My apologies if some of my responses seem redundant. A few of the questions were revised to cut down on this. However, although I'm presenting the questions in the order they were asked, I did answer some out of order (because I love making sense), so I apologize again for any redundancy. Thanks again, and I hope I answered them to your liking. If you still have any questions, feel free to PM/review. I can even update this page. :)

Cozy Shadow

1. Why did you structure the series the way you did? I know that Sleeping and Dozing didn't have up to twenty chapters, but Waking has over thirty. Are you happy with how it turned out, or is there anything you would have done differently?

In my personal experiences of reading book series, I've always felt that since each book expands on its precursor, it is impossible for the later books to be shorter than the first book. So when writing, I had it in mind that each sequel had to be a little longer. I think Sleeping was 60k (ignoring ANs), so Dozing ended up being 65k. With that, I was like, "Cool, Waking will be like 70k," but when I started writing it, the chapters were coming out shorter, so I knew there would have to be more. Then I had the grand idea of making it two parts. The first part was like 35k, so I was like, "Cool, we're literally halfway there," but then the second part ended up being longer. Since it was the final story, there were all these things (including the epilogue) I had to add to wrap it all up, which definitely contributed to the length.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it all turned out, and at the moment, I can't think of how I'd redo it (maybe I'd just re-edit for grammar). It was a valuable learning experience, and I'm glad it came out as well as it did.

Angelinx

2. How long were you in the fandom when you decided to write this?

I grew up with the fandom (particularly the video-games), by mostly watching my brothers' play pretty much every Sonic game that came out. I remember playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and going on missions to work on my chao garden, watching Sonic X, and playing Sonic Heroes (I always played as Team Chaotix for some reason…). My older siblings read Sonic fan fiction, so I quickly followed suit, and ever since then, it's the only fandom I read. I don't really read that much fan fiction now, but I've always had a soft spot for it. Even now that I'm 20, I still have mad love for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. I've been severely out of touch with it because life demands to be difficult, but it will always be dear to my heart.

MistyVoid48

3. Does everyone else find out (about the baby)? What will Silver and Shadow think? Will they take it badly? What does Fiona think?

Never! Lol, this is one of the questions I'll get to during my Final Thoughts reflection later. The short answer would be that some find out, and some don't. But you know that! And what you don't know doesn't hurt you. Usually.

4. Do you hate lawyers like Erickson?

Nope! I'm in love with the law show Drop Dead Diva and the Ace Attorney videogame series, and I was on the debate team in high school. I even took a law class in high school. I like the idea of law and being a lawyer, but I'm more of a science/writer type. :)

5. Are you in law school too? If not what do you study? Did you go straight to a four-year or did you do a two-year first and then four year? Do you like it? What's it like? Do you live in a dorm or at home?

I'm not in law school, but I always thought the idea of being a lawyer had to be cooler than actually being one! I studied biochemistry at a four-year university and graduated a year early (precisely why I now have time to sit around on my bum and write lol). As of right now, I have a gap year, so I have been going on interviews for graduate school programs that I can hopefully attend next fall, and between that time I also do research. I liked my college, but I was never in love with the college experience to begin with, which is probably why I graduated in three years (blame AP credits lol). But during my time there, I did live in a dorm (very convienent). Now I'm helping my family move into a new house.

6. What is your favorite part of the story or rather the entire trilogy?

Hmmm…I really like the chapters toward the end of Dozing where Shadow is helping Amy seek out Scourge. Between that and Rouge's wedding in the background, I think it's a really cool chance to see Amy and Shadow's relationship grow, and I think here you see how much they genuinely care for each other. I also enjoy the little, unplanned things that "work" in the series, such as Phil having a son who's a doctor who later plays a role in helping Amy grow up and in delivering the twins, Erickson the lawyer also ending up as Fiona's lawyer, Fiona ending up to be decent, Sonic and Amy beginning a bro/sis relationship…Rouge being Amy's advocate to date Shadow…Phil ending up with Fran...the dynamic between Clarissa and Blaze as well as their simillaries and differences as being Amy's best friends…I just love the things that elevate the story that were never intended.

