You’re very welcome! I’m going to try to answer the first question the best I can, but it’s a bit out of my area of expertise. From my experience, if your pen is skipping with writing, the two things that I can think of is that the cartridge may not be inserted all the way or the nib is not alined correctly. The first one is an easy fix, as you just press on the cartridge a bit and make sure it’s snapped all the way in, but the second one is a bit more difficult to deal with. It requires more knowledge of how the pen works, etc. The easiest way to tell is if you look hold the pen at a 45 degree angle, nib facing towards you and the metallic/writing side facing down. Look to see if there is anything that is even the slightest bit out of line. If something is out of place, that could be the problem. The easiest way to fix it is to contact customer support from the pen company. There are other ways to try to realign them, but that goes way over my head at the moment. I’m trying to figure it out, but it takes some practice.

Now for an area I’ m a bit more familiar with. As for another pen after these, here’s the subreddit’s Holy Trinity of Starter Pen Recommendations:

You have the Pilot Metropolitan which runs around $15. It comes in a medium or fine nib and the pen body is made from metal. You can get them in a plain silver, black or gold or they have a retro pop collection with more “wild” colors. It comes with a black cartridge and a rubber converter if you want to fill it using ink from a bottle.

Then there’s the Lamy Safari. This one retails at about $37 but from a quick search on amazon, you can get it for around $20. This one’s made of plastic and comes with a cartridge. If you like the Safari but want one that’s made of metal, look into the Lamy Al-Star. It’s usually $10 more, but I found this one for the exact same price on amazon as the other Safaris. If you want to use ink bottles with either of these pens, you’ll either have to refill the cartridge or buy a converter. The converter is much easier to fill from a bottle with but reduces your ink capacity a little bit. Safaris come in a lot of different colors and special edition colors and nibs range from EF to B.

Finally, there’s the TWSBI ECO. This is right around the $30 mark. Instead of taking cartridges, the pen has what is called a piston filler. You hold the pen nib deep in a bottle of ink and turn the end of the pen and it fills for you. It has a large ink capacity because of this. This type of pen is also called a demonstrator because it has a clear body that you can see the ink move around in. It’s very cool. Another thing people love the TWSBI For is that you can take the entire thing apart and easily clean/replace parts. TWSBI nibs are pretty good too, and they come anywhere from EF to B and also carry a 1.1 stub, which is something similar to the flat calligraphy nibs on the speedball there. TWSBI also makes the TWSBI GO and I’ve heard great things about it but I have not personally used it, so I can’t say much about the differences between the go and the Eco. I think it’s mainly the filling mechanism (twisting the end of the pen on the ECO vs a spring loaded press of the button on the GO.)

Out of these three, I’d recommend the TWSBI ECO because the piston filling mechanism is really cool, you don’t have to worry about a converter, the nib is great, and I love the look of the pen. (However, I might be slightly biased as this was my first pen, lol.) I got a Safari recently and absolutely love the way it writes. It’s a fun, functional pen. I’ve used the Metro before and it’s a great pen when used with cartridges but I haven’t had good luck with the converter, sadly. When choosing a nib size, I’d recommend a F or M. I started with an EF pen and now almost all my pens are M nib. The broader the nib size, the smoother it writes as it lays more ink down when writing. The finer nibs (EF and F) have a bit more feedback but work better with smaller handwriting. I’d start somewhere in the middle depending on which experience you think you’ll like (F if you have smaller handwriting, M if you write larger and want it to be smoother). If you like the stub/flat nibs, don’t be afraid to get it in a 1.1 nib.

Now, here’s a few other recommendations outside the main three that come to mind when asking for a starter pen/are newer to FPs and want something else to try.

The Platinum Preppy runs anywhere under $10 and has a really good nib and in many different colors.

The Moonman M2 is a great eye dropper fill pen and has a really sleek design. It runs anywhere from $12-$20z The one I had before I lost it (oops) was a great writer and I really loved it. However, be warned that the QC isn’t the best with the nibs so you can get a good one or a not so god one. They also have a newer model, called the C1 which is really cool. I have this one and I really like it, but, again, you might get a bad nib. They also only come in one nib size (I think) so you can’t really choose what size you’d want sadly.

My last recommendation for you is a different type of Fountain Pen: the Pilot Parallel Pen. These are for calligraphy and you can get some really cool effects from them. They come with a little lettering/info book too so you can learn some basic styles with the pens. They come in 4 different nib sizes, and each pen costs around $10, but I attached amazon’s set of the 4 pens which you can get for $24 instead of around $40. These aren’t conventional FP’s, but are awesome if you really like calligraphy.

I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with this! Happy writing and happy pen browsing!

Phew This'll be a long a post, but certainly reward to read by the end of it. Don't worry about 2E replacing anything, as that takes time to do and is at least two years aeay from being a thing, even if it's fulling released this year. Playing D&D/Pathfinder really is the Nerdiest, Nerd thing I've ever done, and it is a lot of fun! Watch +DawnforgedCast's Session 0 video and download his checklist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0FmGxmJLiw That checklist will help you out greatly in starting out as a GameMaster/Dungeon Master or as a player to learn what you want in a game, for a new group, with or without veteran players. However, if you're one as the GM and you have a vivid imagination, or are good with thinking on the fly (believe me, it gets better with time) then you'll already have a headstart on the majority of GMs out there. A great beginning module that has a little bit of everything, adventure hook (i.e., reason why your players should be doing this), NPC interaction, wilderness adventuring, dungeon crawling, is the Hollow's Last Hope module for 1st Level Players as it works for both D&D and Pathfinder. You don't really need the print version, since you can download it for FREE at Paizo's website https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Hollow%27s_Last_Hope

I greatly recommend you get the Pathfinder RPG: Beginner Box ($25-$35) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601256302 it is a different game, but the rule set is uber-simplified and honestly, superior to the D&D Starter Set ($15), and is worth the extra money. The Beginner Box literally has the all of the beginning needs for play. Pre-generated characters, blank character sheets for the four classes (Wizard, Rogue, Cleric, and Fighter) with either of the three races (Elf, Dwarf, and Human) that are easy to introduce new players to, a flip out map that you can use dry-erase- or wet-erase markers, and permanent markers on (all of which can be erased off, I use these wet-erase makers that are $9 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFGW because I'll draw camp fires with brown, yellow, orange, and red colors, green helps with trees and shrubbery, blue for water, and black for everything else), a Hero's handbook, and really, really, good GM guide, plus thick, cardboard punch-out marker pawns of various Monsters, NPCs, Player characters, and other creatures, that amount to a wealth of miniatures that would take a lot of money and time to paint them all up, plus they're easier to store in the box. Unfortunately, it only comes with one set of dice, so it wouldn't hurt to get these on these 7 sets ($12) on the cheap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDJNE93 and pass them out to your players, or if they have their own, then you'll have plenty of extra multiples of dice, which will come in handy during combat with spellcasters and sneak attacks by Rogues. I handed them out to my players after they told me what their favorite colors were. =P

That'd would be all you'd really need to start, $30ish Beginner Box, plus $10 for markers, and $10 more if you or your players need dice. Now, what follows is what I used for my first GMing of a game, based on many different people's recommendations. In order to make combat work in a logical way that I could understand, I bought the Pathfinder Combat Pad $20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255470, along with those wet-erase markers from earlier. It's usefulness has been far better, and worth it's price in gold, to use than a cheap $1 store notebook, when I would have to erase or rewrite when players would defeat monsters or would hold their actions, or would tell them the wrong initiative bonus to start (lol!). Again, rather use a dollar store binder, I bought the Pathfinder GM Screen $16ish https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252161, because it was short enough for me to look over rather than 3-ring binders or a paper folder at the actual game table. Speaking the table, I bought the Chessex Battlemats https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015IQO2O this is a link to the smaller one ($20), since I bought the Megamat ($35), only because I had a large table, and players could use it as a coaster for drinks too (even though I did have coasters, to prevent spillage). As an added bonus, I recently discovered the Condition cards $10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252854, to use with Pathfinder, and they are great to hand out to players (as you would already know these conditions since it's written behind the GM Screen) so they know what condition they are in at a glance. Keep in mind though, you only get 4 or each, so if you are lucky enough to have more players, it wouldn't hurt to buy an extra set (however, it would be strange if all of your players had the same condition).

Now, let's say you enjoy Pathfinder, and you bought the Core Rulebook $20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601258879 (if it's a hardcover, always look inside for the Sixth edition printing, the paperback will already be that edition) but are getting tired of looking up Monster stats online, then grab the Paperback version of the first Bestiary $16 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601258887 which has the great majority of all of the "regular" monsters in either D&D or Pathfinder. If you're not much of an artist, then there's the recently released Pathfinder Traps and Treasures Pawns Collection $25 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259719 but be warned that you only want to place on the board AFTER the players find out what it is or after they trip it since it does have text explaining what it is as a trap, and if you're use the treasure ones, make sure you add whatever is actually printed on the tile is IN the list of treasure you give the players, because they can and will ask about, "can't I grab that cup or sword, it's on the tile?" ;)

Lastly, if you enjoy being the GameMaster/Dungeon Master, the storyteller, the world builder, then I'd recommend getting the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide $15 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259492, which again, can be applied to both RPG games. And if you what better weather effects to throw at your party than what is presented in the CRB and GMG, then Pathfinder Ultimate Wilderness $30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601259867 has all that you need, and then some, plus some cool spells and tons of new animal companions and familiars for spellcasters alike, and a new shapeshifting melee-fighting class called the Shifter, which is pretty neat to use (albeit, you may want to check out Paizo's website for any official errata or clarifications, just in case). If you want to actually create a campaign and are having a hard time coming up with ideas, locations, groups/factions, kingdoms, races, then one more purchase, which is what +DawnforgedCast used for his Pathfinder games seen here is the Inner Sea World Guide $45 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601252692 It is pricey, but again, very much worth it, to create your own world or to use the pre-made world, as well. Remember, the Beginner Box, Markers, and Dice is really all you need, the rest of this is to expand out. I hope this helps you and anyone else out as well. =P

D&D Basics (Getting started)

The Absolute Basics

First you will want to grab either the Basic rules (Free), the Starter Set (Cheap), or the Players handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, and Probably Monster Manual

Then you need to have at least a few items

• Dice (Phone apps will work if absolutely necessary, or these)
  
• Paper & Pencil (for notes)
  
• Character Sheet (In the free PDF or an app)
  
  The starter set is nice because it does a bunch of the work for you, it has an easy to follow adventure, pre-made characters, Dice, and rules for the DM and players. And at half the cost of just the players handbook AND including an adventure, it is an incredible value.
  
  Once you finish that then looking at at least a players handbook for the extra races, classes, backgrounds, and other things is a good deal. That should let you run free adventures people have put online.
  
  The DM's guide will let you get deeper into rules and the right way to call them, break them, and make them.
  
  The monster manual can be a great tool to make better encounters.
  
  If you want to run a commercial adventure after the one's included in the starter set, "Tales from the Yawning Portal" includes the Sunless Citidel, considered by many to be an excellent adventure for those new to the game and just recently brought up from 3.5e into 5e
  
  

  Common Tools of the Trade
  

  
  As you start running more complex adventures you are going to want to have a few tools to keep things moving, either as a player or as a DM.
  
  

  As a Player
  

  
  The bare essentials every players should have are listed above, but most players agree having a few extras can make the game run really quick.
  
  

  Spell Cards
  

  
  These cards have all the spells available for specific classes or from specific books on really well organized cards that make it easy to set aside your prepared spells and quickly reference all the core details.
  
  Cleric, Arcane, Ranger, Druid, Bard, Paladin, Martial Powers and Races, Xanathars Guide to Everything
  
  

  Binders & Sheet Protectors
  

  
  Keeping everything neat and organized can be a huge time saver and make it much easier for you to find what you need. Binders can be a great way to keep your notes and other materials organized. In addition many sheet protectors easily erase dry erase markers making it easy to keep track of spells and other changes without ruining character sheets with constant erasing.
  
  

  As a DM
  

  
  DMs have their work cut out for them. But a few simple tools can make the game run smooth and leave everyone having that much more fun.
  
  

  Index Cards
  

  
  A set of index cards can go a long way to speeding up the game. Players can put details on spells or magic items on them. You can prepare loot for the game ahead of time and hand it out allowing players to look over the gear as the game continues. You can also use them to hide portions of a battle map or commerical map to give the effect of fog of war.
  
  

  Game Mats
  

  
  A game mat let's you make single maps by drawing on them with dry erase or wet erase markers. Many are made of vinyl and can last a long time. Normally they will have either 1" squares or hex shapes.
  
  

  Minitures
  

  
  These things can be expensive, but giving your game that 3D upgrade and helping players better manage space in a game can be well worth it. You can use actual miniatures (Like those from Reaper), Create custom ones on Hero's Forge, or even just buy some cheap stand in tokens from Game Mash.
  
  If you just need a cheap way to keep track of positions army men, bottle caps, colored game pieces, and even legos can all play the role.
  
  No matter what you use, you can pick up colored rubber bands to mark status conditions or other information.
  
  

  Where Can I Play?
  

  
  You can find tons of places to play D&D.
  
  

• Get together a gaming group.
  
• Find a Guild or club in your area. Meetup.com,
  
• Most hobby shops and especially comic book and gaming shops offer games, usually Adventure League. WotC offers a tool to find stores here.
  
• /r/lfg can be a great way to find others to play online with.
  
• Play by Mail sites like RPoL allow you to play by forum post.
  
  

  Also:
  

  
  Critical Role - Voice actors playing DnD, Matt Mercer (The DM) is an amazing Dungeon Master and shows how the game should be played.
  
  Matthew Colville - Amazing videos on being a DM, must watch material for every DM. Even when your opinions differ he gives good reasons and great advice.
  
  

  Compendiums
  

  
  These let you ciew all the free open rules (SRD & Basic Rules) for D&D 5e at no cost.
  
  Roll20 Compendium - Has all the open rules for the game, so a good source for monsters, items, spells, etc.
  
  DnDBeyond - A more official source for the content, plus you can buy all the materials released by WotC to use, and has a great character builder.
  
  

  Adventures & Maps
  

  
  DMsGuild - Tons of free and paid adventures and other materials. The quality can be varying, but many are free and that can be great.
  
  /r/dndmaps/ - What more can they say, D&D Maps.
  
  Mike Schley Makes many of the maps for the D&D Adventures.

A thinner pen on the cheaper side, hmm. Any of the Paper Mates line in fine point work very well for the pricepoint. There's the 100RT, 300RT, and 500RT/550RT, and the 700RT. I've had a hard time finding the 700RT in fine point (.7), but I believe they do make it. The RT stands for retractable by the way, if that makes a huge difference. I tend to lose caps easily so I prefer all my pens in retractable. The Pilot B2P in fine point (.7) and the Pilot "Better Ballpoint" fine point both use the same refill, but I prefer the B2P, which writes incredibly. All of the ones I just named have a pretty thin body to them as well. If you wanna spend a couple extra dollars I always feel the Zebra F-701 is an absolute must for every day carry. It's got a super heavy feel to it and you can snip down most thin refills to fit into it. The refill that comes in the 701 is okay, but not the greatest, although I would still recommend it. It's all metal, even the grip which is metal. I'm a tense person too and grip my pens tight and I love the feel of the 701. That's just a few to look around on the internet for. I'm super particular about my pens so if you get to try any of those and are looking to go in a different direction youre always welcome to message me. I'm not into fountain pens at all, basically just the cheap stuff, and with a little ingenuity you can combine some cheap parts to make some pretty nice stuff. As far as how it looks, if you check any of those out and like/dislike certain looks I could probably help there too. A super cheap pen you can get by the dozen is the Bic "Soft feel" which I personally love the look of but dont be fooled, the "soft grip" isn't all that soft but it writes okay for a "by the box" pen. The last one I could say off the top of my head is the Pentel RSVP in a fine point. It has a cap unfortunately, but it really does write well, looks super basic, and I'm sure they make a retractable version I haven't seen. Gimme a sec and I can link you to some that I mentioned.

Edit - Links: Ill keep updating.

Retractable Pentel RSVP in black (.7) - Pentel RSVP Super RT Ballpoint Pen, (0.7mm) Fine Line, Black Ink, Box of 12 (BX477-A) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Q9VZ4F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PUPIDbP272DEN

Zebra F-701 (.8) - Zebra 29411 F-701 Ballpoint Stainless Steel Retractable Pen, Fine Point, 0.8mm, Black Ink, 1-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002L6RB80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TWPIDb0QM0M7H

Bic Atlantis Exact (.7 but writes way thinner) - BIC Atlantis Pen 0.7mm, Pack of 3 - VCGNP31-AST https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F6B60UG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VXPIDbKTK07BB

Pilot B2P ballpoint (.7 but again seems thinner. Careful though, they make a B2P gel so make sure you read descriptions and check packaging if possible) - Pilot Bottle-2-Pen (B2P) - Retractable Ball Point Pens Made from Recycled Bottles (5 Count) Fine Point, 2 Black Ink/2 Blue Ink/1 Red Ink, Refillable, Comfortable Grip (32614) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZYF26G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JZPIDbFKEPGTP

Pilot "Better" ballpoint (.7, uses the same refill as the B2P) - Pilot Retractable Ballpoint roller pens, Black & Blue colors Fine point, 10 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CJCY6P5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_20PIDbH8JHY61

Paper Mates RT 300 (can find in .7 pretty easily) - Paper Mate InkJoy 300RT Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Fine Point, Black, Box of 12 (1951360) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EB4IZN4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_M2PIDbSHMC6V6

Paper Mates RT 700 (have only been able to find in 1.0 but pretty sure there's .7's out there. To me it's kinda girly looking but you can swap it into a Paper Mates Flexgrip Ultra which has a nice, classic look

RT700 - Paper Mate InkJoy 700RT Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Medium Point, White Barrel, Black Ink, Box of 12 (1951347) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EB4KBVI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_C5PIDb4JEMV5Q

Flexgrip Ultra (not Flexgrip Elite, unless you like that one better) Paper Mate Flexgrip Ultra Stick Medium Point Ballpoint Pen, 12-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IE6H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_T6PIDb5KPA4T3

Bic "Soft Feel" (only been able to find in 1.0/Medium but I'm sure they make a fine as well, though I heard it's not great) - BIC 8373971 Soft Feel Retractable Ballpoint Pen, Medium Point, Black, 12-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IE82/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_E7PIDbBCG8T5R

Give me your thoughts when you have time or if I missed any you wanna see.

Brush pens are difficult, I didn't intend for you to learn to draw with one, I apologize.
Peter Han is the original creator and instructor of the "Dynamic Sketching" class that is popular for many artists learning today. The creator of Drawabox.com, "Uncomfortable", studied under Han and created the curriculum of Drawabox to be based on Peter Han's instruction, but more simplified and rigid for brand-new students. Both Han and Uncomfortable urge students to learn in pen.
It builds line confidence ,and urges you to think before placing something down. As you build line confidence and critical visualization, you rely less on the guess-work of pencil drawing, and digital-with-undo.
So, better to start off that way and force your brain to catch up, I think.

As for pens, I've been enjoying Tombow hybrid brush pens.
https://www.amazon.com/Tombow-62038-Fudenosuke-Calligraphy-Drawings/dp/B01M71S9DU/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tombow+brush+pens&qid=1570844600&sr=8-5
They're not actual brushes, more like miniature marker pens. They create very fine lines, like a fineliner, but when you press more firmly you can get some shape to your stroke.

Otherwise, Pigma Micron 08's and Faber Castell .05's are both good and recommended often. Drawabox even sells sets of its own personally recommended pens.

If you want to browse recommendations, check out Jake Parker's blog page, the creator of Inktober:
https://www.mrjakeparker.com/tools

I love Jake Parker, he has such a great temperament. He founded SVSLearn.com with some other great children's book artists, and they have a lot of good instruction.

