diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ee7b0f842..c125d1cc7 100755
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 yuzu emulator early access
 =============
 
-This is the source code for early-access 3253.
+This is the source code for early-access 3254.
 
 ## Legal Notice
 
diff --git a/src/core/hid/emulated_controller.cpp b/src/core/hid/emulated_controller.cpp
index 9c6a45f45..e1ae1f250 100755
--- a/src/core/hid/emulated_controller.cpp
+++ b/src/core/hid/emulated_controller.cpp
@@ -224,6 +224,13 @@ void EmulatedController::LoadTASParams() {
     tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::LStick].Set("axis_y", 1);
     tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::RStick].Set("axis_x", 2);
     tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::RStick].Set("axis_y", 3);
+
+    // set to optimal stick to avoid sanitizing the stick and tweaking the coordinates
+    // making sure they play back in the game as originally written down in the script file
+    tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::LStick].Set("deadzone", 0.0f);
+    tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::LStick].Set("range", 1.0f);
+    tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::RStick].Set("deadzone", 0.0f);
+    tas_stick_params[Settings::NativeAnalog::RStick].Set("range", 1.0f);
 }
 
 void EmulatedController::LoadVirtualGamepadParams() {
diff --git a/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache.h b/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache.h
index 7bc432c67..01035ba1d 100755
--- a/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache.h
+++ b/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache.h
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ TextureCache<P>::TextureCache(Runtime& runtime_, VideoCore::RasterizerInterface&
     // These values were chosen based on typical peak swizzle data sizes seen in some titles
     static constexpr size_t SWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY = 8_MiB;
     static constexpr size_t UNSWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY = 1_MiB;
-    swizzle_data_buffer.reserve(SWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY);
-    unswizzle_data_buffer.reserve(UNSWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY);
+    swizzle_data_buffer.resize_destructive(SWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY);
+    unswizzle_data_buffer.resize_destructive(UNSWIZZLE_DATA_BUFFER_INITIAL_CAPACITY);
 
     // Make sure the first index is reserved for the null resources
     // This way the null resource becomes a compile time constant
@@ -747,11 +747,11 @@ void TextureCache<P>::UploadImageContents(Image& image, StagingBuffer& staging)
         return;
     }
     const size_t guest_size_bytes = image.guest_size_bytes;
-    swizzle_data_buffer.resize(guest_size_bytes);
+    swizzle_data_buffer.resize_destructive(guest_size_bytes);
     gpu_memory->ReadBlockUnsafe(gpu_addr, swizzle_data_buffer.data(), guest_size_bytes);
 
     if (True(image.flags & ImageFlagBits::Converted)) {
-        unswizzle_data_buffer.resize(image.unswizzled_size_bytes);
+        unswizzle_data_buffer.resize_destructive(image.unswizzled_size_bytes);
         auto copies = UnswizzleImage(*gpu_memory, gpu_addr, image.info, swizzle_data_buffer,
                                      unswizzle_data_buffer);
         ConvertImage(unswizzle_data_buffer, image.info, mapped_span, copies);
diff --git a/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache_base.h b/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache_base.h
index 3cd866c55..c2ea36761 100755
--- a/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache_base.h
+++ b/src/video_core/texture_cache/texture_cache_base.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "common/literals.h"
 #include "common/lru_cache.h"
 #include "common/polyfill_ranges.h"
+#include "common/scratch_buffer.h"
 #include "video_core/compatible_formats.h"
 #include "video_core/control/channel_state_cache.h"
 #include "video_core/delayed_destruction_ring.h"
@@ -417,8 +418,8 @@ private:
 
     std::unordered_map<GPUVAddr, ImageAllocId> image_allocs_table;
 
-    std::vector<u8> swizzle_data_buffer;
-    std::vector<u8> unswizzle_data_buffer;
+    Common::ScratchBuffer<u8> swizzle_data_buffer;
+    Common::ScratchBuffer<u8> unswizzle_data_buffer;
 
     u64 modification_tick = 0;
     u64 frame_tick = 0;
diff --git a/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.cpp b/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.cpp
index 33f2f90da..056c16dbc 100755
--- a/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.cpp
+++ b/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.cpp
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ void SwizzlePitchLinearImage(Tegra::MemoryManager& gpu_memory, GPUVAddr gpu_addr
 
 void SwizzleBlockLinearImage(Tegra::MemoryManager& gpu_memory, GPUVAddr gpu_addr,
                              const ImageInfo& info, const BufferImageCopy& copy,
-                             std::span<const u8> input, std::vector<u8>& tmp_buffer) {
+                             std::span<const u8> input, Common::ScratchBuffer<u8>& tmp_buffer) {
     const Extent3D size = info.size;
     const LevelInfo level_info = MakeLevelInfo(info);
     const Extent2D tile_size = DefaultBlockSize(info.format);
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ void SwizzleBlockLinearImage(Tegra::MemoryManager& gpu_memory, GPUVAddr gpu_addr
                        tile_size.height, info.tile_width_spacing);
     const size_t subresource_size = sizes[level];
 
-    tmp_buffer.resize(subresource_size);
+    tmp_buffer.resize_destructive(subresource_size);
     const std::span<u8> dst(tmp_buffer);
 
     for (s32 layer = 0; layer < info.resources.layers; ++layer) {
@@ -978,7 +978,7 @@ std::vector<SwizzleParameters> FullUploadSwizzles(const ImageInfo& info) {
 
 void SwizzleImage(Tegra::MemoryManager& gpu_memory, GPUVAddr gpu_addr, const ImageInfo& info,
                   std::span<const BufferImageCopy> copies, std::span<const u8> memory,
-                  std::vector<u8>& tmp_buffer) {
+                  Common::ScratchBuffer<u8>& tmp_buffer) {
     const bool is_pitch_linear = info.type == ImageType::Linear;
     for (const BufferImageCopy& copy : copies) {
         if (is_pitch_linear) {
diff --git a/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.h b/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.h
index 7d395f929..a15865fa2 100755
--- a/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.h
+++ b/src/video_core/texture_cache/util.h
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <span>
 
 #include "common/common_types.h"
+#include "common/scratch_buffer.h"
 
 #include "video_core/surface.h"
 #include "video_core/texture_cache/image_base.h"
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ void ConvertImage(std::span<const u8> input, const ImageInfo& info, std::span<u8
 
 void SwizzleImage(Tegra::MemoryManager& gpu_memory, GPUVAddr gpu_addr, const ImageInfo& info,
                   std::span<const BufferImageCopy> copies, std::span<const u8> memory,
-                  std::vector<u8>& tmp_buffer);
+                  Common::ScratchBuffer<u8>& tmp_buffer);
 
 [[nodiscard]] bool IsBlockLinearSizeCompatible(const ImageInfo& new_info,
                                                const ImageInfo& overlap_info, u32 new_level,