#Crystal Bell Ruth Residency

[andrewmoocow]

Little Homeworld Life chapter 9: To Err Is Human (originally published on October 10, 2022)

AN: As the talented comedic geniuses that made up Monty Python once said, "And now for something completely different." You know how rampant those human Gem AUs are? Well, allow me to present my spin on the concept inspired by the likes of Saved by the Bell and all the Disney sitcoms of old! I started watching the former on Hulu to get some inspiration, just FYI. Considering how the Alternate Future continuity I have created is a bit different from the Steven Universe we're used to, this should be an interesting take. Anyways, school's in session everybody, so strap in!

Synopsis: Welcome to Crystal High, where the quirky new girl in school Whitney Topaz falls for the captain of the football team Jasper Brooks as she helps her new classmates break free from Ruth Black's oppressive control! Wait, something isn't right.

Cast:

Lauren Ash as Whitney Topaz/White Topaz

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper Brooks/Jasper, Jazz Day/Dalmatian Jasper

Noël Wells as Ruth Black/Black Rutile

Estelle as Estelle Garrett/Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amy Thomas/Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl Hall/Pearl

Shelby Rabara as Dot Perry/Peridot

Jennifer Paz as Lana Lance/Lapis Lazuli, Zoey Lance/Zuli, Lucy Lance/Laz

Uzo Aduba as Biddie Matthews/Bismuth

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon/Thea Zick

Della Saba as Marina Blue/Aquamarine

Christine Pedi as Agatha Holly/Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Catherine "Cat" Eyre/Cat's Eye

Charlyne Yi as Irene Charles/Eyeball

Featuring Avi Roque as Cindy Barr/Cinnabar

Awkwafina as Kylie Newman/Kyanite

Allison Janney as Piper Ryan/Pyrite

Zehra Fazal as Zelda Sullivan/Zoisite

Lena Hall as Blair Stone/Bloodstone

Jodie Whittaker as Xanthe Turner/Xenotime

Marc Diraison as Ash Topaz

April Winchell as Lauren Topaz

Zeno Robinson as Kenny Topaz

And Fred Stoller as Jameson Brooks

--

Little Homestead, Delmarva was much like any other small American town. Everybody knew each other's names, community get-togethers were a frequent affair, and most of its residents have lived there all their lives. However, one family that had just moved to town from the big city would prove to change its youth forever.

The Topaz family, consisting of husband-and-wife Ash and Lauren, their teenage daughter Whitney and young son Kenny, had moved into town from Riverdale, Empire State, over the weekend after Ash got an assignment from his boss Hiram Lodge to expand Lodge Industries' influence across the Mid-Atlantic. This meant Whitney had to leave her wholesome friends behind. Though it was tough to say goodbye, Whitney always knew she'd be a stone's throw away from seeing them again whenever she liked.

--

"Hi-diddly-ho, new neighborino!" the Topazes' new neighbor Ted greeted them on a warm September morning.

"You must be Ted Sanders, I presume." Ash Topaz replied as he shook Ted's hand. "Ash Topaz, my family and I came here from Riverdale last Saturday."

"Oh, my land, Riverdale?" Ted gasped in elation. "Home of Lodge Industries?!"

"Yep, that's the one." Ash smiled. "I moved the fam here under Hiram's orders, which reminds me. I should probably introduce them to you some time."

"Oh, my boys, the missus, and I would love to meet you!" Ted smiled. "Hey, that reminds me, shouldn't your youngins be getting ready for school right now?"

"Shoot, thanks for the heads up!" Ash gasped in realization. "Talk to you later, okay?"

"My door's always open!" Ted replied as Ash raced back inside his house to get his kids ready.

--

"Sis, sis, you gotta wake up." A ten-year-old platinum blonde-haired boy said while poking his older sister in her plump lips. "Sis, sis!" The boy was still wearing some Cookie Cat-themed pajamas, while the girl had on a Mister Universe T-shirt that was a little too big for her, along with some workout shorts.

"Dah, I'm awake, I'm awake!" sixteen-year-old Whitney Topaz yelled as she jolted awake. "Oh, thanks for the lift, Kenny. So, you ready for your first day of school?"

"Uh, I don't know." Kenny Topaz replied nervously. "What if I don't make any friends at my new school? I'm scared, Whitty."

"Hey, don't get so wound up, Ken." Whitney said with a comforting smile at her little brother. "Besides, I'm pretty nervous too. I'm sure my classmates will be nice, but they got nothing on good ol' Archie and pals!"

"Oh, Whitney, you're awake!" Whitney and Kenny's homemaking mother, Lauren Topaz, said delightedly as she peered into her daughter's room. "Hop to it, young lady, don't want to be late!"

"Don't worry, Mom." Whitney said as she got up and did some stretches that Kenny was quick to try imitating. "Aw, I see someone's already ready."

"Haha, Whitty!" Kenny laughed before suddenly falling over, only to be helped up by his big sister, and the two walked out of Whitney's room hand in hand.

--

Meanwhile, in a slightly grungier part of town frequented by purse snatchers, dognappers, and carjackers, a tall, muscular teen girl with stripe tattoos lining her arms and a jasper nose ring started her morning with a few rounds on her prized punching bag. This was Jasper Brooks, a tough-as-nails punk who grew up in the rough parts of Little Homestead and had to rely on her wits and her strength to survive.

"Oy, Jasper, rise and shine!" Jasper's father, Jameson Brooks, yelled from outside. "It's the first day of school; start prepping already!"

"Whatever." Jasper responded nonchalantly to her father as her punching stopped, and she looked fondly at a photo of herself as a baby with her mother. "Hey, Mom, miss you tons, but Dad and I are still pulling through." She said to the picture while trying not to get too emotional. She had a reputation to uphold, after all. "I know you would've been proud of me."

"Hey, what's keepin' ya?!" Jameson yelled again. "These pancakes ain't gonna eat themselves!"

"I'm coming!" Jasper yelled as she tossed a towel over her shoulders and marched out of her room.

--

"Have fun, Whitney!" Lauren called as she dropped Whitney off at her new high school. "Hope you can make at least one friend today!"

"I hope so too. Love you, Mom!" Whitney yelled back as she turned around to gaze at Crystal High, the number one high school in Little Homestead, and all the cliques that came with being a high school.

"Okay, Jasper, try not to get into too much trouble this year." Jameson said to his daughter as his tow truck pulled up right behind Whitney as the latter girl walked towards the building. "There are only so many football accidents I can help you out of."

"See you later, pops." Jasper responded as she prepared to get out, but her father interrupted her with a hand on her brawny shoulder. "Uh, what is it now?"

"Just wanna say I'm proud of ya for keeping it together." Jameson gave his daughter a genuine smile. "Welp, see ya later."

"Bye." Jasper waved goodbye to her crass but goodhearted dad as his tow truck drove away, and she turned on her heel to walk to another year of high school.

"Okay, Whitney, just gotta play it cool." Whitney said to herself as she looked around at all the various cliques surrounding her. "You're just a by-the-books, plain jane new girl in town who will no doubt initially be looked down upon by your peers for the first couple of weeks. Nothing too huge."

"Hey, new girl, over here!" an overeager dark-skinned girl dressed in teal colors yelled as she raced up to Whitney and gave her a welcoming handshake. "My name's Thea Zick. Welcome to Crystal High! You must be new in town. What's your name?!"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Whitney Topaz." Whitney introduced herself to Thea. "My family moved here from Riverdale a few days ago, and this is my first day here."

"I knew you were the new girl in town because I never saw your face before, and I know everyone's faces!" Thea replied happily. "Anyways, welcome to Crystal High, founded in 1987 by Dr. Rebecca Sucrose to further her goal of enriching the education of our youth community." She then began gesturing to each of the cliques. "Here, you can find all the usual cliques you'd see in all the high school movies. Like the cheerleaders, for example."

"They seem happy to be together again." Whitney nodded at the troupe of pink-and-blue uniform-wearing cheerleaders squeeing at seeing each other again after a long summer before taking notice of two in particular. The first had curly blonde hair with blue streaks, and the other had similarly colored hair tied into a ponytail with a golden bow.

"Wanna know a fun fact?" Thea asked. "The co-captains, Lucy and Zoey Lance, are the daughters of our art teacher, Lana Lance."

"Good to know." Whitney agreed before looking at a group of goths. "Those are the goths, right?"

"You bet." Thea proclaimed proudly before gesturing to other cliques. "You also got the nerds, the hipsters, the drama kids, the gamers, the artists, the preps, the delinquents, but our cream of the crop is the sports teams!"

"Yo Jasper, over here!" one of Jasper's fellow football players called for his captain, and they engaged in a secret handshake. "We missed ya, girl!"

"How did working in the old man's garage treat you?" another of Jasper's teammates asked.

"Check it!" Jasper replied as she flexed her muscles, amazing the football team and causing Whitney to gape in adoration.

"Oh yeah, the Crystal High Wildcats. Best football team in the school district!" Thea exclaimed before she noticed that her new friend was stunned. "Uh oh, somebody's got a crush!"

"What? No, I don't!" Whitney fibbed with a laugh. "I mean, she looks really cool and hot, but it's not like I'm going to lie awake at night thinking about her, right?"

"You keep telling yourself that." Thea smiled knowingly before she winced at another student approaching them. "Oh no, hide! It's her!"

"Who are you talking about?" Whitney asked as she saw her new classmates also tremble in fear, cuing the arrival of a tall, distinguished young woman with black hair sticking in an upward point, red-rimmed glasses, a black dress shirt, and matching pants. She was followed by a much smaller girl who could only reach up to her hips wearing a dark blue sweater-vest and pleated skirt, a woman with white high-heeled boots and a blue blouse with her hair in buns, and another cheerleader with a rather catlike face and a dark brown coat & matching hat. "Who are these girls?"

"I'll tell you later; just act natural!" Thea exclaimed as she nervously hid behind Whitney as the four girls approached the new students.

"We know you're hiding behind her, Thea." The lead girl in black announced, forcing Thea out of hiding. "Why didn't you tell us that we were getting a new student?"

"Oh, it's not my fault; she just got here!" Thea sweated in terror, her teeth chattering in fright, while Whitney stared blankly at the four high schoolers before her.

"Welcome to Crystal High, miss…." The lead girl greeted Whitney with a reach of her hand.

"Whitney Topaz." Whitney introduced herself as she shook the other girl's hand. "And you are?"

"My name is of no importance at the moment." The menacing greeter responded. "But since you asked, you may call me Ruth Black. Now, off to homeroom with you. Go on, vamoose!"

"Uhhhh…." Whitney said flatly as Ruth and her posse walked away.

"And the rest of you, get to your classes, or you're all getting a write-up!" Ruth yelled at her classmates, striking fear into their hearts as they scrambled to their homerooms. "That's right, stick to the status quo, everyone!"

"I'm guessing she's the mean girl I have to watch my step around?" Whitney asked Teal as the two blended in with the scrambling students.

"Ruth Black, student council president and effectively the ruler of this school." Thea replied. "We have a principal here, who's really great, by the way, but Ruth basically has everyone under her foot! We don't know why she wakes up in the morning feeling like making everyone's lives a nightmare, but I don't think we wanna know."

"That's terrible, she's terrible!" Whitney yelled loud enough for anyone around her to hear. "Some student council president she is; she's more like a psycho dictator!"

"You said it." Thea responded with a nod. "So many students have wanted to take her down a peg, but they're too scared to pull through with it because she's just that powerful!"

"Well, someone oughta do something about this!" Whitney declared. "In fact, I nominate myself to help everyone make their school year brighter!"

"Good on you for wanting to finish the fight!" Thea responded happily. "Hey, that reminds me, which homeroom teacher do you have?"

"Oh, I got Ms. Thomas." Whitney said. "How about you?"

"No way, me too!" Thea exclaimed. "She's in Room 111; I think you'll really like her!"