I'm personally working through the curriculum that I created. I've done Proko's Figure Drawing course, Drawabox up until Lesson 7, and Marco Bucci's "Understanding and Painting the Head".
Now that I've created the curriculum, I will be going through Drawabox again but paying for critique to make sure that I have the best evaluation of my skillset before moving on to more difficult things.


And to answer your original question again, I don't think either medium would hamper your growth. Digital allwos some nice conveniences, like laying down perspective lines really quickly and being able to try out painting without a mess.
But physical is still just as valid, and I still prefer going physical. Dynamic sketching at the zoo with some pens and markers is tons of fun, and I do think it requires the most thoughtful process.

so r/calligraphy is really helpful. YouTube ideas of “brush pen calligraphy” is also really helpful. I recommend buying yourself a nice brush pen or two off Amazon or from Michael’s. The company Tombow makes the most popular ones. You can PM me at any time if you have any questions about what brush pens to buy, but I recommend starting off by buying brush pens, googling “brush pen calligraphy guide” and just getting started practicing! It’s REALLY easy once you train your hand. All it is is a matter of muscle memory teaching your hand when to press the brush pen down for thick lines and how to lighten your grip on the pen as you make upward strokes. The more you look at examples and practice practice practice the easier it’ll get because your muscle memory will retain how to write letters with different levels of pressure.
I can link you to the pen I used in this photo: Tombow 62038 Fudenosuke Brush Pen, 2-Pack. Soft and Hard Tip Fudenosuke Brush Pens for Calligraphy and Art Drawings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M71S9DU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kSEKBbVJSVZD5

Only $5 so very affordable for 2 of them. They’re both the same pen but one of them has a more stiff brush tip and one has a more soft brush tip, so you can play around with both and see what works best for you.

Ask r/calligraphy for tips and post your work there to get some constructive criticism to keep improving! If you go to my post history you can see that I once had some pretty shaky calligraphy. But that was back in March. In only a few months, I’ve improved a lot. It’s a pretty easy hobby to pick up and comes in handy to make any letter, or notes, or sign, come out gorgeous :)

Good luck! PM me if you have any more questions. Please don’t hesitate to. It’s reddit that got me into r/bulletjournal which in turn lead me to calligraphy so I want to pass on the favor to other redditors as well. Reddit has introduced me to so many cool hobbies! I’d love to do the same to other people who are curious.

Does she like to do paintings, pen drawings, hand-lettering, markers, tape, collage, or just a vanilla bujo, etc? There are sooo many ways to do a bujo so it's hard to recommend something general that she'll like but doesn't have yet haha. I'm going to assume she either likes to do hand-lettering or marker drawings since she was trying a Tombow blender.

If she mostly writes or does ink drawings - Copic or Micron multiliners in different sizes. The Pentel Pocket Brush is also very good for getting interesting lines down on line art or to combine with watercolor painting, but I don't recommend it as a hand-lettering pen.

Do you know what kind of pen she usually does her normal writing in? A lot of bujo-ers have kind of a favorite brand of cheap-ish pen that they like to use (Muji being one of the more popular ones). If you do, you could get her a fresh package.

If she likes to use markers - well, Tombows are pretty much the de facto bujo marker, even if the blender isn't too good. If she already has some, you could maybe take a peek at her collection and see if there are any colors she doesn't have but might like. For coloring, I also like Brushables markers because they're very pastel/soft, and Zebra Mildliners for highlighting stuff.

If she likes doing paintings and pasting them into her journal, you could get her some watercolor paper.

If she likes using decorative tape, you can find the washi tape aisle at Michaels and pick out some stuff.......but honestly it's way cheaper on Amazon. You can also try looking for flake stickers on Etsy, there are SO many options there, too!

If she likes hand-lettering, my favorite brush pen is the fudenosuke.

She may also like some small rubber stamps (for dates or tiny decorative details like floral wreathes), or stencils (especially for dates or circles).

My absolute most favorite pen to just write with day to day is a Lamy Safari fountain pen, if she's interested in that kind of thing (although that's a very expensive path to go down lol).

The one item that I would be willing to get for pretty much any bujo-er, without knowing their current collection of supplies or what they like to do, would be the fudenosuke pen (they sell it at Michaels, too). They're not refillable, so even if she already has this pen she'll likely need a replacement before too long.

First trick is deciding which edition you want to play, for new players I highly recommend sticking to 4th edition, the rules are simpler and combat is generally more interesting. If you guys are brand and are new starting with nothing, I highly recommend picking up the 4th edition DM Manual 1, Monster Manual 1, and the Player's Handbook 1.

If your DM wants to take his hand at designing his own adventures I also highly recommend picking up a wet erase play mat as well as wet erase markers. I recommend wet erase over dry erase as dry erase can easily be wiped off during combat and such.

You'll also want to buy some dice for everyone to use, there are a few ways to go about that, you can mismatch dice from local hobby shops, you could buy dice sets or you could purchase the Chessex "Pound of Dice" for the whole group's use and ease. I, as a highly superstitious gamer, own 2 dice sets of my own and an additional lucky D20 that I don't let anyone touch (as they'll likely suck the luck out of it), so figure out what kind of gamers you are and what dice will best suit you.

As you guys grow and expand you may want to look into getting the other Player's Handbooks, to increase your options as players, as well as the other monster manuals for easier adventure creation for your DM.

I also highly recommend your DM (for his ease in adventure creation) look into reading materials on the internet (easily found for free) to help create the most interesting and fun adventures possible. One I can recommend off-hand is Chris Perkin's (a writer for the D&D books and "professional DM") "blog" called "The DM Experience."

Also if you have any other questions feel free to ask me in a comment or message me, I love to see new player getting into the game and would like to help in any way possible.

Just be sure to have fun, happy gaming :D

For miniatures, be warned that the Heroclix and Mage Knight minis, while useable, are mostly larger than the 1" standard width (for a medium character or creature) - this is generally not that big of a problem but if you're going with modular terrain it means they may not fit well, especially along with other miniatures beside them.

Ebay is a good choice for miniatures, especially if you have particular needs for certain things - you want that male elf archer in leather armor, or are you looking for a beholder? You can find and get them there. Here's my favorite seller for these things, shipping is definitely reasonable and the choices are expansive:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/auggest?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754

Another option to miniatures are tokens, and they are much, much cheaper. These are small cardboard circles that fit a 1" block as standard size (larger creatures will fill more, of course). The best starter set for this for a DM is the Monster Vault, but there are a ton of others as well. I suggest ebay for these for the most part, there are some that sell them by the sheet and others that sell the full boxed sets. You can get these for characters as well as monsters. Here's a link to the Monster Vault so you can see what you get with it:
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Vault-Essential-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786956313/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420725056&sr=8-2&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons+Tokens

Cheapest and most versatile "professional looking" option for the map / terrain is a chessex battlemat - make sure you have WET ERASE markers, not dry erase and keep it clean between adventures. Below are links to one of their mats (there are other sizes, just search on amazon) and to some excellent markers:
http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724703&sr=8-1&keywords=chessex+mat

http://www.amazon.com/Expo-Vis-A-Vis-Markers-Colored-16078/dp/B00006IFGW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724703&sr=8-9&keywords=chessex+mat

Cheapest option for modular-type terrain would be tiles. These are cardboard "grids" that most often have designs on them and come in different sizes. The best starter set out there is the Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The Dungeon. It has a lot of tiles and is pretty versatile, at least for base grid options like dungeons and general floors. There are a ton of other options for them - again I suggest you look on ebay for these because you can often find used ones that are in perfect shape sold as a set, or even individual tiles if there's something in particular you need. This is the link to the aforementioned base set on amazon so you can see what it has:
http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Tiles-Master-Set-Essential/dp/0786955554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420724907&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeon+tiles+master+set

If you want to spend more money and go with something much more dynamic, there are 3-d modular sets ranging from paper to near-stone like quality but they can cost a ton. I have a large set of Dungeonstone (www.dungeonstone.com) that I bring out and always get oo's and ahh's. But they're heavy to carry around a lot, especially if I need the whole set. Another option, that's generally slightly more expensive than dungeonstone is Dwarven Forge. You can look them up - but I only mention this in case you decide to spend more money than you want to at this point. :)

Good luck! I hope this helps.

Lol. It kind of depends. There are a lot of variables. I'll list out a few options for you.

• Pilot Metro - This is one of the gold standards in fountain pens right now. Pilot doesn't fuck around when it comes to making nibs. Out of the box this thing should write like a dream. If you're getting the one linked, you'll also want to do yourself a favor and get yourself a piston converter for the pen. Unless you don't plan to ever use bottled ink. In that case you can buy cartridges to your heart's content and be just fine. so in total, your cost of entry is like $20-ish.
  
  
• TWSBI ECO - This is, in my opinion, the highest bang for your buck option in entry level pens. I love demonstrators. Having the clear barrel so you can see your ink sloshing around is sweet. The nibs are pretty decent, and the piston filling mechanism is awesome. If you're writing all the time, the huge ink capacity means you'll be able to write a lot with it before you need to re-fill. Cost of entry here is roughly $30.
  
  
• Jinhao X450 - Every time I've used one of these super cheap Chinese fountain pens I've been incredibly pleasantly surprised. The nibs are actually pretty decent. There's some issues with quality control on some of them. Weird things like loos caps or loose grip sections or loose converters inside could potentially make for a less than great experience, but you can find lots of these on ebay, like 10 for 5 bucks. You'll have to wait a few weeks to get them from China, but they're great for being able to take with you and have 0 worries of breaking or losing them. Cost of entry is roughly $5
  
  Those are the 3 pen models I personally recommend, although if you ask around you'll also find people recommending the Lamy Safari/Vista/Al-star (same model, different materials). It's not a bad pen, I've owned a couple and like them, but they're in the price range between the Metro and the ECO, and the ECO and Metro are so much better that I don't feel comfortable recommending the Safari over either of them, unless you have a boner for German engineering, haha.
  
  In terms of ink, there's so much stuff out there that there's really no place to start in terms of explaining it. I'd be happy to send some samples your way, though, if you were interested in getting started.
  
  The biggest favor you can do for yourself when you get into fountain pens is to buy yourself some quality paper to write on. It's a night and day difference between shitty standard copy paper and a nice fountain pen friendly notebook.
  
  One of my favorites is the Black n' Red. Writing on it is smooth, and there's no bleeding or ghosting of ink, and if you get some ink that does some cool stuff, this paper will let it do the cool stuff.
  
  Please feel free to PM me or even reach out to people on r/fountainpens if you have any questions. We'd be more than happy to help you get started!

Sounds like fun! I'll have to do this later

1.) Something that is grey: Pelican Gray Nail Polish. (on private WL)

2.) Something reminiscent of rain: Shower Curtain is a barrier between the bathroom tiles and cascading, rain-like, waterfall that flows from the showerhead. (on dream WL)

3.) Something food related that is unusual: Candy Mold. Chocolate frogs, anyone? (on under $5 WL)

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!): Ice Cream Maker. No ice cream for me because I started keto last week. My friends and family would benefit from this when I make them some delicious ice cream. (on dream WL)

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!: The Knife of Never Letting Go. It's book one of the Chaos Walking trilogy, which has rave reviews. Apparently it's a dark, dystopian book full of suspense. (on high priority WL)

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!: Laser Finger Beams (not on WL)

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...): Westside Warrior Nail Polish. Lions, which are really big cats, are warriors of the jungle. (on under $5 WL)

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it: Origami Star Paper. I like folding these, but once I make them into stars, I literally have nothing to do with them. There's jars of them all across my house and all I can do is look at them (on under $5 WL)

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?: Song from Iron Man 3 Soundtrack. Everyone should see it because Iron Man + Tony Stark + RDJ = <3 (on digital WL)

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.: Spin-the-shot. If zombies attack, I would need to be drunk, so this would come in handy for some last minute fun before I turn into a brain eating zombie. Let's face it, I'm not surviving a zombie attack... (on $5-$10 WL)

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals: Coconut Oil. Everyone on the keto subreddit raves about this stuff. Being a newbie to this lifestyle, I feel that if so many people had great results using this oil, that it would help with my goals. (on $11-$25 WL)

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items: Anti-stress face mask (not surprisingly, found on my add-on WL)

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?: Globe Bar. I would feel like a super cool James Bond-esque spy who would have a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf. Plus I love alcohol and globes. (on dream WL)

14.) Something bigger than a bread box: Desk Easel. (on $11-25 WL)

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball: Earrings. (on private WL)

16.) Something that smells wonderful: Pink Punch Baby Lips (on add-ons WL)

17.) A (SFW) toy: Kindle. I would consider this a techie toy. (on dream WL)

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school: Fun Colored Pens. (on add-on WL)

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be: Paints. My current obsession is painting! (on $11-25 WL)

20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand: Mug. I love love love this literature mug. I not only love the varying typography all over it, but I think that there are some really striking first lines of literature. (on $11-25 WL)

BONUS

1.) Real name: PM sent

2.) Made in Oregon: Handwarmer Mug

Edit: raffle phrase - fear cuts deeper than swords

Bags

• (1) [Filson Medium Field Bag](http://www.filson.com/products/field-bag-medium.70232.html?fromCat=true&fvalsProduct=luggage/field-bags&fmetaProduct=1019): This is my usual every day bag, and I rarely leave the house without it. After a long search for a bag last year, I decided to buy the Filson (and get it shipped from the US); I'm glad I did – the quality is fantastic, and it looks practically the same as it did on its first day.
  
  -or-
  
  
• (2) [Filson Briefcase Computer Bag](http://www.filson.com/products/briefcase-computer-bag.70257.html?fromCat=true&fvalsProduct=luggage/briefcases&fmetaProduct=1019): If I ever take my MacBook Air with me outside of the house (usually to some work at a coffee shop), or if I go on a flight, I'll take this bag. It's rarely used in comparison to the Field Bag, but it's worth a mention nonetheless.
  
  Gadgetry
  
  
• (3) [iPad (third generation) - Wi-Fi and 4G](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00746V5DY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00746V5DY) with (4) [Byrd & Belle felt pouch](http://www.byrdandbelle.com/product/ipad-kindle-sleeve-gray-wool-felt-and-brown-leather), and (5) red leather Smart Cover: The iPad has been an integral part of my EDC since the original iPad. I seem to be getting more and more done on the iPad – whether it's emailing, writing with Byword or reading news with Reeder.
  
• (6) [iPhone 4](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041E5G32/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0041E5G32) with (7) [Sena Tan Leather pouch](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003X9ZJSS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003X9ZJSS)
  
• (8) [13" MacBook Air](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CWHZP4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CWHZP4) with (9) [Byrd & Belle felt pouch](http://www.byrdandbelle.com/product/macbook-air-sleeve-gray-wool-felt-and-brown-leather)
  
• (10) [Fujifilm X100](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043RS864/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0043RS864) with [Leather Case](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MME698/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004MME698): I used to own a Canon 7D, but its size is so unwieldy for me in practice, that it ended up not being used. Instead, I've swapped it for the X100 – sure the lens is fixed, but I mainly used a prime lens with the 7D anyway; the APS-C sensor is a boon, especially for the camera's small size. The software is a little finicky, but the cassis and build quality is fantastic.
  
• (11) [Etymotic HF3 Earphones with Mic with pouch](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YTROIU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003YTROIU)
  
• (12)[ B&W P5 Headphones](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IHUHGE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003IHUHGE): If I have the rare inclination to listen to music (I usually listen to podcasts) and am happy to take the additional hassle compared to the HF3s, I'll sometimes use the P5s. The design and construction is amazing and the audio quality is great, although the leather pads do get a little hot after a while on my ears.
  
• (13) [Amazon Kindle 4](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051QVESA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051QVESA): Reeder and Instapaper are great on the iPad, but the Kindle is much better for novel reading. The iPad 3's new screen is on par (if not better) than e-ink, but the Kindle's much smaller size and weight is a necessity for prolonged periods of reading.
  
  Accessories and Miscellaneous
  
  
• (14) [Cocoon GRIT-IT! Organiser](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HU27UW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002HU27UW): This incorporates, (15) [Studio Neat Cosmonaut Stylus](http://www.studioneat.com/products/cosmonaut); (16) Barclays PinSentry card reader; *(17) Zebra F-701***; **(18) iPad SD Card Reader; (19) [Griffin USB Mini-Cable Kit](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003T5KXJQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003T5KXJQ); (20) [USB Battery Pack](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UH46YY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=coffee-coffee-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000UH46YY)
  
• (21) Polo Ralph Lauren Leather Card Holder
  
• (22)[ Seiko SNK809 Automatic watch](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SSUQFG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002SSUQFG) with [Hirsch Liberty leather strap](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002ZJIVNW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lawrencemurga-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002ZJIVNW)
  
• (23) Keys including [True Utility Cashstash](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JUDJBG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002JUDJBG), [LaCie 8GB Key](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D2AZ0Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yoarthwo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004D2AZ0Q) and Barclays Cycle Hire key
  
• (24) Hand Sanitiser
  
• (25) Passport
  
• (26) Screen Cleaning Cloth

Couple of quick thoughts on this, the Preppy suggestion is a good one, and pens that are nice, plastic is fragile, especially the caps, but if taken care of, these are great pens.

Now, for a cheaper start, to see if you like the methodology of note taking in different colors, since not all like it. The Pilot Varsity https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA multi-color pack is great for this, but I would recommend the Thornton's https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E68AKTC multi pack. I believe they are the same basic pen, nib, etc. However, I think the Thornton's is a nicer disposable pen that looks a little better.

With this choice, you can get a selection of colors to try and refine what you want in a note taking system. Do you want 2-4 colors or do you like having 6+ colors. Once you get a good idea of your use, you can refine what pens you want to carry with you and the colors you prefer. I personally like 6-8 colors for note taking.

Finally, another cheap option are some of the chinese pens that come in colors, the Hero 007 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-ship-Hero-Pen-007-Dark-tip-Vintage-Ultrafine-Schoolchild-pen-Handwriting-calligraphy-free-nib/32567244662.html, the Jinhao 599 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/JINHAO-599-Student-14-Color-fine-nib-Fountain-Pen-New-Free-shipping/32648562107.html or https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Jinhao-599-Student-fashion-Color-Medium-and-fine-nib-fountain-Pen-New-Give-Family-leadership-student/32668993830.html are good options, especially if you like the Safaris.

Hope this helps some.

OK, that is the basic, clean package. There are a lot of pens that will meet your needs, as others have said, the Pilot Metropolitan is a really nice pen, and will work very well, it is a solid win, and is recommended a lot because it is a very nice starting pen. Good looks and writes well.

Alternatives that would be good are the Nemosine Singularity medium or fine nib (I would avoid Extra Fine for a beginner). If you like the shape, the Lamy Safari is a pen a lot of people like, I don't think they are the best, but they are well regarded and reviewed.

There are others, Parker IM, Cross, etc. I also really like a lot of the chinese pens, but really think you might want to get down the road before jumping in on those in general. The only exception might be the Jinhao x750, but it is a larger/heavier pen.

Get a converter with whatever pen you buy (the Pilot and Nemosine come with converters, the Nemosine has a nice screw piston converter).

Now, get some ink. You are pretty good on budget, so if you want to go all out, get some Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi. This is an expensive ink, but one of the nicest inks you can get. It is a luxury to use, and the bottle is exquisite. If you get this ink, you have hit your budget.

A little less expensive ink, but really good, get some Noodler's Black, EEL Black, or X Feather (if planning to write on really bad paper).

Hope that helps, you will get a nicer kit than the package above. If you want to add a journal/sketchbook Pentalic works well with fountain pens for cheaper than some of the other brands.

