UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Julin Woo on Jul 29, 2021 10:08:05 GMT -8
Julin settled in a far back corner of his last class of the day. He pulled out his notebook and a pencil, twirling it in his fingers as he waited for the class to start. So far he was enjoying his classes for the semester, though there was a lot of academic and major-focused English he had to familiarize himself with. The teacher finally showed up and settled down the class, Julin occasionally looking up from his notebook where he was sketching various shapes and designs to make sure he wasn't missing anything important. As the teacher went through the attendance sheet, the same thing that had happened in every single class up until now happened again. The teacher got near the end, and seemed confused for a moment. "Julian Vu?" She marked something as a boy sitting on the other end of the class raised his hand. He thought he heard the teacher mutter something about "there must be a mistake," before saying louder but more hesitantly, "Julian? Woo?" "Julin." He said, raising his hand to show he was here. He studied the boy known as Julian. "Julin, sorry about that." The teacher said, writing something on the attendance sheet. Once the class got out (it was okay, but definitely didn't seem like it'd be his favorite class), Julin packed quickly and caught up to Julian. "Hey, name friend." He called out to him. He didn't know what he was planning to say, but since all his high school friends went to other colleges or left the state for college, he was a bit desperate for a friend. Being at home alone was mind numbing, and his therapist agreed he should try to find someone to hang out with. Even the cats at work seemed to know he was lonely, they rarely left him alone, which was really only a problem when they'd tangle around his feet while he was helping in the kitchen. ((Tags: Julian Jiangqing Vu )) |
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Jul 29, 2021 16:27:23 GMT -8
Julian had been startled during his first class to have someone with a name so close to his, baffled by the second class, and amused and befuddled by the end of the day. He appeared to share a schedule with the other person with nearly the same name as him, but he'd not actually gotten a proper look at the other young man because he'd sat in the back corner of all their classes, and Julian had somehow managed to be in the opposite corner every class despite trying to switch what side of the room he sat on with an irregular pattern.
He was glad to hear the other young man, who had clearly gotten a look at him though, call out to him after their last class of the day. He turned, searching for who was trying to get his attention and smiled tentatively, waving a little. He said, "Hi! Julin, right? It looks like we've got the same schedule as well as surprisingly similar names. I'm Julian, nice to meet you."
He figured that with a shared schedule, there was a pretty good chance that Julin was also doing the BA in Social Welfare and minoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality studies, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself. It would be nice to have a friend in his new major, maybe a study buddy, but he needed to actually talk to the other young man first.
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Jul 29, 2021 17:54:14 GMT -8
"Yup it would seem so... Nice to meet you too." Julin replied with a mischievous grin, "I'm a social welfare major, and minoring in gender, women, and sexuality studies studies. You?" He asked. He assumed they were in the same major and minor, which would be an extra funny coincidence.
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Jul 30, 2021 14:32:15 GMT -8
Julian grinned at Julin and said, "Same major and minor, nice!"
He thought for a moment longer and then added, "I'm officially a junior at this point, I think, but I'm a kind of high credits junior because I did two years of running start. Only just declared my major though, so I'm still definitely class of 2023. Does that put us at the same point in the major?"
He hoped so, the idea of having at least one person who would be going through classes at the same time was appealing. He hesitated and then added, "Want to go to a coffee shop or something? Normally I'd be headed for my bus back up to Cedar Beach, since I don't live in the dorms, but I've not got anything to do until quite a bit later today up near home."
He wanted to get to know Julin a little bit better, see if this was someone that he actually wanted to be friends with.
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Jul 30, 2021 17:32:55 GMT -8
"Sweet!" Julin replied, returning the grin.
Julin nodded, "That is also my projected graduation date. So it does sound like we're at the same point in the major. Which is nice, cause that means we'll be able to use each other as study buddies for the rest of our time!" He rambled, happy about that idea.
He paused a bit, as if questioning if he heard Julian correctly. "Okay this is getting too weird... You also live in Cedar Beach?" He paused and pointed in a general direction, "There's this nice coffee shop over that way, like a block or two from campus, that's really good, or we can go to Cedar Beach first and I get discounted pastries and tea from the Chinese Bakery." He paused before adding, "I also take the bus, so I wonder if we somehow just never caught each other or take different buses?"
