Building a new pc with a 3090, 5600X, and Seasonic Focus GX-850.
I've build 10+ pcs, but never had this issue.
Everything is plugged in properly, even reseated everything and tried booting without the GPU. When powered the, PSU makes 2 clicking sounds (at which the GPU LEDs light up), and then shut down.
Definitely sounds like a protection tripping due to some sort of short (?), but don't have the faintest clue what. I checked if I had all the standoffs correct, tried without standoff screws, but nothing worked
Any clue why this could be happening?
Edit: I also unplugged the usb headers, fans, and audio. The case is the next h500, so the front panel connectors are 1 big connector. I removed it too, but even when jumpstarting the power with a screwdriver, the same clicking happens

Hi experts.
I had a machine running and after a reboot it cannot boot into Windows OS anymore.
I have then booted into a Ubuntu Live USB and here I can see the disk but no partition.
I have installed Boot-Repair and here is the log - The disk in question is: sda:2000GB:scsi:512:512:unknown:Generic External:;
Log:

boot-repair-4ppa203 [20230530_0723]
============================== Boot Info Summary ===============================
=> No boot loader is installed in the MBR of /dev/nvme0n1. => No known boot loader is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.
nvme0n1p1: _____________________________________________________________________
File system: vfat Boot sector type: Windows 8/10/11/2012: FAT32 Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files: /efi/Boot/bootx64.efi /efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi /efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgr.efi nvme0n1p2: _____________________________________________________________________
File system: Boot sector type: - Boot sector info: nvme0n1p3: _____________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows 8/10/11/2012: NTFS Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Windows 10 or 11 Boot files: /Windows/System32/winload.exe nvme0n1p4: _____________________________________________________________________
File system: ntfs Boot sector type: Windows 8/10/11/2012: NTFS Boot sector info: No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block. Operating System: Boot files: sdb: ___________________________________________________________________________
File system: iso9660 Boot sector type: Grub2 (v1.99-2.00) Boot sector info: Grub2 (v1.99-2.00) is installed in the boot sector of sdb and looks at sector 0 of the same hard drive for core.img, but core.img can not be found at this location. Mounting failed: mount: /mnt/BootInfo/FD/sdb: /dev/sdb already mounted or mount point busy. dmesg(1) may have more information after failed mount system call. ================================ 1 OS detected =================================
OS#1: Windows 10 or 11 on nvme0n1p3
================================ Host/Hardware =================================
CPU architecture: 64-bit Video: RocketLake-S GT1 [UHD Graphics 750] from Intel Corporation Live-session OS is Ubuntu 64-bit (Ubuntu 23.04, lunar, x86_64)
===================================== UEFI =====================================
BIOS/UEFI firmware: S0AKT35A(1.53) from LENOVO The firmware is EFI-compatible, and is set in EFI-mode for this live-session. SecureBoot disabled (confirmed by mokutil). BootCurrent: 0005 Timeout: 1 seconds BootOrder: 0000,0001,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007 Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager HD(1,GPT,ab009012-d6c8-47e3-ac64-2534e97f29f6,0x800,0x32000)/File(\EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}.................... Boot0001* UEFI: PXE IPv4 Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (14) I219-LM PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x6)/MAC(d8bbc1f31e09,0)/IPv4(0.0.0.00.0.0.0,0,0)..BO Boot0002* UEFI: PXE IPv4 Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(6805caf9d2de,1)/IPv4(0.0.0.00.0.0.0,0,0)..BO Boot0003* UEFI: PXE IPv6 Intel(R) Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1c,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/MAC(6805caf9d2de,1)/IPv6([::]:<->[::]:,0,0)..BO Boot0004* UEFI: PXE IPv6 Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (14) I219-LM PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x6)/MAC(d8bbc1f31e09,0)/IPv6([::]:<->[::]:,0,0)..BO Boot0005* UEFI: KingstonDataTraveler 3.0, Partition 2 PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x14,0x0)/USB(17,0)/HD(2,GPT,f05c32e4-7288-463c-99e8-dc437a059e92,0x92d55c,0x2754)..BO Boot0006* Generic Usb Device VenHw(99e275e7-75a0-4b37-a2e6-c5385e6c00cb) Boot0007* CD/DVD Device VenHw(99e275e7-75a0-4b37-a2e6-c5385e6c00cb)
23de89ec237345413d864c8a619d6109 nvme0n1p1/Boot/bootx64.efi 23de89ec237345413d864c8a619d6109 nvme0n1p1/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi 2c5164e838a35dc04aab81860f41e838 nvme0n1p1/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgr.efi
============================= Drive/Partition Info =============================
Disks info: ____________________________________________________________________
nvme0n1 : is-GPT, no-BIOSboot, has---ESP, not-usb, not-mmc, has-os, has-win, 2048 sectors * 512 bytes
Partitions info (1/3): _________________________________________________________
nvme0n1p1 : no-os, 64, nopakmgr, no-docgrub, nogrub, nogrubinstall, no-grubenv, noupdategrub, not-far nvme0n1p3 : is-os, 64, nopakmgr, no-docgrub, nogrub, nogrubinstall, no-grubenv, noupdategrub, farbios nvme0n1p4 : no-os, 64, nopakmgr, no-docgrub, nogrub, nogrubinstall, no-grubenv, noupdategrub, farbios
Partitions info (2/3): _________________________________________________________
nvme0n1p1 : is---ESP, part-has-no-fstab, no-nt, no-winload, no-recov-nor-hid, no-bmgr, notwinboot nvme0n1p3 : isnotESP, part-has-no-fstab, no-nt, haswinload, no-recov-nor-hid, no-bmgr, notwinboot nvme0n1p4 : isnotESP, part-has-no-fstab, no-nt, no-winload, recovery-or-hidden, no-bmgr, notwinboot
Partitions info (3/3): _________________________________________________________
nvme0n1p1 : not--sepboot, no---boot, part-has-no-fstab, not-sep-usr, no---usr, part-has-no-fstab, no--grub.d, nvme0n1 nvme0n1p3 : not--sepboot, no---boot, part-has-no-fstab, not-sep-usr, no---usr, part-has-no-fstab, no--grub.d, nvme0n1 nvme0n1p4 : not--sepboot, no---boot, part-has-no-fstab, not-sep-usr, no---usr, part-has-no-fstab, no--grub.d, nvme0n1
fdisk -l (filtered): ___________________________________________________________
Disk nvme0n1: 476.94 GiB, 512110190592 bytes, 1000215216 sectors Disk identifier: D3B72A8D-A3CA-4787-8F01-9FEC05458D72 Start End Sectors Size Type nvme0n1p1 2048 206847 204800 100M EFI System nvme0n1p2 206848 239615 32768 16M Microsoft reserved nvme0n1p3 239616 999124541 998884926 476.3G Microsoft basic data nvme0n1p4 999124992 1000212479 1087488 531M Windows recovery environment Disk sdb: 57.62 GiB, 61872793600 bytes, 120845300 sectors Disk identifier: F05C32E4-7288-463C-99EA-DC437A059E92 Start End Sectors Size Type sdb1 64 9622875 9622812 4.6G Microsoft basic data sdb2 9622876 9632943 10068 4.9M EFI System sdb3 9632944 9633543 600 300K Microsoft basic data sdb4 9633792 120844287 111210496 53G Linux filesystem
parted -lm (filtered): _________________________________________________________
sda:2000GB:scsi:512:512:unknown:Generic External:; sdb:61.9GB:scsi:512:512:gpt:Kingston DataTraveler 3.0:; 1:32.8kB:4927MB:4927MB::ISO9660:hidden, msftdata; 2:4927MB:4932MB:5155kB::Appended2:boot, esp; 3:4932MB:4932MB:307kB::Gap1:hidden, msftdata; 4:4933MB:61.9GB:56.9GB:ext4::; nvme0n1:512GB:nvme:512:512:gpt:SAMSUNG MZVL2512HCJQ-00BL7:; 1:1049kB:106MB:105MB:fat32:EFI system partition:boot, esp; 2:106MB:123MB:16.8MB::Microsoft reserved partition:msftres; 3:123MB:512GB:511GB:ntfs:Basic data partition:msftdata; 4:512GB:512GB:557MB:ntfs::hidden, diag;
blkid (filtered): ______________________________________________________________
NAME FSTYPE UUID PARTUUID LABEL PARTLABEL sda sdb iso9660 2023-04-18-21-06-00-00 Ubuntu 23.04 amd64 ├─sdb1 iso9660 2023-04-18-21-06-00-00 f05c32e4-7288-463c-99eb-dc437a059e92 Ubuntu 23.04 amd64 ISO9660 ├─sdb2 vfat A413-CB6C f05c32e4-7288-463c-99e8-dc437a059e92 ESP Appended2 ├─sdb3 f05c32e4-7288-463c-99e9-dc437a059e92 Gap1 └─sdb4 ext4 18953827-bffd-4bad-8017-c95e0138cd37 80a898f3-6699-4a48-9e38-efbdf8c4e89b writable nvme0n1 ├─nvme0n1p1 vfat C2FD-C2B6 ab009012-d6c8-47e3-ac64-2534e97f29f6 EFI system partition ├─nvme0n1p2 3f6a73f4-08e5-4fff-ab4d-c37ff9466067 Microsoft reserved partition ├─nvme0n1p3 ntfs C640FE2940FE1FBB e6bde776-8efa-437c-8285-22eaa4c060bc Basic data partition └─nvme0n1p4 ntfs FABAE884BAE83F2F e533051a-6bf6-4c50-bdd1-6d95576405ba
Mount points (filtered): _______________________________________________________

 Avail Use% Mounted on 

/dev/disk/by-label/writable[/install-logs-2023-05-30.1/crash] 49.2G 0% /vacrash /dev/disk/by-label/writable[/install-logs-2023-05-30.1/log] 49.2G 0% /valog /dev/nvme0n1p1 69.4M 28% /mnt/boot-sav/nvme0n1p1 /dev/nvme0n1p3 437.6G 8% /mnt/boot-sav/nvme0n1p3 /dev/nvme0n1p4 88.7M 83% /mnt/boot-sav/nvme0n1p4 /dev/sdb1 0 100% /cdrom overlay 0 100% /tmp/tmpjhzwa5ah/root.dir
Mount options (filtered): ______________________________________________________
======================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc =========================
Unknown MBR on /dev/sda
/dev/nvme0n1p1: unknown GPT attributes 8000000000000000
/dev/nvme0n1p2: unknown GPT attributes 8000000000000000
/dev/nvme0n1p4: unknown GPT attributes 8000000000000001
Suggested repair: ______________________________________________________________
The default repair of the Boot-Repair utility would not act on the MBR. Additional repair would be performed: win-legacy-basic-fix

I am running Testdisk right now. Quick Search could not find any partition. Its running Deeper Scan now but it will take a long time.
Can I do anything to restore some data on the faulty disk?

So I decided to give Opera GX a try because of all the recommendations on Youtube and due to the integrations with ChatGPT. This browser is just painful. There is way to much happening on the screen at any given time, and it's just distracting. Its cool to have features to differentiate yourself in the browser market, but the browser should not get in the way of its ultimate function.
Essentially, unless a feature is being implemented to improve the browser experience it shouldn't be there, or at the very least there should've a simplified view and advanced option to hide a lot of the UI clutter.
I am posting this here as feedback because I believe Google Chrome could use completion and I like that there are so many forks of Chromium doing interesting things but OperaGX is just has too much to be usable and its distracting. Not to mention that from a performance standpoint its rather slow. This is with me using a desktop that has a 7950X, 64Gb of ram, a RTX 4090 and a NVME SSD. Opera GX was more resource intensive then chrome for less performance overall
I don't want to this to be ranty so tldr;

1. I would like to see, a recommended setup out the gate for OperaGX that is cut down, more closer to Chrome from a UI standpoint
2. Revaluation of features being added to the public build of the browser
3. UI themes that focus on readability and usability, vs being crazy customized art

Hello,
As the title suggests, I am attempting to install OpenZFS with Native ZFS Encryption on a fresh installation of Arch Linux whilst utilizing rEFInd as my bootloader.
After carefully completing all the appropriate steps, exiting arch-chroot, unmounting all my ZFS datasets, exporting my ZFS pool, unmounting my ESP, powering off my system, and unplugging my USB containing my Arch Live ISO, I am greeted with the following error when I attempt to boot my system back up and boot into my fresh Arch Linux system with ZFS Native Encryption via selecting it on rEFInd:
 

Starting vmlinuz-linux Using load options 'zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith
cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot
rw
add_efi_memmap
initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img
initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img
initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key
initrd=\boot\initramfs-linux.img'
Invalid loader file!
Error: Not found while loading vmlinuz-linux
** Hit and key to continue **

 
What caught my attention was that there was an added back slash after "=" at "initrd=\boot\initramfs-linux.img'" on the last line, since the Arch Wiki (rEFInd 3.1.2 For manual boot stanzas) says to not use backslashes when adding initrd commands but I think this is ok since it is from before I began manually entering the multiple initrd= without the initial backslash in the /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file.
 
However, I tried editing it in the terminal pressing tab twice on the keyboard with no avail no matter what I changed.
 
I made sure to incorporate the archzfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git, zfs-linux-git-headers, zfs-utils-git packages into the Live Arch ISO when building the base system. Furthermore, I made sure that the Linux kernel and ZFS packages are compatible and supported with respect to each other. I was trying this with 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 (I made sure no package was not newer than as of Sunday, 21 May 2029). I understand they released updated ZFS packages for 6.3.4 today (Monday, 29 May 2023), but I have not had the chance to give a try yet.
 
I am installing the system on a single Samsung 950 PRO 512 GB NVMe SSD M.2 to get my feet wet with ZFS and comfortable enough before scaling up. I have two partitions, a 32-bit FAT 1G EF00 EFI System Partition mounted on /boot/efi, and the second BF00 partition utilizing the remaining 475.9G disk space for my ZFS Pool, zroot. I am utilizing ZFS Native Encryption on the second partition with the key saved in the the initramfs.
 
I am having difficulty setting up the correct and appropriate rEFInd configuration files: refind.conf which is located at /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf, and refind_linux.conf which is located at /boot/refind_linux.conf.
 
Here are my current configurations files for each respective rEFInd configuration file, respectively:
 

• nano /boot/refind_linux.conf

"Boot with standard options" \ "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key loglevel=4" 

 

• nano /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf

scanfor manual,nvme,zfs_keys scanfor_manual +zfs/*/*.efi scan_driver_dirs EFI/tools menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume zroot loader /boot/vmlinuz-linux initrd /boot/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" } 

 
I also tried using the suggestions I found online here that suggested the following:
 

Works for me:

 $ cat /boot/refind_linux.conf "Boot with standard options" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7" "Boot to single-user mode" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7 single" "Boot with minimal options" "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw" 

or in refind.conf manual stanza

 menuentry "Akua Debian" { icon EFI/refind/icons/os_elementary.png volume ZFSROOT loader ROOT/Debian/@/vmlinuz initrd ROOT/Debian/@/initrd.img options "dozfs=force root=ZFS=SSD/ROOT/Debian rw quiet splash vt.handoff=7" } 

 
I had to fiddle with the paths - since the actual root is ROOT/Debian ... but it wouldn't work if I didn't add the /@/ path component. Those paths are symlinks into boot/ (latest version of kernel and initrd).
 

 zfs list ... SSD/ROOT 30.7G 61.7G 23K none SSD/ROOT/Debian 11.5G 61.7G 11.5G legacy SSD/ROOT/FreeBSD 949M 61.7G 949M /mnt/FreeBSD SSD/ROOT/Void 18.2G 61.7G 18.2G legacy ... # ls -l /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers_x64/ total 239 -rwx------ 1 root root 83222 Sep 16 18:13 btrfs_x64.efi -rwx------ 1 root root 69384 Sep 17 09:41 ext4_x64.efi -rwx------ 1 root root 90336 Apr 25 2018 zfs_x64.efi 

 
Zpool's name is SSD ... ZFSROOT is the partition name set with gdisk (gptfdisk).
Hope this helps.

 
I incorporated the suggestion into my /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf file with the appropriate changes:
 

menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume zroot loader sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/@/vmlinuz-linux initrd sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/@/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" } 

 
but it didn't help :( I tried other small tweaks in that configuration file but they also did not work. For example, instead of volume zroot, I I tried entering volume Root-0-NVMe.
 
I was originally trying to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and utilizing the ZFS drivers/binaries from here. The drivefile I downloaded is zfs_x64.efi. I saved the zfs_x64.efi driver in multiple locations before and after installing rEFInd via running the refind-install script, even though one location should have sufficed. I saved a copy of zfs_x64.efi in /usshare/refind/drivers_x64, /boot/efi/EFI/refind, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers, /boot/efi/EFI/, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools, /boot/efi/EFI/refind/tools/drivers, /boot, and /boot/drivers. I may have saved copies in other locations, just in case, but it also did not help.
 
I would like to highlight that /boot is located within the ZFS natively encrypted zrootpool.
 
I am pretty sure that that I am doing something incorrectly with respect to the configuration files for the rEFInd bootloader, but everything else should be correct. However, as I write this, I barely realized I did not use the following commands recommended from the "Usage" section from the aforementioned website where I downloaded the zfs_x64.efi driver file for rEFInd:
 

zfs_x64.efi map -r 

 
So this may be the problem, but I doubt it. I will try to enter the command next time I have access to my computer. The extra ZFS datasets involving /usr, /tmp, /srv, /opt, and /var may also be contributing my issues, since I am not sure if I mountd them correctly.
 
That said, after weeks of frustrating research and failed attempts of diagnosing and fixing the problem, I thought I would give ZFSBootMenu a try to see if it would fix all my issues, but it did not help either. As recommended by the Arch Wiki (Generate a ZFSBootMenu image), I set up my /etc/zfsbootmenu/config.yaml as thus:
 

Global: ManageImages: true BootMountPoint: /boot/efi DracutConfDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/dracut.conf.d PreHooksDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/generate-zbm.pre.d PostHooksDir: /etc/zfsbootmenu/generate-zbm.post.d InitCPIO: true InitCPIOConfig: /etc/zfsbootmenu/mkinitcpio.conf Components: ImageDir: /boot/efi/EFI/zbm Versions: 3 Enabled: false syslinux: Config: /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg Enabled: false EFI: ImageDir: /boot/efi/EFI/zbm Versions: false Enabled: true Kernel: CommandLine: ro quiet loglevel=0 

 
I also try to incorporate some of the recommendations from the ZFSBootMenu wiki and also a different page on the wiki from the guide, but it was difficult to follow since Arch Linux utilizes mkinitcpio and not dracut.
 
