Fresh Fierce Collection Okoye

 Look who showed up on my doorstep! 

OKOYE! 

Okoye is the the general of the Dora Milaje and leader of Wakanda's armies.  In the interest of honesty, I will confess I have not seen her every appearance in the Marvel Universe.  I've only seen Black Panther in its entirety, and clips from the other movies. 

I have been watching this doll since I knew she existed because I freakin' love Okoye.  Full disclosure: I generally have no interest in superhero stuff.  The only Marvel movies I own are Thor Ragnarok (because Sam Neill) and Black Panther.  Black Panther caught my attention because of the rave reviews, so I watched it out of curiosity.  It blew me away.

Some folks will tell you Danai Gurira is the only reason I watched that movie or wanted this doll.  They're about 50% right, at least about the doll.  When I saw the doll for the first time, I said "She looks just like Danai."  World of EPI did a fantastic job on all three of the dolls in this set.  They all look very like the actresses.  I honestly think they are the best celebrity likenesses I've ever seen.

World of EPI is a black-owned company, focused on making black dolls that are not merely Caucasians in chocolate brown.  The fashion doll line is called Fresh Dolls, not easily found in my area, and a tad pricey.  The Fresh Squad (male fashion dolls) had my eye almost from the moment I heard of Fresh Dolls.  I eventually managed to get my mitts on two EPI dolls, both on sale.  

But I digress.  Okoye was very easy to remove from the box.  The insert has a Black Panther emblem in shades of blue and white.  Very cool.  Since the box didn't have to be destroyed, this gives me the option of keeping her items in it in case I ever decide I want to display her.

Okoye with my other dolls from World of IPA.  Fresh Doll "Lexi" and Fresh Squad "Kalil".  She's a bit shorter than Lex, but her shoulders are higher.  Lex got a big ole noggin.  

WARNING NEKKID PLASTIC PEOPLE AHEAD

RUN FOR THE HILLS

DON'T LOOK, ETHEL

While taking off her armor, I discovered that her skirt/wrap can be a cape.  

The clothes under her armor could be regular Barbieville clothes, but in the interest of keeping the set complete, they will be put away with the spear and armor.  I couldn't do this with my other movie characters because the boxes were destroyed.

Okoye has better hinges at the knee and elbow.  She's more muscular, as befits a warrior, and her wrists are articulated. Lex has smaller feet, so on the rare occasion that my dolls wear shoes, Okoye will have to share with the wrestler ladies and McG.   

With elbows at waist level, Okoye can almost touch her face.  She also sits in a more ladylike manner than Lex.

I haven't figured out yet what Okoye is gonna be doing in Barbieville.  

I now have two mini Danai Guriras in my house.  You are jealous. 

Questions Asked

 The Private Investigator meets with Albus and Pern in her apartment.  He's trying to gather information on Cash Nedakh, the long absent father of Pocahontas, Nakoma, and Anakin Smith. 

Albus:  Sad to say, I was the one who introduced him to Kida. I tried to warn her that he was no good, but she wouldn't believe me until it was too late.  I saw him play his game in towns all across the country when we were working as carnies.  

PI: Kida had bought out the carnival, correct?  This was the start of the amusement park that stands today?

Albus: Yes, and she offered us both jobs.  Cash realized she was not only wealthy, but Indian.. sorry, Native American.  He zeroed in on her like I did enemy camps back in the war.   He had a real thing for "squaws" - his word, not mine.  

Pern:  My story's pretty much the same as Kida's.  He never married me, though.  I guess you needed a bankroll to get the ring. When I first met the girls, I was shocked that he'd not only married their mother, but stuck around for ten years.  He skipped out on me five minutes after I told him I was pregnant. 

PI:  You have not seen or heard from him since?  Neither of you? 

Albus: I'm a pacifist, but if I saw him again, I'd probably be in prison right now.  He broke Kida's heart and deserted two children. Weird thing is, he didn't empty the bank accounts on his way out of town.  

****

Across town, Federal agent Carol pays a call to the police chief.   

Carol: There's a detective sniffing around for Cash Nedakh.  

Lynch: I heard a rumor to that effect.  He could have been hired by another scorned mother.  Anakin already came out of the wood work and I really wouldn't be surprised if there are more out there. 

Carol: Or he could be working for the people he went into Witness Protection to avoid.  We allowed him to come here only because he refused to help in the case unless we did, and it's a major investigation.  

Lynch:  I suppose the people on your end are trying to find out who his client is? 

