#Chongyun's yang energy

[pixelatedchocobo]

Brought to you for you consideration by my Chongyun brainrot, I proudly present to you a Xingyun soulmate au ever so clichély named by yours truly, drum roll, folks, if you please...

🥳✨Young and Hopelessly Smitten, Indeed✨🥳 

Lol, real shit though, I had a lot of fun writing this and it’s actually? My first fic that I ever finished that wasn’t a drabble? I was so shocked when I realized, hey what the fuck, that’s like. The ending, the ending I planned. I genuinely had no clue what to do with myself for like a good solid while. Honestly didn’t think I’d get that far. So without further ado, let me tell you a bit about it!

Ahehehem, allow me to-  

Yep, there we go! I don’t need to go clogging up the tag you’ve been scrolling through here and thank you to those who have actually clicked the read more thing, y’all are great.

Can you tell I’m actually super anxious about this? Anywho! What you came here for!

Title: Young and Hopelessly Smitten, Indeed

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences- Realistically General Audiences, but just to be safe here.

Status: Complete! Yep, no need to go waiting on me! 

Summary: 

Chongyun just knew. Knew it with such a soul-piercingly deep certainty that he merely wondered where it would be and what shape it would take.

--- A Xingyun soulmate AU where, as midnight hits and it becomes your 18th birthday, so too does a soul mark manifest. Xingqiu has a lot of feelings on the matter, but that's okay. Chongyun is never far and always ready to comfort him.

AO3 Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Their soulmarks are their constellations, Romantic Soulmates, Though platonic soulmates do in fact exist, Soft Chongyun (Genshin Impact), Chongyun is young and hopelessly smitten, Xingqiu is ALSO young and hopelessly smitten, Flustered Xingqiu (Genshin Impact), Chongyun's Yang Energy (Genshin Impact), Idiots in Love, Chongyun knows, Chongyun-centric (Genshin Impact), Xingqiu is a crybaby, Slight OOC, Aged up just for plot purposes, POV Third Person, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Xingqiu is a clingy bastard, Chongyun doesn't mind

And finally... A Preview: 

Reaching out carefully, Chongyun smoothed a stray strand of hair out of his soulmate’s - goodness, he couldn’t get enough of even just mentally referring to Xingqiu as such- sleeping face, though it did little for his severe case of bedhead. It did, however, draw forth a gossamer of a smile from the sleeping boy as he leaned into the touch. With that, he quietly got up and made his way to the bathroom, and rolled the waistband of his pajamas down to examine the newly formed mark. He almost laughed as the extremely familiar image came into view. Most definitely Xingqiu then, if he’d had any lingering doubts, not that he’d had any to begin with. But still, the confirmation was comforting nonetheless.

With that said, thank you to those of you who read it and thank you to the rest for your consideration! 

[chiistarri]

i love y house of hearth family and silly shipnames

[xelilow04]

You know that one headcanon where Chongyun's yang energy kind of eases Xiao's karmic debt? And remember in 3.4 Lantern Rite when Chongyun said it doesn't work like that? What if Xiao lied and said it does help him just so he could spend more time with him? Just a thought.

[demondinobear-art]

save haven

[pangyham]

thinking about chongyun in a dnd esque fantasy setting and he'd probably be a sorcerer paladin. i can't decide if he'd be a sorcerer or a wizard though, would his yang energy be considered innate magic? or would his upbringing in thaumaturgy make him a wizard? this actually brings up interesting questions about chongyun's lore aka whether or not his bloodline has magical ancestry. Is it innate or cultivated/learned throughout generations? ooo.. he could be a wild sorcerer, someone who struggles wielding their innate magic..

but anyway, xingqiu imo would be a rogue fighter maybe? more fighter than rogue... giving him the latter class just because he's a sneaky lil shit

it's easier to give chongyun and xingqiu dnd classes because their weapons and chara stories slot easily into the categories, but for characters who are generic fighters like xiangling and hu tao, it's a little hard to give them something specific. but it allows for some creative liberty so i will say hu tao is a wizard. Xiangling would be a ranger (good for hunting and foraging)

Gaming, my boy, would be a bard and a fighter. yunjin a bard, xinyan also a bard (they'd be a little troupe hehe).

