2008-04-21 18:59![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
nayami.livejournal.com in code_geassIt's so great to see our community activity with things aside from icons and RP ads again. All this discussion makes me a very happy Geass fan. But I still love my epic posts so here's another one. As always, no character bashing or I will eat your soul. I hear they go quite well with bread pudding.
It was refreshing to finally have an episode that gave us a chance to breathe and wrap out heads around some things without reeling from the OMG SHOCK of a moment before. I admit I was completely against an Ashford episode from the start and still believe that the plot should be dropped sooner rather than later. We were promised a world stage and yet we have yet to escape Japan. Much the same as Lelouch. Suzaku seems to be the only one with true freedom, but even that is debatable. I also think that this episode did a decent job of paralleling last season but to a much less irritating extent than previous ones. I still whine that all Lelouch did was sit on the horse. TEASES.
Since everyone is all over Rollo, I will deal with him later and instead put the perplexing issues of the episode to the forefront. The largest of these being GEASS. In Turn 2, we hear the Emperor tell Suzaku that only he knows about geass. I'm guessing this means he's the only KotR to know about geass. Clearly, other people do, although they may not know the full extent of the power. Villetta and Rollo chat about it. They also apparently bank on Lelouch's reliance on it it, a very poor move on their part, as most of Lelouch's building of his army was done without the use of his power (I will acknowledge winning them over was done through the geassing of Jeremiah and the rescue of Suzaku). Whoever is advising them that Lelouch abuses his power is working off a biased scenario. Is it Villetta's? Is it the Emperor's? Is it Suzaku's? Their observation itself is terribly hindered by the belief that Zero would immediately take action if Lelouch was back to his old ways. Again, the crew is not entirely playing with a full stack of cards. But I doubt the Emperor is this sloppy. And it's rather convenient that nobody knows what happened within Babel Tower if both of the group were apparently striving for the same thing.
I also have nit-pickery with Lelouch this time around. While I understand that the student council all had their memories rearranged to remove knowledge of Nunnally and Zero, meaning that Shirley was probably geassed a second time (a cop-out way to deal with the issue of her remembering things last season), Lelouch fully remembers what happened. I find it interesting that Lelouch is still willing to use Shirley to lure out Rollo and his other followers, knowing what he already put her through. I could even forgive this behavior, as Lelouch has always shown himself to be of the "ends justify the means" mindset if not for his later reaction. Upon Shirley pointing out the cable car, Lelouch suddenly feels guilt. Why was this guilt not present before? Did he conveniently shove it to the back of his mind? I fully believe that he feels responsible for what happened to his friends and wants to avenge them, but the combination of these two elements sat extremely awkwardly with me. It was almost like an afterthought. Even if Lelouch wouldn't know a date if it bit him on the ass, he knows how Shirley feels about him so agreeing to go do something with her would clearly count as playing into those feelings. Lelouch, you are a bastard. Though, I will add he was certainly hot when he was joking with Shirley about the spectacular trick he was going to play on the council.Talk wicked to me, baby.
People have pointed out Villetta's conflicted reaction to Ougi's fate. Interesting now that Villetta has some of the power she sought, noted by the surveillance members all referring to her as "lord." I am not sure how I feel about this since the Ougi/Villetta storyline was not one of my favorites. My interest in this is that Villetta seems somewhat... compromised and none too agitated by her role at Ashford. I would have thought a teacher would be demeaning for a warrior.
While we're exploring Britannia, we should also take a moment to brush over Schneizel and Suzaku. Some people have made some good comments about Suzaku's fight with the EU, particularly his focus on disabling rather than killing the pilots. Even if his words come across harsh, practically demanding their surrender, something feels different about this fight than his previous ones. Also Shinigami. I wonder if Suzaku did not earn the name from his homicidal battles in the Black Rebellion. There was no such quarter given then, and for good reason. Whatever Suzaku is after, there is a sense of weariness about him now. His final question to his opponents is whether they still want to continue fighting. Yes, Suzaku, may be different now, but his issues with outright killing seem to be a new spin on his old preservation. There could even be a degree more sanity involved in this style. Schneizel, who continues to be our red herring, alludes to as much when he talks about Suzaku bringing a sense of responsibility and conscience to the field. Ironic description for someone who would betray his own friend hmmm.