Carol: We are.  But I need you to keep and eye on this detective.  He's already spoken to the Smith sisters and he's got interviews set up all over town. 

*****

At Helena House, renovation work has paused while the County Oversight Committee investigates.

Lex:  Let me get this straight.  You, Dionne, are the mayor's niece.  What are your qualifications for this position?

Dionne: I'll be happy to give you a detailed resume.  Most women with my background would laugh at the idea of doing this for the agreed wages, but this has been a pet project of mine and Rose-Grace's since I was in high school.  

Maisie:  I was in and out of foster homes all my life.  Dionne talked to her aunt about the problems I was having, hoping to help me since at the time Rose-Grace was working with Children's Services. They bonded over a desire to reshape the foster care system. 

Lex:  You're a law student, correct? 

Maisie: I'll give you a copy of my resume, as well.  I'm here more as advisor than anything else.  

Zenobia: And everything is above-board with my donation of the house.  I made certain of that because I don't want to give my father a leg to stand on when he comes after me for squandering his money.  I asked Mrs. Pike if the town could use the manor for something and she accepted my offer.

*****

Later that evening, Mace sits down with the investigator.

Mace: Rosie was a teenager when she worked for Kida Nedakh.  She joined the military after graduating, to get the college fund, so she wasn't here in town when Cash vanished.  Took leave as soon as she could, though.

PI: Kida considered Rose-Grace her best friend, even though there was a sizable age difference.  

Mace:  Rosie felt the same way.  Kida was matron of honor at both Rosie's weddings, but she died before the little twins were born.  

PI: Did either you or your daughter know him well? 

Mace: No.  We traveled in different circles, as they say, and he gave Rosie the creeps. She avoided him unless Kida was in the same... 

Suddenly the entire house shakes.  They can hear glass breaking and the cries of frightened children.

******

Breaking news: The small town of Barbieville, on the south shore of Muneca Lake, was hit by an earthquake.  The upstream dam gave way and flooded the low-lying areas of town.  Rescue efforts are underway.  

(Flood photos from the Internet.) 

Now what?

Pocahontas's office at Witch's Cove

Pocahontas:  Now that Nakoma has joined us, we can talk.  Nakoma, this gentleman is a private investigator.  He's looking for information about our father.  

Nakoma: Last we knew, he was in Virginia.  About ten years ago.  

P.I.:  Anakin is the younger brother and Pernilla Dancer is his mother.  I understand both of them live here in Barbieville now and that she's signed over custody to you and your husband.  I'd like to speak to them, and to Albus Dumbledore.  

    

Pocahontas: I can give Pern and Albus your card, but it's going to be their choice if they want to talk to you.  Neither one of them is president of Cash's fan club.

P.I.: I understand.  The trail's gone cold.  I'm hoping to get some insight into his thinking by speaking to those who knew him.  I've already determined that he's definitely got a thing for women of Native descent.  He's claimed membership in several tribes across the country.

Nakoma (after he's gone):  That is one sexy dude.  

Pocahontas:  I'm more interested in his client.  Why's someone tracking Cash down?  

****  

Speaking of Albus, he's at lunch with the pretty young thing Pocahontas recently hired to coordinate shows at Witch's Cove.  

Tierra:  What do you think?  Could we pull off a show of this caliber in the current venue?

Albus: We'd have to scale it back some, but I think we could make it work.  You know your stuff, that's for sure.  The costumed characters have so much positive feedback, it's ridiculous.  

Tierra:  Since it's Witch's Cove, we call them familiars.  I never heard of a witch with a panda familiar, but buying assorted mascot costumes at that price, we took what we could get.   

***** 

The Sulu family enjoys a rare lunch together across the restaurant. 

Vivica:  How come Mattie went away?  We just now dopted her! 

Lynch: Her musical talent was going to waste here.  Remember what Finnick Pike told us about her, like two days after her arrival?

Bobby (imitating Finnick):  She should be giving me guitar lessons, not the other way around.  You should see about a music scholarship at Julie's Yard.  (To Vivica)  Some day Mattie will be rich and famous.  Wait and see. 

Vivica:  But I miss her so bad!

Rafe:  Geeze, Viv, we just put her on the bus five minutes ago. 

Sulu:  We're all going to miss Mattie.  And I'm sure she'll miss us. 

Rafe: Yeah, she still misses her foster sisters from before you adopted her.  I don't miss my foster anybodies.  Mine all sucked.  

Lynch:  Rayford Sulu!  I'm sure hey did their best.

