I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've read a book set in the medieval or renaissance times and the oc knew how to fight, fought in battles, hold council positions and basically did everything only men could do in this time.
I promise you that your OC wouldn't have learned how to wield a sword better than every man woman and child in the entirety of the world. So when I see something like that I'm always like:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
NO
STOP
THATS NOT REALISTIC
IT WOULDNT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE
Even Margaret of Anjou who led her armies didn't fight in the actual battle.
Your OC is not a Jedi. She's not a ninja. She's no chuck mf norris
If your OC is going to be able to fight with a sword, it better be very mediocre or you should write the way they get better at using a weapon.
And while we're at it, why is it always a sword?? Why not literally any weapon that existed back then? Even a bow is better at this point and it's still a very common weapon used in fanfics
Please people, be original. Be realistic. Stop making your character into a sword-wielding, army-leading, loved-by-all-especially-the-peasants badass. Your OC can be a strong woman without those things? When is it that people decided a woman can't be strong and powerful while actually being feminine???
It's honestly a problem I've seen a lot. A woman can have power in a traditional female role and it should be written more. I've never seen someone write it other than me, and the fic I intend to use it profusely in has only like 8 chapters published as of rn so like
Please stop using the same character format for your ocs. A million people have done it before
