Perf improvements pass

[xoxorwr]

Fixes # .

Description of the problem being solved:

Trying to improve performance in hot paths.

• assert in hot paths evaluates arguments even when passing
• unpack, for example, is much slower than direct indexing
• Using varargs in loop headers is also slow
• Caching static tables helps reduce GC pressure

Note: This PR is best reviewed commit by commit, each commit targets a specific performance issue on the target file.

Steps taken to verify a working solution:

Link to a build that showcases this PR:

Before screenshot:

After screenshot:

[xoxorwr]

It grew a little too big, I'll try to split this PR so it's easier to review.