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Worm in the Apple is at 200k words now! Also, happy Pi day.

HE'S FINALLY FREE YIPPEE *non-biodegradable confetti*

Essay I just wrote 👇

Spamton’s goal since the very beginning was freedom. More specifically, the freedom to go where he pleases, do what he wants, and interact with the world without the constant fear of being killed. He initially sought to gain freedom by somehow overcoming the antivirus forces and repopulating his species, destroying the wretched city he was trapped in and controlling what remained. His disguise wasn’t just a way to blend in, but a way to infiltrate and gain the power he needed to enact his plan. But, he became very distracted by the addisons before he could get very far. They unknowingly taught him empathy, something different from the cold apathy and spite that normally fueled him. No matter how much he yelled and threatened them after his true identity was revealed, Spamton blamed himself for becoming too attached to the fake life of his puppet. He knew they never loved him, but the prospect of pretending they did was as alluring as a moth to a flame. He now saw every interaction with the addisons as a business transaction; he would only hold worth if he could hold up his end of the deal. His old motivations surged stronger than ever. With less than a second thought, he stalked Kris through the entire city, cornered them in the mansion basement, and dedicated every last scrap of energy he had to killing them. It wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough. Whether Spamton died with the rest of his species or clung to life, the outcome was the same. Nothing. He was now a ghost, still stubbornly clinging to the mortal plane because he didn’t know what other choice he had. A parasite can’t live without its host, no matter how much it hurts them. After all this time, his teeth were still latched into the addisons, and he kept trying to pull away even if he knew he’d rip out flesh in the process. But, they’d grown tired of this constant struggle. They cut through every mask he hid behind, prying the truth out. Under all of his vengeful fantasies, what he truly desired was to be loved. A desire the addisons had introduced him to. A desire he finally understood. The teeth finally let go. He is so very tired, but his life was finally crawling back up. Yet, while he was no longer alone, he was still suffering. They knew how he still longed for freedom, and they’d do whatever they needed to fight for it. In the end, the bonds he had formed with them were all the evidence they needed to grant him freedom. It was enough. He was enough. Spamton finally learned what it meant to be loved.

don't worry about the confetti being non-biodegradable wormton ate all of it

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Award-Losing Smile

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UPDATE VIDEO AS WELL RAAAAH

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THE WORMTON FILES PT 3

Included: In-depth look at the malworm life cycle, some biology, information on their nests, their hunting process, and a bargain bin of random facts that were too short to be their own sections. Also some art where I thought it was necessary.

Content Warning: This is entirely about spamton deltarune themed parasitic worms I don’t know what to tell you man

BIGSHOT Malworm Infection and Life Cycle

All malworm species are parasites, meaning that their young live inside of a host and, once developed enough, kill their host and live independently from it as adults. All malworms feed on the souls and bodies of darkners, and prefer hunting sapient people over animals. The BIGSHOT malworm is a type of email worm, a genus capable of perfectly mimicking any sound or voice. This particular species is known to favor mimicking the advertisements and scams that one would expect to find in a spam email in order to lure its victims.

Stage 0: Choosing a Host (0 days)

An adult malworm begins to search for a suitable host. It looks for a victim whose body is warm enough to incubate its eggs and large enough to support a full brood. It also prefers to hunt those that appear vulnerable and gullible, as that is who its stolen words are most likely to work on. Once the new host is chosen, the malworm will follow them, typically sticking to walls and roofs where it is difficult to spot, and use its vocal mimicry to isolate its victim. It may reuse the screams of previous victims or purposefully play into the potential host's insecurities in order to lure them away from others. Once the victim is alone, the malworm lunges and wraps its body around the victim, preventing them from resisting. The malworm stabs its needle-like proboscis into the victim's abdomen and injects a single egg followed by a high dosage of its venom. The unconscious victim, now a host, is left to wake alone.

Stage 1: Incubation (1 day)

The host remains unaware of their infection as they wake up and continue their normal routine, as the venom initially messes with their memory. The only remnant of their encounter is a small puncture mark and slight discomfort. Malworms often aim for the host's back and avoid piercing through clothes, making the injection site difficult to find. It tends to heal by the next day. After about 24 hours, the egg hatches, and the 6-16 malworm larvae spread out and attach themselves to their host. The larvae are born transparent white and completely featureless aside from a slight taper to the body. The body itself is only around 0.5 cm long, but their long string-shaped proboscis extends their total length to about 7.6 cm or 3 inches. They respirate through their epidermis and use their proboscis to eat. As soon as they hatch and start to feed, the larvae rapidly grow. In the rare event that the host is too small to support an entire brood, the larvae will attempt to eat each other until they no longer have to compete for resources.

