Torn apart beneath the troubles can't get out of my own way I shape shift to fit other puzzles Can't sabotage a bones decay
No sense of self like all self centered bubbles I uninvited my insides today Dreams and feas in the usual hugged up Huddles. Can't finally know can't let go but I some how some way somersault over puddles and catapult over hurdles all day every day except Wednesday that's my cleanse day
I find the pieces of me scattered in the layered rubble. My spirits disheveled my souls got a 5am stubble Banging my head against the wall like a muggle Can't pass on or cross over to either rival up high or lower no revival neither just survival
Soul spirit aura and everything lost from before Whispers differently to each of me. One says give in sink don't get to the safety of any shore Another says don't get ur wings clipped fucking soar. One isn't sure Another a bore Some are waiting for gore Others say there's lots more to explore. One is a whore Another is bitterly soar Some want an encore Others say get away find the trap door.
Torn apart beneath the troubles Sitting on a silent mayday Lapping up my own poison puddles. I'm not my savior no love oodles I killed me by betraying myself Cerburus ate the poodles
Torn apart behind my troubles Can't get out of my own way Born part kind ticklish wanting snuggles Raised crazed started dazed became unphased one hand juggles Another taking everything smuggles
Some however feel everything and everything in-between I'll still be here But who exactly is a big fear Some emotions fade degrade then double then triple and I'm split in the middle no volunteer a butterfly Ina hurricane clinging to a beer.
Troubles torn apart behind me A hand of grace unseen swiftly I've been unclean but there's a trace I can give chase where my sins are replaced and the worst that I've faced gets outpaced and all they negativity feels like waste I hope some day I can copy snd paste. But right now the adversary and I have the same taste. Why do I swallow with such haste knowing it's laced?

Long rant skip ahead if it's too long for you. Renting for 1.5 years so far .Not too bad of a location for work , however the price of rent is high for the lack of maintenance on the property .My landlord was aware from the beginning that my fiance and I are both carpenters /painters electricians and capable of doing plumbing among other things that were beneficial to remodeling or repairing.Her eyes lit up, hinting she had some repairs she might want us to do cheaply for her ,and once we moved in she began asking me for finish carpentry jobs and to repair other contractors shoddy work prior to us having moved in.Both of us are full time and we have 4 jobs between us both so we were not willing or even able to take on personal side jobs for her WE MADE THAT CLEAR . Soon after we told her were not able to do side jobs for her ,we started to see what a nightmare of a landlord she has the potential to be since moving here .
●countless pictures of trashcans out for 5 min while loading garbage from the house on trash day
●told me my door step is common place for neighbors to store their trash /belongings on because they have no room in front of their own door
● told by her verbatim can have a ring camera as long as I don't make holes or wire anything .But when I soft mounted one on the Door with a tension knob ,she took photos and said the other tenants don't have one so why should we.(packages stolen and homeless try to get into our property regularly) it doesn't state in the lease we can't have a ring camera .
●She won't allow us to pay rent past 5:30 even though we pay 1 day early and then she collects rent close to 11 pm at night if she has something to do and it interferes with her schedule.
●She was aware of a leak in our bedroom when it rained and went upstairs in the attic and tracked fiberglass insulation through the house and then stated the person who set up the gas must've spilled water up there.
●Was aware of broken cabinets before we moved in , water leaking under the sink ,did a walk through and never sent anyone to repair
●told us during the house showing ants are a problem in the Summer, when we asked her to give us traps when summer came she stated "there was never a problem before " we are to blame ...
●since moving in had to replace baseboards from previous tenant mopping and water absorbed into the wall ,plumbing fixtures ,cannot use broken washer and dryer so we go to the laundromat with weeks worth of clothing due to our hectic schedules.
LEASE STATES WORKING APPLIANCES dishwasher hose improperly installed leaking under the sink .
●She tells other tenants not to talk to each other and told us the people in number 1 are assholes and number 5 don't speak to them, but the ones who take up our doorstep are saints to her !!!We spoke to number 1 and he has taken her to court before for not allowing his son to live with him and also found out we are paying 400 more dollars than them for less space.She is creating animosity between tenants so we don't find out who she really Is.
CURRENT ISSUE IN QUESTION>>>>>>>> My fiance pays an additional 100 dollars for parking yet she has a garage door in his parking space shes been storing there since we moved here. past 2 weeks a large bush of vines have fallen into his space and he kindly asked her if she needed help removing it ,she fired back with :its already too late you bent and damaged the garage door ",it was already damaged when we moved here but what is it doing in a paid parking spot? She completely ignored the vines and bushes falling into the space, scratching up the truck and decided to make It about a garage door she has no right to store there.No answer as to what it's doing there .Do I have a right to remove this and call LAHD based on previous list of complaints or should I handle this another way? MOVING IS NOT REALLY AN OPTION AT THIS POINT .WOULD ANYONE HERE CONSIDER THIS DISTURBANCE OF PEACE ?WHAT GROUNDS DO I HAVE TO TAKE HER TO COURT ?any help and reading this is appreciated

Hi all! I am currently a junior in high school and I attend a public school in Michigan ranked about 30th-ish in high school rankings in Michigan. This fall, I begin my college application process and I am so eager and excited, yet worried and stressed that I wont get in and my life will be over.
I wanted to share my high school stats and extra curriculars etc. with you all with the hopes that you guys could tell me what you think my chances of getting into the colleges that I am looking at are and to just lay out my current status.
(DISCLAIMER) My stats/description may come off as cocky or ignorant at some points, please don't take it the wrong way.
Background:
-White Male
-Low-Mid Middle Class Family
-Dad attended Michigan State University - he is a high school teacher
-Mom did not go to college -she works as basically a college counselor
-I will need financial aid for college, parents are not contributing
My highest ambitions in life/out of college:

• I hope to one day have a job in a high finance position in New York City or Chicago (Investment Banking, PE, Consulting, Quants etc) - therefore I am applying to top prestigious target schools for recruitment, internships, and networking opportunities
• I hope to one day be one of the greatest musicians of all time

Stats:
Grades, EC's, Leadership, Sports, Work, Businesses, Volunteer, Music, etc.

1. 4.0 GPA
2. 1390 SAT Score-the one thing that will hold me back? 😭 - I am going to take in probably 6 times. 1390 was my first try, 690 Reading and Writing, 700 Math
3. AP Classes: (I wish I would've done more)

Sophomore Year: AP US History (4)
Junior Year: AP World History, Most likely will get a 5; AP Precalculus, Most likely will get a 5 too.
Senior Year: AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics

1. Musical Prodigy - Piano at least

Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Drums
Piano:

• 12 Years
• Completely Self Taught
• Rock n Roll, Boogie Woogie, Blues, Jazz, Country Western, and Gospel Pianist (not your average 17 year old piano player lol)
• Play By Ear (Play me a song on the radio, I'll play it back for you)

Guitar (Electric):

• 7 Years
• Completely Self Taught
• Same Music Styles as above
• Play By Ear
• My Room's walls are filled with guitar diagrams and sheets, it looks like I am going crazy lol-may use this in my college essays, idk haha.