Here is how I have my pacman.conf file:
nano /etc/pacman.conf:
 

Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch 

 
My mkinitcpio.conf file:
 

MODULES=(usbhid \ xhci_hcd \ nvidia \ nvidia_modeset \ nvidia_uvm \ nvidia_drm) FILES=(/etc/zfs/zroot.key) HOOKS=(base \ udev \ autodetect \ modconf \ block \ keyboard \ keymap \ encrypt \ zfs \ usr \ filesystems \ fsck shutdown) 

 
In my /etc/fstab file, I commented out all my ZFS datasets, and simply left the line for my ESP uncommented, as follows:
 

/dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe \ /boot/efi vfat \ rw,\ relatime,\ fmask=0022,\ codepage=437,\ iocharset=ascii,\ shortname=mixed,\ utf8,\ errors=remount-ro \ 0 2 

 
Before, instead of /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe, I had UUID=####-####.
 
Here is my zpool:
 

zpool create -f \ -o ashift=12 \ -O encryption=aes-256-gcm \ -O keylocation=file:///etc/zfs/zroot.key \ -O keyformat=passphrase \ -O pbkdf2iters=750000 \ -O acltype=posixacl \ -O relatime=on \ -O xattr=sa \ -O compression=lz4 \ -O checksum=sha512 \ -O dedup=sha512 \ -O normalization=formD \ -O dnodesize=auto \ -o autotrim=on \ -m none \ -R /mnt \ zroot \ /dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe 

 
Here are my 48 ZFS Datasets:
 

#1 zfs create -p \ -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0 #2 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root #3 zfs create -o mountpoint=/ \ -o canmount=noauto \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith #4 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data #5 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home #6 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/root \ zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith/root #7 VAR zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/var \ -o refquota=35G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/var #8 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog \ -o refquota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog #9 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog/audit \ -o quota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog/audit #10 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valog/journal \ -o quota=10G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valog/journal #11 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/vatmp \ -o quota=3G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/vatmp #12 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/vacache \ zroot/sys/arch-0/vacache #13 zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/valib \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib #14 zfs create -o canmount=off \ -o mountpoint=/valib/systemd \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/systemd #15 zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/valib/systemd/coredump \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/systemd/coredump #16 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/libvirt \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/libvirt #17 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/docker \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/docker #18 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql #19 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql/data \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql/data #20 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/mysql/log \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/mysql/log #21 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql #22 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql/data \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql/data #23 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/valib/postgresql/log \ -o recordsize=8K \ -o primarycache=metadata \ -o logbias=throughput \ zroot/sys/arch-0/valib/postgresql/log #24 TMP zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/tmp \ -o reservation=16G \ -o quota=18G \ -o sync=disabled \ -o setuid=off \ -o devices=off \ -o com.sun:auto-snapshot=false \ zroot/sys/arch-0/tmp #25 SRV zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/srv \ zroot/sys/arch-0/srv #26 OPT zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/opt \ zroot/sys/arch-0/opt #27 USR zfs create -o canmount=noauto (?) \ -o mountpoint=/usr \ -o reservation=8G \ -o quota=11G \ zroot/sys/arch-0/usr zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/usr #28 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/uslocal \ zroot/sys/arch-0/uslocal #29 zfs create -o canmount=on (?) \ -o mountpoint=/uslib \ zroot/sys/arch-0/uslib #30 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/ussrc \ zroot/sys/arch-0/ussrc #31 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/usshare \ zroot/sys/arch-0/usshare #32 HOME zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick #33 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/local \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/local #34 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/config \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/config #35 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/cache \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/cache #36 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/media \ -o recordsize=1M \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/media #37 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/games \ -o recordsize=1M \ zroot/sys/arch-0/data/home/youngroderick/games # OPTIONAL DATASETS #38 zfs create -o mountpoint=none \ zroot/e #39 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/books \ zroot/e/books #40 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/computer \ zroot/e/computer #41 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/personal \ zroot/e/personal #42 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/images \ zroot/e/images #43 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/media \ zroot/e/media #44 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/university \ zroot/e/university #45 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/workspace \ zroot/e/workspace #46 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/work \ zroot/e/work #47 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/reference \ zroot/e/reference #48 zfs create -o canmount=on \ -o mountpoint=/home/youngroderick/e/other \ zroot/e/other 

 
I am not sure if the mountpoints I used for some are the ZFS datasets are appropriate and or are contributing to my issues of my bootloader not being able to detect my natively encrypted ZFS pool which holds my initramfs and vmlinuz-linux. Any suggestions would be welcomed. What is supposed to happen is that rEFInd should be automatically booting my natively ZFS encrypted Arch Linux system (if I don't select it first), prompt me to enter my password once before going forward with unlocking all my ZFS encrypted pool and datasets automatically and going forward with the typical boot process as if it were not encrypted.
 
I would like to highlight my original intention was to use rEFInd as my exclusive bootloader and not use ZFSBootMenu whatsoever. However, if I must use ZFSBootMenu in conjunction with rEFInd, then I will. I intend to to have this Samsung 950 PRO 512 GB NVMe SSD M.2 dedicated to my Arch Linux (and other Linux systems) and utilize my second Samsung 980 PRO 2 TB NVMe SSD M.2 for Windows but boot it from rEFInd which is installed on my 950 PRO.
 
Any tips or suggestions would be well appreciated. I probably did something very dumb or some silly mistake.
 
Here are all the commands I used during my install of Arch Linux with ZFS Native Encryption on a single Samsung 950 PRO 512 GB NVMe SSD M.2; I did my best to do things in a particular order such that there would be little to no conflicts:
 

loadkeys es mount -o remount,size=7G /run/archiso/cowspace passwd enter and verify root passwd ip -c a nano /etc/pacman.conf Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch :x timedatectl set-ntp true pacman-key --populate pacman-key --init pacman -Syu modprobe zfs echo $? pacman -S --needed openssh screen duf nvme-cli lsblk nvme list nvme format --ses=1 /dev/nvme0n1 status=progress dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/nvme0n1 bs=512 count=1 conv=notrunc status=progress fdisk -l /dev/nvme0 or parted -l /dev/nvme0 ls -l /dev/disk/by-id disk0=/dev/disk/by-id/nvme-Samsung_SSD_950_PRO_512GB_################ swapoff --all zpool labelclear -f $disk0 sgdisk --zap-all $disk0 sgdisk -n1:1M:+1G -t1:EF00 -c1:"EFI-0-NVMe" $disk0 sgdisk --zap-all lsblk ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel sgdisk -n2:0:0 -t2:BF00 -c2:"Root-0-NVMe" $disk0 lsblk ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel zpool labelclear -f /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe zpool labelclear -f /dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe mkdosfs -F 32 -s 1 -n EFI /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe echo 'XxxBigDaddyRoderickWSmith6969420!xXX' > /etc/zfs/zroot.key chmod 000 /etc/zfs/zroot.key Create ZFS Pool (See above) Create ZFS Datasets (See 48 above) zgenhostid $(hostid) chmod 700 /mnt/root chmod 1777 /mnt/tmp chmod 1777 /mnt/vatmp zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot systemctl mask tmp.mount zfs umount -a zpool export zroot zpool import -d /dev/disk/by-id -R /mnt zroot -N zfs load-key zroot zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zfs mount zroot/sys/arch-0/usr zfs mount -a df -h zpool set bootfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith zroot (?) mkdir -p /mnt/etc/zfs cp /etc/zfs/zpool.cache /mnt/etc/zfs/ zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot cp /etc/zfs/zroot.key /mnt/etc/zfs cp /etc/hostid /mnt/etc cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/ mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi mount /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe /mnt/boot/efi cd pacman -Syy pacstrap /mnt \ archzfs-linux-git \ b43-fwcutter \ base \ base-devel \ bash-completion \ broadcom-wl \ cryptsetup \ curl \ dhclient \ dhcpcd \ dkms \ dmidecode \ duf \ fwupd \ git \ grml-zsh-config \ intel-ucode \ iucode-tool \ lib32-nvidia-utils \ linux \ linux-atm \ linux-firmware \ linux-firmware-marvell \ linux-headers \ nano \ nvidia \ nvidia-dkms \ nvidia-utils \ openssh \ os-prober \ pacman-contrib \ refind \ screen \ sg3_utils \ sudo \ vim \ wget \ zfs-linux-git \ zfs-linux-git-headers \ zfs-utils-git \ zsh \ zsh-theme-powerlevel10k echo "UMASK=0077" > /etc/mkinitcpio.d/umask.conf lsinitcpio /boot/initramfs-linux.img grep zroot.key genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab zpool set bootfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/Root-0-NVMe zroot (again?) cp -r /etc/zfs-tools-driver /mnt/etc nano /mnt/etc/fstab Comment out everything except /boot/efi: /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe \ /boot/efi vfat \ rw,\ relatime,\ fmask=0022,\ codepage=437,\ iocharset=ascii,\ shortname=mixed,\ utf8,\ errors=remount-ro \ 0 2 :x arch-chroot /mnt nano /etc/pacman.conf Color VerbosePkgList ParallelDownloads = 10 ILoveCandy [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [extra] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [community] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [multilib] [core] SigLevel = PackageRequired Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/05/21/$repo/os/$arch [archzfs] SigLevel = Optional TrustAll Server = https://archzfs.com/$repo/$arch :x pacman -Syyu nano /etc/mkinitcpio.conf MODULES=(usbhid \ xhci_hcd \ nvidia \ nvidia_modeset \ nvidia_uvm \ nvidia_drm) FILES=(/etc/zfs/zroot.key) HOOKS=(base \ udev \ autodetect \ modconf \ block \ keyboard \ keymap \ zfs \ usr \ filesystems \ fsck shutdown) :x mkinitcpio -p linux zpool set cachefile=/etc/zfs/zpool.cache zroot (again, according to Arch Wiki?) refind-install (--path=/boot/efi (? add this extra tag, maybe?) # MAYBE: refind-install --usedefault /dev/nvme0n1p1 --alldrivers --no-scan ## Maybe change /dev/disk/by-partlabel/EFI-0-NVMe in lieu of /dev/nvme0n1p1 efibootmgr remove the necessary options via efibootmgr -b 1 -B efibootmgr -b 1 -B ## `-b 1` apply the change to boot option #1. ## `-B` the change to apply is to remove the boot option ls -l /dev/disk/by-partlabel efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -L "rEFInd (NVMe)" -l \\EFI\\refind\\refind_x64.efi efibootmgr -o #,#,#,#,# (reorder accordingly) cd cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /usshare/refind/drivers_x64 cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/refind cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/refind/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/ cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/tools cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/tools/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/ cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/efi/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot/drivers cp /etc/zfs-tools-drivepetezfs/zfs_x64.efi /boot ls cd modprobe zfs echo $? nano /boot/refind_linux.conf "Boot with standard options" \ "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key loglevel=4" :x nano /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf menuentry "Arch Linux" { icon /EFI/refind/icons/os_arch.png volume Root-0-NVMe loader /boot/vmlinuz-linux initrd /boot/initramfs-%v.img options "zfs=zroot/sys/arch-0/root/arch-RWSmith \ cryptdevice=/dev/disk/by-partlabel/Root-0-NVMe:zroot \ rw \ add_efi_memmap \ initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img \ initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img \ initrd=etc\zfs\zroot.key" } ## Also add: scanfor manual,nvme,zfs_keys scanfor_manual +zfs/*/*.efi ## If any problems, remove this line ## scan_driver_dirs EFI/tools ## If any problems, remove this line ## timeout 10 :x pacman -Syu cat /etc/zfs/zroot.key ls -l /boot/initramfs-linux.img passwd enter and verify root passwd nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=Weekly zpool scrub on %i [Timer] OnCalendar=weekly AccuracySec=1h Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=zpool scrub on %i [Service] Nice=19 IOSchedulingClass=idle KillSignal=SIGINT ExecStart=/usbin/zpool scrub %i [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x zpool status -t zroot zpool set autotrim=on zroot nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=Monthly zpool trim on %i [Timer] OnCalendar=monthly AccuracySec=1h Persistent=true [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x nano /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] [Unit] Description=zpool trim on %i [Service] Nice=19 IOSchedulingClass=idle KillSignal=SIGINT ExecStart=/usbin/zpool trim %i [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target :x mkdir -p /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache ln -s /uslib/zfs/zed.d/history_event-zfs-list-cacher.sh /etc/zfs/zed.d systemctl enable \ zfs.target \ zfs-import-cache.service \ zfs-import.target \ zfs-import-scan (?) \ zfs-share \ zfs-zed.service \ [email protected] \ [email protected] systemctl start zfs-zed.service systemctl mask tmp.mount touch /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/zroot zgenhostid $(hostid) (again, according to Arch Wiki?) ## ("Check the contents of /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/. \ ## If it is empty, make sure that the zfs-zed.service \ ## is running and just change the canmount property \ ## of any of your ZFS filesystem by running: \ ## zfs set canmount=off zroot/fs1") pacman -Syu pacman -S --needed \ alsa-card-profiles \ alsa-firmware \ alsa-lib \ alsa-plugins \ alsa-utils \ acpid \ avahi \ bridge-utils \ dialog \ dnsmasq \ dnsutils \ dosfstools \ firewalld \ gvfs \ gvfs-smb \ haveged \ inetutils \ ipset \ iptables-nft \ mtools \ networkmanager \ network-manager-applet \ nfs-utils \ nss-mdns \ ntfs-3g \ pipewire \ pipewire-alsa \ pipewire-jack \ pipewire-pulse \ reflector \ rsync \ sof-firmware \ terminus-font \ tlp \ usb_modeswitch \ usbmuxd \ usbutils \ wireplumber \ wpa_supplicant \ xdg-user-dirs \ xdg-utils ln -sf /usshare/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime hwclock --systohc nano /etc/locale.gen Uncomment en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 Uncomment es_ES.UTF-8 UTF-8 :x locale-gen echo "KEYMAP=es" >> /etc/vconsole.conf echo "RWSmith" >> /etc/hostname nano /etc/hosts 127.0.0.1 [tab] [tab] localhost ::1 [tab] [tab] localhost 127.0.1.1 [tab] [tab] RWSmith.localdomain [tab] RWSmith :x useradd -mU -s \ /bin/zsh \ -G \ sys,\ log,\ network,\ floppy,\ scanner,\ power,\ rfkill,\ uucp,\ users,\ video,\ storage,\ plugdev,\ optical,\ lp,\ audio,\ wheel,\ adm,\ sudo \ youngroderick passwd youngroderick enter and confirm passwd cp -a /etc/skel/. /home/youngroderick chown -R youngroderick:youngroderick /home/descartes EDITOR=nano visudo Uncomment %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL :x nano etc/xdg/reflectoreflector.conf --country US --protocol https --latest 5 --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist mkdir /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache (not needed, file already exists) touch /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/zroot (?) cat /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache (Fix the paths to eliminate /mnt:) ? sed -Ei "s/mnt/?/" /etc/zfs/zfs-list.cache/* (?, I don't think I should or need to do this) systemctl enable \ acpid \ avahi-daemon \ firewalld.service \ fstrim.timer \ haveged.service \ NetworkManager \ reflector.timer \ rsyncd \ sshd \ systemd-timesyncd \ tlp \ usbmuxd \ systemctl disable dhcpcd.service exit cd / umount -l /mnt/boot/efi zfs umount -a zpool export zroot umount -a poweroff 

 
Lastly, if it matters, here is my hardware:

1. ASUS RAMPAGE V EDITION 10 (X99) Motherboard
2. Intel i7-6950X
3. Corsair Vengeance LPX 128 GB DDR4 (NON-ECC)
4. x2 ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1080 Ti OC

 
Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text. I have spent months researching and reading before I even considered attempting this project and or seeking help. I even attempted to utilize ChatGPT, and although it was helpful, it was not enough for what I was attempting to achieve.
Edit: Grammar, syntax, and formatting.

Hello everyone!
First, i'm pretty new to the world of microcontrollers. I have experience with the "basic" arduino unos and nanos, some with pro micros and still learning the esp32, but nothing serious., no big death robots and stuff.
I got the idea recently to build a custom keyboard for my PC with lots of extra - dedicated - buttons, like F13-24. I know i can access (most of) these buttons through key combinations, but i want to use them in games and stuff, where it's better to have them on the ready. Plus there might be more than 2 encoders too, which would be very nice for my other hobbies. I know i can buy keyboards that can do the same, or maybe even more, but i like to do things my way, even if it means a possibly inferior product.
Well, the thing is, i need a lot more keys than a normal keyboard, which is not an issue, but my "normal" 32U4 has only 20 pins which makes it pretty underpowered (under IO-ed?) for this project. I was considering to use ESP32, but most communities are against it, since the bad(?) wired usb support. I was doing some - admittedly light - research on google and the QMK docs, when i found the STM series microcontrollers/dev boards.
I came across a board named STM32F407VET6, which seems to have ample IO for me, maybe i can go fancy and integrate a small screen, or something as well.
To be honest, this is my first "meeting" with the STM series, and besides a few YT videos, i know nothing about them. How well suited are they to be used as keyboard controllers? how easy is it to program them? I know they have full(?) QMK support, which is very nice for a noob like myself, but i don't want to potentially throw away money on a microcontroller which i can only use after months of getting to know it.
Sorry, if it's not really a discussion for this sub, but the other keyboard themes subs don't really go into technicalities (as far as i know), so this one seemed like a good place to start.
Thanks for the help and y'all have a very nice day!

