[The audio on the Vine is...a little more distorted than usual for this message. But that's definitely the Queen's voice coming out of it. Singing.]

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days
Of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us
Once more.

Through the years,
We all will be together
If the Fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon
The highest bough,
And have yourself a merry little...

I forget...how does it go?

Oh, it's so dark out. Won't you help me in these dark days, my darlings?

[She sounds distraught. And the snow begins to pile up...]

_{[Nausicaä adjusts her flying cap on her head as the mirror forms an image of her. Her mask is dangling in her other hand.]}

I think I'm going to make a trip to the edges of the Garden, just to see for myself.

Would anyone like to come?

_{[[EDIT: Log is up here.]]}

[The mirror pops into view, flickers a few times, then reveals the Queen of Hearts once again, still against a dark background. This time, there's a holly wreath perched atop her hair.]

I'm sorry I haven't had the time to listen to all your helpful suggestions, darlings! It turns out creating a world is hard work...ahahaha, who knew?

Besides, I'm feeling a bit...

[She trails off, looking absently to the side, then quickly readjusts her wreath and continues.]

Anyway! One of my less tame incarna has shown her face, has she? I may not like her attitude, but I think she had a good idea this time. There are so many ways to enjoy this season, but this might be the best!

Now, I have work to do. At this rate, the whole place will fall down around my ears while I'm working on opening the dungeons...ah, it's enough to drive a girl crazy!

[And the mirror shrivels back up. But the mistletoe, that remains, wherever you are...]

[OOC: The Queen won't be replying to comments directed at her (she is, like she said, busy), but this post is free to be used for general mistletoe antics and mingling so that everyone who wants to make use of the mistletoe doesn't have to make a whole post.]

[A new face has shown up on the vine tonight! It must be; how many people here are decked out in one of those especially revealing Santa costumes? In any case, she's smiling very tersely indeed, leaning down for a rather nice view of the... ornaments.]

Ladies, ladies, ladies! I am most disappointed.

I've been keeping a list and checking it twice, but there's not enough naughty and far too much nice. Means you wouldn't know how to take advantage of wishes if they were tied to a chair in tinsel and pretty lights, for those who can't keep up.

Where's your holiday spirit? 'Tis the season to be giving! If you're into receiving, that's fine too. Her royal bustiness told us you'd be encouraged in no time, honestly.

It's high time I take matters into my own hands, don't you think? Yes? Glad we agree!

[That's that, apparently. It takes nothing more than a teasing flick of the wrist to prompt some alarmingly quick plant growth in the background. Maybe you've encountered these before. Then have a kiss blown at the mirror, as if to demonstrate:]

Now pucker up, girls. You'll thank me later.

[OOC: You heard the, um, lady. Mistletoe now decorates the Gardens, and any two people caught beneath it will be compelled to kiss. For child and pre-teen characters, this does not have to be a kiss on the mouth. The mistletoe will last through Saturday the 18th, after which point it can be assumed that the Vamp got bored of putting it back up after its victims tore it down or set it on fire.]

[Ramona appears in the mirror holding scissors and a flat iron. She has cut her hair shorter (into a bit of a bob) and straightened it, but it's still the same blue it was before. Several different boxes of hair dye sit on a table next to her - red, pink, mauve, magenta, purple, green, pine green, lime green, sky blue, navy blue, midnight blue, black, sable, orange, tangerine, blond, platinum, gold, silver, crystal, ruby, sapphire, emerald, and a few that might not even exist on the color spectrum. She pauses for a moment before starting to speak.]

Well, if I'm gonna be here a while, and from the looks of things, I am [glaring off to the side, presumably at the absent Queen] I figure I might as well try to keep things interesting for myself. Haven't touched my hair in a few months now other than to re-dye it, and by my standards, that's like decades.

So help me pick, people. Which color says "Help, I'm stuck in an alternate dimension and I can't get out" best?

[EDIT: Later in the day, Ramona eventually decides on a vivid reddish-pink, seen here.]

[The mirror turns on to show one wide-eyed redhead gaping with a scroll in hand. She is still wearing only the default white gown because, well. She hasn't found her things yet.]

Whoa. The cats were right! Wow, that sure was a lot of stuff to read, but I guess it was worth it! Even if I did skip most of it, but I got this thing to work, so I won't worry about the other things and just--

Um, hello! My name is Sora. Can anyone actually hear this? I think I'm very, very lost. Or dreaming. I don't feel like I'm asleep, but I think that would explain a lot, especially since I've had dreams like this before. I guess that, uh, if I'm lost, I'd like to know how to get back to the academy and if I'm dreaming I'd like to get woken up--no offense to the Queen! She seems really nice and I bet this place is great even if it's only in my head, but I have have to hurry and get back to saving the princesses.

Time is very important!

Am I supposed to pay this thing quarters like a pay phone...? Crap! I don't have any change! I don't even have pockets in this.

[The mirror opens to a sunny morning, and a girl sitting on the ground. Her wings would probably be reflecting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight if it weren't for the fact that she's sitting under a good-sized parasol - her one actual wish from the stars. It's pink.]

I don't get it.

[She looks around suspiciously at the trees and flowers and other such foresty things.]

Nobody's attacking me. Nothing's that confusing. Even the sun isn't bad as long as I have a parasol.

Living outside is really easy.

So why did sister say I was only safe inside the mansion?

Let's see.

I wish for a tea set, full-size sign posts, my purple dress, fancy silverware and dining sets that match, and...the black white.

[She doesn't even move as it CRASHes]

[When she opens the capsule she places them all in a gap that she uses as a storage space. However, she holds up the result from the last part of the wish]

A broomstick. You mock me.

[A very annoyed Japanese teenage girl's face scowls into the mirror.]

So I wake up in a skimpy dress out in the middle of the woods surrounded by small furry animals, and I'm told that the one responsible for it is some "Queen of Hearts" lady.

Yeah. Right.

[She raps her knuckles on the mirror before pressing her eyes up to it as if it's a camera.]

COME ON OUT, LOKI. I already know you're behind this, so get out here and take your beating so I can go home already.