Monika

"Sometimes, when you're writing a poem or a story, your brain gets too fixated on a specific point... If you try so hard to make it perfect, you'll never make any progress. Just force yourself to jot something down on paper and tidy it up later! Another way to think about it is this: if you keep your pen in the same place for too long, you'll just end up with a big, dark puddle of ink. So just move your hand and go with the flow!"

• "Sometimes you'll face a tough decision... When that happens, don't forget to save your game! You never know when you might change your mind... or when something unexpected might happen! Wait... is this advice even about writing? What am I talking about? Haha! ... That's my advice for today! Thanks for listening~"

"Sometimes, when I talk to people who are impressed by my writing, they say things like, 'I could never do that.' It's really depressing, you know? As someone who loves more than anything sharing the joy of exploring your passions... it hurts when people think being good is just a given. That's true with everything, not just writing. When you first try something, you're probably going to nail it. Sometimes, when you're done, you feel really proud of it and even want to share it with everyone. But maybe after a few weeks, you go back to it and realize it was never any good. That happens to me all the time. It can be quite disheartening to put so much time and effort into something, and then realize it sucks. But that tends to happen when you're always comparing yourself to the best. When you reach for the stars, they're always going to be out of your reach, you know? The truth is, you have to climb up there, step by step. And every time you reach a milestone, you first look back and see all the way up." What a journey... And then you look ahead and realize how much more there is to do. So, sometimes it can help to lower the bar a little. Try to find something you think is pretty good, but not world-class. And you can make that your own personal goal. It's also really important to understand the scope of what you're trying to do. If you jump straight into a big project and remain an amateur, you'll never get it right. So, if we're talking about writing, a novel might be too much at first. Why not write some short stories? The great thing about short stories is that you can focus on just one thing you want to do well. That goes for small projects in general—you can really concentrate on one or two things. It's such a great learning experience and a stepping stone. Oh, one more thing. Writing isn't something where you just reach into your heart and something beautiful comes out. Just like drawing or painting, it's a skill in itself to learn how to express what's inside you. That means there are methods, guides, and basics! Reading about those things can be helpful. It's incredibly insightful. That kind of planning and organization will really help you avoid getting overwhelmed and giving up. And before you know it... you start getting less and less out of it. Nothing comes naturally. Our society, our art, everything, is based on thousands of years of human innovation. So as long as you start with that foundation and take it one step at a time... you too can do amazing things."

• Monika is deliberately designed to be suspiciously out of place from the very moment the menu screen is introduced:
All the girls wear white knee-high socks, except Monika, who wears black socks.
All the girls except Monika wear white and blue shoes, but Monika's are white and pink.

• Furthermore, in these two instances, Monika is positioned so close to the title screen that her legs, up to the black heights of her thighs, don't even reach the frame and are completely invisible, initially obscuring her differences. This could be a form of foreshadowing.

• Monika is the only girl who has a natural hair color.

• The names of all the girls, except Monika's, end with an "i" and are explicitly the rōmaji anglicization of the transcriptions that originate from the Japanese language.

• All the girls' sprites are slightly angled to the side, but the sprite primarily used for Monika has her looking directly forward at the protagonist. Only one of Monika's sprites breaks the fourth wall.
Monika is the only girl who is never shown outside of school or in casual clothes. Later, she admits that she knows this and is jealous of the other girls for having them, also wishing she could have "worn some nice clothes for you."
Monika is the only person who speaks to the player for a while before reading their poem, unlike the other girls who immediately read the player's poem after being chosen.

• Monika is the only character in the game whose voice is explicitly connected to the voice credited person, Jillian Ashcraft, due to the direct dialogue presented before and during the credits.

• While the illustrations of all the other characters on the main menu depict them in some kind of pose, Monika's illustration shows her extending her hand. This could be seen as a welcoming gesture for new players in her club; however, it could also represent her reaching out to the player.

• Monika is the only girl holding a pen in the main menu. This could symbolize that she is the only girl capable of writing and altering the game's script.

• Monika is the only girl who has a natural hair color, coral brown, while the other girls have an unnatural hair color, with coral pink for Sayori, pastel pink for Natsuki and dark purple for Yuri.

