Tag: Just rambling

Small updates for January

Hey Raga-rootlings!

It has been one crazy week here at the Patch as we have been building, creating and (personally for me) editing. There isn’t really too much to report, so I will keep it brief. As you know, the release of Beauty and the Nerd has officially launched and I am excited and nervous to hear your thoughts over the coming months. I have lots of plans in the making to bring along the story such as details and character bio’s for you to see and explore. There will be some behind the scene stuff as well for those who are interested in joining Patreon and being a part of that. 

I am also excited to state that in the next week, I am starting to stream emulator games and such on twitch as a way to keep busy and update everyone who wishes to join. It will be just us hanging out, chatting and possible discussions. At the moment we are starting my favorite video game franchise, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Every Tuesday and Thursday we will notify through discord when we launch, so check out the website for the link. 

Some other small news to share is that next week I officially start university classes. On top of that, I am also looking into redoing “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. I may have mentioned this a few times before in my posts, yet just in case I will go into it a little more. “The Artist’s Way” is a book that is there to help creatives unblock or help aid in times of hardships. It can be a challenge for people who are going through depressions or even this pandemic and for myself, it has taken quite a toll on my own self confidence. I decided that along with all the changes in my life from starting this blog, creating stories and sharing them and even with meditations and journaling, I wanted to share my growth with you all. I have no expectations of anyone following along or joining me, this was just my choice since I am seeking personal growth in my writing and creativeness. Usually on Monday’s, I post some kind of update so if anyone is interested in following along the journey I am going through. I will try to keep “The Artist’s Way” and blog updates and news separate as to not bore you. 

Even though these are small updates, I am excited to show the end results as a way for those to continue to enjoy the content I produce. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and will keep you all posted. Thank you everyone who has been supporting me thus far and I look forward to seeing you all again soon! Until next week’s Ongoing story, bye for now!

Turan Turnip

Keeping it short and simple.

Hey Raga-rootlings!


I hope you all had a great holiday and that Santa treated you well! It was a pretty quiet holiday for me and the wife as we spent time with each other since Covid restrictions were tight. I had taken the week off from writing, and with the coming of the new year, I am going to pick it back up with vengeance! My creative bug has been biting hard as I’ve had story ideas swelling, bursting at the seams for me to write! I am pretty excited about it and have already been working and creating some storyboards.
I am also pretty excited as I have waiting for January 1st, the release of Beauty and the Nerd! It will be the first ongoing story I will have to start sharing and lining up a few more stories as the year goes on. For now, I hope you all enjoy finally being able to read about Colby and Yuru. I know I have talked so much about it and will refrain from ranting about it further. I also have a subscription contest going that if you click on the subscribe from the Wix website, you can enter into a draw to win your own Turnip version of yourself! It will be featured on the main page of the website with your name on it! There will be other changes to enter in if you don’t win in the future, so stay tuned for more in the future. I will also state that subscribing costs nothing. It is just so that you can get emails for posts and new content.
There is also a member’s area which the Turnip Team is currently working on as well. It isn’t much right now, but we are working hard to get it ready for future use. Any ideas or suggestions are always welcomed!
In some other news, I will also be streaming on twitch some good ol’ classic retro games such as Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This is a game that has a deep love in my soul. When I was a kid, we used to watch my brother play and spent hours running around and completing all the temples. This was before there were any guides or youtube videos, so all the hard work was righteously earned. Nowadays, it is so easy to complete and I have probably clocked months into this game since it never loses its luster to me. Unfortunately, the N64 does not stream well so I will be playing it on an Emulator if anyone wants to watch and enjoy the nostalgia. You can join the Discord we have set up to stay posted when we will be streaming it. Since writing can take some time and is a slow-growing process, I figured twitch streaming events would be a great way to build a community.
Well, that’s all I have for today folks! I know this was a bit of a short post since most of my focus is drawn to continue to work on the new story I’ve been writing. Once I make some pretty good headway, I will be writing some bios or short introductions of all the stories I have written so that people can take a look and check out the upcoming chapters. For being only a month or so into this blog, I am pretty excited about the new year and what I will be sharing. So thanks for sticking around and taking a read. If I don’t manage to post an update before the end of December, Happy New Year and I look forward to starting the New Year with you all!
Stay safe and see you all next time!
Turan Turnip.