Lelouch has also returned to genuinely focusing on Nunnally, something that was missing quite heavily from previous episodes, and something that irked me. We see that he holds back because he's afraid of her being used as a bargaining chip, we see how resentful he is that the council has forgotten her and we see the rage toward the brother that replaced her. The locked, as some have suggested, was most likely a gift for her, purchased early, and then given to Rollo after Lelouch's memories were wiped. Hence, Lelouch's comment that a locket doesn't truly suit a boy. Ouch, Sunrise, giving them the same birthday. This is also where I point out that I love Lelouch's quiet, deadly rage when he makes this realization. Even if that one later frame was totally stole from the scene where Lelouch is watching Suzaku and Nunnally while deciding to tell Suzaku to be Nunnally's knight. As always, the majority of Lelouch's rage is turned toward his father.
Further following my attempt to sort out Lelouch's current thoughts on Suzaku is Lelouch's casual remark about Suzaku taking Arthur. Of course, it's adorable because it shows that Lelouch loev the kitty, as we all already knew. But that Lelouch automatically jumps to knowing that Arthur is with Suzaku is equally noteworthy. I have seen theories about Suzaku taking Arthur because of the cat's connection with Euphemia, thus Suzaku wanting to keep everything about Euphemia as far from Lelouch as possible. And here, I think Lelouch understands this. For his words are not bitter but a simple observation, an understanding as Lelouch always tries to boil things down to. Oh yeah, Lelouch also mentions Nina, which I assume is because she was another staple of Ashford that is now missing.
I am loving the theories I've seen floating about Rollo. While I was already intrigued by Lost Colors, the boy totally won me over with his shanking the Britannian guy and his later freakout in front of Lelouch. I am guessing Rollo is in a way a trained weapon because of his power. He may have been kept from people for a better part of his life or at least raised in a way that he felt perpetually detached. He doesn't care too much about following any orders but a prime directive, as seen in his killing of the guy who walks in on the secret of the geass. There is also his ability to switch modes, especially his creepy departure from the Chinese Embassy. I do buy into the notion that Rollo grew accustomed to his familial relationship with Lelouch and even started to believe it. He seems absolutely shocked in the scene where Lelouch gives him the locket and later reaffirms to himself that birthdays are important to people, furthering his belief that receiving the locket was a big deal. Add to that his total panic at losing it, at losing this reminder that he has family. Lelouch gave it to him! I love the raw emotion in his eyes in this scene. And his later confusion as Milly talks about Shirley possibly joining the family.
It is also hinted that Rollo doesn't want to give up his fake life, seen in Turn 1 with him trying to keep Lelouch from returning to his old ways and his attempts to convince himself that Lelouch can't possibly be this Zero in Turn 3. I especially love the way he still calls Lelouch "nii-san" because of his panic in the mall when he tries to reach Villetta. As always in geass, only an especially vicious catalyst manages to break the bond, with Rollo reverting back to "Lelouch" when Lelouch pulls a gun on him. His final words also speak to his take on his own power, referring to the geass as a "demon's eye." Perhaps Rollo resents what has happened to him because of his power; it can be suggested he is unstable with it at times. I guess here we can also toss in questions about who granted Rollo geass and how long he's had it. We've seen from Mao that geass can be given at a very young age, which I think is most likely with Rollo. But he also has managed to keep his control of it, possibly through outside influences.
I also want to give a shout-out to the music in this ep. "Masquerade" and also the cheesy but still amusing dramatic piece that plays out in the mall. I enjoyed. And I don't care what anyone says, I loved the cat-fight between C.C. and Kallen. I want more. It's not just fanservice; it's the development of their relationship, which was severely overlooked in S1.
Nope, no easy questions for you guys this time. They be in the analysis itself.
