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Deadly Games

 Deadly Games
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TVTItem
 Deadly Games
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Deadly Games
 Deadly Games
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DeadlyGames
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A short-lived hour long action show about a video game coming to life that aired on fledgling network UPN in 1995. Most notable for the involvement of Leonard Nimoy as an executive producer and Christopher Lloyd as the series' Big Bad, Jackal.Recently-divorced physicist Gus Lloyd decides to take his mind off things by creating a video game in his spare time. In it, he is the hero "The Cold-Steel Kid"—a commando-type vigilante hero. Along with Love Interest "The Girl" (based off his ex-wife Lauren), he fights the forces of the evil Jackal, who are all based off people from Gus's life who have upset him.Somehow, Gus's latest experiment causes the characters from the game to come to life, and they're planning on carrying out the schemes from the game. Now Gus, along with his best friend Peter and the reluctant Lauren (since "her" character is important to the game), have to find and stop his characters before they can carry out their missions.
 Deadly Games
fetched
2024-01-18T11:46:24Z
 Deadly Games
parsed
2024-01-18T11:46:24Z
 Deadly Games
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DBTropes
 Deadly Games / int_1b73fd6c
type
The Danza
 Deadly Games / int_1b73fd6c
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The Danza: A bit of a reversed version, seeing as Christopher Lloyd plays Gus's father Jordan Kenneth Lloyd as well.
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 Deadly Games / int_1cc9f5e5
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Playing with Fire
 Deadly Games / int_1cc9f5e5
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Playing with Fire: When he actually does fight, Jackal favors shooting fireballs from his cane.
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 Deadly Games / int_38d3a0f7
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Pac-Man Fever
 Deadly Games / int_38d3a0f7
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Pac Man Fever: All the "game footage" shown is actually regular live-action footage. By comparison, what video games◊ actually looked like in the mid '90s◊. Arguably subverted. There were plenty of games around the time the show was made that made use of digitized actors. Games such as Lethal Enforcers◊, Terminator 2 Arcade◊, Revolution X◊, Night Trap◊, Seventh Guest◊, Mortal Kombat◊, and and WrestleMania Arcade◊. The games seem to be limited to Rail Shooter, Point and Click Adventure, and Fighting games, although it wasn't made that clear what type of game the guy was making, it could easily been the former two.
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 Deadly Games / int_3c0a4666
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Noodle Incident
 Deadly Games / int_3c0a4666
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Noodle Incident: An early episode shows Jackal teaming up with a game villain who's apparently a sushi chef. We don't find out what Gus's problem with him was (the episode's about Gus and Peter figuring out how to just delete the game villains without having to go through all the rigamarole from their levels), but it must've been something strange.
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 Deadly Games / int_463b32b8
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Save the Princess
 Deadly Games / int_463b32b8
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Save the Princess: Part of the game viewers see includes "The Girl" in a dungeon wondering where the hero is. Her exact words as she's being held captive—"Kid, where are you?"
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 Deadly Games / int_47fea76b
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Butt-Monkey
 Deadly Games / int_47fea76b
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Butt-Monkey: Gus, apparently, based on the sheer number of people Gus feels have wronged him in his life. Shots of his game notes and several scenes of the show reveal there were several dozen villains—a whole army—in his game that never got episodes because the show got cancelled. Even more than that, consider that Gus made the game as a power fantasy for himself. But he's so insecure, that he still made most of his tormentors invincible except for one or two specific ways they could be hurt. Plus, in most of the game footage, we see, the Cold Steel Kid's losing.
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 Deadly Games / int_5989e3b6
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Enemy Mine
 Deadly Games / int_5989e3b6
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Enemy Mine: Gus and Jackal work together to defeat the villain Gus's practical joker friend Danny created.
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 Deadly Games / int_61fd5c6a
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SaveTheGirlScrewTheWorld
 Deadly Games / int_61fd5c6a
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Save The Girl Screw The World: When Lauren is accidentally dragged into the game, Gus recreates the accident that brought the characters to life. He rescues Lauren, but this also means bringing Jackal back to life.
 Deadly Games / int_61fd5c6a
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 Deadly Games / int_740f59b4
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ColorCodedForYourConvenience
 Deadly Games / int_740f59b4
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Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Subverted. Jackal wears all white. Lampshaded when Gus mentions he was subverting the black-clad bad guy trope when designing Jackal. In the final level when Gus and Lauren are sucked into the computer game itself along with Jackal, his clothing turns red—indicating Gus meant for him to represent The Devil Himself.
 Deadly Games / int_740f59b4
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 Deadly Games / int_79372d59
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The Game Come to Life
 Deadly Games / int_79372d59
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The Game Come to Life: Another series about the video game that ceased to be... just a video game.
