Sonic HQ’s exclusive interview with former Shadow Of Light co-webmaster and current FUS webmaster, Sonique is here! The following message was sent to her to precede the interview. This interview is by WB. Now, read on!
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Greetings Sonic fans! She can be one of the nicest people you meet if you talk to her, but cross her the wrong way and she wont hesitate to tell you what she thinks. ^__^ She’s vocal, she’s outspoken and she’s one of the most well known long-time webmasters in the Sonic fandom! Her name is Alison Scharlemann, but you all know her as the unique “Sonique”! From Sonic Pandemonium, to Shadow Of Light, to currently FUS, join us as we have a sit with tonights lady of the evening!
Prepare for a liitle Pandemonium – Sonique Style! :O)
SHQ: First can you give us some background on yourself? Like who you are and just what it is you do for those that don’t know.
SONIQUE: Well, I work at Cub Foods Deli whoohoo! Okay, seriously, I’ve always been interested in computers, drawing and writing. I’ve written a few stories about me and Sonic called the “Sonic Beyond” series. Where that name came from I don’t know. I’ve also drawn a few pics but I don’t have a decent shading program and am not too good at it myself, so I don’t release too much of my art work to the public. Most of them are just outlines, but they look cool. I first started a website called Sonic Pandemonium, switched it to Perfect Chaos to revolve more around Dreamcast and SA, then moved my stuff to Neon’s server and we became Shadow of Light. Now that’s all behind me and I’ve started FUS – Fans United for SatAM.
SHQ: Everyone pretty much knows that Artie of Team Artail is heavily into anime, I (WB) am really into my art and animation, and Kedzie-K of TSF is into programming and web design. What things OUTSIDE of Sonic net fandom do you like to do?
SONIQUE: There’s other things besides Sonic?… no, kidding. Lemme think, I love the Power Puff Girls for one thing. They rock! I also enjoy the Nicktoon Hey Arnold! I know it seems odd that a 19 year old girl is obsessed with Sonic and watching these cartoons, but I’m cool with it and I’m sure I’ll continue watching cartoons for a long time. Arnold and Helga forever! 🙂 As a few of you may know, I also am a bisexual. Not really by my choice, I just find myself attracted to women at times. I’m saying this because I used to be so afraid of what people would say, but now I’ve learned that it shouldn’t matter what others think of me and I want people to know that about me. If they don’t like it, tough for them! Bi means twice the fun MUAHAHHHAHA!
SHQ: How did you ultimately become a Sonic fan and what keeps you in Sonic fandom?
SONIQUE: I remember a long time ago, I was at a friend’s house. This was when Sonic first came out (actually Sonic 2 I think) and I thought we’re gonna play a game on his Super NES but instead he showed me his SEGA genesis. I began playing and this blue spiked thing flies right off the screen when I barley told him to move. Then this two tailed thing comes flying around and annoying the hell outta me. I wasn’t pleased with this system at all. Later on in life, I got another chance at Sonic when my brother Josh (he’s the best brother there is BTW) brought home his friend’s genesis (which is currently the one I own). I was so disappointed that he didn’t borrow the SNES but I gave Sonic a chance anyway. Before I knew it, I was completely hooked! I loved the way Sonic could move so fast, much faster than Mario and Tails was so damn cute! The only games I had at the time were Sonic 2 and Sonic 1, but I played them till my fingers bled… (it hurt too :)) Anyway, then I found out about the TV shows and comics (more details below) Around this time is when I began Sonic Pandemonium. As soon as I learned more about SatAM, I wanted to start a Sonic site. I still loved the games as well and just wanted to show my dedication to Sonic in all ways possible. By this time, I had quite a few games and what not so I knew I could create a pretty good site.
SHQ: I talked with you about this over AOL Instant Messenger and way back when you first started, you owned a little page many Sonic fans remember called “Sonic Pandemonium”. ^__^ It was famous not for the fact that it was just another Sonic page, but the hard work and VERY personal feel that you put into it. Now that your previous page “Shadow Of Light” is no more, what in your opinion, made people remember Pandemonium so much? What was your ultimate goal in making it? And what, to you, made Pandemonium so special?