Being Vulnerable Sucks.

Good morning Raga-rootlings! (or evening from wherever you are!)

With Christmas just around the corner, I am sad to say that I will not have a short story in time for the holidays. Not for the lack of trying, however. I did end up coming up with two story ideas.

I have been wracking around the idea of a Christmas short, and I have come to a couple conclusions.

  1. I am not good at writing Christmas themed stories.
  2. I write a lot of LGBTQ content All the shorts I’ve been storyboarding have been turning into more prolonged and continuous ideas lately. The one I thought would turn out to be a decent short has been the most vexing to complete. I have issues with sleeping, and my days have been pretty mixed up because of it. In turn, because I am up all night and sleep during the day, I have managed to develop two interesting stories in particular. I will spend some time talking about the Christmas one today since it is the most vexing, and the other is one that I woke up and just shock-put into action right away. I mean, I have like 6 pages already, not including writing notes on a notepad.

It’s not shocking, to say the least when I can spit out ideas and write non-stop about them, which is why the first story is vexing. I had a significant writing fiesta. It compelled me to write ferociously and frivolously, just to get all the ideas out of me. I was all excited and really looking forward to it when I decided to tell a friend about it. Now, this isn’t to say he was wrong or that what his opinion is because they are his own thoughts. What really sucked is that a simple comment from a friend who is usually supportive had dried my enthusiasm up. I had a dream where the world was dark and bleak, with a steampunk aura. It was a place where trees had died out, and the sun and moon weren’t able to shine as brightly. Avoiding all spoilers since I do intend to eventually finish this story, the main characters meet, fall in love on the eve of Christmas Day, and save the industrial world where it is once again filled with life and wonder

As a side note, in my dreams, I pictured Colby and Yuru as the main characters because that is just how my brain works. I will, of course, make different characters, just don’t be surprised if there are some similarities. I even told my wife as I regaled the plot to her as Colby and Yuru because it was easier to explain.

Moving on, as I said, I was so pumped and excited about writing. I even planned out how I would most likely get the concept art of the characters since I was so enthralled by them. I shared with my friend the idea as well, which turned out to be a mistake on my part. Either I should have waited till I completed the tale or just kept it to myself. Upon telling him it was a steampunk Christmas, he dreadfully told me that those two ideas could never mix. How could something like the steampunk culture ever mix with the idea of Christmas? This sucker punched me in a way that deflated my inspiration. I have spent days thinking about this comment as it plagued my ability to write the story. Other issues then started to arise from this poison as most artists will understand and know: The doubt of creativity. I then began to criticize my own thoughts and creative ability. What if he was right? What if this was just a silly idea and isn’t worth reading or writing?

I also tore apart the story and changed the premise to better fit it, then scrapped it again to prove him wrong. This went through several changes to the storyboard. Eventually, this made it hard to figure out what I originally had dreamed it to turn out. I had even changed the main characters to a straight couple, hoping it would shift the inspiration. It was silly to change it, mostly because it felt right to use girls as the main characters since it was how it came to me in the first place.

Thinking about that comment thrashed my confidence. As a result, I put it on hold, trying to think of something else to write. With some meditation, morning pages, and then sleeping on it, I managed to develop a different story idea that is not at all related to Christmas and spent all morning writing it as I plotted and planned it out. This got me thinking about the first story idea and why I decided to blog this to share with you all. The idea of writing a short story or even a full story is just a way to express creativity. I know that not even one will agree, like, or even read everything you create. That’s just part of life. However, just because you can’t see how it would make sense in your own way doesn’t mean someone else can’t break that barrier. Besides, Steampunk is entirely constructed to break the concept of the victorian era with the industrial revolution. There are endless and boundless ideas to twist and use for this idea. I mean, if we look at Fable, which is basically built on this idea of Steampunk meets heroes with magical powers, how is that so far fetched to the idea of having a Christmas theme? Christmas doesn’t have to be written in the same criteria of snow, romance, and presents.