I was watching dunmesh w a friend and we started talking about dnd and bg3. they're more well versed in fantasy terminology so i'm learning as i go. super fun to think about though. i quite adore dnd and fantasy settings a lot

[welcometoteyvat]

also i think i should put together xiaoyun crumbs list for people who are insane (me)

[oficeandwind]

magic anon time: be careful what you (don't) wish for -- chongyun has a pyro vision for the next three days!

chongyun's become far too accustomed to the thin sheen of cryo that constantly seems to surround him. that cold is something of a comfort, really. so when now, that layer of coolness disappears, chongyun freezes momentarily, confused. rubbing his thumb against the trinket reveals nothing physical has changed about it. but ― why did his vision stop working?

it's only when a spark of flame bursts forth, scorching the ground in front of him, that chongyun yelps and jumps back. glancing downward, he's HORRIFIED to see the horrible crimson that's replaced the soothing blue. eyes widen, before an aura of hot settles over him. this isn't. this can't―

head jerking upright, chongyun stares straight ahead. eyes go from their normal slit appearance, slowly turning round, and even sparkling with some intense energy that had always been kept at bay. without that cold to keep chongyun in control, there's nothing stopping him now.

this is going to be a very. very long three days.

[isekyaaa]

Tbh the reason why I even considered writing Genshin fics is because I wanted to write for characters like Chongyun, Xingqiu, and Bennett. They're all very interesting characters with a lot of potential

[cryoexorcist]

SOMETHING I TOTALLY MISSED OVER THE FEAST SEGMENT

Chongyun is protected from the negative karma thanks to his yang energy.

Xiao can't hurt him, because that means their energies canonically cancel each other out

[petitexmagician]

"Ghost boy can't have anything hot or warm huh.. Well lucky cold soba noodles are a thing..

"...But to eat the same thing every day has to be rough.."

[m1d-45]

Happy Valentine's day!

teddy, flowers for you - 🌸🌷🌹💐!

midas, flowers for you - 🌸🌷🌹💐!

sibling anon and stew anon and tiger anon or anyone else - 🪷💐💐🌻🌻🌼🌺,

I hope you guys had a good valentine's day! ty for the flowers, I've also never received them apart from my family lol

I also didn't know that all our names together spelled med room that's hilarious I need to think of sm with this

speaking of genshin, your kaz is better than mine(mines having an identity crisis bc I can't chose to build him on EM or crit rn) (and am overall focusing on ayaka since I'm building her rn)

- 🍄 (feeling very tempted to just drop my uid, the only other game I play apart from genshin is TCG *help* I play genshin sm my friends let me into their accts to play for them)(ar55 and world lvl 8 btw)

uhh something quirky so i can put a readmore here

yeah if you :

midas teddy mushroom

mid ted room

med room

it’s stilted but it works

also the only reason my kazuha is even okay at being a dps is because i want “what’s meta” and put everything everywhere into attack stats. it’s only recently that i’ve been trying crit and it’s giving me a crisis. i learned tighnari scaled off em and nearly cried.

aLSO IF YOURE BUILDING AYAKA WE COULD RUN THE DRAGONSPINE DOMAIN TOGETHER!!

i need blizzard for my chongyun n kaeya (who somehow?? still doesn’t have a good circlet???) so we could farm… together

(yes i know i shouldn’t build chongyun bc he’s not a good unit meta-wise or wtv but yk what fuck that and whoever says otherwise he works so well in permafrost w/ xingqiu that i don’t care. “oooo hes bad at cryo applications and shatters freezes” how about you get good at the game and accept that the boyfriends work well together.)

(hi i’m midas and have a lot of emotions about chongyun. he and razor are my claymore sons and i would die for them. if anybody clowns on their sword boyfriends then they’ll face my blade in a duel to fhe death)

[r4izx]

Special things they only do with you <3

includes: itto, xiao, chongyun, cyno

x gn!reader

itto

• he would let you win during beetle fights.

• itto hates losing, that's a given. but he would let you win for as long as you want!!

• he let's you win on purpose and even gives you his most precious onikabutos.

• well, at some point you eventually realize what he's doing. but you don't stop him. he's too adorable.