 Deadly Games / int_79372d59
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 Deadly Games / int_7a12aabf
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New Media Are Evil
 Deadly Games / int_7a12aabf
comment
New Media Are Evil: It was a TV show about a video game that came to life and killed people.
 Deadly Games / int_7a12aabf
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1.0
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Deadly Games / int_7a12aabf
 Deadly Games / int_7d7a7d0f
type
Opening Narration
 Deadly Games / int_7d7a7d0f
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Opening Narration: In every episode (except for the first one), we see a clip of the pilot where Gus explains the nature of the game and the dire situation that has developed.
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 Deadly Games / int_7e38c1a7
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Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue"
 Deadly Games / int_7e38c1a7
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Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": This show would be a perfect example of this trope if it wasn't so obscure. The whole concept of the show is the main character created a video game where he's the hero, his ex-wife is the love interest, and the villains are all people he knows and who he thinks wronged him.
 Deadly Games / int_7e38c1a7
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1.0
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1.0
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Deadly Games / int_7e38c1a7
 Deadly Games / int_821839ea
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Hollywood Game Design
 Deadly Games / int_821839ea
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Hollywood Game Design: Gus can apparently make the whole video game in his spare time, by himself.
 Deadly Games / int_821839ea
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1.0
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 Deadly Games / int_8a295a46
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Cool Car
 Deadly Games / int_8a295a46
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Cool Car: Gus and Jackal both drive cool vintage convertibles.
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1.0
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 Deadly Games / int_970c790a
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Big Bad
 Deadly Games / int_970c790a
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Big Bad: Jackal
 Deadly Games / int_970c790a
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 Deadly Games / int_9a180f4f
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Practical Joke
 Deadly Games / int_9a180f4f
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Practical Joke: One Villain of the Week (played by Brent Spiner) has this as his theme, complete with a killer joy buzzer.
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 Deadly Games / int_9b73b497
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The Only One Allowed to Defeat You
 Deadly Games / int_9b73b497
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The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: The reason Jackal gives for saving Gus from a villain that isn't one of his—"The Practical Joker," who was created by Gus' friend as a gag.
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 Deadly Games / int_9e86e227
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The End... Or Is It?
 Deadly Games / int_9e86e227
comment
The End... Or Is It?: After the bad-guy henchmen have are completely erased, Gus defeats The Jackal and the game is over. The computer screen in the empty lab then types away by itself, apparently opening a new program. Jackal is within the system operating the computer from within. We hear him utter "Tough luck, Kid..." and then cut to credits.
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 Deadly Games / int_9f5e99a7
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DistressedDamsel
 Deadly Games / int_9f5e99a7
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Distressed Damsel: Lauren's video game alter-ego "The Girl", since the game was created for Gus to live out his power fantasies. Not Lauren herself, though.
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 Deadly Games / int_a10775b7
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Mean Boss
 Deadly Games / int_a10775b7
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Mean Boss: One of the enemies, Metcalf (played by LeVar Burton) parodies one Gus had once. He fires (as in, literally incinerates) people for minor infractions at their jobs with exploding pink slips from his arm-cannon.
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 Deadly Games / int_ac2094ca
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Red Shirt
 Deadly Games / int_ac2094ca
comment
Red Shirt: Every episode usually begins with a character (usually a level-headed voice of reason) getting killed by the henchman-of-the-week. You know... just to set the mood. In every episode, someone gets killed at some point.
 Deadly Games / int_ac2094ca
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 Deadly Games / int_ad4a45be
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Final Boss
 Deadly Games / int_ad4a45be
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Final Boss: The Jackal. It's openly stated that no matter what the heroes do to him, the Jackal is unstoppable until they can defeat all his minions. Fortunately, he's bound by video game rules and never does anything besides taunt them and advise the current villain until it's his turn to fight. When Gus finds a way to delete all the bad guys, The Jackal personally goes after Gus, Lauren and Peter.
 Deadly Games / int_ad4a45be
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 Deadly Games / int_b032e4ed
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Ms. Fanservice
 Deadly Games / int_b032e4ed
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Ms. Fanservice: Kathy Ireland's character, both in Gus's game and on the show.
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 Deadly Games / int_b58b4e3c
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Too Dumb to Live
 Deadly Games / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: Shown off no sooner than the first scene, of the first episode. Gus is playing the game and manages to rescue the girl, but has a victory makeout session before they've actually gotten away. This means they're still in range when the villain throws an exploding football and blows them up. Peter even points out Gus had plenty of time to escape and maybe the kiss can wait until they're somewhere safe, which prompts Gus to tell him "You just don't get this game." Even though Peter's right and Gus dies a second time for the exact same reason right after.
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 Deadly Games / int_bb98e39a
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Shiny New Australia
 Deadly Games / int_bb98e39a
comment
Shiny New Australia: Jackal offers Lauren a chance to rule New York when he takes over if she'll stop helping Gus. Characters wonder whether he meant the city or the state becomes a Running Gag in the episode.
