The heebie-jeebies

This week has been one of the stormiest I can remember.  After the scare on Wednesday it rained and thundered all day yesterday, and then this morning we woke up to a surprise tornado threat for this afternoon (right now, in other words).  And guess what?  More rain is predicted after that!  Every time we get some sort of watch or warning my phone beeps, and if it's not beeping for tornado warnings it's beeping for flash flood warnings.  I usually love splashes of inclement weather, but four tornado scares in one spring (hell, one MONTH) is too much for me.  I'm ready for sunshine.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm giving my Living Dead Dolls some attention.  Yeah, I know that these guys have popped into So Random posts over the past couple'a months, but killecrankie, how long has it been since I honest-to-God talked about Living Dead Dolls?  Five years?  Six?  Not recently, I know that much.  Beauty and the Beast were the subjects of one of my first posts, clean back in 2012.

They've long since been joined by Andras (left), Milu (right), and Spring-Heeled Jack (bottom), and I know they've popped into the blog once or twice.

Oh yes, Milu's face.  Masked Living Dead Dolls are not uncommon, but according to her wiki Milu's mask is the biggest.

Doll collectors have an interesting relationship with Living Dead Dolls, I've noticed.  Some devout dolly lovers find them WAAAAAY too creepy, and then folks who don't like dolls at all freaking love them.  My sister likes Living Dead Dolls, for example; I'd almost give my right arm to find Toxic Molly for her.  As for me...well, obviously I'm a fan, but my favorites are always the glass-eyed Resurrection dolls that are RIDICULOUSLY expensive.  Most of 'em, anyway; my unicorn isn't a variant, though she does have Resurrection variants.

Yes, my unicorn, whom y'all will soon meet.  Y'all might think I'd name one of the more over-the-top dolls as the one that scares me, right?  Someone like Bloody Mary (left) or Schitzo, the latter of whom looks like John Wayne Gacy.

I admit that they're freaky, but they don't make my skin crawl.  Indeed, I admire Bloody Mary's detail; the cuts on her face remind me of the Beast's stitches.  Schitzo is also a favorite of mine since I'm a true crime enthusiast, though the saga of John Wayne Gacy is one of the sicker ones I've heard.  Seriously, clown by day, serial killer by night.  How sick is that???  Anyway, for reasons I've never been able to figure out, the Living Dead Doll that's always given me the heebie-jeebies is one of the tamer ones, Alison Crux.  My unicorn.

I think it's her eyes.  They're dark, they're shadowed, they're mysterious, they're...sad.  

Sadness is actually an emotion that a lot of Living Dead Dolls show, so I shouldn't be too surprised.  Interestingly, though a lot of these dolls are sad, only four of them are shown crying:  Elisa Day, Rain, and ironically, two variants of Alison Crux herself (see below).  Lamenta may also count, but the tears she cries are tears of blood, and she feeds off sorrow rather than being sorrowful herself.  Anyway, like my other dolls, Alison is beautifully painted, but unlike some of them (the Beast in particular) her details are more subtle.  Her vinyl is blue, like she's been deprived of oxygen, and she's also covered in what appear to be skid marks.  Both of these details are relevant to how Alison died.  As for her eyes themselves, they're a very, very dark blue, with red rims and blown pupils.  Alison is undoubtedly dead, and she's not too happy about it.  So compared to Bloody Mary and Schitzo Alison is pretty tame.  Probably the scariest thing about her is her hair, and even that isn't as bad as I was expecting.  I'd envisioned a curly, coarse, tangled nightmare that rivals the hair of Kikki and of Meygana Broomstix.  Alison's hair is uneven, thin, and admittedly a little tangled, but I've seen much worse.

Alison's cause of death is also freaky; she got caught in a revolving door and subsequently got trampled (hence her skid marks and blue coloring).  Also of note is her time of death:  April 4th, 1944, at 4:44 p.m.  A lot of fours.  The number four symbolizes completion for me, but in other cultures it symbolizes death.

That's a pretty grim fate, but to me it's not as bad as that of Sunday (she fell out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down), of Gypsy (her heart exploded due to a bad spell), of Frozen Charlotte (hers was a combo of drowning and freezing to death), of the Unwilling Donor (she had a kidney removed without consent), or of poor ol' Toxic Molly (she suffered from radiation poisoning).  Having kidney problems of my own, the Unwilling Donor also makes me cringe, though out of pain rather than out of fear.  Nothing, repeat, NOTHING has ever physically hurt me as badly as a kidney stone, and I'm willing to bet that having one removed is no picnic either.  Even breaking my ankle wasn't as bad.