Tim Burton proved that ideal wrong when he mixed Halloween with Christmas into a beautifully done movie. The story and animation were groundbreaking. Not everyone agrees with it, however, but that is the beauty of it. Finding something you love and just embracing it is perfect regardless of what people think of it. This comment broke my convictions only because I am vulnerable. I put my raw ideas out there, and without really preparing myself for the feedback, I hurt my own progress to grow. I was told as a child that I was never good at writing, and I let that stop me. Being told how an idea was not going to work really hit where it already hurt. I am not mad at my friend since he didn’t do it out of a place of harm. I’m angry at myself for letting it stop me from trying. Every story I have written could all be trash, but if I quit because of one nay-sayer, will I ever improve? This is a lot of personal growth for my writing as I don’t want to stop trying. I have strange and bizarre dreams and realities when it comes to stories, and I just want to keep trying to create and share them. If no one else likes reading them, at least I can proudly say that I love them. I get caught up in my own characters while rereading chapters because I love how they grow.

So to wrap this up for today, I am sorry that I fell through with my delivery. I will not give up on it and post it even if it is a little late for Christmas! To bring some good out of this, I have another fantastic story that I am working on to eventually share with you all as I begin working on it. I also have it all set up and ready to post the first chapter of Beauty and the Nerd. I have broken the original chapter into 3 parts to make for easier reading since it was 28 pages in total. I have already finished chapter 2, so it’s ready to go.

Come the new year, there will be much more content to come, and don’t forget that I have the Subscribe Contest going on. By subscribing to the Turnip Patch website, you can enter a draw to win and get your own personalized Turnip! This will be posted on the main page as well with your name! The subscription is free and just lets you all in on new posts so that you can keep up to date with what’s new and exciting. Thank you all again for your support, and we will see ya soon!