"...AGAIN?! You won again! How many rounds has it been!? I'm supposed to be the pro one here! But, hah! after all, it's you were talking about. Of course the one and oni's one and only y/n would win!"

xiao

• he would make flower crowns, necklaces, and bracelets out of qingxin for you <3

• he mostly guards liyue from high places even though he doesn't need to anymore. but that just means he has more free time now.

• enough free time to collect qingxin flowers for you!!!

• and he turns all those qingxin to accessories for you. he has enough flowers for a bouquet.

• where'd he learn all that? don't know. perhaps from cloud retainer? madame ping? or maybe even from ver goldett. but he definitely learned it just for you.

"... Have this. ...for you? ...yes it's for you. Ugh!... D-don't think much about it! I just happened to come across qingxin flowers and have free time."

chongyun

• he would share his popsicle sticks with you.

• when both of you are going out, and it seems too sunny. he gives you a popsicle stick from who knows where he summons it from.

• he doesn't really do this often. but you're a special case. he voluntarily offers his snack with you.

• another thing is that he carries more popsicle sticks when he's around you specifically. and it's not only because he wants to share them with you-- but also because being around you gives him a warm, stuffy feeling. he's worried that at any time his yang energy might go out of control with how high his temperature is around you.

" ...It's quite sunny today. H-here.. Take it. I figured-- you might be feeling hot. Let's take a break and cool down a bit."

cyno

• he lets you have his most prized TCG cards.

• it may not be a big deal for others but it is for him. he doesn't mind if you're the one who keeps it though.

• seeing you win with the cards he gave you makes him happy enough as if he was the one who won.

• he originally gave his cards because he felt bad for you losing with... those cards of yours. but you've surprisingly gotten better at TCG. with his help of course.

" ...Have it. Don't lose again with this. Who knows, maybe you'll get good enough to have a game with me."

[oni-gory]

Heyo, I love your writing and was hoping to make a request seeing as how they're open. Could I request Chongyun and Ga Ming (separately) with a S/o that has the opposite vision of them. (Pyro, and cryo) If not then all's good, and I hope your day is going well.

Opposites Attract!

ᡣ𐭩 characters: Chongyun, GaMing

ᡣ𐭩 cw: Sfw, Fluff, a bit of angst (comfort)

ᡣ𐭩 notes: My first request post! I was kicking my feet and giggling when I got this request omg. Love this one sm and hope u like it <33 ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Chongyun

Your partner, Chongyun was such a sweetheart. He was reserved most of the time but he was still so loving, so gentle. The only problem was… when it came to the battlefield, the two of you clashed quite a bit. Chongyun had a Cyro vision, while you had a Pyro one. One morning, you went over to Chongyun’s house, hoping the two of you could just relax, maybe cuddle a bit. But once you got there, you noticed that your boyfriend was getting ready to leave. He had a fruit yogurt popsicle in his mouth as breakfast, fixing his baby blue hair as if rushing, which was unusual for Chongyun.

“Hii!” You said happily, rushing over to him and grinning from ear to ear. Chongyun paused what he was doing and looked at you, taking his popsicle out of his mouth. He then spoke quietly with his usual, soft voice. “Oh, love.. I wasn’t expecting you.” He stated, putting his popsicle back in his mouth. You giggled and curiously watched him grab his claymore. “I just wanted to hang out today~! But… you seem to be busy. Where are you headed?” You asked, tilting your head and approaching Chongyun.

“I’m just getting ready to go to an exorcism.. If you’d like, we can hang out afterwards.” He smiled softly and walked over to the door, you following him happily. “Could I come with you actually? I just wanna watch!” You exclaimed, hoping he’d say yes. You had actually never seen Chongyun do an exorcism. Your boyfriend seemed slightly hesitant, but after seeing how excited you were he just couldn’t say no… So the two of you went off, walking through the streets of Liyue to where Chongyun was assigned to work.

Once the two of you arrived, you stood in the background watching as your boyfriend did his job. He looked so cute just working… The way Chongyun’s soft, pastel blue hair flowed around when he ran and how he seemed so relaxed even in the face of danger. Well, it wasn’t surprising. But then… you noticed an Abyss Mage approaching Chongyun from behind. You quickly shot into action, using your Pyro abilities to hit the Abyss Mage. But you accidentally got too close to your boyfriend, your vision interrupting his energy. Chongyun flinched, turning back and looking at you. He suddenly felt quite faint, and once you had defeated the Mage you quickly realized what you did. “Oh- Chongyun! Are— are you okay? Oh my gosh… I’m so sorry!!” You cried, almost going to hold him but you didn’t want to do any more harm. Yet, to your surprise, Chongyun reacted very kindly.

