Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
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Post by Minglong Lin on Jan 17, 2016 2:22:55 GMT -8
((Admin Note: The site's location has changed since this thread!!))Minglong stared up at the house that his phone had led him to from the address that Remi had given him so that he could go over and help Remi get caught up on the pieces that he had arranged for the quartet. Remi was good, startlingly so for someone who had been playing for as short a time as Remi had, but he wasn't quite at the standard of the rest of the quartet. Minglong had honestly mostly selected Remi over the other possible person because Remi had seemed enthusiastic about the project, where the fifth chair second violin had seemed resigned that this weird little project was probably the only thing that he could get into. He wasn't that much technically better than Remi. But at the first few practices, the technical differences had shown. The viola player was second chair, and the cellist was third chair, and they were both really good, but also had been playing since they were old enough to hold their respective instruments. Remi made weird little mistakes, and the viola player especially was getting a little bit frustrated with him.
Minglong had offered to come over and help, but he knew that Remi was a little bit prickly around the edges about not being the best. He sighed, turned off the volume on his phone and tucked it into his pocket, readjusting his grip on the handle of the violin case, and touching the strap of the oboe case lightly where it was slung over his shoulder. He was mostly anxious because the house was something he was entirely unused to. He'd grown up in small apartments in cities and in a Buddhist temple, not even near anything like this. He tentatively pressed the doorbell, jumping a tiny bit when he heard the chimes from inside, and shifting from foot to foot as he waited.
Remi Young
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Remi Young on Jan 18, 2016 20:29:08 GMT -8
Remi had just set out his violin when he heard the doorbell ring. He gave his mother a glare as she tried to answer the door. He had been hoping all morning she'd be called in to work so she couldn't meet Minglong. But alas, apparently no one was in need of psychiatric help today. Even was in a potentially good mood, but he chalked it up to the violin practice as well as getting to snack on foods all day, as his dad had brought home what seemed like the entire company dinner, though he claimed it was only the leftovers.
He opened the door and smiled a bit breathlessly to Minglong. "Hey, come on in." He said with a smile. He moved aside so Minglong could come in, giving his mom another look, as if trying to remind her this friend didn't have English as a first language and she couldn't get all excited again because he was making friends, causing her to talk what seemed like faster than the speed of light. "Mum, maybe some of that tea Eden's family brought, from their visit to China?" He suggested, talking about his cousins that had come to visit over the holiday. As a Christmas gift, his mom and dad were given a Chinese tea from when his uncle went to China on business only a few weeks before. It was a good tea, and Remi had a feeling it would help Minglong feel more at home. "You came just on time," He told Minglong, going towards his violin, "I just finished tuning it and warming up." He said proudly, like he was the best person in the world for doing what was only expected.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Jan 26, 2016 3:47:22 GMT -8
Minglong had been around Remi enough to suspect that this might actually be an accomplishment, so he smiled and said, "Hello Remi. That is a good thing, it means that while I get myself set up, you can try the piece through to start with. I will need to re-assemble the oboe, and since the violin, it has been sitting in the case, I will have to make sure it is tuned properly."
He looked at the house in a bit of awe, since it was definitely the biggest house that he'd ever been in. He'd been in lots of bigger buildings, but not any that were houses. His brain caught up with the rest of Remi's statements, and he said, "Tea is of course always appreciated, though I would not want to be inconveniencing you." With a slightly shy smile, he asked, "What sort of tea is it?"
He put his two cases down carefully in the open space near Remi's instrument, and started getting them ready. While he had been friendly with Remi after the first incident of attempted punching, he was still not sure if this was partially a friend visit, or if it was just a visit for the sake of music.
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Jan 30, 2016 17:53:46 GMT -8
Remi nodded, looking over the piece first as he tried to grasp the notes. He was still slow on reading music, for sure, and that was a bit of a downfall for him, but still he was dedicated to learning violin, so although he faltered at first, he was getting faster at learning new pieces. "This is an interesting piece..." He mused, trying to imagine the sound from reading the sheet music.
He looked up, furrowing his eyebrows as a hand went to his chin in contemplation. "What was it called... I'm probably going to butcher this, mind you but.. um... I think it's Shu ee Jin Gwee*?" He tried, though his Chinese couldn't even be considered satisfactory. What he did know, he learned from his cousins.
"Maybe after all this orchestra practice, you can teach me some basic phrases in Chinese." He suggested with a slight wince. He got a more playful smirk on his face, "Then I can flirt with your boyfriend."