Guest (Fairly Odd Me?)

7. Did you always conceptualize Sleeping as a trilogy?

Not even a little! I didn't even think the first story would be more than 5 or 10 chapters. I imagined Amy seeing Sonic and Sally shacking, her going to the bar, hooking up with Scourge, something else happening really quickly maybe, and then the story concluding with Amy having this new sense of empowerment before possibly engaging in a friends with benefits deal with Scourge. I imagined it feeling very one-shotish but with more chapters. However, there are so many characters, so once you give one a little bit of attention (say Shadow or Blaze or Parker), all of a sudden you have more storylines and material to work in, despite not initially wanting to make the story into a big deal. This story/series was really organic and came together very effortlessly in a way, and I guess this fact made it appealing to keep going on as a trilogy.

8. What inspired you to write the first part, and then continue on with Dozing and Waking?

It's a little hard to pinpoint the reasoning now (however, I think I answer this question in my response to question #13 since it is similar and I wrote my response to that question first for some reason lol), but I think the inspiration was due to having a fascination with how ScourgeXAmy could pan out in a realistic way. I'm weird, and after reading a fanfic about them one night, I had a dream about them kissing, and my mind started surging with ideas. I kept thinking about it until I just started writing, and somehow it all came together. Writing in Amy's perspective and having the desire to create a story where she isn't in love with Sonic definitely maintained the initial spark, and when I was done with the first story, I just knew I had to tell more. After Sleeping, I knew the series could be a trilogy, but the only thing I had figured out was that Scourge left her because he had a kid with Fiona (which wouldn't even occur until the final installment!). Part of me doesn't know how this whole thing came together, but I honestly believe it's because all of you gave me so much valuable feedback. And I'm incredibly thankful.

9. What's the meaning behind the titles of each story?

The titles essentially have multiple meanings, with the first title, Sleeping, probably having the most meaning. In Sleeping, we have Amy at her most ignorant, which is sort of symbolic to the actual idea of sleeping—not being present or really aware of what's going on around you. Add in the fact that she walked in on Sonic and Sally "sleeping" together, and the fact that she does "sleep" with someone for the first time, makes it sort of ironic in a way. The rest of the titles symbolize Amy's figurative transition from "sleeping" to "waking". For example, in Dozing, Amy is not much better than she was in the first story, just that she is forced to be more conscious of the impact of the decisions she made in the past. So she's basically still "asleep" but her eyes are half open. That just leaves Waking, where Amy has to finally "wake up" – she has to sacrifice her ignorance and complacency—in order to take the important steps to be fully present and happy with her reality.

10. Which parts of the story were the most difficult to write? Which parts of the story are your favorites?

I write in chronological order (with the exception of taking short notes for things I plan on happening later), so it's definitely hard to get through filler-ish/build up material. As much as I want exciting things to happen, like the hook up between Amy and Scourge in Sleeping (chapter 9), the wedding/Scourge confrontation in Dozing (chapter 14-15), or even just waiting for Shadow or Scourge to appear in Waking (Chapter 13 and 20 respectively), I had to build up the plot and characterization. And because of my over-reactive imagination, I usually end up adding more things or delaying certain appearances or events to try to balance the story. But if I'm being more specific, I think it was really hard getting Amy/Shadow's angle down in Waking. When you write a series, let alone a fanfic, you get sort of trapped with what you have written in a way because you are publishing material chapter-by-chapter. Although I rewrote the ending of Sleeping (because it was a trainwreck lol), I didn't want to rewrite Dozing because there were no significant issues, other than it being a little rushed (I think one of the things I need to work on as a writer is pacing, particularly at the end of stories, but I digress), so it was hard to find a reason why they couldn't initially be together in Waking based on how I ended Dozing. It seemed like they could have just talked it out and everything could have been more than fine between them, but I really had to dig deep into their characters, which made me realize that the clash between their emotions/mentality alone in terms of relationships/love at the time was a significant barrier, even without Mina. In this same respect, it was hard to support why Amy and Scourge couldn't be together because of the case.