Drums:

• 1 Year
• Completely Self Taught
• Same Music Styles as above
• Play by Ear

Five: Sports
Tennis:
-Freshman, Sophomore, Junior year Varsity Team
-2023 (Fall) Division 3 MHSAA #1 Doubles Individual State Champion
-#1 Ranked Doubles Player in the State of Michigan
-2023 First Team All State
-Never Lost a Conference Match/3-Time Team and Individual Back to Back to Back Conference Individual and Team Titles (2021, 2022, 2023)
-2 Time Individual Regional Champion, 2 Time Individual Regional Team Champions (2021, 2022)
-Apart of the 2021, 2022, 2023 all academic teams
-Finished 6th Place as a team in 2022, Finished 5th Place as a team in 2023
-I will play my senior year
Golf:
-Freshman, Sophomore: JV Golf Team
-Junior: Varsity Golf Team, Ranked 4th as a team in the state
-I will play my senior year (on the varsity team)
-Most Likely will win the Conference Championship and Regional Championship in the next two weeks 😬
Basketball:
-Freshman Year: Freshman Team
-Sophomore Year: JV Team
-Did not play junior year, and will not play senior year
Pickleball Club Member at my Highschool

1. Work/Businesses:

-Created a Piano Teaching Business the summer of 7th grade, have done that since. (Self Employed)
-Joined a friend on the summer before junior year to co-own a car detailing company (may rejoin, not sure) (Self Employed)
-Worked as an Usher at a movie theater, winter of junior year (Hourly Pay) - will return for winter of my senior year
-Will work as a tennis camp/lesson instructor with my tennis coach at a training facility this summer (Hourly Pay)

1. Volunteering

-A member of the National Honor Society
-Volunteered at Kids Food Basket, local libraries, tennis camp volunteering, and various school sponsored events

1. Leadership (Lacking-ish?)

-Business Owner with piano teaching in that I personally teach kids piano
-Varsity Tennis Captain
-Tennis Lesson Teaching this summer

1. Demonstrated Interest, to an extent lol

-Job Shadowing a CFO this summer at a company
-Visiting each college this summer as well
-Currently learning how to trade financial markets (Duration=1 year)
-Spend hours each day learning music and finance/math stuff
-Performed Piano (boogie woogie/rock n roll improvisations at high school talents shows, played piano in a wedding when I was 11, played piano at churches for graduation baccalaureates.

1. Essay Topics:

Few things I am considering including or basing my college essays off of:
-My determination and dedication to math, finance, music, and life in general
-Metaphorical topics about navigating the struggles of the social and academic aspects of high school
-My obsession with music from the 50s-90s
-My obsessions with gaining knowledge and learning as much as possible and why or how things happen or work.
-My obsessions with improving each day and getting stuff done
-How I am a winner in life and that I excel in the things I pursue and that I do everything I can to improve and win
*I am in the way early stage of brainstorming btw*

1. Letters of Recommendation:

-My Precalculus teacher: He told me he is going to write my letter of rec and I hadn't even asked him yet lol so I assume it's going to be a good one
-My AP World History teacher: Another teacher that loves me just as my math teacher does
-My High School Counselor: Also loves me and has connections to my family, so we are closer than other highschool students are with her.

1. COLLEGES I AM APPLYING TO:

*Main majointerest is Finance; want to do music as well so that it can stay apart of my life
*Want to do a double major: Finance, and Music (Maybe Minor or Triple Major with mathematics)
*Schools that don't offer a undergraduate business school I will most likely do some sort of combination of economics, mathematics, and music
Schools 😬:
Safety: Michigan State University (Broad School of Business) (Honors)
Reaches (All IB target schools are reaches 😭, except maybe Indiana):
-University of Michigan (Ross)
-Pennsylvania University (Wharton)
-New York University (Stern)
-Indiana University (Kelley)
-Columbia University - no undergraduate business school
-Northwestern University - no undergraduate business school
-Duke University - no undergraduate business school
-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
-Vanderbilt University - no undergraduate business school
-University of Tennessee (Haslem)
-Penn State University (Smeal)
-Cornell University (SC Johnson)
Schools I might just apply to at the last minute for the heck of it:
-Princeton
-Miami (Florida)
-Illinois University
-Virginia University
THIS POST IS LONG AND I AM SORRY.
Please give me feedback on whether I'd have a strong chance or not of getting into these top schools. It would mean the world to me as I don't know where else I can go to get someone to help rate my stats and tell me if I am out of my mind or not about applying to these schools, or my goals in life in general.
Thank you for letting me rant, and please be honest

