diff --git a/automation/include/karaskel-base.auto3 b/automation/include/karaskel-base.auto3
index 8580a1b77..eedc9066d 100644
--- a/automation/include/karaskel-base.auto3
+++ b/automation/include/karaskel-base.auto3
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ karaskel = {
 	-- Set this to the name of the style used for out-of-line effect specifications, if any (read manual on this!)
 	ool_fx_style = false,
 	-- Show tracing messages?
-	engage_trace = true
+	engage_trace = false
 }
 
 function karaskel.warning(s)
@@ -87,18 +87,26 @@ function karaskel.parse_syllable_data(meta, styles, lines)
 		
 		l.text_stripped = ""
 		
+		local function report(misc)
+			karaskel.trace("l.text_stripped = " .. l.text_stripped)
+			karaskel.trace(string.format("cursyl: dur=%d kind=%s text='%s' text_stripped='%s'", cursyl.duration, cursyl.kind, cursyl.text, cursyl.text_stripped))
+			karaskel.trace(misc)
+		end
+		
+		report("starting parsing")
+		
 		while ltext ~= "" do
 			-- Find text part up until next tag start
 			local tagstart = string.find(ltext, "{")
 			
 			local textpart
-			if not tstart then
+			if not tagstart then
 				-- No tag start was found, rest of line is text
 				textpart = ltext
 				ltext = ""
 			else
 				-- Tag start was found, cut text part out
-				textpart = string.sub(ltext, 1, tagstart)
+				textpart = string.sub(ltext, 1, tagstart-1)
 				ltext = string.sub(ltext, tagstart+1) -- skip over opening brace
 			end
 			
@@ -109,6 +117,8 @@ function karaskel.parse_syllable_data(meta, styles, lines)
 			end
 			cursyl.text = cursyl.text .. textpart
 			
+			report(string.format("tagstart=%d, textpart='%s', ltext='%s'", tagstart or -1, textpart, ltext))
+			
 			-- If we're out of line text, we're done
 			if ltext == "" then
 				break
@@ -119,17 +129,25 @@ function karaskel.parse_syllable_data(meta, styles, lines)
 			
 			local tagpart
 			if not tagend then
-				tagpart = string.sub(ltext, tagstart+1)
+				-- Technically wrong, unclosed tag group
+				tagpart = ltext
 				ltext = ""
 			else
-				tagpart = string.sub(ltext, 1, tagend)
+				-- Take tag group and rest of text
+				tagpart = string.sub(ltext, 1, tagend-1)
 				ltext = string.sub(ltext, tagend+1)
 			end
 			
+			karaskel.trace(string.format("tagend=%d, tagpart='%s', ltext='%s'", tagend or -1, tagpart, ltext))
+			
 			-- Look for interesting tags (karaoke and drawing)
 			while tagpart ~= "" do
 				local tagstart, tagend, tag, param = string.find(tagpart, "\\([kKp]%a*)(%d+)")
 				
+				karaskel.trace(string.format("tagstart=%d, tagend=%d, tag=%s, param=%s", tagstart or -1, tagend or -1, tag or "", param or ""))
+				
+				param = param and tonumber(param) or 0
+				
 				if tag and string.find(tag, "^[kK]") then
 					-- Karaoke tag, split stuff up
 					
@@ -142,14 +160,14 @@ function karaskel.parse_syllable_data(meta, styles, lines)
 					l.karaoke[l.karaoke.n] = cursyl
 					l.karaoke.n = l.karaoke.n + 1
 					cursyl = {
-						duration = param,
+						duration = tonumber(param),
 						kind = tag,
 						text = "",
 						text_stripped = ""
 					}
 					
 					-- Remove up to and including this tag from the tagpart
-					tagpart = string.sub(tagpart, tagend)
+					tagpart = string.sub(tagpart, tagend+1)
 					
 				elseif tag and tag == "p" then
 					-- Switch drawing-mode on/off
@@ -157,9 +175,13 @@ function karaskel.parse_syllable_data(meta, styles, lines)
 					
 				else
 					-- No more interesting tags here
-					cursyl.text = cursyl.text .. "{" .. tagpart .. "}"
+					if tagpart ~= "" then
+						cursyl.text = cursyl.text .. "{" .. tagpart .. "}"
+					end
 					break
 				end
+				
+				report(string.format("indrawing=%s", indrawing and "t" or "f"))
 			end
 		end
 		
diff --git a/automation/include/utils.auto3 b/automation/include/utils.auto3
index 25a8457ba..b37d54166 100644
--- a/automation/include/utils.auto3
+++ b/automation/include/utils.auto3
@@ -178,11 +178,3 @@ function xor(a, b)
 	end
 end
 
-
--- Lua 5.1 breaks the table.insert function, here's a "fix"
-table.org_insert = table.insert
-function table.insert(tab, val)
-	aegisub.output_debug("Warning: this script uses the table.insert function which has changed behaviour in Lua 5.1. This might cause problems. Please update the script so it does not use this function, and instead replace it with code equivalent to the intended behaviour.")
-	tab.n = tab.n + 1
-	tab[tab.n] = val
-end