iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I've been mucking about with voxels again.

A steampunk airship-of-war, rendered in coarse voxels.

It has a mostly flat deck, with a tower towards the rear, in amongst a mess of brass pipes and metal gas tanks. Propellers are spinning merrily to provide forward thrust. Amidships, three gun turrets, each with four barrels, dominate the image. In front of them is a wide deck area where smaller craft can take off and launch. Underneath the bow, a rotating casemate with a long-pointy railgun thing lurks. The vessel has rally stripes in red and green. There's not really a background, just some grey.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

QRP with a title screen that's iconic to you

Title screen of Planescape: Torment. A stylised machine of pipes and rivets, in colours of rust and faded copper, like steampunk that has never seen a cog. The centre is occupied by a small likeness of a human face, lying in a nest of jagged blades. Around it are 3 buttons, following the curse of the circle, with oddly cruciform yellow text on a blue backdrop. The buttons read: "NEW LIFE", "THE ABYSS", and "RESUME LIFE".

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

For #BookQW, have a touching reunion between one girl and her bear. You can read all the exciting adventures that led up to this point for free on my Patreon - just look for the 'Weapon Too Free' collection.

While everyone was away at the Suss, the stables had been mostly empty, save for the one on the end where Butterfly lay. His great head was resting on his forepaws. ‘Morose’ would not begin to describe his expression. Ursa had commissioned a sign that hung around his neck:

‘Don’t poke the bear!’

That, and shouted imprecations from Guild staff, had kept the neighbourhood children away. Without anyone to play with, Butterfly was bored.

When Ursa rounded the corner of the building, the bear lifted his head and, when he was sure it was her voice he could hear, lumbered out of the stall and charged towards her. A clerk carrying a stack of papers had to dodge out of the way. Ursa met Butterfly in the middle of the yard. He reared on his hind legs and she DISAPPEARED into his belly fur.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

GOATed blocklist triumphs again.

User Blocked by "A Very British Bigotry"

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

For #BookQW, the word is 'ride', and what better way to introduce a bad-ass character than with them on their mount? You can read the story so far here: www.patreon.com/collection/1...

“They were with an expedition taking samples looking for ore deposits. The monsters killed the adults but left Ursa alive. I’m not sure why. She managed to survive by herself for quite some time before she was rescued.”
Ursa reappeared. She was riding her animal companion, a brown bear nearly the size of a horse. The girl looked incongruous atop it. The only time Ursa’s scowl seemed to lessen was when she was with her animal. The bear had no saddle or any of the other paraphernalia associated with riding, but there was a sort of harness around its body that held a large backpack. Ursa kept her bedroll and other possessions in it, apart from those she carried with her on her own belt. She wore that pack behind her, and low, so it didn’t interfere with her balance on her mount. No armour would have fit her, but she seemed quite comfortable in a sleeveless, white tabard. She had dark brown leather britches, apparently chosen for their hard-wearing qualities judging from the scratches and scuffs. There was a similar look to her boots, which Essendra thought had to be too large for her.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

For #BookQW, a ship arrives at the busy port of Grand Billon. Read the full story in these pages: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

“They say,” Eilert was standing at Garnas’s shoulder, as he had been since they came up on deck, “that you used to be able to walk from one end of the docks to the other, ship to ship, never setting foot on land. Grand Billon is considered the jewel of the Hepatizon coast.”

His keen eyes picked out a space and he whistled a short series of notes. The lookout, high up in the rigging, appeared to understand and looked to the same part of the docks. He repeated the whistle, confirming Eilert’s discovery.

“What changed?” Garnas asked.

Eilert shrugged.

“Business decisions. Currents in the interstice. Change will always come.”

The Shaved Link was one of the smallest ships there. She passed a galleon sitting low in the water, a junk-rigged schooner almost lost in a haze of incense smoke, and a squat, iron-clad frigate bristling with gun ports.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

For #BookQW, the word is 'change', and Essendra is given a moment to reflect on how rapidly her world is evolving. You can read the full story so far here: www.patreon.com/Queex/posts/...

The final leg of the journey took them through orchards that surrounded their destination: the town Vellanixhal. Essendra rode on the driver’s seat. She wanted to look forward for a CHANGE. It was strange to think that, only a handful of generations ago, cultivated land that wasn’t protected by walls was unheard of.

