In this talk, we'll explore how Kotlin combines imperative and functional programming styles. We'll look at how to manage effects without relying on effect handlers, how inline functions play a key role, and how must-use return values help gently distinguish pure functions from those with side effects. We'll also touch on the role of context programming and how it fits into this model. Along the way, we'll examine how these patterns perform at runtime and what trade-offs they bring.