No you're not wrong, the hot end is definitely clogged right now but thats a separate issue I was meaning to deal with after this one, and yes I'm positive it's coming from either the extruder or the extruders stepper motor, because when I put my ear directly up to it that's where it's the loudest and it gets stronger halfway through a "step"(1mm movement)
Now whether or not this is a mechanical thing or an electrical thing remains to be seen, someone suggested I do a full calibration which I'm currently working through, I've never done one which tbh might be the source of a lot of my problems
Well for whatever it is worth, I really hope you don't. I always figured if I got to that point I would pack up, break contact with everyone, leave everything behind and see how things are im Canada, or maybe bum it around Europe. I just figured if everything has gone to shit, nothing's stopping me from doing whatever I wanted