It was refreshing to finally have an episode that gave us a chance to breathe and wrap out heads around some things without reeling from the OMG SHOCK of a moment before. I admit I was completely against an Ashford episode from the start and still believe that the plot should be dropped sooner rather than later. We were promised a world stage and yet we have yet to escape Japan. Much the same as Lelouch. Suzaku seems to be the only one with true freedom, but even that is debatable. I also think that this episode did a decent job of paralleling last season but to a much less irritating extent than previous ones. I still whine that all Lelouch did was sit on the horse. TEASES.
Since everyone is all over Rollo, I will deal with him later and instead put the perplexing issues of the episode to the forefront. The largest of these being GEASS. In Turn 2, we hear the Emperor tell Suzaku that only he knows about geass. I'm guessing this means he's the only KotR to know about geass. Clearly, other people do, although they may not know the full extent of the power. Villetta and Rollo chat about it. They also apparently bank on Lelouch's reliance on it it, a very poor move on their part, as most of Lelouch's building of his army was done without the use of his power (I will acknowledge winning them over was done through the geassing of Jeremiah and the rescue of Suzaku). Whoever is advising them that Lelouch abuses his power is working off a biased scenario. Is it Villetta's? Is it the Emperor's? Is it Suzaku's? Their observation itself is terribly hindered by the belief that Zero would immediately take action if Lelouch was back to his old ways. Again, the crew is not entirely playing with a full stack of cards. But I doubt the Emperor is this sloppy. And it's rather convenient that nobody knows what happened within Babel Tower if both of the group were apparently striving for the same thing.
I also have nit-pickery with Lelouch this time around. While I understand that the student council all had their memories rearranged to remove knowledge of Nunnally and Zero, meaning that Shirley was probably geassed a second time (a cop-out way to deal with the issue of her remembering things last season), Lelouch fully remembers what happened. I find it interesting that Lelouch is still willing to use Shirley to lure out Rollo and his other followers, knowing what he already put her through. I could even forgive this behavior, as Lelouch has always shown himself to be of the "ends justify the means" mindset if not for his later reaction. Upon Shirley pointing out the cable car, Lelouch suddenly feels guilt. Why was this guilt not present before? Did he conveniently shove it to the back of his mind? I fully believe that he feels responsible for what happened to his friends and wants to avenge them, but the combination of these two elements sat extremely awkwardly with me. It was almost like an afterthought. Even if Lelouch wouldn't know a date if it bit him on the ass, he knows how Shirley feels about him so agreeing to go do something with her would clearly count as playing into those feelings. Lelouch, you are a bastard. Though, I will add he was certainly hot when he was joking with Shirley about the spectacular trick he was going to play on the council.
People have pointed out Villetta's conflicted reaction to Ougi's fate. Interesting now that Villetta has some of the power she sought, noted by the surveillance members all referring to her as "lord." I am not sure how I feel about this since the Ougi/Villetta storyline was not one of my favorites. My interest in this is that Villetta seems somewhat... compromised and none too agitated by her role at Ashford. I would have thought a teacher would be demeaning for a warrior.
While we're exploring Britannia, we should also take a moment to brush over Schneizel and Suzaku. Some people have made some good comments about Suzaku's fight with the EU, particularly his focus on disabling rather than killing the pilots. Even if his words come across harsh, practically demanding their surrender, something feels different about this fight than his previous ones. Also Shinigami. I wonder if Suzaku did not earn the name from his homicidal battles in the Black Rebellion. There was no such quarter given then, and for good reason. Whatever Suzaku is after, there is a sense of weariness about him now. His final question to his opponents is whether they still want to continue fighting. Yes, Suzaku, may be different now, but his issues with outright killing seem to be a new spin on his old preservation. There could even be a degree more sanity involved in this style. Schneizel, who continues to be our red herring, alludes to as much when he talks about Suzaku bringing a sense of responsibility and conscience to the field. Ironic description for someone who would betray his own friend hmmm.