Note: * He's trying to say Shui Jin Gui
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Jan 30, 2016 18:03:41 GMT -8
Minglong saw the look of slight puzzlement on Remi's face and said, "If it would help for you, I can do the playing it over first so that you can hear what that part sounds like. I am glad that the piece, you think it is interesting though. The original composer, he is a Chinese composer who lives and works in the US, and many of his pieces are amazing. It was interesting to be doing rearrangements of them."
Minglong wrinkled his eyebrows together for a moment, trying to figure out what Remi was trying to say, and it finally occurred to him, "Oh, 水金龟 (Shuǐ jīnguī), it is a very famous Wulong tea, from Fujian Province, so south of where I am from. It is a very nice tea. Where I am from, we make more green tea, but further south, there is more wulong, but both are very good."
Minglong laughed a little bit and said, "I can teach you some Chinese, but if you really want to learn, there are classes for it at Golden West, and I am even the TA for most of them. Also, you could flirt with two of them in Chinese, but Yongji probably wouldn't realize, and BaiAn would roll his eyes at you. It would probably be amusing for me."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Jan 31, 2016 8:47:17 GMT -8
Remi thought for a moment, wanting to be stubborn and say he could do it on his own, but he was also curious to see Minglong play violin, so instead he nodded. "Can you play it on the violin? So I can get a feel for what I need to listen and aim for?" He asked. He was excited to be doing this, but his voice didn't want to see much more than just a little more than monotone, which it had been doing all day, though at least this morning it had been because of sleepiness and whatnot.
"Yeah, that's it." Remi said with a nod. He thought about that idea for a moment. "Maybe. I do need to figure out what my classes will be for next semester anyway." He said with a nod. "Though, my parent's wouldn't mind, but I know they want me to learn Korean, since I'm half." He said. And at some point, he did want to learn Korean, but he just didn't know when. Plus, Mandarin was one of the most common languages in the world, knowing that would be rather beneficial for him in the long run.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Jan 31, 2016 22:04:11 GMT -8
Minglong smiled and nodded when Remi said that he wanted to hear the part of the piece that he would be playing, saying, "That sounds like a good plan."
With quick ease of long practice, Minglong got his violin out and set up and tuned. He thought over the arrangement he'd put together as he tightened the bow, and then, without looking at the sheet music Remi had set out, he played the part from start to finish from memory, fingers not hesitating over a single placement and eyes closed. Some of the fingerings were hard, and he understood why Remi had been struggling with it, but he was pretty sure that Remi would get it soon enough.
When he was done, he opened his eyes and smiled at Remi, carefully loosening his bow and placing his violin back in the case. He asked, "Did you want to do a run through now, or did you want to have the tea first?"
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Feb 5, 2016 10:18:01 GMT -8
"Woah, you can do it from memory?" Remi asked, completely awestruck. He could do that, but most of the songs were just warm ups and extremely basic practice songs. He was nowhere near that level, at least not yet. "I think I got it... so let's try some of that tea." He said with a slight smile. He walked to the kitchen, his mom just finishing up with the tea. He frowned as he saw the tea set, "You didn't have to use anything that bloody fancy." He complained to her, scrunching up his face.
"Of course I did, you..." She paused, whispering loudly as if it would stop Minglong from hearing her, "you actually brought a new friend over."
"Mum! Honestly, it's just because we have to practice for orchestra, bloody hell." He whined,
"Now, now, don't be rude." She looked to Minglong, leading the two to the table so they could sit down and enjoy the tea. "He calls you a friend when you're not around." She promised the older boy. "But he's stubborn."
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Feb 9, 2016 0:39:28 GMT -8
Minglong blinked a few times in surprise that Remi was surprised by him doing the piece from memory. He put his violin carefully back in the case and replied, "Of course I can do it from memory, I rearranged the piece. But I do learn most pieces from memory if I am playing them for performances."
Minglong looked at the tea set and smiled, turning to tell Remi's mother and tilting his head a bit to the side as he spoke, "The tea set, it is lovely. A nice way to serve a nice tea."
Minglong stifled a laugh at Remi's mother's comment about Remi being stubborn and said, "I am aware that he is the stubborn. He tries to compete at the things even when he has no chance at winning. It does help him be a better musician faster though, he keeps trying very hard."
He smiled at Remi after saying that and took a sip of his tea. He stroked the rim of the cup lightly with his finger and said softly, "This tea, it is very good. Thank you."
