iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Susan Davis Cushing @sdcushing.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I will take a glitchy BlueSky over any of those other sites any day. All is well.

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Reposted by Mick Pic

Today! Still plenty of time to write up a story and/or read the others! Just follow the hashtag below!

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pm gibbs @pmgibbs.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Good morning, Susan. I hope all is well with you. A lazy day off for me. May I get one of your wonderful #BrewBrew pours, please? Happy Tuesday to #ECK worldwide. I don't know if it's a cheat to name drop my own book in #BlueBrewBooks, but I did a bit for #TheCampfire today. A memory for Jeffery.

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Reposted by Mick Pic

sweet soft sky dreams See you tomorrow at #TheCampfire with stories to tell

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...He paused. A branch in the flames crackled slightly, releasing a few glowing embers into the air. In the distance, a kyote barked a lonely howl. “Listen,” Figment said, “the night is here…” #TheCampfire

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"...It’s dark now and children sleep. Grownups forget about stories in the daytime. I think it’s why they stay up late. They want to remember and can only do that when the sun goes down. Why else do they tell stories around a campfire? So, anyway, I have a different way of starting my stories...”

**************************************************** “I take it you have a story to spin?” “Oh, so many. So many. Where to begin?” The mage tapped his front tooth with a fingernail. “‘Once upon a time?’ ‘A long time ago, in a …kingdom far away?’ Nah! Those are how you start children’s stories..."

Though Zandor and BLACKSENT were fictional, Jeffery was a mystic in every way. He lived his life as a series of possibilities, potential, and wonder. Nature was his church; trees, rivers and lakes, his sacramental pool; love, his holy book. This is a short clip from the novel he helped inspire:

I’ve been thinking of our little group of creatives, recently, probably because that is the job of old men. But especially of Jeffery, who passed on 8 years ago. He created the character of Zandor, a wizard.

We played D&D: Wizards, warriors, and paladin. Those games helped to inspire the stories for the comics, and eventually those comics worked their way into the novel BLACKSENT. Though their names are not on the title page of our book, their input and late-night tales were essential to its creation.

We worked together: Michael, Jeffery, Scott, me and some others to put out a self-published comic. ('zines') It never went far, but it was about having fun and fellowship. We would gather at Denny's after a movie and chat about stories to the middle of the night and into mid-morning sometimes.

We were young creatives, fifty-three years ago in Muskegon, Michigan. Aspiring comic book artists, singers, tellers of tall tales, with big personalities and more ambition than experience. We were all almost instant friends.

What is the story behind the story? I’ve dropped little hints and tidbits about the novel that my friend and I self-published twenty years ago. This is a condensed history that led to that, and a short clip of one of the characters, Figment, talking about telling stories around #TheCampfire. (alt)

Picture shows a scene of a far off shore. The sky is green and sickly. Four characters are on the deck of a ship. In the foreground: a dark warrior kneeling over his sword. In the background: An older woman looks on. The mage stands by, and the wizard seems pleased with his handiwork. It is a moment of anticipation.
****************************************************************

Cover to the novel BLACKSENT: Boof of The Umbra, by Michael A LaFlamme and Michael D. Poe
Cover art by Angela Sasser

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Short excerpt from book on story telling around the campfire:

“I take it you have a story to spin?”
“Oh, so many. So many. Where to begin?” The mage tapped his front tooth with a fingernail. “‘Once upon a time?’ ‘A long time ago, in a …kingdom far away?’ Nah! Those are how you start children’s stories. It’s dark now and children sleep. Grownups forget about stories in the daytime. But I think it’s why they stay up late. They want to remember and can only do that when the sun goes down. Why else do they tell stories around a campfire? So, anyway, I have a different way of starting my stories.”
He paused. A branch in the flames crackled slightly, releasing a few glowing embers into the air. In the distance, a kyote barked a lonely howl.
“Listen,” Figment said, “the night is here…”

Picture shows a man dressed in light, violet robes with swirling mists at his feet and around him. He holds a staff with feathers and a small crystal on the end. He has a goatee and is bald. He is grinning, a travelling wizard.
Commissioned art by Sam Hogg of Jeffery Barker as his character Zandor, a wizard from the novel, BLACKSENT.

******************************************************************
We were young creatives, fifty-three years ago in Muskegon, Michigan. Aspiring comic book artists, singers, tellers of tall tales, with big personalities and more ambition than experience. We were all almost instant friends. We worked together: Michael, Jeffery, Scott, me and some others to put out a self-published comic. (We called them 'zines' back in those days.) It never went far, but it was more about having fun and fellowship. We would gather at Denny's after a movie and chat about stories to the middle of the night and into mid-morning sometimes.
We would also play D&D: Wizards, warriors, mages, and paladin. Those games helped to inspire the stories for the comics, and eventually those comics worked their way into the novel BLACKSENT: Book of The Umbra. Though their names are not on the title page of our book, their input and late-night tales were essential to its creation.
I’ve been thinking of our little group of creatives, recently, probably because that is the job of old men. But especially of Jeffery, who passed on 8 years ago. He created the character of Zandor, a wizard. Though Zandor and BLACKSENT were fictional, Jeffery was a mystic in every way. He lived his life as a series of possibilities, potential, and wonder. Nature was his church; trees, rivers and lakes, his sacramental pool; love, his holy book.