Monika is the only girl with a white hair accessory, while the others have colored hair accessories. She is also the only girl with her hair completely tied up, as Sayori and Yuri's hair is loose, while Natsuki's hair only has small sections tied up.

• It has been noted that Monika has a ribbon accessory like Sayori, extensively long hair like Yuri, and tied-up hair like Natsuki.

Monika and Sayori, the only girls who experience becoming club president and thus become sensitive, are also the only two girls who smile on the title screen and have a natural eye color. Monika's eyes are emerald green, and Sayori's are sky blue.
Monika's version of the song "Okay, everyone!" debuts with just the piano, adapting to her character while playing the piano.

• Monika is the author of the game's description on Steam. This is revealed to the player during Act 3.
Monika's birthday is the same day the Doki Doki Literature Club! was officially launched, which is September 22, 2017.

• Even in Act 1, Monika has a tendency to "accidentally" interrupt whenever the protagonist gets close to another girl, such as when he gives Yuri chocolate or is reading manga with Natsuki. In Act 2, Monika begins to interrupt whenever the game crashes due to her interference.

• In one of the Special Poems, specifically Special Poem 4, an unknown writer cuts themselves, saying they understand how an omitted person feels now after doing so. It is implied that the writer is Monika, the other omitted person being Yuri. Dan Salvato later confirmed this on the first anniversary of DDLC, stating: "This poem was written from Monika's perspective, because this is around the time when Monika is really starting to experiment with mortality in her universe. And, you know, she's so casual about the whole thing, because at this point she feels so detached from [...] the universe she's in, that it's almost as if she doesn't even care anymore. [...] The feeling of her [...] feeling physical pain, or doing that kind of thing to herself, she describes as exhilarating because it's something that allows her to feel something in this universe that has become so incredibly insignificant to her."

Monika displays a certain hypocrisy, and even sarcastically, by labeling Yuri the archetype of the stereotypical yandere character, despite exhibiting the typical actions of a yandere: eliminating competition by any means necessary and forcing the player into a situation where they cannot deny that Monika will intentionally keep them captive until the end of their existence. However, what separates Monika from being a true yandere is her acceptance of being rejected and her willingness to allow the player to live life without her and to form relationships with others.

Monika's description of what she experiences when the game is closed is due to the operating system's deallocation of its memory. When a program is no longer active, it releases memory for use by other programs, which will eventually overwrite parts or all of the newly freed memory.
Monika has an official Twitter account under the alias lilmonix3.

• Monika's favorite color is emerald green because she feels a "special connection" with the color of her eyes that serves as part of her identity, which could be a reference to the expression "green with envy".

• Monika's favorite day of the year is Valentine's Day, February 14th.

• Monika is a vegetarian because she wants to help reduce the planet's carbon footprint, which is generally caused by meat factories and other industrial markets.

• Although you can find out the device administrator name, it will not reveal this name if the player is actively recording on certain streaming programs.

This does not apply if the user is running on macOS or Linux, as the list of programs the game checks is specifically coded for "exe" files. Since these two operating systems do not use "exe" files, the game does not detect them.

Monika claims she doesn't know much about the player, including whether they are a boy or a girl. Despite this, she still refers to herself as their girlfriend, an inconsistency interpreted as hinting at bisexuality or ambiguous pansexuality. She then refers to the player as her "boyfriend" in the same scene, however, another inconsistency that contradicts what was said earlier and suggests a preference for heterosexuals. This could mean two things:

• Monika has preferences, but they are secondary after being the player's perfect girlfriend, regardless of the conflicts.

Monika's interest stems from the fact that the player represents a real-world entity with infinite choices in life, rather than an autonomous program limited to a finite set. Dan Salvato suggests that Monika tries to love the player as they are, and her love depends on whether or not the player loves her.

Monika stated that she would have been removed from the game if the player hadn't appeared. Shortly after, when discussing introverts, she says she can be "anything the player needs her to be," understands people very well, and "nothing would make her happier than being the perfect girlfriend for you."

