The Shrieking Shack
- Episodes
- 249
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Oct 6, 2026
About the podcast
Two lapsed Harry Potter fans on a journey back through the books they (used to) love so much. Updates every Friday!
Episodes 249
Episode 239: Rare Smee
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 16-18 We have never been more 30 years old. We spend our first segment chatting about appliances, time management, and how far we've come since our exploding …
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The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 16-18 We have never been more 30 years old. We spend our first segment chatting about appliances, time management, and how far we've come since our exploding microwaves from goodwill days. This week's reading is... surprisingly okay! Or at the very least, it's splashy and indulgent, with a lot of over-the-top gore and a fish-out-of-water dinner party scenario. Finally, we round things out with a lesson in branding from a guy who came up with a really, really good pun.Episode 238: Girls Good Go Bad For...
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 13-15 This week we discuss the natural law of forum community drama before learning way too much about Osric's anatomy. Not like, size, or shape, or anything …
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The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 13-15 This week we discuss the natural law of forum community drama before learning way too much about Osric's anatomy. Not like, size, or shape, or anything like that; more just like what it's up to, how it feels in different kinds of fabric, that sort of thing. It's a truly baffling chapter this week, including a frankly alarming plot thread where... Fairhim maybe forgets what they did? And Osric notices that? And doesn't say anything? There's really no getting around the weird vibe the story gives off here, but we do our best to meet it where it's at and imagine what it might've been trying to do and what a more interesting version might look like. There's also some stuff about zombie soldiers! Finally, we take a trip to Orlando and learn all about the Booktok-inspired "scare zone" that features guys doing awesome kneepad slide tricks on the sidewalk and one (1) fog machine. Content note: there's a decent chunk of episode devoted to picking apart this book's depiction of consent. We keep it light, but if you'd rather not hear any of that skip from the end of the chapter summary to 34:10, where we start talking about the Dreor plot insteadEpisode 237: Oh, Right! Lying!
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 7-12 We're back at it with a double-length reading this week! Thank you for your patience. Yes, we read twice as many chapters this week--although you …
Show notes
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 7-12 We're back at it with a double-length reading this week! Thank you for your patience. Yes, we read twice as many chapters this week--although you wouldn't really know it, because the real meaty segment this week is the news. We've got a lot to cover (and more we'll get to next week!) as we march towards Pottermania 2.0. Casting drama, product announcements, and Dobby's grave... a lot's been piling up. Meanwhile, over in TETOLYE: We read twice the chapters we usually would on accident, but perhaps it was for the best. We're square in a patch of awkward characterization and plodding table-setting, but hey,! At least we have a sex scene.Episode 236: KOTOTN
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 4-6 With the 25th anniversary of the first movie and a new show bearing down on us, it's Brands Week on the pod. We take a look at the first volley of press …
Show notes
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy chapters 4-6 With the 25th anniversary of the first movie and a new show bearing down on us, it's Brands Week on the pod. We take a look at the first volley of press releases for cross-promotional products aimed at 30something Potter fans before getting into our reading. TETOLYE has certainly gone all-in on the adventure story aspects we picked out as the saving grace of the first novel--can it keep up the momentum? And perhaps more importantly: can it make a magical adventure story about bad guys who secretly conspired to invent a disease not as collar-tug-worthy as it sounds? Finally, we attempt to dig into a few more products in the third segment but get very, very off track.Episode 235: ꜱʜʀɪᴇᴋᴄᴀꜱᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛꜱ
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy, chapters 1-3 It's new book day! It's a short but sweet one this week: we convened at late-o-clock to make sure to get this one recorded, because the prospect of …