“It’s alright… You didn’t mean to cause any harm..” He mumbled, sighing quietly and basically falling into your arms. You felt horrible for hurting Chongyun… But you just wanted to help him. The two of you went back to Chongyun’s house, hoping his parents wouldn’t notice how he was clearly feeling ill. Luckily they weren’t in the living room, and you snuck your boyfriend into his bedroom. He laid down and curled up in the bed, mumbling with a more gentle tone than usual. “M’ tired…” Him being around heat did this a lot. You sighed, staring down at him sympathetically. You would’ve laid beside him and cuddled, but that could just make Chongyun hotter, which you didn’t want. So you just sat on the floor beside his bed, holding your boyfriend’s hand until he fell asleep.

GaMing

You and GaMing were the perfect pair. Some people called you Ying and Yang, the moon and the ocean. But to you, the relationship was much more… Complex. For, the two of you had such different personalities, even different visions. GaMing was a very outgoing and friendly boy, while you on the other hand were more reserved. Your boyfriend could tend to push your boundaries, but he only wanted you to be happy, the way he was happy.

On a relaxing, dawn of Saturday, GaMing decided he’d come to give you a surprise visit. He wanted to see if you’d be free to go train together. Due to the difference in your visions, the two of you avoided fighting together. It tended to cause more problems than intended. You were inside of your house, reading a book silently. You planned on just relaxing today when you suddenly heard a knock on the front door. You sat the book down, standing up and going to check who it was.

Yet the moment you opened the door, GaMing pounced on you. You were caught off guard when he did so, but you didn’t say anything. He smiled broadly, happy to see you. “Hi love! What’re you doing?” He asked curiously, looking you up and down. You gave him a quick smile, bringing GaMing over to the couch where you were a moment ago. "I was just reading… But why are you here? I wasn’t expecting you.” You shrugged. GaMing grinned even more at the question, eager to tell you why he was here. He really hoped you’d agree to train with him, especially because the two of you hadn’t bonded in a while.

“Wellll… I was wondering if you’d want to come and train with me today?” He inquired with a hopeful tone in his eyes and a sweet tilt of his head, making you melt at the sight. Your boyfriend was just so cute… you couldn’t deny him. So without thought, you responded in a soft voice, “Sure..” GaMing happily hugged you again, excited to hang out with you. You hugged him back before disappearing in your bedroom to get dressed. You put on a simple protective outfit and grabbed your weapon. GaMing was patiently waiting on the couch, still smiling like a dog. He was glad that he could hang out with you, and that he could avoid his family for the whole day.

The two of you then left, heading out to the mountains. It was much more calming there, a relaxing place for you guys to train. GaMing was certainly excited, holding your hand and occasionally going a bit too fast. Once you both got there you started to train, attacking whatever small enemies were around. Then, GaMing accidentally used his Pyro while you were using your Cyro ability. The two of you ended up hurting each other at the same time. You winced first, your finger ending up slightly burnt while GaMing wasn’t as injured. He dropped his Claymore and quickly held you, his own body feeling quite cold now. “Oh my archons… I’m so sorry!” He exclaimed, filled with anxiety. You held your own wrist, biting your lip to hold back a whimper or sob.

GaMing watched you, his big brown eyes filling with tears. You noticed this and spoke quietly, “Don’t cry.. I’m okay.. It just stings a bit.” You held GaMing, nuzzling your head in his shoulder as he held you. He now felt desperate to make you feel better, bringing you over to his Claymore. GaMing picked it up and put it away on his back before picking you up. You were surprised when he did this, getting distracted from your pain. “GaMing… you don’t have to do this. I told you I’m fine..” You mumbled, but feeling comfortable in his arms already. Yet your boyfriend ignored your words. He carried you back home, sneaking you inside of your bedroom. GaMing sat you down, seeming very concerned still as he sat beside you. “Are you gonna be okay…?” He asked, holding your hand and gently kissing it repeatedly. You nodded, cupping his cheek lovingly. “I’ll be fine.. but go get me some ice, this really stings.”