Picture shows three guys, two kneeling over a map and pointing in different directions, the third guy standing and pointing in a different direction too.
Three old friends, dressed as their characters from a book, undecided on which way to go next.

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Wealie Arts @wealiearts.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#Abstractia #ArtChallenge Mon 05 Oct prompt #EYES "It is such a wonder to be owned by a dog, to look into the eyes of this amazing creature, and to know that they are looking back and recognizing another soul." -mick #MickPic #MrCalvin #DogsOfBluesky 💝

The images show close-up views of a brown and black-muzzled dog's face, focusing on its textured black nose and dark, expressive brown eyes.
• Facial Features: The dog has a short tan coat with dark pigmentation around the eyes and muzzle.
• Breed Possibilities: Based on appearance, it shares visual characteristics with mixed breeds like a hound or cur mix, though a definitive breed identification is difficult from photos alone.
Belgian Malinois-Labrador mix, often called a "Belgiador," is a high-energy, intelligent, and loyal hybrid, blending the intense work ethic of a Malinois with the friendly, driven nature of a Labrador. They typically weigh 40–80 lbs and require substantial daily mental and physical stimulation to prevent destructive boredom. These dogs are highly trainable, often suiting active owners, search and rescue, or protection roles, but they require consistent, firm, and early training due to their potential for high-drive, protective, or intense behavior.

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Reposted by Mick Pic

New theme for #Abstractia #ArtChallenge starts Mon 05 Oct with prompt #EYES ends Sun 11 Oct All #Art mediums welcome, #artisitic nudity okay, no NSFW or AI & use ALT Text for inclusivity follow feed: bsky.app/profile/weal... engage by liking, reposting & comment other posts #EastCoastKin #ECK

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Reposted by Mick Pic

Robyn @handcranked.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So I didn't capture the dark junco hopping up but this was right after. There's a little magic trick in the middle. 🪄

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Mr Bill 😯 @mrbill420.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Such a happy post! Aerial view, even better.

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Reposted by Mick Pic

Just some friends getting together for `Pickin on the Crick 2. 📸🤙🏼🍂🎣🚁🌲🌳🧙🏼‍♂️🥾🩳👓🫈👣🛶🦅☕️ #troy_montana #lake_creek #bull_river_rd A little Fishing,a little flying 🚁 #idahogems #idaho #sandpoint #dji_air3 #drone_photography

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#MountainMonday "Sisters are doin' it for themselves Standin' on their own two feet And ringin' on their own bells, we say Sisters are doin' it for themselves" -Annie Lennox #Photography #MickPic #PNW #WCK #ECK #MickTrip #RoadTrips #Oregon #Sisters #Mountains

The image shows a view of North Sister (left, with the jagged peak) and Middle Sister (right, covered in snow) in the Oregon Cascade Range, as seen from the Dee Wright Observatory at McKenzie Pass.
Now there was a time
When they used to say
That behind every great man
There had to be a great woman
But in these times of change
You know that it's no longer true
So we're comin' out of the kitchen
'Cause there's somethin' we forgot to say to you, we say
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Standin' on their own two feet
And ringin' on their own bells, we say
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Now this is a song
To celebrate
The conscious liberation
Of the female state
Mothers, daughters
And their daughters too
Woman to woman
We're singin' with you
The inferior sex, has
Got a new exterior, yeah
We got doctors
Lawyers, politicians too
Everybody take a look around
Can you see, can you see
Can you see there's a woman
Right next to you, we say
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Standin' on their own two feet
And ringin' on their own bells
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Now we ain't makin' stories
Oh, we ain't layin' plans
Don't you know that a man still loves a woman
And a woman still loves a man
Just the same way
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
There was a time
When they used to say
That behind every great man
There had to be a great woman
But in these times of change
You know that it's no longer true
So we're comin' out of the kitchen
'Cause there's somethin' we forgot to say to you, we say
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Standin' on their own two feet
And ringin' on their own bells
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Sisters are doin' it, doin' it, doin' it
Doin' it, doin' it, doin' it
Sisters are doin' it for themselves, yeah
Sisters are doin' it for themselves, yeah
Sisters are doin' it for themselves
I said, " Hey, hey, sisters are doin' it for themselves"

Songwriters: Annie Lennox / David Allan Stewart

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Yea! Great news. Rest and heal. We'll be here.

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Shoot. Forgot the alt text. Top phot is from Friday tribute band concert, Constant Debauchery. Bottom picture is a late blooming Morning Glory from #CalvinsGarden.

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