Obviously, one should devote one's energies to the places one wants. I've been having a rough time with fests in general, myself, and I'm seriously considering taking some time off from them when Yuletide is over.
That said: For your concern about AO3, I'd suggest emailing the mod directly. When I asked her about the same (which was the reason for her to change the rule to begin with), she was planning to make the announcement after sign-ups, when she had some time to figure out if she could make the comm work. Since it's a deal-breaker on your end, maybe she could give you a better answer, sooner.
As for being daunted: please don't be. These are Old School fans and it's a hand-matched fest. Players are very good about trying to meet their assignee's preferences. I won't insist that everyone hits a win every year, because that's obviously not possible, but there is clearly effort to please. Spell out what you're interested in in your sign-up form. That's what it's there for.
no subject
That said: For your concern about AO3, I'd suggest emailing the mod directly. When I asked her about the same (which was the reason for her to change the rule to begin with), she was planning to make the announcement after sign-ups, when she had some time to figure out if she could make the comm work. Since it's a deal-breaker on your end, maybe she could give you a better answer, sooner.
As for being daunted: please don't be. These are Old School fans and it's a hand-matched fest. Players are very good about trying to meet their assignee's preferences. I won't insist that everyone hits a win every year, because that's obviously not possible, but there is clearly effort to please. Spell out what you're interested in in your sign-up form. That's what it's there for.