Stage 2: Gestation (2-23 days)

By now, the adult malworm's venom has spread evenly throughout the host's entire body. The portion of it not being used to affect the host’s brain remains dormant until it comes into contact with a malworm's saliva. When activated, the cytotoxins in the venom turn the host's tissue into a liquid that a larva can easily slurp up through its proboscis. The easy-to-digest liquid tissue fuels the larvaes’ rapid growth, while the rest of the venom remains inactive in order to keep the host alive for longer. The host continues to remain unaware, unable to feel their organs being eaten. As the larvae continue to feed on the host's internal structures, they develop more organs, limbs, and features. At this point, most of the malworm's energy is devoted to developing its brain and body structures rather than simply growing larger, as they are far more complex than a typical parasite. The brain and the ears are some of the first organs to start developing, allowing the larvae to listen to their host and start learning words. As they gain senses, they may start to kick or writhe in response to outside stimuli, excited to respond to their hosts even if they don't have a mouth or vocal chords yet. However, it is uncommon for a host to actually feel them until the last few days due to the effects of the venom. The only symptoms of the infection the host may experience at this point are increased hunger, light sensitivity, cold sensitivity, fatigue, and sometimes uncharacteristic aggression towards those showing them concern. These symptoms start nearly undetectable and become worse as emergence approaches.

Stage 3: Emergence (day 24)

In the late stages of gestation, the host's symptoms become more extreme. The host will become drawn to darkness and warmth, and become extremely aggressive if disturbed. Their brain has been rewired to find or create a safe, isolated spot for the larvae to emerge, but the host can’t tell that anything is wrong. The last thing the larvae grow is their new respiratory system. Once they lose their ability to breathe through their skin, They instinctively start biting and clawing their way out of the host to avoid suffocation. If everything has gone well, the host's brain has been deluded into building a nest in a warm, dark, secluded place to the best of their abilities. The host may feel or see the larvae squirming underneath their hollowed skin just before they die of mass organ failure, internal bleeding, organ loss, etc. As intelligent but very young creatures, the larvae spend some time just adjusting to their new lungs and unfamiliar world. They clean the blood off of each other and learn to use their legs, continuing to eat the dead host in the process. Freshly emerged larvae are around 10 in (23 cm) if you include their nose, and are pure white aside from a tiny speck of black fur on the top of their heads.

Stage 4: Growth (day 25 - 90)

The larvae stay with their host for at least a day while they devour the rest of the body. They grow at an average of 1 in (2.5 cm) a day, though they tend to grow faster while eating the rest of the host, and slower when they start eating new prey. If their parent malworm is able to, it will keep track of the selected host and take its hatchlings back to its nest once they emerge. However, more often than not, the larvae spend their first few weeks of life alone until an adult can find them. They are self-sufficient, but have a much higher survival rate when cared for by adult malworms. Larvae have softer shells than adults, which allows them to grow much faster at the cost of defense. The larvae stay with their hatchmates, and can usually fend off threats, such as tasques, together. They eat computer bugs, maice, and other small Cyber World fauna. The larvae smartly avoid confronting humanoid darkners at their young age, but still like to hide and listen for new words to mimic. As they grow, the small black spot of hair on the top of their heads gradually spreads across the body.

Stage 5: Sexual Maturity (91 days)

The young malworms reach 10 ft (305 cm) in length, finally developing their ovary and venom glands and marking them as adults. Using the audio clips they learned as a hatchling, the now adult malworms start hunting humanoid prey. They either stay in the nest of the malworms that possibly raised them or create their own nest. Once settled, the malworms are ready to infect new hosts, beginning the cycle again. Malworms often don't live for more than six months due to external factors, since exterminating the malworms is usually top priority when they get into a city. So, they tend to reproduce the second they can, and as much as possible. Despite the fact that many larvae die before reaching adulthood, a malworm population can explode from one to thousands in just a year if left unchecked. While malworms continue to grow in size after reaching sexual maturity, the hardening of the exoskeleton drastically slows the process, and the vast majority of malworms die before they can gain more than a few inches.