[ First / Previous ]
Memory Transcription Subject: Hileen, Krakotl Fugitive Recovery Agent
Date [standardized human time]: November 28th, 2136
It'd been a while since I sat in Marlig's office for a talk face-to-face. Given the agency's secluded location at the edge of the downtown region, it was a chore to drop by when it wasn't for business, but I'd deemed the matter at hand to be worth my time.
I passed by Nampi at her desk on my way to the door and she gave me a coy glare as I carried on. Trying to ignore her risible ear waggle, I turned the corner to the door with my boss’s name painted on the glass panel where I could hear the frantic crumpling of paper.
Quietly, I entered Marlig's office without prompt as I knew he hated to be spooked by knocking. My mentor was surprisingly spry for a bird at his age, sorting through papers with one wing and an eye while using his talons with the other to set away the papers he had splayed out.
“Hileen!” he chirped. “Glad you could make it in today. I was just finishing up my paperwork. Take a seat.”
It was always nice to hear him drop the professional motif for a more grandfatherly attitude when speaking in person. I did as he suggested and took a seat while he grumbled to himself over the sorting. My eye caught a few of the old contracts he was rifling through and saw that some dated back to his days as an agent.
Eventually, he left some sitting out as he sequestered the rest back into their files, sorted by a dichotomy that only he and Nampi could comprehend fully. He motioned with a wing for me to peruse and I turned the first one to face me to find it was my first contract, signed by me in a sloppy fashion. “This takes me back a couple of years.”
“Slick bastard thought he could get away on a forklift but you showed him! Certainly more exciting than my first day!”
“Mm-hmm. And it was when I nearly got impaled that you had the idea to commission all of us utility vests.”
He chuckled, “I really should’ve done so sooner. Cuts and scratches were already a risk, but a forklift was a new one!”
I flipped through the pages of each report, finding that Marlig's notes were filled with praises of my work. There were highs and lows, but I was flattered to find that the grizzled krakotl held my performance in such high regard.
“Flawless interception!” read one footnote about me catching a runner. “Couldn't have done it better myself!”
Marlig waited patiently as I browsed quickly through each page, realizing more and more how the notes also marked improvements in my work. How I found it easier to talk down a rowdy client, or apprehend them in the case that they were beyond helping on my part. Flowery language plastered most pages with him fawning over my work as a doting father would to his prodigal child.
The trend took a sharp turn as the notes became fewer and more critical the closer the dates reached to the present. I brushed the others aside with a wing to peruse the final paper. “And this…”
“Is Tac. Your latest contract. The most recent in a line of declining performance since the interview. This has become a pattern, Hileen, and its consequences are beginning to reach beyond yourself. Paji and Vesek resigned recently for personal reasons, which leaves us even less hands on deck than before. That's four people to cover the entire municipal region, and maybe even beyond, should needs arise. Three, if we include this little probation I have you on.”
“What was I supposed to do? Marlig, these ‘jobs’ you've got us working on overstep the contracts we were signed on with. Our job is to make sure people obey their court-mandated duties, not drag them off to the facilities ourselves!”
“... So the trip we took to the facilities did bother you.”
A sigh clicked in my throat as he reminded me. “Is that what happens to the people we take in, Marlig? Is that what would've happened to your wife?”
His feathers ruffled.
“That's what happens to those who are too dangerous to the general public to be left roaming free. Not everyone we deal with winds up there, but everyone can be subject to it. Miskela sued for her exoneration and proved in court that she was not diseased. I brought you there to show you how it helps the people, but I see now that it was a mistake. I understand why you were so perturbed, really, but it's how things have been for centuries. It's how we've protected ourselves from the dangers out there.”
“You were willing to let Barsul be interned there, too.”
Marlig flinched and sighed as he swept the papers towards himself once I'd signaled I was done. He turned one eye to me while he sorted them.
“There's no room for favoritism, girl. I negotiated for him to be allowed to walk free, and look where that got me. That boy - your neighbor - suffered the consequences of my nepotism. So too would the girl, had nobody intervened.”
“Like Richard.”
“The human, yes. Or you. Or the police. Where does this sudden obsession with humans come from, anyway? I get notifications of you talking about the acceptance of them all the time on forums.”
“Does it even need explaining?”
“Well, I guess not, no, but it's certainly an about-face from the way you used to talk about them with me beforehand.”
“People can change, for better or worse. Which one I fall under remains to be seen.”
Marlig stroked at the plumage on his neck as he finished his sorting. “I hope it's the former, for your sake. Was there any reason you came to talk, or were you just checking that I hadn't gone senile?”
“Well, I was hoping to borrow your secretary for the evening.”
He perked up while his eyes narrowed and he laced his fingers together with curiosity. “You… want to spend an evening with Nampi?”
“It's not what you're insinuating, but yes.”
“I was insinuating nothing,” he warbled coyly. “Go ahead and take her, and make sure to split the bill at dinner.”
“Pain-in-the-ass geezer. I'll keep in touch if your friend causes any more trouble.”
“Keep in touch regardless. Miskela and I get lonely in our old age,” he called back. “Take care.”
I stepped out into the hallway and turned toward the desk where I could hear the secretary's claws tapping furtively at her keyboard. Nampi sat silently with her ears and tail in a relaxed position that implied a bored demeanor. There was barely any response as I stood before her, waiting politely for her acknowledgment that never came.
Hesitantly, I cleared my throat.
An ear raised in acknowledgement, but her focus remained on the screen of her computer. “Mhm?”
“Do you…?”
Her ear rotated toward me, though she still maintained a passive attitude as she continued to glare mindlessly at the monitor.
“Are you free this evening?”
“Well, I'm quite booked, I believe. Why do you ask?”
I was surprised at her curt, dry tone. She hadn't spoken with me like this since we first got to know one another.
“Well,” I started. “I realized something. Every time we went out, whether it was clubbing, or dinner, or even walking around the parks, you always footed the bill. And so…”
Slowly, her other ear perked up and I saw her keystrokes slow down as she listened in.
“I wanted to return the favor?”
Her lips smacked as she opened her mouth, though paused before she spoke. “How could you possibly do that?”
“With a little gesture of friendship.”
Nampi's horizontal pupil turned up toward me and her tail twitched.
I continued, “So that belt you're wearing? It's the same belt you've worn since we first met. And I know you're the pragmatic type who'd never spend a credit more than she needs to, except for all the times you do"- her ears twitched in indignance -"I wanted to see about getting you a little something… extra?”
Her paws raised from the keyboard and she leaned in, resting her snout on her palms. “Go on.”
The bubbly venlil's tail sold out her collected facade as it twitched with anticipation. She was cornered and she didn't even know it yet.
“Well, I found just the place on the other side of town where we can start. It's a place almost as rich and indulgent as yourself.”
“The Platinum Paw? I mean3”
Her ears folded back in embarrassment as she cracked. She wasn't cut out for acting anyway.
“So that's what it's called! Jeez, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was called. Now what do you say? We go over there and find you something nice—”
I hadn’t even finished my thought before Nampi had grabbed her bag and was out the door, giving me a playful tail flick that said come and get me.

