Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Dec 24, 2019 0:56:00 GMT -8
Minglong had been up late, working on a composition that he was actually getting paid for, and now that it was done, or at least as done as it could get before he got more feedback on it since it was on commission, he was restless. He didn't want to do anything loud because it was the middle of the night, so he got on the computer, wondering if anyone he talked to would be online.
He was especially curious to see if Remi would be around. It had been a while since he'd talked to the other man, and he wondered how he was settling in in Korea. He set his chat settings to online, so that his friends could see he was around, sent a quick message to Remi asking, "How's Korea?" and waited.
Remi Young
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Jan 31, 2020 21:33:09 GMT -8
Remi was just finishing up some last minute prep work for the school music club, but was otherwise relieved the semester was over. He made it through his first semester with no episodes or drama, and passed all his classes, and still was keeping at this "responsible adult" thing, even if his mom would argue that sometimes having ramyun and a roll cake and calling it dinner did not constitute as "adulting." Last time they talked, his dad admitted to being proud of him, which wasn't something Remi ever really knew he wanted to hear from either parent, but somehow gave him a sense of relief.
He had his laptop up and running, and had Skype up in case anyone wanted to talk, but he forgot time zones were a thing and so it had been quiet pretty much all day (minus Anya mentioning she'd be allowed to spend Christmas day with him). So he startled a bit when the chat notification sound came on. He stared at his screen for a moment before realize Minglong couldn't read minds (and he figured no one would want to read his mind anyway).
"It's been fine. I finished the semester with a 3.9, and the comment from my Korean teacher that I am "excelling" in the intensive courses. I don't get to see Anya quite as much as I expected, but she does a good job of keeping in touch. I don't really have any friends but I'm sure that's expected. My roommate is a pretty chill guy. Don't know that he'd call me a 'friend' yet but -shrug-. Joined the music club partway through the semester, which is good Korean practice and also a good way to keep up my violin. Still undeclared major. Might major in psychology. Don't want to know how my mum would react to that though. What's been up with you?"
He pressed send and waited for Minglong's response. He just kind of gave an entire summary without intending to, but had a feeling Minglong would welcome him actually being cordial about conversation.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Feb 6, 2020 18:33:52 GMT -8
Minglong grinned as he read through Remi's reply. Remi sounded, honestly, rather happy. Clearly the move and change had been good for him.
Before he got to talking about himself, he replied to Remi's response in a series of messages as he got through the thoughts:
"Congratulations on doing well your first term in a new school in a new country! I know that's hard, especially when you are still working on the language."
"Qiwang-di* mentioned that the trainees are kept very busy between school and training. I'm glad you're still keeping in good touch."
"I take it he hasn't had to use the sitting on you method of becoming friends? He was in my advanced martial arts classes, and qigong, so believe me, he could successfully sit on you if needed."
Minglong was pretty sure that Remi would be able to read that as teasing. They'd talked about the incident that led them to be friends enough times since it had happened. He added, "I know he talked to me and Yunjin-ge before agreeing to room with you, and that he thought your mom was kind of intimidating."
"I am glad to hear you are staying in practice with the violin. If you do any performances and there are recordings, I would love to hear them/see them."
Minglong laughed to himself slightly at Remi's comment of not knowing how his mom would react and replied, "If you're interested, you should take some psychology classes then. Maybe look at their sociology department too; it's well known and maybe would be interesting to you if psychology is. I see you are not really thinking of music major anymore?"
Finally, he got to the question about him. He replied, "I've been busy with session music and some composing commissions. It is why I'm still awake. Just finished something for a client. Baian is fully a librarian at the Cedar Beach Library now, which is nice. Things have been quiet here mostly though. I'm still doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Baian has mentioned that maybe we should try to get me my driver's license, but so far, I am content with taking the bus."
He wasn't quite sure what else to say, so he waited for Remi's replies.
