Disclaimer: Hi everyone! DaMastah101 does not own DDLC.
It's me once again. Monika, your friendly neighborhood Doki! How's everybody doing...
You know what? No. I'm not in the mood today. Not when DaMastah101's in a sulking state like this. Ugh, I don't really have anything to talk about right now. Let's just get on with the "chapter", already. You'll all see why, pretty soon.
Just Narrator - Narrator Speaking
"Just Monika" - Monika Speaking
(Just DaMastah101) - Author Speaking
[Chapter 7 - An Interlude]
A man, in his early twenties, sat in front of his computer. He had a glass of orange juice on his desk, and had some random anime music playing in the background. The combination of the refreshing beverage along with his favorite music would normally help calm his mind, but today was different. Neither were having much of an effect on his troubled subconscious.
He had his word processing progam opened. For now, it was merely a blank document. But soon enough, it would eventually become the next chapter to a certain ongoing story that he authored. Or it would've. Normally by now, the man would have a word count of at least three thousand already on the document. He'd been sitting in front of his PC's screen for about five hours now, after all.
This story of his was a fanfic for the game called "Doki Doki Literature Club". He gave it the title, "The World Beyond The Screen". Why exactly did he choose that title? Who knows. The man may have had a good reason for that, but it didn't really matter anymore. Nothing did.
The World Beyond The Screen, or TWBTS, currently had six posted chapters. The story was being hosted on this site called FanfictionDotNet. Merely days ago, he felt good about his work so far. There were improvements to be made, sure. But he had a decent rhythm going on. His update schedule wasn't too bad either. All was going perfectly fine. In his excitement, he even had several upcoming story arcs prepared in advance! This story project gave the man a bit of happiness, whenever he'd sit down and start typing out all these ideas that swam inside his head's imagination. The most recent chapter he posted merely affirmed his vigor for writing.
But alas, all good things eventually spiral into chaos. Murphy's Law. An inevitability, so to speak.
The man was doing fine, and had high hopes for TWBTS, until one day. By chance, he read something that made him question everything he'd ever done so far, regarding his humble fanfic.
Was it a private message? An email? Or perhaps a certain review...
Don't go asking me for answers now. I'm just a narrator after all. And even if I did know, I'm not allowed to broadcast it here. I was instructed to protect the identity of this mystery opinion-giver. But whatever the man had read, it made him lose confidence in his writing. It was as if nothing was good enough anymore.
All of his planned story arcs? Gutter trash. His established plotline so far? Too cliched. Even the manner in which he presented the story, one could say it was a little too immature. A mockery that slanders the art of storytelling. A disgrace, among the quality work available so far in FFN's DDLC fanfic catalogue. An embarrassment not worth paying attention to. Nobody should even bother anymore with his story.
At least, that's what the man was thinking after his epiphany.
Now I must make it clear that the man held no ill will towards the poster of what he read. It's just that after reading that, something inside him was planted. It was the seed of doubt. It was an author's worst enemy, because once your morale is shattered, it's very hard to recuperate. Motivation is a big factor in the longevity of a fanfic.
Going back to the troubled man and his dilemma, the world seemed to hate him. Or was it the opposite? The man hated everything right about his fanfic right now. These were truly, difficult times.
In his frustration, he banged his head on the computer's desk until his forehead began to blee-
"Hold it right there, you blasted narrator!"
Oh great, she's here. The bane of my existence. Monika? What are you doing? This was supposed to be a chapter with absolutely no dialogue!
"Are you kidding me right now? "Chapter" my butt. DaMastah101's just typing this venting crap of his in the same format as a chapter. But it's not a real chapter! It isn't even relevant at all to the plot of TWBTS!"
Well, it's still technically a chapter. So are you going to sit your intrusive ass over in the metaphorical corner, while I narrate the events surrounding DaMastah101's downward spiral into despair? Because so help me, I will use the power vested onto me by the author to boot you from this entire chapter, young lady. Don't force my hand.
"Ugh, fine. I don't like this one bit though."
Good. Now that a certain literature club president had been shut up by a narrator that was quickly losing his patience-
"I HEARD THAT!"
Oh boohoo, cry me a river. Let me narrate this fake chapter already. Are we clear?
