[Timestamp: ??:?? ??, 17/6/2026]

The sound of paper crumpling and water running, as well as the sound of thick paint being dropped from a tall place.

A while later, a sharp gasp can be heard, and then some groans.

"Ugh... finally..." That's not Whimsy's voice.

That's the Puppeteer.

"Now... what did I miss..."

Footsteps. What sounds like a bead curtain is pushed aside.

"Whimsy? Are you there?"

A long pause of silence, only broken by the soft sound of bird chirps and crickets.

"Whimsy? Are you playing hide and seek again?"

A hint of amusement in Puppeteer's voice, as if she were glad that her friend would greet her in this fashion. Yet again, no answer. Puppeteer heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, fine, I'll play with you..."

Some time passes of rustling and walking. Objects are turned over, leaves rustle. At some point, even the sound of a waterfall could be heard.

After a long while, Puppeteer seems to have given up.

"Alright, alright, you win! Come out now, wherever you are!"

No answer.

"...Whimsy? Don't play with me now, are you there?" Puppeteer was sounding a little more panicked than usual now.

"Whim... sy...?"

[Timestamp: ??:?? ??, 3/6/2026]

The camera is far away from Whimsy. Not that it could see much anyway, the lights were such a bright white from all around that it all ended up being very overexposed. It didn't help that their mirrors reflected so much light around the room and into the camera. Still, the faint silhouette of Whimsy could be seen, with her signature pink and purple colour palette. She appeared to be standing on top of what looked like a rippling lake. Other than the point of contact between her shoes and the lake, there were no other source of large ripples. All around her, large sheets of drapery could be seen, their unfinished and fraying edges dipping into the water and bobbing up and down, creating tiny ripples in the water.

"..." Whimsy's back was mostly turned to the camera. Something reflective was held in her hands, what looked like a stick with a pointy end.

"I know you won't be back for a while, but I still like to come here every now and then. Just..." their voice was echoey, carrying none of the joy that it usually does. "Well... I know I can like, literally visit you whenever I want, but it's just not the same, ya know? Heh... but at least Puppeteer's plan worked."

Their head tilted back as she looked up. "I look forward to watching you on your adventures...! Especially 'cause you're so happy... happier than I've ever seen you in a long while, haha..." she sighed. Were they reminiscing, perhaps? "So, feel as much joy as you can, alright? I'm glad you're finally living as you wanted to, even if it's just for a short while."

[Timestamp: ??:?? ??, ??/??/2026]

Whimsy falls through a white hole in the tall "ceiling", at least that's what it seemed to the camera. She lands gently on the floor very gently, her heels quietly clicking as they made contact with the stone floor. She looked up and waved as the hole disappeared.

"See ya at the next one!~" she shouted before turning towards something off camera. "Hmm?"

Paint residue. There was paint residue all over the floor. Whimsy appeared to stand completely still, hair appearing to be faintly glowing against the extremely bright light off to the top left corner.

"...So..." Click, click. The sound of her heels across the cold floor echoed in the large chambers. "They were actually fed up with you, huh?" The sound of fabric shuffling could be heard as Whimsy crouched down in front of a puddle. Her bright pink and purple hair shielded her face, the mirrors floating around her all pointing down at the puddle.

"Hmm..! I see... Well, I look forward to your return, then!" Whimsy said after a while of silence, standing back up and tilting her head up at the ceiling. "Take all the time you need. We'll be waiting for you!" Instead of the light, joyful tone her voice usually sported, this one sounded a little more forced. Just a little, though, difficult to discern unless you were looking for it.

"And you." Sharply, Whimsy turned to the camera, two of her mirrors following while one was still trained on the puddle, the remaining three focused on different parts of the large room. For the first time, their face is seen clearly. Bright white like the rest of her skin, except for the barest hints of pink in the shadowed parts from her hair or clothes, barely distinguishable from her gloves if not for the clearly ruffled edges. "I don't recall giving you permission to spy on business that's not yours!" Her eyes were closed, yet it appears she can see perfectly fine. Her smile never wavered, though she must be feeling something other than joy now, right?