But the hardest thing was probably supporting why Blaze didn't tell Silver about using Amy as a surrogate. I'm a science person, so I like tangible reasons; but again, the reason had to do with Blaze's emotions/mentality. However, with her being this strong character, I didn't completely feel like I justified it. But then I remembered that characters are allowed to respond to things in a multitude of ways. You can essentially make characters do anything, but you have to be true to their motivations and the steps they would take in performing that action, and I think I was ultimately true to Blaze in her situation.

As for my favorite part, I'll answer this by telling you my favorite story of the three. Although I don't have a particular love or distaste for any story (although I wish the writing was stronger in Sleeping), I think I have a soft spot for Dozing. In this story we see Amy at a very tragic state, and to think of who she is then to who she is at the end of the series is really heartwarming. I feel that the story has the best of Sleeping and Waking in terms of its simplicity and execution respectively. Waking is obviously the best written and the most impressive to me plot-wise, but it doesn't make me feel quite as sentimental. But since I just wrote it, I'm sure these feelings will change. :)

xXDarkAngelKittenXx

11. Did you plan on making any kind of spin-off/one-shot(s) for the series? Like Blaze and the twins? Or Fiona and Scourge? Maybe even the kids all grown up?

If I'm being perfectly honest, I thought the whole series would have been one story (Sleeping), and only a few chapters at that. I'm not really a fan of spin offs or stories that are OC heavy, so I could never do a story about their kids growing up or something! Although I don't have any one-shots in mind, I would say that that could be possible if something came to me. I sort of like the idea of doing one with Fiona and Scourge, but if I did a one-shot, it probably wouldn't be related to the series, since I can't imagine writing in anyone else's voice than Amy's in that context. However, if anyone has any ideas, don't be afraid to share. :)

12. Other than endless rants about some choices made throughout the story, was this the original ending you had or did you make any changes? Would there have been an alternate ending or something?

The original ending…Hmmm…

Big picture, I sort of had it in mind that the story would end ShadowXAmy…if I could make it more justifiable than ScourgeXAmy. It is the coupling that I sort of grew up with when reading fanfiction, and it is in many ways my favorite for reasons I can't entirely explain. But when I brought Scourge back in and they meshed so well, my brain was definitely urging me to make it ScourgeXAmy. It really was a mental battle for quite a while, and when I thought hard about it, I could never come up with any rightful conclusions. However, when I eventually said, "Fuck it," and began writing, it became a little clearer, though mainly because of Fiona. I don't think that Amy was really mad about the secret he kept (after all she kept a secret from him), I think she decided against them because she was able to empathize with Fiona and saw that she would essentially be doing the same thing she did to her if she carried out her engagement with Scourge.

But…then I thought about the future (say several months or a year later), and considered if Amy and Scourge could get back together then. Maybe Fiona would realize she didn't truly love Scourge, and wouldn't have a problem with them being together. I also thought about if Amy just ended up being alone (no Shadow or Scourge), and maybe even realized that the only person she really loved was Blaze and then they get together (potentially romantically), and then they raise the kids together (sometimes I wonder if my imagination is on steroids…). I even thought about Amy ending up with Sonic or Parker, but I really felt that Amy and Sonic have such a nice brother/sister relationship in this series, and with Parker being an OC, I kind of wanted him to end up with Clarissa (this wasn't intended, but once it occurred to me, I couldn't let the idea go).

So long story short? The ending wasn't intended until after I wrote Dozing; before then, it could have been anything. I took notes for Clarissa's wedding scene (even including her brother!) like a third of the way through Waking. The way I wrote the last two chapters was sort of like having two conclusions – the birth and the wedding reception with Shadow, so they are sort of like alternate endings in a way. The only true alternate ending possibility I can think of would be changing the wedding chapter so that Scourge left the rose, but I can't think of a proper epilogue. ;)

13. What inspired the whole series and did anything affect how you wrote it? Not just this, but the series as a whole. Any personal preference?