As the two girls searched for their homeroom, another girl whose left eye was hidden behind her bangs watched the duo's conversation before scurrying away to warn her superiors about Whitney's plans.

--

"I don't know, Miss Black, aren't these budget cuts a little drastic?" the guidance counselor Pearl Hall asked as she and Principal Estelle Garrett met with Ruth Black in the principal's office. "I mean, I consider music and art classes to be absolutely vital in youth development!"

"Oh please, I'm plenty developed as is." Ruth scoffed with a shrug. "I never required such classes, so why should everyone else?"

"Remember that regardless of your high status, you're just as much of a student here as the other teenagers here." Estelle tried to bring Ruth's egotism down a peg. "You may think that just because you emerged victorious in the student council elections, you'd use that as an excuse to abuse the power that comes with it, but-"

"Yeah, I know. I'm still just a girl at the end of the day!" Ruth unemphatically cut the principal off before she heard a knock at the door. "I'll get that." She opened the office door to find a panicked Irene on the other side, letting her in. "Irene, my trusted eyes and ears of the entire school, any updates?" Unfortunately, Irene was a little too exhausted and nervous to say any whole sentences, so Ruth just translated her panting. "Wait, Dripping Yellow Madness is back? I thought he moved out after the fifth grade!"

"I'm so sorry; I just ran fast because I needed to warn you." Irene replied. "It's that new girl, Whitney Topaz! She says she wants to change how you run this place, or something like that. She even outright called you a psycho dictator!"

"The new girl wants to help everyone?" Pearl exclaimed in delight. "I'm so excited!" An enraged Ruth glared at the guidance counselor. "I mean, I'm so scared!"

"Emergency council meeting at once." Ruth grumbled as she stormed out of Principal Garrett's office. "I will not tolerate this threat to my power!"

"Looks like someone can't tolerate change too." Estelle snarked as Ruth slammed the door on her way out. "Pearl, I suggest we keep an eye out on this Topaz girl. And tell the other teachers to do the same. I have a feeling she really could make a change here."

"I'll call them to your office during transition." Pearl smiled in response. "Ooh, finally, someone who can save us!"

--

Meanwhile, in Room 111, Mrs. Thomas's homeroom students were all sitting at their desks waiting for their teacher to arrive. Whitney and Thea were seated right next to each other, and unbeknownst to them at the moment, Jasper Brooks was sitting not too far away from the duo. Just then, a woman who looked more likely to be a student with an amethyst brooch attached to her black jacket strolled into the room and sat at her desk. "Morning, everyone. My name's Amy Thomas; I hope you had a great summer! Now, before we start rollcall, let's introduce the new student."

"Hi, everyone; my name's Whitney Topaz." Whitney greeted her new classmates with a smile. "I moved here from Riverdale in Empire State just last weekend, so I hope all of you are just as friendly as my old friends from there."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Whitney. Now let's get roll calling!" Mrs. Thomas said as she pulled out an attendance sheet. "Apologies if I'm going in random order; I didn't have enough time to alphabetize everything. Anyways, Tommy Oliver?"

"Here." A muscular man dressed in a green and white jacket said.

"Sue Heck?" Amy continued reading the attendance sheet.

"Present!" a dorky, brown-haired girl wearing braces exclaimed cheerfully.

"Joey Wheeler?"

"Nyeh, here." A blonde man shuffling a deck of cards responded with a Brooklyn accent.

"Candace Flynn?"

"Uh, here." An orange-haired girl with an unusually long neck said with an awkward wave of her hand.

"I think I like her already." Whitney said to Thea about Mrs. Thomas as the roll call continued. "She looks like she'd rather belong with us students, which makes her instantly relatable."

"Whitney Topaz?" Amy asked for Whitney's name.

"Here!" Whitney exclaimed while raising her hand.

"Good to know you're still onboard." Amy smiled at the new girl. "Thea Zick?"

"Ooh, that's me, that's me!" Thea waved her arms eagerly at hearing her name called.

"Chipper as always, TZ." Amy grinned before returning to roll call. "Okay, who's next? Jasper Brooks?"

"Here." Jasper snorted as she gazed out the window all nonchalantly, finally making Whitney realize that she had shared a homeroom with her new crush. Everything about her seemed perfect to the new student, from her big muscles to her punk rock outfit, the stripes on her arms, her wild hair, and that sense of rebellious nonchalance she carried with her.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?!" Whitney muttered in shock to Thea. "That's the girl I had the hots for earlier! What was her name again?"

"Jasper Brooks, you have a crush on the Jasper Brooks!" Thea replied excitedly. "If you date her, maybe we could be in with the cool kids!"

"Okay everyone, that should be it for rollcall!" Amy declared as she finished listing off her homeroom students. "Go ahead and get comfortable until the bell rings." The students then began getting out of their desks to greet each other, talk about their summers, and get introduced to Whitney. But she had her eyes on someone else.

"Hi, my name's Whitney!" Whitney introduced herself to Jasper as she began blushing like no tomorrow. "I'm sure you've already heard my name a couple of dozen times, but I want to get to know you better! You're Jasper Brooks, right?"

"Yep." Jasper said tersely. "You said you were from Riverdale, right? Home of The Archies?"

"Oh yeah, Archie and his gang were all great pals." Whitney replied. "Maybe someday I could introduce you to them all. Speaking of which, you're on the football team, right?"

"Captain of the Crystal High Wildcats, to be precise." Jasper responded. "You want to come watch me practice after school?"

"Oh, I'd love to, but I have to get home so I can help my family unpack all our stuff from the move." Whitney declined sadly. "But if you'd like, maybe I could text you. Want my phone number? It's 1 (212) 867-5309."

"Thanks for the number." Jasper responded after entering Whitney's number into her phone. "I'll, uh, see you around. What classes do you have next?"

"I got art with Mrs. Lance." Whitney answered. "Ooh, I love art! This is gonna be so much fun!"

"What a coincidence, I got that class too." Jasper grinned in realization. "Any other classes we might happen to share?"

"Well, after that is gym with Ms. Matthews, then science with Mrs. Perry, English with Mr. Sanchez, Spanish with Senor Esteban, lunch, and finally math with Mr. Powers." Whitney responded. "You?"

"I got Matthews, Perry, and Powers too, coincidentally." Jasper added. "Wow, we got a lot of classes together. It's almost like we were destined to meet or something."

"Yeah, maybe." Whitney chuckled awkwardly as her blush got even brighter. Before Jasper could catch on, the two were cut off by Thea squealing in delight over their conversation. "Thea!"

"I can't believe it. Only one conversation, and you got her number!" Thea yelled excitedly. "This is going to be so awesome!" But contrary to what Thea said, someone didn't think things were awesome. Ruth Black shared a homeroom with Whitney, Jasper, and Thea, and she was not happy with what she had just watched.

--

As Whitney began getting used to her new routine at Crystal High and becoming closer to Jasper once homeroom ended, they were unwise to the fact that a sinister plot was brewing right beneath their noses.

"If it cannot break out of its shell, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the world is our egg." Ruth monologued to herself as the student council assembled in a meeting room under her orders. "If we don't crack the world's shell, we will die without being born. Smash the world's shell."

"For the revolution of the world!" the student council concluded for Ruth as they were seated at their places at the table. Aside from Ruth herself as their leader, there was the secretary Marina Black, one of the highest-scoring students in Crystal High; the hall monitor Agatha Holly, social media expert, treasurer, and cheer squad representative Catherine "Cat" Eyre. In addition, there was the debate team leader and council advisor Cindy Barr; dance squad leader Kylie Newman, class representative Piper Ryan; sports team manager Jazz Day and her girlfriend Zelda Sullivan; extracurricular activity manager Blair Stone; and co-advisor Xanthe Turner.

"Now, you may wonder why I have gathered you all today." Ruth inquired her council.

"Let me guess, is it that new girl everyone's been talking about?" Marina responded.

"Yes, exactly, it is because of the new girl." Ruth answered quietly before she started yelling. "OF COURSE IT'S BECAUSE OF THE NEW GIRL! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMEONE BE THIS MUCH OF A THREAT TO MY CONTROL OVER THIS SCHOOL AFTER ONLY A FEW PERIODS?!"

"Pardon me for asking Miss Black, but could anyone tell me who the new girl is?" Cindy asked her superior.

"Whitney Topaz, age 16, born February 4, 2001, in Riverdale, Empire State." Agatha read from Whitney's new records. "She has only just started here after moving out of Riverdale due to a job transfer, but it seems the girl has already made a name for herself."

"Haven't seen a new student become this notorious since that Parker boy from a few years back." Catherine purred as she typed away on her phone with a lollipop in her mouth. "Anyone remember him, the little dweeb who suddenly became on par with an Olympian and started getting all the girls?"

"I actually kinda miss that guy." Kylie replied. "We only went on one date before he had to run off, but he was a pretty sweet guy. I hope he and his aunt are doing well."

"Back on subject, we cannot let Whitney's rebellion continue," Ruth stated. "I didn't win the council election in a landslide and earned myself a full-ride scholarship to Diamond University just to let the mother of all generic awkward new girls try to take my place as the talk of the town! And what's worse? She's apparently had eyes for Jasper Brooks, my ex-girlfriend, might I add!"

The rest of the council gasped in shock before they erupted into chattering. "Am I hearing things, or is Whitney having feelings for Brooks of all people?" Jazz asked Zelda.

"Those two won't last a week!" Zelda rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I'll give them eleven to twenty-two minutes." Piper added.

"We have to do something about this!" Blair yelled. "What kind of dirt on her family can we expose to the public and permanently tarnish her reputation? That always seems to work!"

"From what I've gathered, the Topazes seem to be your perfectly average upper-middle-class nuclear family." Xanthe answered coldly. "Not a one of them seems to have any criminal history, or at the very least have performed any dirty deeds for dirt cheap."

"Order everyone, order!" Ruth yelled as she commanded silence with a bang of a gavel. "We must act quickly before she does anything out of the ordinary! I have worked day and night, micromanaging this school to fit my expectations! Someone hand me Whitney's schedule!"

"Right here, Miss Black." Irene said as she handed the schedule to Ruth, who began looking it over.

"Well, what a surprise. It seems she and Jasper have some classes together this year." Ruth growled as she adjusted her glasses and was handed Jasper's schedule as well. "Girls, I have a little mission for you all."

--

Outside of the meeting, Whitney and Jasper were now at their next class of the day, which was art with Mrs. Lance, the mother of the cheerleading squad's co-captains Lucy and Zoey, dressed in a blue, short-sleeve sweater with gold cuffs, some blue jeans, and a pair of sandals.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm happy that you all made it today." Lana Lance greeted her students. "Considering that I'm in constant danger of losing my job because apparently, I don't teach any vital skills, I'm just delighted to see that people still want to learn art, or meep-morps as I call them."

"Uh, why do you call them meep-morps, anyways?" Whitney raised her hand with a question.

"I don't know, I just went out with the science teacher one night, and we thought it would be funny." Lana chuckled before she continued. "Anyways, over this school year, we'll be doing art projects together in groups of two, so pick your partner. You two will be stuck together for the whole year."

"I already know who I'm picking!" Whitney said as she looked at Jasper, who just blushed as she looked away.

"Oh, you're picking Jasper?" Lana asked Whitney. "What's your name, kid?"

"My name's Whitney Topaz." Whitney introduced herself to her art teacher. "Why, does Jasper not like working in pairs?"

"No, I just wanted to give you a little fun fact." Lana smirked at Jasper's expense. "Jasper actually had a crush on me the first time she was in my class."

"Mrs. Lance!" Jasper yelled in embarrassment. "I kept telling you, I was a dumb teenager at the time, and I'm over it now!"

"I know. I just find it so funny." Lana laughed. "Anyways, I want all my pairs to partner up and start drawing for the day. I shall hand out your sketchbooks immediately."

"What did Mrs. Lance say about constantly being in danger of joblessness?" Whitney murmured to Jasper as everyone received the sketchbooks they would keep for the year.