Turan Turnip

Deliberation and Celebration

Hello fellow Raga-rootlings!
I hope you all have had the chance to enjoy the Christmas special released last week! I for sure know I had a lot of fun writing it and it does bring me joy to see my characters outside of the original story just to show some of the quirks and personalities they each have. Admittedly, I had a brief moment while writing Claire about what kinds of gifts to get her. She would be the type of friend that even if I had to shop for, I wouldn’t really know what would suit her. Since she is the kind of girl that generally gets what she wants any time of the year, she is one of those classifications of hard to shop for women.
But Alas, today is not about me writing about the short, although some aspects of it are part of my thoughts. With this Christmas challenge for myself, I have been digging into idea prompts and even suggestion lists to rake my brain. Personally speaking, Christmas is not an easy time of the year for me and finding the Spirit of Christmas has always been a struggle. I want to write something that has meaning and gives that sense of readers gratification. This got me thinking about most of the stories I love reading and authors who have inspired me. It’s easy to throw together a plotline, character details and flaws, then a general flow of events and sequences for some short form of telling. I remember that just having word prompts while in high school was enough for me to come up with a ridiculously spun tale of a half-human cat running around with a shotgun killing apocalyptic bunnies. To me at that time, just being to create was the only premise of writing that enticed me. A world of my own to twist and enchant on a whim, no boundaries to outlandish to cross.
To also shed some light on my influences, a childhood passion was reading works done by Piers Anthony. His world Xanth was enthralling. If you have never read any of the books, to sum it up it was a fantasy world built on puns. All the puns you could possibly think of, wordplay and literal meanings in a creative way to inflict havoc on the adventurers as they set out to complete their mission. Not only did this birth the moment where puns enlightened me to a whole world of humour, this also too sprouted a seed where comprehension was not limited to simplicity. Nowadays, being a dungeon master and creating campaigns and maps, helps me inflict pain upon my friends and family where I can masterfully watch them suffer for enjoyment. It’s not about actually watching them fail, but to see them solve the mystery with the outcome of the hero’s worthy of the world’s adoration.
This can also be accomplished with writing, however, there is nothing more satisfying than watching the story unravel before you, even without your full acknowledgement. This is the wonder that captivates me in writing and reading a story. This may have strayed from the original point a little, I promise this all ties in with my thoughts. Being that I want to create a realistic story that will hold the reader’s captivated (Including myself), I have been thinking so much about the books and manga I’ve loved and adored for so many years to help in the methods of my own personal writings. To be able to keep these aspects of my moulded creativity accountable while I craft a story is what makes me strive to push forward. I don’t just want to write passionless blogs where people read them with no backings. If you as the readers aren’t invested then I feel a sense of failure for myself. Granted, not every person is going to share the same investment I have or will with each short, one-shot or ongoing story. That is unrealistic even for someone who believes in unicorns and rainbows. Just to be able to give one true feeling of wonder is all I hope for.
To bring this back full circle, I think of all the Christmas prompts and suggestions out there for stories and even though it is the same thing time and time again, I am always curious about what it was in the first place that draws us to love reading the same ageless tale? What is it about these Christmas stories that we love and read each year? Why do we watch the same movies each season as it approaches? How is it that we can create and recreate so many different Grinch movies and still find the same wonder as the last? These have been so prevalent in my thoughts as I have been trying to find the same passion and seasonal spirit in my life. This year is the hardest to achieve as well because of Covid since now we are physically limited to seek out these inspiring moments.
From talking with a friend about his genre of Manga versus mine, he made a very impactful point. Sometimes we just like a good fashioned love story. A believable story of romance and wonder. I have really been mulling his words over and it holds some truth to them. Why Christmas stories are so repetitive and similar is the same reason why I still pick up a story about two people falling in love, no matter how challenging the odds are for success. Because that is my fuel, my belief in happiness. Christmas is the spirit of hope and peace to the world, and that miracles can happen. We have so much faith that even with all the crap going on in our daily lives that there is a shred of goodness coming around the corner when we spread cheer and love. I may have a weird love and obsession for writing macabre and eerie stories, yet in the same sense, it holds no difference. I love the strange and creepy because it just tickles you in a way that is different.
I may have already mentioned some of these things before, yet it wasn’t really until now that I had a good understanding of what it is I want to accomplish. The major reason to write is to grow and challenge my skills since I want to improve. Everything I create out of it is just icing on a cake, you get the reward with just a little something sweet to enjoy along with it. Thank you everyone for sticking around and reading. With each post I do, I get more pumped to share something that everyone can enjoy and share.
I know this time of year is challenging for everyone, and if there is one thing I can offer, it is a pen-palship. Reach out if you are looking for a friend in these crazy times, and with that, I wish you all a happy and cheerful holiday. I will be trying to post the next story before Christmas Day.

See you soon Raga-rootlings!
Turan Turnip

It’s Monday Raga-rootlings!

Hey Raga-rootlings!

As the week begins, I figured I would announce some news! Starting in the new year, I will be posting stories every Friday/Saturday. This might be a one-shot or a continuation as I have been working diligently on the Beauty and the Nerd story. I know I have been talking about it quite a bit so I don’t want to keep you all waiting.

The good news is that I have managed to get through a huge chunk of editing so there will be content. The bad news, however, is that you must keep in mind, this story was one of the first ongoing stories I have done. I will still share it in all its glory since it is something I am proud of non the less. As someone who is constantly trying to grow and challenge my writing skills, it has been really cool going back on it with fresh new eyes. I started writing this compilation 3-4 years ago. I mentioned this before, that originally I was hoping to make this a comic/manga story when I wrote a massive storyboard for it. Realizing that I didn’t have much of an amplitude to draw, I make it into a story instead. My intent was to make it a fun small novel, however, as I keep writing and developing the characters around Yuru and Colby, it has gotten much deeper.

I had focused so much on just the two girls, that I never really focused on any other characters. They were just background to add some fun interactions while they were in class or hanging out at the mall. As I dove into my writing frenzy, I watched as now these side characters took more of a heavy role and life. Suddenly I have these huge stories about the background history of each person, what they liked, what their personality quirks are, and even how their existence influences both girls. As a creator, it’s really neat to see that happen and even feel myself get excited to see what happens next (even though I’m the one writing it!)