Stage 6: Fully Grown (10+ years)

If an adult malworm survives long enough, it will gradually reach a maximum length of 16 ft (~488 cm), although the odds of one living that long outside of captivity are astronomically low. Young malworms are physically and mentally clones of each other aside from their memories, but older malworms can start to develop more distinct personalities, as their brain has had a much longer time to develop. Older malworms are more dangerous both because of their greater strength and far greater intelligence derived from their years of amassed voice clips and experience. As darkners based on digital files, malworms cannot technically die of old age. However, as malware, they don’t receive patches and updates like software-based darkners do, and can become plagued with more and more glitches as their code becomes obsolete. Depending on how a malworm’s venom works, some older species can’t even infect newer darkners, while others remain a genuine threat. It is currently unknown whether the BIGSHOT malworm’s venom could still function today. As one of the first ever computer worms, attempts were not made to catalogue its existence and no known eggs or specimens are alive today. Most information on them is based on their successors.

All About Malworm Setae (Fur)

The fur found all along a malworm's body is actually specialized setae, or hair-like structures. Each strand consists of a long stalk with tiny soft hairs branching off of it, resembling something like a fern leaf or a feather. Their hair gives them their sense of touch and allows them to sense some vibrations. These hairs naturally curl downwards, but flex out when the malworm wants to better feel its environment or make itself look bigger. The fact that their fur can hold its shape so well is how they can have such long yet perfectly curled manes. The main purpose of their manes might be an intimidation tactic to make their thin necks look less vulnerable, but they have also been observed using it to carry and hide their hatchlings. The prominent tufts at the end of their tails don't have a known purpose other than flaring out when the malworm is agitated. Malworm hair in general serves to keep them warm and dry. The notable lack of fur on their feet and forelimbs and the very short fur on the head is thought to be an adaptation to make blood easier to clean. Malworms plunge their claws deep into their prey to hold onto it, and blood will inevitably run down their legs in the struggle. Despite typically having to live in dirty, rundown areas of the cities they invade, malworms keep themselves very clean, removing any dirt from their hair and licking any grime off. The lighter colored fur on their chest and face seems to be purely decorational. Because they don't glow, even the lighter parts of a malworm can be difficult to spot under the glare of city lights. Most Cyber World darkners are biofluorescent, meaning they glow in various colors under the blacklights common in the city as a way to grab attention. This trait is quite obvious with addisons, whose entire bodies glow in bright colors. In contrast, no part of a malworm is biofluorescent, indirectly camouflaging them. Malworms also have a few more types of setae. The shorter hair on their long nose is designed specifically for smelling, with the whole structure acting like an insect's antenna. The proboscis is covered in translucent hairs that the malworm uses to sense souls. Specialized setae around their ear holes help make sounds louder so that they can actually hear them. Finally, dense pads of hair on the bottom of their feet, known as scopula pads, allow malworms to stick to walls. The BIGSHOT malworm has black and white fur, though shining a light at their fur reveals subtle iridescent coloration in a variety of blues, purples, and pinks.

Soul Sensing:

Because malworms rely on the souls of darkners as part of their diet, they have developed an ability to sense the location, strength, and position of souls using sensitive hairs on their proboscis. Malworms can be observed flicking their proboscis outward, a bit like a snake's tongue, and brushing it against the roof of their mouth, where their taste buds are. They process the chemical signatures of souls as a source of heat and light where the soul is, which grows stronger based on the soul's proximity and strength. Generally, soul strength can correlate with brain complexity, physical size, or mental strength. So, an insect would be barely detectable, a humanoid darkner would be easy to find, and a human soul would be completely intoxicating, like a moth to the sun. Malworms can usually find an average darkner soul within 30 feet of them, even through a 5 ft thick lead wall. However, they exponentially struggle past that range, especially with weaker souls. When a soul is very close to a malworm, they can sense more about it, like the pace of the heart attached to the soul and what condition it's in.