Alien-Nation Chapter 168: Now or Never

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Chapter summary: Elias wanders the grounds inspecting everything he can, has a fatheson moment with Larry then sends Vaughn to go try and spring people from jail.
Chapter Art
It had been easy for me to see during the speech I'd given roughly how many had already arrived up the narrow pass, and as I stood from inspecting a firing port in a trench, testing whether the old cast iron cannon would roll back far enough on its rails after firing.
I gave it a pass after measuring against a rod. Certainly it was far from the highest of technologies at our disposal, but certainly it would be either lethal, injurious, or at the very least, extremely loud. The gathered mishmashed array of weaponry pointing outward was impressive enough, but the real piece de resistance was the sheer number of railguns we'd had returned to us, frequently carried by a two man team. I signed off on it for final inspection, noting the plug in place over the end, and went to the railgun positioned further down the trench near the intersection.
This was one I recognized. This shared at least something in common to the cannon, insofar as it was far from the latest model at our disposal. I spotted some of my own extremely crude handiwork, a far more rough set of welds performed along the plate's protective, unsanded metal edges. Mister Singer, if he were ever presented with it, may have recognized the shoddy, unstable hand that welded together some of the protective casing. The service flap told me the model without needing to even open it, the household door frame hinges pulled from Verns' stock of spare parts bin, before we implemented something even so basic as refined latches with catch points.
That had to make this a Mk. II. Sentimentality had no place on the front lines. I sucked in a breath at the sight of another old muzzle-loader being carried into the workshop for upgrades, already laid out on the timber worktable and ready for use.
I just hoped the earliest design of managing power flow wouldn't give out from the faster firing. Complex but beautifully arrayed piping had given way to simpler, more streamlined designs as we incorporated a greater number of readily available alien parts. Some of which we were supplied an initial batch of in the bag with the blueprints, and then we were told how to work free those same parts from various broken pieces of technology we'd reclaimed off the Shil'vati, or even the freely given away omni-pads. With every iteration we demonstrated a degree of adaptation to using the parts we had available, and each generation marked a leap forward in our own understanding of Shil'vati technology, courtesy of G-Man and his father's handiwork.
The final barrels of the extremely limited run of the second batch we'd paid handsomely for were marked 'present,' too. They had gone the least far afield, with one already slagging itself during the attack on the data center. I frowned at the spreadsheet, as if my impression of it might cause their fate to improve.
The latest blueprints could maintain a decent rate of fire without burning out its power management system located in the welded together case. Or, rather, the barrel gave out first. For the first time, perhaps as a result of being coupled with the magazines and a relatively rapid-fire exchange meant the neosteel barrels we received had finally become the weak point in the design.
It was only after we'd returned to Camp Death that I'd noticed the difference.
The new batch we'd paid dearly for seemed somewhat altered from the first batch we'd been building all the others out of, made from an alloyed material that shone somewhat dimmer under the sun as George and I worked in the shed elbow-to-elbow, though the contrast was not immediately obvious until one held the two against each other. It was slightly thicker, too, all of which to me indicated a change in supply in some manner, but our supplier had hardly announced themselves to Sam.
This was a troubling puzzle to me. I still couldn't be sure it was the new microbatch of barrels alloys being far from equal to the originals we'd finally finished building out? Or was it the expanded magazines and power couplings' ability to fire faster creating an overall volume of fire that overheated the barrel from overuse? Or was the power management design faulty, generating more heat per shot? Were we misusing them?
I measured the barrel of the Mk. II, just to be sure the shelf life of the barrel hadn't come due. So far, inspections of the original batch of barrels had mercifully indicated they'd all been brought back here were in comparatively great shape, with this one being no exception. That lent me some comfort that these new barrels were just not up to the task of heavy, sustained fire. I couldn't know that for certain, and an unreliable weapon was cause for anxiety.
Indeed, there was almost no wear on this version at all, disproving the worst case scenario that these were only good for a certain number of rounds before they'd be worn down to uselessness. Certainly, they'd eventually give out, but it seemed we were still far off from that point.
"Sir?" Asked the gunner, staring at me.
I stared at him, then down at the spreadsheet. "This thing fires three rounds a minute. Do you think that rate of fire is sufficient?"
I could tell he wasn't sure whether a 'no' would have him replaced with someone professing to be more accurate.
"Get it upgraded." I took the white gel pen and scribbled on it- make ready for an upgrade as soon as the final repaired railgun clears the shed. Assigned to casemate #4, Operator... "Call sign?"
"Brut," he answered.
"Brut...with the Umlaut?" He gave a thumbs up and I added them. Costing nothing but a drop of gel ink for a little personalization if it made for a happy gunner was a good investment. "Use it well. Get it upgraded if there's time, keep an eye on the work shed. Once the repairs stop, you can take this to the front of the line, Brüt."
There was no point dismantling all our old ones and creating a backlog while some still needed repairs. I wrote on the hatch Upgrade from Mk. II to Mk. IV. That would give it a magazine and more than triple its firing rate. Anything more than that, I quietly held my doubts for the feasibility of upgrading in a timely manner. The Mark V's took too much time and effort to build their complex power management systems for not enough gain, stuffed too tightly into the protective case to be completed quickly. The Mark VI's tended to overheat their crude fire control circuitry, the consequence of an overcorrection back to simplicity; they could maintain a high fire rate, but were too delicate. The VII's were the ones with the new barrel. Promising, but those barrel faults...I still worried it might have been the power management system.
We'd started considering adding water tanks to help maintain them, but it brought the weight higher than that of a Mk. I, and successfully swapping a boiling hot tank off a delicate, electronically-loaded railgun in combat seemed like a very questionable use of the time. We'd just have to ask the crews manning the railguns to be a bit judicious in our fire, and hope that the flaw was limited to the new little batch of barrels.
How many rounds, exactly, and exactly how fast was yet to be determined; we hadn't conducted the amount of testing a proper military might carry out, but while we had no shortage to man, we also did not have so many as to test dozens until their point of failure, weighing and comparing all their possible conditions.
All this uncertainty kept bouncing around my head. How many troops did we have here? How many rounds for every type of rifle, including the more exotic variants? How reliant on them were we to deal damage, and was it all stored somewhat safely? On the less direct side of things, how many tons of food did we have stored, and was it distributed well? How many thousands of gallons of water could we draw? How many pounds of soap to wash utensils, cups, wounds, and shower with? How many pounds of food over how many men, to last how many days? If it rained, some of these might be alleviated, and yet might kick off a whole host of other issues. There was no way of knowing, no way of taking a perfect stock. But I could estimate.
We had a lot of people. And a lot of guns. And a lot of defenses, and literally countless tons of high explosives, triggered by various means and methods. And we were mad as hell. While exactly how mad was less concrete a figure, I knew this many men away from home could end poorly.
Ultimately, whether it was the fault of the new barrel or the design had finally reached the limitations of its potential rate of fire without causing other issues, I couldn't say for certain. So I had to do my best.
I gave the railgun a clean bill of health to operate if needed, 'priority upgrade,' and noted the rate of fire for the defensive position at 'three a minute.' This one being one of our oldest models, I left it to the operator with my blessings, and made a mental note to add the next railgun we had to be stationed nearby, just so that we weren't under strength from that angle.
I craned my neck from the trench to behold even more insurgents trickling into the old clearing. The arrivals always came in ones-and-twos, their body language telling me the story of the journey it had taken to get here. They'd had to have abandoned their vehicles to the traffic-snarled roads almost certainly some miles away unless they knew the path George and I would occasionally take;.
Those who brought their own heavy weapons lay them down at their feet before collapsing. Water and food was distributed, though I couldn't speak to the quality, and a trash run would have to be made, tossing the empty tins into ammunition containers.
Of all the newcomers who had yet to be organized into place, I counted two mortars, several more volunteers grouping up to retrieve ammo after taking down descriptions of the vehicles from their exhausted owners and sprinting back out into the night to fetch whatever had been left behind.
The resourcefulness lifted my spirits. No one entertained the notion that these men were taking their leave to flee a certain doom. All present felt some degree of faith, understood who they were, why they were here, and what we were setting out to accomplish. Cells worked to find one another in the darkness, congealing themselves into a more coherent, practiced fighting force by virtue of familiarity with one another. Discipline was sharp and needed little enforcement past an initial reminder. No flashlights switched on inside the premises or campfires were lit despite the encroaching edges of the cold front. Insurgents were guided to whatever defensive positions, pillboxes, trenches, battlements, or bunkers still sat empty, depending somewhat on their expected role after detailing their skills to sentries or those otherwise familiar with the camp carefully explaining sight lines and our overall defensive strategy.
Whispered word overheard from those arrivals seemed to indicate a mixture of panic and outrage was fast spreading through the state's populace, carrying them on frightened wings as they took flight in the night, from here to the southernmost beaches and bays. It seemed word had gotten out successfully, then. That knocked down one more obstacle to our success, or at least set the pieces in place. Soon, all that would remain would be the ugly business of following through, and hoping, no praying that I hadn't massively miscalculated in my hubris.
I took the ramp out of the trench so they could pour some loose gravel into it, helping ensure that if those threatening looking storm clouds opened and if the drains clogged, we still would have some footing, and retired to the command cabin, eyeing how empty it felt with all the finished products being set into defensive arrangements; only the workshop still retained all its rather explosive concoctions.
The manpower situation was such that those familiar in reliably manufacturing complex bombs were spending their time setting up defenses in the fields beyond and settling in our new arrivals.
And then I had the couple hostages, weakened by months of captivity, restrained and kept under guard, but still sitting right on top of the half-done armaments.
I told myself that we had taken precautions- the most reactive sets separated by a thin membranous bag of water to prevent chain reactions from taking root and a few emergency containment systems, but they relied on someone present. I'd need all hands on deck- and what if a direct lance of energy landed from some heavy weapon hit the shed, perhaps to try and make a point? No mere bag of water would make a difference then.
Then again, if they brought that kind of weaponry to bear, then the outcome would be certain. The Shil'vati would still lose their hostages, and have tacitly admitted I'd forced their hand, and that they'd declared we were enough of a threat to sacrifice noblewomen just to put a stop to.
I hunched over a smaller map in the command cabin, pinning down the garrisons and jails Verns might be held in. Perhaps I'd been premature in my assessment in lacking a future need of a good map when I'd jumped atop the table for my little motivational speech. I'd gotten caught up in the moment; I hadn't foreseen the need for an offensive element.
I was sorely missing my Lieutenants. Vendetta wasn't here, which was one of the greater anxieties weighing on my shoulders.
The one word I'd whispered in his ear all that time ago to bring him around to believing I did, in fact, have a plan: Victory. He should be here already.
He'd sprinted off across the field in glee back when I told him of this plan's possibility, that "Plan C" might come about due to a few cells going dark and my suspicion that it wasn't moles. The null hypothesis, that there were in fact moles, had put him in direct danger by sending him to double-check.
I cursed my blindness. My eagerness to take a night off, to get him out of the way so he wouldn't clash with the others, so I could be a 'normal boy' for a night and attend a party- one I wouldn't be kicked out of, To find social acceptance.
All part of a 'coming of age,' even after I'd already spilt blood, led a war campaign effort, kissed, earned more money than most would see in a lifetime, and mentally cut ties with my family. By almost any account, I already was a man, yet I'd gotten obsessive in imitating the modern trappings of defining such things. I should have seen the cells reporting members' absences and even going dark as a whole for what it was. I could have called off Town Hall, started assembling even more people here.
Then again, if I had, then perhaps...the shil'vati might not have started grabbing everyone. I hated to think of Verns as 'sacrificial.' They likely didn't have much on him, just a neighbor's report. Then again, we'd had that meeting right after the bar fight at Lucky's, right? How thoroughly had George cleared out his house, if they went back to rummage around and investigate? How well could George cover his tracks? We'd left that ammo crate in the hallway, for starters- clumsy of us, yet we were in a panic. Like children. I tensed as I remembered so vividly the sudden sharp report of the gun, watched Patrick's empty eyes stare up. But not children.
There was nothing I could do for Vendetta. We'd sent the Bat Signal out. Either he'd be here, or he'd miss it.
I weighed the value of sending George away once he got here. The order would certainly annoy him after he'd just arrived, something of an arduous task given how far backed up the traffic had become. I also knew it meant I'd have one fewer lieutenant here, where I desperately needed him. I could hardly ask him to burn down the childhood home, and it would certainly reek of hiding evidence.
"Sir," A sentry stood in the door frame, and I stretched from where my muscles had tensed up, pulling my shoulders back and yawning silently beneath my mask, lumbering toward him.
I didn't realize how tall I'd gotten until I realized he was staring up at me and had taken a half-step backwards- not to make way so I could lead from the door, either, but almost defensively.
"Yes, what is it?" I asked, stopping in place.
"We've received a message for you, sir. Radio is reporting that a 'Hex' has checked in from her position. She and Binary report 'Green as Grass,' sir."
I wasn't used to being called 'sir,' and it caught me off guard. I realized he was standing there, waiting for a response from me of some sort, too.
What should I say for him to send back to Hex? I momentarily remembered the sensation of the kiss, the warm, slightly wet softness, the tenderness, and felt a bit of a blush under my mask. While every instinct screamed at me to not air even a hint of my romances or inner turmoil about a kiss over the unencrypted connection, there was a level of 'not talking about it' that I was unfamiliar with and hadn't planned for. Could my message back be coded into something subtle? Nothing came to mind.
"G-good," I finally stuttered a little awkwardly. "That's very good."
"What does it mean, sir?"
I pushed the distractions out of my head. This was no time to be thinking about girls- and my mind stubbornly disobeyed, wandering right back to Natalie. At first to the hug she'd offered me, when I was scared. Frightened of the mind-wiper device. That tenderness she'd offered- I pushed the memory from my mind, too. This wasn't the time to fantasize, either. I had to live in the world that was before me, here in the present. People were relying on me. I could figure out all that other stuff- girls, hope, my future- sometime later.
"It means the operation can proceed as planned."
If the Twins stopped reporting or got caught with the hostages, then we'd have a lot less leverage stopping Azraea from blowing us all sky high. A couple noblewomen- who I wasn't terribly familiar with and seemed to be somewhat less important, provided they were truthful to me of their station. This unfortunate pair had relied on connections to already-stationed family members to arrive, rather than on their raw political power to muscle their way to Earth's then-closely guarded secret coordinates, and were present only for evidence of said hostages' presence.
"Sir, beg your pardon," I could sense something bubbling under his words, against his better judgment, but some sense of desperation demanded he ask me this anyways. "But what is the operation? I've been manning the airwaves with Radio, helping spread word, but everyone I make contact with seems to want to know."
"I don't see the wisdom in broadcasting the finer details of our plan, I'm sure you understand."
I sensed the inner conflict by the way he froze up. He wanted to object, probably, to swear he wouldn't leak more than the minimum. The problem was, anyone listening for long might take a morsel here, a morsel there, and bring it all together and undo us.
"You have all you're meant to have at this point, frustrating though that must be to try and inform others of the going-ons. Our objective is right before us. When the time comes and the enemy appears, blast them." I didn't want to say there isn't much else to plan. At least, not for them to consider.
"And you, sir?"
"I'll be right here, alongside you," I promised. That seemed to ease some of his pressing curiosity, at least. "We'll be here together, to watch the birth of a miracle." That, or we'd die together. Those words didn't quite have the same catchy ring, though.
I looked over my shoulder back at the map. What more good could be wrought over pondering what jail he might be in, without more details?
"Another matter. Hex said G-Man should arrive in a few minutes."
"Thank you. Anything else to report?"
"No sir, the shortwave beckons." They gave a hand-on-heart and stepped out, leaving the doorframe empty.
I told myself I may as well follow. There was no good to come of disappearing into a tent, secluded for long periods, not when anxiety might run through the gathered troops. I had to make myself seen at least periodically. Besides, it was easier to get a more complete picture from out here than in there.
Radio looked like a one-man-band by the way he was surrounded by boxy electronics of varying sizes, their glows dimmed slightly by thin pieces of fabric taped over the tiny glowing screens, and the trap stretched over his head. Wires snaked their way along the ground, a trooper trying to lay the cable into a thin channel of dirt with a spade to reduce the tripping hazard.
Pierce crouched next to him with a laptop plugged into something wired together, the final outlet of which looked vaguely like an international travel inverter, her fingers flying across the trackpad.
"Radio, how are we?"
"We've made lots of contact, I think. So much traffic on the airwaves it's actually hard to find a clear channel to broadcast on."
"Do they have our encryption keys?" I asked, the question almost automatic.
"No, having one kind of defeats the purpose of being heard and getting the signal out. Besides, encrypting's probably easy for the Shil'vati to crack. Less easy for human intelligence agencies, but impossible for the people who we want to hear us."
I already knew most of this, but humoured him. Little entertained radio quite like his namesake.
"What's our chance of discovery, then? Rough time to them figuring out it's us here, and finding the signal's origin."
"At least with a somewhat uncountable number of HAM signals being thrown across the airwaves, we are a really big needle in a gigantic haystack. Besides, how many times have we actually been where we're broadcasting from?"
That was a point I hadn't considered.
The Shil'vati would likely regard our signal as just a relay point, rather than the source, let alone the destination.
Would they strike it just to silence the orders, once they figured out how many of them were originating from the same point?
I comforted myself by staring upstream of the creek that wandered to the south of Camp Death, following its course with my eyes to where it flowed under the concrete tunnels under the highway, under the train tracks, to where it ultimately ran back to where Radio and I had visited Saint Michael's. Then I turned my head back across the field, toward where the foundation of Mojo and Mister Pasta's had been, where Vaughn had called in the kill team on the Fed's sting operation,
We'd certainly set up plenty of remote broadcast towers before, to entice them into launching strikes on collaborationists. That Saint Michael's was still standing after we'd broadcast all kinds of propaganda from there meant they'd almost certainly learned to be a bit more cautious about lashing out blindly.
In the darkness I saw a familiar figure materialize, and with a bit of relief, I ran up to greet Larry. I wanted to give the old mechanic a hug, but knew that expressions of intimacy while standing near the middle of the camp's defensive perimeter in front of everyone was more than a bit inappropriate, and settled for a nod of acknowledgment.
"I cleaned up the mess at Jules place," he said, going back to referring to his friend by their code name, glancing at Pierce.
I felt a moment of shame. We'd panicked and grabbed everything. Perhaps we were like children after all, leaving our toys out and in the hall. "Thank you."
"Saw Patrick."
"Patrick saw," I said back. "Patrick- called."
Whatever Larry was about to say, that brought him up short. "Oh. Oh." The words seemed to leave him pained. He'd known Patrick, too, and I felt the weight of guilt. It seemed he moved on faster than I could, because he changed the topic quickly.
"What's up?" He gestured at the radio setup.
Pierce seemed to be quite engrossed in her work, trying to connect the laptop to a radio via a USB cable, fumbling with the port in the dark. The laptop's screen was showing a shaky handheld video of a mass arrest- and I thought I could hear my own voice echoing the words I'd spoken just a short while ago.
"Just uploading the speech. I've spliced it up to some footage that one of the newcomers brought. We'll also be exporting raw versions of both- just the audio, the video, make sure people have the record and can decide for themselves."
Sometimes the truth was the best propaganda.
"How are you getting video out? I thought the internet was down."
Radio held a hand up, and then put it down, as if I'd been a teacher asking a question and he'd been chasing extra credit. The next few sentences were practically a foreign language to me, uttering a series of numbers in rapid succession, followed by what sounded like a name. That may've been a model, an edition of a model, a make, a special form of broadcasting- all of it may well have been bounced off the ionosphere for how far it went over my head. I wasn't used to being so completely out of my depth, but everyone seems to have specialized in some skill or another. I'd preferred getting involved in all aspects of the revolution, but at a certain point delegation was a necessity, and I was watching not just the task's needs, but also the capabilities of my lieutenants grow well past my ability to offer useful insight and guidance.
"I...see." I didn't, but I wasn't sure what else to say. I wanted to express curiosity, but I felt like this new capability was something we'd discuss later, if there was a later. "And people can receive high definition video over shortwave? It just takes a long time?"