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Aug 1, 2021 10:32:34 GMT -8
Julian laughed and said, "That's definitely weird! I say let's go back to Cedar Beach and get Chinese pastries and tea. I don't actually like coffee much, to the confusion of everyone I live with, and Chinese pastries are comfort food, and discounts are always nice."
He shrugged and said, "I bet we've just not had our schedules line up with when we came and left from campus before. And anyhow, the bus back to Cedar Beach is usually pretty busy, though not so much that I've ever had trouble getting a seat."
The bus usually emptied out a fair bit in the neighborhoods in between UW and Cedar Beach, but there were a lot of people who caught it from UW, and Julian always made sure to go to catch it from the stop on the southern end of campus because it made it a guarantee that he'd get a seat, where if he tried to catch it further north, there was always a chance that there'd be nothing left or he'd have to decide which stranger seemed the least scary too sit next to.
He started walking towards the bus stop, expecting that Julin would understand where they were going without having to explain. He said, "It's definitely a little strange to find someone else who lives in Cedar Beach too though, and like in the same major and minor, and with a similar name. I put high odds on at least one of the professors never quite figuring out which of us is which."
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Aug 2, 2021 17:58:28 GMT -8
"That sounds good. And I guess I can understand that. If you;re used to tea, it's a very different taste." Julin mused aloud.
He nodded but didn't say anything about Julian's hypothesis. He debated adding a comment, but by the time he thought of something even generic, he realized he was following Julian in an unfamiliar direction. He was sure he looked confused, but he kept quiet, figuring if Julian also took the bus everyday, he knew where he was going. He realized Julian was talking again and a smile crossed his face. "I'd also bet that. It will be interesting for sure." He agreed. "It's is weird, but it's not like my last name is particularly rare in Korea, though my first name is usually a feminine name so I got no excuses for why I was named as I was." He joked lightly.
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Aug 2, 2021 19:35:53 GMT -8
Julian nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm used to tea, but so was my older brother growing up, and he likes coffee fine. So I dunno, maybe I'll start liking it at some point, but I don't really see the point of forcing the matter."
He noticed that Julin looked a little lost with where he was going, and he explained, "I usually go back to the bus stop on the southern end of campus because it means getting a better seat because I'm boarding at the start of the route. I have to walk a tiny bit farther, and I'm on the bus a tiny bit longer, but I've never had to end up standing."
He nodded over Julin's explanations on names and said curiously, "I thought that in Korean, the naming structure was pretty flexible to gender, sort of like it is in Chinese, though I guess that there are meanings that tend way more towards feminine or masculine. My Chinese name, Jiangqing, it just means green river, so that's kind of whatever. Though I've had Vu throw some people off because it's a Chinese family name by way of Vietnam."
He smiled a little at Julin, hoping that the genuine curiosity came through clearly in his rambling thought. It didn't take super long to get to the bus stop, and he was pleased that he could see the bus waiting at the intersection where it had just left the waiting area. He pointed it out and said, "We've got excellent timing."
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Aug 3, 2021 18:19:37 GMT -8
"Oh, that makes sense." Julin replied, curious just how obvious his confusion had been. "I often end up having to stand for a good majority of the trip because I get on at the other stop. I don't think I realized how close this one was to my last class."
He nodded, "Yeah, Korean is similar in that respect, but like, my name's meaning is usually reserved for girls. The combination of hanja used for my name is essentially jewel and pearl, so it leans towards feminine." He tried to explain, somewhat awkwardly. He'd never really explained his name before. He was glad for the bus to stop him from rambling more. "Oh, sweet."
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Aug 5, 2021 18:33:30 GMT -8
Julian smiled and said, "That's a pretty name meaning though. At least it's not something weird with like social expectations or something."
He thought of all the names that wished personality traits on people, and the thought of them made him cringe just a little bit.
He led the way onto the bus when it arrived, glad to see that some of his favorite spots were open. He pointed out the pair of seats right across from the exit doors in the back half of the bus that faced forward and asked Julin over his shoulder, "Does that work for you?"
It was exciting to have someone to ride the bus home with. There wouldn't be a chance of getting stuck next to someone he wasn't comfortable sitting next to.
He found himself quiet as they settled into their seats, not quite sure what to say next. He definitely wanted to get to know Julin, but all the questions that were popping into his head had the potential to be awkward.
