#pen asks

[alizetwt]

If you or @honelle56 are in need of fluff to balance out and overload of angst, I have plenty of to offer 🤲🏻😁

Definitely highly recommended to switch it up with any of your wonderful fics for a much needed balance

[void-inked-pen]

What is your number one foreign film rec? (Or a handful if you cant choose)

It depends, for classic action movies id suggest: crouching tiger hidden dragon, seven samurai, and any jackie chan movie

For animated movies id suggest: Persepolis (read the comic if you can its very good), Flow, Astrix and the mansion of the gods (warning for some racial caricatures but they subvert your expectations well), and Help Im a fish

Theres def more out there but these are some I enjoyed (a few recently actually lol)

[saragapen]

so, uhh... You gonna continue the unrequited comic~? Or do you maybe have fic recs for some angsty unrequited!ghost/soap?

Sadly no recs for unrequited love fics since I haven't sought em out. I'm writing one though and I've written out a part 2 and 3 for the comic but it's honestly up to my stupid brain if I'll actually be able to finish anything 😂 been too busy recently

[naralanis]

You're going to be the drain of all my birthday money with all this talk about fountain pens RIP

Anyway, I'm hooked, do you have any recommendations for pens that feel really nice but are under $100?? Do they exist?

To make matters worse: I'm a lefty, so I don't know if I even could write with one. But I'm also an artist, so I could try drawing.

Thanks for all your advice!!

I regret nothing, let your wallet suffer as mine has!

please god no don't be like me

Not only do the pens you ask about exist, I have several recommendations for fountain pens under $100, fret not! There's a fountain pen for every budget, but I especially have some great recs if you want something that feels luxurious without paying top dollar.

My top recommendation in your case would be the Lamy Safari or the AL-Star (and you can go for one of the special limited editions that are on sale pretty much everywhere right now; you can find the regular editions under $20 at Amazon and some other online retailers; the AL-Star is a little more expensive).

Here's my reasoning:

1. They're not expensive.

2. Interchangeable nibs. Find that the fine is too thick? Why buy a whole ass other pen? Buy an extra-fine nib! And yes, technically many fountain pens have interchangeable nibs, but the Lamy's are by far the simplest I've encountered.

3. Lamy makes a left-handed nib (designated by LH). Now, this might make a big difference or not, but I have some lefty friends who swear by them, and they're not hard to find, nor are they more expensive than the regular nibs.

4. They're light. This can be a good thing or a bad one depending solely on your own preference, but since you seem to be interested in trying to draw with it, lighter is usually better (according to my fountain-pen peeps who actually draw with them!)

OK, so, it's no secret I love the Lamy Safari/AL-Stars -- they're my daily drivers, and have been for several years. However, not everyone is a fan, and that's OK! Here are some things people don't like so much about it:

1. The triangular grip -- while the grip is there to make sure you keep the pen at the correct position when you write, some people don't like it, because they grip the pen a little differently. This may be especially true for lefties -- if you've adapted your grip to write overhand, for example, the angle may be a little bit uncomfortable.

2. It doesn't come with a converter. Yeah, this one bothers me as well. There are plenty of cheap pens around that give us a converter to use bottled ink. The Safari doesn't -- if you want a converter to come with your pen, you have to shell out for the AL-Star. Lamy, why??

3. The line may be thicker than you expect. This is especially true for people who want very, very fine lines (usually for sketching, or if they have handwriting like my wife's, whose writing resembles morse code to the naked eye). This is true for most European-style nibs. If you want like, hairline-fine nibs, you gotta go for the Japanese extra fines!

If you'd like to delve much, much deeper into the countless other recommendations I have, see below the cut! You've been warned!

Here are some other recommendations, from least expensive to most expensive! I'm attaching links to certain fountain pen retailers, but feel free to look for these models elsewhere.

1. Jinhao X450/x750 ($6-$10)

Pros: Cheap, hefty, comes with a converter, several colour options

Cons: May be too heavy, nib comes in medium (and it can be juicy!). Luckily, you can buy separate #6 nibs that you can swap out.

2. Jinhao 8802 ($12-$20)

Pros: Cheap, pretty, good heft, comes with a converter, and comes in a fine nib!

Cons: ... struggling to think of any, tbh! I love this little pen!

3. Hong Dian Forest Series ($15-$20)

Pros: IT PRETTY and also one of the most reliable pens I own. Comes with a converter, fine nib options, it's all-metal.

Cons: May be a little too slim if you have big hands!

