Magic The Gathering’s War of the Spark: Forsaken Novel Confirms Chandra Nalaar “Had Never Been Into Girls”
Magic: Gathering’s recent War of the Spark: Forsaken novel by Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Star Wars Rebels, Young Justice) confirms that Chandra Nalaar, “had never been into girls.”
Some fans of the extended Magic: The Gathering lore were disappointed after reading the novel believing it retconned the previously established bisexuality of the planeswalker Chandra Nalaar.
War of the Spark: Ravnica
In War of the Spark: Ravnica, also written by Weisman, Chandra confirms she had feelings for her fellow Gatewatch member Gideon Jura.
“Once upon a time, Chandra had sported a major crush on Gids.”
Chandra also declares her love for fellow Gatewatch member Nissa Revane towards the end of War of the Spark Ravnica.
Homesick
In Homesick by Chris L’Etoile, many believe an interaction between Chandra and Nissa also had sexual overtones.
I am absolute shocked that only 25% of people think Nissa is the top. Completely blown away.
This is actual story that was actually written. How can you read this and not think about anything besides Chandra wanting Nissa to use her vines to pin her helplessly against the wall? pic.twitter.com/8hhwqZmISB
— (decidedly lewd) April (@LewdApril) November 15, 2019
The interaction takes place after Chandra is attempting to vent some frustration on a punching bag, but ends up turning it into ashes and making a mess of the gym. She seeks out Nissa, where this encounter occurs.
During the encounter, Chandra details she wants Nissa to help her center her and find peace.
“I swallow, but my throat’s dried up and it takes a few tries. “I—I just thought that…You know that time on Zendikar, when our minds touched? I felt Zendikar’s anger, right? The power of a whole world. Your world. And it was amazing. The most incredible thing ever. But behind Zendikar, behind the anger and the power, I felt you. Your mind. And it was real tranquil, you know? You kinda…centered me, I guess. You were all calm and connected-y.””
The story continues with Chandra asking Nissa to help her manage her anger and stay clam and grounded.
“I grab a strand of my hair and yank until it hurts. That will keep me focused, I bet. “Anyways. I was thinking there are times when I get super pi—uh, real angry, and usually something blows up. But I think I’d rather be able to touch that place again. What your mind felt like. Calm. Grounded. I mean…” I make the mistake of looking up and her eyes are just there, watching, and all the air in my throat jams up and refuses to move.
I struggle to pull in a breath. “I think Jace would prefer that. So I don’t wreck his house. I mean, he’s got this expensive stuff all over.””
Chandra believes the encounter turns awkward and decidedly chooses to flee.
“I’m on my feet, slamming my head into a low branch. “Ow! S-sorry. This was dumb.” I back away, clutching my head, pulling in my elbows to hide my burning eyes, stumbling over the same damn root, shaking, panting for breath, stomach churning. What did I do, what did I do, what did I do?”
While many believe this encounter had sexual overtones others believe it reads more like a normal interaction between friends.
Unpopular opinion: I honestly did not see the relationship of Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane to be that of romance. Maybe it is because I barely have social experience or because in my culture (Spain) the interactions they had are just the standard bonding between close friends.
— Jorge Amat Claro (@JorgeAClaro) November 15, 2019
War of the Spark: Forsaken
In the latest novel, Weisman writes that “Chandra had never been into girls” and that, when Nissa and Chandra previously confessed their love for each other in War of the Spark: Ravnica, they “knew deep down they were only speaking platonically”:
“Nissa Revane.
“Chandra,” she said.
“Nissa,” Chandra said, hoping that for just a moment, for just one little moment, the sight of the elf would make the pyromancer’s cheeks burn, make her heart skip a beat, give her those flutters.
But no.
Chandra had never been into girls. Her crushes — and she’d had her fair share — were mostly the brawny (and decidedly male) types like Gids. But there had always been something about Nissa Revane specifically, something the two of them shared in that great chemical mix — arcing between them like one of Ral Zarek’s lightning bolts — that had thrilled her. From the moment they first met.
Now everything’s different.
It was over. Before it had ever had a chance to begin. Maybe, maybe they had missed their moment.”
[…]
“On Ravnica, in the wake of Gideon’s death and Bolas’, they had admitted to each other that they loved. But both of them knew deep down they were only speaking platonically.”