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Aug 8, 2021 8:28:25 GMT -8
Julin shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. I mean social expectations is pretty common among a lot of language's names, aren't they? Like even in English there's names like Faith and Joy and stuff." He mused aloud.
He followed Julian onto the bus and nodded when the other boy pointed out a seat. He sat down, holding his backpack on his lap. He noticed it got quiet between them, and let it stay quiet for a bit before asking, "So uh, are you like... Born in this area? Y'know, Seattle's precious 'true native?'" He asked, smiling a bit for the second half to show he was joking around.
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Aug 11, 2021 23:20:46 GMT -8
Julian scrunched up his nose and said, "Someone I went to high school with was named Chastity Grace. It was definitely a name to saddle someone with, but yeah, those exist in a lot of languages."
He shook his head and said, "No, I grew up in the Spokane area. My older brother's way older than me though, and he's lived out here for ages, and I moved in with him for college, so I live with him and his partner, and their best friend."
He hesitated over mentioning having been kicked out, even though he figured there was a good chance that someone in his major would be entirely sympathetic. They'd also only just started talking to each other. He added instead, "It's much more comfortable a place to be gay on this side of the mountains though, and I'm definitely planning to stay over here."
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Julin Woo on Aug 19, 2021 18:07:54 GMT -8
Julin mimicked the scrunched up face, "Oof, yeah, that's a rough one."
Julin nodded, "Ah, that's cool. I moved here from Korea when I was nine." He'd found being less specific left out questions, including the ones he got when mentioning he was Korean and then in the same breath mentioning he moved from China.
He was taken aback at Julian's willingness to disclose his sexuality so soon after they officially met, but his features softened and he nodded, "I've never really even wanted to go to Spokane, but I have heard Seattle is the more LGBTQ-friendly side of the state. Do you ever go to Cap Hill?" He asked. "I went to Pride last year, cause I had that weekend off, but otherwise have not had many opportunities to interact with the gay community."
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College Student (UW).
Gay.
Single.
05/04/2001.
21.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Julian Jiangqing Vu on Aug 20, 2021 13:20:41 GMT -8
Julian nodded and said, "Yeah, I go down there some. Mostly, my roommate has been showing me around a lot of stuff in the Seattle area."
He blushed a little bit thinking about going places with Kenichi. There was a part of him that felt a little weird about having done and seen more stuff with Kenichi than with Jordan, but Jordan's work schedule was busy, and Kenichi seemed to actually want to show him things because they kept scheduling things together. He added, "When I moved in with my brother, I ended up sharing a room with one of his friends, and Kenichi's cool, so we spend a lot of time together."
There was a part of him that was convinced that it was utterly obvious that he had a crush on Kenichi any time he talked about the other man, or to him for that matter, and he didn't really know what to do about it.
He grinned and added, "Getting to go to Pride since I've moved to this side of the mountains and am living with three other queer people has been one of the huge good parts of it. It's felt so welcoming. Being so open, in an area that's so open, still definitely makes me nervous sometimes though, and like, it's one thing being comfortable just coming out to people in our major and minor, I'm pretty sure that everyone there will be fine, but like just in general, I still get scared about it sometimes."
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UW Student/Baker at Chinese Bakery.
homosexual.
single.
06/15/2001.
22.
Snake (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Julin Woo on Aug 20, 2021 18:36:51 GMT -8
Julin nodded. "That's cool. You're lucky to have someone to show you around." He mused, not meaning to make it sound so much like he was looking for a pity party. After realizing how it sounded, he quickly continued, "I'd love to have a friend to go exploring Cap Hill with, if you're ever free after school or whatever. Y'know, since we're already in Seattle for school, may as well explore." He left out that he worked most days after school, he got days off sometimes so it wasn't out of the question that his and Julian's schedule might overlap one day in a way that allowed to explore.
"Wow, that sounds great. And I'm glad you've found a group of people that make you feel welcomed, that's so important." He rambled. His mind went back to the friends he had made in China. They taught him how to speak Chinese and treated him like any other kids there. His high school friends were still his friends, but they'd become distant since he moved and he was really starting to feel left out every time he checked social media and saw they had gone to do things without him. His mind then finally drifted to his managers, and a small smile formed on his face. "I get being scared, but..." He began, stopping himself before he could say anymore. He shook his hand. "Never mind. I also feel a lot more comfortable within the classes of our major, but out in public you never know." He rambled.
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