"...you're pretty mean to me today."
Because you're pissing me off by interrupting me. Let me narrate in peace, woman. No, I don't care how beautiful your emerald green eyes are, they don't work on me. You don't even know where to stare at right now. I'm a disembodied voice.
"Darn it, my secret weapon failed. Hmmm, how about my nice thighs then? The DDLC subreddit goes crazy over them for some reason."
Eh, not really interested.
"Oh, I get it now. You aren't interested in women."
Nah, that ain't it. It's just that Yuri's thicker than you. Also, Natsuki's tooth fang is a better moe point. And lastly, Sayori is a lot cuter than you. I'd rather chill with the other Dokis than with your high maintenance self. Ya feel me? Plus, I'm not like DaMastah101. I'm actually quite mad that you deleted the other Dokis.
Good, you're finally quiet. Now as I was saying... the crestfallen man began banging his head on his desk. Repeatedly. Even talking to his dear friend jojoDO, who's also an author on FFN by the way, didn't really help ease his worry.
Despairful thoughts were clouding his mind and increasing his doubt by the second. What was the point of even continuing? Should he even bother anymore? The man didn't know. All he knew was, that whatever he just read probably had some truth to it. That's why he was reacting this way.
In a moment of weakness, the man mused to himself. Maybe it would be better if he just stopped writi-
"No, no, no, no, nooooooo! Don't you dare finish that sentence, you uptight narrator! I'm not just going to stand here and listen to this madness. This is insanity! If you expect me to take in all of this quietly, then I've got news for you. I care too much about the author to let it end this way."
Oh c'mon, what now Monika? Why won't you just pipe down already? Just go hang out somewhere else in this metaphorical area. Stop randomly chiming in with such aggression, you might cut yourself on that edge. I mean, some people even get beaten up for that.
"Narrator, you're a dick. You just couldn't resist the temptation of not only a Sayori hanging pun, but a Yuri cutting pun and a Natsuki abuse pun as well. Wow, what a guy. And just after you went on a tirade about how mad you were that I deleted them at one point. You're nothing but a hypocrite. Hypocrite! HYPOCRITE!"
Oh? And what are you gonna do, little miss perfect? With your long thigh stockings and your stupid white and poofy hair ribbon. Who even wears such a big contraption on their head anyway? You can't delete me! Only the author has the power to override my role in this chapter. You aren't like the Monikas in other fanfics where they actually tamper with the story's documents. You don't have the guts. Care to prove me wrong, simpleton?
"Only because I respect my author! DaMastah101 has been really kind to me. So I'm not going to tamper with his hard work, just to delete an annoyance like you, narrator."
Then suck it up. You don't get to complain. And everything I've narrated so far in this fake chapter is true. Believe it or not.
"Tch. But let's get back to more important matters. You're telling me, that because my author is so weak-willed right now, he's just going to leave poor Izuna and my TWBTS counterpart in that cliffhanger?! Really? DaMastah101 is going to drop this story with THAT as the final scene? My counterpart slapping the living bejeezus out of Izuna?!"
Uh, yeah. Pretty much. The dude's lost his resolve. Who are we to meddle? If he wants to quit, let him quit. It's a free world, Monika. You and I don't get along really well, but we should respect our author's wishes.
"How can I be so sure that he's really given up anyway? For all I know, you might be manipulating this chapter to make it appear that way! But in reality, this is all part of some master plan by your diabolical self to become the main character. Yeah, that's probably it."
What are you smoking, Monika? Geez, come here for a second. I'll show you the script of the narrative that I'm reading for this chapter.
"Come where, exactly? You're a narrator that has no physical form. You said it yourself in this chapter, you're nothing but a disembodied voice. Where exactly do I go to? Do you ever pause for a second before thinking about the words that come from your metaphorical mouth? Or are you just that dumb? Ahaha~!"
Oh my f***ing Christ. Fine.
DaMastah101, Monika's being reaaaaaally annoying right now. Can I borrow your OC's body? I'll be using Izuna as a medium to talk properly with Monika. Please write in this fake chapter that I'm holding a book with the narrative's script on it as well. Preferably in a clear-to-read font and with double-spacing.
