All of EndlessStrategy's Comments + Replies

I think you underestimate the potential loss. Worst case scenario one of the people he PMs his ideas to puts them online and spreads links around this site.

For what reason does Harry think Quirrell is applying false memory charms to everyone? What's wrong with what they saw?

9linkhyrule5
The last bit, from Draco's perspective, is the False Memory. If they had remembered what really happened they would've seen blindingly fast spellcasting, which implies ridiculously powerful wizard and would be dealt with very differently.

I would say Eliezer. Introducing another event from the first year of school and subverting it utterly. Blatantly referencing Twilight AND My Little Pony (to the point of bending canon for its inclusion) AND a Methods or Rationality fanwork AND an obscure math program AND Several other cameos sprinkled throughout.

2NancyLebovitz
Does it matter for this discussion that MLP canon unicorns are sentient?

This isn't a particularly bad thing, but I must say, chapter 100 was perhaps the most self indulgent this story has had yet.

1somervta
Tto whom is it indulgent? Harry, Eliezer, or the reader?

25% of the population suicided? I'm sorry, but that just seems...extremely unrealistic. Like it was tacked on to cement this as the bad ending.

The Confessor's speech...so beautiful...if only our history could progress in such a way...

So, I recall coming across one of the fanfictions based off of Methods of Rationality, but I can't seem to find it anymore. Perhaps someone here is familiar with it? I only remember two things. 1: it included a battle between the three armies. 2: The battle had something to do with fire (it was mentioned that this was to complete the elemental trend the battles had been following; the forest battles representing earth, the battles high up in Hogwarts being air, and the underwater battle naturally being water).

3jaime2000
I think I know which one you are talking about; the one in which one of the students acts like Speedy Gonzales, right? I can't find it either. I suspect it was "Harry Potter and Selective Perception", which has since been deleted. If you're lucky, Gwern will have happened to archive it through his casual browsing.

Well, ideally some of the ideas would be non-obvious. I think the scientific method would count.

I don't quite understand: why is Draco so upset in this chapter? Is it because he's playing the role his father expects of him? It's not like he obtained any new information about what Harry was trying to do since the Self Actualization chapters. He already knew that he was being manipulated to give up blood purity. So what's the issue?

3Gurkenglas
Up until then, he thought Harry accidentally took his belief in blood purism from him, along with his ability to become a faithful Death Eater. Now Lord Malfoy has told him that no such belief-sacrificing rituals exist, and Draco realizes that it was no accident and not everything that Harry taught Draco about how the world works (existence of Scientific Rituals) was true.

Ch: 94 I'm confused. If no one directly attacked Hermione, why did the wards single out Quirrell?

Also, here's an interesting question: I wonder how Harry would react if Hermione left a ghost? Surely he would still want the real Hermione back, but how would he deal with the ghost, especially is she thought of him as the original Hermione did?

6hairyfigment
They didn't single out Quirrell. ..... At first I thought he had a house-elf there, or his original body in some form (though snakes have no legs). Now I figure at least one of the N Defense Professors was a shrunken troll. (I just checked, and Lethifolds don't have legs either.)
0Fermatastheorem
Because Quirrell's going to claim he's been framed.

The most obvious reason for Quirrel's actions at the end of this chapter is to prevent the prophecy from coming true. The next most obvious, and what I think is correct, is that he's taking those precautions because he wants to make sure Harry doesn't die before he makes the prophecy come true.

8William_Quixote
http://hpmor.com/chapter/86 Quirrell is of the view that prophecies are sometimes of things that can be prevented.
-1DanArmak
But a prophecy can't be prevented from coming true. Otherwise it would just be a prediction.

Hold on, Harry made Mcgonogall allow him 6 hour use of the time turner daily, but he didn't make her undo the lock regarding what time it could be used? Isn't that a huge, uncharacteristic oversight?

1ikrase
She wanted to prevent him from using it for shennanigans.

Forgive me if someone's mentioned this before, but...

The ritual to resurrect Voldemort requires three things. Willingly given flesh of his servant (the closer and stronger the better in this story). A bone from his father's grave, taken without his father's knowledge. And lastly, and I quote from "Goblet of Fire;" "B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."

So, one would think that Quirrell has two of these three things, correct? Wrong. Recall chapter 26, when Professor Quirrell and Harry are discussing th... (read more)

375th
The Bone of the Father must be removed during the ritual, not before; it stands to reason that the flesh and blood must be sacrificed during the ritual as well.
0gwern
Yes, that's been pointed out before. I don't recall anyone raising any good evidence for or against it.