*****

At the mayor's office, some personal drama goes down.  

 

Rose-Grace:  Brent proposed? Why do you look less than happy?

Kyra: They've inherited their parents' ranch and the whole lot of them are moving to Montana.  Bertie and Daisy have both put in their notice at work.  

Rose-Grace:  That's nuts.  Bertie just got the anchor position at WDLC!  

Kyra: Bertie can't wait to move her lesbian Hispanic self into their house.  She says she can find news work out there, and Daisy really misses Montana.  

Rose-Grace: So if you accept his proposal, you'll be leaving? 

Lex:  Sorry to interrupt.  I hope this isn't a bad time. 

Rose-Grace:  Aren't you from the county oversight committee? 

Lex:  I am.  We've received report of irregularities in the establishment of Helena House. 

Kyra:  I assure you, everything about Helena House is above-board.  

    

Lex:  Mayor Pike acquired the property from a family friend and hired a relative to run the children's home.  And who are you, anyway? 

Kyra:  I'm her executive assistant. 

Lex:  That brings you under suspicion as well. 

Skipper Babysitter Nursery

 Don't worry, I haven't forgotten y'all!  Just, as Big Sister says, life get in the way!  But I've not deserted Barbieville - been thinking about the next adventure even while juggling all the other stuff life's thrown at me.  To that end, I decided Orlando and Samara Pike needed a second crib.  I saw My Froggy Stuff review this set and just had to have it.

I tried to just get the crib on eBay, but those people were asking as much as for the whole set, so I just got the whole thing.  I figure the little Pike twins can use the stuff and new friends are welcome.

I usually keep things like this for fragile Christmas gifts, but The Boy (who is now a man) will be here soon and he deserves some officially sanctioned destruction.  Worse he can do with these is make me jump out of my skin!  Thank all the gods ever it ain't styrofoam.

I have a use for that backing, so carefully removed everything.  Here we have the bouncy seat, the babies, rocking horse, and Skipper.  Skipper will, of course, get rebodied.  The babies are clearly meant to be a boy and a girl (blue and pink diapers).

The bouncy seat even says Fisher Price on it.  Nice tie-in.  

The babies are both green eyed and blonde, but one has freckles and the hairstyle is different.  Blue Diaper looks a lot like Samara Pike, but Samara's hair is darker and her eyes are blue. I just love these newer Barbie babies - previous ones were either not articulated at all or almost too small to dress.

Rocking horse doesn't say Fisher Price, but is cute nonetheless. 

Skipper comes with a nice outfit, which will go into the wardrobe bin before she gets rebodied.

Wipes and bottle warmer have little pegs that lock into the under-crib shelf.  Both bottles will fit, but I found the limited space hard to work in.  The little hands this toy is meant for, though, should be fine.  This way I can show y'all one of the bottles - the only difference is color.

Solid plastic toy bear and solid plastic stack of diapers.  Nice detail on both.

Blanket in the crib.  It's a good size, which kind of surprised me.  Mattel's not known for supplying to-scale blankets with their beds.

You can take the mobile off the crib and play on the floor with it.  

I found this thing and was confused.

Then I realized it goes on the bouncy seat. 

Everything is in place.  Orlando checks out the bouncy seat and Samara rides off into the sunset while big brother Fred "cleans his side of the room".  Grandpa Mace sacrificed his night stand, but he's okay with that.  He likes his grandbabies more than the night stand.

The pediatric clinic gets a new look. 

Skipper and the babies join my Fresh doll Lexi (who is definitely getting a name change) in waiting for the move to Barbieville.  Maybe I'll make them all one big happy family, who knows?  Gotta get into the body donor bin before that happens. 

Sunday Afternoon

 Whitney starts her shift at Sunburst.

Jessie:  Hey, Whitney.  Did Tris tell you my brothers were moving to town? 

Whitney: Yes, she did.  She also told me about her parents leaving town.  Good riddance, if you ask me. 

Jessie:  They're actually leaving?  I thought that was a ploy to make her feel bad for marrying badly.  Anyway, this is Ebenezer in the orange and Khalil with all the braids.

Ebenezer:  Nice to meet you, ma'am.  

Whitney:  Ma'am?  I like you. 

Khalil: Hey, little man, don't be macking on all the women before I get the chance.  (To Whitney)  I understand your police chief has a zero tolerance policy for racism. 

Whitney:  She doesn't have much tolerance for any bigotry.  If it's actual bigotry and not a misunderstanding.   Like sometimes people are just ignorant but well-intentioned. 

