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After eleven months of the fanatic and blissful madness I call my love for fountain pens, which included Googling questions that often led me to this forum, I'm finally joining FPN. So...hi, at long last! Call me Amy. I didn't try my first FP until I was around 12-14 years old and got two Pilot Petits in blue and purple at a bookstore in Taiwan. It wasn't until my mom clarified they were fountain pens that I was awed at the incredible historical tradition that I'd fallen into--I'm sure many of you understand and share the "wow" moment when you realize you're holding the same kind of pen that dozens of famous writers and thinkers have used! Though I was floored, the feeling didn't grow into a real attachment--I gave one of the Petits to my cousin, and somewhere down the line I finished using the cartridge for the other Petit and threw it away (I wince to admit that now!). In December 2014, someone who follows my blog messaged me about my declared love for rose gold with a comment that in his opinion, the best use of rose gold he'd seen was with a certain Monteverde pen (either an Impressa or an Invincia, I've forgotten). Of course, he provided a link to a photo of the pen, and BAM--that marked my rediscovery of fountain pens. In the following days, I watched dozens of fountain pen videos, fell in love with the incredible variety of ink colors out there, and finally ordered a Pilot Metropolitan. Believe it or not, that's still my most expensive pen! Because I know somebody will ask, here are the pens and inks I have/have tried: Pens: Pilot Metropolitan (M) in White TigerPlatinum Preppy (F) in purplePilot Penmanship - I love how intensely EF it is, this was my go-to pen for taking notes for classPilot Plumix in blueParker Vector (F) --I hear there's a metal version? But I have the plastic oneNoodler's Nib Creaper in Vulcan's CoralPilot Parallel (1.5 mm)--Sometime this week, I'm hoping to be lucky enough to secure an order for a Pilot VP in the Twilight Limited Edition! Huge upgrade for this here small-budgeted fountain penner, but worth it, I've heard!Paper: I like Clairefontaine a lot, and recently bought a Rhodia dotpad. Amazing! Though most FP lovers don't seem to like Moleskines much, I also use FPs with them sometimes too--perhaps my preference for finer nibs is the reason why I can get away with it. Inks--I don't have an ink journal, but these are the inks I've definitely sampled: Diamine Red DragonDiamine Soft MintJ. Herbin Bouquet D'antanJ. Herbin Emerald of ChivorJ. Herbin Stormy GreyLamy NeonlimeNoodler's Apache SunsetNoodler's Bernanke BlueNoodler's BurgundyNoodler's Cactus Fruit EelNoodler's Gruene Cactus EelNoodler's X-FeatherPrivate Reserve DC Super VioletPrivate Reserve Purple HazeSheaffer's TurquoiseProprietary cartridges: Parker's blue, Pilot's black and blue, Platinum's purple. I also just ordered samples of Diamine Golden Sands, Diamine Blue Pearl and Diamine Apple Glory, the famed Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses, Monteverde Pink, and J. Herbin's Bleu Azur.I am so excited to finally join this forum! I've always been impressed by FPN's incredible knowledge and friendliness and I look forwarding to lots of great discussions with all of you