[paimonial-rage]

why he rejected you (pt 1)

characters: albedo, alhaitham, ayato, baizhu, bennett, childe, chongyun, cyno, diluc, gorou, heizou synopsis: you finally gathered up the bravery to confess your feelings, but much to your dismay, they turned you down. but you deserve to know the reason, right? notes: i'm going about this in alphabetical order, so hopefully part 2 coming hopefully sooner than later

Albedo - Preoccupations

Albedo is many things, but if there’s one thing he’s not, it’s attentive. He is a man with many interests, and thus research and experimentation take up much of his time. If you’re unwilling to claim some of his time as your own, you can’t blame him if he goes days and even weeks without showing his face before you. 

Alhaitham - High Maintenance

It is foolish to go into a relationship with Alhaitham expecting never-ending affection, romantic dates, and the works. Alhaitham, at his core, is a simple man. He is not the emotional sort, nor is he the most affectionate. Thus, he sees no point in entering a relationship with a person that wants more than what he is willing and able to give. 

Ayato - Lofty Eyes

It’s safe to say that Kamisato Ayato is not the easiest person to read. If there is one thing that’s plain to see, however, it is that barring his close associates, there is a wall between him and everyone he interacts with. Oftentimes people wonder if it is due to his job or his secretive personality, but the truth is much simpler than that. Most people, including you, simply aren’t worth his time.

Baizhu - Set Path

For those that visit him regularly, it is quite easy to become comfortable around Dr. Baizhu. Though his medicines are often bitter to the taste, he is not. With kind eyes and a soft voice, it’s easy for one’s heart to be lead astray. But don’t be fooled. Dr. Baizhu is waging a war against fate, and it is to this battle that all his attention and energies will be expended towards.

Bennett - Burdens

Though he may have said yes to you at first, don’t expect it to last long. Sad to say, Bennett is well aware of his unluckiness. No matter how much you try to assure him that it is okay, if he sees his unluck beginning to bleed onto you, there would be only so much he’d be willing to take. It’s okay, though. You deserve better. His burdens are not meant to be yours to bear.

Childe - Spark-less

It’s always easy to see when Childe is fascinated with someone. His ocean-blue eyes light up with excitement whenever they come around. Such people represent a challenge, a dangerous mountain he can scale and overcome. You, however? You do not spark such excitement. Really, you’re not even a rock within his path. 

Chongyun - Self-control

Only those that are close to him are aware of the burdens pure yang energy puts on Chongyun. Losing control is terrible. Depressing. Humiliating. Even if he did like you, the thought of losing himself to the way you make his heart beat and face flush is… it’s horrifying. He’d never forgive himself if he hurt you in the process. So it’s just better to stop this, whatever this is, before it even starts. 

Cyno - Safe

He has no reason to tell you no lol.

Diluc - Love

Diluc would never admit that he is a soft person. You did not get under his skin, nor did your lovely charms grow so heavily upon him. Turning you down didn’t hurt because you do not matter to him. He does not think it’s because his life is dangerous as it is. He does not pay attention to his guilt at the thought of you worriedly waiting for him every evening. He doesn’t think you deserve more, someone able to show their love for you more than him. 

Gorou - Self-sacrifice

Having been raised in a place like Watatsumi Island, Gorou is no stranger to war, hunger, want. He was always taught the importance of sacrifice, a lesson that was even more emphasized upon becoming general. While things have gotten better since the war has come to pass, he is well aware that this peace may not last. This is not the time for distractions.

Heizou - Contentment

Safe to say, there are not many things Heizou is missing from his life. He has a great job that’s exciting and interesting, he has friends and family he can rely on, he’s able to work toward and achieve his goals—he is not in need of much. Really, any more and there’d simply be much too many things on his plate!

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Helloooo! Its me again hehehehe! I just got some one question by the way, about thoma... Is he on the side of reader? Plus itto, nilou, yunjin and xinyan, chongyun, xinyan and xiangling. Sorry if i asked too much characters about on their sides, it just brought me so much curiosity. But by the way saw the jouno fic you did it really brought me chills! Always love your work that you made❤️

Hello!

I am glad, that you enjoyed Jouno's fic. I am planning the next one. Still not sure, who will be the main character.

