Visconti Mirage Mythos Persephone Fountain Pen Review

The Visconti Mirage Mythos series of fountain pens is not new to the market - Sarah first reviewed it on the blog two years ago - but they have remained interesting to me because of their wide range of styles, and the comfort of the pen every time I had the opportunity to try one out.

While I’d argue that comfort is the more important aspect of any writing instrument, I want to talk about the style of the Mythos, because that’s what made me pick up the pen in the first place.

One look at their product page and you’ll see why I gravitated to them. Sarah’s Athena model was tough to pry from my hands, and picking out my own was a challenge as well. The Orange Demeter model was a contender, and the Blue Black Poseidon was nearly the selection, but the Purple Persephone combined the brightness of the Demeter and the darker trim of the Poseidon into a fun pen I want to use all the time.

A few other points on the style of this pen that I enjoy. One, the finish is matte, which feels great. I wouldn’t care if it were glossy - there is a mixture of both in the series - but this finish works well with the hardware on the pen. Speaking of which, the Ruthenium trim is a perfect compliment to the Purple, Pink, Blue, and Black of the acrylic. I could hear Persephone herself calling to me to pick this one up because it looks so cool.

The fluting on the barrel runs cleanly through the pen from end to end, giving it a good tactile feel to go along with the matte finish. And finally, the famous (or infamous, depending on your preference,) Visconti clip looks to be at a lower profile than what I’ve seen on other models, but it could be a visual trick.

What’s not a trick of the Mirage Mythos is the nib. Only available in three sizes - Fine, Medium, and Broad - and in Steel, mine was perfect out of the box. I went with Fine, and it has been a clean, smooth writer, with a line width meeting my expectation of a European-sized Fine tip. Would I prefer Extra Fine? Sure, but I’m not going to tell the Queen of the Dead that to her face.

Van Dieman’s Nightfall on Canopus paper. I think this is the most proper representation of the ink color.

I inked this pen with Van Dieman’s Nightfall from their Natura Dualis dual-shading ink series, and it’s a perfect match. Well, mostly a perfect match, because on some papers - like Mitsubishi Bank - it turns bright Blue. That would be great for Athena, but I prefer the Purple for Persephone. Such is the life of a dual-shading ink!

This is the same ink!!! The left is Kokuyo Good Tools, and the right is Mitsubishi Bank Paper.

The Mirage Mythos does have one questionable design element I can think of, but mostly it’s a pen of “considerations.” That means it’s great all the way around for me, but may not fit what you are looking for in a pen.

The design element I’m most curious about is the added band on the bottom quarter(-ish) of the grip section. It looks cool, and matches the aesthetic of the cap band specifically, and the hardware overall, but why? I think grip section designs need to be all or nothing. I like textured grips - like knurled or grooved - but a smooth area into a raised, rough area is an odd tactile choice.

I say all of this knowing that the grip doesn’t bother me, especially as a rough/knurled grip fan. I’m also a low-gripper and I’m all over the raised edge of this section and it doesn’t affect my comfort, but I’m not sure others will enjoy it.

Another consideration is the magnet cap. The attachment is strong enough to be protective, but light enough to be able to remove the cap without much force. It is also designed to magnetically post with the addition of a metal finial on the end of the barrel. It is a satisfying click, but if you are a fidgeter like myself, don’t keep clicking the cap on and off the front of the pen to prevent pressurized ink burping. I did get a few dots of ink on the nib from playing around too much, but nothing too dramatic.

At $215, the Visconti Mirage Mythos is priced fairly for the design and functionality of the pen. Is it expensive? Yes, but in the category where it resides it is a solid choice, and is far and away my favorite Visconti Steel nib pen. Hopefully they will continue to expand on this lineup in the future.

(This product was purchased from Dromgoole’s at a discounted price.)

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Pairings Party: Fountain Telling Willow Fountain Pen, Sailor Manyo Uri

Getting to talk to makers and vendors is the one of the best parts of any pen show, and I made that a priority at the 2026 Atlanta Pen Show. That’s where I got to spend time talking to Kristen Brooks of Fountain Telling, and she got to share with me the story of her latest pen design, Willow.

I’ll be the first to admit that when I first laid eyes on this pen I wasn’t sure what to think, but once I heard the story behind it, I couldn’t stop smiling. I firmly believe that the best products have great stories, and Kristen recently shared the impetus for Willow with Caroline Foty in last month’s Meet Your Maker:

“The “Willow” pen is designed to represent Brooks’ dog, Willow, an Australian shepherd. “She’s my entire world wrapped into a dog. She’s my service dog, she’s a competition dog – she does dock diving, barn hunting, and agility – she’s with me wherever I go. I like to say she picked my husband for me.” The pen represents the silhouette of Willow’s body: “She has a narrow nose, a wider face, a narrow neck but broad shoulders, a fluffy butt, and a little nub tail. The nub on the cap is her tail. I looked at her and thought, This is an interesting shape, how would it be as a pen?” It turned out to be not only a striking pen, but also a comfortable one. “It’s beginner friendly. My husband is new to pens and we find that it helps to seat the grip.” Reactions to the pen have been a source of amusement. “It’s designed after a dog, I can’t help where your mind goes!””