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The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy, chapters 1-3 It's new book day! It's a short but sweet one this week: we convened at late-o-clock to make sure to get this one recorded, because the prospect of covering a book while it's (relatively) new is too exciting. Given our dim view of the first novel, what sort of first impression does the sequel make? It turns out... hey, not bad! We're as shocked as you are. We discuss the refreshingly brisk opening of the novel, the stylistic changes apparent in the opening chapters, and the odd situation the book finds itself in as a piece of fiction that seems to be trying to escape the Potter orbit while still being marketed directly to Dramione fans. big ass thunderclap is at 6:05Episode 234: Legal Information
No reading this week! Just goofing off. Our next book just released the night before we recorded, so we had a bit of a gap episode this week. There was still plenty to talk about though, including an exhaustive …
Show notes
No reading this week! Just goofing off. Our next book just released the night before we recorded, so we had a bit of a gap episode this week. There was still plenty to talk about though, including an exhaustive breakdown of how to throw the best party ever, a very 30something rant about pop media, and a second round of last week's fanfiction guessing game.Episode 233: Wet Episode
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ideal of Being In Love After finishing TIUTFFYE, we dove straight into another extremely long acronym. How does the fic that got publisher attention hold up compared to its …
Show notes
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ideal of Being In Love After finishing TIUTFFYE, we dove straight into another extremely long acronym. How does the fic that got publisher attention hold up compared to its descendant? Would you believe... hey not bad! We discuss the differences between fanfiction and fiction, the ways characters are warped by popular perception, and ponder what it is that matters to readers who seek out fanfiction. We'll have more to discuss next week once we've read more, but until then we've also got a poorly-conceived game that puts Liz's ship recognition powers to the test.Episode 232: Mild Boobs
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy finale We finished the book! Or rather, the book just sort of finished. We discuss the strange, sudden ending of TIUTFFYE and gather our thoughts on the novel as a …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy finale We finished the book! Or rather, the book just sort of finished. We discuss the strange, sudden ending of TIUTFFYE and gather our thoughts on the novel as a whole. Speaking of hole, there's one last explicit scene for the road in these chapters, and it sends us on a quest to understand what "spice levels" are. What makes a book spicy? Who defines the different levels? Have you shared a low-tongue-description kiss with a partner lately? It's so good to be back! Thanks for listening. Notes: we don't talk about it in detail but peppered throughout our book discussion are references to domestic abuse in the story; we mostly just talk about how tasteless we found it without going into detail but it's there. This is also, just generally, a pretty explicit episode!Lots of bodily function talk in this one.Episode 231: You Just Have to Find Him
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 16-18 RIP Doctor Who. The Tardis crashed into a space embankment at two trillion miles per hour and he blew up. There's been precious little Potter news …
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The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 16-18 RIP Doctor Who. The Tardis crashed into a space embankment at two trillion miles per hour and he blew up. There's been precious little Potter news lately, so we spend some time chatting about how every major tentpole franchise seems to be falling apart these days and how we hope that it happens to Harry soon. Then we discuss our penultimate reading of TIUTFFYE, which... was pretty fun? It's a pleasant surprise, but it's also a tick upward right before the end of the book, so it could all come crashing down next week. We spend a while discussing this surprising turn of events, and then plan a vacation by sifting through a list of wizarding-themed AirBNB listings. NOTES: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/arizona/themed-airbnb-az https://www.purewow.com/travel/harry-potter-inspired-airbnbEpisode 230: Ginny Drone Spectacle
