Magic: the Gathering introduces first trans character
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Version 0 of 1. Trading card game Magic: the Gathering has quietly introduced its first openly trans character, Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, in a short story by James Wyatt. A young khan of the Mardu tribe, Alesha was first seen on her card in the Fate Reforged expansion, released in January. Little was known about her until Wyatt’s story, which reveals her background in the tribe, as well as her decision to transition at the age of 16. She had been so different – only sixteen, a boy in everyone’s eyes but her own, about to choose and declare her name before the khan and all the Mardu. The khan had walked among the warriors, hearing the tales of their glorious deeds. One by one, they declared their new war names, and each time, the khan shouted the names for all to hear. Each time, the horde shouted the name as one, shaking the earth. Then the khan came to Alesha. She stood before him, snakes coiling in the pit of her stomach, and told how she had slain her first dragon. The khan nodded and asked her name. “Alesha,” she said, as loudly as she could. Just Alesha, her grandmother’s name. “Alesha!” the khan shouted, without a moment’s pause. And the whole gathered horde shouted “Alesha!” in reply. The warriors of the Mardu shouted her name. In that moment, if anyone had told her that in three years’ time she would be khan, she just might have dared to believe it. The fiction of Magic: the Gathering is based around dimension-hopping planeswalkers, who build armies of creatures to duel each other in a variety of fantastical locations. Alesha is one such warrior who can be recruited to fight for the player. In game terms, she’s a rare red creature with the ability to resurrect expired cards from the graveyard and attack with them immediately. Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of Magic, has been praised for the introduction of Alesha – as well as the understated manner in which her characterisation is presented. Jessica Lachenal, a writer for geek culture site The Mary Sue, says that: “The way in which her name choice is presented in the story is understated, and refreshingly so. Alesha’s trans identity isn’t the focal point of the story. It isn’t made out to be a big deal. “Characters like Alesha are a welcome change to a genre of games which have a reputation for being problematic. While strong, empowered women have long been a staple of the Magic: the Gathering lore, it is definitely incredibly encouraging to see Wizards of the Coast trying to tackle diversity so matter-of-factly”. |