Yeah, I’m just a big JRPG fan.

As for the Trails series, I’ve been told that the best place to start is (understandably) the beginning. Play in release order. The first three games are in 2.5D (as opposed to 3D), but they actually hold up really well.

Most people (myself included) will recommend that you use a spoiler-free guide to avoid missing hidden quests and collectibles (such as a book series you’ll collect in its entirety over the course of the first game). I’m using this spoiler-free guide for my playthrough of the first game.

It’s also recommended that you go around talking to every NPC in the town you’re in every now and then. Dialogue updates as the main quest advances and, at times, if you’ve had an interaction with an NPC in (for example) a side quest and that NPC later pops up in the main quest, the NPC will remember that interaction from the side quest. Some NPCs also pop up in later games with their stories continuing (or so I’ve been told).

Almost every single Trails game is also available DRM-free with achievements on GOG. The only one missing is the latest game (which has a “coming soon” page). The series goes on sale on GOG pretty frequently, too.

Also, examine every chest twice: once to open it and once to see the “empty chest” dialogue. The English localizers noticed that, in the Japanese version of the game, instead of having the empty chests call a single line of dialogue multiple times, each chest had its own line to call. (It was the same thing copied and pasted every single time.) So they had some fun with it and made nearly every empty chest have unique dialogue.

Also, just today, during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st, a remake of the first game in full 3D with the modern Trails aesthetic, was announced for a 2025 release worldwide. Though I don’t know how faithful it’ll be to the original game or to its localization. So you could wait for that if you want or just play the original trilogy immediately. But, again, the originals still hold up really well.

I’ve started playing through it, but I’ve got other games currently that I’m focusing on (currently Trails in the Sky FC, then Persona 3 Reload: The Answer, and then Metaphor ReFantazio).

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Sadly, it’s not available on PC, but it is available on Nintendo Switch (US eShop page linked above) and PlayStation 4 (and PlayStation 5 through backwards compatibility).

It’s a sci-fi game made by the creators of some games you might’ve heard of in passing (namely Dragon’s Crown, Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, etc.), Vanillaware. I can’t go into any details about the game itself because of spoilers, but I will say it is quite simply the best and most uniquely told story I have ever seen in a game. It’s a game you have to experience for yourself. You should go into it as blind as possible, too.

I will say the English dub of the game is also surprisingly good, considering it was recorded almost entirely in COVID lockdown. The Atlus West sound engineers (Atlus published the game in the west) must’ve worked some incredible magic to get it to sound as good as it does.

Believe it or not Attack on Titan has been a “gateway anime” for a lot of people.

Sony, which has owned Funimation since 2017, bought Crunchyroll in 2021. Then Sony announced they were planning to discontinue Funimation in favor of Crunchyroll since it’s the more recognizable brand. They then renamed the company Funimation to Crunchyroll, LLC.

Until now, they left the website Funimation alone, aside from continuing to add new episodes for shows that were already on the website Funimation when the companies were merged. (Completely new shows only went to Crunchyroll’s website.) Now, they’re shutting down the website Funimation and trying to get everyone who hasn’t already to migrate over to Crunchyroll.

However, anyone who purchased digital content to keep that wasn’t included in their Funimation subscription in Funimation is out of luck. Crunchyroll doesn’t support paid digital content of that kind. They only support the content that comes with a subscription. So everyone is losing any digital purchases they made through Funimation.

It’s funny. Companies are trying to force people to go the proprietary streaming digital-only route (where you don’t own what you paid for and can’t download it to view offline) while simultaneously showing people why that is an absolutely horrible idea. They’re basically shooting themselves in the foot.

I have an extension called “ffck overlays” for situations like that. It can be hit-or-miss, but it works a decent amount of the time.

Firefox: https://github.com/mashedkeyboard/ffckoverlays

It was inspired by a similar extension made for Chrome called “F*ck Overlays”.

Chromium browsers (for those who haven’t left Chromium behind yet): https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fck-overlays/ppedokobpbdajgiejhnjfbdjlgobcpkp

It definitely doesn’t take care of everything, but there are apps that run all the internet traffic on your phone through an adblocker. Most of the ones on Android setup a local VPN (a VPN running on the same device that’s connecting to it) and run their adblocker through that.

squints eyes

… Are you a robot?

/j

I hope it doesn’t click it on my computer. I wouldn’t trust an ad not to try to download a virus even on a legitimate site like YouTube.

I would argue that the IRS wasn’t at fault here, though. Like the article said, people were steered away from the Free File Program, so people having to pay wasn’t a fault of the Free File Program but rather a fault of Intuit’s deceptive practices of marketing their alternative freemium versions of their software.

The IRS presented them to the public as a “free option” for years, knowing they were not free.

The only time they’re not free is if you don’t meet the requirements for the Free File Program or you try to use one of TurboTax’s services that aren’t part of the Free File Program.

I actually used TurboTax for years before they left the Free File Program (supposedly because it was too restrictive in what they could charge for), and I never had to pay a cent. I’ve since moved on to other tax sites that are still part of the Free File Program, and I’ve still never had to pay anything.

Maybe it was translated from another language?

GROND

(This feels so much better without a bot helping us out.)

Guess so. It was a 50/50 chance, and I chose the wrong 50.

that’s who I use! $15 to file state

I’d suggest using the IRS’s Free File Program wizard to find a tax program that’ll do your state taxes for free. You’d save a little money that way. Most tax programs will keep your info for multiple years after your first time using them, too.

TurboTax discontinued their participation in the IRS Free File program a few years back, IIRC. I don’t think they’ll be listed on the IRS’s Free File website.

I imagine that for many Americans, they don’t have a government issued id

That’s only the case in a few select cities, like New York. Most other people have an ID of some sort. (And, even if you don’t want a driver’s license, it’s still possible to get a government-issued ID that doesn’t let you drive but still verifies your identity.) The US is huge. It takes at least a few days to travel across it. And most of it, especially out in the Midwest, is still pretty rural.

As for the “two forms of ID”, they actually require four types of documents (though some documents can be submitted for two or more of those things; at minimum, you need two documents total), at least in my state, when you first get a driver’s license. So most places will simply use your driver’s license by itself since it proves that you’ve already proven your identity. Anywhere that does require two proofs will usually use your social security card and your driver’s license.

I’m pretty sure you’re required to provide your driver’s license info at some point during the sign-up process, actually. Though it’s been a while, so I don’t remember for sure.

If it’s like I remember, it’s to confirm that the person on the ID matches the person who’s signing up. Banks do the same when the teller asks for your ID. And so do the people who ask for your ID when you go to vote. It’s the same basic process. It’s just digital instead of in-person.

Then delete it.

I’ve come across a few projects over the years where the ownership is transferred and it’s then loaded up with malware

See: The Great Suspender

The original developer sold the repo to a new, anonymous maintainer. The new maintainer abandoned the repo but continued updating the Chrome Web Store version of the addon. That version eventually got delisted by Google for including malware.