1. I used to go camping a few hours north by this pretty river with my family every summer. I really loved it. I loved swimming in natural bodies of water (it's just so different then swimming in a pool) and I was the type of kid that never wanted to get out of the water. I also loved looking up and seeing the stars every night. I adore camping but I haven't been in the longest time. Now that I'm an adult, I've been talking with some friends about taking a camping trip to Yosemite and I really hope we can manage to make it happen, I've never been to Yosemite and I think it would be a lot of fun.
   
   
2. I don't have anything great. Though camping makes me think of smores, and what do you need to make smores? CHOCOLATE OF COURSE. Also I think something about writing in a notebook or on paper instead of a computer is really nice. I used to go to girl scout camp every summer and I remember sending home nice handwritten letters to my friends and family, [so here are some pens!] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U9TEEA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3QFC3MEUS1ELO&coliid=I1K9ZOTZI8U069) When I end up taking my Yosemite trip that I talked about, I definitely plan to send lots of postcards!
   
   
3. If I didn't have a load of work to catch up on I'd be taking a hike right now :(, but this summer I hope for lots of outdoor time. And I hope you have a wonderful trip with your family :)

LAASR is right... but, if you gotta a job and you gotta get it done you have to start somewhere now, no time for years of experience. I have been there and here is my suggestion.

Look at some great casual script fonts. Start typing out the words you need, do your kerning, spacing, sizing your capitols up a bit, give yourself a nice start. Now print out a ton of what you have in a very light gray. Buy some fun brush pens and mark over what you have produced. Practice line quality make each letter unique. Now save a few of the pages you like scan them in and use pieces from each sketch that you like and Frankenstein something together. You may need to go through the same steps again. Once you have something you really like take it into illustrator, trace it and clean up the vector.

People love a hand drawn feel, and short of becoming the master of a handful of styles I have used this technique with a fair amount of success.

one of the fonts I used recently for a similar look

Pens 1 2

For hand pain and fatigue, fountain pens are good too. For most of them their own weight is enough to make them write so you barely have to grip them or press down. And there are a zillion ink colors that are fun to choose from. An inexpensive but good one is the Platinum Preppy...it’s like $4, comes with a large ink cartridge and the cap seals really well so it never dries out (just checked and the Preppy seems to be stupidly overpriced on Amazon right now, it should be cheaper at Jet Pens, Goulet Pens, Vanness, or any other site that has fountain pens). Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Safari (Safari is pretty much the most counterfeited pen ever and there are a lot of fakes on Amazon so I’d order elsewhere) are pretty good “beginner” fountain pens too, if you want something that looks a little nicer but still isn’t too insanely priced. TWSBI Eco has a good reputation too and holds a TON of ink but it’s easy to put back together incorrectly if you’re the tinkerer type who has to take everything apart. Finer nibs will put down less ink and are less likely to bleed or feather on cheap notebook paper. Nib size isn’t really standardized, though, so there’s a lot of variation between brands.

I try to keep a fountain pen, a rollerball (NOT a ballpoint) and an extra-fine Sharpie in my bag at all times so I can write on just about any surface without killing my hand. Personally, I think ballpoints are the devil and I avoid them whenever possible.

If you need a pencil, fat ones like Pilot Dr Grip are more comfortable for me than skinny ones. I’m accident-prone and always breaking thin lead so I’ve started using sketch pencils with huge 5.6mm lead. I have one of these that I found on a good sale but there are lots of cheaper options. There are some good 2mm or 3mm lead pencils out there too. I got a pack of really generic cheap Chinese 2mm pencils a while back that are surprisingly comfortable to hold for as skinny as they are. They have a lead sharpener built into the back clicky cap thing so you can keep it sharp without having to hunt down any specialty sharpeners.

If I have to use skinny pen/pencil or a ballpoint, I modify my grip to make it less awful. This is how I hold pens that kill my hand if I try to hold them normally. It’s not a perfect solution but it keeps my hand from cramping up and my fingers from bending back as much for a quick note or signature.

This got really long, sorry. I get a little too excited about stationery things...

I use 3:

• Zebra F701 I love this pen. It's $5, is near-100% steel, has a click that is very quiet, has an incredible pocket clip, has great filing near the tip for grip. The entire thing comes apart, and you can tinker with it or take it apart/rebuild it as much as you like. I like the way they write - not too heavy, not too light. They leave a very small mark on the other side of notebook pages, but compared to some gel pens like the Pilot G2, it's nowhere near as bad. The ink cartridges are disposable, but you can buy replacements online. They last a very long time. Over the past 4 years, I've carried and used this pen all day, 5 days of the week. So far, I've gone through 3 (Most still work, but have some aspect of them that is broken, such as the threading wearing from excessive fidgeting or something). It's also worth noting that I have a habit of spinning my pens and fidgeting with them, so there's a huge increase on the frequency that i drop/slam my pens into the ground and the amount of wear-and-tear the threading experiences compared to a regular user. The pen itself, by the way, feels incredible - not just as in how it feels physically (very smooth), but I like the weight distribution for spinning it.
  
  
• Pentel Graphgear 500: This is the pencil I use. It's about $6, and comes in 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm versions. If you buy bulk (~8 pencils, I think?) you can save a couple dollars per pencil. I prefer pens to pencils, but when I need a pencil, I always go with this. It's pretty standard for mechanical pencils, but one neat feature is the eraser - the eraser is not exposed on the back, there's a cover that you must remove to access it. This is something I really like - it makes the pencil look nicer, and you aren't pressing on an eraser to get more lead out the front. You can buy replacement erasers, for when it runs out. Note that this pencil is a bit front-heavy (the front is metal, while the back/center is lightweight plastic), and that the tip is a tad bit sharp (comes in handy for opening plastic packages, but I've never had it stab me by mistake). My #1 issue with this pen is that the pocket clip tends to come loose and fall off after awhile - this is a big issue for me, because I carry my pens/pencils in my pocket. Because of this, I'm considering other pencils, or maybe finding some way to hot-glue the pocket clip on? It's a shame, because I otherwise love this pencil.
  
  
• Pilot G2. This is a pen, you can buy a dozen for $1 each. It's gel, and writes bold. I use this when I want to write in bold. I also use this when I write a full page of equations in regular pen, then have space on the sides that I want to use- the bold nature helps separate it from the other equations on the page. This is the pen that I keep as backup for if my main pen somehow fails, and it's the pen that I let other people borrow (since so often we both forget to return it / get the pen back).
  
  I also have a fisher space pen. It's cool, but I find it is kind of small and easy to lose, so I just keep it at home and only use it at my desk.

Many of my favorites have been discontinued or changed.

The Koh-i-Noor Rapidomatic was my primary pencil for my first 4 college years. I even bought a red and blue colored versions to put red and blue lead in, which was nice for graphs or occasional emphasis. Lovely pencils made in Japan. However, looking at the Amazon reviews they no longer make these, but instead something with the same name and general look, but using all new parts and process in China. You can taste the sadness in the reviews. It looks like people are happy with the Alvin Draftmatic which looks exactly like the Rapidomatic.

The Pilot Vanishing Point has been discontinued. Sad. My favorite pencil, made in Japan. See reviews on Amazon. I introduced a number of people to this, and many of them started using it as their primary pencil. My manager even questioned why I had spent $200 on pencils, when I explained I was ordering a couple of these for myself, asked around, and 10 others in the office said they wanted one or two as well (after trying mine). No drafting grip, and shorter, but really good weight, good feel, quality, and I could write well with them.

The Uni Kuru Toga is nice, but too lightweight and plastic for my taste. The price is hard to argue with. I wonder if the Roulette model would be better as it sounds like it might weigh more.

Dave's review site recommends the Staedtler 925-25. I've tried the 925-05 which is ok (my 11yo uses it) but not the 925-25.

If you have more money, the Rotring 600 and 800+ come highly recommended (lots of metal, high quality, made in Japan). I have never tried one, but I'll buy a 600 sometime soon.

For erasers, I use Staedtler Mars Plastic. They last forever -- I still have one from 1985 with more than half remaining and it works fine. I only bought more so the family can each have one of their own. My tips are (1) don't get oil on them or the paper, and get it off if you do. This means don't run your finger along the eraser part. It causes smearing. (2) erase flat if you can, to save sharp edges for fine work. If you always use the edges, then you won't have a sharp edge to change φ' to φ in the middle of an equation.

Well, everyone has different preferences, but I'd suggest getting one with pictures (this is lovely and very popular - she might find her friends have got it also, if they color) and one with patterns, (don't have this one personally, picked it at random) so she can decide which she likes to color more.

Fine tip markers like Staedtler, and a set of decent but not top-of-the-line pencils like Prismacolor would be a good start. If that's more than you wanted to spend, a smaller selection would probably be fine, or a cheaper good brand such as Staedtler Noris colors which I personally love. Oh, and get her a pencil sharpener and eraser as stocking fillers :)

[edit for links] - not linking the Staedtler Noris colour pencils because I'm in the UK and am not sure the Amazon.com ones are exactly the same.

I'm still a newbie too so don't take my word as anything other than a fellow person learning too, but I've recently gotten the Pilot Metropolitan (a fountain pen)

Amazon has one for around $10 https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Collection-Fountain-91107/dp/B009X9Z2FW (that's medium nib, I prefer a fine nib for writing small such as a dot journal, and medium for larger writing such as lined paper or unlined).

My local pen guy calls it "absolutely the best pen under $100, bar none" and "don't bother buying another pen until you save up $120-150 and can afford a gold nib", so for $10-15 that makes it a super easy way to get into writing with one.

Why use a fountain pen? With a cartridge they're hassle free but regardless of ink supply they're very nice to write with. Almost no pressure required at all, a very simple and smooth glide over the paper. Easy to hold and you can hold it reverse to get an even finer line (at the cost of losing some of the smoothness of the glide).

Plus if you get into it, you can replace the disposable cartridges with a converter that lets you actually suck up from a bottle of ink and do it the old school way, and there's something "zen" or meditative about using great paper, a great pen, and treating writing practice as a form of mindfulness practice. But maybe that's just me :P

EDIT: On the total other side of the spectrum, if fountain isn't for you, I used to make cheaply rigged Mont Blanc rollerballs. The rollerballs are better than ballpoint (but not as smooth as fountain). I would buy Mont Blanc rollerball refills for like $7, and G2 Gel pens, and then one could cut a little bit off of the end of the Mont Blanc rollerball refill and place it into the Gel pen case after removing the gel ink. http://www.instructables.com/id/Save-$200-in-2-minutes-and-have-the-worlds-best-wr/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Mont-Black-Mont-Blanc-Hack-fitting-the-new-Mon/ That would get you a very high quality writing experience for cheap I bet

Here. Take $20 and buy this. Trust me on this. You'll save a lot of money, and they're AWESOME quality.

If you're playing a combat-intensive game (ask your DM) go to your local gameshop and buy a mini to represent you. Plastic would probably be best since you're new, but if you want to go all out, buy a pewter and paint it. You'll love it more.

PDFs are fine for books you're not going to reference often, but you're best off getting physical copies of the books. They're so much easier to work with. Check out your local used book stores. They're the best place to find this stuff, as most of it's out of print. Stay away from ebay on this. People WAY overvalue their books.

I've personally never played pathfinder, but I'm a D&D 3.5 vet. I've heard they're pretty similar. Any other questions I'll be happy to answer. Welcome to the life. You couldn't pick a better way to waste all you time and money :).

EDIT: Also, depending on your play surface, go buy a set of these. Make sure they're wet-erase, NOT DRY ERASE. Dry erase stain some play surfaces. Your DM will likely have a set, but they're usually... ahem... well used, and crappy. Buy a set of your own, take a pocket knife and scratch them in a particular spot to mark them, and guard them with your life.

Oh god. Okay. I feel like I've been preparing for this post my whole life (or at least since I found these awesome things on amazon):

• Tuscan Whole Milk
  
• Fresh Whole Rabbit
  
• Uranium Ore in a Can
  
• The 2009-2014 Outlook for Wood Toilet Seats in Greater China -- Amazing read! Riveting!
  
• A Million Random Digits -- the textbook no student should be without!!!
  
• UFO Detector -- It's so amazing, you'll want to anally probe yourself!
  
• Everybody Masturbates -- Best reference manual and an amazing children's book!
  
• BIC Pens for Her -- Not to be used by men or your penis and testicles will immediately invert themselves and transform themselves into a vagina and ovaries!!!
  
• Moon People -- The greatest book of our time. Quite possibly. Follow the adventures of Dale Courtney - I mean, David Braymer - and his lady friend Cheral and his escapades as 1st Science Officer on the Lunar Base 1 Mobile Base Station
  
  Make sure you read the comments on these amazing, once in a lifetime products!!!
  
  edit: Aww shoot, I just saw you meant for realz. I got nothing, sorry. But still, you'll have a good laugh!

>This is interesting.

Yes!! This is one of my favorite subjects. Jodi Pfarr has an excellent video explaining how dominant and minority groups interact. I wish I could show it to you but it's kept under lock and key by a third party publisher. I'll try to sum it up as best I can. I'm going to go into some issues that are pretty hot right now. Know that I use these just as examples and I don't want to open a debate about their specifics.

The dominant group and minority groups have equally valid narratives built through their perspectives. Those perspectives are world views built through socialization. For example, I'm perceived as white and therefore experience white privilege in the ways articulated in that Invisible Backpack article I linked in my previous comment. That doesn't mean my experience is less valid, it just means I've been treated differently just because of my skin color in a way that's very different than the experiences of people of color.

Growing up, I saw the police as upholders of justice in the neighborhood. All my interactions with the police were positive except for that one speeding ticket, and heck, I totally deserved it.

However, people of color, particularly certain races, often have a very different experience with the police. Any African American person likely has a story of a time when they or a person they know was unjustly harassed by the police for no reason other than the color of their skin. Many have a very different experiences and conclusions on whether or not the police are trustworthy. Take a look at this graph about perceptions of the investigation of Brown's death in Ferguson:

http://www.people-press.org/files/2014/08/8-18-2014_03.png Source article here

Look at that racial division. Majority white people trust the investigation. Majority black people don't. They see the prevalent racism in the police force we're never exposed to. They understand what it's like to be singled out for their race by the police and their humanity disregarded in a way that people who are white will never understand from a first person perspective. We can hear/read about it, but we'll never truly experience it, so we'll never have that same world view.

Again, these worldviews are all equally valid, but our own isn't a good make up of the big picture. Author John Steinbeck traveled to a city with another author friend of his and both wrote about their experiences. When the trip was over they compared essays and Steinbeck remarked that if he didn't know better he'd swear they visited a completely different place. Both were correct, but only a partial view.

When you talk about minorities and dominant groups, things get even harrier. By definition, the dominant group gets all sorts of invisible backpack bonuses. One of those bonuses is being seen as "normal". The dominant group is the "norm" and the minority group is the "other". There's toys for kids and toys for girls, there's vitamins and women's vitamins, there's bic pens and bic pens for her, etc.

The dominant perspective/worldview is also what's presented as normal. This is a very complex issue that spans many social science fields from sociology where studies examine dominant view impacts on statistical trends of a group, sometimes as large as a country population (for example in one study students were primed by being reminded that they are female did more poorly than the control group of female students who were not primed), to psychology where the dominant view impacts are studied in an individual who may internalize the dominant view or come to reject it.

So when it comes to social movements you're looking at a social minority group, who has realized there's a social problem they want to change. They recognize it because it's intrinsic to their experiences as a minority group, yet the dominant group doesn't have that perspective. What often happens is the dominant group becomes reactionary to minority group voices. "I've never seen that before!" when said in a normal voice by a single individual becomes a massive wave that smashes into the minority group. It's the dominant group's responsibility to listen, not speak to the minority group and take in what they say as an equally valid conclusion that stems from vastly different experiences that they will never personally experience. In order to understand someone else you have to temporarily suspend your own world view and listen. This is the core of a lot of Pfarr's work.

At this point you might ask, "well shouldn't the minority listen to the dominant group's views too? That's what a discussion is all about, right?" The answer is that they've already heard the dominant narrative over and over on a daily basis, either as a constant hum in the background or being screamed from many mouths in the foreground. Due to the nature of being a dominant group, their voice is always so loud no matter how softly each individual tries to speak. In contrast, the minority group's voice is so small even if individuals are screaming at the top of their lungs. So it's the dominant group's responsibility to suspend their worldviews and take the time to listen without comment.

An example of this comes from a book a federal government employee wrote about his time working with a local Native American tribe. He came in with the expectation that they would get moving on the project of mutual land management as soon as he arrived. To his surprise no one from the tribe was remotely interested in working with him or even talking to him. And whenever he did get someone talking they gave him an angry rant about all the ways they've been manipulated and exploited by white people and the US government. Our author was initially hurt, understandably, and would try to explain that he wasn't responsible for their suffering. To his further surprise their reaction was complete rejection. He found a few tribe members who would talk to him more openly and tried to explain that before moving forward, past grievances had to be addressed. The local tribe had been hurt too many times by white people and the encroaching government to trust the next white guy who shows up with a big smile and nice sounding promises. Before moving anywhere forward, they needed to know he was going to listen to them, know their perspective and history of exploitation and suffering (which so many others never cared to learn), and know that he would keep every promise no matter how seemingly insignificant. Once our author began listening, instead of giving his own views, and building up trust a little at a time he started getting somewhere. It took him years to build the relationships he needed to perform his job effectively and writes about how frustrating it was, especially at first when he was enduring many people's painful memories and anger directed at him. Through it all he writes that it was an invaluable experience and he learned to appreciate the opportunities of honesty and openness that were shared with him. He gained a much better understanding of the people he was hired to work with and through that relationship was able to act as a respected intermediary between them and the government. His experiences show how important it is for someone of the dominant group to listen to the minority group, hear what they have to say, and take it as a valid and true perspective equal to their own. This is key for social progress. Some background info, his five predecessors didn't last a year and very likely all his initial discussion points were bad echos of the last five failed attempts.

TL;DR Here's where I answer your question building on stuff I said previously. Sorry I wrote a book but I wanted to build up some key points first.

>So, if I'm understanding correctly, despite the dominant group's larger numbers, the unacknowledged privileges which they hold hurt their credibility and therefore their opinions are, objectively, not as extreme as they appear? Hopefully this analogy isn't too ridiculous, but are you basically saying that if I have an apple and an orange, I could say that the apple isn't as apple-y as the orange is orange-y because the apple grew in different conditions? Is that another oversimplification? I'm aware I do that from time to time.

So to specifically answer your question, both dominant and minority groups are equally credible, but as the dominant view is the norm, only the minority view hasn't been heard. The minority group is also in the disadvantaged position so they should be the ones to determine the problem and solution. To use your example (which is an oversimplification but that's okay, we'll roll with it) apples are equally apply as oranges are orangey but both live in a society where apples are everywhere! Oh not when it comes to population numbers, then they're about 50/50, but you see apples posted all over billboards and filling the grocery store aisles. There's just a little corner here and there for oranges and when ever they pop up, some apples always ask why that space wasn't used for more apples. Government is comprised of 75% apples and being an apple gives you a bonus at work. And when oranges try to talk about getting more orangey things, many of the apples tell them things are just fine they way they are. See, those apples have no idea what it's like to be an orange stuck in a world made for apples. In order for the oranges have the same opportunities at life as the apples, the apples need to listen to the oranges frustrations and sufferings and then make what changes they can to include more orange voices.

That was a silly extended metaphor (it might just float around as some copy pasta) but I hope it helps.

This is the stuff I have on me most of the time. I’m a grad student and as you can see, I’ve been lurking here for quite a while. I’m basically an /r/EDC stereotype at this point.

• Saddleback wallet
  
• bullet space pen
  
• Nitecore p12 flashlight (winter . . . short days)
  
• Ruger SR9c (winter)
  
• Sig p938 (summer)
  
• Spyderco delica (summer)
  
• Benchmade 950-1 rift (winter)
  
• carmex
  
• phone
  
• keys
  
• N82 IWB holsters
  
  *Thoughts: I used to carry a FourSevens QT2A (I think?) and it fit in the pocket much better but was obviously much dimmer than the p12. I think i'll go back to a smaller flashlight next winter. I've also carried a Benchmade 707, 275, and several 556 styles. Of all of them I liked the 707 the best but I tend to give away my knives to anyone that takes interest and the 707's price had gone way up when I went to buy another one.
  