"Tyrannical student council thinks art isn't a valuable subject to teach." Jasper responded. "I'm sure you may have heard from Thea, but they rule this school."

"Art isn't valuable?!" Whitney exclaimed while Marina Blue secretly stole one of the sketchbooks to throw out, thus making Lana one book short of giving to a student. "Well, in my opinion, art is very valuable because it allows you to express yourself in infinite ways!"

"Ooh, sorry, Whitney, but I think we suddenly ran out of sketchbooks." Lana said sadly as she handed Jasper her empty sketchbook. "But if you'd like, I have some spares coming next week. Until then, maybe you can share with your partner."

"Sure, why not?" Jasper shrugged in agreement, making Whitney hug her new friend in excitement as Marina cursed herself for not considering the art teacher's quick thinking.

"Okay, now that we all have sketchbooks, let's start with a few basic portraits first." Lana stated as she guided her class through the lesson of the day.

--

Once art was finished, it was time for gym with Biddie Matthews, a powerfully built middle-aged woman easily identified by her dyed rainbow dreadlocks and a star tattoo on her upper arm. "Okay, gang, when you're in the gym with me, expect things to get a little intense! Now, I won't go so hard on you guys, but be warned that trips to the nurse's office will be frequent."

"Like, are you challenging me or something?" a hippie-looking boy with shaggy hair dared the gym teacher.

"Easy, Rogers." Biddie said to the student. "Now, in my gym, I got three rules you should all live by! One, be quick on your feet, because you never know when there's a bad situation where you need to hightail out of there. Two, keep a cool head. Gym can be stressful, but don't get too wound up when you screw up. And three, there's no such thing as "I can't do this." We don't go no time for such negativity. The only words you need are, "Let me give this a shot." Are we clear on that?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Biddie's students declared obediently.

"That's what I wanna hear out of my class!" Biddie exclaimed proudly. "Now then, first things first, let's indulge in an old classic." She whipped out a dodgeball from behind her back. "Last man standing wins!"

"Oh poo, dodgeball." Jasper groaned in disgust.

"Come on, Jasper, dodgeball is pretty fun." Whitney smiled happily as the madness began.

"Not with Ms. Matthews." Jasper said as she casually punched a dodgeball away from her and Whitney. "She means well, but when she's in the zone, there's no stopping her."

"Watch out!" Whitney yelled as she dove in front of Jasper to protect her from another dodgeball. This one seemed to hit harder than all the rest, as if it was filled with rocks or something. "I'm okay!"

"Thanks, Whitney!" Jasper thanked Whitney while helping her up, the two of them unaware that the rock-filled dodgeball was courtesy of Kylie, who chuckled mischievously as she retreated into the shadows.

"Okay, clods, listen up!" the diminutive science teacher Dot Perry declared harshly while dramatically blowing her green lab-coat back like a cape. "I run a pretty tight ship here, so I won't tolerate any kind of chicanery here!"

"Uh, Mrs. Perry, what will we do here?" Whitney asked while raising her hand.

"Come on, if you ever took science class, you should know what to expect here." Dot answered. "We'll be doing experiments, discussing the scientific method, learning about chemistry, anatomy, genetics, and all sorts of things! But thanks to a certain student council, they won't be as fun and exciting as you'd think science would be."

"Well, that's not very fair." Whitney pouted. "Someone should do something about this, someone like me!"

"Oh, I've heard about you around school lately." Dot proclaimed. "You're the new girl, Whitney Topaz, right? Maybe your free thinking could help make a change around here."

"Oh, thank you, I'd be honored to be your teaching assistant around here!" Whitney yelled excitedly and shook Mrs. Perry's hand. "I think this school needs a little touch of Riverdale friendliness!" Catherine simply rolled her eyes at Whitney's declaration before writing down ideas for sabotage in her notebook.

--

Next up on Whitney's schedule was English, which was the first class she didn't share with Jasper. On the plus side, she finally reunited with Thea at last, and Thea has already begun spreading the good word about Whitney's efforts to overturn Ruth's tyranny, making her the talk of the class as Mr. Sanchez began speaking.

"Okay, guys, if we're done talking about the new girl, then allow me to introduce myself." Mr. Sanchez said after gulping a can of soda and burping. "My name is Mr. Sanchez, and I'll be your English teacher for the year. Let's get some ground rules out of the way first." While the English teacher began his lecture, Cindy spied on Whitney and Thea from the back of the room, noticing how close the two had become today.

--

Another class Whitney and Thea shared together was Spanish with Senor Esteban, and they were in the same class as another student council member. Agatha Holly was recording their interactions and how close they seemed while balancing it with dutifully paying attention to Senor Esteban.

--

Following Spanish, it was time for lunch, but unfortunately for Whitney, the food being served didn't seem all that inviting to her.

"Beef jerky, clams, grape punch." The lunch lady said flatly as she served Whitney precisely that.

"Wait, is this all we're being served for lunch?" Whitney asked about her lunch. "Man, this is pretty boring."

"Student council says it's still good for you, no matter how bland it is." The lunch lady responded. "Clams are good for your heart, beef jerky is filled is protein, minerals, and vitamins, and grape punch has a decent amount of carbs."

"Yeah, but would it kill you to have more variety?" Whitney suggested. "Like, try something new like pizza, nachos, burgers, anything zestier than this!"

"You know, you got a good point." The lunch lady agreed with a smile. "Hey, you're that new kid, right? Thanks for the tip. Now please move. You're holding up the line."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Whitney apologized as she noticed all her impatient classmates in line to get their meals as she raced towards the nearest open table, which coincidentally was where Thea and Jasper were sitting. "Hey, guys! Did you save a spot for little ol' me?"

"You bet we did!" Thea replied happily and hugged Whitney. "So what took you so long?"

"I just wanted to point out to the lunchlady that she should have some more variety in our lunches." Whitney explained. "I mean seriously, beef jerky, clams, and grape punch every day?"

"Been that way ever since Ruth took power." Jasper revealed before she pulled out a paper bag with her name on it. "Luckily, I had my dad pack my lunch ever since."

"Aw, that's so sweet." Whitney cooed as Jasper pulled out a peanut butter sandwich, some tater tots, a bottle of chocolate milk, and a small pack of ketchup. "Anyone want to share?"

"How could I not?" Whitney laughed and reached for the same tot that Jasper was going to take, causing the two to blush at each other while Thea watched as she drank her grape punch. Meanwhile, some student council members gathered at another table not too far away.

"The others were right. They are close." Xanthe stated while sitting down with Jazz, Zelda, Piper, Blair, and Irene. "Maybe a little too close."

"What if we try breaking them up somehow?" Piper suggested while cracking open a clam. "You all know I love some good romantic drama."

"Unfortunately, as Xanthe said, there's nothing we can do to spoil her reputation." Zelda declared. "Unless one of us perhaps makes her an offer she can't possibly refuse."

"Are you suggesting we get her to join us?" Jazz wondered eagerly. "I love your thinking, honey bear!"

"Ooh, Jazzy, you dog!" Zelda barked seductively, much to the annoyance of Piper, Blair, and Irene.

"Get a room, you two!" Blair yelled at the couple. "Or, in this case, a doghouse."

"I'll do it." Irene nominated herself to make the offer without being prompted and marched over to Whitney, Jasper, and Thea's table. "Hello there, Miss Topaz. Since you are so popular around here, might I suggest an opportunity to join us at the student council?"

Thea was momentarily terrified, but thankfully her concerns were alleviated by Whitney's answer. "Oh, that'd be great, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline for now."

"Rats!" Irene shouted and marched back to her table in shame.

--

While Whitney had lunch with her new best friend and her crush, some of her new teachers had gotten together to discuss the new arrival to Crystal High.

"So, it's great that you all found the time to join us today." Pearl said to Lana, Biddie, Amy, and Dot. "And I suppose you might already know why you're here."

"Whitney." Lana and Dot said in unison.

"Whitney." Biddie added.

"Whitney!" Amy declared. "She really brightened my day the moment I called her name."

"Now, let's not shill Whitney too much, lest her head gets as big as Ruth's." Garrett snickered before looking up at a painting dedicated to their old friend and the school's former principal Rosemary Diamond. "But her kind heart and free-thinking really remind me of Rose back when we attended Diamond University together."

"I miss Rose." Amy replied nostalgically. "Maybe we should get back together for lunch someday."

"Oh, that would be great!" Pearl agreed with the homeroom teacher while trying to hide her blush, indicating that she still held a torch for Rose. "Now, back to Whitney, I find it amazing that she wants to change our student body for the better."

"Yeah, plus I'd no longer have to be in danger of unemployment now." Lana stated. "What do you think? Should I get Lucy and Zoey to put her on the cheer squad?"

"Ooh, I got a better idea!" Dot exclaimed. "Why don't we have her give a big speech at the big game in a few weeks?"

"That would be a great idea!" Biddie concurred with the science teacher's idea. "That way, everyone can do their part in cleaning up this school!"

"Then it's agreed." Estelle smiled. "I'll call her parents at once and see what they think. I'm sure they'll love to hear what we think about their daughter."

--

"Good grief, who had the bright idea of teaching math at the end of the day?" Jasper grumbled as she and Whitney headed to their final class for the day together. "I mean, school is already stressful enough, but putting the most stressful subject you can imagine at the end of the day? It's absurd!"

"Well, don't you worry your pretty little head because you got me to keep you sane till it's time to go." Whitney replied while patting Jasper on the head. "Besides, you got practice later, so that should allow you to vent your frustrations healthily."

"Hey, new girl!" Lucy Lance exclaimed as she and her younger sister Zoey approached Whitney and Jasper. "We've heard that you've been doing wonders for the other students, and personally, I think your positive attitude would be killer for the squad!"

"Yeah, wanna come practice with us?" Zoey added. "We got a spare pair of pom poms with your name on them!"

"Oh, I'd love to join the squad, but I think I'll have to turn you guys down for now." Whitney declined the Lance sisters' offer. "But I'd totally be open to joining later when I have the time. When can I come to tryouts?"

"We'll be holding them in a few weeks." Zoey revealed. "Be there or be square!"

"It's a date!" Whitney responded happily as she took Jasper's hand, and the four girls walked into math class together. Once again, however, not one of them realized that a student council member was watching them. Furious about Whitney possibly being on the same cheerleading team as her, Catherine gritted her teeth so hard that she broke the candy part into pieces.

--

"Hey everyone, I'm home!" Whitney called to her family once she returned home at the end of the day after saying goodbye to Jasper and Thea.

"Welcome back, Whitney!" Lauren replied as she fixed an after-school snack for Kenny. "How was your first day today?"

"It was good." Whitney answered as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I managed to make some new friends, but they were all being oppressed by this really horrible student council, and I saw fit to try and change things, which quickly made me the talk of the town."

"Oh, that reminds me, honey." Ash said as he emerged from another room with a phone in hand. "I got a call from the principal earlier, and apparently, they're so happy with what you're doing; they even said they want you to make a big speech at the big game later this month!"

"Oh my gosh, really?!" Kenny exclaimed in delight. "Whitty, that's awesome!"

"I know, right?!" Whitney replied as the Topaz family got together for a big group hug. "And even better, I think I got a crush on someone!"

"A crush already?" Ash grinned. "And on the first day of school, no less. Back when I was in high school, it only took until the Halloween party for your mother and I to get together."

"That reminds me, you need any help with your speech?" Lauren asked her daughter.

"Naw, I think I already know what to write." Whitney said as she left the kitchen and went to her room to write her speech. "Just wait till everyone back at Riverdale hears about this!" Opening up her laptop and creating a new document to type on, Whitney began jotting down her speech. "Thank you, Crystal High, for making me feel so welcome here."