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 13-15 Woof. Remember how last week we thought things might be improving? Forget we said any of that. This week we've got some just plain nasty stuff to dig …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 13-15 Woof. Remember how last week we thought things might be improving? Forget we said any of that. This week we've got some just plain nasty stuff to dig through, but don't worry! We have some fun chatting about Final Fantasy, James Bond, and Dodgers fan Dobby too. Then we get right with the Lord and learn what sort of people are still writing Potter clickbait in 2026. It couldn't possibly be a conservative Christian getting mad about his kid learning that slavery is bad, could it? Well,, Some notes: -This week's reading features a lot of clumsy, tasteless depictions of sex work and attempted assault, and we spend most of our time going in on it. Nothing too specific, but it's a bit too broad to give a specific skippable timestamp. It's just kinda all bad this week -"Fun" fact: ye olde revivalist preacher in the third segment was not only a slave owner, but I did some idle reading after the show and discovered that he also got fired from his parish for inappropriate behavior. In the 1700s! The more things change, eh?Episode 229: It Actually Does Work On Us Sometimes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 9-12 We begin this episode with an utterly earth-shattering shock! Then we move on to discuss a really gross set of chapters. Only, these might be the best …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 9-12 We begin this episode with an utterly earth-shattering shock! Then we move on to discuss a really gross set of chapters. Only, these might be the best ones so far? Is this book improving, or are we just getting used to it? We chew on that for a while before checking in on another, much more expensive podcast to see what's going on over in Official Content World. Notes: I do spoil The Mandalorian and Grogu in this, so if you want to remain un-Grogu'd skip to 26:30.Episode 228: It Just Doesn't Work on Me
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 7-9 We're a little rambunctious on this one. We love genre crap, but there's something in the air that's making us not click with the current epoch of …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 7-9 We're a little rambunctious on this one. We love genre crap, but there's something in the air that's making us not click with the current epoch of genre crap. Are we just getting old, or is this stuff actually getting worse? Maybe this book just makes us cranky. Who could blame us when this week's reading includes an oddly offensive "crazy" professor, coworkers who want to sit on the floor and eat pretzels instead of doing their paperwork, and an honest to God entire chapter about a drunk guy playing with his nutsack? With apologies to Dungeon Crawler Carl fans, this media landscape has us stymied.Episode 227: We're Really Good at Being Annoying
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 4-6 We're getting nasty with it this week. On this episode we roll up our sleeves and stick our hands into a trio of very sexual but oddly unsexy chapters …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 4-6 We're getting nasty with it this week. On this episode we roll up our sleeves and stick our hands into a trio of very sexual but oddly unsexy chapters. There are a lot of penis jokes to discuss, but it's also a surprisingly good springboard to talk about what makes for interesting sexual tension between characters, the effectiveness of removing fanfiction from its sources, and the importance of making deliberate decisions when choosing a setting. There's also a lot of boner and cum gags too so sorry about that. And last but certainly not least, the return of Jack Sloper?Episode 226: Delightors
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 1-3 It's time. We've been incubating the idea for a new angle for the show for a long time now, and doing lots of research about the early days of the …
Show notes
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, chapters 1-3 It's time. We've been incubating the idea for a new angle for the show for a long time now, and doing lots of research about the early days of the Potter fandom. But we've struggled a little, both with time and with the idea of how, exactly, to structure things moving forward. The answer hit us (to borrow the opening line of TIUTFFYE) like a knife: why not structure it like the same damn show we've loved doing for years now? So! Here we are. And what better way to anchor future discussions of the history and impact of Harry Potter on media and culture than by reading books that were once fanfics with the Potter stripped out? We're starting with The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, a bestselling romance novel unabashedly marketed as a former Dramione fic (Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ideal of Being In Love). This first episode will be a bit of a bridge, because the third segment reading I selected is more contemporary. But you can expect our research to start showing up in the first and third segments! Anyway, this week we check out the world of the Grogu meal, attempt to identify original concepts vs renamed Potter concepts in TIUTFFYE, and learn why it's actually activism to read Dramione fanfiction in 2026. It's good to be back! P.S there is a very funny fact about this episode I will reveal after it's been out for a day or two so please look forward to that P.P.S this is just temporary art and a temporary theme song, but if you're curious the music is from my upcoming game 35 ElectricSHHG! Finale: Writing About War(?)
