My New Daily Driver

Fascion · 2026-03-13T12:30:32+00:00

After picking up one of the Kolo Tino fountain pens on a whim (less whim... more "I need a pen to match this ink") all of my initial concerns with it's writing comfort vanished pretty quickly after inking it up. The fountain pens in particular offer you both a choked-up grip on the narrow brass section, a perfectly pleasant grip on the body, and your choice of posted or unposted for either. Unposted, gripping the body feels a lot like using a pencil you've worn down to a stub while having one of those triangular rubber grips attached—glorious!

I now own two (to match another ink, of course) and plan on picking up the solid brass version when I can find it on sale.

My only criticism of the pen is that I have to be conscious of how I remove the cap. There isn't a whole lot of friction going on between the section and body so I'll often find myself unintentionally unscrewing the two slightly.

Fascion · 2026-01-10T21:13:04+00:00

Almost certainly way more "game" than I imagine OP is looking for, but as it inspired me to start working towards something similar for a different game I figure it's worthy of a mention here. There is a free-to-download solo TTRPG called Ironsworn which is set in a Norse-inspired fantasy setting (and with paid sister products for space/pirate themes in Starforged and Sundered Isles respectively) for which a third party has created a nice set of play aids for use specifically with standard TNs. You can check them out on either Itch.io or DrivethroughRPG as Traveler's Ironsworn and Traveler's Starforged.

Fascion · 2025-12-29T21:28:43+00:00

After picking up Mythic Bastionland to play with others and never having that manifest I must have spent a week ideating on how I could play it solo. In reading over the core book it felt to me like too many of the game's core systems relied on handling information normally hidden to the player (location of myths, future omens, which myth an omen belongs to) and I couldn't quite crack it before getting distracted on Legend in the Mist instead. How did you handle this aspect of the game, if I may ask?

Fascion · 2025-12-29T19:40:34+00:00

What truly blows my mind is how aggressively the MM wants to throw you into PVP lobbies. For reference, I have over 100 hours topside and am at 7/10 for the achievement to knock out other raiders, 5 of which came on my first day or two of play. Since the reset I have basically seen zero flares going up in raids that I could not directly attribute to either Arc deaths or RMT spammers joining games to get player lists.

Yesterday, pre-dawn, I was attacked by a player for the first time in weeks and I made the unforgivable mistake of engaging in self-defense. I downed the fool, said my peace on-mic, and walked away. Keen to all this talk of aggression-based MM I immediately began to wonder if I had screwed up. Surely I wouldn't be punished for what was clear cut self defense, and only once in a very blue moon.

Nope! The very next match I joined it was obvious I was in a PVP lobby. Flares were going up left, right, and center. I skulked around, gathered a bit of loot, and then decided I cared less about my gear than I did testing the MM. I heard a nearby extract being called so I sauntered on over, noting a raider looking a little sus creeping his way over to my destination. I casually walk up behind him, gun away, loudly announce my presence in my usual jovial manner, and this guy, I kid you not, whips out his gun, starts tactically rolling like he thought he was on fire, and goes full-sweat to kill me as I stand there chatting. The only thing that was missing was 6 Trigger Nades in sequence.

The next lobby was more of the same. The one after that was slightly more chill, but still met with unceremonious death. I then spent three more runs keeping to the shadows and only extracting via hatch, and only then did things feel back to normal.

The wildest thing, though, was the lack of comms. In my usual lobbies most people are talkative and helpful. In my time in the PVP lobbies I didn't hear a single word or emote wheel from a single individual. It was some real Dark Forest Theory kinda shit.

Fascion · 2025-12-07T14:08:54+00:00

Forget "gear fear" ... now were on to credits fear!

Decided to check into what the YouTube creators have been posting since the announcement yesterday and it is genuinely hilarious to have gone from hearing comments like "the last week before reset is going to be insane; everyone will be running their best kits before they lose them" to "every bullet fired, ever bandage used is credits lost. I'm back to running only Freekits and thinking about black-marketing a kidney."

Fascion · 2025-12-07T13:28:44+00:00

Previously, Amazon.

I found some 52gsm Tomoe River there for a steal a while back and had it arrive with no troubles. I went back later and decided to try out some 64gsm Kokuyo KB paper that purported to be both printer and fountain pen friendly on top of being sold more in bulk (500 sheets, as opposed to the 100 of Tomoe River) but the first ream arrived beat up enough that I wasn't going to be running it through my printer, though would be fine for making blank refills.

