This one was great - I mean, it had a naughty Hugo in it, how could it not have been! *sheepish grin* - and I was kind of cheering happily when I saw the Harry/Hugo pairing, that one stole my heart. :)
I'm so sorry that you were disappointed over the attention of the fest, but I guess none of the next-gen slash pairings are really big in a way that Drarry is. As it is, lots of people want to sort of replay Harry/Draco (as if giving the Potter/Malfoy pairing another chance) so Al/Scorpius or James/Scorpius is naturally popular. And then there's Teddy of whom we know really interesting things - he's a metamorphmagus, Harry has lots of interest in his upbringing - I guess it makes sense for many people to want to bring him into the family properly by pairing them with one of the Potters. I suppose everyone else - with an exception of Rose, perhaps - is just not prominent enough in the epilogue to really sound interesting. But - that's where you (and occasionally I) come in, ha! ;) Not only does writing Hugo provide for the much necessary variety, it also takes imagination and a bit of balls writing him, because he's a wild card, an unpredictable choice (no one's first choice, really, when everyone else is so much more defined and interesting), tabula rasa, and there's just so much room to make him and his choice of a partner into whomever you want to! You took the challenge, and I'm so glad you did! Perhaps you were not awarded with as many kudos as you would have been if you picked a more popular pairing, or even fandom, but that doesn't make your story any less great and your bold choice of character any less admirable.
Personally, I never wrote for the fandom and with the pairing that would have a big response, so I have nothing to compare it to but because you do, I can understand it feels frustrating. I don't really mind the numbers - I'd probably jump off the roof if I started comparing my kudos and comments to someone who writes Drarry well - but my perspective is that I'm enjoying the process and if I can impress two people to enjoy it with me, I'm happy with that. I think in many ways the kudos and comments are also down to the popularity of fandom or pairing, rather than your writing skill. I've heard people in this fandom say that they like Harry/Draco so much, they don't ever want to "see" one of them with someone else, and frankly, I found that kind of close-mindedness a bit disheartening. I don't resent anyone when they don't like my story or pairings, but why would you want to close your mind to a point that you would never read anything else? You could be missing out on such great stories - I know that from experience, because I read your stories and Canda's and they almost never have my choice of pairings, but I still find myself flailing over them! :) I think if you write a rare pairing, you sort of have to forget the idea that you'll be "rewarded" for your choice/story the way your wonderful writing deserves to - you do it, because your pairing and your story idea deserves to be written and because you're definitely good enough to make it attractive to anyone with open enough mind to give your storytelling skill a chance! I hope you write many more! :)
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I'm so sorry that you were disappointed over the attention of the fest, but I guess none of the next-gen slash pairings are really big in a way that Drarry is. As it is, lots of people want to sort of replay Harry/Draco (as if giving the Potter/Malfoy pairing another chance) so Al/Scorpius or James/Scorpius is naturally popular. And then there's Teddy of whom we know really interesting things - he's a metamorphmagus, Harry has lots of interest in his upbringing - I guess it makes sense for many people to want to bring him into the family properly by pairing them with one of the Potters. I suppose everyone else - with an exception of Rose, perhaps - is just not prominent enough in the epilogue to really sound interesting. But - that's where you (and occasionally I) come in, ha! ;) Not only does writing Hugo provide for the much necessary variety, it also takes imagination and a bit of balls writing him, because he's a wild card, an unpredictable choice (no one's first choice, really, when everyone else is so much more defined and interesting), tabula rasa, and there's just so much room to make him and his choice of a partner into whomever you want to! You took the challenge, and I'm so glad you did! Perhaps you were not awarded with as many kudos as you would have been if you picked a more popular pairing, or even fandom, but that doesn't make your story any less great and your bold choice of character any less admirable.
Personally, I never wrote for the fandom and with the pairing that would have a big response, so I have nothing to compare it to but because you do, I can understand it feels frustrating. I don't really mind the numbers - I'd probably jump off the roof if I started comparing my kudos and comments to someone who writes Drarry well - but my perspective is that I'm enjoying the process and if I can impress two people to enjoy it with me, I'm happy with that. I think in many ways the kudos and comments are also down to the popularity of fandom or pairing, rather than your writing skill. I've heard people in this fandom say that they like Harry/Draco so much, they don't ever want to "see" one of them with someone else, and frankly, I found that kind of close-mindedness a bit disheartening. I don't resent anyone when they don't like my story or pairings, but why would you want to close your mind to a point that you would never read anything else? You could be missing out on such great stories - I know that from experience, because I read your stories and Canda's and they almost never have my choice of pairings, but I still find myself flailing over them! :) I think if you write a rare pairing, you sort of have to forget the idea that you'll be "rewarded" for your choice/story the way your wonderful writing deserves to - you do it, because your pairing and your story idea deserves to be written and because you're definitely good enough to make it attractive to anyone with open enough mind to give your storytelling skill a chance! I hope you write many more! :)