--

As the weeks progressed, more students and teachers became influenced by Whitney's positive thinking and free spirit the more they got to know her. No longer would they be shackled by Ruth's tyranny. Instead, they'd be free to do whatever they wanted. Dot was able to make science class more interesting, the lunches had more variety, Lana could no longer worry about losing her job, and the student council's authority was being questioned more often by the day. Ruth Black couldn't stand it any longer, Whitney needed to be brought to her level no matter what, and she knew just what to do.

Eventually, it came time for the big football game to kick off the fall sports season between the Little Homestead Wildcats and the Keystone Oxen. Sports fans from across town gathered at the school football stadium, eager to watch the intense action between the rival teams. The two teams were evenly matched by halftime, with the score being 12 to 12.

"We are the Wildcats!" the school's cheerleading team sang, with Lucy and Zoey taking the lead. "We're here to win this game! And if you think we can't, we'll try all the same!" As their cheer concluded, the squad began forming a pyramid. "That's why the students of Little Homestead, will cheer for!"

"Lacey Carruthers!" Desirée Glass exclaimed.

"Toni Paul!" Catherine added.

"And Olivia Snow." Zoey sang.

"And Jasper Brooks!" Lucy concluded, to the rejoicing of their adoring fans as the pyramid came apart and Lucy was handed a megaphone. "Thanks for coming out, everyone! Yes, we're all very beautiful, and our players are the cream of the crop, but tonight, we got a special announcement to make."

"Everyone's favorite new kid in town, Whitney Topaz, is here to give a very special speech!" Zoey exclaimed as she ripped the megaphone from her sister's hands. "Now, let's make some noise!"

As the crowd began chanting for Whitney, Catherine snuck away from her fellow cheerleaders and saw Ruth in the audience before giving her a knowing wink. "Good luck out there, sweetheart!" Catherine purred as she passed by the Topaz family and Thea in the stadium halls, covertly stealing Whitney's speech and replacing it with a fake and more profane copy. "Trust me, word of mouth will spread fast."

"Hey, thanks Cat." Whitney smiled as she walked out to the stadium, blissfully unaware that her life could soon be over.

"Good luck, dear!" Ash called out to Whitney before he saw Jasper passing him by, ready to hit the showers. "Hello there! You must be Jasper, right?" he asked. "My name's Ash; I'm Whitney's father. Meet my wife Lauren and our son Kenny."

"Wow, you're just as big as I'd thought you'd be!" Kenny gasped in awe at Jasper's size.

"Ha, that's what she said!" Jasper cackled and tried giving Kenny a high-five, but he had no idea what she had just said.

"Uh, what did she say?" Kenny asked curiously, his innocent ears trying to comprehend the football player's dirty joke.

"You'll know when you're older." Lauren laughed as she covered her son's ears before she noticed something at her feet. "Hey, what's that paper for?"

"Let me see that." Jasper said as she picked up the paper and began to read it, coming to the slow and horrified realization that she was reading Whitney's speech and had seemingly forgotten it. "Oh no, I have to get this to her, quick!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ash replied. "Go, go, go!" At the father's command, Jasper raced out to the field to help Whitney before she could make a huge mistake.

--

"Everything is going according to plan." Ruth smirked as Whitney walked onto the green field, ready to give her speech. "Thanks to Irene, I learned that the teachers offered Whitney to make a speech about how much she will change the school. But luckily, I was able to forge a fake speech in the nick of time that will no doubt ruin her cred the moment she finishes it! All the profanity, all the prejudiced remarks, seeing the reactions will be so invigorating!"

"Good evening, everyone; thank you so much for having me here tonight." Whitney said to the spectators. "First off, I just want to thank Principal Garrett and all the wonderful teachers of Crystal High for giving me this opportunity to spread my mission of love and change to everyone here tonight." The crowd began cheering for the principal and her employees before Whitney continued. "Anyways, I've worked very hard on this speech for the past couple of weeks, and I'd be pleased as punch to share it with you all."

"Whitney, WAIT!" Jasper yelled as she raced back onto the field with Whitney's real speech in hand. "You forgot this. I found it on the floor."

"Wait, that can't be my speech; this is my speech!" Whitney said before she opened her paper to discover the false and very crude speech written to taint her reputation. And the one thing that indicated who the writer was. "Wait, "Student Council rules, Whitney Topaz drools"?!"

"Oh no, she's onto us!" Ruth exclaimed as the student council attempted to make a break for it, only to be cornered at every turn by their fellow spectators who were not happy with their attempted sabotage. "No, this can't be happening!"

"Oh yes, it is, Miss Black." Estelle said as she and Pearl loomed over Ruth. "Did you seriously forge a speech to ruin Whitney's reputation?"

"Yes, of course I did because I was jealous!" Ruth hurriedly admitted. "Jealous that this new girl who's only been in school for a few weeks, yet everyone loves her and fears me! Why is it always the nice people that get attention instead of the ones who demand your respect?!"

"Well, maybe it's because they actually do unto others as they would do to them." Pearl scoffed. "Honestly, Ruth, I expected better from you. As of today, you will be removed from the student council. And we need to discuss that scholarship of yours too."

This caused all the students to cheer over finally being freed from Ruth's tyranny as Ruth herself curled up into a ball of woe. And then, as if to hammer her despair in even further, her former slaves started singing.

"Finally free, finally free, finally free everyone!" everyone began performing an expertly choreographed musical number to celebrate. "Finally free, finally free, finally free, let's have fun! Finally free to just be me!"

"At long last, it's time for celebration! Let's bring down the house!" Whitney began singing along with the crowd and had her first kiss with Jasper in the process, sealing their romance. "It's meant to be that we can all be free; come on and sing it loud!"

"Did you think you'd have us all under control?! My, you took a real nasty fall!" Jasper tauntingly harmonized in Ruth's face, who was simply not having enough of it and decided to make herself scarce. "If we just loved each other for who we are, then we can-"

"TOPAZ!" Jasper's voice echoed throughout the field of dancing spectators, much to Whitney's surprise. "TOPAZ!"

"Wait, Jasper?" Whitney asked. "I thought we were all singing?"

"Singing?" Jasper replied. "You need to wake up!"

--

"Yo, is she gonna be okay?" Amethyst asked as she, Jasper, Garnet, Pearl, Teal Zircon, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, Black Rutile's gang, and the Lapis twins all gazed upon a sleeping White Topaz. "Can I poke her even harder?"

"AGH, FINALLY FREE!" White Topaz yelled as she finally woke up and saw all her friends, and others in her company, surrounding her. "What just happened?"

"You fell asleep binging all those Boarding School Broadway movies," Garnet replied. "Is anything the matter?"

"I had the craziest dream, and everyone I knew was there!" White Topaz exclaimed before pointing to everyone she saw in her dream. "And you were there, and you were there, and you! And we were all humans in high school!"

"High school?" Pearl raised an eyebrow at White Topaz's declaration. "Like in Peridot's fanfictions?"

"Ah yes, the high school AU." Peridot observed with a hand to her chin. "Tell me all the details, White Topaz."

"Well, I was the new girl in town, and Black Rutile was the student council president who ruled the school with an iron fist!" White Topaz explained, earning her a glare from her former superior. "Jasper was the football captain I had a crush on, Teal was my first best friend, my teachers included Amethyst, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth, and I was about to accidentally ruin my reputation before the situation was resolved in a pretty rushed fashion."

"Okay, I think we need to simmer down on all those weird teen shows and movies for you." Lapis smirked as she turned off the movie. "And I thought chili gave you vivid dreams." The preceding one-liner incited mass laughter from the Gems gathered, but it quickly turned awkward and strained before stopping entirely.

"Now what?" Bismuth asked.

--

Now what indeed, Bismuth. This was certainly an interesting and very long chapter to write, and yes, I do admit I had to rush that ending to get it out on time. But in all seriousness, I think I had fun writing my take on a Human Gems AU and if you've seen my episode list, this won't be the last time the concept will be brought up. But in the meantime, next up is a very special two-parter featuring our favorite parody of the MI6 agent on her majesty's secret service with a license to kill. Ladies and gentlemen, next chapter will reintroduce us to Jones. Bane Jones.

[the-apocalypse-project]

Selected for the 5th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency by China Residencies

Ni hao, you guys! I'm honored and excited to be selected from a pool of 700 artists for the 5th Crystal Ruth Bell residency by China Residencies, from November to December in Beijing. What an awesome way to round up the year! I'm looking forward to continuing my work in climate change and sustainability with the residency theme, Nourish. The last time I was in China was more than 10 years ago, on a journalism assignment / youth ambassador thing before the Beijing Olympics, so another visit is long overdue. Let's get this Mandarin restarted, y'all. I even have my reusable chopsticks ready. This is the second time I applied for this grant, so kids, it just goes to show: If at first you don't succeed, eat your feelings then try again. Xie xie, everyone! 我很高興!

[tommykha]

2021 7th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency

Rejection Letter.

[artistopencalls]

🟢👉 @china_residencies UPDATE :: You now have two more weeks to apply to the Crystal Ruth Bell Mediated 调和 Residency! The new deadline is Tuesday February 23rd, midnight in your timezone ~~> https://chinaresidencies.com/news/317 Please don't stay up late tonight, we've heard from dozens of people who need more time and we're happy to extend the deadline, especially in the midst of the pandemic. As always, let us know if you have questions about the open call. We're really looking forward to reading your proposals. You got this! https://www.instagram.com/p/CLF4livFurM/?igshid=ypywjw0sm8in

[chachacorner]

Fully Funded to Travel to Beijing: 2018 5th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency – Nourish

Fully Funded to Travel to Beijing: 2018 5th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency – Nourish

5th Crystal Ruth Bell Residency – Nourish

  Deadline: July 17, 2018

China Residencies invites applications for the fifth edition of the Crystal Ruth Bell Residency– a fully-funded two month residency at Red Gate in Beijing for the months of November and December 2018. They are looking for projects that nourish communities in ways that push back against, work through, and build upon our food…

[the-record-obituaries]

May 9, 2018

Ruth Mathis, 81

Mrs. Ruth Lorraine Shumate Mathis, age 81 of Wilkesboro, died Friday, May 4, 2018 at the State Employees Credit Union Hospice of Yadkinville.               Graveside services were  May 9, at Mountlawn Memorial Park with the Rev. Ken Pardue officiating.                 Mrs. Mathis was born October 29, 1936 in Wilkes County to Ira Raymond and Lorene Adams Shumate.                 She was preceded in death by her parents and one son, Troy Lynn Mathis.               She is survived by her husband, Troy Mathis, of the home; one son, Charles "Chuck" Mathis and wife, RoseMary, of Millers Creek; one brother, Tom Shumate of North Wilkesboro; and a nephew, Jeff Shumate.               A special thank you is being extended to Bart Mathis, Mrs. Louise Mathis, and Mrs. Maggie Mathis.               Flowers will be accepted.  

Skyler Roberts

Skyler Christie Roberts, infant daughter of Charles and Christie Roberts, died Saturday, April 28, 2018, at Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital. No service will be held

 William Goforth, 76

William Clyde Goforth, 76, of Ferguson, passed away on Saturday May 5, 2018 at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center after a brief illness.

               Funeral services were held  May 8,   at Lewis Fork Baptist Church with the Rev. Dwayne Andrews and Rev. Sherrill Wellborn officiating.   Burial   followed at Lewis Fork Baptist Church Cemetery.  

               Clyde was born in Wilkes County to Percy Lee Goforth, Sr. and Clara Bumgarner Goforth on June 20, 1941.  He worked as a mechanic for Payne Power Equipment for 35 years. His hobbies included RC planes and helicopters, woodworking, and motorcycles. He loved spending time with his great-grandchildren. He was involved in the RC Club of Roaring River.

               Clyde is preceded in death by parents, Percy Lee Goforth, Sr. and Clara Bumgarner Goforth, and a sister, Patricia Diane Goforth.