Lelouch has also returned to genuinely focusing on Nunnally, something that was missing quite heavily from previous episodes, and something that irked me. We see that he holds back because he's afraid of her being used as a bargaining chip, we see how resentful he is that the council has forgotten her and we see the rage toward the brother that replaced her. The locked, as some have suggested, was most likely a gift for her, purchased early, and then given to Rollo after Lelouch's memories were wiped. Hence, Lelouch's comment that a locket doesn't truly suit a boy. Ouch, Sunrise, giving them the same birthday. This is also where I point out that I love Lelouch's quiet, deadly rage when he makes this realization. Even if that one later frame was totally stole from the scene where Lelouch is watching Suzaku and Nunnally while deciding to tell Suzaku to be Nunnally's knight. As always, the majority of Lelouch's rage is turned toward his father.
Further following my attempt to sort out Lelouch's current thoughts on Suzaku is Lelouch's casual remark about Suzaku taking Arthur. Of course, it's adorable because it shows that Lelouch loev the kitty, as we all already knew. But that Lelouch automatically jumps to knowing that Arthur is with Suzaku is equally noteworthy. I have seen theories about Suzaku taking Arthur because of the cat's connection with Euphemia, thus Suzaku wanting to keep everything about Euphemia as far from Lelouch as possible. And here, I think Lelouch understands this. For his words are not bitter but a simple observation, an understanding as Lelouch always tries to boil things down to. Oh yeah, Lelouch also mentions Nina, which I assume is because she was another staple of Ashford that is now missing.
I am loving the theories I've seen floating about Rollo. While I was already intrigued by Lost Colors, the boy totally won me over with his shanking the Britannian guy and his later freakout in front of Lelouch. I am guessing Rollo is in a way a trained weapon because of his power. He may have been kept from people for a better part of his life or at least raised in a way that he felt perpetually detached. He doesn't care too much about following any orders but a prime directive, as seen in his killing of the guy who walks in on the secret of the geass. There is also his ability to switch modes, especially his creepy departure from the Chinese Embassy. I do buy into the notion that Rollo grew accustomed to his familial relationship with Lelouch and even started to believe it. He seems absolutely shocked in the scene where Lelouch gives him the locket and later reaffirms to himself that birthdays are important to people, furthering his belief that receiving the locket was a big deal. Add to that his total panic at losing it, at losing this reminder that he has family. Lelouch gave it to him! I love the raw emotion in his eyes in this scene. And his later confusion as Milly talks about Shirley possibly joining the family.
It is also hinted that Rollo doesn't want to give up his fake life, seen in Turn 1 with him trying to keep Lelouch from returning to his old ways and his attempts to convince himself that Lelouch can't possibly be this Zero in Turn 3. I especially love the way he still calls Lelouch "nii-san" because of his panic in the mall when he tries to reach Villetta. As always in geass, only an especially vicious catalyst manages to break the bond, with Rollo reverting back to "Lelouch" when Lelouch pulls a gun on him. His final words also speak to his take on his own power, referring to the geass as a "demon's eye." Perhaps Rollo resents what has happened to him because of his power; it can be suggested he is unstable with it at times. I guess here we can also toss in questions about who granted Rollo geass and how long he's had it. We've seen from Mao that geass can be given at a very young age, which I think is most likely with Rollo. But he also has managed to keep his control of it, possibly through outside influences.
I also want to give a shout-out to the music in this ep. "Masquerade" and also the cheesy but still amusing dramatic piece that plays out in the mall. I enjoyed. And I don't care what anyone says, I loved the cat-fight between C.C. and Kallen. I want more. It's not just fanservice; it's the development of their relationship, which was severely overlooked in S1.
Nope, no easy questions for you guys this time. They be in the analysis itself.
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It might be just me, but I think Lelouch doesn't do rage as well as Suzaku unless it is about his family. Just look at how he says their names: "Euphemia"/"Cornelia"/"Schneizel" - it's always very, very personal. When it comes to the rest of them, he is surprisingly detached, and since his ultimate enemy is basically the King of the World, he is able to make him accountable for most things that go wrong. In many aspects, hating Charles is like hating God.
