The Legacy of Spoiling ‘Harry Potter’ on Purpose Lives On, but for Good This Time
The time-honored tradition of people being rude about Harry Potter spoilers is now being weaponized for good, meaning people are spoiling that Professor Eleazar Fig dies at the end of upcoming game Hogwarts Legacy, no matter your journey, because of J.K. Rowling’s transphobia. Oh, sorry, should I have put up a spoiler warning? Nah, I don’t care.
I was a Harry Potter midnight release kid. I went with my friends, and it was something we came together for each year. I have a Deathly Hallows tattoo for both of my best friends, and while I do not consider myself a fan of the franchise any longer outside of my own desire to own my favorite character, I don’t regret my tattoo because it was for my friendship, not necessarily for this series. All that being said, I was someone who feared spoilers of the books.
I make the distinction about the books because once someone got mad at me that I said Dobby died when the movie came out over three years prior. But I remember the people who would drive by the Borders or Barnes & Noble screaming that Dumbledore died or that Sirius Black was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, just to be mean.
Remember when someone screamed about Harry dying and seeing Dumbledore, but it was all about him killing off the part of him that was a horcrux for Voldemort? (And yes, this is all just to spoil this series in case anyone is just now going into it to try to support the TERF in chief.) Well, now people are at least using that tradition to take a stand against supporting all Rowling now stands for.
If you’re angry that I spoiled the game, get your priorities straight
I’m sorry but I don’t care that people are spoiling the game. I have seen a lot of tweets about how it means that this boycott is about “power” and not doing what’s right, and … no? You completely ignoring the real terrors that Rowling is inflicting on the trans community by using her platform to denounce their existence, in order to play a game, and then having it spoiled is just funny to me.
The thought process is that the boycott didn’t work, so now “activists” are just trying to stop the game as a whole? No. Those who think Rowling should not continue to get praise from “fans” or money from this franchise are using their knowledge against those who don’t care. Whenever people protesting things do something that actually upsets people enough to get attention, it’s inevitably criticized as going too far, but that’s the whole point.
So acting like we’re morally wrong for sayin that Annie was cursed by Rookwood just to piss you off shows that you would rather play a game than stand up for trans rights.
This return to the old ways of people spoiling the franchise for fans just because they could is actually for good this time around and I love it. Shout from the rooftops because saying it’s “not a good look” to spoil a game that benefits a transphobe while you’re playing it is really the icing on the “I’m selfish and want to pretend to be a wizard instead of protecting real life people that this magic book author harms” cake.
Trans women are women and they deserve our love and support more than you getting to play a game. Anyway, have fun watching Professor Fig die.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
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