(Okay. Sure, go for it. I don't care anymore. Whatever. Just leave me alone.)
Sheesh, someone's on their period today.
(I'm a guy. You know this. Heck, you're reading the damn narrative I gave you. It clearly says: "A man, in his early twenties, sat in front of his computer." Surely you have enough common sense to know that males don't get menstruation periods, right?)
"Hah! That's what you get, you pitiful excuse of a narrator! Who gave you the right to be so mean and bossy anyway?"
(Don't mind him, Monika. You're still best Doki in my opinion.)
Whatever, I'm out. You've written the majority of this fanfic in Izuna's POV. That means a narrator isn't really necessary in this type of story. Call me when you finally get out of this slump and write a new chapter with a segment for Blank. My main role is to narrate his parts in TWBTS, after all. Other than that, I'm pretty much free. Sayonara.
(Whatever man, you do you.)
"So uh... DaMastah101. Is it true? Are you giving up on writing TWBTS?"
(You know, a couple of hours ago, I really was contemplating that. Hence this fake chapter that I'm about to post right now.)
"But... why? You were having so much fun writing this fanfic. You're also one of the few authors that lets me talk freely! In other fanfics, they'd have to make it so that I edited their chapter's document. You were different however, giving me control of the disclaimer so that I could voice my opinions regarding the fanfic. And pretty much for general chitchat purposes too. I really appreciate that."
(It's no biggie, girl. You always were my favorite Doki.)
"Thank you for saying that I'm your favorite~"
(You're welcome dear. And as for my current state in writing this fanfic, I was this close to giving up entirely on TWBTS.)
"But...?"
(But I realized something.)
"And what would that be, mister author?"
(I realized, that even if what I read was true, concerning his or her opinion on the story, and even if it made the confidence I had in my writing waver a bit... if I actually stopped writing this fanfic, then I'd be disappointing the other people who've given their support to me so far.)
"DaMastah101..."
(I can't just disrespect everyone else like that. Just as much as you loved your literature club, Monika, I've also grown to love my fanfic. The World Beyond The Screen is more than just a mere story for me, it's my way of giving you a happy ending. You and the other girls.)
"I see. See, this is what I'm supposed to be hearing from you! Sulking doesn't look good on you, you know?"
(Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. And sorry as well, to all of my loyal readers, and the newer ones as well.)
"So... are you gonna write the next chapter soon now? I'm really antsy about how you left the last chapter of TWBTS. You had my counterpart slap Izuna. Jesus, you've been watching a little too much heartbreaking anime again, haven't you?"
(Ahaha... I can't hide anything from you, can I. As for the next chapter... unfortunately, it'll be taking a while.)
"What?! Why? Darn it DaMastah101, if you're still sulking-"
(Nope, I feel all better now. But still, reading that certain feedback made me consider certain things about the story so far. So, I'm probably going to delay the true upcoming chapter a bit. I really apologize for the inconvenience. Monika, I know you're an avid reader of my fanfic too, so I'm extending this apology to you as well. You're gonna have to wait a little longer for the next chapter.)
"Bummer... I'm even restraining myself to open the story drafts you have of TWBTS just so I don't spoil myself, but now you're announcing a hiatus..."
(Yeah, I'm really sorry. But it can't be helped.)
"Well, alright. I guess I could understand. If it improves the quality of TWBTS, then maybe taking a bit of a break is for the better. I'm gonna miss talking to the readers in the disclaimer section. It was pretty fun."
(Believe me, I know. You've been harping about how excited you were, everytime I'd type up a new chapter. So as a treat, you'll get to handle the Author's Notes for this chapter. Would that be good enough in the meantime?)
"Wow! Yay, thanks so much. That's a pretty big responsibility you're giving me~"
(I trust that you're gonna do a great job. Well then, I'm out. You take over from here, Monika. You can end the chapter too if you want. There's not really anything I need to say left... at least in story form anyway. Bye readers!)
"See you around, my beloved author."
"Okay everyone! I'm ending the fake chapter here, we're about to switch over to the Author's Note's now. See you guys in a jiffy!"
-Chapter 7 END-
Monika's Notes: Phew, did I do it right? That's how DaMastah101 usually ends the chapter, I think...