It seemed to me to be an apparently somewhat technical process to perform over shortwave, and only when finally pressed for details, Radio at last admitted something I did understand: "I am not sure most people know how to collect the signal, or have the right equipment to, but I'm sure someone will, Maybe that person will redistribute the videos."
There. Actionable, useful information.
"Then continue," I said. "At least unless anything more pressing jumps up to do."
"Let's hope it's good for more than the history books," Pierce commented mildly.
"The world has to know, and I am certain the shil'vati have no interest in putting such footage out there. That's reason enough for us, isn't it?" I watched Radio nod and then scurry about the camp, tracing one of the wires toward the antenna array nearest the highway. I turned to Larry, breaking off from the amusing spectacle. "Do you remember my promise?" My question was genuine, but he seemed to waver slightly, now that the possibility of actually delivering on it was here and present. Perhaps the aura of our inner circle's invincibility had been shattered with the loss of his neighbors, and it would be best to set his mind to something productive. "If you want it to come true, see to it that the mortar teams are trained. Get the cannons in position, and make sure we're good for more than just one wave."
Larry snapped a salute, fingers on brow, and I clumsily approximated one in return, though I had never done a salute before in my life. I could sense the slight smile from behind his mask, and with a quick check over his shoulder that no one was watching, he reached out, straightened my palm out slightly, then brought the edge of my palm higher until it was a bit more level. "That's better," he judged, then leaving me alone once I dropped the hand a few seconds later.
George showed up a few minutes earlier than Hex had predicted, out of breath and escorted by a sentry. "Ditched the truck," he wheezed. "The huge bags of claymores and equipment were really heavy. Had to haul it under the interstate." His shoes shone with creekwater; He'd almost certainly taken the path Larry had forbade us from trying, and I couldn't imagine doing it in the pitch black darkness at any speed.
I motioned to the sentry. "Help him get that bag into the workshop." He was the best bomb maker, but he also had helped build this place. I wanted to pick his brain, but I would give him time to rest, first.
"Hey, Radio. Radio!" I heard the shortwave radio he'd set at the top squawk to life with a familiar grumble on the other end, distorted somewhat by the tinny speaker. I scooped it up. Someone with a vocoder- Radio gave those out sparingly.
"'E' here," I answered for him, but didn't want to announce myself. Not right away.
A moment's pause.
"What are your orders?"
"Vendetta?" I wanted to confirm.
"I'm here with over fifty people waiting at Warehouse Base for something to do," I knew the transmission would likely be monitored, but the time for subtlety was over. "You're on speakerphone, by the way."
The line was likely tapped, or at least would be intercepted, its contents determining priority for being passed upward or presented to someone with authority, possibly even Azraea herself.
Whatever orders I gave, they'd have to be in code, or at least sound like something unimportant, low-priority so that we might give him as much opportunity to get the drop on the enemy as he could be afforded.
"Don't bother trying to come here yet," I quickly supplied. "By now, if you're not on your way here, you have your own party to go to." I took a moment to survey the grounds. "We've practically got a full house. See about getting a house party of your own, though you'll have to pull the guests out of their own company. Or something to flank."
"Any idea where to start?"
The map fresh in my mind, I found the answer sprang to me.
"There's a rest stop along Route One. If you've got any party poppers, you can get them to open up to you like a can opener. You know, it's all about introducing yourself well."
I heard him laugh mirthlessly, the sound coming through like a cheese grater run over the asphalt.
"That one's a big bite, maybe more than we can chew without choking. Why don't we start with something smaller?"
I wanted to protest, to direct him to the biggest ones first. Then again, how much did they have on Verns? How likely was he to be somewhere heavily defended?
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, right across the river from where the naughty girls all get sent. Why don't we start there? Every party needs a few ladies, right?" I could hear a roar of assent from the background.
I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that- was he going to try and attack the Shil'vati base? Surely not those women? He wasn't that insane. Then it clicked- the Women's Correctional Facility in Wilmington, just upstream of the Christina River from where he was broadcasting from at the old Warehouse Base. Easy to get to, certainly, and right near the interstate with pedestrian bridges and neighborhoods to scatter in after the strike made it an excellent candidate. Almost certain to succeed.
The strike wouldn't yield us Verns, though forcing the Shil'vati to admit that they couldn't both take and hold their prisoners at the same time might force them to at least pause rounding up ever more people.
If I gave it my blessing, I would be sacrificing any chance of rescuing Verns for...for what? The tradeoff strained my soul to even consider.
"If you feel that's best, you know your crowd. That said, they got Jules- we want him back." He'd helped build Camp Death. He knew its ins and outs, though my real reasons were somewhat sentimental. "Keep an eye out for Morningstar and a few other cells. I've little doubt they can party with the best of them." They were one of my heaviest hitters, routinely bragging they could go clay pigeon hunting with an unguided RPG, yet I was pretty sure I'd never rallied them to Camp Death- if they were to rally, Warehouse Base was where they'd be.
There was a moment of silence, until Vaughn reported back- "Yeah, they're here. They were going to move up to you once they got everyone together. Should we leave instructions for where to find us, or to find you?"
"Do it- supplies are overall good here. Lots of...uh, balloons, confetti..." I felt like I was stretching the analogy too far, so I gave up trying to equate weaponry to party paraphranelia. "...you know, the works. Take Morningstar and use 'em as you see best fit. What've you got for your party? Any good party supplies?" We certainly could make a trash run and see if we could also deliver them some RPGs at the same time.
"Got some Bump-n-Grinds, and you know those are always good for an up-close-and-personal encounter."
I laughed. "From what I read about bumping and grinding? The closer, the better." Their accuracy left a fair bit to be desired. Still, it would be a good, even vital carry just in case those dreaded Security Forces Technicals made an appearance, and would probably be 'good enough' against a stationary target like a wall, especially in the hands of a capable squadron like Talonstar.
"What time are you thinking?"
"I'd say as soon as we're all ready. You really overestimated how many people know where Camp Death is. A fair number showed up here, and are still trickling in."
"Enough to throw several parties at once?" I asked, suddenly hopeful.
"Well, I suppose, maybe, but I'd be wary of partygoers without someone in charge to, uh..." the metaphor seemed to be breaking down, but I got what he was going for.
"Yeah, I see."
"Are you thinking if there are too many noise complaints at once, it'll keep the party going longer?"
"That's part of it, but I'm hoping we might find a particular person we're missing, lost him when we were playing unexpected host. Someone of G-Man's, you'd know him as Jules. A divide and conquer might maximize our odds of finding him."
"Plus, maximize the number of partygoers we pick up as we move. I like it. A few small house parties for every big house. Any special orders?"
"None. K.I.S.S. principle applies. Good, bad, I want it all out on the streets. 'KISS' 'em until they can't see straight." Keep It Simple, Stupid.
"You're certain?" I could hear the hesitancy in his voice. "This is going to be the greatest thing we've ever done, and I want to be by your side for it 'til the end. I don't want any last-minute cancellations, and I sure as hell don't wanna miss it. How long should I party?"
We'd be letting absolute chaos loose. Fire. Looting. The worst of humanity, turned loose, with Vaughn potentially at its head if he decided to recruit for some reason. Could I still claim to be the good guy if I turned those kinds of people free to wreak havoc on the state I claimed whose denizens I was protecting?
Blackstone's Ratio holds that it is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer. It would still hold me no less accountable for whatever followed from this mass prison break, though.
I looked over to the recently arrived George, and hung my head.
So be it.
"Confirmed, Vendetta. I'll next talk to you when you're here in person- call it when you start either getting tired or if the hosts hire a doorman, a bouncer, or something you can't handle. Bring any good partygoers and favors you find, guide them here, O Pied Piper. Over and out." The signal went quiet again, and I turned off our radio, standing and yawning. The hour was late, and it would be my last opportunity for some shuteye.
I pulled aside a few sentries to my first order. I felt it was a strange one, and likely futile: I asked everyone to 'try and get some rest.'
The sentries were going to be exhausted, and I needed them to start working in shifts if we were to maintain our vigil and perimeter. Doubtless, more would be coming, and giving them at least some rest might be a difference-maker. G-Man helped lead the newcomers to the subterranean bunkers and tunnels, trying to make sure everyone had a place to stay the night and resources got split, even if it was throwing tarps and blankets on hard-packed dirt. I eyed the tunnels, knowing which one of them would spit me out near the stream, itself running so low I might as well refer to it as a ravine. Digging that had been cramped, paranoia-inducing, but we'd dug out so much of the hill and filled it with enough weapons to wage a full-scale war.
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Chaos Head Noah & Chaos Child Double Pack - Nintendo Switch	$55.20	$62	10% off	Lowest price $54.03 on 2022-12-26
Clash: Artifact Of Chaos - Zeno Edition (ps5)	$44.46	$45	1% off	Matches low
Clive N Wrench Collectors Edition Playstation 4	$62.89	$80	21% off	New Lowest
Clive N Wrench Collectors Edition Playstation 5	$79.04	$80	1% off	New Lowest
Clive N Wrench Standard Edition Playstation 5	$54.09	$55	1% off	Lowest price $54.03 on 2023-5-14
Cobra Kai 2 Dojos Rising - Playstation 5	$33.07	$45	26% off	Lowest price $29.96 on 2022-11-29
Code Vein - Xbox One	$36.23	$55	34% off	Lowest price $9.97 on 2021-11-9
Corsair 5000d Airflow Tempered Glass Mid-tower Atx Pc Case - White	$179.98	$180	0% off	Lowest price $169.98 on 2022-4-19
Crypt Of The Necrodancer Collectors Edition - Playstation 4	$46.38	$60	22% off	Lowest price $22.96 on 2022-6-1
Cyberpunk 2077 - Xbox One	$27.88	$30	7% off	Lowest price $19.96 on 2022-8-19
Death's Door - Nintendo Switch	$29.99	$35	14% off	Matches low
Demon Turf - Xbox Series X	$25.50	$30	15% off	New Lowest
Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed 2nd Coming Edition - Xbox Series X	$279.26	$380	26% off	Lowest price $222.03 on 2023-4-1
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival Switch	$44.00	$50	12% off	Lowest price $34.96 on 2020-7-9
Doki Literature Club Plus! Premium Physical Edition - Nintendo Switch	$39.99	$40	0% off	Lowest price $19.99 on 2022-6-17
Dungeon Munchies Collector's Edition - Playstation 5	$78.70	$100	21% off	New Lowest
Dusk Diver 2 - Playstation 4	$37.06	$65	42% off	New Lowest
Family Feud - Xbox One	$19.17	$20	4% off	Lowest price $14.96 on 2021-11-9
Far Cry 5 (bilingual) - Playstation 4 - Standard Edition	$27.71	$30	7% off	Lowest price $19.95 on 2020-12-1
Far Cry 5 (bilingual) - Xbox One - Standard Edition	$27.56	$30	8% off	Lowest price $19.99 on 2020-7-9
Fifa 23 - Playstation 4	$44.98	$75	40% off	Lowest price $39.96 on 2022-11-30
Garfield Lasagna Party - Nintendo Switch	$38.68	$45	14% off	New Lowest
Genesis Noir - Nintendo Switch	$46.74	$50	6% off	New Lowest
Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Bilingual - Uhd/bd Combo + Digital [blu-ray]	$29.94	$33	9% off	Lowest price $19.99 on 2022-12-23
Gigantosaurus Dino Kart Xbox Series X	$44.46	$45	1% off	Lowest price $35 on 2023-5-8
God Of Rock - Nintendo Switch	$34.70	$45	22% off	New Lowest
Grand Theft Auto V - Playstation 5	$40.28	$45	10% off	Lowest price $13.99 on 2022-10-21
Grand Theft Auto V - Xbox Series X	$44.89	$45	0% off	Lowest price $13.99 on 2022-10-21
Hokko Life - Nintendo Switch	$30.42	$45	32% off	New Lowest
Hori Nintendo Switch Gaming Headset (pikachu Cool) For Nintendo Switch, Switch Oled Model & Switch Lite - Officially Licensed By Nintendo & Pokémon Company International - Nintendo Switch - Pikachu Cool Edition	$64.95	$65	0% off	Lowest price $18.15 on 2022-8-28
Hori Nintendo Switch Gaming Headset (pikachu Pop) For Nintendo Switch & Switch Lite - Officially Licensed By Nintendo & Pokemon Company International -nintendo Switch Accessories - Pikachu Pop Edition	$64.86	$65	0% off	Lowest price $28.42 on 2022-5-31
Hori Nintendo Switch Horipad Mini (pikachu Pop) Wired Controller Pad - Officially Licensed By Nintendo & Pokemon Company International - Nintendo Switch - Pikachu Pop Edition	$34.21	$35	2% off	Lowest price $23.43 on 2022-8-22
Hori Nintendo Switch Mini Pad (super Mario Edition) Officially Licensed By Nintendo	$39.58	$40	1% off	Lowest price $14.63 on 2022-6-5
Hori Nintendo Switch Split Pad Pro (black) Ergonomic Controller For Handheld Mode By Hori, Officially Licensed By Nintendo - Nintendo Switch Accessories - Translucent Black Edition	$69.95	$70	0% off	Lowest price $56.05 on 2022-1-5
Hori Nintendo Switch Split Pad Pro, Pokémon Pikachu And Eevee - Nintendo Switch Accessories - Pikachu & Eevee Edition	$79.99	$90	11% off	Lowest price $70.36 on 2021-10-17
Hunt Showdown Limited Bounty Hunter Edition Xbox One	$30.00	$35	14% off	New Lowest
James Pond Codename Robocod Nintendo Switch Games And Software	$18.54	$20	7% off	Lowest price $9.6 on 2020-11-2
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle R - Playstation 4	$34.10	$60	43% off	New Lowest
Killer Queen Black Nintendo Switch Games And Software	$23.72	$45	47% off	Lowest price $18.8 on 2020-11-30
Kirby Star Allies - Standard Edition	$72.16	$75	3% off	Lowest price $49.96 on 2018-11-22
Lemon Cake - Playstation 4	$18.75	$35	46% off	New Lowest
Lets Build A Zoo Xbox Series X - Playstation 4	$30.47	$40	23% off	Lowest price $25.29 on 2023-5-19
Lg 27gn800-b Ultragear Gaming Monitor 27 Inch Qhd (2560 X 1440) Ips Display, Ips 1ms (gtg) Response Time, 144hz Refresh Rate, Nvidia G-sync Compatible, Amd Freesync Premium, Black	$349.99	$350	0% off	Lowest price $348.98 on 2022-11-26
Lg 27gp850-b Ultragear Gaming Monitor 27” Qhd (2560 X 1440) Nano Ips Display, 1ms Response Tim, 165hz Refresh Rate, Nvidia G-sync Compatible, Amd Freesync Premium, Tilt/height/pivot Adjustable Stand	$449.99	$450	0% off	Lowest price $449 on 2021-6-23
Life In Willowdale Farm Adventures - Playstation 5	$37.98	$45	15% off	Lowest price $25.5 on 2023-4-24
Life Is Strange True Colors - Playstation 4	$28.28	$75	62% off	Lowest price $24.95 on 2022-11-18
Little Witch Nobeta Nintendo Switch	$64.73	$65	0% off	New Lowest
Maglam Lord -playstation 4	$32.10	$60	46% off	New Lowest
Marvel's Midnight Suns Legendary Edition - Playstation 5	$64.99	$115	43% off	Matches low
Marvel's Midnight Suns Legendary Edition - Xbox One & Xbox Series X	$64.99	$115	43% off	Matches low
Maximum Games Kingdom Majestic Playstation 4	$20.29	$50	59% off	Lowest price $19.96 on 2020-10-21
Maximum Games Kingdom Majestic Xbox One	$39.05	$50	21% off	Lowest price $11.53 on 2021-4-6
Maximum Games Street Power Soccer Ps4	$12.50	$45	72% off	New Lowest
Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset - Wireless Headset Edition	$109.98	$130	15% off	Lowest price $99.98 on 2023-4-18
Monopoly Plus + Monopoly Madness - Playstation 4 / Playstation 5	$49.87	$55	9% off	Lowest price $18.8 on 2022-10-10
My Fantastic Ranch - Playstation 5	$26.41	$45	41% off	New Lowest
My Universe My Baby Dragon - Nintendo Switch	$33.70	$40	15% off	New Lowest
My Universe: Shiba Inu Travel Case For Nintendo Switch	$22.50	$25	10% off	New Lowest
Namco Bandai Ps4 Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory	$26.43	$35	24% off	Lowest price $23.99 on 2019-6-7
Nba 2k23 - Nintendo Switch	$19.99	$75	73% off	Matches low
Nba 2k23 Michael Jordan Edition - Xbox One	$115.00	$115	0% off	Lowest price $59.99 on 2022-11-18
Neptunia Sisters Vs Sisters - Playstation 4	$52.00	$60	13% off	New Lowest
Neptunia X Senran Kagura Ninja Wars - Nintendo Switch	$57.86	$60	3% off	Lowest price $45.2 on 2023-2-27
New Joe And Mac Caveman Ninja T-rex Edition (ps4)	$44.99	$45	0% off	Lowest price $40 on 2023-5-22
New Joe And Mac Caveman Ninja T-rex Edition (ps5)	$41.98	$45	6% off	New Lowest
New Tales From The Borderlands Deluxe Edition - Nintendo Switch	$19.99	$55	63% off	New Lowest
New Tales From The Borderlands Deluxe Edition - Playstation 5	$19.99	$55	63% off	New Lowest
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 Slime Speedway - Xbox One & Xbox Series X	$27.10	$45	39% off	New Lowest
Nintendo Switch Lite Duraflexi Protector (animal Crossing: New Horizions) By Hori - Officially Licensed By Nintendo - Animal Crossing Edition	$19.08	$23	17% off	Lowest price $10.5 on 2022-8-27
Nintendo Switch Lite Duraflexi Protector (clear)	$18.10	$20	9% off	Lowest price $16.34 on 2021-3-14
Nintendo Switch™ – Oled Model Splatoon™ 3 Special Edition	$448.98	$465	3% off	Matches low
No Man's Sky - Nintendo Switch	$59.48	$75	20% off	Lowest price $49.99 on 2023-1-7
No Man's Sky - Playstation 5	$70.25	$75	6% off	Lowest price $39.95 on 2022-11-20
Oculus Rift S Pc-powered Vr Gaming Headset - Windows	$549.99	$550	0% off	Lowest price $449 on 2020-12-11
One Piece Odyssey - Playstation 4	$69.10	$75	7% off	Lowest price $54.99 on 2023-3-10
One Piece Odyssey - Playstation 5	$66.09	$75	11% off	Lowest price $54.99 on 2023-3-10
One Piece Odyssey - Xbox Series X	$67.93	$75	9% off	Lowest price $54.96 on 2023-3-10
Overcooked All You Can Eat - 13200 Xbox Series X Games And Software	$30.06	$58	48% off	Lowest price $29.96 on 2021-12-25
Pdp Gaming Officially Licensed Switch Pull-n-go Travel Case: 2-in-1 With Built-in Console Stand & Interchangeable Compartments: Animal Crossing Tom Nook	$54.39	$60	9% off	Lowest price $39.99 on 2022-11-30
Peppa Pig World Adventures Playstation 4	$39.98	$45	11% off	New Lowest
Persona 5 Royal: Steelbook Launch Edition - Playstation 5	$74.63	$75	0% off	Lowest price $39.96 on 2022-12-11
Pga Tour 2k23 - Xbox Series X	$29.70	$85	65% off	New Lowest
Playstation Vita Code: Realize Wintertide Miracles	$26.69	$30	11% off	Lowest price $19.27 on 2022-9-27
Pny Geforce Rtx™ 4080 16gb Xlr8 Gaming Verto Epic-x Rgb™ Triple Fan Graphics Card Dlss 3	$1601.11	$1700	5% off	New Lowest
Poker Club Playstation 5	$15.27	$30	49% off	Lowest price $8.86 on 2022-8-19
Potion Permit - Playstation 4	$44.92	$45	0% off	Lowest price $42.5 on 2023-2-13
Powera Enhanced Wired Controller For Nintendo Switch - Golden M	$29.99	$35	14% off	Lowest price $19.96 on 2020-11-20
Powera Enhanced Wired Controller For Nintendo Switch - Pikachu Blush	$34.07	$35	2% off	Lowest price $24.2 on 2022-9-2
Powera Enhanced Wired Controller For Nintendo Switch – Pokémon: Snorlax & Friends, Gamepad, Game Controller, Wired Controller, Officially Licensed	$33.60	$38	11% off	Lowest price $25.37 on 2022-11-19
Powera Folio Case For Nintendo Switch Or Nintendo Switch Lite - Nintendo Switch Accessories	$35.00	$35	0% off	Lowest price $11.92 on 2021-7-23
Powera Nano Wired Controller For Nintendo Switch - Mario Medley, Nintendo Switch - Oled Model, Gamepad, Game Controller,	$25.56	$30	14% off	New Lowest
Powera Protection Case For Nintendo Switch - Oled Model, Nintendo Switch Or Nintendo Switch Lite - Quantum Crash	$21.06	$25	15% off	Lowest price $19.37 on 2023-1-8
Powera Transporter Bag For Nintendo Switch Or Nintendo Switch Lite - Nintendo Switch Accessories	$36.71	$40	8% off	Lowest price $14.87 on 2021-3-15
Psychonauts 2 Motherlobe Edition - Playstation 4	$63.70	$90	29% off	New Lowest
Razer Limited Edition Boba Fett Wireless Controller & Quick Charging Stand Bundle For Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One: Impulse Triggers - Textured Grips - 12hr Battery Life - Magnetic Secure Charging	$158.98	$220	27% off	New Lowest
Razer Limited Edition Captain America Wireless Controller & Quick Charging Stand Bundle For Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One: Impulse Triggers - Textured Grips - 12hr Battery Life - Magnetic Secure Charging	$147.03	$150	1% off	Lowest price $122.96 on 2023-4-22
Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand For Xbox Series X/S: Magnetic Secure Charging - Perfectly Matches Xbox Wireless Controllers - Usb Powered - Lunar Shift (controller Sold Separately)	$49.99	$55	9% off	New Lowest
Rust - Playstation 4	$19.96	$50	60% off	Lowest price $14 on 2022-11-26
Samsung Odyssey Ark 55-inch Curved Gaming Screen, 4k Uhd 165hz 1ms (gtg) Quantum Mini-led Gamer Monitor W/cockpit Mode, Sound Dome Technology, Multi View, Hdr10+ (s55bg970nn) 2022	$2499.99	$2500	0% off	Matches low
Sandman	$195.30	$300	34% off	Lowest price $193.91 on 2023-2-25
Scarlet Nexus - Xbox One & Xbox Series X	$13.47	$65	79% off	New Lowest
Seagate Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X/S 1tb Solid State Drive - Nvme Expansion Ssd For Xbox Series X/S (stjr1000400)	$204.99	$300	31% off	Lowest price $204.98 on 2023-5-26
Seagate Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X/S 2tb Solid State Drive - Nvme Expansion Ssd For Xbox Series X/S (stjr2000400)	$384.99	$400	3% off	Matches low
Sherlock Holmes (4k Ultra Hd + Blu-ray)	$25.49	$27	5% off	Lowest price $21.99 on 2022-11-5
Sims 4 Star Wars Journey To Batuu Bundle - Playstation 4	$14.50	$50	71% off	Lowest price $13.11 on 2022-2-22
Spongebob Squarepants The Cosmic Shake Bff Edition Xbox Series X	$233.79	$240	2% off	Lowest price $212.5 on 2023-5-8
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Playstation 4	$29.99	$40	25% off	Lowest price $29.96 on 2021-6-3
Steelseries Arctis 9x Wireless Gaming Headset – Integrated Xbox Wireless + Bluetooth – 20+ Hour Battery Life – For Xbox One And Series X - Arctis 9x Edition	$194.99	$200	2% off	Lowest price $169.95 on 2022-11-28
Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero Switch - Nintendo Switch Games And Software	$54.57	$75	27% off	Lowest price $39.96 on 2021-11-25
Super Neptunia Rpg - Playstation 4	$27.35	$29	5% off	Lowest price $12.99 on 2022-11-17
Syberia The World Before Collectors Edition (ps5)	$116.44	$195	40% off	New Lowest
Temtem - Nintendo Switch	$44.98	$50	10% off	Lowest price $44.95 on 2022-12-9
Temtem Xbox Series X	$37.21	$50	25% off	New Lowest
The Callisto Protocol Standard Edition Xbox One	$40.07	$75	46% off	Lowest price $29.99 on 2023-4-30
The Chant - Xbox Series X	$28.59	$35	18% off	Lowest price $24.99 on 2022-11-20
The Cruel King And The Great Hero Storybook Edition Nintendo Switch	$79.76	$80	0% off	Lowest price $49.99 on 2023-1-14
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 Xbox	$29.35	$30	2% off	Lowest price $19.13 on 2022-10-16
The Pathless Nintendo Switch	$42.47	$50	15% off	New Lowest
The Persistence Nintendo Switch Games And Software	$39.06	$45	13% off	Lowest price $31.96 on 2022-8-10
The Persistence Playstation 4	$18.60	$40	53% off	Lowest price $17.53 on 2022-11-28
The Quarry - Xbox One	$17.00	$75	77% off	New Lowest
The Quest For Excalibur: Puy Du Fou - Nintendo Switch	$21.59	$35	38% off	Lowest price $14.36 on 2022-12-24
The Quest For Excalibur: Puy Du Fou - Playstation 4	$17.64	$20	11% off	Lowest price $12.88 on 2023-2-22
The Smurfs Mission Vileaf Smurftastic Edition Playstation 4	$29.73	$45	33% off	New Lowest
Them's Fighting Herds Deluxe Edition - Xbox One & Xbox Series X	$25.69	$45	42% off	New Lowest
Thrustmaster Tca Yoke Pack Boeing Edition (xbox Series X, Xbox One, Pc)	$628.99	$640	1% off	Lowest price $349.99 on 2023-3-17
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction - Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S Edition	$12.85	$40	67% off	New Lowest
Train Life: A Railway Simulator - The Orient-express Edition - Xbox One & Xbox Series X	$34.84	$45	22% off	Lowest price $23.3 on 2023-4-10
Trash Sailors - Nintendo Switch	$30.41	$40	23% off	New Lowest
Trash Sailors - Playstation 4	$20.89	$40	47% off	New Lowest
Valkyrie Elysium - Playstation 5	$33.00	$75	56% off	New Lowest
Waku Waku Sweets Switch	$29.30	$30	2% off	New Lowest
Wanted Dead Playstation 5	$60.00	$75	20% off	New Lowest
Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Playstation 4 Deluxe Edition [amazon Exclusive Bonus]	$24.95	$28	10% off	New Lowest
Wreckfest - Playstation 5 - Standard Edition Edition	$33.22	$40	16% off	New Lowest
Wwe 2k23 Xbox One	$59.98	$75	20% off	New Lowest
Xbox Wireless Controller For Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, And Windows Devices – Robot White	$64.58	$65	0% off	Lowest price $59.93 on 2022-8-23
Yomawari Lost In The Dark Deluxe Edition - Nintendo Switch	$48.70	$60	18% off	New Lowest
Ys Vi: The Ark Of Napishtim The Ark Of Napishtim (original Soundtrack) (vinyl)	$146.42	$160	8% off	Lowest price $139.67 on 2022-8-25
Yum Yum Cookstar - Nintendo Switch	$47.20	$55	14% off	New Lowest
Zorro: The Chronicles - Xbox Series X	$35.79	$45	20% off	Lowest price $20.8 on 2023-4-24

