InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Not enough, not nearly enough."

Anastasia Marie Treadwell (literaryfluke) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2016-05-13 13:45:00

Entry tags:

anastasia treadwell, william shakespeare

Who: Anastasia, William Shakespeare
When: Friday afternoon
Where: Auditorium at The King's College
What: Seminar
Warnings: tbd

Anastasia was still settling in to her new place. She had yet to drop in on her sister, but it was on her to do list. She had so many things to accomplish before she felt truly settled and it seemed more was added by the hour. There were times she questioned this move. Maybe she should have stayed upstate another year and gotten her bearings elsewhere before making such a huge change. Part of the reason she moved had been to be closer to her sister. Another part was to further her career. This job opened more opportunities than her old one ever would. It must have been nerves and the fear of a new, huge city. She had only ever visited. This was meant to be permanent.

After staying up rather late the night before, organizing her kitchen, Anastasia had slept in a little later than she had meant. All she had planned that day was a seminar in the afternoon and then she would run off to surprise Maia. Even with all her planning, she still ran a little late and slinked as quietly as she could into the auditorium. She was required to sit in on various classes before the school year ended. This was her last before finals, and then she would be able to focus on organizing her office and prepare for the class she would be teaching.

She settled into the very back row, glancing at her watch to find she had made it just in time. The professor hadn't even begun. When the man came walking onto the stage, Anastasia gave him her full attention. She made no notes, considering she wouldn't be tested on any of this material. She was just supposed to observe and introduce herself afterward.

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theworlds_stage
2016-05-13 11:28 pm UTC (link)

William hadn't been particularly eager to do this seminar. Most of his lectures didn't keep the young ones interested, what could this possibly do? The only hope was that it brought in new eyes and ears, and perhaps brains that were eager to learn something (and in dire hopes he thought it might bring back some of the zest he'd lost these last few months). He stepped out on the stage with those thick rimmed glasses poised on his nose. Even through the collegiate image, he was an attractive man. He walked to the podium, looking out to see how many had actually shown up. There were a few more filled in seats than he'd expected. He cleared his throat and positioned the tiny microphone. He was going to start off reading something from one of his plays, but he paused and decided to start with a question.

He shushed those still talking and cleared his throat again. "Now that I have everyone's attention...what could any of you tell me about Shakespeare? What do you know?" He scanned the room looking for a raised hand. Anything.

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literaryfluke
2016-05-13 11:35 pm UTC (link)

The intent on Anastasia coming to these classes and seminars was to get a feel of how the other professors taught. So far, the majority had been traditional style with a lecture and questions. Anastasia watched him, looking as though he was about to read something. But when he didn't and instead posed his question she sat up a little straighter and looked around at the students. Some raised their hands. She wondered what sort of memorized information they had to spout off.

Being a professor herself, she was tempted to raise her own hand and name off something impressive. But for now she just sat up and looked around as students thought of something to say.

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theworlds_stage
2016-05-15 12:44 am UTC (link)

He expected an educated answer, these were college students for Christs sake. But instead he got one of those flimsy (and quite standard) answers from one of the fraternity type kids in the back. It was probably a required seminar that he had to sit through for a grade (something Shakespeare did not do to his students unless it was imperative to a paper they were working on). Even then, he wanted his students to go on their own free will, instead of forcing them, because then they saw something magical. Otherwise it was wasted time.

The jock raised his hand, and once Will nodded in his direction, the boy laughed and said, "Some dead white guy who wrote some crazy shit." Will rolled his eyes. Clearly, that was not the answer he was looking for.

"Look beyond the obvious, please. Anyone care to give me something other than some typical fraternity answer. If you want to make an easy grade, just sign the check in roster on your way out and take your leave. If you are interested in learning, then by all means keep your seat." Will was not impressed, and it did little to boost his own interest. He scanned the room again to see if anyone had anything beyond a dull, drone look in their eyes.

