[open] Introduction + July Catch-all

[peninhand]

🧙 WHO: Monika and ~~YOU~~!
⚔️️ WHAT: There are three prompts: one is Monika in the hotel shortly after her arrival, another is her trying out magic and the other is her helping patients as part of the Summer Fever quest. Additionally, the TDM prompts will be posted as well, in case anyone wants to play around with them. I am happy to go with either prose or bracket, whichever you're most comfortable with.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout July
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot, surrounding areas
⚠️ WARNINGS: N/A, but it's Monika so there is always a risk for touchy topics to pop up. Will edit if this happens.

All prompts are inside the post in the form of comments

Comments

I/ Doki Doki New Beginnings Club || Arrival, Hotel

[peninhand]

a) Monika was sitting at a table, with her familiar sitting on her lap— A small, pink nine-tailed fox. There was a cup of coffee on the table and she held the spoon in hand, lost in thought. Was any of this real? It certainly seemed to be, but... So had Doki Doki Literature Club, prior to her epiphany. Then her reality had unraveled itself and her memories had been exposed as nothing but fabrications. Would the same await her here...?

She didn't even want to think of that. So far she felt... If not happiness, at least comfort. Yes, she felt comfortable here. More than she'd ever been in the game. Perhaps she should change her mind. She looked around for a bit, and addressed the first person who passed by her.

"Oh, excuse me— Are you someone from another world or era, too?"


b) The day after, Monika has come back to the same table, but this time her familiar was sitting on a chair instead. The coffee cup was half-empty as she was busy writing in her notebook:

New Beginnings

Colors, screams, lights, screeching

I close my eyes and wait
I close my heart and wait
Wait, wait, w a i t
Till the pain goes away and I find peace

It is the end, the end of all things

Yet my eyes cannot contain the tears
Yet my heart cannot smother the cries
Wait, wait, w a i t
Till it all ends and I find peace

Rainbows, laughter, speaking, smiling

My eyes open to a new sky
My heart opens to a new hope
The wait is over
I found peace, but the end did not come

New beginnings, the beginning of life

My eyes sparkle as I cry
My heart beats as I laugh
I have waited long enough
Maybe now I can live

And maybe now I can love

As she finished writing, she put down her pen and re-read the poem. Ah, it wasn't her best one... But for something she'd written on an impulse, she was pretty happy with it. She smiled and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Maybe putting this down on paper would successfully lessen her fears.

A

[whatsamada]

Meanwhile, Ken was sitting nearby as he looked at his familiar with a small sigh. Between the heat and how the poor snowman was about to faint, he wondered how he was going to keep on training him when he could barely handle it. Just as he was about to get ready to go, that's when he heard a voice.

"Yes, I am?" He said before the realization hit him. "Isn't almost everyone from a different world here?"

[peninhand]

Almost everyone? Huh... So that was even worse than she'd imagined.

"Really?" That was going to count as a first bad impression, huh? "Um, I'm sorry I arrived just yesterday. I figured there were just as many natives as people from other worlds if not more, ahaha!"

Like that person she spoke to on her way here, Archimedes was it? And there was King Arthur, of course. Maybe things were just run magically without actual workers and stuff. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really spotted them...

[whatsamada]

In return, Ken just shook his head before giving a small smile. "It's okay, there are a lot of things you want to know when you're new here!" With that, he looked back at Jack Frost before looking back at Monika.

"I know there are a lot of things you want answered but I'll try my best to answer them!" That and he wondered how much he can answer when his familiar sweating so much.

[peninhand]

"Yeah, there are so many fantastical things here! I don't even know where to begin, ahaha!"

It was exhausting just thinking of where to begin. It was like being an infinite number of choices, each one of them as appealing as the other. And that was a really wonderful feeling. Compared to her tiny reality? She wouldn't trade it, nope. She looked with worry at the snowman though. Was it melting?

"Oh dear, is that your familiar?" She could think of no other explanations. But with that heat... Well it wasn't even that hot, but snow? Wouldn't last minutes. "Is he going to be alright?"

[whatsamada]

Before Ken could say anything further, that's when he looked back at his familiar before giving a sigh of relief. It was a good thing she did notice as he didn't want to come across as rude for ignoring her in favor or saving the snowman! With that, he lowered his head before giving a mumble or two.

"Yes, he is but I hope you don't mind me helping him first? I am worried that he might fall over and pass out anytime soon." With that he gave a pause. "And trust me, he really won't like it after he wakes up afterwards." Because it would throw a fit if he doesn't get it his way.

"Would you like to help out?"

[peninhand]

"Don't worry at all and yes, I'd love to help~!"

