#to anyone who has watched past lives chang and tintin are like the childhood friends to me

[dimdiamond]

Some sketches of Chang throughout childhood to adulthood (according to my headcanons anyway, more in the cut if you're interested)

Chang as a kid preferred to play alone and he loved to pick up rocks from the shore and take them home (his collection only gets bigger and bigger through the years). The Chang family was poor and both parents had to work so the one who stayed with the kid was the grandfather till he died from old age. Chang was still very young though when he lost him and from then on alone. His parents tried to spend more time with him but they still had to work or bring their kid with them as Chang being quiet and not demanding was seen as him being an easy and mature kid.

After losing his parents and going to an orphanage, Chang is still quiet and polite but becomes indifferent to many things and prefers to be alone, spending most of his time reading any book he can find, learning French and English by overhearing the foreigners, wandering around, and mostly at the river. Meeting Tintin changes everything as he makes his first friend and gets a new family but mostly makes him see things differently, finally looking at the world with interest and confidence.

Chang is a top student in high school but his rebellious phase doesn't let either the school or his family rest assured. He no longer obeys or stays quiet, he needs to be heard and most of all to be understood and accepted. His dream is to see the world and hopes to meet Tintin again as he many times still lingers to the past, despite the fact he has new friends and a new life (as well as Tintin). Thankfully, his rebellious phase quiets down in the final year and he manages to become more open and direct to his loved ones.

Chang after being rescued by Tintin and Haddock in Tibet, he returns to Shangai, needing to deal with his traumatic experience in his home and with his family. He's underweight, he feels cold all the time and his mind is stuck to the plane and the mountains. In addition, he tries to deal with the fact that Tintin has changed and that their friendship can never be as it was.

Almost a year after the Tibet incident, Chang manages to go to his uncles in London, where he stays for about 4-5 years, studying archaeology (Professor Tarragon comes and goes at the university and Chang has the luck to be in his class and friend). His friendship with Tintin remains strong and they keep in touch more regularly but Chang doesn't depend only on this friendship and makes new friends.

After university, Chang joins Tarragon's team, and from then on he travels around the world, from one archaeological site to the other, always eager to learn and see more. He frequently visits his family in Shangai and his uncles in London and, whenever he gets the chance, his friends, including first and foremost the Marlinespike family. Close to his thirties, his eyesight shows issues and he starts to wear glasses (he wasn't a fan of this at first but he soon got used to it).