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literaryfluke
2016-05-15 05:10 am UTC (link)

Anastasia shook her head with disappointment. She hadn't expected a better answer, but there still had been a hope that one of them would give an intelligent answer. Without raising her hand, she stood up and spoke, "William Shakespeare was one of the most inspiring and influential literary figures in history. Before he died he even wrote his own epitaph that lies to this day on his grave: Good Friends, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the bones enclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones." Anastasia took a breath and continued to say, "In case anyone didn't understand that, I meant to leave his body where it was buried. We wouldn't want another King Tut-like curse." She left it at that and sat down. Either they would understand the reference or not.

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	theworlds_stage 2016-06-22 02:42 pm UTC (link)
	Will removed the glasses off his nose as she stood up so gallantly, and with such fervor! He listened proudly, hard not to puff his chest out a little and away from the podium. As he held his glasses in hand, he tried to see who he was looking at. "Beautiful answer," he said impressed and then asked her name, because something about her was strikingly familiar. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

literaryfluke
2016-06-22 04:40 pm UTC (link)

Anastasia wasn't afraid to bring attention to herself in a classroom. She was a teacher, after all, and being afraid of having eyes on her would have made or a very poor instructor.

Ana offered a little smile. Shakespeare had always been one of her favorite authors. Who didn't love him? She sat up straighter in her seat to see him a little more easily, "Anastasia Treadwell. I'm the new English professor." Which would explain her answer.

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theworlds_stage
2016-07-28 02:51 pm UTC (link)

"Ah!" Will said triumphantly, "finally someone who has a brain in their head, not just mindless sheep following a wolf out of a pen." He was more curious now who this daring young woman was. So young to have such a title. Was she like himself? An immortal? There was a presence but it seemed very faint and not as recognizable. "Excite me a little more Miss---" he offered as he was not sure the girl was married, engaged or uninvolved, "Treadwell, tell me the greatest of Shakespeare's work. Or the least and why you think so." It was known that after the globe theater burned down, the last thing Shakespeare wrote was The Tempest. His drive to write deteriorated and he did as well. It was perhaps that hit he overlooked himself even now.

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	literaryfluke 2016-07-29 04:47 am UTC (link)
	As much as Anastasia wanted to have a conversation about the life and works of William Shakespeare, she made a face, "I think this might not be the best place to talk about my personal opinions. I'm sure someone else has something to say," she gestured at the students. Plus the point was for her to observe and she had already stepped over that boundary. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theworlds_stage
2016-08-08 08:50 am UTC (link)

"I'm interested in what you have to say." To Will he'd seen her before. Somehow. In his long list of failed romances maybe she was one of those---except she looked so young. "Have I met you before?" He asked completely oblivious to the rest of the room until someone made a very obvious and obnoxious whistle. College students were no better than children at times, and that was part of what drive Will crazy. It was such a waste of potential.

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literaryfluke
2016-08-08 01:03 pm UTC (link)

Anastasia smiled, "That's better left for after the lecture." As much as she enjoyed conversing with like-minded people, she knew the students needed the lecture more than she did. They didn't need to hear about her personal preferences. She shook her head, "No, we've never met." She must look like someone hew had made, but she didn't remember ever meeting or seeing him before. She smirked at the room at large, rolling her eyes.

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	theworlds_stage 2016-08-10 10:42 pm UTC (link)
	"Strange," William noted. "You are so familiar." Maybe the details were vague but he knew he'd seen her before. A girl such as her was not someone that could be easily forgotten. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	literaryfluke 2016-08-11 12:51 pm UTC (link)
	Anastasia shook her head, "I probably just look like someone you've met." She would come to realize just how true those words were. There were plenty of people in the world who looked similar, but Anastasia did have a striking resemblance to her mother. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theworlds_stage 2016-08-18 02:18 pm UTC (link)
	"A sister perhaps? Mother even?" He was not quite sure what struck him so heavily about her, but he was intrigued! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	literaryfluke 2016-08-18 02:27 pm UTC (link)
	Anastasia shrugged and shook her head, "I couldn't say one way or another." She glanced around to see various students looking at her, "Um, we're cutting into your lecture time, professor Stratford." (Reply to this) (Parent)