Medicine:

Because malworms are classified as a disease, most medicine either doesn't affect them or is outright harmful. Dewormers can be lethal to hatchlings if they accidentally ingest it, though the host drinking it isn't usually dangerous for them, as they live outside of the stomach. As adults, specialized medicine designed for worms or malware in general can make them very sick, but isn't usually enough to kill. As malware themselves, malworms aren't at risk of getting infected with anything, and their jacked up immune system means that they can't transfer anything, either. After all, they wouldn't want to help the competition by spreading a virus, and they especially want their hosts to be as healthy as possible for their hatchlings. Healing magic does work on malworms, though there is no conceivable reason why someone would want to heal one.

Internal Mouth and External Mouth

Malworms actually have two mouths; the proboscis and the mandibles. The mandibles only resemble a jaw full of teeth, an example of convergent evolution. Their teeth are similar to a spider's fangs, as each tooth-like structure is attached to muscles and can move independently of one another, allowing malworms to easily grip onto prey. Malworms have 36 teeth in total, 32 canines with knife-like edges designed to slice, and four molar-like teeth in the back designed to grind. The front four teeth on the top and bottom jaw are significantly shorter, allowing the proboscis to extend past even when the teeth are interlocked into a curved smile. The external mouth connects to the malworm's respiratory system and digestive system. The internal mouth is a proboscis that can extend up to 6 ft in length. It consists mainly of muscle, is completely covered in nearly invisible hairs, is partially translucent, and has a needle sharp tip. It sits inside of the mandibles right where a tongue would be. Malworms are born without their mandibles, so their proboscis is also connected to the digestive system, though it can only be used to consume fluids. Adult malworms like to use the proboscis to drink the souls of their prey rather than just swallowing the heart whole, seemingly for their own enjoyment. The main purpose of the proboscis in adulthood is for reproduction. It is connected to the venom glands and ovary, allowing it to transfer venom and eggs to a host. The proboscis is very sensitive and much weaker than the mandibles, so malworms will only use it on very small prey or as a last option for self defense.

Magic and Venom

As darkners, malworms have a natural capacity for magic. However, unlike most darkners, their magic is not used to summon attacks. Instead, it's concentrated in their absurd healing abilities and powerful venom. Once activated by the malworm’s saliva, malworm venom primarily has the effect of liquifying the victim's flesh, allowing their larvae to feed and grow quickly. The liquid tissue requires less energy to digest, meaning that the larvae can dedicate much more energy to growing than they'd be able to without the venom. With the malworm's magic, the venom can dig into the infected host's brain and force them to conform to the larvae’s needs. Essentially, the venom mimics the host's code and executes lines almost the exact same, influencing the host's brain without triggering the immune system. It makes the host forget the moment they were infected, tricking them into thinking nothing is wrong until they finally die. As the infection progresses, the host becomes extremely sensitive to light and cold. They become overwhelmingly hungry, and their corrupted brain rewards them when they conform to these artificial urges. The host is forced to isolate themselves and act aggressive towards anyone that shows concern for their health. By the last day of infection, they are completely incoherent, running away if they live with other people and forming a strange nest of pillows and blankets. At this point, the host can barely speak and may try to bite and scratch anyone that approaches them. They usually die of mass organ failure before they can even see the larvae squirming inside of their hollowed out body. Overall, malworms use their magic to enhance their venom and ensure their hatchlings have the best rate of survival. The rest of their magic is dedicated to their healing abilities. Despite having many complex organs, malworms can lose somewhere around 80% of their entire body and survive as long as the heart, maybe one lung, some portion of the digestive tract, a little bit of the nervous system, and some flesh to hold it together is left. With extremely intensive care, a malworm could make a full recovery, regenerating the entirety of its body as if nothing ever happened. If most of the body is still intact, they can also recover from damage to their five “hearts,” or aortic arches. A small portion of their healing magic is tied to their saliva, which is why malworms are frequently observed licking their wounds. This minor healing effect can actually work on other darkners. Though, since it's tied to the malworm's magic, the malworm unfortunately has to be alive for it to work, so it has no practical use. Malworms are physically incapable of summoning spells.

Pipis (vine boom sound effect)

Malworm eggs, also referred to as pipis, are about the size and shape of a grain of rice. The protective shell is squishy and wet in appearance, colored the same cerulean blue as the rest of a malworm's internal structures. Each pipis contains up to 16 larvae each, and only one pipis is injected into a host. Malworms reproduce asexually, creating genetic clones of themselves, so all they have is something that vaguely resembles an ovary. They can produce hundreds of eggs at a time, though this is a small amount compared to the millions of eggs that other parasitic worms can produce. Their internal body temperature is too low to keep their own eggs alive for very long, so old eggs continuously dissolve to make room for new ones. Malworms don’t have any sort of reproductive cycle and can infect a host at any time as long as they have enough venom in their venom glands.

