Release Schedule
The short version: we release the episodes when they're ready, not before, not when people donate, and certainly not when you ask for it for the 100th time.
The long version, via Loliko:
This post is being made to clarify a few things with regards to our releases and policies. Most, if not all, of the things I will mention in this post has been said time and time again, but for everyone's sake I will say it one more time so we can cease all discussions on these tired topics and get back to our daily lives.
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Ayu policy with regards to release schedule
Ayu releases projects once they have gone through our proofing procedures to ensure that they meet our high standards. Needless to say, this implicitly implies that a particular project will not be released if it is currently in one of the pre-QC stages. We occasionally joke about withholding releases for whatever reason; we assume that they are interpreted as such, but also realize that there are people who interpret our announcements literally. The following, stated countlessly by all members of Ayu staff, is our policy:
Ayu will release when the episode is finished.
Some of us have tried to simply state this, to no avail, evident in the mountains of release date-related questions fielded by randall via our insite mailing service. Others have tried to take a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek route to get our message across; some laughed, some took offense, and hopefully everyone came to understand the underlying message. In case it was missed, I revert back to [P]ako's method
Ayu will release the episode when it has been completed.
It has been brought to my attention that some people believe that Ayu not only withholds releases, but releases their works EARLY to certain privileged individuals. Let it be known that the only people who are entitled to this sort of "VIP" access are members of Ayu Staff and its Distribution team, the latter of which receives our releases first for reasons that are hopefully self-evident. Ayu release dates are not affected by bribes of any form.
As has been stated many times before, we accept donations only to help offset the various costs related to keeping this website up and running. Ayu, or members thereof, do not depend on fansubbing as a source of income; this is reflected in our monthly goals. Supporters are under no requirement to donate to us, nor would they be entitled to special privileges for having done so. All we require of our supporters is that they enjoy the releases we put forth.
Ayu release schedule
Ayu does not have a regular release schedule, unlike some of your other favourite groups. Because we pride ourselves on quality, we have a few extra steps in our process, and this inclusion occasionally contributes to delays in our projects. Depending on the task, the person responsible may be faster than normal; conversely, he or she may have to take some more time to deal with more problematic issues. Moreover, said person may not be available to work on their task for whatever reason, personal and otherwise. As a result, we refuse to post release dates because we cannot know for sure when the episode(s) will be complete, and we choose to prevent the disappointment that failing to meet these dates would inevitably bring.
Addendum - "Project Status"
Many people have suggested that we make a page for the specific purpose of letting people know the current statuses of each of our active projects. We have said time and time again that Ayu intentionally withholds information pertaining to up-to-date project statuses. We understand that some of your favourite groups may choose to share this information with their supporters. These groups have their own policy, and it is not our place to comment on them; likewise, Ayu follows Ayu policy. Some reasons behind withholding this type of information
- Increased expectations
- Unfounded notions of entitlement
- Respect for our staff members' privacies
I hope that this post achieves its goal of objectively communicating Ayu's stance on the aforementioned matters. If anybody reading this has any further questions, feel free to stab yourself in the face, as we don't care at all.