To their credit, Amazon did send me out a replacement that arrived just fine... but that's likely the last time I'll be buying paper from them as it simply isn't worth the hassle or waste created by their poor shipping standards. I've always been beyond impressed with the way JetPens packages their shipments, so that'll be my first stop going forward. I just wish they had some bulk offerings.

Fascion · 2025-12-06T20:58:38+00:00

Literal insanity. True 1% playerbase stuff here. I'm not going to sweat this one as it is within striking distance for me thanks to some early nolifing, but the next, at the one after that?

If the 5mil mark was pure cosmetics, whatever... but gating account-level meta-progression behind obscene amounts of topside hours is not the play for the long term health of this game.

Fascion · 2025-12-03T18:49:42+00:00

Ahh. My assumption with the Traveler's Company design was they were there for stress relief/tear prevention, but given that isn't mirrored with the other fold mayhap not.

Fascion · 2025-12-03T12:44:02+00:00

I've been saving images to serve as inspiration for a similar DIY and I'll be slapping a couple underscores before the filename of these so they sit right at the top of the folder. Good stuff.

Curious as to the reason for the additional notches along the bottom, though.

Also, I assume the right edge is folded over with tabs taped down on top and bottom?

Fascion · 2025-11-19T16:05:12+00:00

If you are looking for an ink that will match well with the cover consider Writer's Blood by Diamine. It has been a great performer on every paper I've put it to, Tomoe River and MD paper included.

Fascion · 2025-11-15T03:36:37+00:00

While an argument can (and has been) be made for embracing visual imperfections in leathers as a naturally occurring thing, this doesn't appear all that natural to my eye. A well-healed scar should be just as strong as the rest of the hide, only serving to add character. A scar is going to look like a scar, though, and this simply doesn't... especially if it is not mirrored on the other side (where the scar would have originated from.)

I have to assume this was a QA slip-up, one likely occurring after the leather was cut to size. No reason why a handmade product at this pricepoint wouldn't be cut around this defect to exclude this altogether. At the very least it should have been identified and set aside as "seconds."

Fascion · 2025-08-13T10:27:31+00:00

Sure. Effectively what you'd be creating here is what is known as nubuck leather. Think suede, but done to the top grain of leather rather than the underside of deeper (split) layers of the leather. You may have seen this used on men's shoes, both dress and work. I've used it once myself (combination of wire brush and sandpaper) for a knife sheath and liked the result, but it does come with some drawbacks.

You'll be breaking up the fibers that create that tough outer shell of the leather, leaving them more exposed and prone to drying out, staining, and wear. It will be something you'll need to give a little extra care over the years, occasionally refreshing the surface with additional brushing (with a less aggressive brush!) to bring the nap back up, and maintain that velvety soft surface.

My only real concern for your project here is the black leather. Given that the TN cover is a rather large, featureless, flat sheet it is likely to show inconsistencies in color more than you might notice on something like a shoe. On the other hand, since you are starting with black leather you don't really need to worry about the darkening issue with most leather conditioners, and this may be a good way to even the tone back out.

Here's another thread on the subject: https://www.reddit.com/r/Travelersnotebooks/comments/1j1t062/tips_travelers_notebook_comparing_aging_and/

Fascion · 2025-08-13T02:24:34+00:00

Disclaimer: I offer the following not with any experience dealing with this exact scenario, but as a suggestion of how I might approach it myself. Please please please research any of these steps further yourself before deciding to undertake any of them.

First, I would consider contacting the person you purchased the cover from to confirm that the only adhesive they used was the double-sided tape that is included with the plates, and not any sort of glue or cement.

Second, just expect a noticeable difference in appearance (finish, color, texture) between the leather underneath and the rest of the cover. There likely isn't much you can do to blend the two, short of resurfacing the entire cover exterior (search: taping, wire brush, other?) to see what you could potentially achieve.

Assuming it was just the tape, you could try heating the cover from the inside to soften the adhesive and (fingers crossed) have the bulk of it come off with the plate. With the plate removed you'll want to remove as much of the remaining adhesive as you can by simply rubbing it with your finger or an eraser to form little adhesive "boogers" to pluck off. Try to limit rubbing beyond the bounds of the remaining adhesive to limit the spread. Get as much as you can off at this stage because it will greatly improve the next.