So I do think he is mad at Rollo, but not that mad - and his anger dissolves into surprise and suspicion very quickly after Rollo's freaky reaction to the locket. It was something he had to pay attention to, for Lelouch's strategies are very much based on his enemies' personalities (Jeremiah's vanity, Cornelia's attachment to Euphie, etc, etc). I won't be surprised if he uses Rollo's attachment to his advantage, but it remains to be seen if Rollo will allow that to happen.
lol. I like the idea of the Emperor just being eager to mess up Lelouch's life just a little more. Still, I think Suzaku brought the cat with him for a reason and Lelouch's spot-on guess is one of those nice CG details I've got to love. XD
I also like the idea that Suzaku is more lucid now. I'm not sure if that is the case, but it will be interesting to find out. Whatever his true mindset is, Euphemia's death and Lelouch's brainwashing is something he will take into account. It's not like Genbu's murder all over again. He can't pretend those things never happened.
lol. Maybe if he rides the damn horse, he will just fall off. XD I can see little Lelouch training for many, many years to just keep still and proper so the nice pony won't get nervous. Clovis probably forced him to do that for painting purposes. Being a royal has never been so stressful.
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I don't think Suzaku shares his knowledge about GEASS with anyone. It's clearly still a painful subject for him, seeing that he still scowls most of the time. Viletta has to know because she's working with Rollo and it's in the mission's parameter.
Lelouch loses some points with me in this episode, as related to Turn 2. Not only that he uses Shirley (although perhaps he deems this kind of manipulation harmless despite the disastrous result in the last), he despises the Emperor for tampering with everybody's memory. Like he did in Turn 2 when his memory was about to be modified. I find this bitterly amusing for someone who has been using GEASS to rape people's mind and use them against their will.
Suzaku taking Arthur boggles me like hell. I can understand if he's thinking about Euphemia, but there seems to be something more. And we need to know about Suzaku. His calmness in dealing with the EU Army needs explanation.
Still not sure about Rollo. I hope he doesn't end up that kid who can't deal with his newfound emotions because he's been trained as a human-weapon his entire life. We already have way too many of them in other series *glares at Gundam 00*
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But you are definitely onto something about Lelouch pushing back his emotional reaction to analyze what Rollo is showing him in his response to Lelouch wanting the locket.
... You are not the first person to say that and I DISBELIEVE. Aww Clovis and Lelouch scenes. I bet Lelouch's mother could have taught him to ride. I would think that would be one of the first things young princes would go through. If just for the appearance.
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Second, Villetta knows their orders are to find and capture C.C. I don't know about Rollo but I don't think Villetta knows Lelouch is a prince. Therefore she thinks she's just a normal high school student. Their mission is to use Lelouch as bait to capture C.C. This must mean C.C. is a more important target than Zero if they are using the former Zero as bait. Therefore this must mean it's C.C. who's been calling the shots the whole time. An ancient immortal witch is probably smarter than a mere high school student, she would fit the profile of the true mastermind of the whole rebellion, the power behind Zero that has been fooling them all along.
I got really angry when Lelouch used Shirley at the mall too. I think Lelouch's rationale behind it is he is using Shirley to get rid of the surveillance team, with the surveillance gone from Ashford all the students will be safer, therefore it's okay to use Shirley because it's for her own good ultimately. He uses this same reason, it's for the greater good, to justify a lot of the unseemly things he does in season one so it fits his thinking. Also, I think Lelouch is very good at pushing aside his guilt and other unpleasant feelings until they smack him in the face and he can no longer ignore them.
The change in Suzaku is before when he would ask his enemies to surrender he would sincerely hope they would surrender. Now I believe asking for a surrender is more like a courtesy. Sparing their lives is a 'right thing to do' in Suzaku logic so he should always offer this option to his enemies. However I think Suzaku no longer hopes or expects anyone will ever actually surrender. It's like he's become resigned to the fact that people won't conform to the way he wishes his world would be like, a world where he can accomplish his goals without killing. Also, I think Suzaku took the damn kitty because the little rascal saved his life in the last episode.
