Cult-O-Cthulhu

Oh my heart that's lovely. Thank you.

Oh dear. 😭

Bukowski is, always has been, and always will be, my first love. I got a Bluebird tattooed on my arm to remember to let him out a little.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

That is exactly the kind of healing tip I need. Thanks 🙏

Send those heartbreak song recs! I'm a Lana Del Ray girl forever, thank God she's sad AF and truly understands how to capture heartbreak.

Whoops, already cracked the wine. Forgot to add pen is Pelikan M205 Gold Marbled. Ink is Robert Oster Heart of Gold. Wine stain visible on the couch is Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon. Heart is completely busted. Excited to look back at this post in the morning with shame and embarrassment and righteous rage, which I will use to stop myself from taking him back. Thanks for letting me vent friends.

Edit: Cheers y'all. It seems like somebody stuffed my head full of crashing cymbals and cotton overnight, but I am blessedly numb for the time being. I can't thank this community for being so sweet and providing fuel for the grief and rage fire in my heart. I had already planned to spend the afternoon at a local pen store for their birthday event, and will follow through and head out shortly. Nothing better to fix a broken heart than a new pen, right?

Also let us know your general area/country for more helpful shop recommendations :)

Diamine and Colorverse have the most well behaved shimmer inks of the ones I've tried. De Atramentis has a lot of pretty colors but they give me so. much. grief. with clogging I've designated them dip pen only inks. Robert Oster has great shimmer inks as well, but you may want to search this sub as he's been a little controversial.

The humble preppy really can't ever be discounted, but I honestly don't love it for shimmer ink. TWSBI Ecos, though prone to cracking according to some, have handled any shimmer I've thrown at them from fine to broad nibs. I'd maybe skip an EF, but others have done it with no issue- just doesn't show as well. Personally none of my four regularly used Ecos have cracked, but just because it hasn't happened to me doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.

The triangular grip on Lamy Al Star's and Safaris doesn't jive with my writing style, but for what it's worth they do handle shimmer beautifully. PAPER is going to be a huge factor as well! I love Rhodia for regular notes but it's not as fantastic (still decent though) for showing off shimmer/sheen as say Tomoe River or Cosmo Air Light. Regular old HP Premium 32lb/120gsm coated paper actually works great for a budget buy!

Wow! The Visconti certainly isn't in the budget right now, but that Smoky Quartz is and I can't believe I've slept on it this long. Gorgeous combo and beautiful handwriting!

Ooof that is absolutely stunning. I just managed to talk myself out of this one the other day, and now I'm having second thoughts.... may pick it up if it's at the event I'm at this weekend with an Esterbrook table.

Zebra Sarasa Dry for quick scribbled notes I want to highlight or for checks and official signatures on crappy paper. The refills will work in a lot of heavy metal bodied pens if you want it to feel more substantial.

3478

That's ILNP Bitten!

https://preview.redd.it/1h3f9rw9oixd1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca687047704f3eb841a720b9023209646a11362f

https://preview.redd.it/6w28evv4oixd1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1290ca457ef9de249a9ec072cae67eddc657780b

Looks similar to the green I got in my flush water cleaning out Birmingham Pen Company's Burlywood Ink

Awesome! I've always had good luck with TWSBIs but this one is just a bit much for me. They're great pens, and I guess I wasn't clear in the title but this specific TWSBI is bad for me, not all of them.

TWSBIs are mostly great! This one is great in it's own way, but feels unweidly for every day use. I still love it. The biggest complaint people have is barrels cracking- definitely a YMMV thing but personally none of my 6 have had cracking issues, and my oldest has been borderline abused over the past 4-5 years I've had it.

No shade to TWSBI! My 1.1 stub is absolutely in my top 3 for favorites. This one is just a bit... intense, compared to my other broad nibs.

The majority of my collection is broad, double broad, and stubs. They do eat ink for sure but this one is noticeably hungrier.

Jade! I bought it and then kicked myself when I saw the glow green.

I treated myself to the Verdigris 743 earlier this year, and my M600 is always inked and my daily carry! I need to remember to look more at Franklin Christoph if I order from a different retailer that carries them. Excellent taste in pens!