SONIQUE: Okay, pointless fact time. The original name for that site was Soneec’s Sonic site… then it moved onto The Sonic Lair (for about 3 hours) then Pandemonium. Oh, man those pandemonium days… the original TSPG… I remember that. Well, you hit a soft spot, and you’re not the first to request the return of that site. At that time I didn’t care about thinking big or anything, I just loved my site. I was also heavily into Sonic 2 beta at the time. I had to find out those lost levels one way or another. I remember when the Sonic 2 beta ROM came out and that was Pandemonium’s best times. not only did I start a hoax page but I WAS the original creator (yes not Simon Wai or Andre Dirk) of Weird Yet True Screenshots. I think people remember Pandemonium for, like you said, the personal feel. I wasn’t going to let anyone bash it and that’s what the Wannabes was for. My goal was to have a kickass site that people would remember and I think I can safely say, I succeeded. then I moved to Perfect Chaos which was to revolve more around SA, then Shadow of Light which I spoke about in your question below.
SHQ: Anyone that is familiar with you in any way, knows of your diligence to the series that is Sonic SatAM (The first Sonic cartoon by DiC that aired on ABC Saturday Mornings). Ever after its having been considered a “dead” cartoon by many and even some Sonic fans for that matter, what has made you stick with it for so long?
SONIQUE: I began looking up Sonic stuff on the net and found it had two TV shows… wait 2??? I thought there was just that crappy silly one on in the morning before school. I began to look around for this other TV show and found out little info about it. It was as if it never existed… Then I found out something about the Princess dying and Tails being so sad. Who was the Princess? And how did she die? (this was around the time of End Game mind you) Then I finally stumbled onto Sonic HQ, God bless it, and read about the TV show. I remember thinking, man this show sounds really whacked out. I remember hearing a wav file of Snively and Robotnik and had Snively pictured as one of Robotnik’s lame-o robots. Anyway, finally I found some pics and Snively sure didn’t look like a robot at all. Then I heard about the cliffhanger ending and “Doomsday”. It all sounded cool and I finally found a place where you could download the episodes. Finally I could see this “Doomsday Project” everyone fused about. (no pun intended) After I watched it I was like “What the hell was going on?” So I did some research on it before just dismissing it, and found out more about the show and characters. I began to feel for each and every character. I could feel a bond between them, I could feel Sonic’s love for Sally and I could feel Robotnik’s evil hatred for Sonic. I could even feel Snively’s pain and torture, and Sally’s love for her father and her longing to see him. All the emotion put into this series and the writing was incredible. Here’s an understatement, I love all of them, even Antoine, and even feel a bit of passion and sadness toward Snively. I ended up downloading all the episodes. I was totally hooked. Not only did I watch Doomsday Project again, I honestly cried in the ending. That kiss scene was so beautiful, and the over joy of Robotnik’s death… and the revenge of Snively and who did he have to help him? It just seemed like so much emotion came over me and, honestly, I cry or at least get watery eyed every time I watch Doomsday despite the fact I’ve seen it over 100 time and have it memorized back and front. As of now I have all but 4 SatAM ABC versions on tape, even though they are not in best quality… and no, I won’t make copies.
SHQ: Do you honestly believe that Sonic SatAM ever has a chance of ever being revived again in new episodes and/or reruns even if those chances are slim? Why or why not?
SONIQUE: Yes, I believe whole heartedly the show can return. Scooby doo had a come back. Alvin and the Chipmunks had a comeback, why can’t Sonic? The only reason those chances are slim is because people believe it is. I believe they are not slim at all and I just need to get that across to some people. Sega and DiC are big companies and if they wish to survive, they need to listen to their fans. We are their fans, we are Sonic and we are his future no matter how it ends.
SHQ: Do you believe that the 4 way split in Sonic fandom – Sega Sonic fans to Archie Sonic fans to Sonic Underground fans to SatAM fans is a reason as to why people don’t rally more in getting SatAM revived?