This confirmation did not sit well with some fans, who took to social media to express their vehement displeasure with the perceived reinforcement of Chandra’s heterosexuality:
Really, REALLY try to keep my negative opinions to myself these days, but man, I am sick to my stomach over hearing about the latest Magic the Gathering novel. How you gonna do Chandra and Nissa like that?!
— Matt Burnett (@Matt___Burnett) November 12, 2019
Magic danced around Chandra and Nissa’s sexuality for years. So to finally acknowledge their sexuality, only to yank the football away one story later, is so pointlessly cruel.
People waited so long to see themselves openly represented only to be written back out 6 months later.
— OrcishLibrarian (@BibliovoreOrc) November 13, 2019
This legit reads like it was written by an angry teenager who didn’t want Chandra and Nissa to be queer. What a double whammy of horrible prose *and* shitting on years of character building. Stellar work @wizards_magic
— 🔞 DoberFred 🔞 (@FredtheBreak) November 12, 2019
The confirmation of Chandra’s sexuality appears to have not been a widely agreed upon decision, as Wizards of the Coast Principal Game Designer Doug Beyer expressed his displeasure with the change by noting that it had been a “hard week for my heart.”
Hard week for my heart, and for many of yours. Still feeling raw today. Gonna for a while. But I guess there’s nothing to do but pick myself up, set my profile pic back to Chandra, and head back into the trenches to try again to make things better.
— Doug Beyer (@omnidoug) November 13, 2019
A Twitter user who claimed to have “worked at Wizards when the Bolas arc was being planned” stated that the team had the “intention of representing diverse sexualities” and claiming that “somebody stepped in and stopped us.”
Thread: I worked at Wizards when the Bolas arc was being planned. I am a gay man and was consulted on queer representation issues then.
My understanding at the time was that Chandra would be a pansexual hot mess, which is both hilarious and totally in character.
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
This thing where she always liked big muscled manly men is a retcon. We built everything from BFZ forward with the intention of representing diverse sexualities. This represents external forces actively choosing to squish that work.
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
If they wanted to stop a Nissa-Chandra romance, that’s fine. All you would have to do there is have Chandra say something like “Look, we had a thing, but I’ve had a lot of things, and I know you want to settle down or whatever but that’s not me etc”.
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
This isn’t that. This is a slap in the face to everything we were trying to do.
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
The team that gave you Alesha would not have wanted this. The team that gave you Ral and Tomik would not have wanted this. The team that maneuvered Nissa and Chandra close together slowly over three years would not have wanted this.
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
We were trying to do it right. Somebody stepped in and stopped us. Who was it? What is their problem? And what can we do about it?
— Reclusive Wizard (@ReclusiveWizard) November 13, 2019
The confirmation of Chandra’s heterosexuality has led to some users speculating the perceived erasure of her bisexuality was made in order to make the upcoming Netflix series, which will feature Chandra and Jace as the main characters, appealing to the Chinese market, though this theory currently remains unconfirmed:
Magic: the Gathering is getting a Netflix show, starring the lesbian pyromancer Chandra Nalaar.
Since Hasbro wants the show to succeed in international markets, the latest MTG novel has retconned Chandra to be straight.
Thanks again, China! pic.twitter.com/VY45OTcyKR
— VITO🛡️ (@VitoGesualdi) November 14, 2019
I CANNOT BELIEVE they un-wrote Nissa and Chandra being in love with each other! Like, WHAT?! How do you just un-gay a character like that?! WOTC talk to us! Did China make you do this?! #Chandra #Nissa #lgbt #MagicTheGathering #mtglore
— 🦃Shiny🦃Huntsman🦃 (@Poke_Pope) November 13, 2019
She’s written as bi or pansexual, or Gideon Jura was just so attractive that even lesbians ogle him. She definitely was attracted to Nissa and even Lilliana to an extent. She definitely wasn’t straight though. Has to be China – why else?
— Deep Boat (@DatNightingale) November 14, 2019
As of writing, neither Wizards of the Coast nor Weisman have publicly commented on the confirmation of Chandra’s sexuality.
What do you make of the confirmation of Chandra’s sexuality? Do you believe it was a retcon? Or do you think they had always just been friends?
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