The wagons rounded the last corner and broke out of the trees, putting the outskirts of the town before them. These were the old farms. Pride and prudence kept the walls around them maintained. What had once been humble working smallholdings were now the manor houses of the rich and influential. There were gardens, a thing for which there hadn’t even been a word a hundred years ago.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

If wrestling is fake then explain THIS

A capybara caught midway through a seemingly gravity-defying leap from a close-cut grass bank into a wide, brown river. The high-rises of a city are on the far horizon. A small caption had been added near the animal's head that reads: 'Hup".

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

For #BookQW, let's drink in the haunting beauty of industrial decay. wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

The damp path yielded onto cracked and stained concrete. Untold decades of weathering had exposed steel reinforcing rods, which in turn had corroded to almost nothing. The river edge of the concrete was in fragments and held together only by those few rods remaining. Gantries that had once been suspended over the river lay immersed in it like languid arms from a lazy boat. Ahead of Garnas a massive structure towered, wreathed in vines. The holes of old windows had been forced wider by tree-trunks twisting through them; or perhaps the great trees, hundreds of feet tall, were wearing the remains of the building like stiff clothes.

Factory One.

The war might have been going the jungle’s way, but it was not without losses. Substances more noxious than mere iron and concrete still lay in sumps, gutters and leaking barrels. More than half the trees Garnas could see were already dead. One of the oldest had collapsed, taking several floors with it. The factory had many more wings and many more floors, still standing defiantly, and the battle would be raging long after Garnas died.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

An edit for all the alchemists out there

The same Holy Trinity diagram pastiche, only this time Soul is annotated with Cancer (the alchemical process of Solution), Juice is annotated with Scorpio (Separation), and Tea is annotated with Pisces (Projection).

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

For #BookQW, a caravan is being tailed by monsters! Read the full story so far here: www.patreon.com/collection/1...

When the caravan leader finally allowed them all to stop and prepare for rest, the sun was high in the sky.

Vennan had chosen a nicely defensible position. The land ahead was slashed by a deep, rocky canyon. A heavy and broad stone bridge crossed the gap. This side of the bridge began from a sharp overhang that jutted out into the canyon. Monsters attacking from the other side would be easily spotted and limited to fighting two or three abreast. That meant Vennan only had to worry about a serious attack from behind. With the guards and heavy spell support from Jehhan’ni, he was quietly confident that any assault would be driven off. The guards themselves were taking few chances – they had driven sharpened stakes into the ground in a rough quarter circle and were readying their pavises.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

For #BookQW the word is 'never'. Eilert has returned to his home, and with a home like this no wonder he travels... You can get hold of the novella a number ways: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

I wasn’t ready.

The lie I told myself was that I was laying the groundwork for what I needed to do, but it rang hollow, even to me. The plain fact was that I was scared.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

For #BookQW the word is 'group' and Garnas is giving life-saving advice to his comrades when they're stranded in the desert. The full story is in the novella duo available here: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

“Take sips, and only when you absolutely have to. It’s better to reach safety joking about how much water we still had left than die with safety in sight because we wasted it. The sooner you restrict your intake, the sooner your body will adjust. Don’t worry too much about food. We’ll die of thirst before hunger becomes a real problem.”

He looked around, noting who nodded immediately and who appeared reluctant. He could feel his skin tingling where the sun beat down on it.

“We should rest during the day. The nights are going to be colder than you think, but if we keep moving we should stay warm enough. Do not wander off alone, not for anything. If you lose sight of the group you may never find it again. You can’t trust your sense of direction.”

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

(alt text continues over a picture of a guinea pig wearing a crown, to offset The Horrors)

I grew up under Section 28. In my secondary school of 1,200 pupils, not one single student was out as LGBTQ+. Not one. We know that the repression of LGBTQ+ people kills them. That was the effect of bigotry enshrined in law, and it carried a toll of human lives. I had school friends who could only embrace who they were far later in life than they should have beenable to. While some have thrived, there is no way way to make up for that lost time. Others did not make it. Killed by legislation. Section 28 remains one of the darkest and most shameful parts of British history, and it sickens me to see it is at risk of playing out again — and it is playing out again.

I do not respect anyone who supports these monstrous proposals, neither do I respect anyone with mealy-mouthed excuses as to why they won't oppose them.

Will you stand for what is right?

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

You should do this, too, even if your MP has already joined the EDM, to make it clear where public opinion lies. I hope @calummillerld.bsky.social does the right thing.

Dear Calum Miller MP,

I'm writing to you about the urgent need to disapprove the EHRC's abominable proposed guidance. Please support Nadia Whittome's motion (EDM 240).