*History is a beta feature, only goes back as far as I've been tracking this item, and may not be 100% accurate

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

*Twitch, OBS, & Elgato streaming. AAA/FPS games & video editing/rendering. (Adobe Premier, Photoshop etc)
Need to run at 1440p, 4k rendering, 60-120 fps. I essentially need this to be a tank.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

*$2,000 but with a few hundred leeway (absolutely no more than $2,500)

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• ASAP

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

• Windows 11, internal and Tower

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• US, no micro center. Wanting to buy everything online from ONE site.

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• Not reusing

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• No

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• Need lots of storage, Need extra USB plugins and USB C plugins as well.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• Mid - full tower, black, window, customizable LED lighting

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• Include in the budget

Extra info or particulars:

*Needs amazing cooling as the room it will be in has poor air circulation, also needs quiet fans as the PC will be next to my mic.

I've been playing Smash all my life - Melee might've been the first game I truly fell in love with - and the series has always served as exposure to other franchises. For over four years I've been slowly, methodically playing the source games for the entire Smash Ultimate roster. Most of them I wanted to play anyway, and this was just a neat excuse to try them out. And I do mean slowly, I really spread them out to avoid burnout. I also never forced myself to finish a game if I wasn't having fun; sometimes I just played the first section/level to get a feel for it, then dropped it. Overall it's been a fun way to expose myself to new genres and gain appreciation for gaming history. I'd already played quite a bit of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Metal Gear, and Sonic, but the rest was all pretty new for me. I won't mention the games I played before Ultimate's release, which is when I started this challenge. If you don't see a game on here, that's why.
For each character I picked the game I thought was most relevant, most similar to their depiction in Smash, or provided their backstory. Sometimes I just chose a game I was most interested in, assuming it still fits. For simple characters or characters who appear in lots of games, I was pretty lenient on which one I chose. If you want, you can look at the checklist here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOlk8dXwEL6wd2Lw4zouBiAce8UJabHOIgIP8bKL_7c/edit?usp=sharing
It's worth noting that this wouldn't be feasible without emulation. A lot of these games aren't available on modern platforms, and some aren't even localized into English. I'm not a collector and I'm not willing to track down old consoles on ebay.
Games are roughly ordered within their tiers, based on how much I enjoyed them. I'll try to be brief for each one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'It's old and I can't help being a zoomer' tier - Games I played just long enough to understand them, then dipped. I would not have chosen to play them for fun.

• Ice Climber (Ice Climbers)
• Kid Icarus (Pit)
• Game & Watch Gallery 4 (Mr. Game & Watch)
• Duck Hunt (Duck Hunt Dog)
• Star Fox (Fox)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Not very good' tier - Reserved exclusively for Pac-Man World 2.

• Pac-Man World 2 (Pac-Man) - This game is not very good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Just not for me' tier - Games I struggled to connect with or I'm not a fan of the genre. Maybe I'd like them if I played longer, but I don't plan to pick them up again.

• Kingdom Hearts (Sora) - Exceeds my admittedly high tolerance for power-of-friendship anime schlock. Combat felt a little dull and I'm not crazy about Disney. Maybe I dropped it too early, but what little I know about the rest of the series doesn't really excite me.
• Street Fighter V (Ryu / Ken) - Cool character designs, I can say that much. Traditional fighters are interesting to learn about, but they don't really grab me as a player. I expect I'll feel the same way about Tekken and KOF.
• Mega Man 11 (Mega Man) - Some neat mechanics, but the punishing old-school level design isn't my cup of tea. Happy that fans got a new one though.
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Marth) - Moving units with the touch screen is nice and I appreciate the strategy, but the generic fantasy plot bored me to tears. I might be spoiled by modern FE; this felt like going back in time and finding out my great-great-great-grandfather sold corn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'It was alright' tier - Games that were pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I tried them and likely won't play them again.

• Star Fox 64 (Falco / Wolf) - Pretty much what I expected. I didn't love it, but it's fun and short. The branching paths are cool for its time.
• Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario) - A pleasant surprise. I expected to play for ten minutes and ended up enjoying it for much longer. Just a solid puzzle game.
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 (King Dedede) - It's good, I think? I know I enjoyed it but honestly don't remember anything about the experience.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Palutena / Dark Pit) - Great writing, good music, and really inventive mechanics. Would be much higher if the controls didn't cause me physical pain.
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Dark Samus) - Atmosphere, music, and visuals are impeccable. I feel mean putting it this low, but Prime 1's difficulty was perfect for me and I didn't care for the dark world being so oppressive. Still want to play Prime 3 though.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Ike) - Decent story and characters, but battles are really slow. I kind of want to go back and finish it, in which case I could see it moving a lot higher.
• Splatoon 2 (Inkling) - Novel mechanics and a fun aesthetic. I don't really play multiplayer games, but the single-player levels are enjoyable. One of the most fun credits sequences I've sat through since NieR: Automata.
• Kirby Super Star (Meta Knight) - Short, sweet, and charming, like all Kirby games. Did a lot to redeem The Great Cave Offensive, though I still hate that stage.
• Final Fantasy VII (Sephiroth) - Extremely impressive for its time, but I don't totally vibe with JRPGs from that era. Probably wouldn't have finished it without the 3x fast-forward battle option in modern ports. Famously the music is some of Uematsu's best work, and he has a lot of good work.
• Bayonetta 2 (Bayonetta) - This game oozes personality and charisma (that Moon River remix goes unreasonably hard). If I were more into the DMC school of action games, it would easily be top-tier. I could see myself getting more out of a second playthrough.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hey, this is pretty good' tier - Games I liked quite a lot and would recommend to anyone with similar tastes.

• Super Mario Sunshine (Bowser Jr.) - The most unique 3D Mario. Movement is fluid and satisfying to master, and I enjoy the Margaritaville locale. Held back by some frustrating sections (you know the ones).
• Luigi's Mansion 3 (Luigi) - Great visuals, art direction, and environmental design. Feels a little too padded for time.
• F-Zero GX (Captain Falcon) - The controls and tracks are gratifying to learn, and the cutscenes are pure cheese in the best way. Would be higher if I were more into racing games, or if I were skilled enough to finish it.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Cloud) - After playing the original, I liked how Remake brings the characters to life and reimagines old scenarios. Decent combat and an amazing soundtrack are offset by egregious padding and an ending I don't quite know how to feel about.
• EarthBound (Ness) - Full of heart behind the quirky humor. I can forgive aimless progression and outdated dungeon design when everything else is so remarkably endearing and well-written.
• Banjo-Kazooie (Banjo & Kazooie) - Having played Mario 64, I was surprised how much better the camera is. Fun characters and catchy music make for a very laid-back experience. And in a genre infamous for bloated collectathons, it shows respectable restraint in the number of collectibles.
• Super Metroid (Ridley) - Near-perfect synthesis of atmosphere, mechanics, progression, and visuals. An incredible achievement, but hard to revisit after being spoiled by the fluidity of Dread. Still, if you claim this is the greatest game ever made, I'm not gonna argue.
• Donkey Kong Country (King K. Rool) - Great level design and a memorable aesthetic that was probably really hard to pull off on the SNES. For a game about silly apes, the soundtrack by David Wise is gorgeously atmospheric.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest (Diddy Kong) - Basically DKC1, but a slight step up in every category. Though I will say, a couple of the late-game levels are unreasonably hard.
• Metroid: Zero Mission (Zero Suit Samus) - Feels a little held back by the original's level design, but still a fantastic remake. The post-game sequence without the power suit is a huge highlight.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (Wario) - Beat it in two hours and don't feel like I wasted a single second. This game actually made me laugh out loud, and often. Definitely want to play more WarioWare in the future.
• Super Mario World (Piranha Plant) - Not much to say about this one, just a good-ass platformer. I prefer it to Mario 3, but I understand why someone wouldn't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This is the shit' tier - Games I thoroughly loved and would rank among my favorites.

• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Yoshi) - Besides Chrono Trigger, I don't think any other SNES game is this beautiful. A creative central mechanic, great level design, and wonderful art direction. The "classics" don't always speak to me, but this one did.
• Metroid Prime (Samus) - Super impressive for its time and a near-perfect translation of the series formula into 3D. Music, atmosphere, and exploration are exquisite. To me, what elevates it from good to great is the immersion factor; the diagetic HUD and scan visor really ground the player in Samus' perspective. It doesn't quite beat Dread for me, but it comes close.
• Pikmin (Olimar) - Technically an RTS, but it feels entirely distinct from the genre. The vibes are immaculate in a way I don't really know how to articulate; it's all goofy and cute and serene and a little brutal. What a charming little game this is. Olimar in Smash is kind of insufferable, but this redeems him in my eyes.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Byleth) - Likeable characters and a story that, while not perfect, explores a conflict from multiple people's perspectives, nobody having all the information. I don't know how longtime fans feel about it, but the core gameplay was fun and accessible. Undeniably flawed, but for me it's greater than the sum of its parts. I played two routes and still might go back for a third.
• Mother 3 (Lucas) - Not everyone vibes with this game, but I sure as hell do. A beautiful story, gorgeous pixel art, interesting themes, memorable music, and near-perfect gameplay balance. I'd appreciate an official release, but the fan translation is so good I'm not sure they should bother.
• Persona 5 (Joker) - It's funny. If you asked me to list everything I don't like about P5, I could probably go all day. The writing is a little shallow and it's far, far too long. And yet, I can't deny how completely engrossed I was that first time through. This game enthralled me. As a sensory experience, everything about how P5 looks and sounds just tickles my brain so well. This series occupies a wholly unique space in the modern RPG landscape, in terms of mechanics, setting, and visual identity. This game made me a Persona/SMT fan. I'd put it in my all-time top five, at least.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what's left on the list. Looking forward to some of them more than others. I might get around to them this year, or three years from now, or never. Who knows.

• Super Mario 3D World (Peach)
• Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (Roy)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Corrin)
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Villager / Isabelle)
• Wii Fit (Wii Fit Trainer) (lmao)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Shulk)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Pyra / Mythra)
• Super Castlevania IV (Simon)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Richter)
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Hero)
• King of Fighters XV (Terry)
• ARMS (Min Min)
• Minecraft (Steve)
• Tekken 7 (Kazuya)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Did I learn anything by doing this? I think so. I definitely have a greater appreciation for a wider variety of genres and franchises. This got me to try certain games I never would have considered otherwise. And in turn, I gained a greater appreciation for the crossover aspect of Smash; every time I look at the character select screen, I have exponentially more memories attached to each icon. I can spot all the references in the movesets and stages. It's just... cool, I guess.
I try to never look at this like a to-do list. I call it a "challenge" but really it's just checking the list every few months, or whenever I remember it exists, and picking one or two games to try out. Some hook me and some don't. And I play a lot of other stuff in-between. Turning my favorite hobby into a list of tasks to complete sounds like an easy way to ruin it for myself.
Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a good day. Please don't hate me for dismissing your favorite game.

My ps4 controller works over usb, but not over bluetooth.
I get this in dmesg when trying with bluetooth.
Any idea? Am I missing some package? It was working on nobara before so the controller is fine.

playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: unknown main item tag 0x0 playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: hidraw8: BLUETOOTH HID v1.00 Gamepad [Wireless Controller] on 5c:f3:70:85:9a:62 playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: Failed to retrieve feature with reportID 163: -5 playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: Failed to retrieve DualShock4 firmware info: -5 playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: Failed to get firmware info from DualShock4 playstation 0005:054C:09CC.000C: Failed to create dualshock4. playstation: probe of 0005:054C:09CC.000C failed with error -5 sony 0005:054C:09CC.000C: unknown main item tag 0x0 sony 0005:054C:09CC.000C: Failed to get calibration data from Dualshock 4 sony 0005:054C:09CC.000C: hidraw8: BLUETOOTH HID v81.00 Gamepad [Wireless Controller] on 5c:f3:70:85:9a:62 sony 0005:054C:09CC.000C: failed to claim input 

pc info

OS: Fedora Linux 38 (Thirty Eight) x86_64 Host: HP ProDesk 600 G2 MT Kernel: 6.2.15-300.fc38.x86_64 Uptime: 41 mins Packages: 1913 (rpm), 18 (flatpak) Shell: bash 5.2.15 Resolution: 1920x1080 DE: Hyprland Theme: Adwaita [GTK3] Icons: Adwaita [GTK3] Terminal: kitty CPU: Intel i7-6700 (8) @ 3.400GHz GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU: Intel HD Graphics 530 Memory: 3402MiB / 15858MiB 

Until recently I never had a system that supported OpenBSD natively well with all my systems having Nvidia graphics and such and not being good OpenBSD daily drivers but I researched and saved up and got a somewhat recent refurbished thinkpad.
I had to swap the wifi module that came with the system for one that was supported both by the system and by OpenBSD an Intel one on the list of the driver page for iwx works just fine!
I also added a 120GB Intel Optane SSD so that the system would have a speedy drive that would have some endurance to it since OpenBSD (rightfully!) doesn't support trim to extend the life of ssds (because if I recall it makes Full Disk Encryption not as good, meaning people can spot that you are using it).
I struggled for hours trying to get my OpenBSD install to boot after getting through the installer, sometimes it would boot into the password prompt for the boot loader sometimes not and it was very frustrating.
Turns out the system doesn't see the OpenBSD install on reboot, only if the system is cold powered off and then on. No idea why this is but it's a thing on this system!
Wifi didn't work at first but turns out it was just me mistyping the address it there.
Also, of note is that the installer wouldn't boot with the wired nic in this laptop. I had to use a usb adaptor to get it to find the sets during install.
I've spent several hours on this project this holiday weekend and am exhausted so I will let you all know later how it is working after spending some time with it.
So far the power button gracefully shuts down the system, tracpoint, trackpad, and mouse buttons work great. The screen is nice and great. The processor isn't overloaded even with a couple of Chromium tabs opened. Haven't heard the fans spin up even when connected to AC. Overall a great experience with the only flaw being the weird not seeing the drive issue on reboot.

Hey all,
Since the latest update, I cannot place any public transport lines. It lets me “create a line” but I cannot add any stops.
Also, all my current lines that were placed prior to the update now all have the “incomplete line” symbol above them.
Anyone have a resolution? The mods i use are in order as follows:
Network Extensions 2
Custom Animations Loader
BOB
Theme mixer 2
Network Anarchy
Daylight Savings
Relight
Ultimate eyecandy
81 tiles 2
Prop & Tree anarchy
Ploppable Rico
Picker
Surface painter
Unified UI
Node controller
Intersection marking tool
Network multitool
Precision engineering
TMPE
Move it
Custom effects loader
Harmony 2.2.2-0
Find it
Extra landscaping tools
Acme
Forest brush
Line tool

My computer has Windows 10 installed on the internal hard drive. I just installed Ubuntu 22.04.2 on an external SSD (USB C connection). I then changed the UEFI boot order to have "USB Flash Drive/USB Hard Disk" boot first.
However, when I restart my computer, it goes straight to windows. I tried booting Ubuntu manually by shift-clicking the restart button in Windows and then selecting "Use a device" -> Ubuntu. I then get the error message "The selected boot device failed."
I don't understand what I'm missing. It's a fresh install on a brand new SSD. I used the Ubuntu installer GUI and everything worked fine. It will boot the Ubuntu installer I have on my flashdrive but not Ubuntu itself on my SSD. If I take out the Ubuntu installer, it ignores the SSD and goes straight to Windows.
UPDATE: I tried enabling legacy boot and I can see my SSD listed in the boot loader now. However, when I select it, I get a screen that shows "Reboot and Select proper Boot device or insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key." Pressing a key does nothing but repeats the same message again..
Is there some special formatting that my SSD needed before I installed Ubuntu? It seems like the OS isn't being recognized.

Hey! Buying and offering things for trade for bulk at the below rates, taking English and Japanese (rates are for NM condition):

Card Type	Price ENG	Price JPN
Non Holos	C/UC: $0.01, R: $0.03	All: $0.01
Reverse H/H	$0.05	$0.05
Pokemon V	$0.40	$0.25
Pokemon Vmax	$0.55	$0.40
Pokémon Vstar	$0.60	$0.50
Pokémon EX/GX	$0.50	$0.50
Trainer Galleries	$0.35	$0.35
Promo Full Arts	$0.90	$1
Bulk Full Arts	$1.10	$1.20
Bulk Gold/Rainbow	$1.80	$1.90
WOTC Pokémon	$0.15	$0.10
WOTC Trainer	$0.10	$0.05
TOPPs	$0.10	N/A

——————————————
Other languages also accepted, rates to be determined based on what language it is (would be similar prices to Japanese bulk).
Prices for the below are negotiable especially if bundling multiple things and/or paying PayPal F&F!
PWE shipping is included in singles prices, BMWT is +$3.50-$6 depending on weight of items

Pokemon Center Japan Exclusive Sleeves, Deck Boxes, Frames, and Plush

• Price List

High Value Slabs (Prices on sleeves or in description, Palkia/Dialga pending)

Singles (TV is on the card sleeves, if not then they’re at TCGPlayer market price, if purchasing prices include PWE shipping)

Other Slabs (All PSA or CGC) (Prices on pictures)

Bandai Mewtwo - $45 TV

Crimson Invasion Theme Decks - 20% off TCGPlayer Market price each

Resolve is not launching no matter what I do. I've tried restarting, installing studio drivers, and reinstalling, and nothing has worked.
Something that may be of note is that when it asked me to restart after I installed it I did not restart immediately and tried opening it anyways.
Here are the logs (My specs are in the logs):
​

[0x0000dbe8] Undefined INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,092 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [0x0000dbe8] Undefined INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,092 Loaded log config from C:\Users\Home\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Preferences\log-conf.xml [0x0000dbe8] Undefined INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,092 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,099 Running DaVinci Resolve v18.1.4.0009 (Windows/MSVC x86_64) [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,099 BMD_BUILD_UUID f85724ef-e478-4a64-9937-0c6f09af9b1a [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,099 BMD_GIT_COMMIT 80fd92c195f045f2f76acf506a6424b0b1ef94bd [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,100 Starting GPUDetect 1.2_3-a1 [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 Done in 220 ms. [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 Detected System: [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - OS: Windows 11 Pro (Build 22621) [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - Model: ASUSTeK PRIME B550M-A AC [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - System ID: 59698e98-20fd-4c99-84e1-8ccec8e52971 [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, 12 threads, x86-64 [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - RAM: 10.9 GiB used of 15.9 GiB [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 - NVIDIA GPU Driver: 531.61, supports CUDA 12.1 [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,320 Detected 1 GPUs: [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 - "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060" (gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49) <- Main Display GPU [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 Discrete, 451 MiB used of 11.6 GiB VRAM, PCI:11:0 (x16) [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 Matches: CUDA, DirectX, NVAPI, NVML, OpenCL, Win32 [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 Detected 2 monitors: [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 - "ASUS VP249" <- Main Monitor [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 1920x1080, connected to "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060" (gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49) [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 - "Dell P2011H (Digital)" <- Main Monitor [0x0000dbe8] GPUDetect INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,322 1600x900, connected to "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060" (gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49) [0x0000dbe8] Main.GPUConfig INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,323 Compute API set to automatic, defaulting to CUDA. [0x0000dbe8] Main.GPUConfig INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,323 Selected compute API: CUDA [0x0000dbe8] Main.GPUConfig INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,323 Automatic GPU Selection: [0x0000dbe8] Main.GPUConfig INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,323 - "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060" (gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49) [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:19,323 RED InitializeSdk with library path at C:\ProgramData\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Libraries [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,487 R3DAPI 8.3.1-52407 (20220725 Wx64S) R3DSDK 8.3.1-52407 (20220725 Wx64D C3B3) RED CUDA 8.3.1-52408 (20220725) [C:\ProgramData\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Libraries\] init is successful [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,488 0 RED rocket cards available [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,488 Setting Local.DtManager.1.Red.Threads = 0 [0x0000dbe8] SyManager.DeckLink ERROR 2023-05-28 17:20:22,493 Failed to create instance. [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,493 Decklink model name: '', version: '' [0x0000dbe8] DVIP INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,494 DVIP release/18.1.4 build 3 (f560aa1c36308c3d704018aa42c2f14b4e798037). Release, version 18.1.4. [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,495 Resolve Module Handle 00007FF660D20000 [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,497 Using DNxHR library v2.7.3.27r [0x000016f8] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,619 Fusion Build: 579c8f0b_0002 (Feb 22 2023 23:21:03) [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,657 fusionsystem: = "C:\Program Files\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\fusionsystem.dll" [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,672 FusionLibs: = "C:\Program Files\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\" [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,672 UserData: = "C:\Users\Home\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion" [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,672 Profiles: = "UserData:Profiles\" [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,702 NVDEC is using upto (1535) MB [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,704 NVDEC decodes AV1, chroma 4:2:0, bitdepth 8, upto 8192 x 8192 [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,704 NVDEC decodes AV1, chroma 4:2:0, bitdepth 10, upto 8192 x 8192 [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,948 Nvidia GPU (0) is initialised as decoding and encoding device. [0x00005318] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:22,954 IO codec library load completed in 459 ms. [0x0000e4ec] SyManager ERROR 2023-05-28 17:20:23,022 BlackmagicIDHelper::GetProjectLibraries() - Access token is empty [0x0000c31c] DbCommon2 INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,033 Loading dblist file: C:\Users\Home\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Preferences\dblist.conf [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,087 Finished loading Application style sheet [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,115 Show splash screen [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,115 Show splash screen message: Starting Up [0x0000dbe8] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,124 Module Handle 000002798D500000 fusionsystem [0x0000d718] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,125 Module Handle 000002799B3B0000 C:\Program Files\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\fusiongraphics.dll [0x0000d9e0] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,151 Module Handle 000002799B9B0000 fusionoperators.dll [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,170 Module Handle 000002799C680000 fusioncontrols.dll [0x0000d718] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,184 Module Handle 000002799CA60000 3d.plugin [0x00008e50] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,193 Module Handle 000002799CD40000 alembic.plugin [0x0000c1b4] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,201 Module Handle 000002799D0F0000 dimension.plugin [0x0000de10] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,214 Module Handle 000002799D270000 fbx.plugin [0x00005234] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,217 Module Handle 000002799B0A0000 fuses.plugin [0x0000d9e0] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,224 Module Handle 000002799D9C0000 opencolorio.plugin [0x0000a890] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,228 Module Handle 000002799B0F0000 openfx.plugin [0x0000d718] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,232 Module Handle 000002799B160000 openvr.plugin [0x00008e50] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,235 Module Handle 000002799DD80000 paint.plugin [0x0000c1b4] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,241 Module Handle 000002799DDF0000 particles.plugin [0x0000de10] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,248 Module Handle 000002799DF90000 text.plugin [0x00005234] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,253 Module Handle 000002799ECB0000 utilities.plugin [0x0000dbe8] BtCommon INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,882 Memory config: reserved=3056M pinned=2292M log=0 [0x00002ce8] LeManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,882 521, 29 [0x0000dbe8] BtCommon INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,882 Using default pooled memory manager [0x00008ccc] BtCommon INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,883 BtResourceManager Process Thread Started [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,981 WMF encoder cnt for SW (hvc1) is (1) [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,995 WMF encoder cnt for HW (hvc1) is (1) [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,995 Setting codec capacity (0) [0x0000dbe8] SyManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,999 Total: 20, NumDtThreads: 8, NumComms: 0, NumSites: 1 [0x0000dbe8] SyManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:23,999 Lookaheads -> playback = 20, record = 20, stop = 2 [0x0000dbe8] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,000 Using 8 generic IO threads [0x0000dbe8] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,000 Total of 16 IO threads (including 8 generic and 8 Red decode threads) [0x0000dd30] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,000 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,001 Show splash screen message: Loading Project Libraries [0x0000c630] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,001 Dt Data Handler Thread Started [0x0000cd94] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,001 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c5dc] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,001 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c5d4] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x00004d20] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000d828] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x00003c90] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000d534] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c5e0] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x00007130] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000cf54] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c610] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,002 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c614] GsManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Gs Processor Thread ----- (50708) [0x0000e1c8] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000103c] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x000027e0] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000a7ac] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000c57c] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x00004b98] DtManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,003 Dt Worker Thread Started [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,005 Show splash screen message: Initializing system components [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,009 Show splash screen message: Loading video codecs [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,010 Show splash screen message: Loading video plugins [0x0000d92c] GPU.MultiBoardMgr INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,015 Let There Be CUDA Light! [0x0000d94c] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,020 IO codec initialization completed in 11 ms. [0x0000dbe8] UI.GLContext INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,038 Creating shared OpenGL context for this thread (1 total). [0x0000dbe8] UI.GLContext INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,057 Initialized OpenGL 4.6 (requested 2.0) on device 'NVIDIA Corporation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060/PCIe/SSE2' [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,057 Show splash screen message: Loading Fairlight Engine [0x0000d92c] GPU.MultiBoardMgr INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,057 Initializing CUDA board manager for Main Display GPU gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49. [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,334 00.00.00.108(002): WASAPI: Scanning ASUS VP249 (NVIDIA High Definition Audio) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.161(000): WASAPI: Device: ASUS VP249 (NVIDIA High Definition Audio). Scan time 52. Formats = 1 15 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.161(000): WASAPI: Scanning Speakers (VB-Audio Virtual Cable) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.168(000): WASAPI: Device: Speakers (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). Scan time 7. Formats = 1 15 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.169(001): WASAPI: Scanning Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.214(000): WASAPI: Device: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device). Scan time 45. Formats = 1 15 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.214(000): WASAPI: Scanning Headphones (High Definition Audio Device) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.236(000): WASAPI: Device: Headphones (High Definition Audio Device). Scan time 21. Formats = 7 9 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.238(002): WASAPI: Scanning Microphone (3- USB PnP Audio Device) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.240(000): WASAPI: Device: Microphone (3- USB PnP Audio Device). Scan time 2. Formats = 1 15 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.241(001): WASAPI: Scanning Microphone (USB 2.0 Camera) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.243(000): WASAPI: Device: Microphone (USB 2.0 Camera). Scan time 2. Formats = 1 15 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.244(001): WASAPI: Scanning Microphone (Screaming Bee Audio) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.246(000): WASAPI: Device: Microphone (Screaming Bee Audio). Scan time 2. Formats = 0 16 formats scanned [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.247(001): WASAPI: Scanning CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable) for formats [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,335 00.00.00.250(000): WASAPI: Device: CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). Scan time 3. Formats = 0 16 formats scanned [0x0000dbe8] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,465 00.00.00.406(000): Running Fairlight (97987d59f872273a268fec9ae9be5e5e43567471) [0x0000dbe8] FairlightLoader INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,465 Fairlight lib initialized in 408 ms. [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,538 00.00.00.285(002): WASAPI: switching to AUTO because exclusive mode not allowed [0x000047b0] Fairlight INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,538 00.00.00.381(001): WASAPI: switching to AUTO because exclusive mode not allowed [0x00003930] Fusion INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,589 248 templates scanned in 0.11 secs [0x0000b1c0] UI.GLContext INFO 2023-05-28 17:20:24,617 Creating shared OpenGL context for this thread (2 total). [0x0000de30] SyManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:20:26,041 socket failed to connect to server, error: 10061 [0x0000de30] SyManager ERROR 2023-05-28 17:20:26,041 DRIVER: panel connection failed [0x0000b1c0] UI.GLIO INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,263 Initialized MainPlayer OpenGL I/O on CUDA device 'NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060' [0x0000dbe8] UI.GLIO INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,264 MainPlayer: OpenGL I/O setup done. [0x0000d990] UI.GLContext INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,264 Creating shared OpenGL context for this thread (3 total). [0x00000718] GPU.SingleBoardMgr INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,265 Board manager thread for "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060" (gpu:cfbe4269.e46f1a49) is ready. [0x0000d92c] UI.GLInterop INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,265 OpenGL interop was initialized. [0x0000d92c] UI.GLInterop INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,265 OpenGL interop was initialized. [0x0000d92c] GPU.MultiBoardMgr INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,265 Enabled CUDA pinned memory. [0x0000d990] UI.GLIO INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,299 Initialized AuxPlayer OpenGL I/O on CUDA device 'NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060' [0x0000dbe8] UI.GLIO INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,299 AuxPlayer: OpenGL I/O setup done. [0x0000dba0] UI.GLContext INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,300 Creating shared OpenGL context for this thread (4 total). [0x0000dba0] UI.Scopes INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,338 Initialized GPU Scopes Manager on CUDA device 'NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060' [0x0000dbe8] UI.MenuBar WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:05,423 Main menu action [workspaceLayoutFusion_sub001Default]'s slot is not defined: workspaceLayoutFusion_sub001Default_triggered() [0x0000dbe8] FusionUtils WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:05,430 Fusion DoAction ACTION_SET_FUSION_HOTKEY ignored, init not completed [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:05,470 Show splash screen message: Loading Project Settings [0x0000dbe8] UI WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:05,684 Failed to find value '0' in combo-box [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:06,093 Show splash screen message: Loading Media Page [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:06,157 Action [fairlightBusStructure] is not a global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:06,157 Action [fairlightBusStructure] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:06,157 Action [fairlightImmersiveGenerateImmersiveMaster] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:06,157 Action [fairlightImmersiveRendererSettings] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.FairlightInterface WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:06,262 SetActionEnabled: Failed to find action [viewTimelineScrollingFixed]'s action connector for handler Id [1] [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:06,372 Show splash screen message: Loading Cut Page [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:06,600 Show splash screen message: Loading Edit Page [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:06,816 Show splash screen message: Loading Fusion Page [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:06,888 Show splash screen message: Loading Fairlight Page [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:07,042 Show splash screen message: Loading Color Page [0x0000dbe8] UI INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:07,095 Not creating special GL widget for screen 0 [0x0000de30] SyManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,540 socket failed to connect to server, error: 10061 [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionDolbyVisionAnalyzeAllShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionDolbyVisionAnalyzeSelectedShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionDolbyVisionAnalyzeSelectedAndGroup] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionDolbyVisionAnalyzeCurrentFrame] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDR10PlusAnalyzeAllShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDR10PlusAnalyzeSelectedShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDR10PlusAnalyzeSelectedAndGroup] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDR10PlusAnalyzeCurrentFrame] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDRVividAnalyzeAllShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDRVividAnalyzeSelectedShots] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI.ActionManager WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,675 Action [sessionHDRVividAnalyzeCurrentFrame] is not a valid global action [0x0000dbe8] UI WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,733 Failed to find value '8192' in combo-box [0x0000dbe8] UI WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:07,965 Failed to find value '100' in combo-box [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:08,579 Show splash screen message: Loading Waveform Monitor [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:08,913 Show splash screen message: Loading Audio Plugins [0x0000dbe8] SyManager INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:08,970 Collaboration IP Port 0 [0x0000dbe8] DbCommon2 INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:08,971 Sm2SysIdEntry is not supported in disk project library (xml) mode [0x0000dbe8] SyManager ERROR 2023-05-28 17:21:08,972 Failed to parse key (SkipVersion) from JsonObject [0x0000dbe8] Main INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:08,988 Show splash screen message: Loading Projects [0x0000dbe8] SyManager.Signals INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:09,011 Current user pointer is changed [0x0000dbe8] UI WARN 2023-05-28 17:21:09,013 UI Persistence - no old persistent data found [0x0000dbe8] IO INFO 2023-05-28 17:21:09,032 RED rocket decode has been disabled in the config file [0x0000dbe8] SyManager.DeckLink ERROR 2023-05-28 17:21:09,164 Failed to create instance. 