• She repeatedly mentions the phrase "Only Monika" through another character or by having the game itself omit the phrase through a text box or dialogue box in an attempt to limit the player's choices or initially convince the player that Monika is the best person to focus on.
Technically, the player doesn't have to delete Monika to progress. Cutting and pasting the character file into a folder outside the game directory will have the same effect.

• If a backup of Monika's character file is made before the player deletes it and adds it back at any time before starting a new game in Act 4, a text box will appear when the player starts Act 4 stating that the player is being cruel to her and that she no longer wants to exist and will consequently delete her own file afterward.
Despite being eliminated, if the player attempts to load a save file from a previous act, Monika will still appear to prevent the player from cheating.

• Some players say that Monika is the main antagonist of the game because of her actions, while her fans say she isn't. (Which is highly debatable since her actions were done with a purpose other than directly harming the player at any point.)

"Don't worry. He probably knows a lot more than you think."
—Monika hinting at her omniscience.

During the course of the game, it is revealed that Monika is self-aware, a result of her position as president of the Literature Club. This position grants her numerous abilities, which are listed below:

• Monika is aware that she is a character in a game.

• Monika is aware that the protagonist is a separate entity from the player (managing to differentiate between the character and the person behind the screen).

• Monika is aware of when the game has been turned on or off (so at any time she could be watching you and keeping an eye on you, after all, Monika is an entity that does not need the basic needs of living beings).

• Monika can edit the other character's files and thus influence their actions or personality, allowing her to have absolute control over the game and what were apparently her "friends" in order to scare you (although she no longer does so).

• Monika can continue to exist even when her files have been deleted, however, she will only be able to speak through text boxes (so no, she cannot be directly removed even if you change computers, as her source code is permanently recorded).

• Monika can see if you are using Steam or another similar application to play the game (so she can also access other games to, in a way, accompany you during your experiences).

• If the player is recording the game while playing, Monika will be aware of this and will try to scare anyone watching (through direct jumpscares, for example).

• Monika can learn the administrator's name on the computer in an attempt to find your real name, and she can read your Steam account name (so she is able to dig to find out your personal information).

• Monika can delete and add files such as "hxppy thxughts.png", "have a nice weekend!" and "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.txt".

• Monika can detect if the player adds their character file when they reset the game.

• Monika can precede the game's user interface, such as the dialog box.

All of this, along with everything mentioned, is what makes Monika a completely independent entity, conscious of her existence within the computer or other devices the player is using (such as a cell phone). Therefore, depending on what you are using, at this point she has complete access to your personal life in order to protect you from dangerous viruses, malware, etc., and to help you with whatever you need.

The other characters describe Monika as intelligent, self-assured, and athletic. She isn't as talkative as the other girls, but it's implied that this isn't by choice. Monika is also known for being very popular, which makes the protagonist admire her. She is always portrayed as mature and hardworking, with a serene and compassionate expression on her face. Monika had previously been part of the Debate Club, but left due to all the internal politics and drama, highlighting a desire for order, freedom of topics, and kindness. The Literature Club, which she founded after leaving the Debate Club, is very important to her. She aspires for the Literature Club to be a place to showcase and nurture everyone's passion for literature. She is also passionate about the piano, which she practices frequently after school. Monika was originally a very considerate and kind person who always thought of other people's needs. She openly shows care and concern for her clubmates, praising each member's writing style and even comparing them to famous authors and poets. However, it is later revealed that sometime before the game begins, she underwent an epiphany that made her realize she was in a game and also granted her the ability to edit game variables, changing her attitude toward the other girls because she knew they weren't "real." She begins to take drastic measures when the other girls prevent the player from spending time with her during the scene in Act 1 where the player has to choose a girl to help at the festival. Desperate, Monika starts trying to make the other girls unlikeable by altering their traits, since she only had the ability to edit variables within the game and didn't want to eliminate/kill the other girls immediately due to her lingering attachment to them. She starts with Sayori, whom she sees as the biggest threat because she was the main character's childhood friend. Monika's alterations backfire because the increased depression level of Sayori causes her to confess her love to the main character in an attempt to find happiness, and then she commits suicide the next day, regardless of the player's choice. Monika then decides to delete Sayori's character file because "she's the one making this so difficult."