  The p938 is, of course, much easier to carry than the SR9c but I can't hit shit beyond 10 feet away and it only holds 6 rounds. Luckily the odds of me needing to hit someone more than 4 feet away are effectively zero. I kind of regret buying the Sig but it'll do for another summer or two. I highly recommend N82 holsters because they are so damn comfortable and secure compared to most others I've tried. The Saddleback ID wallet is amazing if you never need to carry cash, and I've not found a better pen for my pocket than the Fisher space pen. I also like to buy the space pens in bulk so I can give them away to people who take interest.

I assume you have not used hand tools much.

The first thing I would learn how to do and invest in is how to get your tools sharp, like really sharp. I mean shiny flat back and edge razor sharp. Without really sharp tools - hand joinery is not fun and much harder than it needs to be.

There is the scary sharp method, I am sure u/Peniceiling's suggestion works great, I use Shapton Stones, there are as many ways to sharpen as there are woodworkers.

But you will need to research and invest time in some way of sharpening and get good at it.

A simple Honing Guide can make things easier when you start.

This Small Rip Dozuki B. was recommended by the instructor I had for a hand joinery class last year as the best bang for the buck they knew of - I found it works great.

I'd get a 1/2in Chisel. When you get the chisel, it will not be sharp. You will have to spend time tuning it up.

A Mallet to hit the chisel.

I personally prefer a round marking gauge. This has to be sharpened just like your chisel so it cuts the wood fibers evenly and cleanly.

Small Sliding Bevel gauge to mark your dovetails.

A good quality double square is invaluable. Best $ value I have found for one of these is here.

A 2.0mm lead holder with sharpener is very helpful. Lets you mark into areas a regular pencil will not fit.

That would be everything I can think of to do all half blind and through dovetails, finger-joints etc.

A drill(press) and a couple more chisels sizes will get you mortise and tenons with standard 4/4 6/4 and 8/4 stock.

Good Luck.

I'd like to chime in here because I am in the exact same position as you, wanting a note-taking device for college (grad school in my case).

I got the Chromebook Plus Version 1 because of the following:
-form factor - it's basically the size of a regular notepad, so really great for notetaking (I use Squid)
-ability to use linux apps (not that I have, but that I could)

I really like it, and have had a lot of comments about my setup. I got the Staedtler Noris Digital Pencil for handwriting notes - this is an amazing improvement over the built in stylus, which isn't bad to begin with.

I'm not a huge fan of the keyboard, but the CBP might be better. I find it cramped, but am getting used to it.

The surface is soft and marks/scratches. Not sure if that matters to you.

Your biggest challenge will be to find the right combination of apps to make a workflow that is good for you. I work mostly in squid, where I can import pdfs to mark up, and also do handwritten notes on lined "paper", or other types of "paper" markings. Some people choose to send squid documents to Evernote so that they can be OCR'd and thus searchable, but I have found this workflow to be cumbersome. I'm still trying to get the right workflow myself and welcome anyone else's suggestions.

I used a chromebook all the way through my MBA as my exclusive computer. When I did my MS in Data analytics I needed to install specific software on a Windows laptop. Now, in a PhD program, I can do most of my work on my Chromebook which is nice and portable, but I still need my Windows laptop for specific software.

I hope this helps somewhat. If you have the opportunity, get some hands-on time with the device to make sure that it works for you. With using it in tablet mode for note taking especially - the form factor will matter (not too big, not too narrow...)

Happy to answer more questions if you have any, acknowledging that I have a different model than the one you are looking at.

/r/mechanicalpencils is a good place to look. Generally it depends on your budget and what you want to do with your pencil. You can get some nice cheap ones (under 5 bucks) like a Pentel Sharp or Pentel Twist Erase, and some slightly more expensive but still cheap ones with gimmicks like the Kuru Toga (automatically rotating lead) and Zebra DelGuard (reduced lead breakage). If you want to spend some more on a more solid and well built pencil the Pentel Graphgear 1000 is a great option for around $10. And then you can keep going up with the Sharp Kerry, Staedtler, rOtrings, and the Orenznero.

Right now though, there's a incredible deal on Amazon for the next three hours, the rOtring 600 for about 9 dollars. All metal, really nice looking, great weight and balance, usually considered a $25 dollar pencil that is pretty close to the top end of nice mechanical pencils. Just don't lose it or drop it!

Cheap and good: Staedtler 925: 3-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm for $20. Individually sold at art/stationary stores for $5-$10 each.

The metal version by Pentel: GraphGear 500: 4-pack of 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm and 0.9mm for $20. Individually sold at stores for $10-$20 each. They're okay, and people like the metal look, but I prefer the Staedtler.

The good stuff: rOtring. rOtring 600: $23. rOtring 800: $50.

I haven't tried the rOtring pencils myself; I've heard they're good, but I've been pretty happy with the Staedtlers. Although they're the cheapest I mentioned, they're also very comfortable and reliable. I've never had one fail (I have had Pentel pencils fail, including but not limited to the ones I linked), and I've been using them for years.

Make sure you get a decent mechanical eraser to go with them. A Tombow MONO zero in an amazing eraser for the details, and a Sanford Paper Mate Tuff Stuff is good for everything else. Buy an extra pack of the refills and you're good for a while. Note: Do not buy the Sanford eraser for more than $5. The price on Amazon right now is ridiculous. The Tombow is a little more pricy; $5-$10 is fair for it.

> 1) what do you recomend to do?

I'd personally start with 5e, because it is a much more simplified system that allows for more aspects of role-playing, which is great for everyone - especially new players.

A nice start for new groups to DnD is a starter set. Here is a link to buy a starter set which comes with a 64-page adventure pre-made module book, a 32-page rule-book for playing characters level 1–5, 5 pregenerated characters, each with a character sheet and supporting reference material, and 6 dice. If you are playing 5e, you need the 5e books - the 3.5 books won't work for 5e, they are completely different games due to additional information added over each new edition.

I'd also recommend that you all sit down together in the same room, hook up a computer to a TV in the room, and watch some good DnD games to figure out what role-playing means, how DM's look in action, and how the game runs overall. Shows such as Critical-Role, or Acquisitions Incorporated are amazing.

Here is the playlsit for Critical Role on Youtube:

• Critical Role
  
  Here are the Acquisitions Incorporated games on Youtube:
  
  
• PAX East 2015
  
  
• PAX East 2014
  
  
• PAX Prime 2015
  
  
• PAX Prime 2014
  
  
• PAX Prime 2013
  
  
• PAX Penny Arcade Celebrity Game 2012
  
  
• PAX Penny Arcade Celebrity Game 2011
  
  
• PAX Penny Arcade Celebrity Game 2010
  
  > 2) what dices do we need to get either way?
  
  You each need a 7 set of DnD dice, and DM's do well to have some extra dice for faster group monster rolls. Plenty of bulk dice sellers on Amazon:
  
  
• Wiz Dice
  
  
• Dave's Dice
  
  
• Easy Roller Dice
  
  > 3) do we need to get board/minutures?
  
  You can if you want, it's a nice visual aid. I'd recommend to use a large table to play around, and then buy some battle mats which can be written on with wet erase markers. Mineratures are all over the place for sale, so just google them. Or if you don't want to spend a ton of money on physical maps, you could use a virutal set-up in an IRL game, like my party does. You can use Roll20 which hosts privtae game rooms with virtual tabletops on which you draw maps into and insert images. Plug a laptop into a huge TV, and boom, you have a giant virtual battle-mat to use during the game!
  
  Tons of other info on the sidebar of this subreddit, or just search the subreddit for other "starting DnD" posts, because there are a ton of them with good info.
  
  

1. Benchmade 771 - out of production, 154CM blade - aluminum handle w/ Axis lock
   
   
2. Kenneth Cole wallet - very slim and usable for a front pocket wallet.
   
   
3. Tissot PR-50 - also out of production but similar watches are available for the same price. Check for a "sapphire" crystal. It is much more scratch resistant than the "mineral" glass crystals out there.
   
   
4. Leatherman Squirt P4 - a handy multi-tool with: blade/file/pliers/screwdrivers/bottle opener/reamer/etc.
   
   
5. United Defense Pen - a solid and affordable aluminum "defense" pen. When paired with a Fisher Space Pen refill - it writes everywhere: upside down, in freezing conditions, under water, always moves smoothly, etc.
   
   
6. Illuminati Titanium AAA light - because titanium is cool and 115 lumens is bright from a single "AAA" light. This one is using an Energizer lithium battery for extra run time (over an hour on high - way longer on lower settings). For comparison, a regular 2D Maglite is only about 50 lumen.
   
   
7. Zippo lighter - it's a "Zippo". If you need one they are time honored and reliable.
   
   
8. Titanium rings - 40% lighter than steel, just as strong, and 100% more unique.
   
   
9. Titanium clips - Looks like they are out of the Ti McGizmo's.
   
   
10. Custom engraved tag: $25.00 total, I had to have 5 tags made (to make the minimum) so I gave out a few gifts since I only wanted two (I added friends' numbers for their tags). I don't remember the name of the engraving company unfortunately. Some pet stores (Petco) have machines that do single engravings for "pet tags" that would work perfect for a keychain i.d. and only cost around $5.
    
    
    Edit: If anyone is curious, everything looks pretty much the same after three years except the Squirt's anodizing is a little chipped up. Black leather dye, Lexol leather conditioner, and polishing compound helps to maintain the shiny look. Also maybe don't put your Benchmade in the washer/dryer - that is hard on the bead blast finishing and also really aggravating when you realize it is not just a metal button from your jeans making the noise.

Since no one else has jumped in, surprisingly, let me go ham with suggestions. I also have incredibly small writing so I know the need to have the proper supplies.

Kurotoga

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OHNTVC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_p.O2Cb0KYCQXX
This is the best pencil on the market for languages that use characters like Kanji. The main selling point is how it sharpens the tip every time so you don't get those blurry lines when the tip goes dull. I have it in a 0.5, and I'm able to write incredibly small still. I would suggest getting the recommended lead with diamond tips if you have the tendency to break lead. I'v been on the same pack for 3 years and have only replaced the lead 2 times even with constant writing.

Uni-ball Signo UM-151

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FXWGWE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BdP2CbQBJ90ZE
This is my go to pen for everything. It's the most amazing thing and a total workhorse. Even though it's 0.38, I still find it easy to write tiny without any problems. You have to try to see why everybody loves and recommends them.

Zebra Sarasa Gel Pens

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004NRB2LM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hgP2CbN7S8HWD
I use these when I feel like making my notes more colorful. They are amazing although some people complain about the scratchiness on paper. I use a 下敷き or pencil board so I don't feel as much. Again, if you are a heavy handed writer, I suggest doing the same because those tips are quite sharp.

Copic Multiliners

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UCUGSM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cmP2CbG89ADE3
This is a bit of an expensive pen, but the main draw of these is that the nibs, and etc. are replaceable so they are eco friendly. The other selling point is the ink which does not bleed even when you use highlighters. The pens mentioned above will so you'll have to pre-highlight or underline. With this pen, you can just write and then highlight without worrying about smudging. I have the 0.5,0.3,and 0.1 because I use these for inking so choose the size you feel most comfortable with.

Zebra Mildliners

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QXQHFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7iP2Cb1BBQY0C
I know you didn't ask about highlighters, but if you're going down this rabbit hole, I might as well take you all the way. These are my favorite highlighters as they're so very soothing to the eye. I always feel that they add an extra level of class and sophistication, not to mention whimsy, to even the most basic lecture notes.

I hope this was helpful. I have more suggestions for writing supplies, but I'll comment again if you want to hear about those. I will warn you that they are pricey although I can't imagine my life without. Good luck and cheers!

FELIZ KAIK DAI!!! Sorry about your sorta depressing birthday, but I hope you make the best of your situation!

1. Beermaking kit for you, http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Equipment-Gallon-Glass-Carboy/dp/B002BU7CVM/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1375659498&sr=1-4&keywords=beer+making+kit
   
   
2. This super cool mechanical pencil Ive been wanting for a while... http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Mechanical-Pencil-Metallic-P1035A/dp/B0006SW6YO/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1375659788&sr=8-17&keywords=mechanical+pencil
   
   
3. welcome home
   
   
4. Funny because I'm also going to move to a boarding school on the other side of the world from where I live now (with my parents) in a month. Its different because I'm still 14, but PM me with tips and I'll be happy to share stories!
   
   

These:

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA

Are a great way to get into fountain pens. They're disposable, cheap enough to throw away, but good enough (as long as you don't let them dry out) to write comfortably until they're empty. They do have a larger/looser stroke than she may prefer, though.

http://www.amazon.com/uni-ball-KuruToga-Mechanical-Starter-1751934/dp/B0026ICM1E

Hands down one of the best mechanical pencils you can get. You won't see too much a difference writing in cursive, but it's a whole 'nother world for block/print script.

Rhodia and Leuchtturm make some of the best notebooks. If you've got cash and aren't averse to leather, Levenger makes a great disc-binding system that costs maybe $150 to get into. Staples has the Arc system which is compatible, and is maybe $20-$40 to get into.

Good luck!

For what it's worth, I think the LT1917 has become a standard because the original Bullet Journal web page sells them under their brand.

As mentioned here, LT1917 is 80gsm, which is relatively thin and makes a lot of pens bleed through and ghost. For more information about bleeding, ghosting, and general comparison between notebooks I recommend watching Which Notebook is the Best for Bullet Journaling?! (skip to 11:00 to see the comparison chart). I prefer Scribbles That Matter which is thicker (100gsm) and feels smoother to write on. My next purchase will probably be a Midori with 120gsm or a Rhodia to try them out.

One of the core principals of Bullet Journalism is that there are no hard rules. While it comes with some guidelines, you are free to use it however you see fit. Which means that there are no predefined pages. So for the most part you are going to be drawing the layouts. And this is why a Dotted paper helps because you can use the dots to draw your own layouts. You can checkout Pinterest for inspiration. The community uses the term "spreads" to signify two-page layouts used for all sorts of things.

As for pens, many recommend the Sakura Pigma Micron for good reason. While I use them for more "serious" work, when it comes to EDC I would highly recommend the Muji 0.38mm Fine Point Gel Pens. Unlike the Microns, they are not felt tip (which is why I wouldn't use them for EDC) but very sharp ball point pen with great consistency. A lot of people swear by the Pilot G2 0.38mm Ultra Fine Point but personally I wasn't pleased with them.

Finally, regarding the things you want to track, as I mentioned earlier, you can simply define the layouts of each page and track whatever you wish. A lot of the spreads you see from the community are really intricate. You can find a variety of them from very crazy daily layouts to minimal ones. It's all up to you.

Having said that, if drawing your own layouts daily seems like a lot of work (a lot of people actually spend a few hours planning them beforehand), then you might want to consider a more traditional Planner instead. As mentioned ITT, the Nomadic Planner has good paper (125gsm), weekly and monthly pages as well as lined and blanks for notes and the rest.

There is a whole universe of things to consider (and I'm more than happy to geek out about it), but I'd say just start with whatever. Don't think about it too much. Most of the negatives are personal, so while LT1917 doesn't work for some, it might for you. You'll figure things out as you go.

Okay, sweet. So, one of the cool things about fountain pens is their customization to how you want to write. Do you like writing small and precise? Get an EF or F nib. Do you like cursive-looking writing? Get an italic nub. Do you like sexy line variation? Get a flex nib.

My point is that I would get one of the two most recommended starter fountain pens so that you won't be stuck with an experience you don't like having spent $50 on a design or nib size that doesn't suit you: the Lamy Safari or the Pilot Metropolitan. After the first few pens, you'll have an idea of what you really like in a fountain pen. These pens are both inexpensive, relatively high build quality, and nice writers. I started with a Lamy Safari EF as my first pen and I still use is regularly because it is a nice pen, despite it being inexpensive. But I think you can look around Youtube or Google some reviews on the two and see which one looks more appealing to you. I personally recommend the Lamy Safari because it has a "tripod" grip that helps beginners position the pen so that the nib is in the right orientation. See the Safari here. The Metropolitan is also a nice pen. So again, whatever you think looks cooler.

Fountain pens can be refilled through disposable cartridges or through filling mechanisms that take up ink from a bottle.

My first bottle of ink was Noodler's Black.

And to refill the Safari, I had to buy a converter.

I started using fountain pens around 5 or so months ago, and my bottle of the same ink is still going strong. (Although I have bought tons more other colors. :D).

I wrote a slightly more extensive "beginner fountain pen guide and why you should use fountain pens" comment on another post, and I'll link that here if you want to read it.

I have a nice selection of fountain pens, and they're lovely. I enjoy using them immensely, and they make great gifts! Perhaps you should show her the price range of higher end fountain pens?! Watch her head explode. Good thing you like fountain pens, and not high-end automatic (mechanical) watches!!

If you haven't used a fountain pen before, you want something inexpensive and disposable to try out, the Pilot Varsity fountain pens are actually quite good (and cheap):

https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Varsity-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA/ref=sr_1_4

For something a little nicer looking (but still really inexpensive), check out the JinHao fountain pens (China). Here's an older review: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/131552-jinhao-x750-review/

Just keep in mind that you do need to clean out the ink periodically, and you definitely want to clean them out if you're not going to use them for a while.

The JinHao fountain pens are sold on eBay. Here are two examples:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/jinhao-x750-fountain-pen-blue-and-black-Medium-nib-new-free-shipping/312719179069

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JINHAO-X750-FOUNTAIN-PEN-Black-shimmering-sands-Medium-NIB-new-free-shipping/140641723784

Good luck!

From top to bottom:

Fisher Space Pen - $18

Popular, cheap, writes anywhere and on almost anything.

The Pen Project (originally from Kickstarter) - $60 (I paid $30)

Uses the Fisher Space Pen cartridge, milled out of aluminum. Backed this project on Kickstarter but didn't really like the pen's design - little too thick and didn't like that it used the Fisher cartridge.

Kaweco Liliput Fountain Pen - $52.50

Awesome EDC pen, writes extremely well, lightweight, cap posts to the pen, overall just a great EDC pen if you like fountain pens.

Ti Pocket Pro (also originally from Kickstarter) - $75 (I paid $65)

My newest addition to the collection... just got this a couple weeks ago. Accepts over 80 refills but ships with a gel-ink cartridge that writes similar to the G2 pens. Love the rich, smooth ink and the design of the pen. Made out of solid titanium.

Okay here are some suggestions

1. Wallet. I have not ordered it yet but [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P4Y9EW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A28SBX2GB3VZCT) cigarette case could work.
   
2. Knife: [Spyderco tenacious] (http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tenacious-Handle-Folding-Plain/dp/B001EI7578/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1370136756&sr=1-1&keywords=spyderco) is $32 and a little more than 3 inches or the [Spyderco ambitious] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MMSDHO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) which is a baby tenacious with a 2 1/4 inch blade and $29.
   While they are not tactical opinels are really nice and are near $10 and come in lots of sizes.
   
   
3. Pens: I have a [zerbra 701] (http://www.amazon.com/Zebra-F-701-Stainless-Ballpoint-Retractable/dp/B002L6RB80) and a [Fisher space bullet pen] (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Space-Pen-Bullet-400/dp/B000095K9D/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1370136956&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=fisher+space+ben). For the money the zebra is excellent, the bullet pen is nice but there is a tutorial on how to mode the zebra to take space pen refills which is the best of both.
   
4. I know you got the wave but I suggest getting a small mt like a sak or a leatherman ps4 or micra. The victorinox classic sd is good and about $10
   
   Also with all the stuff you want to carry, It might be wise to invest in a maxpediton micro pocket organizer which is about $15
   If you got any questions just ask.