SONIQUE: Honestly, no. Earlier I said I was a bi and was afraid to come out cause of what others thought. That took guts, dammit. The majority of people out there, aren’t gay/bi or aren’t willing to admit it. The SatAM fandom is the same way. The majority of people, at least now with the Dreamcast and all, are SegaSonicers. I sort of am too in a way that I like Sonic’s new look and speed and stuff, but the guy has no tude at all. But that’s not my point, I HONESTLY BELIEVE, not think, believe that SatAM fans that are hardcore like me, are afraid to come out. They are scared because they are a minority group now and they don’t want to be ridiculed and mocked for their views. Look how badly the SU fans are bashed (mostly by me). SU fans are probably scarce cause the … well the show sucks, let’s face it… and because they are afraid to come out and say that they do love SU. The SatAM fans are the same way. How do I know? Because I was there, I was very scared to tell people how much I loved SatAM and when I’d try, they’d changed the subject to SA anyway. I’ve known others like that an no way would I be saying this now if it wasn’t for Robert Showalter and Sonic Epoch. We kind of helped each other get through our severe SatAM fandom… and for heaven’s sake people play that game, it rocks!
SHQ: What are your honest views on Sonic Underground?
SONIQUE: You asked for this one, buddy. Sonic Underground is an insult to everything Sonic and should be burned to the dastardly pile of whale shit that it is. There is nothing Sonic can gain from this and all it was was DiC and SEGA’s way of saying “shut the hell up! You aren’t getting SatAM back!” But, most of the music from the show was very tolerable and sometimes catchy, it’d just be better to keep the music for another series. One that deservers it. SU didn’t deserve any of the shit it got. The #$&@in’ toys, the damn stickers and the game. SatAM deserved that. The love Sonic has for his sibling brats is peanuts compared to what he felt for Sally. How depressing it is to watch Sonic act in the way he did. His ‘tude went to Manic and Sonia, don’t’ get me started on her. Sonic is a sissy and trying to revive Uncle Chuck was a horrible mistake. He wasn’t the Uncle Chuck we love. Sorry, Ben Hurst, you tried, but it just didn’t cut it. If you wanna see how bad I hate Cyrus… heh… nah, you don’t wanna see those pics…
SHQ: Why do you think DiC opted to create new series continuities instead of adapting the comic continuity or rebooting SatAM?
SONIQUE: Because they’re stupid… and like I said it was their way of saying “SHUT UP!” they couldn’t give us SatAM back, so they made some crap they thought would make us happy, but damn, they failed at that. Even Ben Hurst didn’t like the show and you can tell how his heart wasn’t in those scripts.
SHQ: People often argue that without those other forms of Sonic, there would be no Sonic The Hedgehog period. Some say Sonic Underground was good for the Sonic fandom, while others think it makes a mockery of it. Granted it DID bring in new fans and got old ones interested in Sonic cartoons again. What are your views on this?
SONIQUE: I think Sonic needed a good kick in the ass and SatAM and early Archie took care of that… but then after End Game and the canned SatAM… Sonic just was never the same and he lost it all. SU may have brought in new fans, but SU is so different that it only brought in SU fans and not any SegaSonic fans. SatAM brought in just SatAM/Archie fans and so on. So to answer your question…. I have no idea…
SHQ: Why has SatAM succeeded in staying alive in the fandom, where the other series, like AoSTH, have dwindled out (minus the SU fandom which is still kicking). What makes SatAM so special?
SONIQUE: How many times have I asked people if they watched the Sonic cartoon and they say, “Oh yea, the one on ABC with all the people was cool.” or “Not the one on the weekdays, but the one with the Princess in it…” and so on? … well I dunno but it’s been a lot. People loved that series, and I imagine for the same reasons I did. The feeling put into it, the writing, the continuing plot. Snively… okay maybe not Snively… Ben Hurst brought Sonic to life like he never had been before. Not only that, but Sonic showed true emotions and showed he did have feelings. It made us feel for Sonic and made us connect with him. When Sega stops Sonic’s feelings, we don’t’ understand him cause he’s just so far from real. Seriously now, if Princess Toatstool were to drop dead tomorrow, would Mario stand up, “I’d better get going!” no, he’d probably cry… (if Nintendo would allow it not sure where they stand on that) in SU, Sonic had no feelings, and same with AoStH. How are we supposed to like him when he’s dull like that. Same with SA, I HATE the SA Sonic with a passion (cept for the look and speed) but his personality sucks quacking elephants. (Whose line joke) Point is, without feelings, we can’t feel back for Sonic or understand him, because he’s just not real… he’s not real anyway, but he’s more real with feelings.
SHQ: Sega Sonic is pretty much regarded by almost all the fandom as the “prime” one considering it was the first and is under the thumb of Sonic Team and Sega. In your opinion does SEGASonic and/or Sega ultimately hurt other areas of Sonic fandom or help it, and in what way?