As someone with trans and otherwise LGBTQ+ family members, it seems that every week brings a new, horrifying erosion of rights that should never have been in question. To watch hard-fought justice be rolled back, against not only simple human dignity but the wishes of the general public at large, is harrowing. What the EHRC proposes goes even further, stripping away de facto rights that trans people have always enjoyed in Britain.

The inescapable iniquity of the guidance can be seen in the differences between trans men and trans women: trans women are 'not woman enough' and must be forced to accept the risk of men's toilets; trans men are 'not men enough' for the gents but are also banned from the ladies. This is nonsense. Exactly the kind of nonsense you get when you begin with prejudice and work backwards from there.

These proposals have been roundly condemned as both unscientific and unworkable by many national and international bodies with considerably more expertise than the (frankly unqualified) appointees of the EHRC, and that alone is sufficient reason to reject them. From the meritless Cass report, to the tainted ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, to this guidance, we are witnessing a co-ordinated effort by a privileged cadre of bigots to remove trans people from public life. Conscience demands that this be opposed, at any cost.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

For #BookQW, a mysterious figure is seeking a position at the local Adventurers' Guild... The full story is full to read, starting here: www.patreon.com/posts/weapon...

“You’ve come from the Northern Safe Zone?”

The man’s features betrayed the fact and he saw no reason to deny it.

“I’ve not been home for some time, but yes. I’ve brought copies of several seminal texts,” he explained, opening up his bag to demonstrate. “I intend to translate them and leave copies here. It’s a long task and I need money to live on.”

He sighed.

“At first I sought a patron, but that didn’t work out.”

That’s baited the hook, he thought. It should be plausible. After all; it’s true. Please don’t ask for further details about the failed patronage, though, I so dislike needing to lie.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I just don't know how to process this.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

For #BookQW Eilert, Shirin and Garnas are attempting to book passage on a ship. Buy the novella here: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

She disappeared into a back room and stayed there just long enough for Garnas to grow bored, cross the marble tiled floor and sit on a hard wooden bench. Her smile was appreciably more genuine when she returned.

“I’ve been authorised to give you a carriage fee waiver for medical reasons. The fee was eight thalers per ticket, so your new total is fifty-seven thalers.”

Eilert couldn’t disguise his disappointment. He turned to the others.

“It was worth a try. I guess it’s only a week until―”

“No.”

Shirin stepped forwards.

“We agreed you need to get treated as soon as possible,” she said. “It’s not just the week waiting here, it’s the extra week of journey time. We can afford two tickets. Use them for you and Garnas. If I can’t rustle up another fourteen thalers by tomorrow morning, then I’ll join you when I’m able to.”

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

For #BookQW, Essendra and Ursa demonstrate one way to deal with condescending, annoying men. Read the start of the story at www.patreon.com/posts/weapon...

“I don’t believe I’ve seen either of you two here before,” he began, smarming like thick oil. “If you need the care of a safe pair of hands—”
“We’re good, thanks,” Essendra said, looking away.
“I’m just trying to look out for you, you know. Getting established can be hard if you don’t know the right people.” There was a mocking tone to his words.
He tried to slide into one of the free chairs but Ursa gently tripped him as he tried to sit. He fell on his rear and banged his head on the chair on the way down. Essendra leaned over to him.
“Are you okay?! Do you need any help getting up?!” she shouted in his face.
“What? Stop shouting!”
“I thought you must be hard of hearing, because you didn’t seem to hear what I said before.”

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

"She had the kind of walk that turned benches into men, and turned men into lamp-posts."

Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant, Police Squad.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Garnas is on his home turf, turf he's well-acquainted with. It's #BookQW and the word is 'wander'. Buy the novellas here: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

The packed earth path was known to turn to mud in the rain, and it ran steeply up onto the headland to the south. Treacherous in the extreme in wet conditions but taxing exercise in any weather. Garnas was the only one who used it these days. He’d hammered metal spikes into the ground alongside it, something to hold on to if he ever got caught in a downpour. He always came here alone, and was acutely aware of the danger should he become injured. This was a land that devoured the careless.

The wind whipped his coat around him as he walked. He set down his bucket and rod to tie it more tightly. He’d salvaged the thick waterproof fabric himself. It was stronger and warmer than garments woven from grey hemp. It marked him as someone who had been into the jungle in search of spoils―and one of the few with the right mix of bravery and caution to succeed. Something about this coast caught the imagination, instilled wild ideas of wandering into the unknown.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Not sure about this remake, to be honest.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

For #BookQW, we open on a slow zoom into an unusual predicament... www.patreon.com/c/Queex/post...