Zebra F-701: Nice weight and grip, and the ballpoint isn't bad. I recommend to mod it to be even better.

Fisher Space Pen: The cream of the crop when it comes to ballpoint inks, Fisher pens are really nice. There's lots of variety, so check around for the style you like.

Baoer Skywalker: is a good not-knockoff of the Montblanc Starwalker. I have one, and with good ink in it it's a nice pen. The clip is a little flimsy but I like it, nice and heavy.

Jinhao 599: Heavy and solid pen, but a little cheap feeling at times. It's a rollerball, so I don't know if it takes ballpoint refills.

Vktech Tactical Pen: I have one of these and it's very solid but lightweight too. The ink it comes with is garbage, but it fits any standard Parker refill. I have a Parker gel refill and it writes great. There are lots of other "tactical" pens out there made of steel and aluminum, but this is the most affordable option.

Hope that helps!

Okay, so I used an Expedition for a while doing some research in the sticks of Nicaragua and I tried a number writing implements (all with limited success, they all smudged a bit). If you use a pencil, I think it is best to use lead that is quite hard, since that won't smudge as much. Those also happen to be good for EDC, since they tend to have better point retention. A Staedtler Wopex is a good option, if you don't mind the weird, rubbery feel. But basically any pencil will work (including mechanical pencils) as long as the lead is fairly hard. Like /u/lightinthedark suggested, you can use a bullet point to make it more carry-able. I also use pencil caps, which are great as long as they're metal.

If you do want to use a pen, I had good luck with a ballpoint. Any basic ballpoint works pretty darn good; I used the FN one for a while (which is a Bic Clic). If you go for anything fancy it'll probably smudge, although I also used a space pen for a hot minute. Those don't hold up to being lost in warehouses though.

there are some pens made to accommodate common gel pen refills like the uniball and g2 refill.

I think there are some in the same price range as the jotter, maybe the zebra? but maybe not.

They are thin stainless steel.

But there are other much more impressive and expensive ones too. The tactile turn is pretty awesome, 7 times the price of the jotter though.

I would look for an all metal click pen like the jotter, in the same price range as the jotter, that is compatible with the g2 refills.

I really like cheap but functional. It will write just as well as a $70 tactile turn.

here's a zebra for $8, there are different models but I don't know what refills they take, the zebra gel refills are excellent anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Zebra-Ballpoint-Stainless-Retractable-Pen/dp/B002L6RB80

I'd love to hear what other folks are using. Ideally, I'd like a case that can fit a total of 16-20 fountain pens, but hopefully with a smaller footprint. The 96-slot Global Art Leather Pencil Case is almost perfect... but they changed their design since I bought mine and they now have only one loop per slot instead of two. (I utilize both loops for smaller things, like pencil leads, wax stamps, etc.)

My current case contains the following items, but as you can see I'm just about out of room!

---

Side A: Pencils

---

1. rOtring 800 in .05
   
2. Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide in .05 with red nano dia lead
   
3. Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide in .05 with blue nano dia lead
   
4. Uni Kuru Toga Pipe Slide in .05 with green nano dia lead
   
5. Erasers: refills for the General Pencil Co. Factis BM-2 mechanical erasers, plus some for the Kuru Toga
   
6. A pair of General Pencil Co. Factis BM-2 mechanical erasers (a nice, thin eraser capable of area or detail erasing)
   
7. Extra red, green, and blue Uni nano dia lead
   
8. Extra black Uni nano dia lead (in a spare Pentel container)
   
9. Alumicolor 6" engineer pocket scale, standard (used as a straight edge)
   
10. Heavy-duty X-Acto Gripster knife
    
    ---
    
    Side B: Fountain Pens
    
    ---
    
    
11. Noodler's Neponset Ebonite Flex in black, filled with Noodler's Apache Sunset
    
12. TWSBI Eco in black, filled with Jacques Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor
    
13. Jinhao X750 in Black Night Sky, filled with Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey
    
14. Jinhao X750 in Lava Red, filled with Diamine Sherwood Green
    
15. Jinhao X750 in Black Frost Black, filled with Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
    
16. Jinhao X750 in Black Night Sky, filled with Noodler's Blue Ghost
    
17. An inexpensive atomizer (used for fine control when creating ink splatters)
    
18. Pilot Plumix, filled with Noodler's Firefly
    
19. Noodler's Charlie (not sold; comes free with 4.5 oz Noodler's inks), filled with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

I'm traveling right now! Currently sitting at my gate in the airport, waiting for boarding to begin. I'm very excited to be heading on vacation!

While studying, I like to have something playing in the background. I like to put something light-hearted on, such as Easy A or Bridesmaids. A funny movie is something that can help you relax if you need a break or is something to use as white noise. In terms of study help... color coding always really helped me. I don't know if there's any science behind it, but it definitely helped me with some anxiety associated with testing.

Idiocracy is an awesome movie. It's hard to describe why because it's just sooo good in all respects. I probably like it so much because I totally agree that we're going in that direction... BRAWNDO!

Who needs revision?! Not me! nervous laughter

I don't think you are going to get a matched set that combines an excellent pen and an excellent pencil.
I can help you with the mechanical pencil as I'm nuts about the stupid things. As far as the pen goes, if I used one regularly I'd get one from brad over at Tactical Keychains You can get one to suit your preferred refill type.

It would be good to know what size mechanical pencil leads you prefer but I'd go with the [Uni Kuru Toga] (http://www.amazon.com/Uni-Mechanical-Kurutoga-Roulette-M510171P-43/dp/B004OHNTVC) Avaiable as a 0.3 or 0.5 in metal and 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 as a plastic body. I love these things.
Anyway, here's [Dave's Top 10 Mechanical Pencils] (http://davesmechanicalpencils.blogspot.com.au/p/top-10-general-mechanical-pencils.html)
(I have a set of Ohto Super Pro Mechas and while they are great for me you might want to use them as pencils and I wouldn't say they are great at that)

I was raised (almost literally) playing with minis and a battlemat. I helped my dad build a magnetic dungeon board set when I was about 7 years old. I played recently with a relatively new group of my college age friends who were doing theatre of mind, and I was miserable.

A lot of actions specifically denote spacing, which is very difficult to do in theatre of mind. Attacks of opportunity, spell/attack range, etc all get kinda weird when it's just spoken and imagined. I am certain that other people are better at keeping track of it all, and more experienced DMs could make it more interesting.

I know I am personally extremely biased, but about half way through the session we were supposed to storm a castle, and there was no way I was going to try to keep the different passageways straight in my head without a visual representation. I went out to my car and brought in my tackleboxes of minis, battlemat, and vis-a-vis markers. The DM was a little apprehensive at first, but most everyone seemed to agree that the minis and mat were far superior after playing for about 10 minutes with them.

One of the player's made this analogy: [Theatre of Mind] is like a text based RPG, while minis and the battlemat is like playing Skyrim.




ninja edit

I didn't address prices. Minis can be very expensive. If you get the pre painted figures, they are unbelieveably costly. Here is a site that has all sorts of figures. Their search bar is amazing.

Here is a link to a battlemat on amazon. It may look pricey (I don't know your budget) but this mat is worth more than you can imagine.

Here is a link to a pack of markers that should do the trick for drawing any kind of terrain/buildings/caves you like. Just dip a spare rag or paper towel in some water, and the lines come right off.

I prefer pen and paper. Writing by hand has always helped me retain more knowledge and memory than typing, and there's actually some science to back this up.

>According to a new study, Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer of Princeton University and UCLA Los Angeles respectively, students who write out their notes by hand actually learn more than those to type their notes on laptops. Over the course of several experiments, Mueller and Oppenheimer tested students’ memories for factual detail, conceptual comprehension, and synthesizing capabilities after half of them took notes by hands and the other half took notes by way of computer. Students who used laptops cranked out more words than hand-writers did, but the hand-writers ended up with a stronger conceptual understanding across the board.

This, plus I find the tactile feel of the pen moving and creating across the paper to be a deeply satisfying and somewhat spiritual experience.

I use a simple Black n' Red spiral notebook (LOL that Amazon price) because I find it easier to let loose and write down anything that comes to mind. The fancy journals I've purchased in the past always ended up unused because I was too anxious and self-conscious about marking up the pretty pages with thoughts that didn't seem "worth it." If you're going to start journaling on pen and paper, I strongly recommend starting with the simple route. Spend the money on something fancy when you're more comfortable with journaling.

I also strongly recommend ditching ballpoint pens if you're serious about paper journaling. Gel and fountain pens let you get your thoughts out much faster and with less pain. I use a Uni-ball Signo UM-151 and Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. Again, I don't like to get too fancy with my journaling. It's more important to get the words out than fret over the tools.

As for what to write...write whatever resonates with you no matter how scattered or silly or unformed it may seem. Don't get self-conscious about it. Just get the words out.

Welcome my friend, my only real advice is don't let it become an obsession, at the end if the day, the lead you choose has a far larger impact on your writing enjoyment. Getting that out of the way, I highly recommend the pentel kerry. It has the unique design of being a capped mechanical pencil which makes it completely pocket safe yet has a fixed sleeve so there is no tip wobble when being used. I find that for everyday use, 0.5 mm lead in grade B (which is slightly softer then the common HB (aka #2) grade) is a solid choice because it puts down a slightly darker line. I have had my Kerry for 11 years now and I had to get it repaired once due to my own fault. Pentel repaired it free of cost in one week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006SW6YO?pc_redir=1412262079&robot_redir=1

I also suggest a Lamy Scribble if you prefer 0.7 mm lead size. It has a great feel to it, though is slightly thicker than the Kerry. There is something special about the scribble that just makes you want to pick it up and start writing with it. I will say that I do find lead breakage in the advance mechanism of the scribble more often than the Kerry.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00118Z0BY/ref=pd_aw_sims_4?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1

Both are great pencils and you can't go wrong with either of them for everyday use.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be glad to recommend some others if neither of those fit your fancy.

Knife: definitely something more beefy than the Leek (while it is a beautiful knife you may want something more rugged I like the Ontario rat 2 or the fixed blade Rat 3 I also like this gerber "survival knife"
Light: that's a great light good pick
Multitool: This gerber is my favorite, they've taken me through two deployments overseas and still run like a champ
Pen: Space pen for sure

Just practice writing small! I've changed my handwriting on a whim just by doing this for half a page of regular notebook paper. I used to do it all the time in high school; I could never decide if I wanted to write my lowercase A's like "a" or "α", so I'd just write whichever one I wanted my handwriting to look like repeatedly until my hand got used to the motion.

I've recently sized down my handwriting as well in a similar way. Basically I've just been using a regular college-ruled notebook and when I take my notes in class, I make a point to make sure my letters are only 1/2 of each line because it's a lot easier to read (more white space between lines makes it feel less jumbled imo).

As someone else suggested, the dotted, grid, or lined notebook might help you quite a bit. But I would still practice in another notebook first (like don't go out and buy a $20 notebook immediately) to practice in, because it's probably going to look really messy until your hand gets used to the new way of writing.

I'd also suggest using a thinner pen if you aren't already. My favorite for general note-taking is the Pilot G2 Ultra Fine Point, though the Extra Fine Point (.5mm instead of .38mm) works well too. You can also find some pretty cute pens if you look on Korean and Japanese-themed websites (like Blippo), as they have many .35mm pens for pretty cheap.

That is very cool, but I worry about your ability to stay ahead of your group with the foamcore maps, for several reasons:

1. The maps aren't often linear, which means you'll probably need to be at least one full floor ahead of them in order to not get caught out.
   
2. Not all locations are going to feature combat, which means you may end up preparing locations which never get used.
   
3. Conversely, if you skip a location, you may end up needing to have it prepared if the party decides to chase a fleeing monster there or whatnot.
   
4. The levels are positively HUGE. At one inch per 5 foot square, you're talking 10 square feet of map per level in many cases (some larger, some smaller).
   
5. Creating smaller "room chunklets" might seem appealing as an alternative, but even that work is probably foiled by all of the variance in this dungeon (angled room features, caves and tunnels, and even "outdoor" locations).
   
   I honestly think you're best off buying a good Chessex battle mat and wet erase markers. That will give you the flexibility you need to map what needs mapping and narrate everything else.
   
   Personally, I've opted for a table insert with a high-res TV for digital maps, but that's out of the price range of most.

Happy to help! What's your budget? I'm on mobile - let me see if I can grab links to what I would recommend based on what you want to spend


Edit: these are the markers I have and I love them. A bit pricy but worth it if it's in your budget: http://www.amazon.com/STD334SB20A6-Staedtler-Triplus-Fineliner-Pens/dp/B0007OEE7E
(There is actually a bigger set you can get from JetPens.com I think)

For a coloring book, I have a couple I like:
This one (and the other ones by this author/artist) is great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1780671067/ref=pd_aw_fbt_229_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0C8DWW0SZ6WKWXY2EX4N


This one also looks nice. I don't have it but one of my friends does: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1941325122/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=61DETogR%2BIL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=1NJH3VAEG30BFHGYWTF4

Just a few comments/suggestions :)

I would recommend the Pilot Metropolitan as a starter, for around the price of the Plasir it is very reliable, smooth writer, and much easier to clean. If you do buy the Plasir, you will also need to buy a convertor to use bottled ink, where the Metropolitan comes with one included.

The Jinhao is a copycat of the Lamy Safari, a good starter, but know that people either absolutely love or hate the style of the grip.

The inks you picked out are good, although to start I really recommend getting a Goulet sample pack so you can try similar colors before committing to an entire bottle, which will last quite a while.

Hope this helps! I love helping new people explore the world of fountain pens :)

Assuming your microns are the fine liner type and not the brush pens, you should get on the brush pen train!

This one is really nice and popular.

This one is nice too and would be more like what you're used to with the microns, but with a softer tip so you can vary the line weight easily.

I could be wrong, but i'm pretty sure both of these are waterproof. Playing with water soluble ink and a water brush is a lot of fun too and doesn't require much to try out. Something like this (but try to find just one for cheap.. you don't need a bunch) plus random non-waterproof pens you probably have around the house and you're good to go.

I'm 28, in the Navy, and here's what I'm usually carrying.

Maxpedition Pocket Organizer

NM Flag patch

Old coin given to me a while ago

Sparrow's Tuxedo Pick Set It's a great set, and a cool thing to learn. The linked set has a different case, I guess they don't do the leather cases anymore. I also had them put rubber handles on mine when I ordered, makes all the difference.

USB cord that came with my phone

Tekton 4" adjustable wrench

Zebra pen. Forgot which specific one...you probably know it though, it's one of the popular choices on this sub. My main pen I keep in my breast pocket, the Fisher Bullet. That's the best pen I've ever had, hands down.

Fine point Sharpie

Rite in the Rain notebook. It's ok. I much prefer Field Notes Expedition which I also keep in mind that breast pocket. Just wish the pages were perforated.

Streamlight Microstream. Awesome little light, and the AAA battery it takes lasts quite a while.

Chapstick

ThermoWorks surface thermometer. Sorry, can't find a link. My buddy gave me this last Christmas. Comes in real handy in the field, to see if my JetBoil is too hot to put away. Also, I dunno, I can tell you if stuff is hot or cold or whatever. Neat.

How much are you looking to spend on a pen?

I do not personally own one, but I have heard a lot of good things about the Zebra F-701 as an EDC pen. Also it's like $5.

I carry a Fellhoelter TiBolt (because titanium) and I absolutely love it, but it was quite an investment and at the moment they're hard to obtain. It takes any parker-compatible refill and it will literally last a lifetime.

Prior to my purchase of the TiBolt, I carried a Karas Kustoms Render K in the Pilot G2 cartridge variation, which happens to be my favorite pen cartridge. The build quality is pretty damn good, but my only gripe is that the threaded cap doesn't attach to the back of the pen very well when you're writing with it. I imagine that the other Karas Kustoms pens are put together with the same build quality.

• I <3 these pens for writing!
  
  
• I'd love this if I win, please!
  
  
• Write On!
  
  
• I did all of the above, so I hope you consider me. :D
  
  
• I'd love for you to send me a postcard! I can send you a postcard too if you'd like as well.
  
  
• Thank you for this contest, I did have fun with this! I love writing.
  

I just had a similar discussion with a client!

Depending on what you wanna spend There are a number of choices.


For a sketch artist I'd steer clear of brands like Cross(Luxury writing utensils. Great products just not everyday art friendly)

I'd suggest a 2mm lead holder, some lead refills(4b, 2b, hb, 2h, 4h), a lead pointer, and a kneadable eraser or two.


Rotring makes some great products and even the more utilitarian Staedtler is a bifl and a great gift for an aspiring artist.

Edit: Also as a suggestion from an artist-Never anything in white if you can help it and a box of those foil pack Fingerbowl/wet wipes are quite a boon if they're a artist on the go. ;)

You might try Staedtler technical pens, or Copic Multiliner SP markers. Both are extremely fine points - the Copics can go down to .03mm, but only in black, I think.

This set of Staedtler pens has pretty much every conceivable color you'd ever need to do panel lining: http://www.amazon.com/Triplus-Fineliner-Pens-Metal-Assorted/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416452707&sr=8-1&keywords=staedtler+triplus+fineliner&pebp=1416452711877

They also just started selling these precision Q-tips, which when soaked in rubbing alcohol will take care of your excess pigment pen ink. Just run 'em across the line, and if you run into situations like those vents, the end is pointy enough to get in there. http://www.amazon.com/Q-Tips-Cotton-Swabs-Baby-170/dp/B00604MRLA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1416452785&sr=8-4&keywords=precision+q-tip

If you don't wanna sink $10 on a 4-pack and they don't have them next to the Q-tips at your grocery or health and beauty store/drugstore I'll happily send you a package if you cover for the cost.

Awesome! That's how I play!

Here's a list of things I suggest as a DM:

Chessex Mat
or [Megamat](Chessex Role Playing Play Mat: MEGAMAT Double-Sided Reversible Mat for RPGs and Miniature Figure Games - 34 1/2in x 48in https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015IUAAG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KvY4xbHM414K4)
[Vis-A-Vis Markers](Expo Vis-A-Vis Wet-Erase Overhead Transparency Markers, Fine Point, 8-Pack Pouch, Assorted Colors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_DwY4xbQVVNKTA) to write on the map
[Starter set of minis](D&D Icons of the Realms: Tyranny of Dragons Starter Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LSZQXSY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.EY4xbCF5B5AH)
Goblin Minis
Search Reaper Minis on Amazon and you'll find some fun stuff
I also use flat glass marbles as place holders for NPCs that I don't have minis for. They were super helpful when I was first starting.
A graphing notebook and drawing paper
Mechanical pencils and a set of his favorite pens

I can't think of anything else

These are the greatest pens in the world.

The whole Pilot G2 line is amazing. But I particularly love the .38 ultra fine pens. I love a fine point tip. It's so precise and it writes so smooth. if I could only write with one type of pen for the rest of my life this would be it. I love it so much.

Also. If you really want to start doing this (yay!) I recommend adding these to your wishlist as your starter pens. They are the best for cheaper fine tips, and the colors are so bright. Mix these with a variety of black pens until you find one you like the most... Personally, I am still trying out new black ones, but Pilot G3 makes for a really nice pen for a cheaper end one.

Sorry, I just care a lot about this.

Also, things you can add to your wishlist if you don't want to just go out and buy a bunch of this stuff:

• A compass to draw beautiful circles
  
  
• Rulers - I have two I use the most, and both are cork-backed
  
  
• A protractor!
  
  
  If you do just want to go buy this stuff, everything is on sale right now at walmart and target for back to school, so this is a good time to start :)
  

I gotcha on this one! I just went through the exact same thing. I had been using a Pilot G2 .38 and loving it. Wanted it to be portable and metal.

You'll have to switch to frixion. Doesn't write quite as nicely as the G2 but it's close. Plus frixion is erasable.

