iCloud asking me to create new email

Okay, so I got a new computer a few days ago (2015 macbook air, el capitan etc.) a tried to set up with the mail app (which works fine on my iPhone)

So I connected my Gmail account fine and then tried to connect my Hotmail account and it said this email was already in use.. which it was as it is my iCloud login, apple login etc.

So I went to connect through iCloud in preferences and it said inactive underneath the name. I tried clicking enable account etc. nothing worked

My outgoing and ingoing server addresses are all correct, I troubleshot basically every single thing to do with mail and yet every time I click enable account it says inactive

SO I went onto my iCloud settings and saw that Mail was unchecked so I thought I was just being really dumb.. but when I ticked to enable Mail, it asked me create a new iCloud email address instead of just connecting the hotmail account already used for my iCloud account

There's no one on the internet that is having the same problem (for the first time in internet history)

I am truly lost... Pls help