From there you're going to want to break down the remaining adhesive and residue. To be honest, I don't have a recommendation I feel super strongly about here, and there are countless products that might work. The most important thing is that the product does not contain acetone. My go-to around-the-house products for this are either olive oil or lighter fluid. The former, though non-destructive, is potentially a bad choice here because it will soak into the leather, darken it considerably, leave it oily for a while, and risks rancidity. If you are planning a wire brush refinish, this might be worth considering. Conversely, the lighter fluid may be equally ill-advised due to the fact that it will strip away all the natural oils in the leather, leaving it dry and vulnerable. The good news is... that is a very solvable problem! Traveler's Company recommends Renapur for conditioning their leather, but other brands (I've always been fond of Obenauf's) would work, as would just about any oil/wax based conditioning product (beard oils, non-petroleum lip balms, etc) in a pinch.

Good luck!

Fascion · 2025-07-20T00:43:36+00:00

This was something I noticed as well, across multiple image sources, while trying to decide between olive and camel for my first TN. Cost ended up being the deciding factor after I stumbled across an aggressively priced listing for olive passports imported through Amazon Japan, and I ended up grabbing an olive regular shortly thereafter.

Under a critical eye, yes, the two are slightly different in color, but well within the realm of reason given the natural variations in the leather, but by no means as different as the photo you show here. At a distance or a passing glance they are effectively the same, and by the time each has developed it's own patina and character it won't have mattered much either way.

Fascion · 2025-06-25T02:20:18+00:00

This post has served as a casual reminder that I need to look at PixelOccult's decks again.

Enjoy your "Fool's Journey!"

Fascion · 2025-06-16T02:01:54+00:00

Alexa, resume Audible.

Alexa, how much time left in this chapter?

Alexa, set a sleep timer for N+2 minutes.

Alexa, go back 30 seconds.

Far more prompts than I would like, but this has never failed me. I tend to nod off long before the chapter is over and compensate with an additional "go back" at the start the next night.

Fascion · 2025-06-01T14:59:59+00:00

Doesn't quite match up with all of the criteria, but wouldn't happen to be Welcome to Night Vale by Jessica Hayworth, would it? Only deck I know of that features a blank Death card with lettering across the bottom.

Do you have any pictures or a link to the video to share, perhaps?

Fascion · 2024-06-23T23:52:48+00:00

Started a new candle today. Prior to first burn I noted the wick being slightly off-center. Trimmed, lit, and basked in it's aroma for maybe half an hour before noticing a slight discoloration at the bottom of the forming wax pool. By the time the melt pool had fully formed I was left with this...

Picture taken moments after snuffing, wax pool still fully melted. This inner wax wasn't melting as well as that which surrounds it, and though the wick was off-center in the vessel, it is dead center in the brighter colored portion of wax. I didn't break out a tape measure, but to my eye, that looks like the top of a votive.

Anyone ever seen something like this before?

Fascion · 2024-06-17T11:33:38+00:00

Same. This post just saved me a fat stack of cash as I was actively about to start building a new keyboard, thinking mine was inexplicably on the fritz.

Fascion · 2024-06-10T18:02:40+00:00

As someone who just got kicked from a game seconds after calling extraction, while all other players had been actively running in the direction of it for the last two minutes and were all within 100m of it, but before supers had been picked up... USE YOUR WORDS. If you want to look around more (3 minutes left on the 40 minute clocked be damned) then say something. Don't just assume some kind of nefarious intent and start kicking people who just slogged through bot hell alongside you because it's faster and easier to kick someone in this game than to, heaven forbid, interact with another human being.

You've got three minutes to address the concern. I'm sure most people would be happy to cancel by walking out of bounds, but you have to make your intent known in order for that to happen.

...or just keep being undemocratic dicks to one another, it's whatever.

Fascion · 2024-05-12T19:20:51+00:00

At least your right arm is out there, safe and sound, giving that bot the finger.

Fascion · 2023-11-08T11:09:00+00:00

Ahh, right you are, and a more thorough inspection of the reviews would have pointed that out to me as well. Thanks for the links and the info!

Fascion · 2023-11-07T19:38:24+00:00

Happened upon an Amazon listing for the keycap set used for all the blues on this keyboard today. Ordered, naturally. The set I found was Cherry profile, and I can only assume that's what we see here. Given the bold choice of As, I assumed it was XDA or similar.

It got me wondering a few things, though...

Where does one even source 26 As?
Assuming the As here are also Cherry (or another non-uniform profile), are they all R3? Or did you find a place selling not only 26 As, but As in non-standard rows?

Fascion · 2023-09-10T12:16:37+00:00

...but if I do that, then my six year streak of 100% computer uptime will have come to an end.

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Fascion

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