Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

Nearly a year ago, I was very, very, very bored. Incredibly bored, in fact. Amazingly bored, in point of fact. I was so bored that I was visiting TVTropes.org ... again. While there, I was exploring and I came across some fanfiction that intrigued me and I decided to read it. I really don't remember what trope or article I was on. I don't even remember if the first one really was Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality or if it was actually a different fanfiction first. I had never read fanfiction before and most times I heard about fanfiction, it was something to scoff about derisively. Only the crazy fans read and wrote fanfiction. Serious writers wrote original thing. Duh.

I was incredibly stupid and closed-minded.

Sue me.

I have to feel elitist about myself in some way, you see.

Either way, I somehow ran across Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality and I learned several things.

1.) Not all fanfiction is complete and utter drivel.

2.) You really can learn something new from anything.

3.) I am a complete dumbass when I decide to completely close myself off from some creative outlet for people.

4.) Fanfiction can be bloody awesome!

Suddenly there was this whole new world of writing and reading open for me, and (here's the important part) it was all free!!!

I didn't have to pay for the book or worry about late fees at the library or worry about having to return it to such and such friend. I could spend as long as I wanted reading whatever I wanted as long as I wanted and nobody cared. In fact, nobody even had to know because when I was done I could erase my internet history and move on like it had never happened. I could rig my IPod so that I could continue reading at work and school!

Yes, some of it was complete and utter trash, but some of it was better than the actual fiction it was based on. Some of it couldn't exist without the book it was based on. Others, completely surpassed the source material in originality and poignancy.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is a fanfiction that, at times, is better than the source material. It's consistently funnier and Less Wrong (the author) is very clever in the way that he writes it.  I love it to pieces because it's the first fanfiction that I genuinely enjoyed and acknowledged had... quality. I mean, even in my mind, right now. I think of good fanfiction, and this is the first title my brain comes up with. The worst part about it is that the darn thing isn't even done yet so I don't know how it ends and it's driving me bonkers!

This fanfiction is also one of the denizens that can't exist without the source material. It mocks the source books, it turns bits of it on it's head. In fact, this couldn't exist without the whole history of science fiction and fantasy writing because Less Wrong constantly refers to other works as well.

It's a nerd's wet dream.

Really, he just needs Harry to invent a sonic screw-driver magically and half of scifi fans would immediately reach Nirvana without ever having to meditate. It's that awesome.

Even Ender's Game is referenced. And it's awesome.

I read through this thing so fast and I laughed so much. I mean, I'd been battling my usual mood problems and then I found this and it was like getting the new Terry Pratchett book and finding out he co-wrote it somehow with Douglas Adams, Neil Gaimen, and Piers Anthony and they were all competing to make the other three laugh more. I couldn't stop laughing. I didn't want to. I was on a nerd-phoria.

The fanfiction also made me feel smarter. There's a lot in the fanfiction about thinking and how to change one's own mind. I've actually visited the Less Wrong site and tried to go through the sequences, but usually I end up getting an idea for something from the site and going off to do something different. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who would do that, but I'm comfortable with that. But, it's very informative. You educate yourself, laugh a lot and discover that there is fanfiction worth reading all at once.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is just that good.

I'm not really sure what else to say about it other than... You'll really like Professor Quirrel.

You can find this fanfiction either at fanfiction.net or it has it's own site here. You can also visit the LessWrong site and maybe read the sequences, if you like. I suggest you visit the Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality site first and then read the sequences because they are fascinating.

Sweet Dreams!