Sometimes you can plan all you want for a story and it just takes a plunge somewhere entirely different than you hoped. Even though I do know how I want this story to go, the original storyboard I wrote for it was lost in a computer crash. At the time I didn’t know what I lost until I started looking back at my writings. The loss of the original blueprint really sucker-punched me, yet I am not really too heartbroken. With how I started writing the side characters, it was already growing farther away from my original intent. In the end, I like the current story better than the outline.

Aside from my usual rantings of Beauty and the Nerd, I also am excited to start doing impromptu shorts for monthly one-shots! In the spirit of Christmas, I am intending to deliver two stories before the new year, and in the new year, I will be announcing different themes. As the website also goes through a couple of changes, I will be offering polls to see what the next theme will be!

As always, Thank you so much for supporting me and following along the journey. In times such as Covid, it’s important to stay happy and healthy. So I encourage you all to reach out if you need someone to talk to. Let’s help each other out, we are stronger when we work together.

See you all later, and remember to subscribe to keep up to date!

Turan Turnip

Snow, cold and warm holiday cheers.

Hey Raga-rootlings!

So I have been hard at work creating and typing up a few stories. The foreshadowing inspiration has been so much fun to work on that I should have a thriller short primed and ready to post for you all to read on Friday or Saturday. It is based on a question I have spent years asking people when I was younger and decided to make it a first-person view of how they are feeling and what is going on in their head as they go through their experience. I don’t want to give anything away about the story, but know that it is a little different than what I have written so far. 

I have been thinking about things that will challenge me and what are some things a writer would do you keep their creativity going. One of the things that have been on my mind lately has been Christmas. It’s that time of year, it’s on everyone’s minds so I thought what should I do come the last week of December? So my plan for you all is that I will post this week and next week for my foreshadowing challenge. I may take a week to spend on just writing so the first of December there won’t be any shorts posted. 

Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean there will be a week of nothing. I intend to still blog and keep you all up to date! I also have my final’s for university so there will be a lull in creativity as I will be focusing on studies. 

The other news I do want to share is that I decided to edit ‘Beauty and the Nerd’ and work on a posting schedule. It will not be as often as the shorts will be, however, I figured I have mentioned it enough that it will be a good test drive story. I have been struggling a little about how much NSFW content I am willing to post since there are some stories that are a little more graphic than others. Not saying that ‘B and N’ is a pure and innocent ongoing story, just keep in mind that it is a love story between girls so there will be light sexual content. Everything will have warning labels so anything you read is at your own risk. 

I also say this because one of my newest stories that I have been writing is about BDSM. A woman is looking to become a Dominatrix and meet a man who is absolutely clueless about the kink world. He is introduced into the kink world and they start their relationship as Dom and Sub. As much as I would enjoy sharing this once I have made more progress, I do want to keep my blogs clean so everyone can read and enjoy. As a new fresh writer, I am going to explore different topics and develop my sense of writing style so the sky is the limit! However, by doing so I don’t wish to scare away people who are supportive and want to continue to read my content. I will find a solution to this one day, but as I have said for now I will try to keep my writing at a constant PG16. I don’t know if that is an official rating, but I have decided that is what I am going for. 

Tracking back to where I was originally talking about, December! I know with covid, this year is going to be tough for everyone. I thought that in light of the season, I am going to write a few Christmas shorts. I want to try and write something fun and full of love since the majority of what I have so far is dark and horror. I am still working on a schedule for my posts, so the most I can promise is two or three short stories with a surprise (not so much surprise) Ongoing story! As long as the editing goes well, I will make sure that we have some good and heartwarming stories to share. 

As always, thank you for reading and please be safe to those who are living in Covid hot zones. We are here for each other during these rough times. If you need someone to talk to or just want some words of encouragement, please feel free to reach out to me. 

See you all again soon!

Turan Turnip