[[*He means Thomas, Remi may or may not know that.]]
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Mar 15, 2020 19:31:33 GMT -8
Remi nodded as he typed a response, "Yeah, it seems like she's constantly running around to some practice or something. So I'm not surprised, just a bit disappointed, I guess. Kinda hoped by being in the same country as her, I'd get to see my baby sister a little more than if I had stayed in Seattle. Not that that was the only reason I moved, but it was a big reason."
He read through the rest of Minglong's messages before pulling up his web browser, looking through Youtube for the club's last performance. "I don't have a big part in it, but this was the last performance the club did." He added the link and then pressed send.
He chuckled at Minglong's mentioning of using the "sitting on him" method; typing, "I've been an awful good boy, actually." He joked, adding an angel emoji at the end of the sentence. He had of course gotten into minor trouble, mainly at school, but never enough to even garner attention from professors. He'd promised Anya (and, to a lesser extent, his parents), he'd behave if he got to come to Korea, and so he was going to follow through on that.
"I am of course still interested in music, but my parents think they've been subtle in nudging me to look at other majors to get better jobs or something. Like, they still support me and all in violin but want me to consider other options, so I figured I'd humor them. I have time, since this is only my first year, so it's not like taking a couple extra classes could hurt." He made a note to look into a sociology class, that seemed slightly more interesting than psychology while still being in the same vein as it. Or maybe he'd do one of both.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on May 22, 2020 0:04:06 GMT -8
Minglong smiled at the screen. Remi did sound, at least in text, like he was doing well. He laughed a little bit and said, "Even on your best behavior, I'm not sure that that's the right image for you."
Minglong focused on replying to the rest of it, typing, "It ended up being music that is earning me money despite theoretically having my degree in some things that are better for employment. At the same time, part of that is teaching lessons, and I cannot imagine that being something you would want to do."
He thought about it for a minute, and then added, "Would you be interested in a video call? It's been too long since I've seen you."
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on May 25, 2020 14:31:22 GMT -8
Remi grinned at Minglong's comment, typing quickly, "sure it is! The horns are there just to keep the halo up" and adding another angel emoji before pressing send.
He realized Minglong had a good point, and he felt like maybe he was playing into his parent's game somewhat by agreeing to not pick music as a major. But, based on her current projectory, Anya was probably going to major in music once she got into college, would they stop her from majoring in music? He tried to shake off the bitter feeling bubbling up.
"yeah, sure, let's video chat. (:" He sent Minglong after realizing he'd been quiet for a bit too long.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Jul 27, 2020 19:24:40 GMT -8
Minglong sent an eye rolling emoji to Remi in response to the angel.
He was excited when Remi agreed to a call, and he hit the call button grinning and wiggling a little bit in place in anticipation. It had been too long since he'd seen his friend, and while this was still long distance, it was at least getting to see him.
He hoped that Remi would be willing to show him a little bit of how he was doing in his place in Korea, but it would also be good to hear and see him, and that would give him a better chance to check how Remi was actually doing. It did sound like he was doing pretty well overall, but text wasn't as telling of such things.
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Oct 25, 2020 20:17:06 GMT -8
Remi clicked the answer call button when it popped up, and fixed his hair a bit as he waited for his computer to bring up the camera. As Minglong appeared on his computer screen, he smiled a bit. "Hey stranger." He said teasingly, though he had a feeling his voice didn't portray that he was teasing. "What's up?"
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Oct 26, 2020 8:09:02 GMT -8
Minglong slightly adjusted his headphones, bouncing very slightly in his seat and said, "It's good to see you! I can't be too loud because Baian is asleep and our apartment isn't very big."
He added, "It's a normal time for you, right, but it's very late, or actually maybe very early now, here."
He looked over Remi on the video call for a second and then said, "It does look like Korea has been good to you. It's been too long since I've seen you."
He wasn't quite sure what else to say just then, so he echoed back Remi's question, "What's up?"
