I really think I might have a go at Yuletide - I'm feeling quite excited about it now ^__^
Btw, I saw your question on the official Yuletide post but I thought I'd reply here because I don't want to get in the way of the people who really know their stuff.
But looking at the FAQ on AO3 for Yuletide 2018, it says:
Requests
...For each fandom, you can request 0 to 4 (nominated) characters.
If you request 0 characters, your writer is allowed to write about any of the nominated characters they want, or about the fandom universe in general. You may not request 0 characters and then insist on specific characters (nominated or not) in your optional details. [My bolding.]
So, unless I'm misunderstanding this, it looks like--whether any characters have been nominated for the tag set or not--you can simply request 0 characters for a fandom in your sign-up and that gives your assigned writer carte blanche to use anyone in the whole fandom.
no subject
Btw, I saw your question on the official Yuletide post but I thought I'd reply here because I don't want to get in the way of the people who really know their stuff.
But looking at the FAQ on AO3 for Yuletide 2018, it says:
Requests
...For each fandom, you can request 0 to 4 (nominated) characters.
If you request 0 characters, your writer is allowed to write about any of the nominated characters they want, or about the fandom universe in general. You may not request 0 characters and then insist on specific characters (nominated or not) in your optional details. [My bolding.]
So, unless I'm misunderstanding this, it looks like--whether any characters have been nominated for the tag set or not--you can simply request 0 characters for a fandom in your sign-up and that gives your assigned writer carte blanche to use anyone in the whole fandom.