While I was unwrapping Alison, I noticed the age bracket for these dolls...and the specific type of person.

Spooky kids ages fifteen and up!  Alison is the eldest of my six dolls, and my younger dolls' boxes sadly don't have the description "spooky kids."  Or she's the eldest production-wise, having been marketed in 2007.  In terms of her chronological age, she'd probably be the youngest.  <pauses to consult the wiki>  Yeah, here's what I found.

*MILU:  She's a goddess and is therefore immortal.  She'd be the oldest by far.
*BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:  The original fairy tale dates from 1740 but is vague about the two characters' ages.  I'm just gonna say 1740 for these two and leave it at that.
*ANDRAS:  Her wiki says that she died in a fight but gives no date, so she could be as old as time or as young as her year of release, 2012.
*SPRING-HEELED JACK:  His urban legend dates back to 1837.
*ALISON CRUX:  She's actually the easiest one; her death certificate specifically states that she died in 1944.

So it's a toss-up between Andras and Alison as to who the youngest is.  Andras LOOKS younger, but being a bellicose little doll she doesn't WANT to be younger.  Alison is no fighter and is thus more than willing to let Andras think what she likes.

Alison:  I'm not having your crap, Andras.  

Not that Alison is a wimp, of course.  Her job is to guide lost souls to the other side (definitely not for the faint of heart), and according to her chipboard poem she takes great pride in that work.  The key she wears around her neck is a key to the portal for that "final resting place," wherever that may be.  Even Alison isn't sure where that is.  Maybe it's the Inbetween Place.

The wiki notes that Alison's role is similar to that of Charon, the Greek ferryman of the underworld.  "Charon" is pronounced like "Karen," so I wonder how Alison got her name?  By the way, I learned that the name for beings who ferry souls to the beyond are called "psychopomps."  They can be good, evil, or neutral, but their job is the same, to take you where you really need to be, ohhhh yeah.

Above I talked a bit about variants, and Alison Crux has variants...FOUR of 'em!  She was part of Resurrection Series VIII along with Pumpkin and Calavera, and all three of them had four variants (images of Pumpkin's and Calavera's variants can be found HERE).  These two are Resurrection (left) and Resurrection Variant...

... then these two are Lazarus (left) and Lazarus Variant.

Resurrection Series VIII tells an interesting tale of insanity, grief, murder, and bravery.  Pumpkin's mind has been corrupted to the point of insanity, and it's up to Alison Crux and Calavera to stop him from killing the other Living Dead Dolls.  The whole saga is told with each doll's death certificate, (full text can be found HERE), and the end implies that none of the trio are ever quite the same afterwards.  As to the Alison variants, they're creepy enuff, but for me nothing beats the original...and now she's mine, mine, MINE!!!  Happy day!  Now if I could only find a good deal on Toxic Molly...

For the record, Spring-Heeled Jack and Milu have variants too.  Here's what they look like.

Beauty, the Beast, and Andras don't have variants...my mistake, yes, Beauty and the Beast do.  They each got a Resurrection variant in 2017, but unlike my two they were sold in a single box.  

That leaves Andras as the odd woman out for now.  For now, that is.  In the world of the Living Dead Dolls anything is possible, and I personally am hoping for the Mothman.  Every so often cryptids join the LDD gang; indeed, Spring-Heeled Jack is classed as a demon on his wiki, but he behaves more like a cryptid to me.  I see a few similarities between Spring-Heeled Jack and the Mothman, things like coloration and an ability to fly/jump long distances.  I don't know what my deal is with the Mothman, but I find him/it fascinating and would love to see him/it as a Living Dead Doll.  That said...I think this line may be discontinued!  I'm way out of the loop, but it looks like there's been some financial dishonesty behind the scenes and the future of the Living Dead Dolls is up in the air, so I may not get my Mothman, and Andras may not see her Resurrection.  But all good things do eventually end, and I've got my small group here with me, so that's good enuff.

Today is the anniversary of Alison Crux's death, so send her a little love.  