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Nov 30, 2020 21:04:28 GMT -8
Remi smiled slightly. "It's been... different. I feel more relaxed without my parents breathing down my throat every two seconds. I guess it's also kinda nice to be somewhere where no one besides my sister knows me well enough to be like... weary? Of me..." He realized he was rambling and went quiet. As he did so, he thought he heard something, but took it as an auditory hallucination (and not even an annoying one for once) and ignored it. "My psychiatrist here is interesting. His English is solely psychological, so I get language practice by attending doctors appointments," He added with a laugh. "Oh! I joined the music club recently. A lot of them are surprised when I tell them I've been playing less than ten years."
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Dec 1, 2020 11:56:25 GMT -8
Seeing Remi was reassuring. He really did look more animated and alive than he had the last time Minglong had seen him in Cedar Beach. He'd always kind of thought that Remi's mom kept him too restricted, and there were clearly reasons that it had happened, but the evidence seemed to be there that Remi did best when people gave him opportunities to actually do things. There had to be a reason that he'd bonded with the people he had.
Minglong didn't mention this though. He was pretty sure that Remi wouldn't particularly appreciate his analysis. Instead, he said, "I'm not surprised that they're surprised. You've put a lot of work into it to capitalize on the talent that you've clearly got, and you definitely sound like you've been playing for longer than you have."
He considered possible topics of conversation, and he decided on asking, "How's sharing a place with Qiwang-di?"
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Jul 2, 2021 17:47:30 GMT -8
Remi nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about if he was playing into his parent's game by considering majors other than music. He grinned widely at the compliment and puffed out his chest a bit, but didn't reply to it.
Remi thought over his answer before replying, giving Minglong a nod, "Yeah, he's not bad. We've gotten into enough of a rhythm that we don't bother each other when the other needs space, or something. He's also gotten used to helping me if my hallucinations act up, like, if I can't tell if something is real or not." He paused, "It hasn't been too much of a problem, but like, it has happened." He added. He grinned, "And he's a wicked cook, and often shares his creations with me, so I guess he's cool."
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
25.
Rat (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Jul 13, 2021 14:49:02 GMT -8
Minglong was thoughtful for a moment and asked, "You've been taking care of your fair share of things around the apartment too, yes? Qiwang-di has done more than enough of looking after people older than him in his life, though he is a very good cook, and from my understanding, at least somewhat enjoys cooking. He went to some of the little cooking class that that Baian held at the temple sometimes."
He didn't think that Remi would be a bad roommate on purpose, but Remi had also grown up with parents that while kind and trying to do their best by Remi were sometimes understandably overprotective in ways that meant that Remi might not even think to do certain things. He was certainly closer to Remi than Qiwang-di as a friend, but he felt a certain amount of responsibility towards Qiwang-di.
Not wanting to linger on the topic, he asked, "Are there any fun trips inside Korea that you're hoping to take? Or have already gotten to take? I know you're focusing on school there, but it's an interesting opportunity to be in a whole new country."
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College Student.
Pansexual/Greyromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
25.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Nov 6, 2021 13:31:48 GMT -8
Remi nodded and angled the camera to show a whiteboard with a checklist on it in the background before turning it back to focus on him. "I've been trying my best to keep track of chores, and homework, and meds, and appointments, and stuff, so I don't have to rely on my memory for the last time I say... cleaned the floors, or dusted, or something. And if it's my turn to do a chore and I've forgotten, Thomas is pretty good about being patient or reminding me. One time he even wrote it on the whiteboard in red and underlined it so like, mostly? I guess is the short answer..." He rambled.
"Winter break is coming up, and some people in the music club were talking about taking a trip to Daegu. I eventually got them to agree to take me along, so we'll be doing that at the beginning of January. I haven't really gone on any other trips, except to the other side of Seoul because a person in one of my classes scored tickets to Inkigayo but couldn't go."
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