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Retractable Erasable Gel Ink Pens,Extra Fine Point, - 0.38 mm - Black/Blue/Red Ink- Value Set of 3 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00G2TH1PK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d8OTCbJWZZZXJ

Get a Fisher bullet and toss the childishly thick cartridge. And then put in the cartridge from the frixion.

Fisher Space Pen Bullet Space Pen with Clip - Matte Black, Gift Boxed (400BCL) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0002ZQB4M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_H9OTCbCJ782R4

You'll need to add something to the end of the Fisher pen to ensure the cartridge is pushed out....I used a wooden dowel.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have questions.

If you are looking to start calligraphy I would highly recommend just taking the plunge and purchasing some cheap calligraphy pens. They aren't super expensive and while you can just do faux-calligraphy with a ball point pen I have found that there is something about having a dedicated pen that makes me so much more motivated. If you are interested in Gothic calligraphy I personally love the Pilot Parallel pens for their ease of use and portability. Good luck on finding something artsy to do!

edit: grammar

Chairs that cost $1000+ are not out of the norm at all.

Think of it this way: if you are a working professional in a white collar job, and you have to spend 6+ hours a day sitting, it makes a lot of sense to buy a chair that you are comfortable in. People pay ten times as much for things they use ten times less (e.g. cars).

It's a principle that I apply to much of what I own. As a student, I use just a couple of things really often:

1. Keyboard
   
2. Pen
   
3. Notebook
   
4. Backpack
   
   For each of those I have spent a significant amount of time and money figuring out what makes the best tool for me. Because they are the tools I use the most, they had better be of good quality. They are, in order:
   
   
5. DAS Professional Model S
   
6. Pilot G2/Uniball Stick Fine Point
   
7. Moleskine Ruled Notebook A4
   
8. Timbuk2 Q Backpack
   
   All of those are more expensive, but they make working and doing what I do a joy. If they are going to be my tools, then they are going to be good.
   
    
   
    
   
    
   Also, I'm really sorry if that came off as highly pretentious. I realize now that my not have come across the nicest. Oh well, I've typed it out, I can't back out now!

you can get these big thick spiral bound sketchbooks at dollarama, load tf up on those, they're great. aside from that, you can generally go cheap on most comic supplies. steadler HB pencils are fine, a nice gum eraser, and some sharpies of various widths. If you're feeling ambitious and have an arts store near-by you can get some inexpensive faber-castelle felt tip pens for fine lines, .5mm should be fine. And This! this pen is awesome and super versatile.

Oooh, depends on what you're looking for, my friend! However, all my starter pens were under $35 with my favorite being the Pilot Metropolitan ($15). It writes very well and it's a great starter pen!My next suggestions would be: LAMY Safari Pen and TWSBI Eco Demonstrator. These are fun, come in fun colors or can be see-through which is neat cause then you can see the ink!

Also take into consideration nib sizes (Fine being thin lines and more tactile, and Medium+ having thicker, "wetter" lines). 🎆🎇

This pen is my current favorite

And this pen

This one is my number 2

Not sure on exchange rates but this one is really nice as well

I love a good pen, I have large hands and i prefer to take notes for class by hand instead of typing them out.

That's a fine choice. I love F-301s, but now that I have my F-701, that's all I use. Yeah, its a little more expensive, but the barrel is thicker and the grip is better. Even though the two pens come with the same ink cartridge, the F-701 writes better because it feels better in my hand.

I've been using the Parker Jotter with an ink refill for a Fisher Space Pen (which includes an adapter) and I've found it to be a wonderful combination. The fisher space pen is a bit too small and slippery for me to use comfortably, and the Jotter has (in my opinion) a better aesthetic and a very satisfying click. The space pen refill writes very smoothly, the ink is indelible, and is much nicer to use than the standard Parker ink.

If you're really looking for a more minimal aesthetic, check out the pens sold by Muji. They are rather cheap, as well. That store in general tends toward a minimal aesthetic so they are worth checking out for other goods too.
Edit: This pen by Muji seems to be a pretty close fit to what you described. To my recollection, there's no branding on any of their pens.

You can’t go wrong with a Fisher Bullet Space Pen. However, the clip doesn’t like thicker material and it’s best to keep it in a pocket slip of some sort if kept loose in pocket.


I recently picked up two of theseKetalon Rohk on a buy one get one free deal. They are my new edc and great pens, but to be honest $32 for one pen is pretty pricy. If you can catch another sale I would definitely recommend them.

Some come with cartridges or converters, but you can always buy those separate.

• The Pilot Petit1 would definitely have originally had an in ink cartridge, but if you've lost it you can eyedropper the pen easily by putting silicone grease on the threads and just filling the body of the pen with ink.
  
• Lamy Al-Star uses Lamy cartridges/converters
  
• IIRC, Pelikano Junior & the Rotring Core should both use Standard International, which isn't quite as standard as you'd hope, but I would guess the inexpensive Jinhao converters will work.
  
   
  
  Congrats on a diverse set of nice starter pens :)

Tombow Dual Brush is great ‘large brush’ for beginners. I would say first do lots of practice with small brush pens and then move to ink and nibs. Tombow Fudenosuke ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M71S9DU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2pv3AbQ543M8T ) or Pentel Sign Pen ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EN0HCH6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_qGOz3EhHHfH49 ) are great small pen options. And when you feel ready for upgrade, hunt 513 nib and sumi black ink would be great.
Nibs - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BYT4DE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rtv3AbPZNAD77
Pen Holder - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BYU1BI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Utv3AbJBGTJV4
Sumi Ink - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMLR8M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.tv3AbBVQG8T2
Hope this will be helpful!

Starter: Lamy Safari with some cartridges.

I have this pen at work and use cartridges rather than a converter to save time and prevent potential catastrophes of filling them. If you like the fountain pen in the GIF, TWSBI Vac 700, should be a great second starter or you can get a converter; just know you'll need bottled ink.

My favorite ink right now is Pilot Iroshizuku, lines are clean for most of my foutain pens, it dries decently fast and is easy to clean out of the pen aswell.

I most certainly do, especially if you have any friends who like fps and ink: Pilot Blue/Black in the 'coke bottle'. You can get this for around $22.00 for 350ml (you read that right) and that is for a remarkably good ink that is even fairly waterproof. If you split the bottle with friends, you can end up with the absolute best ink value on the planet. I got into this ink because pen restoration people I know use it, and they use a lot of ink and it can't be a problem ink. Give it a look.

The items I can think of right now that I've bought pretty much because of this subreddit:

1. Zojirushi Travel mug - I use this as my office coffee mug. I fill it up in the morning and if I get sidetracked then it's still hot hours later.
   
   
2. Saddleback Pocket ID Wallet - simple and gets the job done
   
   
3. Weber One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill - I love this grill.
   
   
4. Red Wing Iron Ranger 8111 (amber color) - the first 3 weeks I thought I made a huge mistake but now they are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned.
   
   
5. Fisher Space Pen - I've had to stop other people from pocketing it. My wife tried to take it because she likes the way it writes.
   
   
6. [Kershaw Skyline Knife] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CZBDF8) - I'm not into putting a lot of money into a pocketknife so this fits the bill nicely.
   
   
7. ToiletTree Heavy Duty Nose and Facial Hair Trimmer - my previous nose trimmers felt like it was ripping the hair out by the root. This one I don't feel anything and it's very well made
   
   All of these I would buy again.

Nice, a cool uncle!

I would recommend either Zig calligraphy markers or a Pilot Parallel Pen. Both are cheap enough to mess around with while still being legitimate tools. I would definitely recommend broad edge over pointed pen because PP takes a lot of time and effort for good results and I know when I was 13 I would've just wanted fun things to mess around with.

The only thing is I would not recommend highlighters to practice with due to their angled chiseled tip. Most calligraphy markers have straight chiseled tips, like most real calligraphy tools I'm aware of.

Happy shopping!

Absolutely. Warning: if it tursn out that you relaly like fountain pens it is a deep dark hole of spending as there are so many great pens out there.

If you want to get your feet wet and not invest too much I suggest the Pilot Metropolitan. This pen's msrp is 15 (but lower on amazon) and can be found at wal-mart and staples. It is made of a brass body (so it has some heft), has a fantastic japanese steel nib (japanese nibs run on the small size for line width), and even includes a converter (easy way to use bottled ink) and a cartidge of ink. It is the quintisentional introduction fountain pen and exceeds the quality of pens 2-3x its price. It comes in black, gold, silver, and purple.

Now I know any people prefer to side on the buy it for life side and jump in with a more expensive item, but it is important to figure out what size nib you like and a japanese mdeium is seen as a nice overall starting point. After that I would suggest you check out /r/fountainpens to see reviews for pens like the lamy 2000, twsbi 580, pilot custom 74 and so on.

While fountain pens are cool, their ink is even cooler. There are hundreds of colors available and can even be bought in samples that are cheap (but enough to last for 2-3 fills of your pen). The most popular retailor for ink is gouletpens.com

WORK

PowerTank Retractable Pen All-Angle All-Weather Wet Surface… Standard quick draw go-to pen for the last 5 years

Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pen Recently got into fountain pens so I use this when I can to sign stuff or have time to take decent notes

Silver Sharpie for writing on dark surfaces

Pocket Level for leveling anything from pictures to 80” monitors and in between

Retractable Sharpie for permanent marking/writing everywhere else not covered by the previous items

Telescoping Magnetic Retriever

My First Pencil for temporary marking… large size for durability and novelty

House Keys, Personal Truck Keys (98 F150), Work Truck/Van Key (what is this thing), Building Keys

Fitbit Charge HR

Large Rubber Band because you just never know when you might need one… and I pop myself if I get a craving for something I don’t need lol

A little Cash, Our Energy Management Policy (our VP will randomly ask to see it and if you have it on you, you may get to be off the rest of the day, get a meal or gas gift cert, movie tix, etc.)

Vicks Inhaler, Every Man Jack chapstick

1/8” Allen Wrench

ThorFire throwaway LED Flashlight for quick peeks, or if the larger one’s battery dies

BP Rewards Card (Filling the work truck a couple times a week gets me a few cents off my own gas… shhhhh), Work Visa, License, Insurance, Carmike Rewards Card because you never know when you may wanna catch a flick.

Nitecore MH1C Rechargeable LED Flashlight… found this baby up in the ceiling and fell in love (once I read the manual and figured out how to work it.)

Zippo Spectrum Lighter… Don’t smoke but I love fire and Zippo’s even more. I have 16 right now but this is my throw around EDC.

Gerber Superknife

TAC Force Throw away assisted opening knife

RFID Access Badge

Medical ID Bracelet… recently diagnosed with Diabeetus and put on Xarelto after a huge blood clot (PE)

3x5 Index Card Daily Work Order Checklist, needed supplies, random notes/measurements/numbers

/r/KaizenBrotherhood 30 Day Challenge Checklist

Leatherman Rebar MultiTool… work buys these (bless them) and I usually break them enough to need one every 1-2 years. Had one model or another since my 18th birthday (36 now) and just found out they will actually repair them for free so I will have to round up some older ones and send them off. Once they are retired they wind up in a glove box, random tool bag/box, in the recliner, on my desk etc, anywhere I might need one and I am not in my work clothes.

NOT PICTURED

Folding Wood Rule

Motorola XPR-6300 Radio

iPhone 6 in Lifeproof Fre Case with Nite Ize Steelie Magnet on the back and $20 inside... used to take picture

*added phone

Yeah agree with most people here. I was gifted these staedtler pens and loved them: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens, .3mm, Metal Clad Tip, 20-Pack, Assorted (334SB20BK) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jpOFDbNTXVM7W

Gift card for shoes for places like Clark's (need comfy shoes because we're on our feet all day). Or food- Starbucks, Trader Joe's, etc. Nice headphones.

Honestly though, during those stressful breakdowns just moral support is what's helpful. And.. it sounds like she's doing a lot. Not sure that it's all necessary, she could probably drop some stuff if it's affecting her mental health.

Diamine, tons of colors and are affordable (especially in Europe) many colors are dupes of more expensive inks out there. They likely make ink for other companies that sell ink but don't have ink manufacturing capabilities, like Akkerman. They have a lot of great colors, but their water resistance is generally low.

​

Noodler's would be the ton's of colors and affordable US company but he's a 1 man show so people don't have much faith in him combined with his political views he's one of the more controversial company/people in the fountain pen world. He seems to experiment with inks and ink properties so he has some interesting water resistant colors and UV glowing colors out there.

​

I like water resistant inks so I'm a fan of Pilot Blue and Blue Black, Platinum Blue Black, Platinum Classic Iron Gall series, Platinum Pigment ink series, and Sailor Nano-pigment Seiboku and Souboku.

​

If you're looking for great bang for buck blue ink, I would buy a 350ml Pilot Blue Black bottle for 20 something dollars. But you'll need another bottle to put that into, so either an empty bottle or another bottle of a nicely shaped Pilot Blue Black.

I started with these Fudenosuke pens, which are super cheap on Amazon. If you're looking for a wide variety of color, but still a pretty easy-to-use pen, check out these as well. The trick is to find a pen that has a stiffer tip. The softer brush pens are trickier to learn on, but it can be done. I like the black Fudenosuke pens because they are pretty similar, but the blue one has a harder tip and the green one has a bit more give. It should be able to help you transition into using softer brush tips!

The Staedtler Triplus Fineliner is my all time favorite. I'm all about porous point pens because they don't smear and for whatever reason make my handwriting infinitely better than any other pen. I followed a bunch of study blogs on tumblr when I was in school and all the people that had the best handwriting and cutest notes swore by these pens. I especially love how many colors they have and the convenient carry case that turns into a stand.

There are tons of great options, the Parker Jotter I can definitely recommend. I've never had any leakage issues with the stock ink cartridge it came with but I also normally switch it out for a Fisher Space Pen refill.

Other good metal pens that aren't too expensive might be a Cross Click which is my current edc with a Fisher Space Pen refill in it which is great for signing receipts and quick things like that. I use it at work to give to customers to sign their receipts.. I like it because it is skinnier than the Parker Jotter, however, it is easier to accidentally click in your pocket whereas with the Jotter you have to use an intentional amount of force to click it.

Another one (or two) would be the Fisher Bullet Space Pen or the Cap-O-Matic Space Pen. The bullet is really quite compact and the Cap-O-Matic is a regular sized pen.

And if you're really worried about ink leakage in your pocket then you can get something like a Lamy Swift which has a mechanism so that when the tip of the pen is extended, the pocket clip retracts which makes it impossible to clip onto your pocket. One thing to keep in mind with the Lamy Swift is that it comes with a rollerball refill which is incredibly smooth but it puts out more ink than a regular ballpoint so it has a longer drying time and can smear on receipt paper.

Would you like some recommendations?

Check out the Pilot Metropolitan. It's clean and polished looks are so smooth and inoffensive, and the silver or gold will go really well with a tie clip. There are no obvious logos on the pen, and it's rounded smooth edges are easy on the eyes.

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Collection-Fountain-91107/dp/B009X9Z2FW

Get the fine point. It writes beautifully, too :)

Another favorite of mine to use with a silver tie clip is the Cross Bailey. It has a black lacquer body and a silver trim.

http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Bailey-Lacquer-Fountain-AT0456-7MS/dp/B0089TV8UA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_op_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ACQRBCFWBTMS04MFDG2

That's just to get you started. Generally, try matching your pen with your tie clip and cufflinks. Also, if you keep it in your pocket tip-up then you won't have any problems with ink leaking out of the pen. It also becomes a conversation piece, if you have to pull it out of your pocket to use it for writing.

Have gold and silver cufflinks, and a gold tie clip? Wear a red or gold tie, and this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D04KDE?psc=1

Depending on his style, Star wars themed cufflinks... I have a few and are great conversation starters. Bought in etsy.

Also, mechanical pencils. Spend some money on a good quality one from Rötring (like this) or a Kuru Toga (look those up, they're awesome and SUPER geeky) or both.

Top it off with a fancy notepad (squared or ruled paper, we're not artsy types) like this and he'll remember you fondly every day.

Do not buy electronics or gadgets. He'll likely have what he wants and likes.

The Chessex Wet Erase mat is the one I use and all my DM friends use (in various sizes). that being said, you'll want a pack of these bad boys, because the fine point really does help.

For minis, they're pretty expensive off that bat so everyone advises to buy them slowly as you need them. Reaper bones have a lot of cheaper mini sets for starting out which are great. Personally I buy a few of the most common enemy and the main bad guy for each campaign. A good and cheaper alternative are pawns that you can use while you build your collection. Or, just print small pictures of monsters and tape them to a coin or washer to make fast minis that have colored pictures.

For cheap/fast 2d terrain, check out papercraft. A lot of people fold and draw on paper or cardboard to make terrain, or you can print out pictures of stuff and add it to terrain. Here is an example from u/cardboard-DM (who makes awesome stuff).

Best of luck!

Really good work.

If I can give some suggestions, I know mechanical pencils are kind of ubiquitous in schools, but I would try drawing more with thicker leads. Wooden pencils, woodless pencils, or staedtler mechanical pencils will help you with form and depth. Also using different lead types can help you in the long run. You seem to have a heavy hand (or really dark lead, going to guess it's 2B), playing around with 2H lead might help you save more time of drawing and erasing. (If you want more info let me know, I'm going to stop here because I feel like I'm rambling).

Keep at it, and never fall into the trap of being insecure about your work.

> I really want to start using them, but they're so expensive!

There are several really good starter fountain pens for ~$30

Pilot Metropolitan

MUJI Aluminum Fountain Pen

Would be two that I would recommend. The second I have experience with, it has a lot of feedback but is still pretty decent. I haven't used a Metropolitan but it has a very good reputation.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! Not dry erase pens on a chessex mat!!!!!! If you're getting the standard old school chessex mat you'll need WET ERASE markers. Specifically the kind that was used on the over head projectors when we were kids (depending on how old you are - I'm thinking early 2000's). I was having trouble finding the wet erase markers at office supply stores but was able to find them at my local university store. Paizo's flip mats will work with dry erase or wet erase but I would still go for the wet erase on those because it prevents the map from being easily erased while people move the minis and mess with the table.

The Chessex mat I'd recommend - Reversable-choose your size
The markers I'd recommend - Staedtler's Non Permanent Lumocolor specifically the medium tip, fine is too small or Expo Vis-a-Vis Wet Erase

Hope this helps.

Edit- To quote chessex about dry erase markers- 'Never use dry erase, permanent, or grease-pencil markers. The vinyl is too porous for the lines created from them to be able to be removed. If you have any doubt of the suitability of any particular
marker, draw a small line on the border, let sit for awhile, and see how well it can be removed. Better to have a small permanent blemish on the edge of the mat than a permanent map drawn on the entirety of the mat!'

Interesting challenge! Of course, EDC depends on your personal needs and I'm going to assume you're in the US since you're making the challenge in Dollars. Unless informed otherwise I'm going to assume I don't need to buy a watch.