SONIQUE: By not giving Sonic emotions, they scar him. They hurt him horribly. I really wish they’d reconsider that. The best scenes in SatAM were when the characters showed deep emotion.
SHQ: How do you think Sega should handle the development of its characters in non-videogame media? Do they have an obligation to keep Sonic and the other characters as close to their game personalities as possible, or do they need to allow the comic/TV/whatever writers freedom to develop the characters as they see fit?
SONIQUE: I’d like to point out something Rob (mentioned above) said before to answer this. Just because a parent has a child, doesn’t mean they are fit to raise the child. Yes Sega created Sonic, but that doesn’t mean they know all the right answers and honestly, I don’t think they know what the hell they are doing. They should have some say, like Sonic can’t go around raping girls, but leave the writing to the professionals like Ben Hurst and Pat Allee.
SHQ: What is your honest opinion on the Archie comics? We all know that it has had its ups and downs, but do you think that it’s reaching its 100th issue (a milestone for _any_ “funny animal” book to have lasted this long) say that it has, to some effect, managed to “continue” the SatAM storyline effectively if not rocky in its output?
SONIQUE: I don’t read the comics nor do I think it’s a SatAM continuity. Maybe at one point it was, but it’s Sega’s comic now. I remember Ken Penders at a chat once said Ben Hurst considered it to be the ligament continuation… I think he either lied about Ben Saying that or Ben was on something bad when he said that. Besides which I do believe Sally and Sonic belong together and that sure ain’t happening in the comics and there is rumor that they break up.
SHQ: Why do you think some Sonic fans show so much animocity towards Archie ultimately deciding to move away from the Sonic SatAM continuity – do you believe moving more towards doing their own work was the right thing? Why?
SONIQUE: I don’t believe Archie was fit to uphold the title of SatAM. The only ones I believe to do so is Ben Hurst and Pat Allee. (God bless their hearts!) Unfortunately, moving away has made Archie very unpopular but what could they do with Sega breathing down their necks? Moving away is both good because they were not fit to do so, and bad because now, there is no SatAM except for the 26 episodes.
SHQ: What has been your best, saddest, and most frustrating moment ever in the production of Pandemonium, Shadow Of Light, and currently FUS. Describe some of your most memorable moments good and bad.
SONIQUE: The saddest was when I got blamed for the hoax shortage. I dunno why they said it was my fault but so many mean things were said about me at that time and I got so pissed I shut down SP… and brought it back up like an hour later :P. Frustrating was Samantha Clarfet but I’d rather not discuss that… I got a lot of idiots.. a LOT of idiots emailing me and it was very hard to put up with them (hence the WWW Wannabes) And now people try to copy the wannabes like say Petition Double Takes. That is just crap, total crap. Her comments aren’t funny in the least bit and they insult perfectly normal signatures. Best – getting out of SoL to run a SatAM website. Also finding Sonic Epoch and meeting Rob was great. I don’t know where I’d be without him and I hope he knows how important he is to me.
SHQ: Even though Shadow Of Light was doomed anyway to die at the hands of Gamefan, can you explain for those that don’t know, just what is “Shadow Of Light”, why did you end up later wanting to ultimately leave it?
SONIQUE: I’d rather not answer any questions concerning SoL’s.. death… But I will say that it just got to a point where I couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t cause of Neon or anything, he was fun to work with, but we both got frustrated and didn’t feel we were getting the right amount of respect we deserved… probably why Neon closed it.
SHQ: Do you believe that Sonic fandom now is tighter than it has been or spread apart further? What do you think has caused this? Do you believe that the bigger Sonic webpages like Sonic HQ, your very own Shadow Of Light, The Sonic Foundation, Neo Green Hill Zone, TeamArtail, Sonic Fan Games HQ and the numerous mailing lists and newsgroups help to keep Sonic fans alive and informed?
SONIQUE: Well… yeah but doesn’t that second part to that questions fall into the DUH category? And I think we’re spread apart. Too much rivalry on the net. It’s kind of a shame too, but what can I say? I won’t go near SU or Archie fans too much and they me.
SHQ: In addition to that – do you think our voices as a fandom even matter to Sega, Archie, and DiC? And in what ways to each respective company?
SONIQUE: Sega doesn’t give a damn what we think. As long as Sonic’ doing okay, who cares? We’d have gotten SatAM back years ago if they cared. DiC and Archie are tightly held under Sega’s grip so they can’t do much.