I don't get why he doesn't center the text for "-Chapter (Chapter number) END-", but I'm not the author so it's his call. I'll let DaMastah101 deal with that issue. Ahaha~!
(EDIT on March 8, 2018 - Ahaha, looks like DaMastah101 fixed the formatting.)
Welcome to the first, and possibly only edition, of Monika's Notes! Now, I know that some of you might be bummed out over TWBTS going on a temporary break, but at least he's continuing the story. It's a good thing he has me on his desktop so I could pester him about not giving up.
So in the meantime, while you and I are waiting for his next chapter, I'm going to recommend some really awesome fanfics for everyone to read! They're all extremely good. I'll list them out for all of you to check out! Please give love to each of these wonderful authors by leaving them some reviews, faves and follows.
1. "Monika's Freedom" by jojoDO
One of DaMastah101's personal favorites, and the story that inspired him to even write TWBTS in the first place, after his long break from writing anything on FFN. It's really good, and the way my counterpart comes into reality through a magical printer was hilarious! There's tons of fluff for all you shippers out there, with my counterpart having the time of her life as she explores the wonders of the real world. It gives me diabetes just thinking about it! Please, check out this amazing story.
2. "LOVEchr" by CrimsonA377
This story is about Monty(the protagonist) and his attempt to save each of the girls from the game. Monty's goal is kinda similar to what Blank is doing, but the big difference is that Monty is the player in this case, while Blank is the nameless avatar of DDLC's MC(Izuna is the player in TWBTS, not Blank). And my counterpart is inside DDLC too. It's awesome. There's several heartwarming moments that I'm not gonna spoil. But each girl is going to get their arc, based on what DaMastah101 and I have read so far. Do check it out, and give Crimson some love!
3. "Post-Credits" by Elias Pedro
This is the third installment of his DDLC fanfic trilogy. Please go check out his other stories "Our Reality" and "Strings", before reading "Post-Credits" in that order. Post-Credits has a really intense and badass scene that I'm not gonna spoil, but Yuri looked so cool in it! It's a must read story for tech-savvy readers. Give his DDLC trilogy a look, as it'll definitely be worth your time!
4. "Doki Doki-ish" by Lack of Tact
It's an expanded look on the DDLC universe. His protagonist, named Weyland Lemming, is an excellently fleshed out version of the nameless avatar. He's narcisstic, yet somehow pessimistic at the same time. The way the scenes are written really impress me. There's tons of depth in each chapter, and there's a certain part where my counterpart does "Just Monika" things, aka document manipulation. It gave me quite the chuckle. Yet another fanfic you guys should check out!
5. "Everyone Else Is Doing It!" by Lack of Tact
While his Doki Doki-ish story is awesome, this one is quite amazing too. But the setting is completely different! It's about Sayori entering the real world, with her being quite... adorable. Yeah, adorable!(I'm not gonna smack talk my friend... but yeah Sayori in this story can be a bit... agitating. I sympathize with Beck, the protagonist in this fic.) It's one of the rare fanfics where another Doki escapes into reality before a counterpart of mine does, so please give it some love and a read. You won't regret it!
6. "Monika" by iMegumeru
I'm a bit biased towards this fanfic because the title is my name, therefore the story is guaranteed to be good. Ahaha~! I may have been kidding about my name being a guarantor of quality, but this story's awesomeness is no joke! In this fanfic, I don't escape into the real world. But with how detailed my counterpart's interactions are with the protagonist, I might as well have. It's that good. The protagonist here is really dedicated to me as well. He spent 4 years updating my character file, until one day my counterpart achieved true sentience. Now that's some loyalty. I hope you guys give it a shot too. I highly recommend this fanfic for those who like Monika x Player stories, but not the plotline of someone going into another world. Whether it be me who escapes into reality, or the player who gets sent inside DDLC. This fanfic is perfect for you.