I might have mentioned this in an AN in one of the other stories, but this story was mostly inspired by two things (one being more impressive than the other). First, I remember reading a story with Amy and Scourge (the name and plot escapes me), and I remember thinking that there would be NO WAY IN HELL that the pairing would happen. It seemed so weird to me. But of course, I like weird, so the concept continued to intrigue me. I thought about them being together as a couple, but I couldn't really think of a basis to implement it. So then I said, "Fuck it," again and began to write. As I began to lay the exposition and framework, I thought of our favorite cliché of Amy getting fed up with Sonic and running to the "dark side" but I made it my goal to keep them as in character as possible. So there couldn't be an outburst or fight with Sonic. Then the idea of him being with someone else came to me. Then the idea of Amy walking in on him with someone else came to me…and the Sleeping series was born.

As I also mentioned a thousand times earlier, this series was only planned to be a story. But I'm not really a planner when it comes to writing; I tend to have like five concepts/objectives that I know will happen (I essentially have the beginning, middle, and end in place) as I write, and the ending I had in mind for Sleeping demanded a sequel. And then the sequel demanded a sequel…and then the rest is history.

I didn't really plan on the story being a tribute to Amy and her personal development into adulthood (Although I'm really proud that it is!), but you're literally in her head during the entire series, so I definitely had to keep that in mind while writing. You know, being true to what she would actually do, not just what I thought she should do (i.e., like try harder to be with Parker – they could have been really cute together!). Which later brought me to my second inspiration – to write an authentic ShadowXAmy story. Like I said earlier, this story was fully capable of being ScourgeXAmy, just that my own biases toward ShadowXAmy may have eventually prevailed in the end. I guess in a way, this series is sort of a homage to the ShadowXAmy stories I read several years ago. I always wanted to do it on my terms, but I knew that it wouldn't be possible by making it as straightforward, and perhaps as unrealistic, as some stories in the past did. I wanted to see what would happen if I put all of our favorite characters in character in Amy's particular situation, and I think it all worked out in the end.: )

Final Thoughts (AKA questions you probably wanted to ask but forgot to)

When will you have another story out? Are you ever going to write another story?

I honestly can't say. In many ways I see the Sleeping series as my final crusade. I started writing it as a teenager and I worked really hard on it, and I can't think of any story I could write on this platform that would trump or even be as good as it. I also can't say that I'll never write another story here, but I'd probably be more willing to collaborate or work as a beta reader for something I'm very interested in. I really want to focus on non-fanfiction stories, as this can be very niche-y in a way. I don't know if I want to be a published novelist or something, but it would be cool to maybe start experimenting with Watt-Pad or something and producing original stories. So is this the end? Probably not. But I'm still trying to decide when (and if) to begin again.

Why are you so amazing?

Because, duh.

Are you a girl?

Yes.

Can I date you?

As flattered as I am, I don't think that's best.

Does Silver really never find out?

He allows their daughter to be named Aimee, doesn't he?

I should probably just leave you with that, but I deliberately left the ending a bit open for interpretation. I know some of you don't believe that it is possible for Silver not to find out about the surrogacy, but if you look at the little details toward the end of the story, I'm sure you can come up with almost any conclusion. Perhaps Blaze told him, but specifically said that she didn't want him to speak a word of it to Amy or the others? It makes sense for Blaze to share two big, separate secrets with Silver and Amy, two people she loves dearly. And perhaps in agreement, Silver offers a silent peace offering by naming his daughter after the selfless woman he once thought less of? Perhaps in time, Amy and Silver do find out that each other know, but by then it's water under the bridge?

Come on now, I can't tell you guys everything, can I?

A Simple Send-Off

Although I am a writer, words cannot express how great of an experience this was. I shared something truly special with all of you, and it means the world to me that it means the world to you. It may be the end, but in a way it's also a new beginning. The future is bright for all of us, and I hope you all can find something that gives you meaning and happiness.

Until we meet again,

Kosma Bandra