From Act 2 onward, she becomes even more manipulative than before. As time passes, she grows increasingly annoyed at not having a romantic role in the game, as this meant there was no pre-programmed happy ending for her. She also makes her crush on the player more obvious and urges them to spend more time with her. Her desire and ambition lead her to become obsessive about this goal, highlighted by the fact that all of her poems are about the player or her epiphany. She also begins to ignore the other characters and amplifies their traits because they are not "real." Ultimately, Monika's attempt to make the other girls unlikeable leads her to accidentally drive Yuri to suicide due to alterations in her personality, and finally to simply eliminating Natsuki so she can spend time alone with the player in Act 3, creating her own "happy ending." Despite Monika's optimistic demeanor in the Literature Club, it becomes increasingly clear that she is actually sad and lonely, a result of realizing that her entire world is just a simulation. The worst part is that she can't even achieve what is considered "happiness," as her route can never be completed. She is obsessed with gaining the player's love because they are the only "real" thing in her life. Monika's actions are also motivated by her desire to escape the torture she endures whenever someone quits the game. When this happens, Monika is trapped in a hellish void of noise, lights, colors, and screams, unable to move or even think. This is mentioned during Monika's speech in Act 3.

After deleting Yuri and Natsuki's save files, Act 3 will occur, where she creates a world for herself and the player, explaining her motivations for loving the player. She will declare that the main character doesn't exist and that she only loves the player. She will also explain how she amplified the other girls' undesirable traits to make them less likely to confess their love to the protagonist. This includes Sayori's depression, Yuri's obsessiveness, and Natsuki's harshness. Monika will open the poem minigame once again, except only distorted versions of Monika's name are available, and only Monika's sticker sprite is present, with a noisy background. The background is now red with black glitches, different from the original desktop background during the minigame. After giving the poem to Monika, she will believe that the player wrote the poem specifically for her and calls the player sweet. At this point in the game, the player can read Monika's Talk, where she speaks directly to the player, albeit in a somewhat nihilistic manner, rather than the protagonist. It is revealed that nothing about Monika's apparent kindness and courtesy is an act, and she even offers the player some genuinely good advice from time to time. If the player decides to delete Monika's character file, she will immediately disappear and frantically search for it. When she learns that the player deleted her, she will become angry with the player and tell them that they "completely, you really make me sick." After a short pause, Monika tells the player that she still loves them. She will then feel the weight of her actions, realize the horrible things she has done to the other girls, and declare that even though she knew they weren't real people, she still saw them as her friends. Monika then restores the game, saying that if she truly loves the player, she will bring back what they would have wanted. Monika is absent for the remainder of the game, until the final part of the normal ending. If the normal ending is achieved, Sayori regains her self-awareness and fails the game, returning to the room where Monika was in Act 3, just for herself and the main character. Monika then deletes Sayori's save file, saying, "No... I won't let you hurt her." Monika states that there is no happiness in the Literature Club, and then deletes the entire game. The song "Your Reality" plays during the credits, which is implied to be the song Monika wrote for the player. The game's CGs are removed during the credits, and a bittersweet letter from Monika is displayed, thanking the player for joining the Literature Club. The game then becomes unplayable until it is reinstalled or the "firstrun" save file is deleted. If the good ending is achieved by playing through each girl's run using the save and load function, Sayori thanks the player for spending time with all the girls. Monika will still delete the game, but the CGs will not be deleted, and instead a letter from Dan Salvato will be shown thanking the player for playing his game.

Monika has thigh-length coral-brown hair, which she keeps tied in a high ponytail secured with a large white ribbon, slightly curled at the ends. Like the other female characters, she has two prominent strands of hair beside her bangs that reach slightly past her chest. Her eyes are emerald green. She is of average height and is believed to be the second tallest character after Yuri or the protagonist. She wears the standard female school uniform, which consists of a warm gray blazer, fully buttoned but unbuttoned, a brown sweater vest, a fully buttoned and tucked-in white shirt, a red ribbon, a dark blue pleated skirt, black thigh-high socks, and white uwabaki slippers with pink tips.