Welcome back to the Marilyn Darling Show—this is my Week 9 “Currently Inked” for the 2026 calendar (February 20th through the 27th), and it’s a pretty simple one because I only added one pen and kept the rest inked. I was moving a little fast today because I’m going early (I had to make a peach cheesecake for my roommate), so this episode is very much real-life pen maintenance: topping off favorites, doing a quick rinse where needed, and keeping my week functional—especially with the Los Angeles, California Pen Show coming up tomorrow. I run through each pen and ink combo I’ll be using all week, with a heavy lean toward flex because yes, I’m still in my Noodler’s Conrad era—multiple Conrads with Fountain Pen Revolution ultra flex nibs, loaded with shimmery, juicy inks like Diamine Spiced Apple and Diamine Bucks Fizz. I also show some staples and workhorses: a Jinhao 10 with Pilot Iroshizuku (sparkly fingers and all), my Pilot Custom 912 FA with Murasaki-Shikibu, an Admok M400 broad with Tsutsuji for highlighting what I’m eating, plus my Waterman 12 POC with De Atramentis Document Black. The takeaway: pick inks you’ll actually use this week, don’t overdo shimmer (learn from my sticking), and keep wipes nearby—because the inky hands are real.