Livin' the Sprite Life

Livin' the Sprite Life, formerly known as Livin' the Sprite Life with Aslan and Dokuma, is a popular comic series on BZPower and was written by Dokuma, Aslan, OnuaNuva: King of the Underground, and Schism. It prides itself on its pledge to avoid stereotypical sprite comic jokes such as "pie" and "burn stuff," instead delivering humor by (usually) more sane means. It is also technically considered a studio comic. In the late spring/early summer of 2009, its BZPower topic died, though Dokuma and OnuaNuva reposted it.
The comics can be viewed here.
Livin' the Sprite Life: The Deuce was released on September 17, 2009 with authors Dokuma, OnuaNuva: King of the Underground (or Tarroc), and Motago. The format of LTSL changed from dark blue to orange with the new season.
== History ==
LTSL began in fall of 2004 after Dokuma responded to a request in his friend Aslan's signature asking for people interested in co-authoring a comic series with him. Since then, though Aslan's online activity was spotty, the series soon took off, with Dokuma along posting 45 comics in the first year.
Eventually, Dokuma permitted another friend of his, Tarroc (then known as OnuaNuva: King of the Underground) to join the series as a co-writer. Aslan finally announced that he would be leaving BZPower, leaving the series to Dokuma. But in homage to Aslan, his character was never removed from the series, nor was his memory forgotten.
A friend of Dokuma's in real life, Schism, later joined the series on what began as a provisional basis while he attempted to build up his popularity on BZPower. After being a writer for a month or so, Dokuma, enjoying his comics, compelled him to stay. He has remained a coauthor ever since, though his activity has dropped to near zero and his comics were lost.
With Dokuma being the only coauthor who is still active on a regular basis and the topic starter, he has had to maintain the series relatively autonomously as of late, albeit updates being somewhat infrequent.
Originally, guest stars were openly accepted (and often came in at an astronomical rate) onto a five-slot list. When people asked to guest star and the list was full, however, Dokuma would often pledge to alert them when a slot opened up, thus defeating the whole purpose of a finite list. This policy was soon terminated, and a new rule was made whereby members asking to guest star while the list was full would have their requests completely ignored. Eventually, it was determined that the other characters should be given more appearances, thus Dokuma closed the guest star list, only making occasional exceptions for friends (Tarroc kept his open, however).
Due to the infrequency of comics, the BZPower topic eventually died. On September 17, 2009, a sequel was launched by Tarroc and Dokuma, and included Motago as author as well. The comics were met with praise.
==Traditions==
===Out-of-series===
Because it is one of the few comic series with significant longevity on BZPower, it has celebrated four anniversaries thusfar.
The first anniversary was considered a milestone, and as such, much ado was made. In addition to a special-edition comic (which became the norm for anniversaries to come), a promotional sprite kit featuring Dokuma and Aslan in Bioniplush form was released, and once the topic hit 1,000 posts as well, a promotional banner was released. The second anniversary received noticeably less celebration, featuring only the special-edition comic. The third and fourth anniversaries were only mentioned in passing.
===In-series===
Though the writers of LTSL usually express disdain for clichés common to all comic series as of late, over the years, it has developed several of its own (many having to do with Guest Star Abuse).
====The mallet====
First introduced in Dokuma's 28th comic, the mallet, originally incorrectly referred to as an oversized cartoon gavel, has become an ongoing joke in both Dokuma's comics and those of his cowriters. It is one of the many ways in which the authors frequently and sterotypically engage in Guest Star Abuse.
====The Sprite-Switcher====
:For more information, see the main article.
Appearing as early as comic 5 and becoming a running theme ever since, the Sprite-Switcher (often abbreviated "SS") is an electronic device intended to change the sprite form of a character from one form to another. New models were created each year, known respectively as the SS-05, SS-06, SS-07 and the SS-08, with model numbers conspicuously based upon the year in which it was "released."
As a point of humor, for each year the Sprite-Switcher was released, it was depicted as increasingly larger and more damage-inflicting, even to the point where it completely strayed from its original purpose. It is yet another way Guest Star Abuse is accomplished.
The "models" can be considered as follows:
Model	Description
SS-05	First appearing in comic 5, this first model was a relatively small, handheld gun-like object that changed the sprite form of whomever it was pointed to when the trigger was pulled, enveloping them in a cloud of aliased, inverted pixels. Its design was deliberately based upon the Halo Needler.
SS-06	Debuting in comic 61, the SS took on a more elonged appearance, deliberately based upon the Halo Energy Sword. Its "payload" was also delivered in more weaponlike means, creating a burst of rainbow-colored light that collided with the target.
SS-07	In irony, the SS-07 didn't even appear to change one's sprite; rather, it simply delivered a weaponized laser beam capable of burning large holes through solid objects and setting the surrounding area on fire. Its appearance was directly based upon a war machine of Dr. Eggman's in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
SS-08	In comic 91, Dokuma introduced the new SS-08, which was depicted as a huge shoulder-mounted gun. As with the SS-07, it did not change sprites, but instead destroyed Dokuma's entire apartment building. In the explosion, it seemed that Aslan was unharmed.
SS-09	Two comics later, the SS-09 was introduced. Taking the joke of the increasing size of the device to a new level, the SS-09 was a gigantic synthezoid humanoid whose body was composed of all the islands in the Matoran Universe. In the process of his emerging from underneath the SS-09, LTSL Studios was destroyed for the second time in three comics. Interestingly, the SS-09 is the first model since the SS-06 that could actually change sprites, turning Earth into a pixel drawing with its laser vision.
====Idea of LTSL as a Television Series====
From relatively early on, Dokuma began to interject the idea of LTSL being sort of a television show into his comics, sometimes openly acknowledging the presence of a fictitious "set" outside of the panel, the need to market the "show" to other "stations," and even a detailed list of "employees" working behind the scenes.