Love it!!! 🐶

As a dog person myself, I am way in on this. But as a pen person also, how does it work? Surprisingly well.

I’m historically not a “curves” pen shape person, but the more I try different models in different shapes, the more I am becoming a convert. Many pens such as this are purposefully designed to fit into your hands seamlessly, and that’s what I get from the Willow.

When writing, the Neck of the dog (there’s a description I’ve never used in a pen review!) sits perfectly in the cusp of my hand. Hand sizes are obviously different between each person so your mileage may vary, but this Willow feels like it was made for me. Aside from the Neck, the Tail gives me endless joy just thinking about it. It’s so stubby, and makes me think about its namesake every time I see it.

Kristen gave me this pen, and allowed me to pick out which barrel color I wanted, which is no easy feat. I went with her Three Olive Martini material, which I learned after the fact is another pen makers favorite blank. So yes, I have good taste!

To prove that, I had my choice of inks to match to this pen. Terasnishi Emotional Olive is the perfect choice, right? Wrong! It’s Sailor Manyo Uri. Why the odd choice over the easy choice? With Uri, you never know what color is going to show up on the page.

Whatever color it is going to be, I did know that it would match this pen perfectly. There is a range of Brown and Greens all throughout this pen, and I knew Uri was going to give it the overall feel I was looking for.

The one thing I didn’t know is how the paper in the Nonble A5 Notebook was going to handle this setup. I bought it at Choosing Keeping when I was in London for the Relay 10th Anniversary event, and finally cracked it open this week.

The paper inside is called Galbus COC, and not only have I never heard of it before, I can find absolutely zero information on it online. That said, it’s great for fountain pens in limited testing. Writing with an Extra Fine Jowo #6 Nib and an ink I’m familiar with, it worked perfectly. I’ll spend more time with it in the coming months and put out a full review, but for now, it seems like a good option.

Is the Fountain Telling Willow a good option for you? If you are looking for creativity, whimsy, and storytelling wrapped up in one beautiful package, then I think so. Mix in some fun ink and a fresh page, and you are ready for a Pairings Party of your own!

(Fountain Telling provided this pen at no charge to The Pen Addict.)

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Pairings Party: Kakimori Frost Violet Fountain Pen, Taccia Aomurasaki

Dark Purple has always been my vibe, and these two separate acquisitions - the Kakimori Frost Violet Fountain Pen and Taccia Aomurasaki Ink - ended up being the pairings party I didn’t know I needed.

Let’s kick things off with a review of the fountain pen. Kakimori introduced their Frost pen series back in 2024 with both a fountain pen and rollerball version. The idea being that the nibs were swappable, meaning you could buy the fountain pen setup, add on the rollerball nib, and use it with an ink cartridge or converter. The reverse is also true, and the total price ends up the same no matter which base you start with.

I stuck with only the fountain pen, as I traditionally don’t care for the rollerball nib/fountain pen ink setup. The option is there is I ever decide to, though. The fountain pen is only available with Fine or Medium nibs, so I went with the narrower of the two. It’s a Steel nib, and looks like a #5 with Western tip sizing, and the line width agrees with that. I would prefer Extra Fine, but the ink flow is consistent, and shows off well.

The Frost Fountain Pen is lightweight, checking in at only 14 grams. That’s identical to the Pilot Prera, another small and light fountain pen. The Frost also has a very narrow tapered grip section (9.2 mm, compared to 10.6 on the Prera,) and may pose a problem for some. It works for me, but the Frost finish on the pen gives it a satin-y feel that can be slick with dry fingertips.

The cap is threaded, and only takes a fraction of a turn to open. With that quick opening I wonder about the cap coming loose, but I haven’t carried it in my pocket enough to tell. It should be fine give it is plastic on plastic. The cap does post, but not deep enough to make it a viable option.

Given my preferences for small, light, and narrow pens, the Kakimori Frost should be right up my alley. It is, visually speaking, but I would be hard pressed to recommend it for $58. That’s simply too much for this “feel” of a pen. I get that they are made by a small maker (a personal favorite, at that,) and likely in small batches so there is real cost involved, but the nib swappability ($72 total for one barrel and two nibs,) isn’t enough of a feature for me.

I like it, but in the land of pens like the Platinum Prefounte and Pilot Kakuno, I’m not sure the Frost can compete.

OG Tomoe River 52 gsm, left, Kokuyo Good Tools, right.

It’s saving grace, for the time being, is my acquisition of Taccia Aomurasaki Ink. Given its name, with ao meaning Blue and murasaki meaning Purple, I would think the Blue tones would pop more, but I’m glad they don’t. This is more of a Purple/Grey or Purple/Black, and it’s glorious. From the moment I inked it up I’ve been hooked, and that hasn’t changed given the different paper types I’ve tested it on.

It flows well from the Fine nib in the Kakimori, and my next fill will be something in the XXF category to see if I can still pull Purple out of it, or if it is too dark for that fine of line. Regardless, it looks great, and I can see it being used in many pen types and nib sizes. It’s jumped immediately up towards the top of the list.

So there you have it: mixed reactions at this party, with the pen leaving a bit to be desired, and the ink off the charts good.

(JetPens provided the Kakimori pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided the Taccia Ink at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!