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* Originally posted on my Instagram page. Ink Review: Noodler's Ink, Nightshade. Grade: 62.50%. Paper Tested On: Norcom Composition, Clairefontaine 85g, 20lb Staples brand). Nightshade (NS) is a dark mauve, or burgundy, colored ink that reminds me a lot of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses. On cheaper paper it sometimes has a brown quality to it that reminds me of rust, especially when just writing normally. When used in a flex pen, the shading is very subtle, which can be appealing depending on the desired application, but on very absorptive paper, the color becomes matte and the shading is almost non-existent. NS is a very wet ink, that drys very quickly despite its saturated nature. Which I think makes this ink ideal for practicing calligraphy in a flex pen. The trade off, as you probably guessed, is that NS feathers and bleeds heavily, even on 85g Clairefontaine paper. When I did flex writing with NS on cheap office paper, some of the letters got a gray halo around them. It reminded of the separation you see in chromatography. NS is not a permanent ink. You can see from my tests that water lifts the words right off the page. I've used NS in an ink wash and I really enjoyed the effects I got with NS. I was surprised that it held up so well to hand sanitizer and nail polish remover. Just don't expect it to be bulletproof like its Australian cousin. If you're looking for a wet ink that isn't your every day purple, then you should check out Noodler's Nightshade.