               Clyde is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patsy Goforth; children, Diane Marion (Tony, Jr.) of Millers Creek, Rebecca Harris (Barry) of Statesville, and Ricky Triplett of Morganton; siblings Jane Caudill of North Wilkesboro, Shirley Eller (Jerry) of Ferguson, Rosie Burchette (Kent) of North Wilkesboro; Junior Goforth (Donna) of North Wilkesboro, Mikeal Goforth (Pam) of North Wilkesboro, Randall Goforth (Crystal) of Ferguson; grandchildren, Tiffany Cayton (Brandon) of Millers Creek, Erica Marion of Millers Creek, McKenzie Harris of Millers Creek, Shanna Triplett of Morganton, and Brittney Mileton (Hunter) of Morganton; and great-grandchildren Micah, Ryker,  Braylon and Remi.

               Pallbearers will be his nephews: Adam Burchette, Logan Eller, Dalton Goforth, Jordan Goforth, Justin Goforth, Shore Goforth,  William Mobley and Cameron Whaley.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Lewis Fork Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 395 Lewis Fork Baptist Church Road, Purlear NC 28665 or to the donor's choice.

   Robert Myers, 76 

Mr. Robert Earl "Jackie" Myers, age 76 of Hays, passed away Thursday, May 3, 2018 at Forsyth Medical Center.

Funeral services were held   May 7,   at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Tim Pruitt officiating.  Burial was in Rose of Sharon Baptist Church cemetery.  

               Mr. Myers was born May 19, 1941 in Wilkes County to June Stroud and Ruth Wiles Myers. Jackie served in the United States Army and National Guard. He was retired from Wilkes Telephone and was a member of Rose of Sharon Baptist Church. Jackie was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother.

               He was preceded in death by his parents.

               Jackie is survived by his wife Linda Reavis Myers of the home, a daughter; Janet Pettigrew and husband, George of Statesville,  two sons; Eric Myers and wife Debbie of Mocksville and Aaron Myers and wife, Melinda of Hays, five grandchildren; Sarah Pettigrew, Olivia Pettigrew, Megan Myers, Cole Myers and Tyler Myers, two brothers; Frank Myers and wife Shelby of North Wilkesboro and Johnny Myers  and wife Sharon "Rusty" of State Road.

               Flowers will be accepted.

 Raydiance Howell, 21

Miss Raydiance Allahia Howell, age 21 of Millers Creek passed away Tuesday, May 2, 2018 at Wake Forest Baptist-Wilkes Medical Center.

               Funeral services was  held   May 6, 2018 at Millers Creek United Methodist Church with Rev. Cokie Bristol and Rev. Billy Ervin officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.  

               Miss Howell was born March 29, 1997 in Caldwell County to Darrell Larvin Howell and Brandy Sides.  She worked as a CNA at Wake Forest Baptist-Wilkes Medical Center and was currently enrolled in the Respiratory Program at Wilkes Community College and was a member of Millers Creek United Methodist Church.

               She is survived by her parents; Brandy and Joseph Neal, Jr. of Millers Creek and Darrell Larvin Howell of Lenoir, a brother; Brandon Neal of Millers Creek, grandparents; Greg Sides and Jody Berkshire of Lenoir, Randy and Debra Hollar of Collettsville, Dallas Howell of Lenoir, and several aunts and uncles.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Millers Creek United Methodist Church, 3260 North NC Hwy 16, Millers Creek, NC  28651.

 Annie Hamby, 90

Mrs. Annie Childress Hamby, age 90 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at her home.

               Graveside services were held   May 4,  at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church cemetery with Pastor Kevin Brown and Rev. Mike Hamby officiating.  .

               Ann was born September 21, 1927 in Wilkes County to Matthew and Fannie Johnson Childress. She was a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

               Mrs. Hamby was preceded in death by her parents, four sisters and seven brothers.

               She is survived by her husband; A.E. Hamby of the home, three daughters; Lynn Hamby of Moravian Falls, Annette Hamby and Lisa Church both of North Wilkesboro, two sons; Rev. Mike Hamby and wife Sherri of Wilkesboro and Robert "Bobby" Childress and wife Debbie of North Wilkesboro, nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Gideons International Wilkes North Camp PO Box 1791 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

Maxie  Mabe, 82

Mrs. Maxie Mae Wayne Mabe, 82, of North Wilkesboro, passed away on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at her residence.

               She was born Thursday, November 21, 1935 in Ashe County to the late Rufus Hix Wayne and Zola Mae Sheets Wayne.

               Maxie graduated from Jefferson High in 1954. She had worked the lunch counter at Eckerd Drug Store and in the floral department at Kmart.

               She was a member of the Friendship Church of the Brethren. She was active in VBS, Sunday school, and mission work.

               Maxie "Mom" had many passions including arranging flowers for special occasions, directing events within her church and weddings. Maxie "Mom" had a special talent in culinary arts. Many can attest to her fine foods and ability to come up with new recipes from scratch.

               Maxie is survived by her husband of 63 years, Hoke Mabe; sons,  Leon Mabe (Darlene) of Salisbury, Steven Mabe( Lisa) of Millers Creek; grandchildren, Jessica Barker (Jake) of Roaring River, Dawn Holcombe ( Jimmy), Cody Mabe; great grandchild, Josh Holcombe, all of Salisbury.

               The funeral service was held May 7, at Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes Chapel in Moravian Falls. Burial will follow the funeral at Sheets Cemetery in Laurel Springs. Pastor Gary Benesh will be officiating.

Visitation will be held at 2:00-2:45 pm, prior to the Funeral Service at the Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes Chapel.

               Flowers will be appreciated and memorial donations may be given to Friendship Church of the Brethren Youth, c/o Ronnie Sheets, 179 Pads Road, Wilkesboro, N.C. 28697 or Sheets Gap Cemetery c/o Keith Wayne, 6326 Box Chase Drive, Davidson, NC 28036.

               The family would like to thank Pruitt Hospice, Friendship Church of the Brethren and everyone for their love, support and the many letters and cards Maxie received which she was unable to respond too.

   John Harrold, Sr., 88

Elder John A. Harrold, Sr., age 88 of North Wilkesboro passed away Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at his home.

               Funeral services were held May 4, at Zion Baptist Church with Elder Dean Roten, Elder Tommy Dollar  and Elder Wayne Overcast officiating.  Burial was in the church cemetery.  

               Elder Harrold was born September 27, 1929 in Wilkes County to James Calvin (JC) and Mary Shumate Harrold.   He was owner/operator of an automotive repair shop and was a Baptist Minister for 59 years and was a member of Zion Baptist Church in Hays.

               In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son; James Calvin Harrold, three sisters; Dana Holland, Carrie Bell Grimes, Betty Jo Michael and two brothers; Andrew Harrold and Bill Harrold.  

               He is survived by his wife of 68 years Rachel M. Robinson Harrold of the home, one daughter; Linda Ellington and husband Ronald of Eden, one son; John A. Harrold, Jr. of Hays, three grandchildren; Matthew Harrold, Rodney Pruitt, Ritchie Pruitt and three great grandchildren; Kyle Pruitt, Halden Pruitt and Ben Pruitt.

The family requests no flowers.

 Harlem Howell, 23

Mr. Harlem Zechariah Howell, age 23 of Ferguson, passed away Monday, April 30, 2018 at his home.

               Funeral services were held  May 6th, at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Fred Howell, Rev. Roger Horton, Rev. Terry Hunt, Rev. Juanita Melton and Evangelist Stephanie Shade officiating.  Burial will be in the Harley Lipford Cemetery.                  Mr. Howell was born October 12, 1994 in Wilkes County to Rev.  Fredrick "Fred" Lee and Patty Regina Lipford Howell. He was a member of Life of God Christian Outreach in Lenoir.

               He was preceded in death by his grandfathers; Harlie Lipford and Ray Howell.

               He is survived by his parents of the home, a sister; Kayla Howell and a brother; Solomon Howell both of Ferguson, his grandmothers; Annie V. Lipford of Ferguson and Wilma D. Howell of Taylorsville, a host of Aunts and Uncles and many cousins.

               Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Care Net Counseling PO Box 1656 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

 Geneva Miller, 76

Mrs. Geneva Maxine Staley Miller, age 76, of Charlotte, NC, died Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at CMC Northeast. Maxine was born December 8, 1941 in Wilkes County, NC to Enoch R. and Mary E. Staley.

               Before retiring, she was the Office Manager for the Intramural Department at UNCC. Maxine was a member of Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church, but in recent years, she attended Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church with her husband, Terry.

               Maxine was preceded in death by her parents Enoch and Mary Staley. She is survived by: her husband, Terry, two daughters: Ashley Marston and husband, Tim of Fortson, GA, Mary Anne Snyder and husband, Randy of Niceville, FL, grandchildren: Rebecca Marston, Hannah Marston, William Marston, and Chase Snyder, a brother, Mike Staley and wife, Arlene of North Wilkesboro, NC and a sister, Jane Pardue and husband, Fred of Clemson, SC., a sister-in-law, Dorothy Miller Sabella and husband Ralph of Oceanside, CA., and many nieces and nephews.

 The family will receive friends Monday, May 7, 2018 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church, 1600  W. Mallard Creek Church Rd, Charlotte, NC 28262 with the funeral service to follow at 3:00 pm with Rev. Laura Rasmussen officiating.  Interment will be at Forest Lawn West, 4601 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208.

 In lieu of flowers, contributions in Maxine's honor can be made to The Humane Society of Charlotte,  2700 Toomey Ave., Charlotte, NC 28203 or The Humane Society of Oconee County, 1925 Sandifer Blvd., Seneca, SC 29678.

  Geraldine Beshears, 88

Geraldine "Gerry" Clark Beshears, 88 entered Heaven's glory on April 30, 2018.  Her faith became sight after a lifetime of loving and serving her Lord and those whom He placed in her life.

               Gerry was born on May 24, 1929 in Hinton, WV to the late Albert Ross Clark and Emma Ruth Harvey Clark.  She moved to Baltimore, MD, as an adult where she met and married Charles Beshears with whom she would live and faithfully love for fifty-eight years. Together, Gerry and charles served the Lord, built a home, reared three children, and spoiled their grandchildren.

               Gerry and Charles relocated to Purlear, NC where their home was a gathering place for family celebrations for the next forty-five years.  It was there that love for the Lord, family, and others was passed to future generations.  Mamaw, as she was known to family, made everyone feel special with home cooked meals, delicious desserts, and the gentle spirit that was her hallmark.  Her life epitomized the words from Proverbs 31: Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:  "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.  

While in Purlear, Gerry was an active and humble servant in New Hope Baptist church.  She served in many capacities, but is most beloved as a GA (Girls in Action) leader and Sunday school teacher - roles that she filled for more than forty years.  Her selfless service and love were examples to all who kne3w her.  Many have been blessed by her visits, phone calls, cards and letters, and rides to doctor appointments when they were going through difficult times.

Her own difficult times necessitates a move to Cross Rose Retirement community in Asheboro, NC, where both her own and Charles' health needs could be met.  For the next five years, her life continued to shine the light of Christ on new friends. Her absence leaves an emptiness in the hears of those who cherished her; howver, the ones who share her faith in Christ know her will live with her in eternity.  

Gerry is survived by her daughter Cheryl Benton and husband Mike of Morganton, daughter Cindy McManus and husband Harold of Archdale and daughter-in-law Gaynell Beshears of Purlear.  Her beloved grandchildren are Emily Benton, Hannah Benton Penley and husband Ryan, Michael Benton, Benjamin McManus and wife Jenny, Joseph McManus, Jared and Jonathan Beshears.  She is also surved by a brother, Ralph Clark and wife Jane of Hickory, a sister-in-law, Betty Beshears of Purlear, a niece, Kay Karminski and husband Lee of Woolford, MD and niece Janet Ahmad and husband Ahmad of Texas and many other well-loved nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Charles, her son, Danny Beshears, her grandson, Aaron McManus, three brothers and two sisters.