But... How were they supposed to help him anyway? If he had elemental magic, he would probably have already created an igloo around his familiar, right? And her magic, well being new as she was, she would be of no help. She got up from her chair and approached the poor snowman.

"So, um..." She laughed awkwardly. "Should we take him to a fridge..?"

Alright, perhaps that wasn't the best idea... But! It's a source of cold, right?

[whatsamada]

"Probably but I don't really know any fridges nearby!" He said before scanning around the area. While it would be awkward to ask a store if they could momentarily use their big refrigerator to help their familiar, he didn't have much of a choice.

With that, he gave a small pout before he was seriously thinking about what to do. "That or we find a fan with some cold water bottles to help cool him off."

At the same time, when the snowman looked at Monika, he gave his hand out to her with a look that said he has given up on life. Please help, he was melting over there!

[peninhand]

"Aww, poor little thing..."

She looked at the poor snowman and made a gesture to pet it, but stopped midway— Where... Would you even pet a snowman? Was it even right to do it? And wouldn't her hand freeze? Thus she slowly withdrew her hand.

"I know! Nine-tailed foxes are said to be able to see and hear anything that's happening in the world...!" Well, she didn't think it'd be able to do that here, but so long as it could at least see their surroundings— "We can ask my familiar to find a fridge or fan nearby!"

Upon hearing that, the pink nine-tailed fox who'd been napping on a chair opened his eyes and stared at the melting snowman with a cold and indifferent gaze. To help him and stop napping, or to not help him and continue napping? That question seemed to be at the center of the nine-tailed fox's mind right now.

[whatsamada]

As she withdrew her hand, all Jack Frost could do was give a small whine. Leaning a little closer to her, he hoped that his big sad eyes would given her to pet him. C'mon, could she say no when he was pouting?

At the same time, all Ken could do was sigh. "I don't see why not! I think anything is worth a try!" He said before patting his familiar on the head. In the back of his mind, all the boy could do was shake his head at how much of a kid Jack Frost was being.

However, as he looked at the pink familiar, he raised an eyebrow or two. Was he going to help out or not?

[peninhand]

How could she resist? She tried petting him, without causing it to melt more. But gosh, was it cold...? The pink nine-tailed fox continue staring intently, eventually leaping on the table. It sat down gracefully and elegantly, and finally looked up at Ken. It would help, but it had a condition to do so and Ken was the one who had to fulfill it! When it talked, it was with a deep, resounding and otherworldly voice.

"Pet me, mortal."

Monika's eyes widened as she heard her familiar speak. Wait, what?

"... You can talk?"

That was news to her, apparently.

[whatsamada]

In return, Ken just stared at the familiar with a raised eyebrow. While he didn't mind petting the fox, it was rather strange to see him demand such a thing from the boy. "Uh...any reason why?"

He asked before looking back at Monika. "But sometimes familiars can talk. I just wasn't expecting yours to be uh..." He scratched the side of his face before looking at the other direction. How can he say this without sounding rude?

"Forward."

[peninhand]

"Do it and I shall tell you where to find a source of cold."

It was probably a very striking image. Such a cute and small pink nine-tailed fox... Speaking with such a deep and grave voice. It was as if a furby suddenly started talking like Darth Vader.

"Forward? You mean rude! I've tried talking to him and he's never replied..."

The fox didn't care. He waited for his petting.

b

[corruptedsave]

Someone, a younger someone, just happens to walk past the table that Monika and her familiar are seated at and well... She happens to get their attention, or at least Chara decides that she's someone worth pestering, especially with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

It's just begging to be bothered, so they'll get close and try to peer at what Monika has written.

"Is that a diary or something?"

[peninhand]

"Oh, hello!"

She opened her eyes and smiled sweetly at the child who passed by. Monika didn't look annoyed, she was quite happy to speak with someone in fact.

"In a manner of speaking." She nodded. "It's where I write poems and short stories when inspiration strikes."

She closed her notebook before they could read the whole thing though. Poetry was something personal and even somewhat intimate. She had no qualms sharing it with her friends, even newly made friends, but someone she'd never met before peeking into her journal was a bit much. She could understand why they'd peered, though. She'd have done the same, it's human.

[corruptedsave]

"I see," Chara didn't get a good enough look at the poem to be able to comment on it, although part of them wants to anyway.

Just because they're that much of a shit.

"It seemed a bit silly though, kind of childish."

Of course, they're not an expert on poetry, so they really are just saying that to get a reaction. Their attention now on Monika's face to see just how she'd react to their words.

[peninhand]

Monika rose an eyebrow at that. Childish...? Well, her poetry certainly wasn't anything to write home about. But for an eighteen years old, she thought it was pretty good. It wasn't so much the criticism that surprised her than the person uttering it. A renowned writer telling her that would have hurt, but she would have accepted it.