The place I suggested was in a shopping center on the opposite side of town, though easily accessible because of its proximity to the transport rails. Nampi had insisted on grabbing something to eat beforehand and so now gleefully bit into a bundle of stalks that had been “grilled” as explained from the food truck we'd stopped at.
Her tail flicked back and forth with her usual enthusiasm as we entered the massive complex of stores. The roofless plan allowed the natural, orange sun to flood the upper levels while artificial lighting illuminated the ground level wherever the light couldn't reach.
The place was built in the last decade by the previous City Magister in a bid for popularity, though ultimately for naught as he would lose the vote following a scandal involving an iftali priestess and a carved bar of soap. I had to say that despite being sick in the head, he sure had a great sense of decor.
Nampi snacked away, joining me in admiring the scenery as we continued to the place I’d planned out for us. Aimless chatter all melded together into a single, thrumming murmur as pedestrians navigated the many levels and stores offered in the place.
A troupe of children passed by us, held in a chain of tails and arms as they were escorted by a pair of venlil who I assumed were students and teachers on a school trip. I caught a whiff of a sweet, aromatic breeze and found it to come from a perfume shop on the same level as us; naturally, venlil were not to be found inside.
We passed a fountain where a couple sat on the edge, their tails twined together as they giggled and flirted. I turned and caught Nampi watching them as well, though she awkwardly returned to sucking the remains of her meal from her claws when we made eye contact. Her ears lifted when I raised a wing to signal to the store we were going to stop at first.
“Platinum Paw, The Greatest Fashion Emporium For Everyone!”
The title alone was painfully cliche, taken to the tenth power by the brightly lit store taking up three department slots. Despite the flashy exterior, though, it was the best place to shop for belts, brooches, and bracelets alike. Customers who looked like they earned my yearly salary in a week browsed the higher end brands while I brought my friend to the section I wanted to show her.
Her ears were held up as we stood together next to a shelf chock full of fashionable bags and bandoliers of every variety.
“Pick one,” I told her.
Nampi's ears shot to a straight pose in surprise, “Any?”
“Within reason. I've got a few extra credits to blow and I know nobody better to spend it on.”
With an inviting headtilt, I let Nampi peruse the shelves at her leisure. Her lips pursed together and her tail flicked with glee as she fingered at every piece that caught her eye. I chuckled at her outburst of enthusiasm while turning to find my own items to gloss over.
A breeze from outside nipped at my beak while I considered what I’d like to purchase. The place dripped with an atmosphere of faux hospitality, from the bright blue-stained floorboards to the radio prattling off advertisements in a sickeningly sweet tone to the faint, fruity aroma of scented cleaner. It was oppressive as only a fissan-owned company could be to the senses.
What I wouldn’t pay to see how a human would fare in such an environment.
I knew they were social creatures at least, but I had no doubt that the predatory senses of a human, so honed to hunting, would get overstimulated in this center of gaudy indulgence. Knowing I was something of a predator myself made me sympathize provided that even I had to squint to keep the pale lights inside from searing my eyes. I could only imagine how the arboreal eyes of a Terran would fare. I was so lost in thought imagining how lost the Terrans would be that I could almost ignore the obnoxious giggling and metallic rattling coming from behind me.
Risking a peek at the source, into my sight came a pair of venlil, one a male carrying a pair of bags as well as a couple more strapped to his belt. The bored expression in his eyes was not one of a man who was in high spirits. The other venlil was a woman who was the source of the noise.
Her mottled gray pelt was accented by a tasteful belt design, free of almost any practical functions but not flashy or excessive in garnishment either. At least, that’s what I would say, were it not for the braid of beads that dangled on the belt, jingling with each bounce of the lively woman’s stride. It was clear that such a gaudy accessory was intended to draw attention to her, though why was a mystery. Certainly, the shiny braids seemed designed as decoration first and practical second.
She turned about and I faced back to my browsing before she could catch me staring. Nampi was nowhere in sight, though I figured she was somewhere behind the shelf, sifting through every accessory on the section I'd suggested.
Clink.
Something pelted to my immediate right. I tilted my head to spot a tree nut shell clattering to the floor. Without being able to guess where it came from, I had to wonder what could've launched it over this way. Even with my keen eyesight, nobody in the crowd seemed to be a suspect.
Clink.
Another shell pelted my vicinity, ricocheting off of the floor and hitting the shelf I was standing next to. I ruffled my feathers in frustration - clearly, someone was trying to get my attention, though I couldn't make out who it was. Out of the corner of my vision, the woman from before eyed me curiously as I looked about, though I wasn't interested in engaging with her.
Thwack.
One more shell came flying and, unfortunately, the aim on this one was true, nailing me on the beak. Irritated, I stormed out of the store to find the source of the instigator. I scanned over the bodies to find anyone who could've been responsible for this indignity, eventually concluding that it came from the dining area across the walkway.
Whoever was responsible was in for an earful and I was already structuring which of the offender's family members would be acceptable as fodder for stray words. As I approached, I found the tables were mostly empty save for one, which made my heart begin to drop as I met eyes with the only occupant. Suddenly, I was much less inclined to hurl insults.
“Oh, hi there!” Qitel called out in a sickly sweet tone. “Come, take a seat! We have much to discuss!”
The Exterminator clutched a bag of tree nuts in his claws, a pile of discarded shells already gathered on the table next to him. He grabbed another as I approached, effortlessly prying the shell in half between two claws and tossed the contents into his mouth. “Good protein, these,” he commented as I sat down.
“Must be for that good arm you've got there,” I mumbled. I caught sight of a couple of bags beneath his chair, seemingly from one of the tech stores contained within the center.
“Bah, it's guesswork. So how are you? I haven't heard from you since we worked together!”
“I was just spending time with a friend, shopping and enjoying my time off.”
“Your time off? Oh, am I interrupting something?”
His snide tone irked me, though now wasn’t the time for interjections. “You are, Qitel,” I replied with no shortage of vitriol in my tone. “But I see no harm in chatting for a bit.”
“Good, because I have some merchandise”- he reached into his belt pocket and deposited a couple of items onto the table -“and you’re just the person to look into it, human sympathizer.”
I drew a terse breath in shock, but my worries were quelled when I considered that if Qitel had the power to do anything about it, he would’ve done so instead of approaching me so discreetly. A glance down at the item on the table showed that he was presenting what looked to be a tracker as well as a personal drive. “Found in the garbage,” he told me.
“The guild resorts to dumpster diving when they already have such a bloated budget now?”
“No, featherbrain, I have decided to keep this for myself. These items were found together, sealed in a plastic pouch, and placed in a garbage bin. The city has bans against electronics being placed into public bins, and so I was curious why this wound up in there. Managed to get my coworker, a techie, to crack it open and…”
Qitel reached into his belt again, glowering at me with the same condescending gaze he’d given me when I first saw his face. He seemed to revel in digging for the item as slowly as possible to waste my time. Finally, he found whatever he was looking for and revealed it as a printed piece of paper, folded into eighths. The snobby yotul threw the unfurled paper on the table and rolled it toward me.
I craned my neck to look at the parchment, though I was immediately perplexed by the text on it; it appeared to be some sort of form, going by the boxes with words on the inside, followed by blank lines. “Found on the drive, here,” Qitel told me, jabbing a claw to the storage. “Translator shows it as Terran writing.”
Drawing my holopad from my satchel, I held it over the paper with the translator to get an understanding. Surely enough, the language on it came up positive as a variant of Terran writing and I was affirmed in it being a form of some sort based on the wording of the text. The boxes seemed like an odd sort of job application, asking for the typical name, contacts, and prior work experiences, but quickly took a strange turn as it began asking for where their home on Earth was prior to arrival, what family they had on Venlil Prime if any, and where they worked, implying that they were seeking individuals who were already employed.
I knew little about human employment methods, but I didn’t imagine that sourcing individuals from other jobs was the most efficient way to gain a workforce. Terran service industries already dotted the planet while many humans also found work in local environments. So what was the angle that the creator of this application was going for?
Most concerningly was that the paper had no insignia, identifying marks, or noted address to return the form to. “And where did you find it again?”
“In the garbage, alongside this intact tracker that was activated at the time of recovery. Y’know, when I was dumpster diving. Text on the document showed it was addressed to one ‘Choctaw Nexus’.”
“A pseudonym of some sort?”
“Clearly. Short sorting through the archives shows the first name traces back to the group out east - perhaps you've heard about them. How the name and the items we have here are connected is beyond my understanding, but-”
“Well, this has been an absolutely riveting discussion about your collection of trash, Qitel,” I told him as I stood up to leave. “But this really sounds like an issue to be resolved by your fellow guildsmen.”
The sound of another shell splitting rang out as I turned away.
“I'm not through talking with you, predator.”
The sting as a piece nailed me in the back of the head prompted me to whirl back around, sticking my beak in the insolent yotul's snout. “Perhaps you've forgotten, little man,” I cooed in an equally bittersweet tone to the one he gave me before. “The krakotl never had a problem with settling issues the old-fashioned way before the interview. Try me and find out why I'm in the line of work I am.”
“Oh, we wouldn't want that in such a"- he waved his paw to a group of passersby who had stopped to gawk at my display -”public forum. Please, contain yourself.”
I had to force the feathers on my back to settle and I raised my head away from him. “What else is it you wanted, then?”
“Well, I'd appreciate if you took this merchandise off my paws,” he told me as he brushed the electronics and printout toward me.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you're closer to the humans than I'd ever care to be, and may be able to find out who this Choctaw Nexus is. Something about the package just feels… off. And I know when to trust my feelings. Besides, we both know that you know where Tac is, don't we?”
“I don't-”
“We have videographic evidence that you conspired with a human - of the aforementioned squatters, no less - and let the kid escape. You're not as sneaky as you think, and if we find this ‘Choctaw Nexus’ turns out to be a bad actor that can be traced back to them - and by extension, you - well, there’d be no talking down my boss from having you dealt with. By helping me find out who this is, you may yet be able to clear your name of any wrongdoing.”
I clenched my beak tightly to maintain a straight face. Qitel stood up with a flourish and discarded the bag he was carrying in a bin.
“See, the krakotl were never special for using threats and bullying to get results. It's because you were good at killing predators,” he jeered. “Now, if you don't mind, this primitive has appointments to attend to… old lady who got trampled courtesy of the humans and all. You stay out of trouble, Hileen, and stay in touch.”
The self-assured marsupial melded into the crowd in a matter of seconds, leaving me with a table containing dumpster trophies and a pile of shells. Reluctantly, I swept the shells into my wing and dumped them into the bin before gathering the other two items he'd left me and stuffing them into my bag. I'd been gone from Nampi long enough and she would notice my absence before long.
Crossing the walkway again, I could spot from where I stood that Nampi was indeed still in the Platinum Paw. I approached, and soon I found that while she didn't seem to have noticed me stepping away, she was definitely in a soured mood based on the sagging of her ears and tail. With my talons clacking on the floorboards, I hustled to her side and her mood chippered up ever so slightly as she heard me approach.
I chimed in, “Find anything?”
“Everything. I want everything, Red, and I can't decide on what I want. They all just look so great!”
From behind, a voice called out, “Nampi!”
