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Sprite Powers
Okay, so since it's been mad difficult defining Davesprite's powers and I had to make a lot of decisions on my own, I decided to make this entry to detail my thought process on the matter and provide the evidence and inferences I gathered for my ultimate conclusions.
Of course, the MSPA Wiki was invaluable.
Sprite Mortality
Sprites are definitely alive. Jade and the Alpha Derse kids talk about sprites as an element of SBURB that brings loved ones back to life, Davesprite is counted as a live Dave on Jade's goggles, and Jadesprite counts as enough of a live dream self that Jade was able to go god tier. And they can die, since we know all the trolls' sprites were killed except for Aradiabot.
However, it looks like being killed may be the only way sprites can die--even though Davesprite's bleeding from a wound that would probably be fatal to a human being, neither he (he just calls himself injured) nor anyone he talks to after Bro's death seems particularly concerned that he'll die, though he does admit he's "not in any shape for more adventuring".
I also think it's unlikely that Davesprite will grow anymore--I consider his analogue to be Dirk's auto-responder, who, while no longer exactly the being that Dirk was at 13, is in some ways frozen at that age. This snippet basically sums up my feelings on the matter:
TT: Ok, here's the thing with the AR, since you still don't seem to get it.
TT: He's very similar to me in thought process and behavior, yes.
TT: But those patterns were imported from a thirteen year old version of my psyche, and then sealed into the program as starting parameters.
TT: In the years since, we've both evolved somewhat. I, as humans tend to, and he, in whatever way is natural for a frequently running, self-aware application.
TT: So if there are differences between us, they're first reflected by what I feel is a maturity gap, and then further by several years of minor behavioral divergences.
Similarly, I don't think Davesprite needs to eat or sleep anymore. While Nannasprite cooks things for John on a couple occasions, we never see her eat (and, hey, where would it go if she did? I mean...they probably don't poop...). The sprites also always seem to be awake during the 24-hour period of the beta session though they don't seem to have all that much to do before the kids unlock their pendants, and my thought is--and this is completely headcanon--sprites don't sleep so that they can always be ready to help their kids, should their kids summon them. I think Davesprite would eat and at least doze out of habit, though. I mean, food is awesome. Who would ever give that up?
I think Davesprite does feel pain, but as a sprite he's also more aware of the loss of functionality than an actual OH GOD MY NERVE ENDINGS thing (which also applies to temperature and other sensation). So the wound in the gut was pretty bad and slowed him down immensely, but the loss of his sword and his torn-off wing may have "hurt" him more, in that sense. But again, headcanon.
EDIT: Davesprite apparently regrows his lost wing in canon. So that's going to be happening over the course of three months, as long as nothing else bad happens to him.
Anyway, tl;dr on sprite mortality: yes, they're technically alive, but not in any way we'd think of it.
Sprite Powers
Okay, I think we can all agree that all sprites float and shoot lasers (the only one we haven't seen do that is Jaspersprite). I think we can also agree that the lasers can change size, since Nannasprite can both blast an ogre and write in a book, and we've seen Calsprite blast imps and Davesprite draw on a poster, so it's not just Nannasprite.
Also it's clear that the laser can be shaped according to the sprite's wishes--probably not so much that they can make it any shape they want, but enough that they can choose a shape that fits the occasion, such as Nannasprite making the oven to catch John. My original thought was that the images were emblematic of the sprite--ovens and cookies for Nanna, smuppets for Cal, and so on--but someone else pointed out that it could just be things lying around the house (since Nanna dumped a ton of beds and toilets and stuff on that ogre as well, and those aren't really things I associate with Jane/Nanna). Unless there's some clarification on the subject later, I'm going to go with a sort of mix of the two; Davesprite's laser thing will only take on shapes that A) were lying around the canon Strider apartment and B) have something to do with him, like SBaHJ characters and Squarewave (since they're on posters), swords, or apple juice bottles.
This also goes for the shape-changing thing Calsprite did--though Calsprite's the only one I think we've seen do that, it makes sense to me that Davesprite can do it, too, since he and Calsprite are like, half-brother sprites or something (...ew).
As for the programmed wisdom thing, I think that only applies to certain things about SBURB and stuff related to the sprite's specific player. In Davesprite's case, he gets to know awkward things about himself and what he was meant to do to come into his own and knowing that, well, he's not going to get to do that.