 Deadly Games / int_bb98e39a
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 Deadly Games / int_bce16d24
type
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
 Deadly Games / int_bce16d24
comment
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Jackal spends an awful lot of time talking to Gus and not killing him, especially since he's the only one who knows about Jackal's unusual nature and how to stop him and his minions. Maybe he's just not programmed that way.
 Deadly Games / int_bce16d24
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 Deadly Games / int_c09dbbbb
type
Weaksauce Weakness
 Deadly Games / int_c09dbbbb
comment
Weaksauce Weakness: Each of the near-invulnerable villains has key Kryponite-like weaknesses, which are usually really goofy things like water, sugar, ink, dirt, rubber, paint, and soap.
 Deadly Games / int_c09dbbbb
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 Deadly Games / int_c1679e0c
type
The Trope Kid
 Deadly Games / int_c1679e0c
comment
The Trope Kid: The lead character of Gus's "Deadly Games" video-game is a boy-wonder military-like Commando hero (patterned after Gus) named "The Cold-Steel Kid." He's referred to by the characters of the video game as such. We see Gus himself got the moniker of "The Kid" from his own father.
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 Deadly Games / int_cc28f3bf
type
Not That Kind of Doctor
 Deadly Games / int_cc28f3bf
comment
Not That Kind of Doctor: Gus, who has a PhD, in one episode has to point this out. In physics—particularly the study of Anti-Matter. Gus makes the point that simply because he has such a doctorate, does not mean he makes a lot of money. In fact, in his own words, "The university practically charges me to work there". Gus's own father is a physicist—an especially successful one.
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 Deadly Games / int_d39e327f
type
What the Hell, Hero?
 Deadly Games / int_d39e327f
comment
What the Hell, Hero?: As mentioned below; Gus bases the Game Antagonists off those who he feels have wronged him in real life (such as his Mother-In-Law being portrayed as a literal Ice-Witch). In numerous Episodes, when the others learn who the inspiration behind each Antagonist is, they are quick to call Gus out for his pettiness.
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 Deadly Games / int_d7639dba
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Achilles' Heel
 Deadly Games / int_d7639dba
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Achilles' Heel: The villains are basically impervious to everything except a few, sometimes very specific, items, usually based on specific ways Gus felt wronged by the person the game villain's based on.
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 Deadly Games / int_df9eda66
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Write Who You Know
 Deadly Games / int_df9eda66
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Write Who You Know: invoked Every villain is based on someone who traumatized Gus in real life. Including Jackal. Gus based him on his father, whose initials are J.K.L.—on the Jackal's license plate and that of Gus' father, Jordan Kenneth Lloyd. His initials.
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 Deadly Games / int_e8bb3043
type
Kill It with Water
 Deadly Games / int_e8bb3043
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Kill It with Water: The very first bad-guy henchman "Killshot" had an aversion to water as his real-life model wasn't much of a swimmer. He's burned by it and even "dies" when falling into the ocean.
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 Deadly Games / int_e9604359
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Monster of the Week
 Deadly Games / int_e9604359
comment
Monster of the Week: Every week there was a different henchman (played by a celebrity guest star).
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 Deadly Games / int_f178203a
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Inspector Javert
 Deadly Games / int_f178203a
comment
Inspector Javert: A P.I. hired by Lauren's fiance after she disappears spends a few episodes following Gus around thinking he's up to something.
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 Deadly Games / int_f2fe3a61
type
Romantic Runner-Up
 Deadly Games / int_f2fe3a61
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Romantic Runner-Up: Lauren's new fiance'—goes by the name of Harry. As well as another boyfriend by the name of Chip.
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 Deadly Games / int_fc33ff16
type
One-Winged Angel
 Deadly Games / int_fc33ff16
comment
One-Winged Angel: In the episode where Jackal does directly fight the heroes, his usually white suit changes to red, seemingly as a way to indicate this on a budget.
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 Deadly Games / int_ffa0483f
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Cut Short
 Deadly Games / int_ffa0483f
comment
Cut Short: The last episode, "The Ex-Girlfriend" has the villain based on the titular ex defeated, but in the aftermath, Jackal says Gus's friends were "too late", and they run over, apparently looking at his body just offscreen. Since the show got canceled, as far as we can tell, the hero dies. The end.
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Deadly Games

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Deadly Games
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Am I Right? / int_e774a0c9
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Break the Motivational Speaker / int_e774a0c9
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Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue" / int_e774a0c9
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Inspector Javert / int_e774a0c9
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Kill It with Water / int_e774a0c9
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The Trope Kid / int_e774a0c9
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Vanity License Plate / int_e774a0c9
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Video Game Stories / int_e774a0c9
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Villainous Rescue / int_e774a0c9
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Write Who You Know / int_e774a0c9