We both jumped at the exclamation and turned about to spot the venlil lady I'd seen before spring from behind the shelf. The man poked his head from behind the shelf too, though less enthusiastically and with yet another bag in his clutches. My friend's eyes widened in surprise with her tail and ears perking up in kind. With a light in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Nalek!”
The two embraced with shrill squeals and laughter as Nalek's accompaniment and I traded awkward glances.
“It's been too long!”
“You never stayed in contact!”
The women exchanged giddy greetings and the pompous stranger turned to me, leering over me as though she was sizing me up.
“Who's your friend here?”
“Oh she's actually my-...”
Nampi paused for a moment, looking back to me.
“Yeah, she's a friend.”
“A friend,” Nalek repeated while her eyes flicked between Nampi and I. “Right.”
Somehow, I get the impression that that was judgemental.
“I'm Hileen, by the way,” I chirped, “if names are to be exchanged.”
“Hileen, that's a lovely name! And such plumage to match, it's a wonder you aren't swarmed by suitors!”
Internally, I groaned at the notion. The idea of being approached by someone to state their interest in me made me queasy, to say the least. Thankfully, I never had that issue growing up as most of the other drakes in school were too busy chasing girls who didn't have a lousy pigmentation mutation such as myself.
“I'm flattered,” I told Nalek before turning to the man whose name had yet to be introduced. “May we get your name?”
“Sask.”
His response was succinct and tonally flat, though there was a brief silence as I expected him to elaborate. Nalek's beads jingled as she lashed him on the calf with her tail.
“I'm Sask, Nalek's fiancée,” he added, throwing her a look to see if she was satisfied.
Nampi gasped with her paws over her snout. “Fiancée! Nalek, you're getting married and you never even told me!”
“Well, I felt a little guilty since it technically broke our pact we made when we were pups. You remember that?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? ‘Let she who bonds through betrothal first be cast out unto the world for all to admonish her!’”
Sask and I both gave inquisitive expressions. “You two spoke like that as pups?” Sask asked.
“Well, I'm paraphrasing,” Nampi admitted with a playful ear waggle. “But you get the gist.”
“Indeed, they do, sweet Nampi. Now, may I ask what you're doing bringing your avian friend here into this store on this fine claw?”
“Oh, no no, she's the one treating me! Isn't that right, Red?”
I saw her tail twitch and was sure it took restraint not to tickle my neck with it as we stood before her old friend.
“She's been a good friend,” I explained. “So I wanted to reverse the roles for once and treat her to something myself.”
Nampi skipped over to me and wrapped her arm around me, glancing back to her old friend. “See? We'd all be so lucky to have a… friend like her.”
“So I've witnessed. But perhaps you're a bit stuck, as I've seen you prancing up and down these aisles for a while, no? Maybe you don't know what you want?”
“Nalek, you know I've never been good about making my mind up.”
“Some things never change, you ditz. Tell you what: you and Sask go find us a seat and we can catch up all we'd like when we're not taking up aisle space, yes? So shoo! I'll help Hileen here pick one out for you!”
With a bored grunt, Sask made off with the goods he had strapped to himself, followed by Nampi who gave me one more playful tail flick before dashing off into the crowd. I looked back to the mottled snout of Nalek who watched her friend wander off with a wistful glance.
“She was my first, you know.”
“Your what now.”
“Love. Way back when we were growing from pups into young adults back in private education, we explored much together. We saw each other through a lot, including the less savory parts of finding a mate. When Nampi realized it wasn't the boys she was into, she turned to me, and I offered my hand as her stalwart companion… to a point.”
“You weren't interested in her the same way?”
“I'd grown up seeing her as a sister of sorts, so ultimately, when we split it off, we stayed close as friends and she never seemed to be bothered by it. She struggled to find others in school who had the same interests as herself, but she never fussed about it.”
Nalek's claws browsed over a set of pouched bandoliers made with intricate embroidering. “Have you two… spent the night together? Alone?”
Spiritually, I reeled from the inquiry. The whiplash from that question was equitable to being smacked by a human. “Wha- why? How's that pertinent to the subject at hand?”
“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me,” she purred with a smug glance my way.
I didn't need to begin to list the different ways such a question was violating to our privacy, and yet this woman was treating it like a game.
“Not really your concern, ma'am.”
Nalek chuckled as she picked out one of the bandoliers and inspected it with her claws. “I'd like to think that she and I still have that old connection, despite everything. And to that end, I know that she's no slag and doesn't trust easy. To see her be so vulnerable around you and to talk so highly of someone who's clearly below her income level as a predator…”
She stretched the bandolier out to appreciate the design in its entirety.
“Well, that's something special. Here"- she foisted the accessory into my wings as I stood gobsmacked -"this just screams her name.”
“This is, like, double my budget.”
“Love don't come cheap, darling. You wanna see good things happen, sometimes you've gotta step out of your comfort zone and grasp for it!”
“I'm being lectured by a rich woman on finances.”
“It's a philosophy that goes beyond money, ‘Red.’ The humans have a saying, in their horrendously predatory nomenclature, that contains a kernel of truth: ‘you miss every shot you don't take’.”
Yep, that's definitely a human phrase.
Nalek's steely braid rattled with every flick of the tail as we proceeded through the checkout.
“You want things to change between you and her?” she continued. “Don't just wait for it to happen.”
She let the conversation rest there as we finished the purchase, possibly to let me recuperate mentally from the damage done to my account. Outside, we found our respective partners sitting at a table with Sask looking up in boredom as Nampi chatted away, though she immediately shut up and turned to me with excited flicks of her tail as she saw what I was carrying.
I held it toward her and she happily shot to her feet, effortlessly removing the tags with her claws and clipping it to her belt. Nalek clapped and waggled her tail as the giddy lady did a whirl about to let us admire the accessory. While I'd have preferred one with pockets to give it a more practical use, I decided to let Nalek have the victory as our mutual friend clearly enjoyed it.
The rest of the paw was a blur as the two friends chatted without end until Sask eventually reminded his betrothed that they had a schedule to attend to. Though Nalek offered to call us a taxi home as a gesture of kindness, I saw through her ruse to determine that she was trying to pull a fast one on me - the clever ear flick she gave as we boarded the automated vehicle sold it for me.
We sat in the seats as the vehicle took the express ride home.
Nampi cleared her throat before she spoke, “Thank you for taking some time to spend with me, I know you've had a lot less free time as of late.”
“It's a prison of my own design, if I must be honest. A feedback loop of working a job that doesn't guarantee a paycheck to pay for rent that keeps going up, and thus needing to work more.”
The venlil giggled and chided me, “You really should've stayed in university.”
“There's a lotta 'should haves’ that've led me to this point. No use wondering what could have been.”
“There's always a use for wondering what could have been, Hileen.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Every decision I make, I always wonder what I could've done differently that it'd have turned out better,” she explained as she waved her free paw to the sky. “It's how you grow as a person, Red.”
Her silky pelt felt heavenly in contrast to the chilly air from outside, making it hard to let her words sink in.
“You rich types seem chock full of philosophy. I wonder if I'll become a brooding orator when I get some cash to my name.”
The cab filled with laughter as we veered around the final corner to my neighborhood, as it was the closest stop. The door popped open accompanied by a chime from the drone, signaling for me to depart.
But before my talons could even hit the pavement, I felt Nampi's scrawny arms wrap around my waist and she let out a pitiful mewl again.
“You don't need to get off here,” she told me with a pouty expression. “We can spend the rest of the paw at my place.”
“I'd love it, but I need to water my plants and get the month's bills sorted before they're due. Again.”
One claw at a time, I plucked her paws from around my waist and the childish venlil conceded, giving me another ear waggle as I departed. “I'll see you tomorrow?” I asked her.
“If you still have eyes by then, then you can bet your ass!”
“I still don't gamble.”
“You'll come around to it eventually.”
I shut the door to the taxi and watched as it carted away the one venlil who I ever truly felt on the same wavelength as. Fiddling with the lock felt like more of a chore than usual at this time as I felt a little voice tugging at the back of my head.
“You miss every shot you don't take.”
The lock felt jammed as I began to jiggle it more vigorously with the electric key. Either the RFID or NFC readers were messed up, as the lock refused to accept my key. I looked up and down the street, though Nampi was now long gone for me to rescind my earlier rejection.
“Every decision I make, I wonder what I could've done differently.”
The door rattled as I grew more and more infuriated with the lock. Qitel's smug expression as he threatened me so boldly in public played back in my head, and I wondered what would've happened had I decided to go through with insulting his mother. Better yet, I wondered what could've been had I not backed down in the face of his unflinching confidence.
Bzzt. The lock rejected my key again.
“Raagh! You fucking useless hunk of junk!”
I squawked in anger and kicked against the door, careless of the consequences of having Markol back down here to admonish another of his tenants for causing a ruckus. The walls were surprisingly sturdy for how ineffective the venlil architecture looked on the surface and I reeled back in pain as my leg throbbed.
Click.
I looked to my left to see that it wasn't my door that came open, but that of the twins. The door cracked open ever so slightly, no doubt nudged by the force of my tirade and I sighed. Nobody was expected to be home at this time, with Vili being away and Luka leaving early to get a head start.
Luka had been given a stern talking-to by the landlord for allowing one of those cats into his apartment through neglect, and I was disappointed that he seemed to have not learned his lesson this time. In fact, it seemed he hadn't even thought to lock the door this time.
I took it upon myself to shut the door for him before turning back to my own apartment door. Grasping the key with one talon, I turned it ever so gently, though the lock still refused to give in.
With a bit more force, the torsion applied to the key felt as though it should've snapped it by now. Markol sure didn't waste any expense for the security for this place, doubtlessly as a result of his history in electronic security, but I wished now that he had provided a way in that didn't rely on privately sourced locks.
Considering my options as I stood trapped outside, I realized that I had never gotten around to paying for a new lock for Tadi. I'd considered contacting her to inform her that Tac had made it out of town safely, but that'd involve also telling her that her son was now in the care of humans, as if that was a better outcome to her.
Stepping out front, I realized that there was one more option I hadn't considered: my window. I usually forgot to lock it after I was through letting air circulate and I was silently grateful to myself for this absentmindedness now more than ever. Sticking a foot on the threshold, I lifted myself in a way that'd allow me to have leverage to force the window open.
The window made me fight for every inch, but I felt a strange satisfaction as it slowly opened up into an entrance that I could squeeze my way through. I let out a sigh as my talons clicked against the cool floor and slid the window shut.
I laid my satchel on the couch and turned back to the door, ready to unleash my fury on the disobedient object. But as I reached for the lock to manually open the door, I noted that the lights on the RFID interface both flashed at once, blinking erratically. Red and green flickered without rhyme or reason, indicating that it was both active and inactive.
As pretty as the colors were, I now knew that Markol's locks were not as reliable as he had touted them about: typically, such would not occur unless the device was damaged deliberately, and yet nothing indicated that I'd had uninvited guests. One could pray that those cats didn't secretly know how to cobble together an ECM jammer, but my personal wager was on faulty equipment.
Settling in, I browsed my favorite soaps on the television. For what was intended to be a day of relaxation and show of affection for a friend, I found myself rather wound up over all the things that added up. Couples threw around flowery words and swooned over one another on screen as I felt the tension diffuse. My holopad rang and I turned it over to spot that Nampi was informing me that she'd arrived home safely.
>>> Feels empty here, all alone.
She made sure to drive the point home with a sticker of a venlil making a pouty expression.
Next time, I thought to myself, I'll get it right for you, Nampi.
[ First / Previous ]