Mockingjay finale We finally did it! We've finished the original Hunger Games trilogy, and boy do we have a lot to say about how little this series had to say. You would think there would be some big ideas in a …
Show notes
Mockingjay finale We finally did it! We've finished the original Hunger Games trilogy, and boy do we have a lot to say about how little this series had to say. You would think there would be some big ideas in a story that ends with a horrific false flag atrocity, a member of the core love triangle making cluster munitions, and multiple megalomaniacs being betrayed, but... nope! Mostly it's about how sometimes you've just gotta do you. Or something. We turn to the tantalizingly-titled 'Writing About War' interview that's intrigued us for the whole show for insights instead. We also chat about LitRPG fiction, "cozy" mysteries, pulp, and a little bit more about our upcoming project!SHHG! Episode 27: The Nut
Mockingjay Act II It's half sludge, half hunger this week! We check in with The Franchise's upcoming media and merchandising blitz, and then discuss the second act of Mockingjay, which... wow! That's a bit …
Show notes
Mockingjay Act II It's half sludge, half hunger this week! We check in with The Franchise's upcoming media and merchandising blitz, and then discuss the second act of Mockingjay, which... wow! That's a bit much! There's a lot of heavy stuff in this book that is not presented particularly well or interestingly, so make sure to check the content warnings below. Finally, we return to the world of 2010s fanfiction with a shocking third segment reveal. (Content warning: Mockingjay introduces sex trafficking into the mix this act, and we don't love the way it's handled--it's typical corny thriller "I was actually a secret information broker" stuff, but it's a big chunk of the story so if you don't want to hear us dunking on that, skip 00: 40:48 to 1:02:25)SHHG! Episode 26: Snape Accuracy
Mockingjay Act 1 We're back to it! We discuss act one of Mockingjay, a book that dares to ask: is filming wrestling promos just as bad as running a dystopian fiefdom? The people cry out for a teenage superhero …
Show notes
Mockingjay Act 1 We're back to it! We discuss act one of Mockingjay, a book that dares to ask: is filming wrestling promos just as bad as running a dystopian fiefdom? The people cry out for a teenage superhero to jump out in front of a smoke machine and say character select screen phrases, and only Katniss can answer the call. We discuss the loaded imagery and its relationship to the more heightened plot movements, whether or not we care about the love triangle anymore, and ponder whether this is about anything specific or if the series has just gotten too far into the reality TV weeds. We also check in on a brand new Harry Potter fan subreddit dedicated to complaining about the TV show that doesn't exist yet.The Shriek at Bakura, pt. 3: Airport Bar Brawl
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 15-21 We conclude our detour into the Star Wars expanded universe this week! We discuss the finale of Luke's adventures on Bakura, which involve cutting a bunch of dinosaurs' heads …
Show notes
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 15-21 We conclude our detour into the Star Wars expanded universe this week! We discuss the finale of Luke's adventures on Bakura, which involve cutting a bunch of dinosaurs' heads off, using his mind to kill a bunch of bugs eating his guts, and a lot of hanging around at an airport bar. We also chat about meeting celebrities, local Harry Potter conventions, and goof off in a little third segment game! (We talk about Acolyte spoilers up through ep. 7--not the finale!--so if you've wanting to watch that, skip ahead 5 minutes when we bring it up)The Shriek at Bakura Pt. 2: They Put Bugs in Luke
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 8-14 After a few weeks of unprecedented circumstances, we're back to continue examining The Truce at Bakura. This novel is asking some fascinating questions, like: how did they put …
Show notes
The Truce at Bakura, chapters 8-14 After a few weeks of unprecedented circumstances, we're back to continue examining The Truce at Bakura. This novel is asking some fascinating questions, like: how did they put bugs in Luke Skywalker? Will Luke Skywalker get some with this Imperial senator? Will the bugs inside of him make that awkward?The Shriek at Bakura Pt. 1
The Truce at Bakura chapters 1-7 We're back! Work has been kicking both of our asses lately, but we've finally convened to discuss the first third of the fascinating Star Wars Legends novel 'The Truth at …
Show notes