  A service celebrating her life and faith was held New Hope Baptist Church fellowship hall sanctuary in Purlear. Following the service, Gerry will be buried at Yellow Hill cemetery beside her beloved Charles.  Reverend Mike Stamper will officiate the service and Pastor Dan Qurollo will officiate at the graveside..

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Samaritan's Purse Ministries, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.

  Hayden Cleary, 83

Mr. Hayden Baxter Cleary, age 83 of Wilkesboro returned to his heavenly home on April 29, 2018.  He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

 A casual celebration of life was held   May 5,  at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Mr. Larry Baity officiating.  The family will receive friends immediately following the service. Please wear your jeans and a Duke shirt (even if you are a Carolina fan).

 Mr. Cleary was born on June 2, 1934 to Ed and Clara Jones Cleary in Wilkes County, NC.  He graduated from Wilkes Central High School and Clevenger College. Hayden worked for Modern Globe for 33 years as a purchasing agent where he had a close family of friends.

 Hayden proudly served in the United States Army, where he met his beloved wife Norma.

 Mr. Cleary was preceded in death by his wife Norma, a son; Ashby, his parents, brothers; Raymond Cleary and Ralph Jones and sisters; Marie Baity and Bethel Smithey.

 He is survived by his daughter; Bridgett and husband Doug of North Wilkesboro, brother; Tom Cleary of Winston Salem, sister; June Adams of Wilkesboro, #1 granddaughter; Lindsay Gardner of North Wilkesboro and granddaughter; Amy Dickert and husband Chip of Easley, SC, grandson; Allender Gardner and wife Holly of Greenville, SC and four great grandchildren.   He also has some very special 'kids' - Kaye Fletcher, David Combs and Katrina Fletcher. His cousin and partner in crime Ronnie Jones, two very special cousins; Larry Baity and Marty Laws, nieces; Carol Owens and Kathy Jones and a great golfing buddy and friend Booty Billings.

 In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Ebenezer Christian Children's Home, PO Box 2777, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

   Carolyn Harris, 73

Mrs. Carolyn Ann Jones Harris, age 73 of Moravian Falls, passed away Friday, April 27, 2018 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC.

 Funeral services were held   Wednesday at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Bishop C.O. Reid officiating.  

 Mrs. Harris was born November 15, 1944 in Wilkes County to Sam and Ruth Kelly Jones. She was a homemaker and a member Wings of Healing Church.

 She was preceded in death by her parents.

 Mrs. Harris is survived by a daughter; Linda Renee Harris of North Wilkesboro, four sons; Frank Harris, David Harris, Monoletto Harris and wife Jeania and Antonio Harris and wife Ashley all of North Wilkesboro, eight grandchildren; Tamara Poole, Carolyn Lowe, Anna Tilley, Monty Harris, Dashon Harris, Jasmine Harris, Stormie Harris and Janiya Harris, a great grandchild; Wyatt Swaim, three sisters; Bronda Horne and Patty Jones both of New Trenton, NJ and Margie Little of North Wilkesboro and two brothers; Billy Jones of New York City, NY and Bobby Jones of California.

[micaramel]

Artist: Ruth Asawa

Venue: David Zwirner, New York

Date: September 13 – October 21, 2017

Click here to view slideshow

Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump.

Images:

Images copyright the artist’s estate and courtesy of David Zwirner New York/London. Photos by EPW Studio/Maris Hutchinson.

Press Release:

David Zwirner is pleased to announce the gallery’s first exhibition dedicated to the work of Ruth Asawa since having announced the representation of the artist’s estate earlier this year, which will take place at the 537 West 20th Street location. The exhibition will bring together a selection of key sculptures, paintings, and works on paper spanning Asawa’s influential practice, as well as rare archival materials, including a group of vintage photographs of the artist and her work by Imogen Cunningham.

Born in rural California, Asawa began to make art while detained in internment camps for Japanese Americans at Santa Anita, California, and Rohwer, Arkansas, where she was sent with her family in 1942-1943. Following her release, she enrolled in Milwaukee State Teachers College, eventually making her way to Black Mountain College in North Carolina in 1946, then known for its progressive pedagogical methods and avant-garde aesthetic milieu. Asawa’s time at Black Mountain proved formative in her development as an artist, and she was influenced there in particular by her teachers Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller, and the mathematician Max Dehn.

Asawa is best known for her extensive body of looped-wire sculptures that challenge conventional notions of material and form through their emphasis on lightness and transparency, which she began making in the late 1940s while still a student at Black Mountain. Their unique structure was inspired by a 1947 trip to Mexico, during which local craftsmen taught her how to create baskets out of wire. While seemingly unrelated to the lessons of color and composition taught in Albers’s legendary Basic Design course, these works, as she explained, are firmly grounded in his teachings in their use of unexpected materials and their elision of figure and ground: “I found myself experimenting with wire. I was interested in the economy of a line, enclosing three-dimensional space. The lesson taught us by Albers was to do something with a material which is unique to its properties. The artist must respect the integrity of the material. I realized that I could make wire forms interlock, expand, and contract with a single strand because a line can go anywhere.”1

Asawa executed her looped-wire sculptures in a number of complex, interwoven configurations throughout her career, a variety of which will be on view in the exhibition. These range from small spheres to long, elaborate examples of the artist’s “form within a form” compositions, in which she created nested shapes from a single continuous line of looped wire; as well as lesser-known forms including hyperbolic shapes, suspended cones, and interlocking spheres.

Also on view will be examples of Asawa’s related tied-wire sculptures, a series begun in 1962, which like much of her oeuvre explore organic forms and processes. After having been gifted a desert plant whose branches split exponentially as they grew, Asawa quickly became frustrated by her attempts to replicate its structure in two dimensions. Instead, she utilized industrial wire as a means of sculpting, and in doing so studying its shape. In the ensuing decades, she created numerous hanging and wall-mounted variations on this form.

A selection of the artist’s rarely seen paintings and works on paper, executed during her time at Black Mountain, will be presented alongside her three-dimensional works. For example, in her “In and Out” compositions, Asawa creates variations on a chevron pattern, utilizing subtle modifications to create a sense of depth and motion within the otherwise flat picture plane. In another group of works, she incorporates the simple shape of the Dogwood leaf, folded and overlapped into varying configurations, to compose dynamic color studies. In still another work, Asawa uses a “BMC” stamp from the school’s laundry facility to create an allover, undulating composition. Seen in this context, the graphic optical effects deployed in these early compositions reveal the genesis of Asawa’s interest in repeated forms, motion, and collapsing pictorial space that logically culminate in her wire sculptures.

On the occasion of the exhibition, a monographic catalogue will be published by David Zwirner Books, which will include new scholarship on Asawa’s groundbreaking body of work by art historian Tiffany Bell, as well as an essay by Robert Storr, and an illustrated chronology.

Asawa’s work will concurrently be on view in Josef and Anni and Ruth and Ray, the inaugural exhibition at David Zwirner’s new Upper East Side location at 34 East 69th Street.

American sculptor, educator, and arts activist Ruth Asawa(1926-2013) is recognized both for her pioneering contributions to twentieth century sculpture as well as arts curricula in San Francisco and nationwide. She studied at Milwaukee State Teachers College, Wisconsin (1943-1946) and Black Mountain College, North Carolina (1946-1949); and later received Honorary Doctorates from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland (now California College of the Arts; 1974), the San Francisco Art Institute (1997), and San Francisco State University (1998).

In addition to her wire sculptures, Asawa is well known for her public commissions, particularly in San Francisco and the wider Bay Area. These include the much beloved fountains in Ghirardelli Square (1968) and outside the Grand Hyatt San Francisco (1973), the latter of which comprises hundreds of Baker’s Clay images molded by local schoolchildren, friends, and other artists cast in bronze. Upon moving to San Francisco in 1949, Asawa, a firm believer in the radical potential of arts education from her time at Black Mountain College, devoted herself to expanding access to art-focused educational programs. She co-founded the Alvarado Arts Workshop in 1968 and was instrumental in the opening of the first public arts high school in San Francisco in 1982, which was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in her honor in 2010. Asawa believed that “Art will make people better, more highly skilled in thinking and improving whatever business one goes into, or whatever occupation. It makes a person broader.”²

Asawa’s work has been exhibited widely throughout the world since the early 1950s, including solo exhibitions at Peridot Gallery, New York in 1954, 1956, and 1958. In 1965, Walter Hopps organized a solo exhibition of the artist’s sculptures and drawings at the Pasadena Art Museum (now Norton Simon Museum) in California, where the artist completed a residency at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop the same year. Other significant solo presentations include those held at the San Francisco Museum of Art (1973); Fresno Art Museum, California (traveled to Oakland Museum of California; 2001-2002); de Young Museum, San Francisco (2006); Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas (2012); and Norton Simon Museum of Art, California (2014).

The artist’s work is represented in prominent museum collections, including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas; de Young Museum, San Francisco; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; San Jose Museum of Art, California; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among others. Asawa has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards.

(1)Stephen Dobbs, “Community and Commitment: An Interview with Ruth Asawa.” Art Education(September 1981), p. 15.

(²)Ruth Asawa quoted in Douglas Martin, “Ruth Asawa, an Artist Who Wove Wire, Dies at 87,” The New York Times(August 17, 2013), section A, p. 20.

Link: Ruth Asawa at David Zwirner

Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today.

from Contemporary Art Daily http://bit.ly/2gxldUz

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: “Sweet Tooth”

So this little bitty drabble was originally written as an Easter one shot, and because I was just wanting some fluffy, happy fun. It takes place probably a couple of years in the future from the end of season six: Killian and Emma are married, they have a toddler daughter, and Henry is driving! I think that's really all you need to know in order to enjoy.

Can also be found in my “Of Swans and Swords and Hopeful Hearts” collection of one shots and drabbles on AO3 or ff.net. 

"Sweet Tooth"

by: @snowbellewells​

"Oh husband of mine…" Emma Swan's voice drifted into the living room from the hall with a playful lilt she'd never had much occasion to use before meeting and falling for Killian Jones. Well, she amended to herself wryly as she came up behind where he sat on their couch, hunched over furtively and clearly hiding something, at least not beyond skips she had intended to seduce before taking them down. Still, using it to toy with her pirate a bit before catching him in some form of mischief was a much more entertaining scenario.

She peered over his shoulder, eyes sparkling and a smug smile on her face, almost certain she knew what she was going to find, even as her fingers ran up his neck and scruffed through his coarse, dark hair before gipping it and pulling his head back a bit to meet her eyes where she hovered over him.

Satisfied merriment flickered across his devilishly handsome face and in Killian's brilliant blue gaze as she stared him down – almost as if he had wanted her to catch him all the time. It was in rare moments like this, precious bits of down time for the two of them together, in their home, safe and comfortable and able to simply be themselves, that Emma saw the playful, boyish side of Killian Jones emerge gleefully. He'd had to grow up so fast, just as she had, that when the little boy he had been before betrayal, slavery, pain, and deprivation, felt assured enough to peek through just a bit in play with her, with Henry, or with their daughter, it was beautiful to see. As a ship's captain in a dangerous realm, fighting beings like Rumplestiltskin or in tenuous cahoots with such devious compatriots as Cora or Pan, his buoyant, youthful nature had found little outlet for hundreds of lonely years. Now, however, it was sweeter, gentler than that, and it warmed Emma's heart.

As her eyes trailed from his, she easily spotted the bag of individually wrapped miniature candy bars which she had been hiding in the kitchen cabinet behind her cocoa mix. There were also three or four crumpled metallic gold Twix wrappers on the coffee table in front of him which Killian had not had time to hide. Not to mention the small trace of chocolate in the corner of his smile that she was already hankering to lick away in a slow, sultry kiss.

