Malyarova Olga Couture

Writing Worksheets & Templates

will update this every few weeks/months. alternatively, here are all my tagged Writing Worksheets & Templates

Chapter Outline ⚜ Character- or Plot-Driven Story

Death & Sacrifice ⚜ Magic & Rituals ⚜ Plot-Planning

Editing: Sentence Check ⚜ Writing Your Novel: 20 Questions

Tension ⚜ Thought Distortions ⚜ What's at Stake

Character Development

50 Questions ⚜ Backstory ⚜ Character Creation

Antagonist; Villain; Fighting ⚜ Protagonist & Antagonist

Character: Change; Adding Action; Conflict

Character: Creator; Name; Quirks; Flaws; Motivation

Character Profile (by Rick Riordan) ⚜ Character Sheet Template

Character Sketch & Bible ⚜ Interview your Character

Story-Worthy Hero ⚜ "Well-Rounded" Character Worksheet

Worldbuilding

20 Questions ⚜ Decisions & Categories ⚜ Worksheet

Setting ⚜ Dystopian World ⚜ Magic System (AALC Method)

Templates: Geography; World History; City; Fictional Plant

References: Worldbuilding ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

all posts are queued. send questions/requests here.

commission for @divinedinosaurs ~ instagram 

reposting this on here because I enjoy this account and because this is a really useful visual depiction of how to mend using thread.

Seraph, fresco from the Ferapontov Monastery, 1495-1496.

I cannot describe how much I love plant horror 💕

I blame my elementary school science teacher who did a week on invasive species and introduced us to those pics of kudzu vines that are in the shape of animals and monsters ans how rapidly they spread

Like, I just want to be devoured by the earth while my blood is still warm and there's still breath in my lungs. I think it would be fittingly painful and very nice.

I just want to:

writing tip: searching "[place of origin]ish names" will get you a lot of stuff and nonsense made up by baby bloggers.

searching "[place] census [year]" will get you lists of real names of real people who lived in that place.

Fun fact! Saint Valentine was beheaded, and here is a photo of his supposed skull! (which is kept in a reliquary in rome because catholics are freaky that way)

an angel (:

Lacencu

Something a little different, I tried to make a monster inspired by an art! Here it is!

The illustration below is by one of my favorite artists, Abigail Larson. Enjoy, please!

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Lacencu

Lacencu (la-SEN-koo) combine traits of centaurs, succubi, and lamia, but their origins are murky. Lacencu might be related to all three of these species, or none. To date, investigations have proved inconclusive; it doesn’t seem like the lacencu remember their ancestors well, nor do they care. Rumors abound, but their most popular origin story involves a tribe of centaurs trapped underground, never to see the sun again. Ill-suited to the endless caves, these centaurs made pacts with various eldritch powers for survival. Over time, fiendish influence and the Underdark’s unusual conditions molded the centaurs into lacencu, charming but paranoid masters of enchantment.

Observers are shocked at the lacencu’s agility; their ponderous centaur-like physiology doesn’t look suited to climbing or flying, yet the lacencu do both with elegance. The lacencu seem to dance about the rocks, switching between hopping like mountain goats, climbing with their arms, clawed wings, and prehensile tails, and flapping short distances with fluid ease.

The lacencu are typically friendly, and they love to hear stories of the surface world. But the lacencu know their numbers are small compared to other Underdark races; lending some credence to the “lost centaurs” theory, they fear extinction, and know danger lurks around every corner in the Underdark. So the moment a visitor displays any violent, duplicitous, or otherwise untoward behavior, the lacencu employ their innate magic to turn these visitors away, back into the darkness of the underground. If magic manipulation fails, or if the lacencu fear this enemy will come back with a vengeance, they’ll take up arms as a tribe and slay the interloper.

Despite their embedded fear of extinction, most sentient residents of the Underdark have no quarrel with the lacencu – except the drow. Lancencu raid drow outposts and city outskirts for supplies, artifacts, weapons, and fashions. The lacencu pick on the drow partly out of necessity; out of all their Underdark neighbors, drow are the closest in body type (from the waist up) compared to the stout duergar, the diminutive svirfneblin, or hulking quaggoths. Most items made with drow in mind, the lacencu can use too.

Lacencu

Large monstrosity (sapient), typically neutral good

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 78 (12d10 + 12)

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

STR 14(+2) DEX 16(+3) CON 13(+1) INT 15(+2) WIS 16(+3) CHA 17(+3)

Saving Throws WIS +5, CHA +5

Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Nature +4, Insight +5, Perception +5, Survival +5, Persuasion +5

Damage Resistances psychic

Senses Alignment Sense, Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15

Languages Infernal, Sylvan, telepathy 100 ft. (only works with other lacencu), Undercommon

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +2

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Innate Spellcasting. The lacencu’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components.

At will: detect magic, detect thoughts

3/day each: scrying, suggestion

1/day each: geas, sleep

Flyby. The lacencu doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

Actions

Multiattack. The lacencu can make multiple attacks: either 1 each with hooves and spear, or 1 hooves and 2 wings.

Clawed Wings. Melee Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., 1 target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Hooves. Melee Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage. Lacencu can also attack backwards with their hooves by bucking.

Poisoned Spear. Melee or Ranged Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., thrown 20/60 ft., 1 target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage plus 6 (2d6) poison damage.

Charm. One humanoid the lacencu can see within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys the lacencu’s verbal or telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect, or if the effect on it ends, the target is immune to this particular lacencu’s Charm for the next 24 hours.

The lacencu can have only one target charmed at a time. If it charms another, the effect on the previous target ends.

Bonus Actions

Aura Reading. Detect magic and detect thoughts are bonus actions for lacencu.

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DESIGN NOTES

Yes, I came up with the name by remixing the syllables of centaur, succubus, and lamia.

Took me way too long to realize I should give these folks darkvision and a climbing speed, since they live in the Underdark, and there’s stuff in the flavor text about how they climb good.

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.