Hello, I'm trying to create a setup where I have linux as the main os, but still use windows via kvm.
The setup in short is this: when I want to use the vm I give the igpu (i7 13700 cpu) to the host and then pass the dgpu (nvidia 4070), so I can use both the host and the windows vm at the same time, through the use of looking glass.
The problem I'm having is with running blender on my windows 10 vm.
More specifically, the viewport has these weird stutters that makes using blender a no go.
The video below shows the stutters in action. As you can see the stutters aren't even just lost frames, but somehow blender goes back a few frames and then goes forwards again (noticeable by the movement of the indicator on the timeline).
​
https://reddit.com/link/13uamk5/video/fpp5ddmb4n2b1/player
It's not a problem of framerate, according to blender its always 60+fps and this is the only program that behaves like this, games and benchmark programs are pretty smooth (I have done some optimization to try to improve the performance and while it did make things better, blender still has these stutters).
Yes I could use blender on the host os, and I plan on doing that, but I still want to give myself the option of using it at full power even if the dgpu is currently used by the guest.
I tried to search for solutions for this exact problem but have found nothing. This is why I'm posting this on Reddit, hopefully some of you can steer me in the right direction.
Just in case it's needed, here is the contents of the XML file (the gpu passthrough and cpu isolation are done through qemu hook scripts):

 WindowsMain 422e5c52-9fa7-43e3-9e8f-7b007308ab26      24576000 24576000 12 1                               hvm /usshare/OVMF/OVMF_CODE_4M.secboot.fd /valib/libvirt/qemu/nvram/WindowsMain_VARS.fd                                    destroy restart destroy      /usbin/qemu-system-x86_64      
   
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    
   
   
      
     
   
       

Mods please delete if this isn't appropriate for the sub. I just thought it'd be fun to write up my thoughts on the experience so far.
I've been playing Smash all my life - Melee might've been the first game I truly fell in love with - and the series has always served as exposure to other franchises. For over four years I've been slowly, methodically playing the source games for the entire Smash Ultimate roster. Most of them I wanted to play anyway, and this was just a neat excuse to try them out. And I do mean slowly, I really spread them out to avoid burnout. I also never forced myself to finish a game if I wasn't having fun; sometimes I just played the first section/level to get a feel for it, then dropped it. Overall it's been a fun way to expose myself to new genres and gain appreciation for gaming history. I'd already played quite a bit of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Metal Gear, and Sonic, but the rest was all pretty new for me. I won't mention the games I played before Ultimate's release, when I started this challenge.
For each character I picked the game I thought was most relevant, or most similar to their depiction in Smash. If you want, you can look at the checklist here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOlk8dXwEL6wd2Lw4zouBiAce8UJabHOIgIP8bKL_7c/edit?usp=sharing
It's worth noting that this wouldn't be feasible without emulation. A lot of these games aren't available on modern platforms, and some aren't even localized into English. I'm not a collector and I'm not willing to track down old consoles on ebay.
Games are roughly ordered within their tiers, based on how much I enjoyed them. I'll try to be brief for each one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'It's old and I can't help being a zoomer' tier - Games I played just long enough to understand them, then dipped. I would not have chosen to play them for fun.

• Ice Climber (Ice Climbers)
• Kid Icarus (Pit)
• Game & Watch Gallery 4 (Mr. Game & Watch)
• Duck Hunt (Duck Hunt Dog)
• Star Fox (Fox)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Not very good' tier - Reserved exclusively for Pac-Man World 2.

• Pac-Man World 2 (Pac-Man) - This game is not very good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Just not for me' tier - Games I struggled to connect with or I'm not a fan of the genre. Maybe I'd like them if I played longer, but I don't plan to pick them up again.

• Kingdom Hearts (Sora) - Exceeds my admittedly high tolerance for power-of-friendship anime schlock. Combat felt a little dull and I'm not crazy about Disney. Maybe I dropped it too early, but what little I know about the rest of the series doesn't really excite me.
• Street Fighter V (Ryu / Ken) - Cool character designs, I can say that much. Traditional fighters are interesting to learn about, but they don't really grab me as a player. I expect I'll feel the same way about Tekken and Fatal Fury.
• Mega Man 11 (Mega Man) - Some neat new mechanics, but the punishing old-school level design isn't my cup of tea. Happy that fans got a new one though.
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Marth) - Moving units with the touch screen is nice and I appreciate the strategy, but the generic fantasy story bored me to tears. I might be spoiled by modern FE; this felt like going back in time and finding out my great-great-great-grandfather sold corn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'It was alright' tier - Games that were pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I tried them and likely won't play them again.

• Star Fox 64 (Falco / Wolf) - Pretty much what I expected. I didn't love it, but it's fun and short. The branching paths are cool for its time.
• Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario) - A pleasant surprise. I expected to play for ten minutes and ended up enjoying it for much longer. Just a solid puzzle game.
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 (King Dedede) - It's good, I think? I know I enjoyed it but honestly don't remember anything about the experience.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Palutena / Dark Pit) - Great writing, good music, and really inventive mechanics. Would be much higher if the controls didn't cause me physical pain.
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Dark Samus) - Atmosphere, music, and visuals are impeccable. I feel mean putting it this low, but Prime 1's difficulty was perfect for me and I didn't care for the dark world being so oppressive. Still want to play Prime 3 though.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Ike) - Decent story and characters, but battles are really slow. I kind of want to go back and finish it, in which case I could see it moving a lot higher.
• Splatoon 2 (Inkling) - Novel mechanics and a fun aesthetic. I don't really play multiplayer games, but the single-player levels are enjoyable. One of the most fun credits sequences I've seen since NieR: Automata.
• Kirby Super Star (Meta Knight) - Short, sweet, and charming, like all Kirby games. Did a lot to redeem The Great Cave Offensive, though I still hate that stage.
• Final Fantasy VII (Sephiroth) - Extremely impressive for its time, but I don't totally vibe with JRPGs from that era. Probably wouldn't have finished it without the 3x fast-forward battle option in modern ports. Famously the music is some of Uematsu's best work, and he has a lot of good work.
• Bayonetta 2 (Bayonetta) - This game oozes personality and charisma (that Moon River remix goes unreasonably hard). If I were more into the DMC school of action games, it would easily be top-tier. I could see myself getting more out of a second playthrough.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hey, this is pretty good' tier - Games I liked quite a lot and would recommend.

• Super Mario Sunshine (Bowser Jr.) - The most unique 3D Mario. Movement is fluid and satisfying to master, and I enjoy the Margaritaville locale. Held back by some frustrating sections (you know the ones).
• Luigi's Mansion 3 (Luigi) - Great visuals, art direction, and environmental design. Feels a little too padded for time.
• F-Zero GX (Captain Falcon) - The controls and tracks are gratifying to learn, and the cutscenes are pure cheese in the best way. Would be higher if I were more into racing games, or if I were skilled enough to finish it.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Cloud) - After playing the original, I liked how Remake brings the characters to life and reimagines old scenarios. Decent combat, cool bosses, and an amazing soundtrack are offset by egregious padding and an ending I don't quite know how to feel about.
• EarthBound (Ness) - Full of heart behind the quirky humor. I can forgive aimless progression and outdated dungeon design when everything else is so remarkably endearing and well-written.
• Banjo-Kazooie (Banjo & Kazooie) - Having played Mario 64, I was surprised how much better the camera is. Fun characters and catchy music make for a very laid-back experience. And in a genre infamous for bloated collectathons, it shows respectable restraint in the number of collectibles.
• Super Metroid (Ridley) - Near-perfect synthesis of atmosphere, mechanics, progression, and visuals. An incredible achievement, but hard to revisit after being spoiled by the fluidity of Dread. Still, if you claim this is the greatest game ever made, I'm not gonna argue with you.
• Donkey Kong Country (King K. Rool) - Great level design and a memorable aesthetic that was probably really hard to pull off on the SNES. For a game about silly apes, the soundtrack by David Wise is gorgeously atmospheric.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest (Diddy Kong) - Basically DKC1, but a slight step up in every category. Though I will say, a couple of the late-game levels are unreasonably hard.
• Metroid: Zero Mission (Zero Suit Samus) - Feels a little held back by the original's level design, but it's still a fantastic remake. The post-game sequence without the power suit is a huge highlight.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (Wario) - Beat it in two hours and don't feel like I wasted a single second. This game actually made me laugh out loud, and often. Definitely want to play more WarioWare in the future.
• Super Mario World (Piranha Plant) - Not much to say about this one, just a good-ass platformer. I prefer it to Mario 3, but I understand why someone wouldn't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This is the shit' tier - Games I thoroughly loved and would rank among my favorites.

• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Yoshi) - Besides Chrono Trigger, I don't think any other SNES game is this beautiful. A creative central mechanic, great level design, and wonderful art direction. The "classics" don't always speak to me, but this one did.
• Metroid Prime (Samus) - Super impressive for its time and a near-perfect translation of the series formula into 3D. Music, atmosphere, and exploration are exquisite. To me, what elevates it from good to great is the immersion factor; the diagetic HUD and scan visor really ground the player in Samus' perspective.
• Pikmin (Olimar) - Technically an RTS, but it feels entirely distinct from the genre. The vibes are immaculate in a way I don't really know how to articulate; it's all goofy and cute and serene and a little brutal. What a charming little game this is. Olimar in Smash is kind of insufferable, but this redeems him in my eyes.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Byleth) - Likeable characters and a story that, while not perfect, explores a conflict from multiple people's perspectives, nobody having all the information. I don't know how longtime fans feel about it, but I thought the core gameplay was fun and accessible. Undeniably flawed, but for me it's greater than the sum of its parts. I played two routes and still might go back for a third.
• Mother 3 (Lucas) - Not everyone vibes with this game, but I sure as hell do. A beautiful story, gorgeous pixel art, interesting themes, memorable music, and near-perfect gameplay balance. I'd appreciate an official release, but the fan translation is so good I'm not sure they should bother.
• Persona 5 (Joker) - It's funny. If you asked me to list everything I don't like about P5, I could probably go all day. The writing is a little shallow and it's far, far too long. And yet, I can't deny how completely engrossed I was that first time through. This game enthralled me. As a sensory experience, everything about how P5 looks and sounds tickles my brain so well. This series occupies a wholly unique space in the modern RPG landscape, in terms of both mechanics and visual identity. This game made me a Persona/SMT fan, and I'd put in my all-time top five, at least.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what's left on the list. Looking forward to some of them more than others. I might get around to them this year, or over three years, or never. Who knows.

• Super Mario 3D World (Peach)
• Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (Roy)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Corrin)
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Villager / Isabelle)
• Wii Fit (Wii Fit Trainer) (lmao)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Shulk)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Pyra / Mythra)
• Super Castlevania IV (Simon)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Richter)
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Hero)
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Terry)
• ARMS (Min Min)
• Minecraft (Steve)
• Tekken 7 (Kazuya)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Did I learn anything by doing this? I think so. I definitely have a greater appreciation for a wider variety of genres and franchises. This got me to try certain games I never would have considered otherwise. And in turn, I gained a greater appreciation for the crossover aspect of Smash; every time I look at the character select screen, I have exponentially more memories attached to each icon. I can spot all the references in the movesets and stages. It's just... cool, I guess.
Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a good day. Please don't hate me for dismissing your favorite game.

I don't know if this is really appropriate for the sub, but I thought it'd be fun to write up my thoughts on the experience so far.
I've been playing Smash all my life - Melee might've been the first game I truly fell in love with - and the series has always served as exposure to other franchises. For over four years I've been slowly, methodically playing the source games for the entire Smash Ultimate roster. Most of them I wanted to play anyway, and this was just a neat excuse to try them out. And I do mean slowly, I really spread them out to avoid burnout. I also never forced myself to finish a game if I wasn't having fun; sometimes I just played the first section/level to get a feel for it, then dropped it. Overall it's been a fun way to expose myself to new genres and gain appreciation for gaming history. I'd already played quite a bit of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Metal Gear, and Sonic, but the rest was all pretty new for me. I won't mention the games I played before this challenge.
For each character I picked the game I thought was most relevant, or most similar to their depiction in Smash. If you want, you can look at the checklist here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOlk8dXwEL6wd2Lw4zouBiAce8UJabHOIgIP8bKL_7c/edit?usp=sharing
It's worth noting that this wouldn't be feasible without emulation. A lot of these games aren't available on modern platforms, and some aren't even localized into English. I'm not a collector and I'm not willing to track down old consoles on ebay.
Games are roughly ordered within their tiers, based on how much I enjoyed them. I'll try to be brief for each one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'It's old and I can't help being a zoomer' tier - Games I played just long enough to understand them, then dipped. I would not have chosen to play them for fun.