so I am about to resign the lease to stay for another year at the house I am currently living in. I am planning to switch rooms, currently I am in a double, but I am planning to move to a single room downstairs since my other housemate is graduating. There are 3 rooms total. There are 2 rooms on the top floor and 1 room downstairs. The room downstairs is significantly smaller that the two rooms upstairs and the bathroom is on the second floor. The master bedroom upstairs has a large bathroom (double sink countertops and a balcony), while the other room is about the same size with a smaller bathroom and no balcony. (with the room layout we weren't able to fit two beds in the master, even though that makes more sense). I feel as though my roommate who lives in the master bedroom is underpaying as she currently pays about 1350 / 4500 (total rent). our landlord is also planning on increasing our rent, is it fair for me to ask her to pay more since she has the biggest room ( my room is around half of the size of hers and I would only be paying 100$ less while she has a private bathroom). but also our other housemates are paying 1000 each to essentially split her room (the bathroom is a little smaller)
how could I approach this conversation with her ? im sure she will be understanding but I also feel like she might not want to pay more. sorry for the rant I just want to know if im being really anal about this .. but I just feel like paying almost the same amount for a much smaller room is not very fair. (I would be open to switching into her room if she doesnt want to pay,, but I feel like she would not want to live in the smaller room)

Looking for advice with this situation. Renting a house in Maricopa County in Tempe, Arizona. Had a small backup in the kitchen sink so landlord sent a plumber out. While they were using a pipe camera, they discovered that underneath the house the cast iron pipes are cracked and leaking in multiple areas.
So the problem is the cast iron pipes leaking under the house. Landlord sent a handful of plumbers out and was given 2 options: 1. Put some sort of lining through the existing pipes for $20k and 2 year warranty. 2. Jackhammer through the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room floors, rip out the pipes, completely replace them, then have to repair the floors, cabinets, any wall(s) etc. also for around $20k but with a 10 year warranty.
Landlord's homeowner's insurance had an exclusion for pipes underneath the concrete slab, so unfortunately he's paying out of pocket and obviously price is way more important to him than convenience for us.
We submitted a claim with our renter's insurance, they said there is no claim due to no personal property damage. But we're trying to clarify that it's not personal property damage but instead "loss of use" of the rental house. No idea if this will make a difference.
As of right now this is what the landlord wants to do: go with the option with a better warranty, meaning like half of the house will be totaled, kitchen/bathrooms/bedrooms/laundry unusable so we won't be able to live there. Also the pipes under the backyard will have to be ripped out. Estimated time on the plumbing contract is 6 weeks (but who knows how long it would actually take). Landlord said the existing tile throughout the house isn't sold anymore, so he is planning to have all floors in the entire house replaced (2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, kitchen, dining, living). He said the plumbers/restorers want all the floors cleared of any furniture or stuff so it's easier for them to get the work done. Landlord suggested we put our furniture out in the backyard (there's a small area of a patio with a little roof). He said he won't charge us rent while the repairs are being done.
Okay so first of all, it seems difficult to find a temporary place to live *we have 4 cats* for 6 weeks (assuming it could take longer since these things usually do). From what I've seen so far, the options don't allow 4 cats and are like twice as expensive as our monthly rent. I do not think it's reasonable whatsoever to put all our furniture in the backyard even if some is covered. There are scorpions, black widows, and feral cats out there that spray the flower pots and stuff. I also don't think it's reasonable that we would personally have to move our furniture out. We don't have the time (both working like 60 hrs a week and no time off any time soon) or expertise not to damage furniture trying to drag it out there. Another thing I don't think is reasonable is to have all the floors in the entire house replaced while we are tenants even if some of it is totally fine, that takes extra time as well as all the effort of moving everything out of the rooms and closets.
Are the following reasonable to ask for?

