Once again, found myself stuck between two options. This option is a solo character though and I think can work on their own, although it is unfortunately another Sonic character:
Job #92: Sticks the Badger (Shopkeeper)
Who is she?
Sticks is a
semi-obscure Sonic character, having debuted in the controversial
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric(and much loved
Sonic Boom animated series), but has since appeared in non Boom game titles such as
Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympic Games, and mobile game offerings such as
Sonic Runners and
Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom.
So out of all the Sonic characters, why Sticks as the shopkeeper?
- It suits her in a strange way: Sticks is a horder, who has dozens of trinkets and weird junk just laying all over her burrow. You need a particular item she's likely got it, even if she's using it for something other than it's intended purpose.
- Sticks is also incredibly paranoid and slightly insane, having not had much interaction with people. Whilst waiting for the player to purchase an item, I can see her leaning heavily on the fourth wall or becoming erratic, which may lead to a little bit of humour.
- As a character, Sticks is as likely to point out the problems with consumerism as she is to get distracted by the shiny thing she's selling to the player, making her a hodgepodge of amusing contradictions for a shopkeeper.
- Additionally Sticks is one of the few characters I can think of that has no real politeness 'filter' when she speaks, allowing her to freely insult whatever character that comes into her shop or even the player themselves in a blunt but unmalicious way. I think this could lead to some funny moments, as she comments on whoever comes in.
- Lastly Sticks the Badger, whilst not unpopular in her own right, is unlikely to ever get in to a fighter role due in part to being heavily associated with Sonic Boom. Also because she has more established characters such as Knuckles, Amy Rose, Shadow the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, The Chaotix, Silver the Hedgehog, Metal Sonic and others standing in between her and a chance to throw her fancy boomerangs meaning she'd be unlikely to make the roster even if Battle of Ages had four sequels with DLC.
The shop, aka Sticks' burrow:
How the interactions go(roughly):
Sticks will stand behind the counter, greet the player(likely with a little bit of an insult), freeze, then dive down behind the counter stating she knows exactly what the player wants as she rummages through the junk on the floor, throwing brick-a-brack everywhere before presenting you with several items to choose from.
If the player doesn't like any of these items, Sticks will sweep them off the counter (complete with the sound of breaking as the previous items are pushed off), dive back, rummage again and present replacement items.
Whilst waiting, Sticks will occasionally drum her fingers on the counter whilst forcing to keep her smile momentarily. After a while she lowers herself behind the shop counter so only her eyes and the top of her head are seen, frantically looking left and right rapidly in her paranoid mannerisms if the player takes too long to select an item.
If the player continues to take too long deciding or makes Sticks clear the items repeatedly, she brings up a voodoo doll of the fighter who the player last played as, slowly threateningly waggling it at the player, before placing two fingers at her eyes and then at the player, with a 'I'm watching you' motion and slowly lowering herself behind the counter to put the doll down, maintaining eye contact the entire time before returning to normal.