Nests

Malworm nests are built from a material commonly referred to as “rotten glass.” It is composed of polyethylene plastic and malworm saliva, getting its name from its blue semi-transparent coloration and stringy shape. It resembles something between hot glue and a thick tarantula web, starting out sticky and gooey and solidifying quickly. Rotten glass is somewhat flexible while keeping its shape. It is difficult to break, but can easily be melted by fire due to the polyethylene in its composition. Nests are normally built above the ground, attached to the walls or ceiling by strands of rotten glass. Malworm nests contain multiple layers. The outside is typically round, but may take on an abnormal shape depending on the environment around it. In their natural environment, malworms cover the outside with plant debris in order to camouflage the nest. As an invasive species in cities, they tend to use various garbage to try and hide the nest, though it's not usually that effective. The next layer is the insulation layer, which takes up a majority of the nest’s volume. It contains massive holes between the inner and outer layers, keeping the temperature inside the nest warmer. Nests only ever have one entrance, typically hidden by vines or something else. Through the entrance is a tunnel that travels through the tunnel and usually into the main den. Larger festers (malworm groups) may build multiple round “rooms” separated by tunnels, a bit like an ant colony, though most festers are small enough that they only have a single “room;” the den. The den is the literal nest, being where the malworms sleep. They use anything they can find and deem soft enough as bedding, from regular pillows and blankets to loose electrical wire. Malworms often build little nooks in the wall where they can hide the treasure they collect from victims. Malworms spend a majority of their life inside of their nest, so they work to keep it as clean as possible. They are highly protective of the nest and the territory around it, and will kill (and eat) anything that gets too close. There's often no birdsong or insect chirps around a nest, just complete silence. Only adult malworms are capable of producing rotten glass, so malworm larvae that don’t have an adult taking care of them usually sleep in whatever nook they can find, whether it’s an abandoned building, dumpster, or inside of your walls.

Sleeping Process

Malworms aren’t capable of true sleep; instead, they essentially turn portions of the brain off while still being aware of their surroundings. This may just be a byproduct of their rather insectoid biology, but, regardless, it serves to keep them vigilant for threats even while asleep. Malworms only enter this resting state if they are already relaxed. During it, their metabolic rate slows, but their eyes remain open as they continue to hear, feel, smell, and see their environment. Malworms usually stay relaxed or curled up or around each other while in this state, but are still capable of moving or reacting to stimuli without actually waking up. They rely on instincts in this state, and don’t do much more than adjust their position while resting. They usually enter an awake state almost immediately if they detect a threat. However, extreme stress breaks this system. Malworms normally need to feel safe before they can enter a resting state, but can be forced to if they are so exhausted they can’t stay awake anymore. The images from the stressed mind translate into the closest thing malworms experience to dreams, though “nightmares” would probably be a more accurate term. Since they only rely on basic instincts while resting and can’t wake up, they perceive whatever they see as real, no matter how abstract it may be, and can violently lash out in response. Malworms can be taken out of this state by physical touch, as physically embracing and hearing their nestmates helps the mind relax and return to a normal resting state. Malworms are most often nocturnal, though they will adjust to whatever the schedule of their prey is.

Hunting

Malworms actually hunt in groups. They're typically most active at night, but will adjust to whatever time yields the greatest hunting results. When active, they walk across the rooftops, searching for victims. When a malworm finds a victim, it will stay behind to stalk its prey. Some will continue searching while others will stay behind in case assistance is needed. Malworms use their vocal mimicry to lure a victim close enough to ambush. They try to get the victim away from any other nearby darkners, and will also try to back them into a corner if possible. They like to drag out this phase in the hopes that they might get useful voice clips from the victim. Once the victim has been manipulated into the right spot, the malworm strikes. It jumps from its hiding spot and uses its long, curved claws to hook into its prey and not let go. They bite the neck, killing their prey, and start to feed. Assuming nothing went wrong and they didn't have to prematurely assist, the other malworms will hop down and start to eat as well. The humanoid prey that malworms hunt is too large for one malworm to eat, so they always share their meal. They eat everything, including teeth, hair, and even the inorganic metal or plastic components of their darkner victims. Malworms enjoy stealing their prey’s belongings, as they don’t like to leave any evidence of a struggle. They collect clothing to line their nests, collect shiny jewelry to look at, and are strangely protective of the money, debit cards, and other wallet items they hoard. Depending on the size of the group, malworms may kill multiple victims or just one. They normally only eat one meal a day, retreating to the safety of their nests for the rest of the night and day.