• Ice Climber (Ice Climbers)
• Kid Icarus (Pit)
• Game & Watch Gallery 4 (Mr. Game & Watch)
• Duck Hunt (Duck Hunt Dog)
• Star Fox (Fox)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Not very good' tier - Reserved exclusively for Pac-Man World 2.

• Pac-Man World 2 (Pac-Man) - This game is not very good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Just not for me' tier - Games I struggled to connect with or I'm not a fan of the genre. Maybe I'd like them if I played longer, but I don't plan to pick them up again.

• Kingdom Hearts (Sora) - Exceeds my admittedly high tolerance for power-of-friendship anime schlock. Combat felt a little dull and I'm not crazy about Disney. Maybe I dropped it too early, but what little I know about the rest of the series doesn't really excite me.
• Street Fighter V (Ryu / Ken) - Cool character designs, I can say that much. Traditional fighters are interesting to learn about, but they don't really grab me as a player. I expect I'll feel the same way about Tekken and Fatal Fury.
• Mega Man 11 (Mega Man) - Some neat new mechanics, but the punishing old-school level design isn't my cup of tea. Happy that fans got a new one though.
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Marth) - Moving units with the touch screen is nice and I appreciate the strategy, but the generic fantasy story bored me to tears. I might be spoiled by modern FE; this felt like going back in time and finding out my great-great-great-grandfather sold corn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'It was alright' tier - Games that were pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I tried them and likely won't play them again.

• Star Fox 64 (Falco / Wolf) - Pretty much what I expected. I didn't love it, but it's fun and short. The branching paths are cool for its time.
• Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario) - A pleasant surprise. I expected to play for ten minutes and ended up enjoying it for much longer. Just a solid puzzle game.
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 (King Dedede) - It's good, I think? I know I enjoyed it but honestly don't remember anything about the experience.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Palutena / Dark Pit) - Great writing, good music, and really inventive mechanics. Would be much higher if the controls didn't cause me physical pain.
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Dark Samus) - Atmosphere, music, and visuals are impeccable. I feel mean putting it this low, but Prime 1's difficulty was perfect for me and I didn't care for the dark world being so oppressive. Still want to play Prime 3 though.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Ike) - Decent story and characters, but battles are really slow. I kind of want to go back and finish it, in which case I could see it moving a lot higher.
• Splatoon 2 (Inkling) - Novel mechanics and a fun aesthetic. I don't really play multiplayer games, but the single-player levels are enjoyable. One of the most fun credits sequences I've seen since NieR: Automata.
• Kirby Super Star (Meta Knight) - Short, sweet, and charming, like all Kirby games. Did a lot to redeem The Great Cave Offensive, though I still hate that stage.
• Final Fantasy VII (Sephiroth) - Extremely impressive for its time, but I don't totally vibe with JRPGs from that era. Probably wouldn't have finished it without the 3x fast-forward battle option in modern ports. Famously the music is some of Uematsu's best work, and he has a lot of good work.
• Bayonetta 2 (Bayonetta) - This game oozes personality and charisma (that Moon River remix goes unreasonably hard). If I were more into this brand of action game, it would easily be top-tier.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hey, this is pretty good' tier - Games I liked quite a lot and would recommend.

• Super Mario Sunshine (Bowser Jr.) - The most unique 3D Mario. Movement is fluid and satisfying to master, and I enjoy the Margaritaville locale. Held back by some frustrating sections (you know the ones).
• Luigi's Mansion 3 (Luigi) - Great visuals, art direction, and environmental design. Feels a little too padded for time.
• F-Zero GX (Captain Falcon) - The controls and tracks are gratifying to learn, and the cutscenes are pure cheese in the best way. Would be higher if I were more into racing games, or if I were skilled enough to finish it.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Cloud) - After playing the original, I liked how Remake brings the characters to life and reimagines old scenarios. Decent combat, cool bosses, and an amazing soundtrack are offset by egregious padding and an ending I don't quite know how to feel about.
• EarthBound (Ness) - Full of heart behind the quirky humor. I can forgive aimless progression and outdated dungeon design when everything else is so remarkably endearing and well-written.
• Banjo-Kazooie (Banjo & Kazooie) - Having played Mario 64, I was surprised how much better the camera is. Fun characters and catchy music make for a very laid-back experience. And in a genre infamous for bloated collectathons, it shows respectable restraint in the number of collectibles.
• Super Metroid (Ridley) - Near-perfect synthesis of atmosphere, mechanics, progression, and visuals. An incredible achievement, but hard to revisit after being spoiled by the fluidity of Dread. Still, if you claim this is the greatest game ever made, I'm not gonna argue with you.
• Donkey Kong Country (King K. Rool) - Great level design and a memorable aesthetic that was probably really hard to pull off on the SNES. For a game about silly apes, the soundtrack by David Wise is gorgeously atmospheric.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest (Diddy Kong) - Basically DKC1, but a slight step up in every category. Though I will say, a couple of the late-game levels are unreasonably hard.
• Metroid: Zero Mission (Zero Suit Samus) - Feels a little held back by the original's level design, but it's still a fantastic remake. The post-game sequence without the power suit is a huge highlight.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (Wario) - Beat it in two hours and don't feel like I wasted a single second. This game actually made me laugh out loud, and often. Definitely want to play more WarioWare in the future.
• Super Mario World (Piranha Plant) - Not much to say about this one, just a good-ass platformer. I prefer it to Mario 3, but I understand why someone wouldn't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This is the shit' tier - Games I thoroughly loved and would rank among my favorites.

• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Yoshi) - Besides Chrono Trigger, I don't think any other SNES game is this beautiful. A creative central mechanic, great level design, and wonderful art direction. The "classics" don't always speak to me, but this one did.
• Metroid Prime (Samus) - Super impressive for its time and a near-perfect translation of the series formula into 3D. Music, atmosphere, and exploration are exquisite. To me, what elevates it from good to great is the immersion factor; the diagetic HUD and scan visor really ground the player in Samus' perspective.
• Pikmin (Olimar) - Technically an RTS, but it feels entirely distinct from the genre. The vibes are immaculate in a way I don't really know how to articulate; it's all goofy and cute and serene and a little brutal. What a charming little game this is. Olimar in Smash is kind of insufferable, but this redeems him in my eyes.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Byleth) - Likeable characters and a story that, while not perfect, explores a conflict from multiple people's perspectives, nobody having all the information. I don't know how longtime fans feel about it, but I thought the core gameplay was fun and accessible. Undeniably flawed, but for me it's greater than the sum of its parts. I played two routes and still might go back for a third.
• Mother 3 (Lucas) - Not everyone vibes with this game, but I sure as hell do. A beautiful story, gorgeous pixel art, interesting themes, memorable music, and near-perfect gameplay balance. I'd appreciate an official release, but the fan translation is so good I'm not sure they should bother.
• Persona 5 (Joker) - It's funny. If you asked me to list everything I don't like about P5, I could probably go all day. The writing is a little shallow and it's far, far too long. And yet, I can't deny how completely engrossed I was that first time through. This game enthralled me. As a sensory experience, everything about how P5 looks and sounds tickles my brain so well. This series occupies a wholly unique space in the modern RPG landscape, in terms of both mechanics and visual identity. This game made me a Persona/SMT fan, and I'd put in my all-time top five, at least.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what's left on the list. Looking forward to some of them more than others. I might get around to them this year, or over three years, or never. Who knows.

• Super Mario 3D World (Peach)
• Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (Roy)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Corrin)
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Villager / Isabelle)
• Wii Fit (Wii Fit Trainer) (lmao)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Shulk)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Pyra / Mythra)
• Super Castlevania IV (Simon)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Richter)
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Hero)
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Terry)
• ARMS (Min Min)
• Minecraft (Steve)
• Tekken 7 (Kazuya)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Did I learn anything by doing this? I think so. I definitely have a greater appreciation for a wider variety of genres and franchises. This got me to try certain games I never would have considered otherwise. And in turn, I gained a greater appreciation for the crossover aspect of Smash; every time I look at the character select screen, I have exponentially more memories attached to each icon. I can spot all the references in the movesets and stages. It's just... cool, I guess.
Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a good day. Please don't hate me for dismissing your favorite game.

I don't think this sub vibes with Nintendo quite as much as I do, but I thought this'd be fun to write up. I've been playing Smash all my life - Melee might've been the first game I truly fell in love with - and the series has always served as exposure to other franchises.
For at least four years I've been slowly, methodically playing the original games for the entire Smash Ultimate roster. Most of them I wanted to play anyway, and this was just a neat excuse to try them out. And I do mean slowly, I really spread them out to avoid burnout. I also never forced myself to finish a game if I wasn't having fun; sometimes I just played the first section/level to get a feel for it, then dropped it. Overall it's been a fun way to expose myself to new genres and gain appreciation for gaming history. I'd already played quite a bit of Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Metal Gear, and Sonic, but the rest was all pretty new for me. I won't mention the games I played before Ultimate's release, which is when I started the challenge.
For each character I picked the game I thought was most relevant, or most similar to their depiction in Smash. If you want, you can look at the checklist here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rOlk8dXwEL6wd2Lw4zouBiAce8UJabHOIgIP8bKL_7c/edit?usp=sharing
It's worth noting that this wouldn't be feasible without emulation. A lot of these games aren't available on modern platforms, and some aren't even localized into English. I'm not a collector and I'm not willing to track down old consoles on ebay.
Games are roughly ordered within their tiers, based on how much I enjoyed them. I'll try to be brief for each one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'It's old and I can't help being a zoomer' tier - Games I played just long enough to understand them, then dipped. I would not have chosen to play them for fun.

• Ice Climber (Ice Climbers)
• Kid Icarus (Pit)
• Game & Watch Gallery 4 (Mr. Game & Watch)
• Duck Hunt (Duck Hunt Dog)
• Star Fox (Fox)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Not very good' tier - Reserved exclusively for Pac-Man World 2.

• Pac-Man World 2 (Pac-Man) - This game is not very good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Just not for me' tier - Games I struggled to connect with or I'm not a fan of the genre. Maybe I'd like them if I played longer, but I don't plan to pick them up again.

• Kingdom Hearts (Sora) - Exceeds my admittedly high tolerance for power-of-friendship anime schlock. Combat felt a little dull and I'm not crazy about Disney. Maybe I dropped it too early, but what little I know about the rest of the series doesn't really excite me.
• Street Fighter V (Ryu / Ken) - Cool character designs, I can say that much. Traditional fighters are interesting to learn about, but they don't really grab me as a player. I expect I'll feel the same way about Tekken and Fatal Fury.
• Mega Man 11 (Mega Man) - Some neat new mechanics, but the punishing old-school level design isn't my cup of tea. Happy that fans got a new one though.
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Marth) - Moving units with the touch screen is nice and I appreciate the strategy, but the generic fantasy story bored me to tears. I might be spoiled by modern FE; this felt like going back in time and finding out my great-great-great-grandfather sold corn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'It was alright' tier - Games that were pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I tried them and likely won't play them again.

• Star Fox 64 (Falco / Wolf) - Pretty much what I expected. I didn't love it, but it's fun and short. The branching paths are cool for its time.
• Dr. Mario (Dr. Mario) - A pleasant surprise. I expected to play for ten minutes and ended up enjoying it for much longer. Just a solid puzzle game.
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 (King Dedede) - It's good, I think? I know I enjoyed it but honestly don't remember anything about the experience.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Palutena / Dark Pit) - Great writing, good music, and really inventive mechanics. Would be much higher if the controls didn't cause me physical pain.
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Dark Samus) - Atmosphere, music, and visuals are impeccable. I feel mean putting it this low, but Prime 1's difficulty was perfect for me and I didn't care for the dark world being so oppressive. Still want to play Prime 3 though.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Ike) - Decent story and characters, but battles are really slow. I kind of want to go back and finish it, in which case I could see it moving a lot higher.
• Splatoon 2 (Inkling) - Novel mechanics and a fun aesthetic. I don't really play multiplayer games, but the single-player levels are enjoyable. One of the most fun credits sequences I've seen since NieR: Automata.
• Kirby Super Star (Meta Knight) - Short, sweet, and charming, like all Kirby games. Did a lot to redeem The Great Cave Offensive, though I still hate that stage.
• Final Fantasy VII (Sephiroth) - Extremely impressive for its time, but I don't totally vibe with JRPGs from that era. Probably wouldn't have finished it without the 3x fast-forward battle option in modern ports. Famously the music is some of Uematsu's best work, and he has a lot of good work.
• Bayonetta 2 (Bayonetta) - This game oozes personality and charisma (that Moon River remix goes unreasonably hard). If I were more into this brand of action game, it would easily be top-tier.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hey, this is pretty good' tier - Games I liked quite a lot and would recommend to anyone with similar tastes.

• Super Mario Sunshine (Bowser Jr.) - The most unique 3D Mario. Movement is fluid and satisfying to master, and I enjoy the Margaritaville locale. Held back by some frustrating sections (you know the ones).
• Luigi's Mansion 3 (Luigi) - Great visuals, art direction, and environmental design. Feels a little too padded for time.
• F-Zero GX (Captain Falcon) - The controls and tracks are gratifying to learn, and the cutscenes are pure cheese in the best way. Would be higher if I were more into racing games, or if I were skilled enough to finish it.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Cloud) - After playing the original, I liked how Remake brings the characters to life and reimagines old scenarios. Decent combat, cool bosses, and an amazing soundtrack are offset by egregious padding and an ending I don't quite know how to feel about.
• EarthBound (Ness) - Full of heart behind the quirky humor. I can forgive aimless progression and outdated dungeon design when everything else is so remarkably endearing and well-written.
• Banjo-Kazooie (Banjo & Kazooie) - Having played Mario 64, I was surprised how much better the camera is. Fun characters and catchy music make for a very laid-back experience. And in a genre infamous for bloated collectathons, it shows respectable restraint in the number of collectibles.
• Super Metroid (Ridley) - Near-perfect synthesis of atmosphere, mechanics, progression, and visuals. An incredible achievement, but hard to revisit after being spoiled by the fluidity of Dread. Still, if you claim this is the greatest game ever made, I'm not gonna argue with you.
• Donkey Kong Country (King K. Rool) - Great level design and a memorable aesthetic that was probably really hard to pull off on the SNES. For a game about silly apes, the soundtrack by David Wise is gorgeously atmospheric.
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest (Diddy Kong) - Basically DKC1, but a slight step up in every category. Though I will say, a couple of the late-game levels are unreasonably hard.
• Metroid: Zero Mission (Zero Suit Samus) - Feels a little held back by the original's level design, but it's still a fantastic remake. The post-game sequence without the power suit is a huge highlight.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (Wario) - Beat it in two hours and don't feel like I wasted a single second. This game actually made me laugh out loud, and often. Definitely want to play more WarioWare in the future.
• Super Mario World (Piranha Plant) - Not much to say about this one, just a good-ass platformer. I prefer it to Mario 3, but I understand why someone wouldn't.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This is the shit' tier - Games I thoroughly loved and would rank among my favorites.

• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Yoshi) - Besides Chrono Trigger, I don't think any other SNES game is this beautiful. A creative central mechanic, great level design, and wonderful art direction. The "classics" don't always speak to me, but this one did.
• Metroid Prime (Samus) - Super impressive for its time and a near-perfect translation of the series formula into 3D. Music, atmosphere, and exploration are exquisite. To me, what elevates it from good to great is the immersion factor; the diagetic HUD and scan visor really ground the player in Samus' perspective.
• Pikmin (Olimar) - Technically an RTS, but it feels entirely distinct from the genre. The vibes are immaculate in a way I don't really know how to articulate; it's all goofy and cute and serene and a little brutal. What a charming little game this is. Olimar in Smash is kind of insufferable, but this redeems him in my eyes.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Byleth) - Likeable characters and a story that, while not perfect, explores a conflict from multiple people's perspectives, nobody having all the information. I don't know how longtime fans feel about it, but I thought the core gameplay was fun and accessible. Undeniably flawed, but for me it's greater than the sum of its parts. I played two routes and still might go back for a third.
• Mother 3 (Lucas) - Not everyone vibes with this game, but I sure as hell do. A beautiful story, gorgeous pixel art, interesting themes, memorable music, and near-perfect gameplay balance. I'd appreciate an official release, but the fan translation is so good I'm not sure they should bother.
• Persona 5 (Joker) - It's funny. If you asked me to list everything I don't like about P5, I could probably go all day. The writing is a little shallow and it's far, far too long. And yet, I can't deny how completely engrossed I was that first time through. This game enthralled me. As a sensory experience, everything about how P5 looks and sounds tickles my brain so well. This series occupies a wholly unique space in the modern RPG landscape, in terms of both mechanics and visual identity. This game made me a Persona/SMT fan, and I'd put in my all-time top five, at least.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what's left on the list. Looking forward to some of them more than others. I might get around to them this year, or over three years, or never. Who knows.

• Super Mario 3D World (Peach)
• Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (Roy)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Corrin)
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Villager / Isabelle)
• Wii Fit (Wii Fit Trainer) (lmao)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Shulk)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Pyra / Mythra)
• Super Castlevania IV (Simon)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Richter)
• Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Hero)
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Terry)
• ARMS (Min Min)
• Minecraft (Steve)
• Tekken 7 (Kazuya)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Did I learn anything by doing this? I think so. I definitely have a greater appreciation for a wider variety of genres and franchises. This got me to try certain games I never would have considered otherwise. And in turn, I gained a greater appreciation for the crossover aspect of Smash; every time I look at the character select screen, I have exponentially more memories attached to each icon. I can spot all the references in the movesets and stages. It's just... cool, I guess.
Thanks for reading. Hope you're having a good day. Please don't hate me for dismissing your favorite game.

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