Arc lighter - I don't smoke but it's always good to be able to make fire - $10.99
https://www.amazon.com/Windvape-Lighter-Electric-Surface-Scratchproof/dp/B01M71VGBX

Travelambo RFID shielded slim wallet - I insist on RFID shielding these days! - $14.99
https://www.amazon.com/Travelambo-Minimalist-Genuine-Leather-leather/dp/B073D1TYS8

Jackery mini battery bank - I always carry power these days - $11.99
https://www.amazon.com/Smallest-Jackery-3350mAh-Portable-Charger/dp/B00L9F95RO

Now I want a charging cable bracelet but I don't know which phone you have. Either the MicroUSB version or the Lightning version
$1 - $3
https://www.amazon.com/Coromose-Wristband-Micro-Charger-Charging/dp/B013JNX12S

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Cable-Bracelet-Wristband-iPhone/dp/B01HPPDQO4

Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil - I love these because they have an inbuilt sharpener and a more substantial lead - $9.04
https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Technical-Mechanical-Pencil-780BK/dp/B000YQEFGU

CRKT Journeyer - You have to have a knife and this is a good budget model. I would prefer the straight blade version but this one is cheaper - $26.87
https://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-Tool-6531/dp/B00TFYANXG

NiteCore Tube - You can't have an EDC without a lightsource - $9.25
https://www.amazon.com/NiteCore-Keychain-Light-Pocket-Flashlight/dp/B00OZJ79R4

Rite in the Rain All-Weather Soft Cover Pocket Notebook, 3 1/2" x 5" - I know Fieldnotes are the gold standard, but I like a waterproof notebook - $7.40
https://www.amazon.com/Rite-Rain-All-Weather-Notebook-Universal/dp/B00262E6PU


Total = $94 (Roughly)

Mom! Mom! MOM! Can I get this pen refill converter I cant use my new fountain pen without it please mom please please please I reeeeeally need this! You wanted me to work on my handwriting and I'm trying but I have to have this to be able to use my pen and it's almost out of ink. I know I just got it but I've used it so much it's really almost out of ink! No you can't see it, I left it on my desk. Mom I can't find it, I can't show it to you but can I pleeeeeease get that? Pretty please with sugar on top!

My awesome new fountain pen really isn't that close to being out of ink, but I will need a refill converter when it is ;P

These are stupidly amazing. I kept seeing them mentioned everywhere, so I decided to pick one up (plus a sharpener which they call 'lead pointer' and some different grade leads). I don't think I'll ever use another pencil again unless I need a specific grade they don't make.

These have a nice weight in your hand, you can sharpen them to a needle tip easily without ever experiencing any breakage, you can turn them on their side to shade large areas, you don't have to deal with wood shavings, and the graphite is super high quality and always constant.

I've purchased 3 more since that first one.

Also a good tip: the lead refills come with differently colored caps (2B is purple, HB black, etc). You can pull the original cap off a pencil and replace it with the color cap of the lead you're going to put in it, so you always know which pencil hosts which grade lead.

I'm pretty much in the same boat, except that I'm a real man so I use ultra fine point pens. :-P

I've had my Nexus 7 for just a couple of days now and think it is great. For the price point, it utterly trounces the Kindle Fire (which is getting passed down to my niece shortly). The screen is lovely, the UI is far more polished, and I'm generally enjoying using it quite a bit more. I suspect it'll get a bit better, too, as it is Google's flagship tablet right now.

I don't have a lot of interesting or really cheap stuff :/ but it's worth a shot! :) gifting is fun!

Magazine featuring my favorite band

Calligraphy brush pen!

Calligraphy pen :)

Not OP but another avid fountain pen enthusiast, and having owned a few $100+ fountain pen, my most used pen hands down is the Pilot Metropolitan, a great pen for pretty much anyone, at the humble price of $12. And not to mention its made of brass, so it is BIFL quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Collection-Fountain-91107/dp/B009X9Z2FW/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=pilot+metropolitan+fountain+pen&qid=1562300808&s=gateway&sprefix=pilot+met&sr=8-4

Lots of people love the Staedtler stylus (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N31S7C) ... I think it's pretty neat but I'm not a fan of carrying extra shit around, so mine stays next to my bed 24/7.

I did pick up a GearVR and ... ehhhh... some people love it but I just am not impressed by the quality of the games available nor by the quality of most 360 YouTube videos. I mean you can pay $8 for a game that nobody would play for FREE if it weren't for the novelty of wearing your phone on your face.

Otherwise, it depends what you want to do, maybe get one of those attachable lenses to enhance the camera. Maybe get a case that can hold a couple of credit cards and cash so that you can try to go without a wallet.

I have a few Pilot Metropolitans. A black one with a medium nib was my first one, and I still use it as my daily driver. It's about $12 currently on Amazon, so if I were you, I'd start with that.

^^Ninja ^^edit also be aware that fountain pens are different from dip pens (I assume that's what you meant by drip pen? :) ). Fountain pens can be used for art projects, but they're mainly for writing. And also DON'T PUSH ON THE NIB unless you're sure it's a flex nib! Pens like the Noodler's Konrad or Noodler's Ahab are flex nibs, so you can push on them to get a thicker line. (Sorry if that was a little confusing!)
^^
Good luck!

Happy, happy birthday! :) Are you feeling 22?

<$5 Earrings (Cosmetics WL)
<$4 Pens (Nursing School WL - under more buying choices)
<$3 Eye Shadow (Cosmetics WL)
<$2 Sunflower Seeds (default)
<$1 Decal (default)

Thanks for the contest! You are aweΣ!

I started over winter break, so sometime in January, and I used this workbook by Margaret Shepherd to teach myself :) I wrote this with the [2.4mm Pilot Parallel] (http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Parallel-Calligraphy-Cartridges-90051/dp/B002RJLS0S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395198034&sr=8-2&keywords=2.4+pilot+parallel) I got it from my awesome 100th Exchange Extravangza Santa, /u/niashux, last week! I absolutely adore it!

How about yourself? Do you write calligraphy? :)

It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

I need these pens because I love to doodle! And doodling is just so much more fun when it's in color. School starts next week, so I have a lot of doodling ahead of me. Please make my doodles colorful. :)

Thank you so much!!!

I've realized that I made a mistake- this whole time what I was actually talking about is apparently called the [Kurutoga Roulette Model] (https://www.amazon.com/Uni-Mechanical-Kurutoga-Roulette-M510171P-43/dp/B004OHNTVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485889062&sr=8-1&keywords=Kurutoga). I've read a couple comments and apparently they aren't too different in performance though. I think I'm going to order all the stuff you linked, except with a rOtring 500 over the Kurutoga and maybe a different pack of Ain Stein leads to try out HB (Although now that I've read up a little on lead, I feel like 2B and 3B are perfect for me so I might not even bother with HB)

Thanks again! :D Mind if I ask what you're studying or working on that causes you to record a lot of formulas and notes on designs? MechE or something similar? I'm currently in my second year of Computer Science so not too much writing over here but I still want a nice pencil to use :)

It's really good I actually recommend a pen for you to use for inking, it's actually considered a calligraphy pen but it's the TomBow brush tip set, one is softer than the other but still firm enough to make really thin strokes or broad strokes here's a link below but these are cheap and perfect for illustration and lettering, archival ink, lettering styles and composition, these are all things you have to be interested in to get further in being a comic book artist. I've had similar aspirations pm me if you got any questions I might be able to help.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M71S9DU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_fmB-BbWGZMN8Z.

Every time I post a drawing, I always get a couple of PMs with people asking me what I use to draw. For my le'reddit doodles, I keep it pretty simple:

• Pencil:Straedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil I use HB lead almost exclusively for sketching the layout before I go to inks.
  
  
• Pens: Sakura "Microns" These have been my go to inking pens for years, they're a tried and true champ and they're pretty cheap. There's a lot of milliners out there but these are my favorites by far. For the reddit doodles I really only use the 08, 05, and 01 for the really fine lines.
  
  
• Sharpies and other stuff: I use a lot of Sharpies because they're cheap, typically just to do the thick black lines and fill in the big black spaces. However I also use a Sharpie White Paint Marker for reverse inking and minor corrections as well as Presto Correction Pens.
  
  

Kuru Togas are the shit! I use this one sadly they dont sell these metal ones in the US and you have to get them imported from Japan but they feel really nice and the Gunmetal Gray color looks super nice.

In my experience as long as you use it at least semi-frequently maintenance is minimal. Plus when you do clean it it’s a breeze. I’m new to fountain pens and cleaned my pen for the first time two days ago. All you do is take apart four pieces and let them soak in water for a while. Put it back together which is extremely simple and boom your done. I heard great things about pens like the pilot metropolitan or Lamy Safari , which only run you about $15! They even make Disposable fountain pens that come in packs of 5! So if I were you I’d give one of those cost effective options a shot and if you like it go from there.

I'm replying to you so people who may be interested have a place to start:

My favorite fountain pens for beginners that are super cheap are Pilot Varsity. They're disposable and you can get a pack of them for pretty cheap on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Disposable-Fountain-Assorted-90029/dp/B00092PRCA

They can also be brought on planes (I know--I just flew with one and it didn't leak). It's seriously a huge difference to write with a fountain pen vs ballpoint or felt or gel or whatever.

/u/Grep2grok's point about the speed of lectures is certainly worth considering. I'd parrot his pencil recommendation. For a premium pencil, I'd recommend any of the following:

• Rotring 600
  
• Alvin Draft-Matic DM05
  
• Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm with 2B lead
  
• Pentel Graph Gear 1000 0.5mm
  
  Of the above, start with the GG 1000. I think it has the most comfortable grip for writing at length.
  
  Pencil kind of opens the playing field when choosing a notebook, as you don't have to worry about bleed. I prefer large spiral-bound books as they lay very flat. Your work space will be very limited most of the time, so something that folds back on itself may prove useful.
  
  
• RITR 6x9 or 8.5x11
  
• Rhodia spirals
  
• Whitelines spirals
  
• Doane spirals

For sketching, I use a Staedtler Mars 780 and to get it to the sharpness I like, I use a Staedtler Rotary

For inking, I mainly use Pigma Microns, but also like using other brands such as Kurutake Zig or Staedtler pigment liners, all of which I'm sure you can find at your local art store

Hope that helps!

Warning: I'm a pen freak. I love pens for some reason.

My favorite pens!

these pens, because colors!

and sharpies for making labels!


They make taking notes 1,000 times better! Plus, all my professors now know me by my colored pens :)

Back to cool :)

Snapping Android windows came out last week in Chrome OS 65 😁

I can't say for certain because I haven't used a Wacom pad recently, but I believe Chrome OS does support them natively. Swear i tried one on my old Cr-48 I think. Just buy from somewhere with a return policy and try one out!

I've had trouble finding docks with 2 USB C female ports (same for battery packs), seems to just be because of the times. In the future I'm sure they'll exist.

Finally as a side note, if you're into using the stylus (on your Chromebook screen), someone on Reddit once suggested this, and it's pretty awesome: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N31S7C

Paper doesn't matter much to me I just like off-white paper. However, I do like to have a nicer pencil. The one I currently like is this one most people might see it as pricey for a pencil though. Like all supplies it is a preference. Try things out find what you like but, do not think too hard about it. You'll have a much better time thinking about other things like reading a chapter from your textbooks so lecture isn't your first exposure. Coming from someone who use to obsess over things like this vs my actual course work.

I just bought some basic Spencerian copy books off of Amazon, along with some pilot varsity fountain pens. I think it was less than $25. So far I am really enjoying it!

I've been thinking learning it with someone else would be awesome, to try to stay accountable on practicing. Interested?

Edit: The books and the pens if anyone is interested.

Colorific pens!!! my favorite dinosaur is the pterodactyl!!! That is the nice dinosaur in the Magic Tree House series my kiddo likes :) Thanks for the contest!

The best is the [Zebra 701] (http://www.amazon.com/Zebra-F-701-Stainless-Ballpoint-Retractable/dp/B002L6RB80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410206849&sr=8-1&keywords=zebra+701), stainless steel case.

It's a fine point, writes smooth, and has a nice weight to it. It also has refillable ink reserves so you won't have to buy another one, just refills.

Edit: If you like to [flip/spin] (http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/100838/pen-spinning-o.gif) pens to keep your hand busy when not writing, it's balanced well for that too.

I'll interpret "guy stuff" as "EDC stuff".

• A Flowfold Minimalist slim wallet
  
• A Zebra F-701 stainless steel pen with a Fisher Space refill so it can write anywhere. This isn't a "tactical" pen by LE/TSA standards, but is a solid stainless steel tube, if you know what I mean.
  
• If you prefer something smaller, a Fisher Space Bullet Space Pen and/or a Zebra Mini mechanical pencil TS-3.
  
• You might also want something to write on, and a 3-pack of Field Notes, Pitch Black Edition in Dot-Grid isn't a bad choice unless you're into fountain pens, in which case you'd be better served with a Clairefontaine or. Rhodia pocket notebook. (They will feather fountain pen ink less, resulting in finer lines.)
  
  Bonus item: This isn't under $30, but $45 wil buy you a Leatherman Skeletool, which is one of the most universally useful items I own.
  
  Edit: "EDC" stands for Every Day Carry. To paraphrase the /r/EDC sidebar, EDC means the essentials that I carry a daily basis. Things that I either use every day, or want to have with me in case I might need them. Sorry for the confusion, /u/ForgottenEcho and /u/Sanctitas.

Thank you for that suggestion. I’ll have to look for those.

Sorry the Fudenosuke are made by Tombow not Pentel. This is the two pen set of one hard one soft. The soft is very similar to this is what I have from Pentel IMO. The hard is not quite as hard as Cocoiro but close. It’s also a fine point compared to Cocoiro’s extra fine. I love Cocoiros too tho!

I just bought some Artline Stix. They’re a little more firm than Tombow dual brush but I manage to mash those too. Starting to think I need to try nibs instead lol.

Haha, pretty much. Heavy glass soda style bottles. 11.83 ounces so nearly the same as a can of soda. Inked up forever for $22!

https://www.amazon.com/Ink-350ml-INK350BB-japan-import/dp/B001P35A74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500500408&sr=8-1&keywords=pilot+350ml

They're not fancy inks but I keep over 20 pens inked so I use primarily safe and simple inks these days... and I just love the flow and feel of Pilot's inks.

YAY! :D let me think.... I'll add things to this post as I think of them.

Bed Caddy

Bed Risers

Hamper

This Book (my cousin got it for me when I started college way back when, and it really has a lot of good advice)

Storage

Dry Erase Calendar

Small Room Safe

Dorm Security

Command Strips

This amazing food/beverage station

A freaking PURPLE fridge

Brita

Make pooping in a shared bathroom less embarrassing

This photo display

An electric kettle

Also a planner! I like to make my own and use different colored pens to differentiate between my classes! If you want the template I use for my planner, I can send you a link to it! :D

Agreed, greatest invention evar. I feel like people who still use non-mechanical pencils are like people who use hotmail in 2012. Or maybe old-skool hipsters. If you want a high quality mechanical pencil, check out something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Mechanical-Pencil-Metallic-P1035A/dp/B0006SW6YO

Personally I am ok with these cheapos:

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Velcoity-Mechanical-Pencil-MV5P21-Blk/dp/B000GOWAQM

A few things I would probably get.

• Flash light always comes in handy. I noticed you didn't say anything about one. I streamlight is a great brand with nice seemingly durable lights. You will probably lose it before it shits out on you or breaks. I prefer the stylus pro or the microstream (difference between the two is microstream is shorter. It's penlight size makes it easy to slip in and out of your pocket.
  
  
• Always carry a good pen. Zebra makes decent pens. If you want to stretch your gift card further, you could get the f301 but I really prefer the f701, it's just a nicer pen. There is also the space pen if you ever feel you need to write something in zero gravity. If "tactical pens" are more your thing, you have plenty to choose from
  
  
• saw you were looking at a cheapo fixed blade. If you were to get any "cheapo" fixed blade at all, seriously consider mora. You can read more about mora in this post, but I assure you that you will not find a better fixed blade for the price.
  
  
• You have anything to carry your beverages in? Nalgene bottle or camelbak for water, thermos for hot beverages.
  
  
• Get you a nice rum cake or whiskey fudge

Pilot's line of basic colors (Black, Blue-Black, and Blue) are among some of the best standard colors ever.

I'm a fan of Pilot Blue-BLack: https://www.amazon.com/Ink-350ml-INK350BB-japan-import/dp/B001P35A74

It's $23, but per mL of liquid, it's great (about 6 cents per mL).

It behaves well on cheap paper, is reasonably water resistant, shades, and flows well.

The pen shown in OP's photo is the Zebra F-301 which I carry and like very much. I didn't know Zebra made a full stainless steel version but I found the Zebra F-701 on Amazon and it looks pretty sweet. Thanks for the tip!

By the way, I currently own a Jeep and don't have any Benchmade folders either but have been lusting after a Benchmade Griptilian 551 for quite a while.

Bwah ha ha ha ha, it actually mentions the Bic pens. If you haven't clicked that and read the reviews, you're in for a fucking great time. Dragging extrordinare.

But seriously:
>Women, Nooyi suggested, “don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously and they don’t like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth.”

Speak for yourself, bitch. she says as she licks her fingers and belches for good measure

The Zebra F-701 and Zebra F-402 aren't exactly tactical, but they are pretty heavyweight and write really well. They take cheap refills too. I have the F-701 and the weight and sturdiness are great, however I don't really write that much, just come class notes and such.

My favorite one is from the amazon website itself, by an "MRA" named "Johnny Tubesteak". It made me lol pretty hard:

1.0 out of 5 stars Being a dude just got suckier, August 28, 2012

By JohnnyTubesteak - See all my reviews

This review is from: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk) (Office Product)

What do men have left? Today's women are voting, getting paid to do work, and now WRITING?!? At the bar the other day, my wife asked for a beer instead a wine cooler. My buddy heard that there are female golfers in many parts of the country, and most clubs let them play on the same course as the men. At an intersection the other day, I saw a woman in the driver's seat, and not because she was sitting on a male driver's lap. As if men hadn't been stripped of everything good already, BIC steps in and piles on by encouraging women to learn to write, just like their male counterparts. WTF, BIC?

Guys have so little as it is. Sure, we can stand while we urinate, but standing is a lot of work, and it's rarely as fun as it sounds. And Just For Men hair dye is marketed as a product strictly for guys, but my cousin used it on a female dog once, and it colored her hair just fine.

In a world of girl-only bras and tampons, guys are left with nothing of our own. Thanks for nothing, BIC.

How about a Zebra F701 and add a Fisher Space Pen refill. The pen body is well built and pretty cheap and the refill is literally good enough to write in space. For something more classy you can get a Parker Jotter which also fits the space pen refill but has a pretty good refill itself.

These marker/pens are really nice and much cheaper on Amazon than in a store
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007OEE7E?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Also I got a silk pillowcase, it's fantastic
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWWTACZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_bC3knUz3X1ttx

And these boots are pretty nice
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSJYJ75?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Bic Pens for HER (they're normal pens)

"BIC Cristal For Her has an elegant design - just for Her! It features a thin barrel designed to fit a women's hand. It has a diamond engraved barrel for an elegant and unique feminine style. "

Read the reviews, they are hysterical.

https://www.amazon.com/BIC-Cristal-1-0mm-Black-MSLP16-Blk/dp/B004F9QBE6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

/r/calligraphy
/r/penmanship
/r/handwriting

/r/fountainpens is neat but be aware you will not be able to do this kind of writing with a fountain pen. You also won't be able to do what many people think of "calligraphy" (german style lettering that has thick and thin parts) with a fountain pen.

If dip pens are a little scary for a beginner, try getting the Pilot Parallel calligraphy pen. Very simple like a fountain pen, dead cheap and you'll be able to do lots of calligraphy with them.

However, dip pens are super cheap and fun to play with. You can get a nice nib, nib holder and ink for $20 on Amazon. Calligraphy is a very cheap hobby to get into.

Edit: Post is rotated 90 deg, left to right & top to bottom doesn't make sense anymore.

Left to right, top to bottom:



Pens & Tools (I rotate my pocket pen & keep the rest in my bag. Logic dictates when to and which tool to carry.):



Leatherman Supertool Original with sheath - It's crazy to think, but this was retired before I was born. Several of my family members used to work in hardware stores so occasionally these things are found lying around brand new.

Leatherman Juice CS4 - Great little tool, it fits in my pocket without any notice.

Zebra F-701 .7 Black - Great look & feel but it writes like shit. Anyone know a good refill that fits?

Pentel EnerGel .7 Black - Incredibly smooth & bold, not too big a fan of the look.

G2 .38 & .7 Black - G2s, nuff said.

Uniball Signo 207 .7 Black - Comparable to the G2, but it has a metal clip.