This is sometimes complimented by the occasional breaking of the fourth wall, where a host often addresses the viewers head-on at the onset of each strip.
For more information, see Livin' the Sprite Life Studios.
====Ga-Koroans====
As all of LTSL's writers are teenage males, jokes concerning the ability of one to attract the opposite gender (or lack thereof) were in no short supply. These include Akano's having mistaken Weku for a female, Wyattu's being chased by a crazed mob of fangirls, and OnuaNuva's obsession with Gali to the point of mental coercion.
====Procrastination====
Often, Dokuma acknowledges his almost unending procrastination in comics posted after a long period of hiatus. This is more unfortunate and lazy than humorous.
====Sprite form rotation====
Originally unable to settle upon a single sprite kit to use for the series, Dokuma, OnuaNuva, and The_Gamble frequently rotated between sprites such as those of the Rayg Kit 2.0, the Mini-Toa Kit, and Bioniplush. Often, this became a characteristic of LTSL's individuality compared to others. However, lately most authors have settled on using The ToM Kit 2.
====ICT and Doritos====
Because of his being a constructive critic of the comics, the joke has been made that all he does is sit around eating Doritos and criticizing the authors. Due to his outrage after the joke was first used, it is now a regular joke.
====Razor Sprites====
Because Razor sprites are (or were) considered one of the greatest manifestations of stereotypical comic-making, Razor sprites were often the subject of discrimination, especially on the part of Dokuma and in comics involving the Sprite-Switcher.
This, however, is ironic, because Dokuma is a great fan of Marty Razor Kirra's newer sprites, and is on quite good terms with him.
==Characters==
===Authors===
Character 	Biography
Aslan 	With the ability to change his form from that of a Matoran, to Toa, or to Vahki, and able to control the Morbuzakh weeds, Aslan is a noble yet disregarding type, sometimes appearing a tad puffed-up for purely comedic purposes(which is in contradiction to the persona of the person whom he is intended to represent, The_Gamble). He is a loyal friend of Dokuma and has strange allergic reaction to paint that causes hyper behavior.
Dokuma 	A Toa of Destiny Fulfillment with the ability to change from the form of a Matoran to that of a Toa at will, Dokuma is a very principle-driven person and has a distinct disdain for things that compromise truth in favor of emotion. He loves his friends and would protect them at all costs, but can be a tad strong-headed at times. Also has a strange allergic reaction, this one to bananas, in which he is liable to run off screaming, having lost all sanity. Interestingly, however, this alleged allergy only manifests itself when Dokuma knows he is in the presence of bananas.
OnuaNuva: King of the Underground	Having been given the power of light, Onua is a true friend of Dokuma's and a humorous spirit, often doing most anything for a laugh. He appears to have a great interest in European futbol, and has such a raving obsession with Gali that his mental stability is often compromised in her presence.
Motago 	A brave and loyal friend of Dokuma, Motago is a kindred spirit in every meaning of the term as well as a talented writer. He is often subject to the rearranging of the letters in his name for sheer amusement.
Schism 	Schism makes no effort to hide the fact that he became a writer for LTSL simply by means of coercion. He is, as his name implies, a split personality, thus is cappable of either assuming either a bright and cheery persona or gloomy and angry one at any moment.
===Recurring Guest Stars===
Character 	Biography
Nikira 	Another great friend of Dokuma, Nikira is a talented artist and a highly enjoyable person around whom to be. Though it has yet to manifest in the comics, she is also greatly fascinated by penguins and anything penguin-related.
Exxon 	A friendly fellow, Exxon has been a fan of LTSL for a long time. Needless to say, he's received his fair share of gas-related jokes.
Torritorri 	A more quiet and equally friendly Matoran, TT is also a loyal fan of LTSL, though on a few occasions just seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Toxo 	Toxo, or TET (The Elemental Toa), or Savoc, as he is now known, is easily the least sane of all the characters, OnuaNuva included. Little more needs to be said.
IceColdToa 	A great constructive critic of the comics, he is rumored to sit around eating Doritos all day and criticize the authors (though to this day he ascertains that this is a myth).
Toa of Luck	Toa of Luck is a stickler when it comes to putting up with Dokuma's antics (namely, his procrastination), but he too is the target of criticism for his name (considering the fact that he is actually a Matoran). The "luck" part of his name is well-suited, however, considering the fact that he is extremely superstitous and often resorts to throwing salt over his shoulder as the answer to any situation that may arise.
==LTSL: The Movie==
:For more information, see the full article.
Several years ago, Dokuma attempted to create LTSL: The Movie, though the project never got on its feet past episode one due to the inconvenience of production. The plot took place immediately after the defeat of Makuta Teridax in the official 2003 Bionicle storyline.
As the Matoran of Mata Nui prepare to depart for the newly rediscovered island of Metru Nui, the authors and cast of LTSL are beamed away and held hostage in the Mangaia. Teridax, who is still very much alive, intends to interrogate them to learn if they are a danger to him because of their prophesied destinies.
The movie was also intended to feature Galigee and a squadron of wild Rahkshi later in the storyline.
==Crossovers==
Towards the end of the series, several comics under the umbrella of Mission: LTSL Invasion were made, featuring LTSL comics made to resemble thsoe of other series. The plotlines of the comics were essentially comprised of short visits to the realms of other comic series. Randamonium, Project Klinkerpoop, Generic Quest, and even LTSL itself were among the series "visited." Mission: LTSl Invasion concluded with the return of all the alternate forms of the LTSL characters from the prior comics converging onto the LTSL set.
==External Links==
*The New Topic
*The Old Topic
*Fan Comics and Fan Art
Category:Comics
Category:Studio Comics