A child who may never have written a single poem in their entire life? Not only the criticism had no value whatsoever, but it came off as mean-spirited. Of course, children could be cruel but something was... Off. Well, perhaps they were a genius who had already written more poems than she had so far. But she wouldn't be on it. So if they had hoped to see some kind of interesting reaction, they would be disappointed. The facade Monika had built to hide the real her would take a lot more than that to crumble.

"It wouldn't be realistic to expect for me to write something on the level of Shakespeare, ahaha!" She smiled at them. "But it's better than the poem I wrote yesterday. And the one I'll write tomorrow will probably be better than that one. Step by step, I'm improving. So even if today's poem is childish, there will come a day when I may be on par with the greatest writers."

She had no intent to ever reach that level, but with regular practice? Anyone could do it. Still, she raised a finger.

"Are you into writing too? Perhaps we could share our works sometimes!"

[corruptedsave]

Yeah, the lack of a reaction certainly piques Chara's interest now. Usually, when they're crass they get told to be polite or to not be rude. But Monika's brushing it off so easily just tweaks them in a way that makes them mentally place her in their, very tiny, interesting people pile.

And as she talks about getting better day by day? Chara simply smiles and nods, because really they can't say much to that because at its core it is true. Do something enough times and, of course, you get better at it. They do blink when she raises her finger and asks them about writing.

"I'm more of a reader than a writer," they respond, seeing no reason to lie about that. The fact they're into reading is something they happened to pick up from their adopted monster mother.

[peninhand]

So she had been correct, they have whatsoever no ground to build their criticism off. So why? Hmm, maybe that was just how kids were. They didn't really think much before talking. And children were capable of so much cruelty... Well, not intentionally, usually. Maybe they'd been fishing for a reaction, but it was hard to imagine a kid doing that sort of thing.

"Ahaha, I'm an avid reader too! I've been into short stories of late, but I'm also really fond of poetry and romance." And now that she had said that, there was really nothing left for her to say, really? Which meant the conversation was no longer about her from this point on, but about the kid who had approached her. "What about you? Do you have any favorites?"

[corruptedsave]

Chara isn't really what one would call a normal kid, so any ideas Monika might have about them could be off the mark. But hey, that's not important right now. The conversation was turning towards them instead of her, which might not be so good.

"So like, you're into girly stuff," they say it absently, no malice or other motives behind it. Just the mention of romance made them automatically think girly stuff. As to their own interests?

"I like stuff with fights and such, also I know too much about snails because of a book my mom owns."

[peninhand]

"Mhm, I'm not sure it's correct to label all of this as girly. There are boys who love romances too, you know."

Nevermind that between the pen with a heart-shaped tip, the pink notebook with a heart design and all other sorts of details, Monika is indeed into a lot of things people would categorize as "girly." She's not really helping break gender norms...

"Ahaha, that's cute~!" The part about snails, not the books with fighting in them. She's not really into them... "I don't know anything about snails, you could probably teach me a thing or two."

[corruptedsave]

Chara doesn't say anything about the girly stuff, even though they do give Monika's various writing tools a look. As if to say 'Uh huh' to her comment.

They do however give a nervous chuckle at the mention of snail knowledge. "I dunno, it's been a long time since I read it. And most of it was silly stuff, like... Snails can't tie up shoes, why? Because they don't have hands."

Toriel's snail book is more like a bad joke book, really.

[peninhand]

She laughed at that. Mhm! She now understood why such a young child would have stumbled upon a book about snails. It was a comedy book, about jokes or something of the sort. It was weird, though... Someone meaner and less patient than her would have plenty of ammo to offend that kid if they so wanted, especially after said kid called them childish or girly.

Was he doing that on purpose, to create conflict? Well, that wasn't gonna work here. Monika was too avoidant of conflict in the first place. And with a kid? The thought didn't even cross her mind.

"That book does sound like a good time." She smiled sweetly. "What's your name? I'm Monika!"

[corruptedsave]

"It's Chara." They answer, not really thinking about how they had been giving people a fake name this whole time. They'll mentally beat themselves up about it later though.

"So, do you just write poems or do you have fun doing other stuff?"

A subject change here, because they feel like the attention has been on themselves for too long so time to turn the tables.

[peninhand]

Chara. She nodded when he said his name then tilted her head at his next question. A bit nosy, was he? It was obvious by now he wasn't just a regular kid. But she didn't see any reason not to reply.

"Oh dear, so many things ahaha!" She smiled and laughed a tad awkwardly. "Literature is really the biggest one... That's what I hope to have a career in. But talking about hobbies, I do enjoy movies and video games, too. They're kind of the opposite of books in many way. Books let you build images in your head, but movies and games give you the images. They're very different experiences."