SHQ: Do you think that Sega and DiC truly care about the Sonic character anymore not as a viable commodity, but as a character that people ultimately do care about?
SONIQUE: Well, sometimes I feel Sega has lost respect for their own mascot. They just don’t give me enough reason to think they don’t… but with the DC I’ve seen a little more respect with all the cool toys and stuff… and toys, I love toys!
SHQ: Here’s the chance to promote your new project! ^__^ What is FUS?
SONIQUE: FUS which stands for Fans United for SatAM, is a group I am starting for people who are coming together for their love for SatAM. I know others have tried this in the past, but this is different. We are not here to bash SU, make fun of SegaSonic fans or anything like that. We are here to reach our goal. What is our goal? Well, it says on FUS’s homepage (satamsonic.com) “It is to love SatAM. It is to spread the word and do everything possible to keep SatAM going. It is to help others and each other.” Fact is, DiC and SEGA cannot stop us if we stay united. “We must not let anyone get us down, not even SEGA or DiC themselves. Sega may hold a tight fist on Archie, but they can not stop us. No one can bring down a group or strongly united people which is what we must become.” If we do decide to somehow bring new stories of SatAM to the world, I seriously doubt we will go through sega or DiC. We will probably do it ourselves with online comics, or other possibilities. I’ve pretty much given up all hope that DiC and SEGA will give us another series, and I even question the movie. We will also try to revive the old episodes by going through cartoon network and other places. FUS basically is here to give SatAM the respect it deserves so it will live on. We (FUS) are Sonic, SatAM style.
SHQ: The members of FUS, will you be keeping them updated on happenings and providing interactivity among them? In other words, what plans and ideas do you have for the members and the page itself in the future?
SONIQUE: Well, I’m sure I’ll be getting ideas from others and when I do, I’ll send out letters to everyone to inform them. I also plan to keep them updated on Team Artail’s Petition, the Sonic movie, and progress on getting the old SatAM shows to air.
SHQ: How did you get the idea for this, and do you ultimately believe that FUS can succeed?
SONIQUE: I’ve wanted to do this for quite some time and sort of did before with the SU Resistance. That was the wrong approach though and I canned that for obvious reasons. I was actually surprised some people actually did try to join that. The name FUS was actually created by Rob Showalter when we were trying to come up with a name for our team for SAGE. I suggested SatAM United but then they acronyms would be SU, which also means Sonic Underground, and we didn’t want that. Rob then suggested Fans United for SatAM, we put up quite a FUS, and VOILA! FUS was born! Originally, FUS was only going to be the team that worked on Sonic Epoch, but both of us wanted to do so much more. I began to create this website and coming up with ideas and things FUS could do to help SatAM. And, yes, we will succeed. Like I said before FUS is to love SatAM so in a way, we all ready have. FUS will revive the SatAM in one way or another, I know we will. We will need a lot of help but many have joined all ready. SEGA and Archie and no one else can stop us if we stay united.
SHQ: How do you plan on getting DiC’s attention?
SONIQUE: Pfff…. I said above we are not going through DiC except to maybe get the episodes back on the air. If we do that, we’ll write a lot of letters and show them how many people would like to see it return.
SHQ: Another point of interest at FUS is the pretty cool looking Sonic fan game called “Sonic Epoch”. Can you give those who aren’t familiar with it, some idea of what it is and its background?
SONIQUE: Y’know that really upsets me that you didn’t mention the creator’s name. Robert Showalter is the genius behind Sonic Epoch. Sonic Epoch is a strictly SatAM based game that kicks SEGA’s ass. The plot, the sprites, the music, the levels, everything about it rocks. As of now the version of Epoch that is out now is an older one than the one I have (I am Rob’s assistant in this is why) and everyone is in for quite a good time. This game is a MUST see. It’s the best thing I’ve played on my PC to date 🙂
SHQ: How has fan reaction been to Epoch so far?
