teaching and anti-theory and boring reading. Be sure to apply soon to sit our entrance exams!

1011 words
7 likes

AmélieIS Progress so far

29185 words 291.85% completed!

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About me

  • I write Romantic Fantasy novels and worldbuild for them.
  • I'm French.
  • I have a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and a MSc in Chemical Engineering, and I work in biomedical research.
  •   Genres I write
    Romantic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Alternate History (especially 19th century France).   Profiles
    Tumblr: ameliedebruyne
    Discord: amelie_isabelle, my own discord
    BlueSky: amelie-debruyne
    Cara: amelieisabelle
    4theworlds: AmelieS  

    World ember 2024

    I'm working on The Magical University of Lille.  

    Main WIPs

    1) The Empire of the Covenant: Set in a huge federal empire ruled by powerful mages linked to the ancestral magic of their Lands. One Fantasy Romance short story written.
    2) The Magical University of Lille: Alternate 1850s France. Set in a university with lecturer characters.
    3) Portal to Sérannie: Portal Fantasy, going from France to a secondary world influenced by Roman culture and that is on the brink of a civil revolution.
    4) The Engineering Corps: Science Fantasy, Alternate 1845 France. Focus on the engineering corps of the French army during the French revolutionary wars.
    5) Rome and the Sasanians: Alternative 340s Roman Empire.
    6) Divine Tyranny: Set in world where gods are all-powerful, walk among mortals, and mess up with their lives.
    7) Soul Jars: Merchants-Mages steal the soul jars of the ancient Mages-Kings from their mausoleum and use their souls to power artificial bodies that are enslaved to their will.
    8) Dark Lord Seduction Plan: in a world where Light & Dark magic and political parties are on the break of war, set on the the Dark side.
    9) Challenges of Magical University Life: slice-of-life in a magical university.
    10) Victorian Evil Scientists: 19th century Europe, evil scientists work fun experiments in the service of a Dark Lord.
    11) Magical Maths: magic is practice through complex maths, making mathematician extremely prestigious. Also deals with disability and discrimination.
    12) The City of the Hundred Fiefs: each fief of the city is controlled by one powerful mage, and all are at war against each other. To thrive in limited areas peaople have built upwards.
    13) Imperial Soulmates: Sci-Fi Fantasy with magitech anchored in plants and fungi, with everyone having a few soulmates all over the world (people with identical magic).
    14) Metas: for WA events and list of challenge articles.   See my author world for more info about them or just click on their names.

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