Magic The Gathering Introduces Its First Trans Character
Magic: The Gathering, the card-based fantasy game that has attracted millions of players worldwide, has its first card devoted to a trans character.
Wizards of the Coast recently added a card for Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, as part of its recent Fate Reforged set. While most players don't dig into the rich back stories of the various characters M:TG offers, Alesha's is worth exploring: She's the khan (leader) of a multi-species clan that allows members to chose their names after being baptized in battle.
At one point, she questions a soldier who showed mercy to an enemy:
"I saw you hold back. I saw you cut the beast's claw instead of its neck. Why?"
The orc snarled. "I don't know."
"You could have earned your war name," she said. "Know who you are, and claim it."
Anger twisted the orc's face and he took another step toward her. "You tell me this? A human boy who thinks he's a woman?"
Alesha kept her face impassive as a nearby goblin squeaked and scampered away from her, no doubt anticipating her wrath. Before she could answer the nameless orc, though, the dragon was upon them.
They all knew what to do. Another hail of arrows sought out the beast's softer spots, this time joined by a blast of fire from a spark cannon. This one, too, crashed to the ground, and this time most of the warriors were out of reach of its flailing claws as it landed. Alesha shouted and the Mardu—even the nameless orc who had challenged her—rushed forward to meet it.
In 2013, an artifact card devoted to the Guardians of Melitis indicated the two male warriors were also lovers.
h/t: Kotaku