SONIQUE: Honestly, I think half these people should be getting their assess kicked; they’re all busy whining that it’s SatAM and Not SEGA Sonic. One person said these exact words, If it weren’t SatAM, I’d probably dedicate a site to it, but since it is, it’s a piece of shit.” I mean what is that crap? That’s just shit itself. You can’t just dislike this game cause it’s SatAM. To me that statement says, “I’m a big dumbass who can’t stand change and won’t accept change or anything different.” Others won’t even bother to play the game cause they don’t feel it’s worthy. Another quote, “SegaSonic is games, SatAM is TV, it doesn’t work any other way.” Well Epoch proves his sorry butt wrong. Then there are those who either like or love the game. A lot of people who’ve played it say it’s worth while and I’d recommend it with all my soul. That game is 4 years of Rob’s hard work and to say bad things about it cause it’s SatAM, is just WRONG!
SHQ: How far along is Epoch in its production, and what do you think will be its future?
SONIQUE: I still think you should interview Rob, he deserves the credit for this. It’s around 30% complete where Rob is, the one on the net is about 20%. There is gonna be much more added including SegaSonic filters, new music, new sprites and even cut scenes that’ll make even that smallest SatAM fans and biggest Sega fans turn their heads. I know I’ve seen what Rob has done and it’s … there are no words to describe it. I have cried over some scenes all ready. Sega or no Sega, this game is certainly one for the ages. (Heh, ages is sega backwards y’know)
SHQ: Straying away from FUS and onto other topics, Everyone’s pretty much gotten used to Doctor Eggman being implemented in American continuity by Sega so concerning Robotnik’s old look (SatAM) VS Robotnik’s new look (Eggman – Sonic Adventure)? What do you think is better? ^_^
SONIQUE: I’ve seen toenails scarier than the SA Robotnik… err.. Eggman.
SHQ: It is, bar none, _THE MOST_ volatile topic in Sonic fandom. Bring this up at any Sonic message board and you’re BOUND to get a crapload of responses, flames, praises, and people cursing you in forked toungues! ^__^ That topic is none other than Sonic and Sally. SHOULD Sally Acorn ultimately be Sonic’s girlfriend? What about the fact that Amy has been established as a will he/won’t he girlfriend in Segasonic?
SONIQUE: Sally is the best at being Sonic’s girlfriend. He doesn’t want Amy so why should she have him? He loves Sally and as I said above, you could feel the love Sonic had for Sally in SatAM. You feel nothing he has toward Amy cause he don’t want her. In fact Another part of FUS is STGS, Supporters of the True Girl for Sonic… which is Sally. I have several pictures for people to put up if they wish to show they feel the same way.
SHQ: The censoring of Archie in terms of Sonic kissing Sally and him showing emotion in other aspects of that relationship. Does the relationship have a chance of EVER coming out accurately portrayed as long as Sega makes the mandates above Archie?
SONIQUE: No. SEGA isn’t fit to keep Sonic in a relationship and that’s why at Sega, he’s not in one. Sonic needs to show emotion to become the hedgehog that was. That new look for him ain’t gonna cut it.
SHQ: Reopening ANOTHER volatile old topic in Sonic fandom – Endgame, or rather “The Death Of Princess Sally”. From Sega stopping Archie from killing her so that they could “market her some more” (which never happened), to Archie and Ken Penders having the cajones to kill her in the first place, to Sonic fans going stark raving bonkers over the whole situation when it happened, to the ‘chopping in half’ of Sonic 50, to the redemption issue that was SSS5: The Directors Cut that was Archie’s apology and way of making up the last minute mistake and error. What did you think of all of it?
SONIQUE: I don’t read the comics myself, they’ve become too awful to bare. My answer to this will shock you I bet, I think if Ken wanted to kill Sally, he should have just done it, no questions asked. Why build up all the hype about it? Let is surprise us instead and that way, if Sega says no, there’s no fan’s getting hurt and stuff. He just asked for what he got and for what Sega did. I suppose he had to go through Sega anyway but I think next time he wants to kill someone (like he hasn’t killed enough as it is) that belongs to Sega, he should keep it to himself. And I don’t care about the Director’s Cut. The kiss was cool but I don’t do much with the comics.
SHQ: As a more “fun” question from the heavier ones above, Sonic #100 will hit the stands come next year. So far, the fact is that one of the characters that has been good for a long time will turn evil for the 100th issue thus being christened “The Ultimate Villian”. People are guessing Knuckles, Antione, Tails, or even Sonic himself as the culprit. Speculation?