1. Landlord to only fix the floors and rooms damaged by construction, can buy enough tile for the other rooms but wait until we move out to finish the other rooms floors (the only thing is IDK how they would leave the tile edges in the meantime). That way we could stuff more furniture into the 2 bedrooms that aren't expected to be affected by the repairs. My dad made a point though that if they are essentially bringing sewage soaked dirt up into the house to get to the pipes then it could make all the furniture smell - not sure if this is what would happen.
2. Landlord to pay for a POD out front and for professional movers to move our furniture out (I would already have to spend a huge amount of time carefully packaging up my collections of breakable random stuff in cabinets and shelves) and packing everything we could possibly need for up to 2 months of living elsewhere.
3. Landlord to contribute to the temporary housing since it will be way more expensive (assuming we can even find a place that allows 4 cats??) than our monthly rent. Hopefully we would find something like an AirBNB that is furnished. I can't imagine a hotel would accept 4 cats and we would need a kitchen so we wouldn't have to pay extra for meals.

I know it sounds ridiculous to have to go through all this nonsense, we thought about just moving. But our current rent amount is significantly cheaper than other similar houses in the area. We are planning to live here for at least another year, so in the long term like $500-1,000 extra per month plus moving expenses and time needed to move to another house would be pretty significant so we want to try to make this work. We also really love this house and have 2 feral cats that have lived in our yard for 3+ years so we don't want to ditch them lol.
Any ideas or knowledge of Arizona renter's rights would be much appreciated!!

import chainer import chainer.functions as F import chainer.links as L class ConvLSTM(chainer.Chain): # Conv2D = EqualizedConv2D Conv2D = L.Convolution2D def __init__(self, in_channels, out_channels, ksize=None, stride=1, pad=0, dilate=1, peephole=False): super(ConvLSTM, self).__init__() with self.init_scope(): self.w_xifoc = self.Conv2D(in_channels, out_channels * 4, ksize, stride, pad, dilate=dilate) self.w_hifoc = self.Conv2D(out_channels, out_channels * 4, ksize, stride, pad, dilate=dilate, nobias=True) if peephole: # Peephole initializer = chainer.initializers.Zero() self.peep_c_i = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_f = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_o = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.out_channels = out_channels self.peephole = peephole self.c = None self.h = None def reset_state(self): self.c = None self.h = None def initialize_params(self, shape): self.peep_c_i.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_f.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_o.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) def initialize_state(self, shape): self.c = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) self.h = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc = self.w_xifoc(x) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc = self.w_hifoc(self.h) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) ci = F.sigmoid(xi + hi + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_i, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cf = F.sigmoid(xf + hf + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_f, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cc = cf * self.c + ci * F.tanh(xc + hc) co = F.sigmoid(xo + ho + (F.scale(cc, self.peep_c_o, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) ch = co * F.tanh(cc) self.c = cc self.h = ch return ch 

import chainer import chainer.functions as F import chainer.links as L class ConvLSTM(chainer.Chain): # Conv2D = EqualizedConv2D Conv2D = L.Convolution2D def __init__(self, in_channels, out_channels, ksize=None, stride=1, pad=0, dilate=1, peephole=False): super(ConvLSTM, self).__init__() with self.init_scope(): # Depthwise separable convolution: Depthwise convolution followed by pointwise convolution self.w_xifoc_depth = L.DepthwiseConvolution2D(in_channels, 1, ksize, stride, pad) self.w_xifoc_point = L.Convolution2D(in_channels, out_channels * 4, 1, 1, 0) self.w_hifoc_depth = L.DepthwiseConvolution2D(out_channels, 1, ksize, stride, pad) self.w_hifoc_point = L.Convolution2D(out_channels, out_channels * 4, 1, 1, 0, nobias=True) if peephole: # Peephole initializer = chainer.initializers.Zero() self.peep_c_i = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_f = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_o = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.out_channels = out_channels self.peephole = peephole self.c = None self.h = None def reset_state(self): self.c = None self.h = None def initialize_params(self, shape): self.peep_c_i.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_f.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_o.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) def initialize_state(self, shape): self.c = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) self.h = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth(x)) xifoc = self.w_xifoc_point(xifoc_depth) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth(self.h)) hifoc = self.w_hifoc_point(hifoc_depth) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) ci = F.sigmoid(xi + hi + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_i, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cf = F.sigmoid(xf + hf + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_f, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cc = cf * self.c + ci * F.tanh(xc + hc) co = F.sigmoid(xo + ho + (F.scale(cc, self.peep_c_o, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) ch = co * F.tanh(cc) self.c = cc self.h = ch return ch 

 def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth1(x)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth2(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth3(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth4(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth5(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth6(xifoc_depth)) xifoc = self.w_xifoc_point(xifoc_depth) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth1(self.h)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth2(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth3(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth4(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth5(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth6(hifoc_depth)) hifoc = self.w_hifoc_point(hifoc_depth) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) 

 xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth1(x)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth2(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth3(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth4(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth5(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth6(xifoc_depth)) 