I'm glad I have her, because my other unicorns (Elisa Day, Toxic Molly, and the Unwilling Donor) are NOT CHEAP!!!  I'm not giving up the hunt, but for now I'm gonna be realistic and just love my collection as it is.

Hugs and kisses,
RagingMoon1987

#10 vs. #12

Yet another severe weather threat is in the books, and this one was BAD.  Delta, Missouri (to our north) and Lake City, Arkansas (south) took it the worst, Murray, Kentucky very nearly shared Mayfield's fate, and Cape Girardeau took a glancing blow.  You could SEE the tornado that hit Delta on Cape's tower camera, and it was a giant!  The whole KFVS crew had to take cover...and for that matter, KAIT had to too.  A fire chief died between Delta and Advance (MEGA-sad face), and a state trooper was injured when his home got hit.  This outbreak was very draining mentally and emotionally, and I'm praying for a reprieve.  This has been a scary spring, and it's not over yet. 

Now that the update is out of the way, I'm talking Barbie again, two dolls in particular.  This post is based on a Reddit thread I found while I was waiting for my adrenaline rush to go away last night.  The post concerns these two Barbie dolls, Signature Looks #10 and #12.

Both dolls are from the same Signature Looks wave, one that incorporated black and silver ensembles.  I think I've said in the past that #10 was my favorite of these dolls, mostly because of her strong face and streamlined outfit.  #12...I liked her enuff to consider bringing her home, but I never did, and I admit that she doesn't set my heart aflame'a like #10 does.  Apparently at least some Redditors feel the same, thus the thread.  Some Redditors didn't love #12's dress, labelling it "dated," and I admit that I'm not a fan either.  It cuts her in half at the chest and makes her top half look too small...or her bottom half too big, one or the other.  I mean, I get that Mattel is probably trying to accentuate her curves, but they overdid it just a bit.

The overall consensus on Reddit is that the dress killed #12; I found images elsewhere of Redditors who redressed their #12 and loved her that way.  I also have had negative things to say about Signature Looks clothes; remember that the first thing I did with my #16 was redress her.  I don't like her stock outfit much.  I'm not a big fan of ANY of the curvy Signature Looks' outfits, in fact; I thought #2's jumpsuit made her rear and thighs look huge.  Being curvy myself, I've never wanted to accentuate my rear and thighs.

And the one worn by #16, I flat-out hate.  Love her face, love her hair, hate-hate-HATE that dress.

Getting back to #12, a handful of Redditors also critiqued her makeup.  Indeed, her paint is garish, but I'll go against the grain here because I like it.  Her eyeshadow reminds me of peacock feathers.

This doll also loans herself well to repaints if you've got that skill (I don't), or to a simple restyle of her hair (which I can do).

Let's just face it...this post started by comparing #10 to #12, right?  Well let's face it:  #10 is drop-dead gorgeous.  I've been smitten with her ever since she made her debut, and #11 and #12 just kinda faded into the background, even though #11 has red hair and #12 has bold makeup, both of which I like on a doll.  But...gosh, I don't know what all it is about #10 that I like.  As I said above, she has a strong face with sleek hair and a streamlined outfit, and I just like her a lot.  I haven't ruled out one day adding this one to my collection.

But it's nice to see that not everyone is against #12 like I originally thought.  In the right clothes she too can be striking.

And as I type, the thunder returns.  I'm so over these storms I could scream.

Stormy love,
RagingMoon1987

Do it again

<sings>  And we're back where we started/here we go 'round again!  Tornado warning is in effect for Malden.

Mia got a new dress a few hours ago, and so she joins Candela Laura and Rita Cheryl.

Mother of God, I'm so sick of this crap!

Yours prayerfully, 

RagingMoon1987 

Level five

I've got the Severe Squad with me again.  Candela Laura in her new spring clothes, Rita Cheryl in her Boston T-shirt and her TARDIS leggings.  They're sitting.  Waiting.

The severe level has been steadily increasing since I last posted, and early this morning it hit level five, the highest it can get.  My area is smack-dab in the middle of it all.

