✖
mundanesalad asked:
i havent followed the magic comics for a bit (because they did that irritating thing where you have to read another comic book series to get 100% of the story) but i read them SPECIFICALLY because niko was a protag in it. And i know the comics arent canon but I fuckin love them in it. (Namely what sticks out to me is being ride-or-die for their friends against Tezz despite not knowing anything about him other than he's an asshole and that their reaction to ravnica was "Ok: step 1 is dont be enthralled by the city. Failed step 1"). God I wish niko was more important to the "canon" story at large because I love their "I dont *want* to be a jock but i *will* be funny about it" energy.
YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! NIKO IS SO DELIGHTFUL IN THE COMICS FR
these are my favorite niko moments in the comic:
the way they were just jumping around doing backflips all over the place on zendikar
and the way they got the hardest line in the entire comic
the duality of niko
stop asking me if i work for WOTC im a 22 year old college dropout who inhales microplastics for a living
Anonymous asked:
It bothers me so much that the only transfem rep in mtg cards is this like. Soldier military woman, like 'ooh look at this guy's we made a trans woman who's a part of a war machine' fantastic thank you magic very original
=========
Okay.
First of all, there is no “our” interpretation of the text. My thoughts are my own, and your thoughts are your own. Some of our thoughts might align, but I will not allow you to speak for me.
Second, I am sorry you feel so disappointed in the current state of transgender representation in Magic. I understand your concerns and I think they’re valid concerns.
Third, your concerns being valid does not mean I agree with what you have to say, though. Don’t come into my inbox complaining unless you’re ready for me to honestly respond. Respectfully, your approach to these concerns makes it clear to me that you don’t actually understand what you’re talking about.
It’s apparent that you follow me or have at least seen many of my posts. You appear to respect my opinions / analysis (at least regarding Jace and Tezzeret). So listen to me when I say this:
What constitutes ‘good’ representation is context-dependent, and it’s not something you alone get to decide.
Yes, Alesha is a “soldier military woman”, as you said. I understand that you have this complaint because you believe this makes Alesha an example of the stereotype that trans women are violent. But context matters. What you’re failing to consider is the fact that she comes from the Mardu Horde, a faction on Tarkir inspired by the Mongol hordes of real-world history. In this context, Alesha isn’t presented as violent because she’s a trans woman. She’s violent because she literally comes from a warrior clan based on one of the greatest military forces in human history. And honestly, with Magic being a combat-centric game, she’s not any more violent than any non-Mardu Legends, either.
Do you seriously think a story about a trans woman fighting to proudly declare her trans identity in her culture and later becoming the accomplished and well-respected leader of her clan is bad representation? Does the fact that she’s a warrior really outweigh the rest of the lovingly crafted trans narrative they created for her, to you?
It’s fine if you feel that way. You don’t have to like Alesha or her story. But just because something wasn’t made for your taste doesn’t mean it’s bad writing / bad representation.
Anyway, I highly recommend you read Alesha’s story, “The Truth of Names”, since it seems like you haven’t read it yet. It’s a fantastic story– the most beloved short story in all of Magic, actually. It was the most-read article on the entire Magic website for like 5 years, according to WOTC.
And if you’re interested in learning more about transfem characters in Magic who aren’t Alesha, I recommend you read about Xantcha, who first appears in the novel “Planeswalker”.
Next, I need to make things clear about Ashiok.
Ashiok was never intended to be nonbinary representation. Ashiok was created to be a mysterious, unknowable villain. What makes Ashiok special is that we are not mean to know anything about Ashiok. We do not know Ashiok’s species or plane of origin, for example. Another part of that element of mystery is not knowing Ashiok’s gender, or how Ashiok identifies. Ashiok’s original style guide from Theros explicitly instructs people to not use any pronouns for Ashiok at all (which I still follow because old habits are hard to break.) Official Magic sources did not begin to use they/them pronouns for Ashiok until 2022, in the story “A Garden of Flesh” (another excellent story, BTW.) And they only started using they/them for Ashiok because it is really hard to write a story where the character is mentioned that many times without pronouns.
All this to say: Ashiok as intentional nonbinary representation is certainly not the narrative WOTC is pushing.
Yes, there are many fans of Ashiok who interpret Ashiok as nonbinary, but those are their thoughts and you need not concern yourself with that, if it bothers you so.
As for Niko, it’s weird that you say they’re “non-existent” in Magic story when 2 of the 5 side stories (“Know Which Way the Wind is Blowing” and “Aim Through the Target”) in their debut set Kaldheim were entirely focused on Niko. They’re also a starring main character in 15 of the 25 issues of the BOOM! Studios Magic comics.
I’m glad you like my analysis of Jace and Tezzeret as transgender characters. Thank you for that, genuinely. But I want you to understand that the reason I have these interpretations is because I love Magic Story. And more importantly, I actually read it. I love Magic Story, and I have so much respect for the Magic Narrative team and the work they do.
What most people don’t understand is that the Magic Narrative Team is in fact very careful and very loving in their approach to queer representation. You may not know this about me, but I’m friends with A LOT of people who formerly or currently work on Magic / Magic Story. Knowing these people personally, I know for a fact that the Magic creative Team does not create queer characters for “diversity points”. They’re not just checking boxes. The Magic creative team creates queer characters because the Magic creative team is full of queer people and allies who want to tell stories that reflect their own + fans’ experiences. And they have to constantly fight to include more / better queer representation in Magic. They want good queer representation in Magic just as much as we do.
Am I going to defend everything they do? No! Are they perfect? No! They are just people. They make mistakes and they have blind spots. For example, in my essay about my analysis of Jace as a trans man, I explain that the reason my interpretation means so much to me is because there is currently zero meaningful representation for trans men in Magic canon. There are zero transgender male characters in Magic canon who have names. That’s a HUGE blind spot considering the number of canon trans characters! That’s something that disappoints and upsets me.
I’m not afraid to criticize Magic Story, and I do so very often. But I am critical of Magic story because I love it. My criticism does not equal hatred or unhappiness.
Sorry to hear that their efforts at including better trans representation in Magic would piss you off. I’m sorry that you’ve given up.
Lastly, I think Liliana is cis, but that’s just my headcanon.