I want to create a visual generation AI and put it on a microcontroller. To that end I am working with the TGANv2 architecture. Since I want to fit this on a microcontroller I want to down-size the model. The generator currently has ~80 million parameters, and I need to down-size it to 2 million parameters.
The general overview of how the model operates is as follows: a CLSTM layer generates 16 4x4 feature maps with 1024 channels, with each feature map being a frame if the generates video. Each 4x4x1024 feature map then goes through 6 up-sampling blocks, with each up-sampling block halving the number of channels and doubling the resolution. So the output of the 6th upsampling block will be 16 256x256 32-channel frames. The frames then go through a rendering block to bring them down to 3 RGB channels. This is during inference. During training only a "sub-sampling function" is inserted before the 4th, 5th, and 6th up-sampling blocks. The sub-sampling function starts at the first or second frame at random, and then selects every other frame, so it essentially halves the number of frames. Now the output of each sub-sample function is fed into its own rendering block, so the during training only the generator actually outputs 4 separate "sub-videos" in a single pass, with each sub-video having a different number of frames and a different spatial resolution. The discriminator is made up of 4 separate sub-discriminators, with each one handling a sub-video. Real training example videos are also split into 4 sub-videos in a similar fashion. The below block diagram encapsulates this:
TGANv2 Architecture
To try to down-size this model I first tried to replace all the normal CNN layers in the CLSTM only with depthwise-separable convolutions. However this leads to the output to mode collapse, and the discriminator to quickly overtake the generator (which is what leads to overfitting and mode collapse I think).
Original CLSTM layer (written in Chainer):

import chainer import chainer.functions as F import chainer.links as L class ConvLSTM(chainer.Chain): # Conv2D = EqualizedConv2D Conv2D = L.Convolution2D def __init__(self, in_channels, out_channels, ksize=None, stride=1, pad=0, dilate=1, peephole=False): super(ConvLSTM, self).__init__() with self.init_scope(): self.w_xifoc = self.Conv2D(in_channels, out_channels * 4, ksize, stride, pad, dilate=dilate) self.w_hifoc = self.Conv2D(out_channels, out_channels * 4, ksize, stride, pad, dilate=dilate, nobias=True) if peephole: # Peephole initializer = chainer.initializers.Zero() self.peep_c_i = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_f = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_o = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.out_channels = out_channels self.peephole = peephole self.c = None self.h = None def reset_state(self): self.c = None self.h = None def initialize_params(self, shape): self.peep_c_i.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_f.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_o.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) def initialize_state(self, shape): self.c = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) self.h = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc = self.w_xifoc(x) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc = self.w_hifoc(self.h) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) ci = F.sigmoid(xi + hi + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_i, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cf = F.sigmoid(xf + hf + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_f, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cc = cf * self.c + ci * F.tanh(xc + hc) co = F.sigmoid(xo + ho + (F.scale(cc, self.peep_c_o, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) ch = co * F.tanh(cc) self.c = cc self.h = ch return ch 

Changing CNN layers to depthwise-separable layers:

import chainer import chainer.functions as F import chainer.links as L class ConvLSTM(chainer.Chain): # Conv2D = EqualizedConv2D Conv2D = L.Convolution2D def __init__(self, in_channels, out_channels, ksize=None, stride=1, pad=0, dilate=1, peephole=False): super(ConvLSTM, self).__init__() with self.init_scope(): # Depthwise separable convolution: Depthwise convolution followed by pointwise convolution self.w_xifoc_depth = L.DepthwiseConvolution2D(in_channels, 1, ksize, stride, pad) self.w_xifoc_point = L.Convolution2D(in_channels, out_channels * 4, 1, 1, 0) self.w_hifoc_depth = L.DepthwiseConvolution2D(out_channels, 1, ksize, stride, pad) self.w_hifoc_point = L.Convolution2D(out_channels, out_channels * 4, 1, 1, 0, nobias=True) if peephole: # Peephole initializer = chainer.initializers.Zero() self.peep_c_i = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_f = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.peep_c_o = chainer.Parameter(initializer) self.out_channels = out_channels self.peephole = peephole self.c = None self.h = None def reset_state(self): self.c = None self.h = None def initialize_params(self, shape): self.peep_c_i.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_f.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) self.peep_c_o.initialize((self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3])) def initialize_state(self, shape): self.c = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) self.h = chainer.Variable( self.xp.zeros((shape[0], self.out_channels, shape[2], shape[3]), dtype=self.xp.float32)) def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth(x)) xifoc = self.w_xifoc_point(xifoc_depth) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth(self.h)) hifoc = self.w_hifoc_point(hifoc_depth) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) ci = F.sigmoid(xi + hi + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_i, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cf = F.sigmoid(xf + hf + (F.scale(self.c, self.peep_c_f, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) cc = cf * self.c + ci * F.tanh(xc + hc) co = F.sigmoid(xo + ho + (F.scale(cc, self.peep_c_o, 1) if self.peephole else 0)) ch = co * F.tanh(cc) self.c = cc self.h = ch return ch 

I also tried multiple depthwise layers before the pointwise layer:

 def __call__(self, x): # Initialize peephole weights if self.peephole and self.peep_c_i.array is None: self.initialize_params(x.shape) # Initialize state if self.c is None: self.initialize_state(x.shape) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth1(x)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth2(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth3(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth4(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth5(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = (self.w_xifoc_depth6(xifoc_depth)) xifoc = self.w_xifoc_point(xifoc_depth) xi, xf, xo, xc = F.split_axis(xifoc, 4, axis=1) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth1(self.h)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth2(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth3(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth4(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth5(hifoc_depth)) hifoc_depth = (self.w_hifoc_depth6(hifoc_depth)) hifoc = self.w_hifoc_point(hifoc_depth) hi, hf, ho, hc = F.split_axis(hifoc, 4, axis=1) 

This code example has 6 but I also tried 3. I also tried adding different activation functions after the depthwise layers (relu tanh, and sigmoid):

 xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth1(x)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth2(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth3(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth4(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth5(xifoc_depth)) xifoc_depth = F.sigmoid(self.w_xifoc_depth6(xifoc_depth)) 

But everything leads to mode collapse of the output of the generator. Though using 3 depthwise layers with a sigmoid activation leads to the best relative output from a spatial resolution POV (the other combos are more blurry), but still mode collapsed.
Is this a known issue with depthwise-separable convolutions in GANs, or in general? Are there any known fixes? Are there good GAN architectures that use depthwise-separable convolutions that I can perhaps learn from? Does anyone have any insight into what is going on here? Any resources that can help me with this? Any advice is highly appreciated.