SONIQUE: Well, not a comic’s fan again…. I went to the KP chats cause I wanted info on the Sonic movie and I kind of want to know when Sniver’s comes back :D… but for now I’m not going to anymore chats. As the UV, my guess would be Sonic or one of his relatives or Sally or one of her parents. I can’t see Sega allowing Tails or Knuckles as the UV but hey.. maybe I’ll be wrong. Tails would be kind of cool and so would Knuckles. We’ll just have to wait and see.
SHQ: What has been your most memorable (good and bad) experience with Sonic fandom both in real life and on the internet? And furthermore – explain to those (and if you want provide an example) that AREN’T familiar with it, your infamous WWW Wannabes” that used to reside on SoL and SP. 😀
SONIQUE: Most of that was to stop stupid people from emailing me and really, some of the situations I got into were very funny. Most of the time it’d be someone saying my site sucked or some idiot who thought I was Sonic. I received a lot of praise for that page but I’m not totally sure if I’ll bring one to FUS. That’s still up in the air.
SHQ: If you’re known for ONE THING above all the things you’ve done in Sonic fandom, its your outspokenness and the fact that you DON’T hold much of anything back ^__^ To say the least that attitude has pretty much defined you and made you stand out as a fan. 🙂 Has it ever backfired though?
SONIQUE: Well I pissed off some people at the SoL message board and they flooded it and we got a new MB… and they flooded that one too. Somehow they changed their IPs all the time and I think they were pathetic souls dying for attention. They thought they were all funny but at this time I didn’t care about SoL and it didn’t bother me at all. Neon got pissed though.. whoops.
SHQ: What do you have to say to all those that say Sonic SatAM sucks? ***Dives incoming flames*** ^_____^
SONIQUE: I say they either have not giving it a chance or are just asking for it. I say kiss my ass and go to hell.
SHQ: Coming to the close of our interview, who are your influences in life?
SONIQUE: Rob for one, he prompted me to start FUS. Ben Hurst who said, “I will not give up hope till there is no hope left at all.” And one of my teachers who I first told I was bi… he helped me out a lot and made me feel just fine about it. Oh, and my friend who influenced me to ‘come out.’ There were others like my parents and stuff, but I won’t get long on ya… like I haven’t all ready.
SHQ: What makes doing your webpage fun?
SONIQUE: I just LOVE SatAM. SatAM and Sonic makes it fun. I love each and everyone of those characters and doing this for them is well worth it.
SHQ: What are your future plans for your career? What do you aspire to do?
SONIQUE: I’d like to be a webpage designer or programmer of some sort.
SHQ: And finally – What kind of challenge would you like to pursue now? And what is your greatest achievement with all three of your respective webpages?
SONIQUE: FUS is a challenge and getting those who are frightened to come out and say they love SatAM, but it’s what I want to do. I guess the positive reaction toward FUS is my greatest achievement. I was amazed at how many said what a good job I did. Ben Hurst himself praised me for it and mentioned he’d send the email to his partner Pat. So, to answer your question, FUS.
SHQ: For an encore, Sonique we’d like to ask if you can give a list of favorites to wrap this all up. ^_^
Favorite Films: Dark Crystal, South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut, The Miracle Worker (first B&W version)
Favorite Singers And Music: I can’t answer this, I have too much of a variety. If you saw my MP3 collection you’d know what I mean. One of my fav songs is Carma Chameleon but that has it’s backgrounds 🙂 And I Enjoy the South Park soundtrack.
Favorite TV: My favorite TV is the one in my room… oh do you mean shows? Sonic the Hedgehog, Hey Arnold, and Powerpuff Girls! You go girls!
Favorite Books: *looks down* I don’t read much if at all. I read fanfiction, does that count?
Favorite Videogames: SONIC EPOCH, SONIC EPOCH, SONIC EPOCH…. ChuChu Rocket and Sonic Epoch…. I like SA too but more for the feel and speed of the game, not cause of Sonic’s tude or lack there of.
SHQ: And lastly your closing statements to the interview, SHQ, and any Sonic fans reading today: ^_^
SONIQUE: Robert Showalter is a genius and he should have been mentioned in this interview (not by me I mean). Sonic and Sally are meant to be and finally, never lose hope in your dreams and always follow them. “It’s the moment that you think you c an’t, you’ll discover that you can.” Thanks for the life story… err.. interview 🙂
Once again we’d like to thank the wonderful and generous Sonique for her time and this interview.