The Truce at Bakura chapters 1-7 We're back! Work has been kicking both of our asses lately, but we've finally convened to discuss the first third of the fascinating Star Wars Legends novel 'The Truth at Bakura'--as a little break between Hunger Games novels. Have you ever wondered what happened after Return of the Jedi? Like, maybe fifteen minutes after the movie ends? Well, it turns out some dinosaurs are putting guys' brains in droids and only Luke Skywalker and his friends can save them. How will he do that? Well, so far it seems like mostly by taking meetings. We discuss the bizarre plot, the interesting author, and the broader spectrum of mass media franchises being strung along forever by mass market paperbacks.SHHG! Episode 25: Finnick-Beete-Nutz
This week we convene to enjoy a big, warm bowl of classic Shriekcast third segment style content as we check in with Quora questions about Catching Fire! Epic length essays about whether or not an INTJ could …
Show notes
This week we convene to enjoy a big, warm bowl of classic Shriekcast third segment style content as we check in with Quora questions about Catching Fire! Epic length essays about whether or not an INTJ could win a Hunger Game, extremely dodgy political opinions, and excellence in the field of run-on-sentence construction abound. And that's not all; we've also got exciting strings updates, opinions on What's Going On With Planes, kitchen gadget nightmare scenarios, and more!SHHG! Episode 24: You Should've Seen What Gollum Did
Catching Fire chapters 24-27 It's been a busy couple of weeks for both of us (working; moving) but that didn't stop us from finishing the last four chapters of Catching Fire! And boy, if we thought we were in a …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 24-27 It's been a busy couple of weeks for both of us (working; moving) but that didn't stop us from finishing the last four chapters of Catching Fire! And boy, if we thought we were in a rush, nothing compares to this book's bizarre finale. People often offer the criticism that certain stories "just stop," but the last few moments of this novel are on their own level. We discuss the breakneck final action sequence and practically bullet-pointed list of reveals as well as checking in with strings drama, Ikea, and those three famous detectives we all know and love!SHHG! Episode 23: Clock Mentioned
Catching Fire chapters 22 & 23 TWO giant reveals that we avoided having spoiled! Can you believe it!? This one is particularly funny, given our hobby trajectories of late. This awesome new arena mechanic is …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 22 & 23 TWO giant reveals that we avoided having spoiled! Can you believe it!? This one is particularly funny, given our hobby trajectories of late. This awesome new arena mechanic is revealed alongside an exciting action sequence, some ridiculous (complimentary) side characters joining Katniss's party, some ridiculous (derogatory) Peeta moments, and some small worldbuilding revelations that send us reeling. Plus! More Strings Drama--and a step back into the mysterious world of three detectives with curious names...SHHG! Episode 22: How Did We Not Get Spoiled On This
Catching Fire chapters 20-21 Remember how we had somehow remained completely unaware of the werewolves in the first Hunger Games book? Somehow, by some beautiful miracle, we remained equally, blissfully unaware …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 20-21 Remember how we had somehow remained completely unaware of the werewolves in the first Hunger Games book? Somehow, by some beautiful miracle, we remained equally, blissfully unaware of another animal threat in this series. Not much happens in these action-packed chapters outside, but boy does a lot happen. There are chapters that feel like novels, as they say... Anyway, aside from the fight scene involving a bunch of mutant monkeys, we discuss the fun character dynamics between Katniss, Finnick, and Peeta (I guess he's still alive), this book's inventive twists on the survival story trappings from the first novel, and okay I'm exaggerating we mostly talk about the monkey fight. And that's not all--we also discuss the new James Patterson novel!SHHG! Episode 21: Accountants' Day
Catching Fire chapters 18-19 We are so back! We kick off 2024 with a rowdy return to podcasting about work sucking, holidays sucking, and Peeta sucking. We have some exciting news on that front this week …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 18-19 We are so back! We kick off 2024 with a rowdy return to podcasting about work sucking, holidays sucking, and Peeta sucking. We have some exciting news on that front this week however, although neither of us is convinced it really happened. Still, even if things are feeling a bit predictable, we certainly can't accuse these chapters of being boring! Waterworld antics, bonkers lies, trident headshots--there's a lot of wild stuff packed in here as we finally get to the Hunger Games part of this Hunger Games novel.SHHG! Episode 20: Seasonal Attack Pea