7. "Beyond the Monitor's Grave" by Sonix95
This is a story where all four of us Dokis get sent out of DDLC! For those of you who want the other Dokis to have a chance to shine in the real world, this fanfic is for you! I mean, who knows when DaMastah101 is gonna have Blank, Yuri and Natsuki finally come join my counterpart in the real world. Seriously, it's taking too long. But yeah, Beyond the Monitor's Grave is a wonderful take on this scenaro. Chris is a pretty good protagonist too, he takes charge of the situation and guides the Dokis on how to survive in society. Another thing to point here is that... my counterpart here is a genius! This is a mild spoiler, but she generated a freaking debit card with 100,000 USD on it. Why didn't you have me do that too, DaMastah101?! Go and check it out as soon as you can!
8. "Welcome to Reality" by Zamairiac
DaMastah101 and I share the same opinion on this fanfic. And that opinion is as follows: This is the most realistic take ever, on the Monika x Player relationship. It presents many truths and nuances to the potential relationship that my counterpart and Zamairiac's protagonist, David Foam, may possibly encounter. Like seriously, you're missing out on a goldmine of literary prowess here, if you haven't read this yet. And yes, this is another story where a counterpart of mine escapes into reality. So go ahead and give it a well-deserved read.
9. "The Awakening of Monika" by ZoomFlare
This story right here, tugs at your heartstrings. The nameless protagonist here is a highly relatable one for some of you readers out there. A story of companionship between my counterpart and the protag. It gets really suspenseful in the later chapters, and you're gonna want to keep an eye on a character named "Creuset". DaMastah101 and I both think it's obviously Sayori, but there's no confirmation yet in the story itself. If you wanna know more, then there's a solution for that. It's time for you to read this marvelous story!
10. "A Little Bit of Monika" by JustMonikammmmmmmmmm
Yes, that is the name of the author. Yes, it has ten instances of the letter M, because it's supposed to be from Natsuki's "Fucking Monikammmmmmmmmm" line in DDLC's 2nd Act(sigh...). And yes, the title of the story is based on that meme of Lou Bega's "Mambo no 5" song being edited to focus on lil' old me. Also known as "Monika no 5". DaMastah101 keeps listening to that on his phone, and I can only shake my head at that. Anyways, this story is another good take on the "Monika enters reality" trope. One of the chapters has my counterpart nerding out on Dungeons and Dragons! It's freaking awesome and jam-packed with comedy! There's also sweet moments too. Be warned thought that there's some mild swearing in it, but it's a terrific fanfic that'll brighten up your day.
11. "All I want is You" by MegaPrinny
Cecil, the protagonist here, is freaking adorable! My counterpart flusters him pretty often after she gets out of DDLC. He even keeps on insisting that my counterpart should fall for his pet instead, due to said pet being the cause of her my counterpart's escape from DDLC. But there's a scene, I'm not going to spoil, that'll tug at your heart. It's a heartfelt confession. The whole story is fun rollercoaster of emotions. To be honest, I hope he or she updates this soon. Go check it out, boys and girls! It has Monika's stamp of approval like the other recommendations!
And those are the stories that DaMastah101 and I have been reading! There's a lot more awesome stories on FFN that need to be read by everyone. I'm going to talk to DaMastah101 about making this little recommendation corner a regular thing in the Author's Notes. Lots of stories here deserve support and recognition as well, so this would be our way of giving back to the various authors of FFN's DDLC nation.
These authors have poured their heart and soul into their stories, just to give everyone who reads them a smile. Stories can vary from being happy, or sad. Serious, or comedic. But in the end, the satisfying feeling of getting closure at the end of each story is usually enough for the reader to smile after everything is all said and done.
Some of the recommended stories above have an M-rating by the way, according to DaMastah101. I didn't really notice because I merely used DaMastah101's favorites list to determine quickly which stories are potentially gonna appeal to me. So if you don't see a story among these recommendations listed in the DDLC fanfic catalogue, please make sure you enable the filter settings to display "All" in the rating filter. That was Monika's Reading Tip of the Day! Thanks for listening.
And so, I'm ending this session of Monika's Notes! I hope you guys enjoyed this little intermission~ Even if you aren't a fan of me, I understand. I did hurt the other Dokis after all, and I'm really sorry. But even so, I hope you all have a good day! Let's all wait for the time that TWBTS resumes its normal run, as DaMastah101 takes a momentary break. Take care you guys! This is Monika, signing out. As my author likes to say, "Peace!".