Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
With over thirty years of existance, the world of magic has a vast array stories that continue to be told. What started out with a handful of named characters has turned into thousands of different people, all with their own distinct spark. Even though I've been playing magic since '96, I'm still learning more from it every single day. Some characters I discovered through the cards, some through the novels, and some I stumbled upon while perusing articles on the official website.
I first came across Alesha in a Fate Reforged booster pack in early 2015. While. enjoyed the mechanics and the art, I didnt give her too much thought until a bit later when I read her story online. (If you haven't clicked the link above, do so now!)
Reading it then, just as reading it all these years later, gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. To my awareness, Alesha is the first canonically trans character in all of magic. To see her story handled so well, to see her overcome her own fear and the prejudice of others, much less sway them from it, is an immensely powerful thing. The story depicts the violent culture of the Mardu clan, yet shows unexpected kindness and consideration that I hadn't initially expected. A key part of Alesha that stood out to me was her sense of honor and duty. She honors her grandmother with her name, her clan with her willingness to fight for and alongside them.
I found my self so impacted by her story that I immediately printed it out to keep as a physical copy to have on hand. (While I'm grateful that the wayback machine exists, I'll always prefer the security of a physical copy.) Over time I collected a playset of each card depicted within it, and intend to get at least one copy of every printing of Alesha's original card. The story and cards are in a binder together, on hand whenever I need them.