# Alesha, Who Smiles at Death **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 29, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194 "2015-01-29T03:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/1 "2015-01-29T03:21:32Z")
…[is trans](http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/uncharted-realms/truth-names-2015-01-28). Who knew? I love that Magic is being progressively [inclusive](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373605). Now if only they could resist the urge to put women in [boobs-and-butt twists](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373649) and stick to making strong women [look strong](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373640)… ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/2 "2015-01-29T04:04:43Z")
I haven’t looked at a Magic: The Gathering card since 1999. Does it say anything about me that I read the name in the thread title _Aisha_, and thought this was about the H. Rider Haggard novel? And I was like, oh snap. This won’t go well. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/3 "2015-01-29T04:23:58Z")
I didn’t catch that one. That’s cool. I’m glad they put up an Uncharted Realms story for it too, instead of shoehorning it into a flavor text somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/4 "2015-01-29T04:42:28Z")
Is there a more explicit revelation of this fact other than the “everyone saw just a boy” line? That particular one could be read vaguely or metaphorically. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/5 "2015-01-29T05:51:44Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Is there a more explicit revelation of this fact other than the “everyone saw just a boy” line? That particular one could be read vaguely or metaphorically. How did you read only that part and not the whole thing? It’s preceded by an orc saying “You tell me this? A human boy who thinks he’s a woman?” ---
**Author:** ![Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook_of_the_North_Shore)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/6 "2015-01-29T06:04:08Z")
How about this? > **[Storyline: "The Truth of Names" by James Wyatt](https://dougbeyermtg.tumblr.com/post/109399202179/storyline-the-truth-of-names-by-james-wyatt)** > > Today's story is James Wyatt's "The Truth of Names," a moving story about the Mardu, their khan Alesha, and how names can be powerful signifiers of... A link to Doug Beyer’s tumblr, one of the main people in Wizards of the Coasts creative department. It includes the line “#to be clear: alesha is canonically trans”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/7 "2015-01-29T06:06:58Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > How did you read only that part and not the whole thing? It’s preceded by an orc saying “You tell me this? A human boy who thinks he’s a woman?” Huh, I can’t believe I missed that. Duh. That’s what I get for reading and watching TV at the same time. (In my defense, I was also skimming specifically for the reveal in question, intending to read more fully later.) Trivia: the main R&D hire from the first Great Designer Search is a transgendered woman. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/8 "2015-01-29T16:03:20Z")
I suppose that’s more canonical than the fact that I used to call Ashiok “she” all the time and my son would correct me. Of course, that was more about me taking a passing glance at the artwork than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/9 "2015-01-29T17:30:42Z")
I’m happy about this, and also very happy that the response on social media seems to be strongly positive. Trolls still exist, of course, but this is a lot more accepting that I expected. I also think WotC handled it very smoothly. It makes a great deal of sense in the story that they published yesterday, and is a very natural fit. It doesn’t feel tacked on to check a box. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/10 "2015-01-29T17:59:13Z")
I’m happy because it seems to make a segment of the community feel happy and included so that is fine by me. BTW the card plays really well in just about any color combination that matches her colors. I have tried Boros, Jeskai and Mardu builds. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alesha-who-smiles-at-death/711194/11 "2015-01-29T20:04:55Z")
I have never played Magic, or really payed much attention to it other than only on the periphery. But I’m glad a game like this could be progressive given the demographic And I’m always a bit disappointed that I didn’t get much into it because the art is beautiful!