Rollo I think is very attached to Lelouch and cherishes the year he's had living with him though he will still obey the orders he was given. However, he has his own ideas so if there were some loophole that would allow him to follow his orders but still keep living with Lelouch he would try to take it. I believe his orders are to capture C.C. and kill Lelouch if he ever remembers he's Zero. He shares the first objective with the team but the second may be an order only he was given alone. It seems the team doesn't really care about Zero or Lelouch unless it pertains to C.C. So Rollo's agenda is to capture C.C. before Lelouch regains his memories. The only time he seemed really angry in this episode was when he snapped at the team while he was fiddling with his locket why they still hadn't found C.C. He seemed impatient and maybe a little panicked close call that was to losing Lelouch (or rather the Lelouch he knows) at Babel tower. Also in episode one he was busy trying to save Lelouch from both the terrorists and the Britannians. He wasn't there when the baron ordered Lelouch's death so he doesn't know the team has orders to kill Lelouch once their mission is accomplished. I think Rollo might believe that if they can catch C.C. without Lelouch regaining his memories the two of them will be allowed to go on their merry way.
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Well, there's that. But this is also Geass so there will be some insane twist thrown into the mix. Rollo is a total Gundam pilot. It's all I thought the entire episode.
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TURN４ 「ロロ、お前は正しい」
"Rollo, you are correct." (About what? Lelouch to Rollo possibly? And the short summary on the official website says something about Lelouch trying to make a trade/deal with Rollo)
TURN５ 「お前はホントに、猫が好きなんだなぁ」
"You truly like cats, huh?" (Supposedly due to a few leaked spoilers from storyboards for episode 5, this is directed from Lelouch to Suzaku. From the tense and the use of "omae," it looks like that's correct. I am truly intrigued on how this will play out)
TURN６ 「実は今日、お別れを言いにきましたの」
It translates to something like "To tell the truth today, I came to say goodbye." (I have no idea who's saying this. Lelouch, maybe?)
Next week's episode can't come soon enough.
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I only hope it isn't bad characterization from Sunrise part...
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I agree with your opinion on Rollo. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
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Suzaku... well, I'm not brave enough to delve into his character right now. And Rollo too, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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While he may not expect them to surrender, he still manages to minimize death. I think that fact itself is important. And I don't think Suzaku will ever accept that fact that the world won't conform.
Interesting opinion that Rollo might think that once C.C. is dealt with, he can have *his* Lelouch for keeps.
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I dearly hope so. Please, Rollo, just be something else but that.
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Waiting a week for one episode is hell.
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Maybe, in exchange for his life, Lelouch will be the best big brother forever and ever and ever? Just kidding.....I hope.
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Using 'Zero' to distance Suzaku from Lelouch seems particularly apt. I wonder how Charles found out about his son's relationship with Suzaku though, seeing that he just met Suzaku this one time and of course Lelouch hadn't been writing to him 'Dear Papa, etc etc' during his six-month stay in Japan seven years ago, hadn't he?
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It felt like foreshadowing at the time, when paired with Fukuoka base. And because that feeling was so strong in me, I don't dismiss the idea of the two working together for some common end in the future, even though it really doesn't look like it could happen. It'd take some fun situational irony but I don't dismiss it outright.
...but the reason I was commenting. Arthur isn't just a token of Euphemia. Arthur is also Nina with a tiger on her head, Shirley decked out in pink fuzz, Lulu tied to a chair with make-up on and tears of joy because no one got hurt by the terrorists. Arthur is getting bitten in the ankle while he's, with Lulu, holding crates up to protect Kallen and Shirley. Arthur is a quiet moment setting up a cat house while Lulu reads a book. There is an awful lot more to that kitty than just Euphemia, and Suzaku just lost all of it. Why wouldn't he want a kitty to pet and remember with?
It just seems ridiculous to assume Suzaku wants Arthur just for Euphemia when all of those people meant a lot to him. At least, to me it does.
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