4. Diplomat Magnum ($18-$25)

Pros: Ink-window so you can see your ink level, converter included, soft-touch nib (it can take a bit more pressure from people not used to fountain pens), several colour options

Cons: It's light. Very, very light, and some people really don't like that. It also has a triangle grip, so avoid if you're not into that.

5. Platinum Plaisir ($17-$43)

Pros: Japanese fine nib, so it goes very fine. Also, the Platinum seal on the cap is fucking phenomenal -- this shit NEVER dries out.

Cons: These nibs are pretty stiff and have a little feedback (a Platinum quirk). Also, the crazy difference in price reflects the addition of special editions.

See also: Platinum Preppy, Prefounte (cheaper!) and Procyon (expensive!)

6. Pilot Metropolitan ($15-$30)

Pros: classy look, good weight, smoothest fine nibs you'll find pretty much everywhere

Cons: a converter is included, but it is the shittiest one imaginable!

See also: Pilot Kakuno, Explorer (close or cheaper), Prera (expensive)

7. TWSBI Diamond 580 AL R ($50-$70)

Pros: It's a piston filler -- that means instead of that measly little cartridge or converter, you get a massive chunk of the pen body to house the ink! And it's a demonstrator, so you can see it sloshing around. It also has Fine and Extra-Fine nib options.

Cons: the TWSBI fine nibs are closer to the Lamy fines than the Pilot/Platinum ones -- they're overall juicier, which may be a hindrance for lefties.

See also: TWSBI ECO (cheaper, unless we're talking special editions), TWSBI Vac700r (expensive!)

8. Lamy Studio ($70-$80)

Pros: It's beautiful, comes with a converter, and has a nice weight to it without being too hefty. Plus, it takes the standard Lamy nibs -- from the Safari, AL-Star, LX, Aion, Scala, Logo, CP1... etc etc etc!

Cons: The usual with Lamy nibs (thicker line than you may expect). Plus, some people may find the grip a bit slippery (it's stainless steel).

9. Kaweco AL-Sport ($80-$90)

Pros: This little pen can take a beating. Toss it in your backpack, your laundry (pls don't), run it over with your car (pls pls don't). It's very compact, as it's a pocket pen -- fits in your palm!

Cons: It... tiny. Very tiny, with teeny ink capacity to match. No converter. Short cartridges only. Clip sold separately...

See also: Kaweco Sport Classic (cheaper, along with Frosted Sport and Skyline Sport!), Kaweco Sport Brass (same price or higher) Kaweco Perkeo (cheapest!)

WHEW, there you go. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg--there are many, many more pens around in this price range and below (and obviously, above). Have fun in the rabbit hole!

[laundrette]

🖊

[heleizition]

[throws an entire pencilcase at your head] i love you, fuckin fight me.

this pen thing is getting out of control guys

[deathvalleyqueen]

🖍️ I couldn't find my pen emoji lmao

THANK YOU! hehe well because it’s a crayon... lets do the OC who is most likely to pretty much only have that to write with in his house... SEAN...

🖍️ - Sean’s favorite show is The Trailer Park Boys and the last time Sean dressed up for Halloween... he was Ricky. 

🖍️ - As a rule, Sean drives most places if he goes any place with MJ or John. This is mostly because the two of them are HORRIBLE drivers and Sean values his life. 

🖍️ - If John were to have a “Right Hand Man” type figure in this story, it would Sean. For as stupid as he comes off, Sean is actually HIGHLY intelligent and most importantly very good when it comes to managing money. This partnership has been in place since before PEG... John handling the legal side of real-estate ventures and Sean handling  the money side. 

[orime-stories]

🖊🖊🖊🖊🖊?

I see five pens, so here’s a quick fact for five characters;

My Watcher Seluna (Pillars of Eternity) loves floral flavours in sweets and teas - so whatever Eora’s version of things like rose, violet and cherry blossom is.

My Inquisitor Lorel (Dragon Age) was born to a clan that already had too many mages, so she was given over to Clan Lavellan at a young age.

My Draenei priest Lumariae (World of Warcraft) lost an arm during the war against the demons. It still flares up with a nerve-based pain every so often.

My Twi’lek Jedi Knight Tann’rah (The Old Republic) is on a personal mission to save as many of her people from exploitation as possible. You might describe her as extremely passionate about this mission. Attached to it, even.

My Fatebinder Lyra (Tyranny) is not cruel for cruelty’s sake. She just refuses to be at anyone’s mercy ever again, and in Terratus she’s learned it’s step or be stepped on. She has no sympathy for those who fail to do their own stepping and get crushed.