Did you notice I pit the EnerGel in here twice? - Because I didn't

Frixion Erasable .7 Black - Ink is really sort of grayish, but it still beats white-out.




Everything Else:



Panasonic RP-HJE120-K IEMS - Perfect for people who are afraid of breaking or losing their buds. I wrap them around a binder clip and attack it to a belt loop with a carabiner.

Keys, Bottle Opener, PNY USB Drive - The flash drive has lubuntu on it. The opener is exclusively for mexican corner store drinks.

Best Made Co. Pocket Notebook - This isn't exactly the one I have but it is the closest I could find.

Dollar Store Notepad - It was 3 for dollar. Would you not buy it?

Dockers Trifold Leather Wallet - Not even close to the one I have, but still the closest they still make.



Not included: School ID, Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (Direct picture quality complaints to Samsung except for the lighting, that's just because I suck.)

Staedtler Noris Digital Samsung Pencil, EMR Technology, Yellow Black (GP-U999ERIPAAB) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N31S7C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_nbKIBbSZ1WV63

Worked great with my Note 8... all 2 hours until I put it in my back pocket walking to a meeting... then sat down.


Pro Tip- don’t put in back pocket...

Was able to epoxy the parts together, but it was never the same... a bit bent feeling and weakened at the repair points.

FYI: the body of the pencil is just like a normal pencil (even with a lead like center). It only the area that looks like a sharpened pencil tip that has the S-Pen -parts

This gif ...... this gif is the gif that made me buy my first fountain pen. The Pilot Metropolitan. /r/fountainpens will tell you this is the first pen to get. I also have a decent amount of nibs ( what you see here ) I even have this exact one.

That was about a month ago. Maybe 2. Best part about fountain pens and ink is that it is VERY CHEAP to get into. And if you use it and buy a fucking book you can improve a great deal. You will be busting out lines of beauty and cumming in your pants when you see how much fucking ink can be dumped out of a dremeled out ebonite feed in the Noodler's Ahab Flex.

I'm off to make capital P's. Gooood^byyy^eeee

Triplus Fineliner all day erryday. They're even finer - .3 mm. I discovered them when I was taking Japanese classes when I was in college the first time. Beautiful. I got them because they're great for writing kanji in small notebooks, but I use them all the time. And so many colors! I like to color code my notes (and pretty much everything else) so they're perfect.

OH my god, the struggle is real.

This is one I was able to find:

https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Chart-Notebook-Gelding-Publishing/dp/1502718111

However I never bought it. We didn't do a lot on smith charts, I wish I'd had more opportunity.

​

My favorite notebooks:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MP9D5AG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why:

1.) F-ing graph paper

2.) Thick pages. I like colored markers for notes, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Triplus-Fineliner-Assorted-334SB20BK/dp/B0007OEE7E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Staedtler&qid=1570659385&s=office-products&sr=1-2

The thick pages doesn't allow (as much) marker bleed and the notebooks hold up for a long time.

3.) F-ing graph paper and thick pages.

I started off with a Lamy Safari and have now bought 3. They are wonderful and last. They aren't a trophy pen but if you are a student and want to take pride in your work then this pen can take the beatings a backpack will give. After you are sure you like the pen I would suggest getting the refill converter so you can use bulk ink instead of the little cartridges. What kind of writing do you want to do with it? There are different nibs (tips) for different thicknesses/feed rates.

Item to help me accomplish one of these things

Of course, I'd have to post the poems in my blog for 40 days. This would be an accomplishment, as I am a seasoned poet, with 4 self-published chapbooks out, a longtime poetry blog, and have been featured at numerous poetry/writing events. However, I've had a bit of a hard time writing lately...okay, for the last few years since being in school. My mind just isn't in it. And it needs to be, or my gift is wasted.

I will need lots of these

These guys always inspire me!

I have a list of things I wanted to do for 30 days...maybe 40 days won't be so bad?

Some of the things on my 30 days list:

Go 30 days without:

Eating meat

Wearing makeup

Swearing

Wearing shoes

Go 30 Days:

Write a poem every day

Send a letter to a friend via snail mail

Drink more than the recommended amount of water

/u/n_reineke , /u/G0ATLY , /u/Yokuo ...what do you guys think?

Think I could go 40 days with any of those?

The most popular option would be the rOtring 800.
Though TWSBI Precision could be a cheaper alternative (I haven't hold one of this, so I can't say how heavy/sturdy it feels)
Maybe you could be interested in a lead holder as well? I personaly love my Staedtler 2.0mm Silver Series if line weight is not an issue at least.

A nice set of calipers, or micrometers could be a gift that would last decades, but a quality set will run you at least a few hundred.

If this engineer does a lot of CAD work, you might consider a 3D mouse? $115 for this guy , but man I cant imagine doing design work without it now.

A nice Kuru Toga mechanical pencil is also great for drafting and pretty inexpensive.

After your suggestions my current amazon cart for her is:

Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide to Pointed Pen and Brush Pen Lettering

Hand Lettering for Relaxation: An Inspirational Workbook for Creating Beautiful Lettered Art

Strathmore 300 Series Drawing Pad, Medium Surface, 9"x12" Glue Bound, 50 Sheets

Rhodia No.16 A5 6 x 8 1/4 80 Sheet, Dot Pad.

Tombow 56191 Advanced Lettering Set.

Pilot Parallel Pen 2-Color Calligraphy Pen Set, with Black and Red Ink Cartridges in 2.4mm Nib size and 3.8mm Nib size with extra 12 assorted colors cartridges and 12 black cartridges. I assume the cartridges are not dependent on nib size as that would be infuriatingly stupid. Only dependent on the brands pen circumference? Correct me if I am wrong on that.

Hopefully that's pretty comprehensive but as far as speedball goes these are the texts I've found:

Speedball Textbook 24th Edition for $8.67.

Speedball Textbook: For Pen and Brush Lettering, 20th Edition for $113.35.

The Speedball Textbook, a comprehensive Guide to Pen and Brush Lettering, 23rd, Twenth-Third Edition for $51.01 new.

Did you have a specific edition in mind? A lot of the ones I'm seeing on amazon vary greatly as shown above.

My normal EDC (not including cell phone, car keys and CCW as they all cost more than feasible for this situation) is a multitool/knife, flashlight, wallet, watch, pen and bandanna.

Multitool: Leatherman Squirt PS4, $28.75 Not the biggest or baddest MT out there, but it will do pretty much every EDC task I can think of needing to do.

Flashlight: [ThruNite Ti5, $15.95](
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Compact-Penlight-Output-Firefly/dp/B014SGM234/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1478977407&sr=8-12&keywords=thrunite) Hard choice between this and the Streamlight Microstream.

Wallet: Big Skinny Metro, $19.99 Carried Big Skinny wallets for years. Only recently switched to Recycled Firefighter, just for a change in pace.

Watch: Casio Calculator, $14.99 The ultimate nerd watch.

Pen: Zebra F-701, $4.63 Best damn pen I've ever used.

Bandanna: Rothco Solid Black Bandanna, $5.87 Any cotton bandanna will do, I just picked this one because it was solid black.

The grand total is: $90.18. The remaining $9.82 will buy me a six pack of mid tier craft beer.

I quite like the design, feel, and quality of Caran D'Ache. If you like, you can get their pen and pencil to look like a matched set. They're high quality instruments but don't cost anything near the overpriced fluff.

I also really like the Zebra F-701, which is even cheaper. It's more substantial than the F301 which I also like a lot, and keep around me everywhere. But the F-701 I keep in the same spot at my desk. Also available in both pen and pencil

A pen like this falls under both Art Supplies and Writing!

It's also my $10 item on my artsy wishlist :p

An awesome $5 gift would be this eBook!

Thanks for the contest! I really really want it!

Please note the Safari doesn't come with a converter so if you don't plan to use cartridges (it comes with one) you will want to add a Lamy Converter to your order.

As for inks, any quality ink will work fine in your pen. Brands often mentioned in [/r/fountainpens ] include Noodler's, Parker, Daimine, Iroshizuku, Parker, and Sheaffer. Noodler's is generally considered one of the best values as its price per ounce is among the lowest. All of these inks should be available on Amazon. GL with your purchase!

You're buying waterman ink and a $15 pen in this equation which is absurd. Cheap pens need to compared to cheap pens.

Let's say you buy a $2 Jinhao from eBay, free shipping, in an EF nib, including a converter, and then buy this $22 350 mL blue ink from Amazon.

It's 7 times the ink for twice the price, which is 3.5 times the value on ink. Plus, in an EF, you're writing a line more comparable to the .05 line of normal cheap pens, while putting far less ink down on the paper, which could mean that you use half or even less of the ink than you described. That 350 mL bottle would last forever. And the total cost for basically a lifetime of writing is $24.


The lie we tell ourselves is that we can save money by buying the pens and inks we WANT to use. We don't, it's a fantastic waste. But at its core there is truth to the economic upside of a refillable pen.

Here is a link to the Etsy book that I started lettering with! I started lettering about 1 year ago after purchasing this book from Etsy. It comes with the best beginner pens to practice. It shows you multiple ways to write each letter so you can find your own style.

The pen i'm using in this video is the Micron 08. The glitter gel pens are the Pentel Sparkle Pop Gel Pens.

My FAVORITE small brush pen is the Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip.

Kuru togas are the best pencils you can get. Your best bet to get a really good kuru toga is to become bros with a Japanese dude, and ask him to buy you a couple when he goes back.

I have a rotring. It's a beautifully made pencil. I've had it for 3 years, perfectly balanced and great for sketching etc:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotring-600-Mechanical-Pencil-0-5mm/dp/B00AZWYUA4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1458477042&sr=8-4&keywords=Rotring

Doesn't come in .9 but it's an excellent pencil.

Yes, get a pretty fountain pen or felt tip that makes writing fun! I like le pen, varsity disposable fountain and sharpie's calligraphy pens.

Sure. This pen is amazing ergonomically and hella cheap (shaped much like rotring with knurled grip and stainless steel construction), BUT: it has two drawbacks. One is the awful stock ink that smudges, and the other is the plastic clicky that squeaks. So, several posters took it upon themselves to remedy these problems.


Firstly, everything on the pen is metal except for one part of the pen; the retractable "clicker" - weird, right? The plastic parts make it squeak whenever you bring the pen in or out. Thankfully, another zebra pen DOES have the metal clicker! The rest of the pen's construction is not much to write home about, but that's unimportant. You just need that metal clicker construction.


Secondly, the ink. The stock ink is pretty bad and is prone to smudging. Once again, thankfully, the fisher space pen insert will fit once you remove a small plastic part at the front of the f-701.


An anon that I think posts here made a walkthrough of the mod process here, so if you follow it you will yourself become the very owner of a Space Zebra F-7401!


This will leave you with a great fully metal pen that also has an ergonomic knurled grip and that makes use of the pressurized space ink!

I felt the same when I first started. I'm still not the best but with lots of practice, Ive learned to love it! I haven't quite perfected using the Tombow Duel brush pens but I really like using just the Tombow pens with a hard or soft tip! You can find there here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M71S9DU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_35HDzbY161A1C hope this helps :)

My suggestion is to buy a Pilot Metropolitan, which comes with both a cartridge and a converter so you can try both out. I would also suggest getting a bottle of a basic, workhorse ink. Something like Noodler's Black would be a good option, a nice saturated black that is waterproof and behaves pretty well on cheap paper.

Does anyone know how to get a rotring 800 with metal internals? I'd like another one, as mine is the plastic sort. The lead inside keeps breaking and I've heard the run with metal internals doesn't have this issue.

I found a vendor on Amazon that claims the internals are all metal. They're also running a sale, so it'd be great. Any idea if I can trust that?

Link

Oh man, nobody's mentioned the rOtring 600 yet?! It's the love of my life. I had a Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm for a little over a year beforehand and it was awesome, too. My only complaint about it was the compliance in the tip made it annoying to precisely predict how tiny lines would end up (I write very small). The 0.5mm rOtring doesn't spin the lead or anything fancy like the Kuru Toga, but it is so heavy, so well balanced, and the tolerances are just awesome. I've tried the rOtring 800 with the retractable tip, but the tolerance stackup of the moving parts just made it feel of lower quality than the 600.

You have to try the Staedtler Field Pencil. It's outstanding. Nice and thick and great if you find lead breaking all the time!

http://www.amazon.ca/Staedtler-Technical-Mechanical-Pencil-Product/dp/B000YQEFGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398141976&sr=8-1&keywords=staedtler+pencil

1. You NEED this Disney Mickey Tuxedo Bath Rug. You can't be just stepping out of your bath with drippy toes onto a cold, hard floor. Nooooo, that will never do. Allow Mickey to cushion your steps in comfort and to dry those toes in full formal tuxedo style!
   
   
2. These pens would be mighty fly.
   
   
3. Have fun choosing, and enjoy whatever it is. Thanks for the contest!

The point that stuck out to me was when she said no one really asks how a character like nathan drake represents men where as all female characters are asked about their representation of women.
I've never really thought about either gender irl representation, just like I've never thought about irl representation of comic book characters, or characters from novels or movies. I watch/read/play to escape reality where I can put myself into the protagonist and save the world or even just matter in a significant way in that world for a bit everyday, when in reality I'm so insignificant to not matter except as a demographic to a marketer.
To be honest I think marketing pink pens for girls much more insulting then anything I've seen in video games. I'm a woman and pink everything or flower everything bugs me more then tit physics in video games.
All that being said I really like the interview format. Keep up the good work TB.

I don't write a whole lot, and at work it's usually a whiteboard, but I do have a Pentel Sharp Kerry and it's really satisfying to write with. Great balance and feel.

https://amzn.com/B0006SW6YO

Zebra F-701. Great pen, stainless steel. Nice balance and writes great. Plus its $5.

http://www.amazon.com/Zebra-F-701-Stainless-Ballpoint-Retractable/dp/B002L6RB80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410233699&sr=8-1&keywords=f-701+zebra

I'm curious about the pricing too (I also saw it was $120 when you commented). I looked up the cost of the things listed.

• Gerber Dime green/black - $16.02 new on Amazon
  
• Zebra F-701 pen - $7.20 new on Amazon
  
• NarwhalCo pens set of 2 - $11.95 new on their site
  
• 2.5" ratchet bit extension - about $4~ new on Amazon (counting out the other bits included in that listing)
  
• ARES 1/4" micro bit ratchet & mini bits - $14.42 new on Amazon
  
• Small length of black Gorilla tape - less than $1 worth of a full 1-pack price new on Amazon
  
• Glasses/screen cleaning cloth - comparable to $1.50 new on Amazon from a 6-pack
  
• Length of FireCord - less than $1 worth of a full 1 roll price new on Amazon
  
• Bic Mini lighter - about $1.39 new on Amazon from a 5-pack
  
• Sim card removal tool - about $0.50 new on Amazon from a 10-pack
  
• Kingston 32gb microSD card & portable USB reader - $20.94 new on Amazon
  
• CountyComm "Industrial Strength Survival Food Grade Tin" large topo design - $3.45 new on their site
  
  In total that's about $83.37 USD all new prices. Most include free shipping if purchased from Amazon. I did not include possible cost of that leather holster because the post currently does not say the leather holster is included or not.

I agree. For a long time I used these and I really like their slender shape. They have the same innards as the one posted by dbzpsycho1 above.

I recently switched to the all metal one that he posted. I bought two of them on Amazon and I refill them as needed. Even though they're slightly thicker they are indestructible which is great!

For those that missed it, (only recently discovered this myself, but had a great laugh from it). http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Cristal-1-0mm-Black-MSLP16-Blk/dp/B004F9QBE6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417968102&sr=8-1&keywords=bic+for+her#customerReviews

My suggestion is to get:

Pilot Metropolitan, you can also get a fine tip if you want that.

A Pilot Con-50

And finally, some Parker Quink.

I'd probably use the converters because they are less prone to leaking, and you can always get new ink in case you want another color.

A 2oz bottle of ink will likely last you around 9 months if you are writing a fair bit daily and don't spill any, though I've managed to go through one in 3 months, due to writing a novel.

If you want blue ink too, you can get some Blue Quink

Lamy also makes some great ink for cheap in Blue, Black and Turquoise

Also look at Noodler's Bernanke Blue penaddict || officesupplygeek and Bernanke Black ikonhand. Both are extremely quick drying and the nice, solid inks.

Edit: For an inexpensive pen, I would look at the Nemosine Singularity, Pilot Metropolitan, or if you want something really inexpensive and that still writes well, maybe something like a Jinhao x250, x450, or x750. (The Pilot and the Nemosine are much lighter in weight, so I think they make for more comfortable writing pens for longer sessions, personally. But the Jinhao pens actually write quite well.)

For real. I have an ex that commented on a FB post I put up of a really entertaining listicle of the "masculinity so fragile" variety. And he got all butthurt like "isn't this just generalizing about men? wouldn't this be offensive if it was about women?" And I'm like no, dude, it's about toxic masculinity. Men should find it funny too. Just like, as a woman, I find it funny when people mock pens for women. Not everything is about you.

Leftie here. The best solution I’ve found is Noodler’s Bernanke Blue (or black, I think) ink. It dries almost instantly on every paper I’ve tried.

The Lamy LH nibs don’t seem to work for me because the flow is too heavy for my writing speed (i.e. I write slow and they seem to flood ink), but my leftie SO loves them.

Edit: Noodlers Ink 3 Oz Bernanke Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008YL1466?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Also requires: Lamy Refill Converter (Z24) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DVXWRI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yqxKAbCKKQQ4Z

Yeah no prob. I'll put them in this order: Lead Holder (very dark), sharpener (needs special sharpener, trust me you really need it), GraphGear, Copics, Chameleon, fine liners (I'll put the ones I use, but Micron's are a little more expensive option for better quality).

Staedtler Mars 780 Technical Mechanical Pencil, 2mm. 780BK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YQEFGU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9mS6CbSFJAYEC

Staedtler 502 BK A6 Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads, 502BKA6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002EL9J50/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mqS6CbVQD8F47

Pentel Graph Gear 1000 Automatic Drafting Pencil, 0.7mm Lead Size, Blue Barrel, 1 Each (PG1017C) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GAXKGU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IqS6CbS16A0FB

Copic Markers 6-Piece Sketch Set, Bold Primaries (SKST6-BOLD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XR7XZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ctS6CbR4M2RF0

Copic Markers 6-Piece Sketch Set, Skin Tones I https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XR92EG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YtS6Cb6Z6HZWJ

Chameleon Art Products, Chameleon 5-Pen, Primary Tones Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJ97KXS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6uS6CbVHJ0THK

Sakura 50203 8-Piece Pigma Manga Comic Pro Drawing Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N98UIS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8vS6Cb3D5HZBS

Bask in the glory of the greatest pens ever, The disposable fountain pen that works better and lasts as long as actual fountain pens

It's just a little thing, but a nice, bound, notepad with bookmark is essential for me. I like the quad-ruled ones:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-NH130210120V-S-Classic-Notebook-Squared/dp/B01DN8TEA2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1541454040&sr=8-6&keywords=quad+ruled+notebook&dpID=51WoQSZKalL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Could consider a nice mechanical pencil to go with it, too: https://www.amazon.com/rOtring-Barrel-Mechanical-Pencil-1904443/dp/B00AZWYUA4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541454178&sr=8-3&keywords=rotring+pencil&dpID=31NpYvK41ML&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

A bit off topic, but seeing someone who uses erases/rewrites stuff on their character sheet makes me cringe now after I swapped to the below setup.

Brother, buy yourself some cardstock and some sheet protectors and either wet-erase markers with some spray OR dry-erase markers.

Write everything really nice and neat, only write on the sheet when it's a more permanent use, and everything that can change during a session is written on the sheet protector with the marker. I prefer the wet-erase because I can pack up the character sheet between sessions and nothing gets erased, but that's really personal preference.