Either Fitzgerald (Ningguang and Pantalone), or Dazai and Fyodor, or Verlaine (Furina). Or someone else.

To your question.

______

Liyue

_______

Xiangling

****

She and Gouba are on Reader's side. Xiangling it's that kind of person, who will try to hurt innocent people.

She and Gouba found Reader after they were trying to leave Liyue on a boat and were attacked by Zhongli. Reader managed to escape and hide in an abandoned hilichurls' camp. Exhausted, Reader fall asleep, only to woke up to a smell of cooking, and Gouba, pocking their cheeks.

Xiangling gave Reader food and find the way to get Reader to a safer place.

******

Xinyan

******

She is on Reader's side. She doesn't like, that everyone is talking about Reader like they are some kind of monster. Most of the gossipers have never seen Reader before.

Xinyan wasn't far away from hilichurls' camp, Reader were hiding. She saw, how Xiangling helped you. She approached you three and offered her help.

It was her idea to hide Reader with Doctor Baizhu.

******

Chongyun

******

He is on Reader's side.

When he met Fake Creator, he was horrified. He felt the 'Tainted powers'. Sinful and dirty.

So, Chongyun didn't believe a word Fake Creator said. He stays silent. His family doesn't feel the tainted powers as clear as he.

Chongyun's yang energy also made Fake Creator feel pain, so, they try not to go near him.

Chongyun felt the echoes of 'pure powers' from Reader. That make him believe Reader. Chongyun would stay near Reader, to mask their powers' presence with his yang energy.

******

Xingqiu

******

Xingqiu is on Reader's power, but he can't do much.

His family will be in danger, if someone knew about him helping Reader.

Yet, he was the one, who organized Reader's trip to escape to Inazuma. With some outside help.

******

Yunjin

******

She is on Reader's side. But, she also can't do much.

She is a public figure, so, it's hard for her to help Reader without public finding out.

But, Yunjin helped Reader leave Liyue.

She preformed in a port, destructing others, letting Xingqiu get Reader on the ship to Inazuma.

_____

Inazuma

_____

Thoma

*****

Thoma is on Reader's side. Technically.

He believes, that Fake Creator are Real Creator. But, he can't stand the thought of hunting a one single person. He can't do much, Kamisato siblings are on Fake Creator's side, and Thoma don't want to put himself or Kamisato siblings in danger. Still, he gave Reader food and helped them reach Chinju Forest, where Reader met Inazuma Saika, Matsuzaka and Iwao. They helped Reader get help from Yoimiya.

****

Itto

****

Itto and his gang are on Reader's side.

Itto was horrified, when Fake Creator ordered everyone to hunt Reader. He is up to the challenge. But, the thought of hurting a human made him sick. He faced enough prejudice from humans. He won't act as bloodthirsty oni everyone except him to be.

Itto and his gang helped Reader escape from Narukami Island and get to Watatsumi.

_______

Sumeru

______

Nilou

*****

Nilou is on Reader's side.

But, she on a more tight spot, than Yunjin.

Nahida, before she and Aranaras were captured, managed to tell Nilou the truth about Fake Creator.

But, Nahida's imprisonment and her helping Reader means, that Sumeru will go over the top to prove, that they aren't sinners and obey Fake Creator.

Nilou and Zubayr Theatre took a big risk and managed to get Reader to Port Ormos, where Alhaitham and Kaveh took it upon themselves to get you to Fontaine.

____

Tag list: @withered-blossoms , @myluckymoon @cocodrilofeliz @c4xcocoa @vvyeislazzy @whisperingwinters

[pangyham]

thinking about older chongyun and his path to self acceptance sigh.. really love the idea of him coming to terms w his yang energy instead of rejecting it and bc of that he's able to let loose and be more secure in himself. love yourself boy

older chongyun..!! i think most people draw him w long hair tied up in a ponytail but i like to think his hair grows really slow. he grows it out to his nape giving him somewhat of a mullet? my goal is more on a small mane...hehe. rationale for this is that id assume he can control his yang energy better as he ages and therefore doesnt warrant the need to tie his hair to ventiliate himself or prevent sweating. i reread his character stories on his profile and forgot the bit about him feeling like he missed out the mundanes bc of his condition (eg large gatherings hot springs regular dishes). perhaps the smallest and most gradual development in overcoming this predicament is growing out his hair.....