Jessie:  Khalil, back off.  You sound like a fanatic. (To Whitney) He starts duty tomorrow, but he's never actually met Lynch.  Phone interviews, e-mails.  When she found out he was a Cooper, she snatched him right up. 

Khalil: You'd sound like a fanatic, too, if you'd been turned down for several jobs because your dad's Rom and your mom's black.  

Jessie (sarcastically): Like that's never happened to me.  Try being a woman on top of being a black Rom. 

Whitney: Well, on that note, I'll let you look over the menu and take care of  my other table. 

Whitney goes to the kitchen and brings out the food. 

Whitney: Can I get anything else for you?

Carol: No, thank you. 

Paige: Mom, we would like to be introduced to the people in this town.  We're going to be working and living here, and we'd like to make friends.  You might like being a hermit, but we don't. 

Paige: My sister and I will be working at the medical center.  I'm an optometrist and she's an ophthalmologist.  

Ellie: She's Paige, I'm Ellie.  You know our mother? 

Whitney: Yes, I know Agent Danvers.  I'm Whitney Darling.  I work here and I'm majoring in Undecided at the local college.  

Carol: Whitney's future mother-in-law is the mayor.  And her father owns the local TV station.  (To Whitney)  False modesty doesn't suit you. 

Whitney (offended, but polite): I don't define myself through Tanner, his stepmother, or Dad. 

Paige (as Whitney walks away):  What the hell was that, Mom?  

****

Once the Coopers have ordered and Whitney serves their food, Jessie returns to gossiping with her.

Jessie:  We told Khalil to try getting a job here because, like he said, there's still a lot of bigots in the system.  He's got a stellar resume, but... 

Ebenezer:  They keep using his hair as an excuse.  Girl cops don't gotta have short hair, so why should guy cops? 

Whitney:  I'm pretty sure BPD's policy is just that it be tidy.  Lynch has longer hair than me and she  just pulls it beck in a ponytail most of the time.  (To Khalil)  But if your hair has religious or cultural significance, they legally can't make you cut it.  

Khalil: They legally can't refuse to hire me because of my ethnicity, either, but they sure have been doing it.  Not all of them, but enough of them that I got fed up. 

Ebenezer: But then Jessie and Bapo told us this town has a black lady mayor and Khalil decided to send Barbieville a copy of his resume.  Next thing he knows, he's got a job offer!  And since Jessie's roomie moved out, we can live with her and I'll have my own room. 

Whitney: I wonder what it's like to have your own room?  I share with my little sister and my daughter.

Pikes' Addition - Conclusion

WARNING NUDE DOLL CARNAGE AHEAD

LEAVE NOW IF YOU'RE A GIANT PRUDE

With the dollhouse done except for touches like wall art, the next step was reorganizing the bins.  This one even reached the closet where I keep things like wrapping paper and holiday window clings!

This set of drawers came out of the holiday closet.  It previously held flat wrap, scraps for padding, and to/from tags.  They've all moved to new homes to make room for (top to bottom): Beach, Sunburst, and Playground.  I had room in the bedroom closet for it because of all the free parking created elsewhere!

Bins for Shoes, Day Care, Food, and Work are smushing the Weapons!

Bins for Barn, Sports equipment, Cutie Reveal heads/hands, and one for Hats Bags Glasses Belts.  Beside them are a few empties.

Only that one wheelchair is really out of place, believe it or not. 

The Mother of The Boy gave me this nice sorting case for the shoes.  The Shoe bin is now the Boot bin.  This is great because, since my dolls rarely wear shoes, they tend to just get tossed in the bin and it takes me forever to find an actual pair.  (I pose the photos so y'all can't see their feet.)  This way, I can find pairs when needed and avoid having a surplus by sending extras to my dolly friends. 

The Mother of The Boy also gave me a doll.  Since I got some orphan heads for Christmas, it was time to sort through the donor bodies.  One of the donor bodies was a Rainbow High - which doesn't work with Barbie type noggins - and Carol Danvers stole the hands.  They're a little small, but she prefers them to the gloved fists she came with.

I managed two matches.  The Belle doll will be Paige, for the cartoon's voice actress. The other needs a name.  I keep trying to call her Gabrielle for some reason, but we have Gabriella Montez! One of these ladies will be an eye doctor, since I got appropriate equipment in the box from Goodwill. 

Not bad for a mere fortnight's work, if I do say so myself.