DAVE: so now youre like
DAVE: a wise feathery asshole
DAVESPRITE: i am fuckin filthy with wisdom its sick
DAVESPRITE: i mostly know stuff about your personal quest
DAVESPRITE: what used to be my quest but i guess i got to deal with not being alpha dave no more
While Nannasprite has been shown to be able to go through solid objects, I think this might be a power unique to her, probably related to John's Ghostbusters theme. I can't recall any other instance of a sprite doing this, just like there isn't any evidence of a sprite changing shape like Calsprite can. EDIT: OKAY APPARENTLY I WAS WRONG, but I'm still nixing the going-through-walls thing for SP. I'm going to say he can't get through the Darkness-proofing on people's outer walls, and doesn't think to go through inner walls because man that ectoplasm stuff is disgusting.
Also, judging from this page, it looks like sprites glow according to their color.
Summoning Pendant
These two pages show that, when summoning a sprite, the pendant glows the color of the sprite, not the player. This coupled with the fact that the sprites can wear the pendant in order to essentially summon themselves through the Gates makes me think that anyone who's got the pendant can summon the sprite, even if they're not that sprite's player or even SBURB-affiliated. Obviously this is mostly conjecture, but could also lead to fun RP shenanigans, if you ask me.
Also, since Jade's goggles lock on to Davesprite's pendant rather than his body, it could be that most game mechanics do that as welll; i.e., Davesprite himself always knows where it is, since he's a game construct, too. Nannasprite was also able to find hers after John dropped it into the ocean of oil on LOWAS.
Bird Stuff
Most of the other sprites take on some characteristics of their recessive element--Jadesprite's got her woofs, Aradiabot her ribbits, Nannasprite her practical japery (though she probably already had that in spades), etc. Davesprite hasn't displayed any birdlike behavior yet--though it's unclear how intentional that "peep" is--but it stands to reason that he's got some of that stuff hardwired same as all the other sprites. Form dictates content, after all. So he might not be dropping "caw caw motherfucker" every other line, but he might be attracted to shiny junk, or sleep with his head tucked under his wing, tilt his head ways that Dave doesn't, things like that.
Of course, the MSPA Wiki was invaluable.
Sprite Mortality
Sprites are definitely alive. Jade and the Alpha Derse kids talk about sprites as an element of SBURB that brings loved ones back to life, Davesprite is counted as a live Dave on Jade's goggles, and Jadesprite counts as enough of a live dream self that Jade was able to go god tier. And they can die, since we know all the trolls' sprites were killed except for Aradiabot.
However, it looks like being killed may be the only way sprites can die--even though Davesprite's bleeding from a wound that would probably be fatal to a human being, neither he (he just calls himself injured) nor anyone he talks to after Bro's death seems particularly concerned that he'll die, though he does admit he's "not in any shape for more adventuring".
I also think it's unlikely that Davesprite will grow anymore--I consider his analogue to be Dirk's auto-responder, who, while no longer exactly the being that Dirk was at 13, is in some ways frozen at that age. This snippet basically sums up my feelings on the matter:
TT: Ok, here's the thing with the AR, since you still don't seem to get it.
TT: He's very similar to me in thought process and behavior, yes.
TT: But those patterns were imported from a thirteen year old version of my psyche, and then sealed into the program as starting parameters.
TT: In the years since, we've both evolved somewhat. I, as humans tend to, and he, in whatever way is natural for a frequently running, self-aware application.
TT: So if there are differences between us, they're first reflected by what I feel is a maturity gap, and then further by several years of minor behavioral divergences.
Similarly, I don't think Davesprite needs to eat or sleep anymore. While Nannasprite cooks things for John on a couple occasions, we never see her eat (and, hey, where would it go if she did? I mean...they probably don't poop...). The sprites also always seem to be awake during the 24-hour period of the beta session though they don't seem to have all that much to do before the kids unlock their pendants, and my thought is--and this is completely headcanon--sprites don't sleep so that they can always be ready to help their kids, should their kids summon them. I think Davesprite would eat and at least doze out of habit, though. I mean, food is awesome. Who would ever give that up?