Catching Fire chapters 16-17 We're still not at the Hunger Game. It sure seems like we're running out of book, but instead of duking it out in the arena our heroes are still meeting their foes and/or potential …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 16-17 We're still not at the Hunger Game. It sure seems like we're running out of book, but instead of duking it out in the arena our heroes are still meeting their foes and/or potential allies. Are Katniss and Peeta building a heist team, or are they just going to fight all these guys? We've got lots to discuss about this and more, but first we also have some Neopets updates, strings drama, and dental work to discuss! (If you're not a fan of dentist anxieties/horror stories, you can start the episode at 9:20!)SHHG! Episode 19: The Sugar Cube Gambit
Catching Fire chapters 14-15 Life threw Liz some work-related lemons this past week, but we're here and discussing how best to turn them into bonus lemonade! We chat about future plans for discussing future …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 14-15 Life threw Liz some work-related lemons this past week, but we're here and discussing how best to turn them into bonus lemonade! We chat about future plans for discussing future plans, give an update on what's going on in strings world, and get attacked by Earl--and that's all before we get into our crazy chapters! We learn all about sugar, Hunger Games hacks, and Dr. Seuss ass map design. There's also some juicy critical stuff to discuss re: character work and the overall metaphor of the Games. Sugar cube?SHHG! Episode 18: Five Nights at Peeta's
Catching Fire chapters 12 & 13 We have a lot to catch up on this week! Neopets news, string performances, (not so) scary films... plus, we've got a pair of chapters that propel Catching Fire forward into …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 12 & 13 We have a lot to catch up on this week! Neopets news, string performances, (not so) scary films... plus, we've got a pair of chapters that propel Catching Fire forward into exciting territory. Hopefully? There's going to be another Hunger Game in these books, it turns out. We speculate on how exactly that might shake out, what would make it more interesting than the first outing, and much more. Side note: I recommend Alan Wake in the beginning segment. I don't spoil anything direct, BUT if you are getting into the series because of the new sequel and want to go in as pure as possible, skip forward 3 minutes when I bring it up! Likewise, I bring up the FNAF movie and I don't think I truly spoil anything but I talk about the overall structure.SHHG! Episode 17: DMV Tycoon
Catching Fire chapters 10-11 We're back! Load roadworks couldn't keep us away from talking about these chapters, that feature some absolutely massive twists--political and technical. Did you know that there are …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 10-11 We're back! Load roadworks couldn't keep us away from talking about these chapters, that feature some absolutely massive twists--political and technical. Did you know that there are solar-powered perpetual energy generating guns in Panem? Neither did we! We discuss those strange new worldbuilding additions, and attempt to sus out this book's relationship is to America's political discourse in the 2000s. Is this about the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq? Is it about 2000s geopolitical fearmonger--and if it is, which end is it coming down on? Is it trying to say something, or is it just deploying all of this loaded imagery to make a point about American Idol? Plus: we consider taking out an ad at the DMV!SHHG! Episode 16: I Know (?)
Catching Fire chapters 7-9 We start this week with another music game, with another unexpected twist! Plus, an update on all things strings and Neopets. Then we've got three exciting chapters to cover as the …
Show notes
Catching Fire chapters 7-9 We start this week with another music game, with another unexpected twist! Plus, an update on all things strings and Neopets. Then we've got three exciting chapters to cover as the rebellion in District 12 starts heating up--or maybe doesn't, depending on who last spoke to Katniss. We chat about some of the great character development, the slightly silly worldbuilding, and try to figure out just where all this is going... and if that's another Hunger Games!
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