"How about you run along now, hmm? Heh, unless you wanna play hide and seek?" she giggled. They stood perfectly still, waiting for the camera to shut off. When it didn't, Whimsy tilted her head to the side, still smiling, and—

The video cuts with a flash of pink light.

[Timestamp: ??:?? ??, 29/5/2026]

(TW: body horror: turning into paint)

[Timestamp: ??:?? ??, 24/5/2026?]

The video opens with a white-gloved hand sweeping aside a sheer curtain to a wide room filled with painting and drawing supplies. Easels and canvases, big and small, take up the majority of the room, and a dusty light shines down from above. One lone person sits at the centre, back turned to the camera. The woman had a thick blanket wrapped most of her body. Paint pooled around the stool and under the drawing table, but it looked... weirdly contained.

"Yoo hoo~ Puppeteer, it's me! Whimsy!" the camera holder called out. She seems to be unaware of the camera. "I brought sweets! I thought you could use the sugar, considering what happened!"

Puppeteer turned around as Whimsy approached, placing down her palette and paintbrush. From the way the light was cast and how unusually shadowed her face was, Puppeteer appeared to have a dusty purple hue to her skin. Her eyes couldn't be seen due to how her hair was hiding them.

"Huh? Ah... thank you, Whimsy." Puppeteer didn't get up from her stool as Whimsy approached. The plates of baked goods could be seen placed down on a side table with a clink. Puppeteer reached for a cookie as Whimsy stood back. The camera perspective cuts to between the pile of cookies and red velvet cupcakes.

For the first time, the viewer gets to see Whimsy, who's in a purple and white dress with her back turned to the camera. The purple part on top flared out like pointed flower petals, and the bottom white part appeared like the bottom of a flower. Black shorts can also be seen underneath it all, barely peeking out under the dress. They also wore white opera gloves that had matching purple stripes at the top, and her pink and purple ombre hair was in a long jellyfish haircut. Six mirror shards in the shape of sparkles floated around her. The bottom of her dress had some white wire-like things, but from the angle it was hard to tell what exactly they were. Whimsy's hands were clasped in front of her. Perhaps it was the lighting, but they also seemed unnaturally pale, with only the barest tint of pink in the most shadowed areas.

"No trouble at all! I just hope these could make you feel better!" Whimsy giggled. "I hope Lextus isn't hoping to put you out of commission for TOO long, you know! That would like, defeat his whole purpose!"

"Mm..." Puppeteer turned her face away as she munched on the cookie. "I'm trying to heal. But it will take time. More than I'd like." she grumbled, pulling her blanket tighter around herself. As she did so, a long, half-healed wound can be seen on her exposed arm. Puppeteer hastily covered up her arm.

"...I know you wanna protect her happiness, and I applaud you for that! So eat up, okay? You need the energy if you wanna help her!" Whimsy nodded once sharply. "Oh also, the child wanted me to give you a hug!"

"The chil-?" Before Puppeteer could finish, Whimsy swooped in and quickly hugged Puppeteer from the side. Puppeteer seemed surprised and went completely still until Whimsy let go a moment later.

"Well, I'll see you later! Gotta get ready for the ball, mhm!" Whimsy turned on their heels and skipped out of the room, tall boots clacking as she went along. The mirror shards floated behind her as they went along. Puppeteer was left staring after them, before eventually finishing her cookie and taking a cupcake. Even after Whimsy left, the sound of their laughter echoed in the room.

It’s like bottled sunshine. I lay there in the part of the room relieved of shadows, a window-print on the floor. My eyes closed and Heart open, I dream of fields of grass and other kids who want to play. Hot summers and cold fruit on the picnic table. All from the safety of the four walls around me. Nothing else matters but the way the sun feels on my face. 

I am twelve years old today. Maybe this is my year. I feel Hope and Happiness and maybe even a hint of Love. The sunshine washes over me like a delicate cleanse, and I am grateful for the relief. I hear the door open and suddenly open my eyes to see.