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Feb 12, 2016 0:39:12 GMT -8
Remi cleared his throat, looking away, "I guess I'm not at that level yet, really." He murmured.
Elena nodded enthusiastically, "I did notice that, he improves very quickly when he has an error with his violin. I don't think he's ever been this dedicated. Even with boxing, his practice will waver from day to day." She explained.
"Unnecessary! I'm right here!" Remi complained, his fist hitting the table. "Bloody hell mum, if you want to talk about me, can't you at least wait until I'm out of the bloody room?" He said, not necessarily yelling, but his voice definitely stern.
"Remi, I'm trying to bond with your friend, now calm down and drink some tea. You said you liked this one."
"Yeah it's great tea, okay, great." Remi murmured, bringing the cup to his lips as he looked between Minglong and his mother.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Feb 12, 2016 1:35:27 GMT -8
Minglong winced a little bit at the exchange, not quite sure what was going on, but sure that Remi was none too pleased. Remi's mother seemed nice, and he wanted to give a good impression, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do. Remi's mother's comment left him puzzled enough that a question slipped out, "Bond with, I do not understand, like atoms? What does that mean here?"
He looked over at Remi, trying to figure out what he was missing, and also whether he was going to need to sit on his friend again. He was tempted to suggest that they go directly back to working on their music, but he wasn't sure that he trusted Remi with a violin when he was gripping on to everything too tightly and hitting tables. He hoped that this was one of Remi's moments that would cool down quickly.
Trying to think of what to say to smooth over the situation, he sipped at his tea and ended up staring slightly blankly in confusion.
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Feb 12, 2016 15:52:25 GMT -8
Elena chuckled, waving her hand, and it seemed like her laugh and actions were both bubbly. "Oh no, not like that. It's another way to say you're getting to know someone." She explained kindly. She then looked pointedly at Remi. "Remiel, calm down. It's unnecessary to get upset at me for something as simple as trying to get to know your friends. Also that tea set is expensive, I don't need you breaking it."
Remi straightened up, glaring at his mother before slouching down, his nose scrunched up and his lips forming into a scowl. "No one asked you to use it, either." He grumbled, running his hand along the design on the cup.
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Feb 13, 2016 20:57:50 GMT -8
Minglong finished his cup of tea, and despite the fact that he wouldn't have minded another cup, and there was definitely enough in the pot for him to have one, he turned to Remi and said, "The practicing, should we get back to it Remi?"
He was getting the feeling that Remi was more on edge than usual, but he tended to be calmer around music, and Minglong just hoped that Remi's general concern towards his violin would help soothe him. He glanced between Remi and his mom, knowing that he definitely wanted to prioritize his interaction with Remi, even if he wanted to leave a good impression on Remi's mom.
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Violinist for Seoul Philharmonic Symphony.
Pansexual/Aromantic.
Single.
01/27/1998.
26.
Ox (Korea)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
|
Post by Remi Young on Feb 14, 2016 9:03:56 GMT -8
Remi finished his cup of tea just after Minglong, continuing to play with the design on the cup after he was done. He glanced up when Minglong spoke. "Oh, yeah. I guess we should." He said simply, sitting up straight finally. He looked to his mom, about to say something, but she waved a hand.
"I'll keep the tea warm, and then if you two want some later, you can get some." She said simply.
"Thanks, mum." He said, standing up and putting the tea cup on the counter near the tea pot. He took a deep breath before looking to Minglong, giving the older man a somewhat apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm a bit um... tired, today. I guess. I didn't sleep well so I'm a little grumpy." He explained. He tapped the counter a little, making a small beat with his fingers. "Music I can do, though I'm not sure the conversation thing will over go well today."
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Chinese Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor/Music Teacher/Composer/Session Musician.
gay/grey-ace/polyromantic.
Married to Baian.
08/13/1996.
28.
Background
Authored by Etienne.
Offline.
|
Post by Minglong Lin on Feb 21, 2016 3:00:29 GMT -8
Minglong nodded and smiled at Remi's mother and headed back over towards their instruments, assuming that Remi would follow him. He said lightly, "Well, I am here for us to do the working on your music, so let us do that. Perhaps you should try the playing yourself so we can see what needs work."
He carefully opened his oboe case, sitting on the table, and started arranging the pieces to be fit together before he turned to look at Remi again, raising an eyebrow a little bit and trying to gauge the younger man's reaction.
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