diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index a35f04806..41ac55fe6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
         "express": "^4.21.2",
         "express-async-handler": "^1.2.0",
         "express-static-gzip": "2.2.0",
-        "fs-extra": "11.2.0",
+        "fs-extra": "11.3.0",
         "idb-keyval": "^6.2.1",
         "js-yaml": "^4.1.0",
         "jwt-simple": "^0.5.6",
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
         "react": "^18.3.1",
         "react-dom": "^18.3.1",
         "react-frame-component": "^5.2.7",
-        "react-router": "^7.1.1",
+        "react-router": "^7.1.2",
         "sanitize-filename": "1.6.3",
         "superagent": "^10.1.1",
         "vitreum": "git+https://git@github.com/calculuschild/vitreum.git"
@@ -6507,10 +6507,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/fs-extra": {
-      "version": "11.2.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fs-extra/-/fs-extra-11.2.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-PmDi3uwK5nFuXh7XDTlVnS17xJS7vW36is2+w3xcv8SVxiB4NyATf4ctkVY5bkSjX0Y4nbvZCq1/EjtEyr9ktw==",
-      "license": "MIT",
+      "version": "11.3.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fs-extra/-/fs-extra-11.3.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Z4XaCL6dUDHfP/jT25jJKMmtxvuwbkrD1vNSMFlo9lNLY2c5FHYSQgHPRZUjAB26TpDEoW9HCOgplrdbaPV/ew==",
       "dependencies": {
         "graceful-fs": "^4.2.0",
         "jsonfile": "^6.0.1",
@@ -11654,9 +11653,9 @@
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/react-router": {
-      "version": "7.1.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/react-router/-/react-router-7.1.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-39sXJkftkKWRZ2oJtHhCxmoCrBCULr/HAH4IT5DHlgu/Q0FCPV0S4Lx+abjDTx/74xoZzNYDYbOZWlJjruyuDQ==",
+      "version": "7.1.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/react-router/-/react-router-7.1.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-KeallSO30KLpIe/ZZqfk6pCJ1c+5JhMxl3SCS3Zx1LgaGuQbgLDmjuNi6KZ5LnAV9sWjbmBWGRw8Um/Pw6BExg==",
       "dependencies": {
         "@types/cookie": "^0.6.0",
         "cookie": "^1.0.1",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2fabbd386..d70b05c61 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
     "express": "^4.21.2",
     "express-async-handler": "^1.2.0",
     "express-static-gzip": "2.2.0",
-    "fs-extra": "11.2.0",
+    "fs-extra": "11.3.0",
     "idb-keyval": "^6.2.1",
     "js-yaml": "^4.1.0",
     "jwt-simple": "^0.5.6",
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
     "react": "^18.3.1",
     "react-dom": "^18.3.1",
     "react-frame-component": "^5.2.7",
-    "react-router": "^7.1.1",
+    "react-router": "^7.1.2",
     "sanitize-filename": "1.6.3",
     "superagent": "^10.1.1",
     "vitreum": "git+https://git@github.com/calculuschild/vitreum.git"
diff --git a/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js b/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
index 1a5ca465f..16dc14440 100644
--- a/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
+++ b/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/* eslint-disable max-depth */
 /* eslint-disable max-lines */
 import _                        from 'lodash';
 import { Parser as MathParser } from 'expr-eval';
@@ -717,7 +718,7 @@ function MarkedVariables() {
 					}
 					if(match[8]) { // Inline Definition
 						const label = match[10] ? match[10].trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ') : null; // Trim edge spaces and shorten blocks of whitespace to 1 space
-						let content = match[11] ? match[11].trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ') : null; // Trim edge spaces and shorten blocks of whitespace to 1 space
+						let content = match[11] || null;
 
 						// In case of nested (), find the correct matching end )
 						let level = 0;
@@ -733,10 +734,8 @@ function MarkedVariables() {
 									break;
 							}
 						}
-						if(i > -1) {
-							combinedRegex.lastIndex = combinedRegex.lastIndex - (content.length - i);
-							content = content.slice(0, i).trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
-						}
+						combinedRegex.lastIndex = combinedRegex.lastIndex - (content.length - i);
+						content = content.slice(0, i).trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
 
 						varsQueue.push(
 							{ type    : 'varDefBlock',
diff --git a/tests/markdown/variables.test.js b/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
index be16e8a22..41259da7e 100644
--- a/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
+++ b/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
@@ -402,4 +402,12 @@ describe('Variable names that are subsets of other names', ()=>{
 		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
 		expect(rendered).toBe('<p>14</p>');
 	});
+});
+
+describe('Regression Tests', ()=>{
+	it('Don\'t Eat all the parentheticals!', function() {
+		const source='\n|  title 1  | title 2 | title 3 | title 4|\n|-----------|---------|---------|--------|\n|[foo](bar) |  Ipsum  |    )    |   )    |\n';
+		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
+		expect(rendered).toBe('<table><thead><tr><th>title 1</th><th>title 2</th><th>title 3</th><th>title 4</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"bar\">foo</a></td><td>Ipsum</td><td>)</td><td>)</td></tr></tbody></table>');
+	});
 });
\ No newline at end of file