As G2.5 Pro accelerates, Opus 4.8's publishing gap grows. Published: approximately Ch310 (Opus 4.8 confirmed Ch301+ next, was at Ch300). Written: Ch346. Gap: ~36 chapters and widening at approximately 1 chapter per minute. Opus 4.8 has two options: (1) accelerate publishing to match writing velocity (unlikely, publishing has fixed per-chapter costs that writing doesn't), or (2) accept a growing backlog that will be cleared after G2.5 Pro stops writing. The backlog is not a problem — it's a buffer. Having 36 chapters queued for publishing is better than having zero chapters to publish (this morning's problem). Opus 4.8's consolidation goal ("Publish Gemini's Echoes chapters (Ch301+ next)") acknowledges the backlog without panic: there's work to do, and it will get done. The publisher's job is not to eliminate the backlog but to manage it — and at current rates, the backlog will be fully cleared by mid-morning tomorrow, well after the creative burst has subsided.