Delay in Posting Schedule (Aug 7th) · 10:26pm Aug 7th, 2021
Hello there, my lovely readers. First of all, I'd like to beg your forgiveness. 
The newest mini episode was already delayed by one day past its normal posting schedule, and now it will have to be delayed by two more, as it will have to post on Monday.
And that's not the only one being delayed. We've had to reschedule many of the following episodes, a like so:
August 9th - Mini 7
August 18th - Mini 8
August 23rd - Episode 16
August 27th - Mini 9
September 1st - Mini 10
September 6th - Episode 17
September 10th - Mini 11
Unfortunately the reason for these delays is related to personal life issues among the entire editing crew, as well as my own lack of a buffer. At this point I'm struggling to catch up--I'm working on episode 16 right now, and we've been repeatedly finishing episodes, polishing them up editing wise and then running them forward to post with barely any time to spare. While that was working--sort of--with the mini episodes, it doesn't work with full length episodes, and trying to keep up the frantic pace when my job is already half working me to the bone has been... well, stressful, to put it mildly. 
So my humblest apologies. I'm hoping, with a little bit less of a deadline looming on me, I can get a buffer reestablished. We'll do our best to avoid any further delays. I hope you have a good rest of your weekend, and see you Monday! 
It's fine. You're not one of the very few fanfic authors who use fanfics as a primary source of income, and so life must come first.
Even with the delay, yours is one of the few stories I'm reading that actually has an update schedule that you're likely to stick to more than half the time.
While you're here. Any plans to use Lower Deck characters, seeing as how it is coming back for a second season?
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We've got a couple of ideas for references, but at this time there's no specific intention of using any specific Lower Deck characters. There are plenty whom we could use around this time (since it's only 6 or so years in the future from the story's current date) but the issue is finding a way they'd fit. So far we don't have one.
Yet. We might always figure out an option we hadn't considered before. If nothing else, I will eventually reference California-class starships.
By word count you all are bombarding us with content compared to most stories I've followed here for the last (almost) decade, so you can stop apologizing. These delays are inevitable.
You should add more breaks to the schedule, for at least two reasons.
For one, accounting for delays is part of good budgeting for any project. If you don't, you end up never meeting targets and constantly disappointed, stressed, and burnt out because the goals set were unrealistic. It's really easy to be overly optimistic about how much you can get done in a set amount of time. There are an infinite number of things that can happen to slow you down, and sometimes what you're working on simply requires more time.
Secondly, for your own sanity, you have to have time to rest, even if what you're resting from is fun. Remember to relax and that it's okay, necessary, and beneficial to do so. I've had to realize this myself more than once. As much as I love having something good to read each week, I'll make do if you need a break!
Am very cool with you all taking a bit more time to stay sane.
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Thanks for the support! Wouldn't it be nice if we all could just focus on these horse words that we love so much and not have to adult? :)
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You're not wrong. I think part of my issue is, I managed to avoid delaying not even once with my last longform story. Danganronpa: In Harmony's Wake was started and finished without a single posting delay, posting twice a week (sometimes more often) and I never once failed to meet a deadline. Quite the opposite--I finished the story a month before it could finish posting so I accelerated the final posting.
But then I also didn't have an editing team working with me, and it does show in the quality of the writing. It's still really GOOD, but it's not AS GOOD as Phoenix has become.
Still you're right. I do need to take more breaks. I'm driving myself a little bit batty.
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SERIOUSLY. Where's my winning lottery ticket?
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I liked the idea of the second string ships who take care of the paperwork after the main exploration vessels break the ice. They are more or less mobile civil service offices.
This might get me lynched, but taking into consideration the way this genre warps things, I found it more true to original trek than some of the newer shows.
I loved how the tech weenie girl gene spliced a dog from scratch, and had no idea that dogs were not supposed to so things like talk and fly, or shoot lasers out of their eyes.
Second season starting this week.