Here there’s a camp. The fire hasn’t been lit, yet, but it’s been laid. Night comes early in the hills and it is as well to be ready. Dry wood is in short supply. There’s a bear lying down near the tents.
If you move from there towards the mountains, over a rocky ridge that’s covered with a thick layer of moss, there is another bare area. In this case, there’s no sign of human or geological intervention, just a circle of earth covered with vines. In the centre of this circle there is a single large flower. Its shape resembles a tulip bud, pointing upwards. Creamy orange petals, each over six feet long, form an overlapping pattern with only the narrowest of apertures at the top.
Sticking out of that aperture are two pairs of boots.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

For #BookQW, a ship sailing unorthodox seas is arriving at port... wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to join in, but he knew to set his body against the ship’s rail—on the starboard side, the port side rail was still missing—and tense.

Something struck the prow of the ship like a giant’s fist, making every timber groan in protest. Even prepared as he was, Garnas nearly toppled forwards. He apologised as he pulled himself away from Shirin’s back.

Waves rolled against the hull as the ship broke free of the mist. With only a single judder it had left the interstice to rejoin a mundane sea. The vision in the marble had not done the port justice. Colours were in constant motion. Shouts carried all the way out to the ship; hawkers’ lures drowned out top-of-voice squabbles, pierced in turn by children’s excited shrieks.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Eilert is being briefed on a very dangerous mission for this #BookQW. wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

Reading between the lines, the council had probably intended to ‘volunteer’ someone from her chorus before I arrived. If the task was dangerous, better have it fall to one of Dieuwke’s ill-behaved whelps than someone who mattered. My arrival had given her an opportunity to punt it away again. The rest of the council believed it was getting one over on her this way, forcing her to choose between a former student and a current one; when in fact this outcome was exactly what she wanted. I don’t know if it spoke of her confidence in me, or her willingness to hang me out to dry.

“I understand,” I said, for her benefit more than the others. “Is this a good time to discuss the nature of this task?”

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

For #BookQW, have a newspaper cutting. wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

This #BookQW, and Garnas is on his home turf. Dangerous turf, yes, but he's used to the dangers. The people he's trying to find are not. wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

Following the river was a mistake. It might mean you could move more quickly, but you had your back against a figurative wall. Even if you could fight off dangerous fauna, the noise and the blood would bring more animals―or worse. Following the river was a mistake, but it was a mistake Garnas guessed the missing explorers had made.

His hunch was confirmed by scraps of cloth on a resinbush. The plant was one of the few without vicious thorns, which made it look less dangerous to the naïve eye. Its leaves secreted a quick-setting adhesive that hardened to a bond with greater tensile strength than leather. If the wanderers had continued into that harmless-looking patch of bluish undergrowth, they would still be there now. As it was they had only left behind one blue sleeve. At least they hadn’t tried burning the leaves away. Their resin was a natural accelerant.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Something BIG is coming on the 3rd April... ...to Bandcamp...

A giant 3½ inch floppy diskette, red, hangs in space in front of a volcanic planet

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Something BIG is coming on the 3rd April...

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Something is coming on the 3rd of April...

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

For #BookQW, here Essendra is being debriefed by the guild after her party was ambushed in the wilds. www.patreon.com/c/Queex The next 4 chapters of this story will be uploaded soon! High adventure! Rules mechanics! A bear!

Essendra looked to the side and caught a glance of herself in a mirror. She was still wearing her gambeson and it was stained with blood and dirt. Cuts on her hands and face hadn’t had time to heal fully. She usually wore her hair in a tight bun at the back of her head but somewhere down the line she’d lost the barrette and her hair was down around her shoulders. It reminded her too much of how she used to look.

“You’re welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms here in the Guild for another night or two if you wish. Or you might prefer your own bed.”

There was a secret under that bed. Essendra was nervous about leaving it there unguarded. If she hadn’t been so Fatigued when the Guild had offered her one of its rooms, she wouldn’t have left it unattended for even one night.

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Ben Wright - Queex @queex.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

It's #BookQW! Garnas needs information... wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

The man kept silent until Garnas brought his skinning knife right up to his face. Light from distant lamps reflected off a worn handle and a frequently-sharpened blade. A knife wasn’t seen as a weapon, not until it was used as one.

“The south docks. White cross warehouse. Fellkar heard there was a bounty on her. Figured we could collect more from you.”

“How many? Weapons?” Garnas kept his voice patient, like he was speaking to a child.

“Four. But Fellkar’s worth ten men. Swords. Bows.”

Garnas drew his knife back slightly, but didn’t sheathe it.

“Now your boots.”

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