"You do know those were meant to be for the kids' Easter baskets, right?" she chided, pulling just the tiniest bit harder with the hand she had carded into his hair – all part of the teasing more than genuine irritation. Though, if he had demolished enough of her stash that she had to go back to Clark's mini-mart for more treats to take to Regina and her mother's ridiculous dressy dinner and egg hunt, then Killian was being dragged there with her to hear whatever town complaint Leroy would be standing at the counter yammering on about, to get an earful of Frederick and Kathryn debating which dog food was best for Ajax's coat and joints while they blocked the way down the aisle, to listen to Marco discussing the merits of hand tools versus power, Archie and Belle comparing notes on which herbal teas were best for calm and relaxation, to be sidetracked by Ashley wanting to get them on the PTA phone tree, or whomever else most felt the need to bend an objective listener's ear and so always managed to get her wrapped up in their conversations. It was why she could never return from what should be fifteen minute errands in much under an hour, and why she tried to stock up on all she could think of when she went. Yep, if her pirate had pilfered all the chocolate she bought ahead to avoid the holiday crowd, then he was getting a taste of the chore that shopping was for her.

Raising an eyebrow at her insouciantly, as if he had read her thoughts and had very much raided her collection merely to get a rise out of her, Killian hissed through his teeth just slightly at the increased pressure on his scalp and shifted restlessly on the couch, clearly feeling the tension and heat in the room creep upward just as inexorably as she did. Running his wicked tongue across his lower lip in an obscene gesture that both infuriated her and made her want to suck it into her own mouth, he brought his hand up to uncurl her fingers from his dark hair and pulled it down toward himself, making her lean further over the couch as he murmured, "Oh yes? Well, if that's the case, come and take them back from me."

Emma's breath stalled in her throat at his words; the look in his eyes as he gazed back at her upside down and waggling his eyebrows ridiculously should not be as devastating as he made it, but he unfairly turned the teasing around on her all too smoothly. By the time he had brought the hand he'd captured to his lips, tracing his warm, wet tongue across her palm and up her wrist to nip lightly at her suddenly racing pulse, she was on fire beneath her skin and ready to crawl over the back of the couch to get to him.

Humming lowly to himself, Killian continued his slow, deliberate path with lips, teeth and tongue up to her elbow, and Emma could only watch, entranced, panting and flushed. How had she lost control of this whole situation so quickly? She only wondered briefly to herself before silently admitting that she didn't really care if she had – only with Killian could she truly relish the relief of not having to take the lead and handle everything all the time. She was just moving around the end of the couch to take back the upper hand, and perhaps give Killian a taste of something well beyond pilfered chocolate, when Henry came thundering down the stairs into the room.

"Guys, come on!" he groaned, immediately flushing as red as his mother and turning away slightly. "You're in the middle of the living room!" He hadn't really seen anything scarring – yet – but the way both of them had sprung backwards and given him matching deer-in-the-headlight looks made where things had been headed crystal clear. It wasn't the first – nor would it be the last – time he'd walked into a heated moment about to turn into a raging inferno.

Shaking his head at them in good natured exasperation while Killian chuckled lowly with a shrug and his mom offered a sheepish "Sorry, Kid", Henry plowed on, holding up a somewhat crushed-looking, pink beribboned Easter basket. "I found Morgan's basket grandma made her last year," he announced wryly. "Don't ask why it's buried in the bottom of my closet, but here it is. I knew you were looking for it. She might actually be old enough to put something in it this year."

Both his mom and stepdad smirked with him then, remembering the vision of his year old sister contentedly trying to stuff a handful of grass into her mouth the year before.

With an added explanation that he was off to pick up Violet, and twirling his own newly acquired set of keys to David's old pickup – now his – in his hand, Henry was off with a teenaged warning to keep it PG, he thought he'd heard his little sister stirring from her nap on his way downstairs. "See you at 5!" he called at last, and then was out the door.

Emma sent Killian a devious little smile full of promise as they did indeed begin to hear the sounds of their young princess waking up and moving around in her room overhead. Morgan Ruth Jones was not afraid to make her presence and wakefulness known, and as if on cue, she began to call out for "Mama!" and "Papa!"

Still grinning as she jogged up the stairs to fetch their little girl and get her ready for the party, warning Killian that the rest of the chocolate needed to go in the plastic eggs not his mouth, and quickly, Emma contented herself with the anxiously happy thought that she still had a treat awaiting her when they got back home.

Tagging: @kmomof4​ @searchingwardrobes​ @jennjenn615​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​@tiganasummertree​ @laschatzi​ @winterbaby89​ @darkcolinodonorgasm​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @teamhook​ @revanmeetra87​ @lfh1226-linda​ @shireness-says​ @snidgetsafan​ @ineffablecolors​ @let-it-raines​ @spartanguard​ @mayquita​ @thislassishooked​ @linda8084​ 

[the-record-obituaries]

Feb. 22, 2017: Obituaries

Jerry Wayne, 63

Mr. Jerry Albert Wayne, age 63 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Saturday, February 18th, 2017 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Funeral Services were February 21st,  at His Light Ministries with Rev. Michael Brinegar officiating  Burial was  in Mountlawn Memorial Park.

Mr. Wayne was born October 7, 1953 in Wilkes County to William Alfred and Dovie Mae Dancy Wayne. He had previously been employed by American Drew Furniture. Mr. Wayne was a member of Vision Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister.

Mr. Wayne is survived by several cousins and an Aunt.

 Daniel Rotenberry, 75

Daniel Thomas Rotenberry, age 75, of Hays, died Sunday, February 19, 2017 at Wilkes Regional Medical Center. He was born September 21, 1941 in Welch, West  Virginia to Ollie and Lorraine Thomas Rotenberry. He was a US Army Veteran. He enjoyed the outdoors and photography. Mr. Rotenberry was preceded in death by his parents.

Surviving are his daughter, Cheryl Brown of Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Jacob Brown, Sarah Brown and Michelle Brown all of Wilkesboro; and two sisters, Rita Rotenberry of Princeton, West Virginia and Frances Hart of Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Service was held in West Virginia.           Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

Naomi Triplett, 94

Naomi Broyhill Parks Triplett, formerly of Wilkesboro, NC passed away February 18th 2017 at Arbor Acres in Winston Salem, NC.  Naomi was 94 years young.

Naomi grew up in Boomer, NC with her parents, two brothers and two sisters. She was active in her home church, Little Rock Baptist Church. She graduated from Appalachian Teachers College (ASU) in Boone, NC. She was a teacher first in Valdese, NC and then Wilkesboro, Millers Creek, Ronda and Roaring River Elementary Schools in Wilkes County. After marrying Harold Wellborn Parks, she resided in Roaring River for many years where she and Harold were active members of Roaring River Methodist Church.

After Harold's passing in 1965, Naomi shouldered the task of raising two teenage sons while being the sole "bread winner".  In 1973 she married Thomas L. Triplett of Conover, NC, where they lived until his death in 1988.  Later that year, she moved home to Wilkesboro where she was an active member of the Wilkesboro United Methodist Church, President of the United Methodist Women, President of the North Wilkesboro Woman's Club and a member of the Wilkes County Retired School Teachers Organization. She was an avid knitter, bridge player, gardener, and Grandmother.

She is preceded in death by her parents Isaac Jefferson and Ada Carlton Broyhill; her husband Harold W. Parks and Thomas L. Triplett  her two sisters, Arlee Broyhill Andrews, Evelyn Broyhill Greer; two brothers Lloyd Broyhill and Vernon Broyhill. She is survived by two sons, James Harold Parks and wife (Brenda Ritchie Parks) of Slier City NC, and Daniel Broyhill Parks and wife, (Carla Cox Parks) of Mebane, NC. Naomi has four grandchildren; Jamie Parks Barron and husband (Darryl) of Raleigh NC, Jodi Parks Myers and husband (Bobby) of Cary NC; Daniel Broyhill Parks and wife (Jaclyn) of Wake Forest, NC and Anna Parks Shartzer and husband (Douglas) of Apex, NC. In addition, 10 Great grandchildren: Ellie and Joshua Barron, Austin Dice, James Robert and Madison Myers, Sophie, Molly and Eloise Shartzer and Emerson and Caris Parks.

A celebration of Naomi's life will be held at Wilkesboro United Methodist Church on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 2:00 P.M., with Rev. Karen Roberts and Rev. Chris Lakey officiating. Prior to the service the family will greet friends in the Heritage Room at the church starting at 1:00 P.M. A graveside service will be at the Roaring River Methodist Church Cemetery following the church service. Memorials may be made to Roaring River Methodist Church, c/o Josh Hill, 350 Sedgefield  Circle, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

Pallbearers will be, Daniel Parks, Jr., Darryl Barron, Douglas Shartzer, Bobby Myers, Austin Dice, James Robert Myers and Joshua Barron.

   John Hutchison, Jr., 61

John Everette "Butch" Hutchison, Jr., age 61, of Traphill, died Thursday, February 16, 2017 at Woltz Hospice Home. He was born September 28, 1955 in New Castle County, Delaware to John Everette Hutchison Sr. and Ruth Davis Hutchison. He was a US Army Veteran. Mr. Hutchison was preceded in death by his parents.

Surviving are his daughter, Billie Jean Rodriguez and husband Armondo of Kansas; sisters, Janice Hutchison McGrady of Traphill, Debbie Hutchison Pennington and husband Tim of Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Aaron and Tony Rodriguez.

Graveside service with military rites by Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard Post 1142 was February 18, at Piney Grove Baptist Church Cemetery with VFW Chaplain Larry Reavis and Rev. Eddie Tharpe officiating  Flowers will be accepted. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

   Harold Baker, Jr., 60

Harold "Hal" Aubrey Baker, Jr., age 60, of Millers Creek, died Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at UNC Chapel  Hill Hospital. He was born July 13, 1956 in Wilkes County to Harold and Barbara Glass Baker. Mr. Baker was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, Tony Baker.

Surviving are his loving wife and best friend, Sandy Clonch Baker; sons, Shaun Baker and wife Amy of Biloxi, Mississippi, Chad Clonch and wife Lindsey of Wilkesboro; daughter, Christy Baker of Millers Creek; sister, ArLene Gregory and husband Mike of Millers Creek; grandchildren, William Baker, Samantha Baker and Braxton Baker; nephew, Jason Gregory; and niece, Anita Baker.

Memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Miller Funeral Chapel with Rev. Darrell Poole and Rick Cooper officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. Memorials may be made to Humane Society of Wilkes, PO Box 306, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

    Barbara  Prevette, 74

Barbara Johnson Elledge Prevette, age 74, of Hays, died Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at her home. She was born September 17, 1942 in Wilkes County to John Robert and Hattie Catherine Hanks Johnson. Ms. Prevette was a member of Springfield Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Junior Elledge; grandchildren, Jason Randall Elledge and Barbara Kathleen Brooks; and brothers, Ira Benjamin Johnson and John Lewis Johnson.

Surviving are her husband, Dwight Prevette; her children, Annette Elledge of Mt. Airy, Jack Randall Elledge and Lisa Wilmoth both of Hays, Debra Jane Franklin and husband Ron of Crystal Lake, Illinois; sisters, Mary Belle Johnson and husband Cline of North Wilkesboro, Carol Laws and husband Ray of Advance, brothers, Roger Johnson and wife Cheryl and Bill Johnson both of Hays; seven grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; and her faithful canine companion, Mr. McGee.

Memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m. Sunday, February 26, 2017 at Springfield Baptist Church with Chaplain Paul Hugger and Rev. Gary Stanley officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at Miller Funeral Service from 12:30 until 2:30 on Sunday, prior to the service. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the American Lung Association, PO Box 27985, Raleigh, NC 27611. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

    Dana Pierce, 71

Mrs. Dana Lee Pierce, age 71 of Wilkesboro, passed away Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 at Wilkes Regional Medical Center.

Private Memorial services were  February 19th,   at Scenic Memorial Gardens Mausoleum Chapel with Rev. Carl Witherspoon officiating. Inurnment was in Scenic Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.  

Mrs. Pierce was born June 9th, 1945 in Eden, North Carolina to William and Lillie Mills Fayne. She was a member of Cornerstone Church. Mrs. Pierce was a homemaker.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband; Bob Pierce, a sister; Janet Campbell and a brother; Hank Fayne.

