(OC) man get up (Patreon)

''What kind of general are you, anyway?''

Tao-yi is often the subject of my distaste towards a very specific type of childhood romance trope in which a character (sometimes, a woman) is expected to return the romantic feelings of a childhood friend solely because the other options available aren't as good and she should settle for someone she would never see in a romantic light in her life. And though Ci'an thankfully did not fall victim toward this trope she definitely was subjected to many a fumble by this man, especially when the AU calls for her to leave her hometown and move somewhere else (say, a city or another country).

I do love Tao-yi, he is nothing short of a pathetic wet cat with a kill count of an army veteran and maybe, maybe some internalized problems with men woven into his brain. Who's to say why...