I think Davesprite does feel pain, but as a sprite he's also more aware of the loss of functionality than an actual OH GOD MY NERVE ENDINGS thing (which also applies to temperature and other sensation). So the wound in the gut was pretty bad and slowed him down immensely, but the loss of his sword and his torn-off wing may have "hurt" him more, in that sense. But again, headcanon.
EDIT: Davesprite apparently regrows his lost wing in canon. So that's going to be happening over the course of three months, as long as nothing else bad happens to him.
Anyway, tl;dr on sprite mortality: yes, they're technically alive, but not in any way we'd think of it.
Sprite Powers
Okay, I think we can all agree that all sprites float and shoot lasers (the only one we haven't seen do that is Jaspersprite). I think we can also agree that the lasers can change size, since Nannasprite can both blast an ogre and write in a book, and we've seen Calsprite blast imps and Davesprite draw on a poster, so it's not just Nannasprite.
Also it's clear that the laser can be shaped according to the sprite's wishes--probably not so much that they can make it any shape they want, but enough that they can choose a shape that fits the occasion, such as Nannasprite making the oven to catch John. My original thought was that the images were emblematic of the sprite--ovens and cookies for Nanna, smuppets for Cal, and so on--but someone else pointed out that it could just be things lying around the house (since Nanna dumped a ton of beds and toilets and stuff on that ogre as well, and those aren't really things I associate with Jane/Nanna). Unless there's some clarification on the subject later, I'm going to go with a sort of mix of the two; Davesprite's laser thing will only take on shapes that A) were lying around the canon Strider apartment and B) have something to do with him, like SBaHJ characters and Squarewave (since they're on posters), swords, or apple juice bottles.
This also goes for the shape-changing thing Calsprite did--though Calsprite's the only one I think we've seen do that, it makes sense to me that Davesprite can do it, too, since he and Calsprite are like, half-brother sprites or something (...ew).
As for the programmed wisdom thing, I think that only applies to certain things about SBURB and stuff related to the sprite's specific player. In Davesprite's case, he gets to know awkward things about himself and what he was meant to do to come into his own and knowing that, well, he's not going to get to do that.
DAVE: so now youre like
DAVE: a wise feathery asshole
DAVESPRITE: i am fuckin filthy with wisdom its sick
DAVESPRITE: i mostly know stuff about your personal quest
DAVESPRITE: what used to be my quest but i guess i got to deal with not being alpha dave no more
While Nannasprite has been shown to be able to go through solid objects, I think this might be a power unique to her, probably related to John's Ghostbusters theme. I can't recall any other instance of a sprite doing this, just like there isn't any evidence of a sprite changing shape like Calsprite can. EDIT: OKAY APPARENTLY I WAS WRONG, but I'm still nixing the going-through-walls thing for SP. I'm going to say he can't get through the Darkness-proofing on people's outer walls, and doesn't think to go through inner walls because man that ectoplasm stuff is disgusting.
Also, judging from this page, it looks like sprites glow according to their color.
Summoning Pendant
These two pages show that, when summoning a sprite, the pendant glows the color of the sprite, not the player. This coupled with the fact that the sprites can wear the pendant in order to essentially summon themselves through the Gates makes me think that anyone who's got the pendant can summon the sprite, even if they're not that sprite's player or even SBURB-affiliated. Obviously this is mostly conjecture, but could also lead to fun RP shenanigans, if you ask me.
Also, since Jade's goggles lock on to Davesprite's pendant rather than his body, it could be that most game mechanics do that as welll; i.e., Davesprite himself always knows where it is, since he's a game construct, too. Nannasprite was also able to find hers after John dropped it into the ocean of oil on LOWAS.
Bird Stuff
Most of the other sprites take on some characteristics of their recessive element--Jadesprite's got her woofs, Aradiabot her ribbits, Nannasprite her practical japery (though she probably already had that in spades), etc. Davesprite hasn't displayed any birdlike behavior yet--though it's unclear how intentional that "peep" is--but it stands to reason that he's got some of that stuff hardwired same as all the other sprites. Form dictates content, after all. So he might not be dropping "caw caw motherfucker" every other line, but he might be attracted to shiny junk, or sleep with his head tucked under his wing, tilt his head ways that Dave doesn't, things like that.