The reason there's so many rules is because it's the HUGEST festival of its kind in fandom. As in, over 2000 people participate.
It's designed specifically for rare fandoms. The choices you have to write or request are fandoms that were, first, nominated by participants and then approved as small enough fandoms to qualify as "rare. So, you're not going to find Doctor Who or Firefly in there. But you can always crossover what you're doing with them, if you'd like. But you have to limit your requests and offers to what's been nominated. It makes matching much easier. See above re: 2000+ participants.
There have always been mods. Modding the comm is necessary because, well, see above re: 2000+ participants.
This is only my second year participating, but I've been reading Yuletide for years, as many of my RL friends have been participating from the beginning, and I generally spend New Years with them (the day that authors are revealed), so everyone pretty much spends all of NYD reading Yuletide and chortling over who wrote what. "That Winnie-the-Pooh/Granny Weatherwax crossover! That was you?"
no subject
It's designed specifically for rare fandoms. The choices you have to write or request are fandoms that were, first, nominated by participants and then approved as small enough fandoms to qualify as "rare. So, you're not going to find Doctor Who or Firefly in there. But you can always crossover what you're doing with them, if you'd like. But you have to limit your requests and offers to what's been nominated. It makes matching much easier. See above re: 2000+ participants.
There have always been mods. Modding the comm is necessary because, well, see above re: 2000+ participants.
Here's a history: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Yuletide
This is only my second year participating, but I've been reading Yuletide for years, as many of my RL friends have been participating from the beginning, and I generally spend New Years with them (the day that authors are revealed), so everyone pretty much spends all of NYD reading Yuletide and chortling over who wrote what. "That Winnie-the-Pooh/Granny Weatherwax crossover! That was you?"