Let's start with Alesha: we knew we wanted to feature her from the start. We also asked folks at WotC about aspects of pride they hoped to see represented, & several mentioned trans elders. Showing Alesha as a trans elder mentoring the next generation of trans folks felt perfect

This presented an interesting challenge for the artist: they'd have to create a cool character who would read as trans without the benefit of supporting web fiction. I don't remember who came up with the idea to feature a binder, but the @winonanelson design was perfect.

When #MtGMOM had cards set on Tarkir, we wanted to reference Alesha again, but there was a problem: she lived hundreds of years ago. We couldn't show Alesha fighting in this battle, so we wanted to show her influence on the modern day Kolaghan culture that came from the Mardu.

The flavor text was the key: "Our history is one hand reaching out to another." In the same way Mardu styles can be seen in the Kolaghan, we'd see Alesha's influence in modern Tarkir trans expression. (shoutout to @fictograph who collaborated with me on the SL flavor text)

We already had an incredible design for a transmasculine character from the Alesha card, it just needed to be updated from a Mardu style to the modern Kolaghan one. I think @zack_stella helped me out by adding more detailed notes for the artist on how to achieve that perfect look

Check out @rhineville's amazing process thread for more information on that: https://x.com/rhineville/statu...

There was some internal discussion whether it was an issue that the Death-Greeter's Champion looks so similar to the guy on the Alesha card. In the end we decided making the connection clear was more important than worrying about any temporal confusion.

You can interpret the connection between Death Greeter's Champion & Alesha a few ways. Maybe Alesha reaches through the generations both literally and metaphorically. Maybe her student's style has remained popular with trans men for centuries. Maybe he's inspired by her legacy.

Now we come to the name, from Alesha's original flavor text. Naming the card was a huge challenge, and I wasn't the one who solved that puzzle. A talented group of freelance writers name the cards, and they found a great reference. (writers, if you see this, shout yourself out)

And that's the whole thread. Huge shoutout to set lead Emily Teng for giving me this concept to write. I left Wizards last year for new adventures, but as a nonbinary person, getting to work on these cards is an experience I'll treasure forever. Thanks for reading!

@CulturalGeek This is an incredibly cool breakdown of how this process works

@CulturalGeek Just finished reading @rhineville 's thread on the artistic process, so getting the world building side is equally as awesome!!!

@CulturalGeek Feels a little off for Alesha's character. She's the one who set them on the Kolaghan path which turned the Mardu into much more brutal barbarians. Always seemed more the "if you fall behind you're left behind" type

@CulturalGeek This is a cool card all around

@CulturalGeek @Hypetaph i love this 🥰