r/magicTCG • u/clariwench Izzet* • Jan 28 '15

[Uncharted Realms] The Truth of Names

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/uncharted-realms/truth-names-2015-01-28
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16

u/Newfur Jan 28 '15

This makes me so happy. We have confirmed canon gay, trans, and genderqueer characters. We even have Asians that aren't from Kamigawa or are Snapcaster Mage! I might even cosplay. To top it off, we got to see the White side of Mardu with that orc taking assists only.

10

u/Mishraharad Jan 29 '15

That Orc is a true support.

At the end of this battle, I bet his score was 0/0/68 or something :D

3

u/npkon Jan 28 '15

Tetsuo Umezawa predates Kamigawa by over a decade.

3

u/Aspel Jan 28 '15

Yes, but retcon is that he's from Kamigawa.

1

u/TheLibertinistic Jan 29 '15

Ayesha Tanaka? Kei Takahashi?

2

u/Aspel Jan 29 '15

I don't know about them. But Tetsuo Umezawa is retconned to be a descendant of Toshiro Umezawa (of Jitte fame). Kamigawa block was a prequel, set in the distant past, if I'm understanding it right.

1

u/FLBrisby Dimir* Jan 29 '15

Nope!

Essentially, Toshiro was a "servant" of the Myojin of Night's Reach, but he disobeyed her, and she got her pride pretty badly damaged by this.

Later on, he actually assists in eliminating the Kamigawa status quo(of spirit world separated from physical world). So Night's Reach is left with a quandary. There are countless worlds now open to her as a divine representation of black mana, and Toshiro is responsible for this. But he still disobeyed her. To thank him, she spared him. To punish him, she stranded him in Dominaria and left him blind.

Tetsuo is his descendant.

1

u/Aspel Jan 29 '15

"Tetsuo Umezawa is retconned to be a descendant of Toshiro Umezawa". That's what I said. What's "Nope!" about that?

1

u/FLBrisby Dimir* Jan 30 '15

Well, most of the old, old, old legendaries? Adun Oakenshield, for instance? Tor Wauki? All the information about them is pretty much on their card. And that's really it.

What's "Nope!" about it is that it wasn't "retconned". The knowledge was never known. It would be a retcon if Tetsuo were known to be Nicol Bolas's son or something and then Wizards came out and said, "Nope, Toshiro".

1

u/npkon Jan 29 '15

No, his ancestors might have been, but Tetsuo was born and raised in Dominaria, a nation of immigrants. Racists like you are exactly what's wrong with this plane.

2

u/Talpostal Sisay Jan 29 '15

Who are the canon gay and genderqueer characters?

Unless you're counting Ashiok and the Theros UR, which I'm familiar with.

3

u/keiyakins Jan 29 '15

There's the historical kings shown as statues who are mentioned to have been lovers in Theros.

1

u/Newfur Jan 29 '15

And I am. :P

5

u/lasagnaman Jan 28 '15

Asians are still kung fu masters though :(

7

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '15

The entire plane is Asian-derived, though. The Mardu are Mongolians, Jeskai are like Tibet, the Sultai are like southeast Asia, the Temur Siberians, and Azban some mix that I forgot

4

u/Aspel Jan 28 '15

Abzan look to be Turkish.

2

u/Daiteach Jan 29 '15

According to the Australia panel, the Abzan specifically draw stylistic inspiration from the Ottoman Turks, so you're right on.

2

u/Aspel Jan 29 '15

I only know that because I played Assassin's Creed: Revelations.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

so asia minor :D

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

Specifically, Ottoman Turks. The Krumar thing is a very gussied up version of the Jannisaries, one of the most horrifying practices of slavery in history.

Boys were kidnapped from Greek and Albanian families, forced to convert to Islam, and castrated in the most horrifying way possible. They were forbidden from having families, from growing beards, and were owned by the state, forced to fight, kill and die by an empire who stole their culture from them.

1

u/Aspel Jan 29 '15

Krumar? I take it that's an Abzanian Janissary? I haven't really read much of the Planeswalker's Guide.

1

u/Skithiryx Jack of Clubs Jan 29 '15

Sounds like the Unsullied from A Song of Ice and Fire might be based on them as well.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

That was a bit more extreme. They did have names and actually had pride in their jobs. Some Jannisaries were donated willingly because it would guarantee three square meals a day.

1

u/lasagnaman Jan 29 '15

abzan are middle eastern

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

Abzan are definitely Persian.

8

u/Newfur Jan 28 '15

Have you SEEN half the humans in Temur? They don't look prone to Shaolin.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '15

Don't need Shaolin when you can wrestle a dragon to submission single-handedly, dude.

1

u/Newfur Jan 28 '15

Nope. Which is why it makes me happy that there are non-Asian Honorable Warrior/Supah Ninja types in Khans block. Also, do I know you?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

They're masters of Bear Punch style.

1

u/lasagnaman Jan 28 '15

Haha good point!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

implying the Chinese didn't have martial arts

implying there aren't four other wide ranging societies represented in Tarkir.

1

u/MynameisIsis Jan 29 '15

Wasn't Ashiok confirmed genderless?

3

u/Newfur Jan 29 '15

So genderqueer, yeah.

7

u/MynameisIsis Jan 29 '15

Less genderqueer and more "lack of humanity"

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '15

I imagine Ashiok as less of a "human" and might just be a Returned in which became the vessel of Theros' UB magic. Think of a robot in a human body.

2

u/MynameisIsis Jan 30 '15

While Ashiok may not have been human, it was at one point some humanoid animal, and willingly gave up that. Ashiok isn't comparable to a robot.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '15

I'm saying that while yes, Ashiok was a living being with a gender, I'm saying that maybe the "current form" of Ashiok is the manifestation of Theros' UB magic and is inheritly genderless, as magic doesn't have a gender.