She is survived by two sons; Greg Pierce and wife Belinda of Purlear, Tom Pierce and wife Regina of Wilkesboro, two grandchildren; Emily Pierce of Purlear and Kaitlyn Pierce of Wilkesboro, a sister; Gwen Williams of Wilkesboro and a brother Billy Fayne of Cocoa, FL.

 Martha Rhodes, 91

Mrs. Martha Elizabeth Rhodes, age 91 of Wilkesboro, died Friday, February 17, 2017 at Wilkes Senior Village.

Funeral services were February 20th, with private family bu  with Dr. Chris Hefner and Rev. Alfred E. Andrews officiating.    

Mrs. Rhodes was born September 4, 1925 in York, SC to William Albright and Martha Beatrice Wilson Burch. She graduated from St. Joseph's Nursing School in Savannah, Georgia and then received a certificate in Public Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She worked as a Public Health Nurse in Raleigh before marrying Mr. Rhodes. She was a homemaker for many years before she went back to nursing and retired from Wilkes Regional Medical Center as a registered nurse. She loved taking care of others and enjoyed sewing, gardening and especially playing bridge with her friends. She was a member of Wilkesboro Baptist Church for over 50 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her son, Donald DuBosq Rhodes, Jr. and four sisters.

Mrs. Rhodes is survived by her husband of 66 years, Donald DuBosq Rhodes, Sr., her children, Carol (Bill) Warden, Bill (Teresa) Rhodes and Martha (Steve) Rizoti; seven grandchildren, Emily (Daniel) Crane, Lee (Ale) Warden, Hugh (Laura) Warden, Adam (Selah) Rhodes, Ben (Heather) Rhodes, Merritt Rizoti and Rachel Rizoti; three great grandchildren, Avery and Bennett Crane and Joanna Warden; and one brother, William Burch and one sister, Frances Gresley.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wilkesboro Baptist Church PO Box 61 Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

  Johnny Sheets, 74

Mr. Johnny Landon Sheets, 74, passed away Wednesday February 15, 2017 at Hospice Home of Alamance County.

A funeral service was Saturday at Monnette Road Baptist Church.  Burial followed at Towe Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery

Mr. Sheets was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend.  He was born in Wilkes county to the late Fred and Connie Royal Sheets.  He was a faithful member of Towe Memorial Baptist Church where he served as a Sunday School teacher.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister Maxie Hart; brothers Roy, Billy, and Bobby Sheets; a grandson Bradley.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years Mary Sheets of Whitsett; children Sabrina Daniels, Michelle Hoke and husband Bill, Michelle Cox and husband Stacey, and Wade Harden and wife Christina; sisters Betty Kilby ,Peggy Royster and husband William, and Mary Sheets; brothers Tony Sheets and wife Donna, Mike Sheets and wife Lisa, and David Sheets; grandchildren Katie Daniels, Josh Hyatt, Rebecca Hoke, Landon Williams, Olivia Kutlik, Christopher Harden, and Anthony Puckett.  Also surviving are four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice of Alamance County, 918  Chapel Hill Rd. Burlington, NC  27215.

George Brothers Funeral Service is assisting the Sheets family.

   Cathy Anderson, 63

Mrs. Cathy Joyce Anderson, age 63 of Millers Creek, passed away Monday, February 13, 2017 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

    Wanda Pickard, 81

Wanda Shelton Pickard, age 81, of Wilkesboro, NC, died Monday, February 13, 2017 at Westwood Hills Assisted Living Facility in Wilkesboro.

Wanda is survived by her daughter, Kathryn Jane Regner of Madison, AL; her brother, Charles Wayne Shelton of Clinton, KY; her sister, Brenda Faye Shelton of Almo, KY; her daughter-in-law, Renee Pickard of Wilkesboro; three grandsons, Matthew Stewart Pickard (Laura), Nathan Davis Pickard (Kelly) and James Nicolas Pickard (Lauren); seven great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 61 years, Wilbur "Pick" Pickard and her son, Ralph Kent Pickard, both of Wilkesboro; her parents James Logan and Corine Evelyn Shelton, both of Mayfield; brothers James Rudy Shelton and Wilson Key Shelton.

Reception was held at Byrn Funeral Home, Mayfield, Kentucky  February 19   and a graveside service   at Highland Park Cemetery following.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be welcome to the Alzheimer's Foundation (alzfdn.org) or Children's Hope Alliance, 507 Courthouse Drive, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

  Roy Shoemaker, 85

Mr. Roy Bruce Shoemaker, age 85, husband of Linda Ruth Denny Shoemaker of North Wilkesboro passed away Sunday, February 12, 2017 at Wilkes Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services were February 16,   at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Bro. Josh Bell and Rev. Junior Harold officiating.  Burial with military honors by Post 1142 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard will be in Mount Lawn Memorial Park.  

Mr. Shoemaker was born August 24, 1931 in Wilkes County to Robert McKinnley and Addie Marie Mastin Shoemaker.  He served in the United States Army and was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1142, Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion Post #33.  He was a Field Supervisor for Foster Sturdivant Construction Company.  

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by daughter; Gina Ann McKinney, one great grandson, one sister; RV Bowman and one brother; Edward Starling Shoemaker.

He is survived by his wife; Linda Ruth Denny Shoemaker of the home, one daughter; Brenda Leigh Wheeler of North Wilkesboro, three step-daughters; Darla Smithey and husband Larry of Wilkesboro, Sherry Johnson and husband Bob of Winston-Salem, Darla Ashley of Roaring River, two sons; Michael Shoemaker of Wilkesboro, Robert Bruce Shoemaker of North Wilkesboro, ten grandchildren; Todd Shoemaker, Timothy Shoemaker, Derek Shoemaker, Leighanne Cheek, Brandon Cheek, Kala McKinney, Chase McKinney, Sarah McKinney, Taylor Billings, Joey Cleary, six step-grandchildren; Chad Johnson, Amanda Johnson, Lana Johnson, Crystal Marley, Carrie Bell, Tom Dishmon, twenty-two great grandchildren, one sister; Agnes Alexander and husband Clay of Roaring River, and one brother; Bobby Shoemaker and wife Vecie of North Wilkesboro.

Pallbearers will be: Derek Shoemaker, Brandon Cheek, Joey Cleary, Tom Dishmon, Robert Hudson and Bobby Shoemaker.

Flowers will be accepted.

  Jason Johnson, 38

Mr. Jason Edward Johnson, age 38 of Moravian Falls, passed away Sunday, February 12, 2017 at Forsyth Medical Center.

Funeral services were  February 18th at Reins Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Rickey Mitchell officiating. Burial will be in Eshcol United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Mr. Johnson was born March 13, 1978 in Wilkes County to Grady and Bessie Shumate Johnson. He was a self-employed roofer. Mr. Johnson was a member of Eshcol United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers; Grady Alexander Johnson, Allen Johnson, Bradley Johnson and one sister; Elsie Faye Johnson.

Mr. Johnson is survived by a sister; Donna Johnson Osborne of Moravain Falls and two brothers; Travis Johnson of New Mexico and Jeffrey Johnson of McGrady and one half brother; Derek Adams.

    Barbara Redman, 75

Barbara Jean Redman, age 75, of Elkin, died Saturday, February 11, 2017 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. She was born July 31, 1941 in Wilkes County to Jake and Carrie Calloway Isenhour. She loved baking, singing in the church choir, visiting the sick and spending time with her family. Mrs. Redman was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John Sidney Bailey, Sr.; son, Patrick O. Bailey; brother, Aaron Isenhour, and sister, Dawn Chamberlin.

 Surviving are her husband, Edward "Lee" Redman Sr.; her children, Terri A. Bailey-Carlton of North Wilkesboro, Jerri B. Bailey of Wilkesboro, John Sidney Bailey II and wife Michlin of Walkertown, Stephanie T. Bailey of Winston Salem, Edward Lee Redman, Jr. of Elkin, special son, Randy G. Parks and wife Dorothy of Wilkesboro; brothers, Jacob T. Isenhour, Ricky Morrison both of Wilkesboro, Johnny Horton of Charlotte; sisters, Melvia Isenhour of Wilkesboro, Marilyn Morrero of Brown's Mill, New Jersey, Dare Lynn Isenhour of West Jefferson, Tammy Farmer of Columbus, Ohio, Betty Parks of North Wilkesboro, Maria Harris of Wilkesboro and many others not mentioned by name; fifteen grandchildren; a host of great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral service was February 16,  at Wesley Chapel in Elkin with Pastor Jeanette Hayes and Pastor John S. Bailey II officiating. Burial followed in Old Damascus and Parks Grove Cemetery.  . Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the American Lung Association, PO Box 27985, Raleigh, NC 27611. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.  

   Mrs. Cora Alice Barber Wilborn

Mrs. Cora Alice Barber Wilborn, of Camp Joe Harris Road was born on June 29, 1926 to the late Alfred and Carrie "Pluma" Petty Barber. The widow of Charles "Bill" Wilborn, she went home to her lord and savior on Thursday, February 9, 2017.

Mrs. Cora Alice Barber Wilborn, age 90 of North Wilkesboro, widow of Charles William Wilborn, passed away Thursday, February 9, 2017 at her home.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM Monday, February 13, 2017 at New Damascus Baptist Church with Rev. Keith Knox officiating. The body will be placed in the church at 1:30. Burial will be in the Highview Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 PM on Sunday evening at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home.

Mrs. Wilborn was born June 29, 1926 in Wilkes County to Alfred and Carrie P. Petty Barber. She was a member of New Damascus Baptist Church and she was a homemaker.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Charles William Wilborn; two daughters, Wilma Calloway and Janice Eller; and three brothers.

She is survived by three daughters, Cora Simpson and husband Keith of North Wilkesboro, Billie Cuffee and husband Lonnie of Wilkesboro, Melissa Richardson and husband Danny of North Wilkesboro; six sons, James Wilborn of North Wilkesboro, Clyde Wilborn of North Wilkesboro, Lawrence Wilborn of North Wilkesboro, Alvin Wilborn and wife Norma of Millers Creek, Spencer Wilborn and wife Veronica of Wilkesboro and Rufus Wilborn and wife Sharon of Wilkesboro; twenty grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; and 7 great-great grandchildren.

She was educated at the then segregated, Lincoln Heights School.  She went on to attend what is now Winston Salem State University, and then Howard University during World War II, where she trained in their Women's Army Corps nursing program.  Rather than go to war, she became a homemaker, proudly raising her children: Charles "Spencer" (wife Veronica), Wilma, Rufus (wife Sharon),   Janice,  Lawrence "LW", James "Pee Wee", Alvin (wife Norma), Billie "Puddin" (husband Lonnie), Cora Ellen (husband Keith), Clyde, special daughter, Melissa (husband Daniel), and three grandchildren, Sonya "Tink" (husband Charles), Chad (wife Monica), and Todd (wife Tawana).  She assisted in raising nieces, nephews, and scores of others in the neighborhood and the family.  In addition to 9 living children, she leaves 19 grandchildren (Keith [Angie], Michael [Latreka], Lena [John], Marcella, Gene [Claudia], Darren [Julie], Donna, Jamie [Rubi], Alex, Miranda, Monica, Daniel [Selina], Christian, Beyoncé, and Ana), 35 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren.

Even with her full time duties raising children, she managed to serve on a multitude of community organizations, including the Cairo Social Community Club, and to work for several decades, before retiring from the employ of Mr. John W. Hubbard, Sr. and his loving wife, Rebecca, owners of the local paper, the Journal Patriot.

She accepted Christ as a young girl, attending Rickards Chapel A.M.E. Zion and then joining New Damascus Baptist Church.  There was always a meal to be had at her table, a stern word when needed, or loving arms and kind words.  She lived by example to all, never uttering an unkind word or idle gossip.