Now buckle up, because I'm about to use some meteorological jargon.  Picture the atmosphere above you as a slice of layer cake, a cake with at least three layers.  The plate the cake is resting on is equivalent to the ground where we stand, and each layer of cake is one mile of atmosphere.  Now suppose that here on the ground, the wind is blowing from the west.  One mile/cake layer up, the wind is blowing from the southwest.  Two miles/layers up, the wind is coming straight out of the south.  Three miles, the wind is coming from the southeast.  When the wind blows from different directions at different levels, it makes the atmosphere around it rotate, and that (in a very, VERY simplified form) gives tornadoes their get-up-and-go.  This atmospheric rotation is called helicity, and our local meteorologist said that the helicity in my neck of the woods is similar to the helicity on March 14th and 15th, when we had tornadoes coming out our ears.

Several of the local schools are either letting out early or have called off entirely, just as most of Alabama did in 2011.  Dunklin County's storm shelters are open...and look where citizens of Clarkton get to hide.

The high school gym.  Without going into too much detail, a gymnasium is one of the worst places to hide in a tornado.  I pray that nothing hits Clarkton High School, both because their shelter sucks and because I like Clarkton.  The people there are rural farm owners and blue-collar workers, much like the citizens of Malden, and I have a lot of respect for them.  

As to the rest of y'all...I don't know where this storm system is headed after it hits us!  I've got friends in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Alabama who are reading, so I'd advise that all of y'all keep a sharp lookout and do what you can to protect yourselves and your loved ones.  God willing, I'll be around to update y'all tomorrow.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

Big box

I knew Setsu-P had something en route to me from Alabama, but I wasn't expecting to receive it late on a Saturday.  Long story short, this package sat on my porch all night Saturday in rain and...well, a little wind, nothing like we got later!  In her letter Setsu-P told me that she's doing a gig at Goodwill and sees a lot of nice stuff thrifted, and that's pretty much what my box is.  On the very top were these cute little baby dresses, one with a long skirt and the other with bunny rabbits.

I'm hoping that Poppy Elizabeth will be able to wear that green number.  She's been wearing her pumpkin onesie since last fall.  Maybe one of my My Twinns can wear the rainbow dress.

Now to the meat and potatoes of the box.  The first doll I pulled was this one, with cotton candy hair and a very distinctive face.

I've seen that face before, but I'm drawing a complete blank ATM.  Here's her neck mark, which will be a tremendous help in identification. 

She's very well-made, so she's gotta have a name.  She smells like Heaven so I'd have guessed she was a Paola Reina doll's, but she's not.  A quick Google search revealed that her name is Mia, and Etsy has outfits available so clothes are on the way!

The next little doll reminds me of one Tam sent me a few summers ago.  He's a really cute little Mattel baby. 

The rest of the dolls are either Cabbage Patch Kids or Cabbie clones.  The only honest-to-God Kid in the bunch is this mermaid.  A quick Google search revealed her name to be Shelly Mermaid.  She's a Cutie, like Sammy Sloth, and according to the checklist she dates from 2021.

Shelly is my first green-eyed doll from the Jazwares/Wicked Cool Toys era, so I was surprised at how pretty her eyes are.  There's a little gold in there.

I really, really like this next doll, whom y'all got a glimpse of on Monday.  His tag says "Kuddle Love Kids" and he's super-cute.  He's got nice big feet and unique eyes.

I'm tentatively naming this little guy Clive Elliot.  Since both Clive and Mia turned up nekkid I jokingly called them my resident nudists.

Never fear, Clive!  You too will be getting clothes if I can find them.  He's about the size of a bean-butt Cabbie, give or take.

These last two made me LOL.  They're handmade and I presume that they're brother and sister.

Look at the boy's eyes!  I love green eyes.  

I think I'll name them George and Anna, after a brother/sister pair of teachers that died in a tornado in Iowa over a hundred years back.  I always wondered how the parents must've felt, receiving news that both their kids were miles apart and were killed in the same storm.

Mercy, if I get any more dolls Casa Pizarro is going to explode!  Or Mama's gonna kill me, one or the other.  Just the same this box was great fun.  I'm particularly happy with Clive and Mia and I'm looking forward to dressing them up, and I may redress George too while I'm at it.  His clothes are pretty big on him.  Anyway, thank you, Setsu-P, for sending this stuff!  They gave me something soft to hug when the weather got bad on Sunday, and they'll likely serve the same purpose tomorrow.  Our local meteorologist says that the wind field aloft is a lot more like the one we had on March 14th, so tornadoes are more likely.  Just fantastic.  Just because tornadoes fascinate me doesn't mean I wanna be IN one!

Love,

RagingMoon1987