How to Not be Hunted

The best way to survive a malworm attack is to avoid encountering one in the first place. A fully grown malworm is strong enough to move a car, bend metal with its teeth, jump several feet, and sprint up to 35 mph in short bursts. Whatever you’re doing isn’t worth it. Avoid going outside late at night, especially around 8 PM - 4 AM. Malworms are most active during the night hours, but that does not mean they won't ever hunt during the day. Stay in groups and/or populated areas. Malworms like to isolate their prey, and will stay away from densely populated areas. Despite their strength, they avoid hunting even small groups and prefer alleys and backroads. Stay indoors. Malworms are smart enough to open doors and strong enough to break locks, but their cautious nature means that they rarely try to break into buildings. They're more likely to try and lure prey outside than trap it inside. If you must be outside, try to stay in open, flat areas. Malworms like to climb on walls, and dislike not being able to easily escape up onto a rooftop. Additionally, they hate the rain and are significantly less likely to attack when it's raining, though waiting for it to rain is quite unreliable. Never, under any circumstances, follow a disembodied voice, not even cries for help. Malworms often use the voices of dead victims to lure new ones, and, even if someone actually was crying for help, they wouldn't last much longer. Share information about malworm safety with everyone you know. Malworms manipulate the vulnerable who don't know anything about them and who are easily tricked by their stolen voices. Between preventing deaths and controlling infection, information is the key to surviving a malworm infestation.

Good Luck o7

If you do find yourself in the presence of a malworm, the best option is to run. They can sense souls; it is impossible to hide. Malworms are not invincible, but killing one, let alone the entire fester, is out of the question for a normal citizen. Running is the only option. Malworms don't like to attack until their prey is isolated, so the best thing to do is run to the nearest public area or group of people if you hear a disembodied voice calling to you. Once the malworms attack, there's little to be done. They can sprint faster than even trained human athletes, though they can only maintain top speed for less than a minute before completely exhausting themselves. As ambush predators, they have extremely poor endurance, and outrunning them is easily possible past the initial sprint, though unlikely. Even less can be done once a malworm has come into contact with the victim. Their clawed legs are designed to hook into flesh and never let go. Unless the malworm dies on the spot, escape is impossible. The only way for a normal civilian to realistically survive a malworm attack, albeit temporarily, is if it decides to use you as a host.

Bargain Bin of Assorted Facts

- Animals are often given special group names, such as a murder of crows or a cauldron of bats. A group of malworms is known as a fester, though they are often referred to as a colony or nest of malworms as well.

- The lung-like structures malworms have and their surprisingly average hearing capabilities likely evolved so that they can more accurately mimic the sounds of their humanoid prey.

- The main pheromones malworms produce to mark their territory and belongings somehow smells faintly of cheap cologne (the scent of the specil fun pak air freshener).

- Malworms like to share mimicked phrases with each other, increasing their “vocabulary” and increasing their odds of a successful hunt. They share phrases with their children, who then share those phrases to their own children, and so on. Email worm species are often named after the most popular phrases they were known to use when luring victims.

- Malworms have face blindness, as they don't have a need to recognize faces like humans do and never developed the ability to do so (although humans can also have face blindness. He just like me fr fr). As literal clones of each other, the only way they can tell each other apart is by scent, like a pheromone-based serial number.

- A malworm's eyelids are actually nictitating membranes used mainly to protect their eyes from bright light, though they often use them for expressive purposes. Half closed or fully closed eyes are a sign that they feel relaxed enough to let their guard down. Sometimes they “squint” to narrow their wide field of vision and focus on one target.

- Aside from protecting from light, a malworm’s eyelids prevent their very noticeable eye shine from showing up should someone shine a light at them, increasing the chances of the malworm going unnoticed while they are hunting prey.

- Malworms are known for their high defense. Their exoskeleton is incredibly resistant to both physical and magical attacks. The best way to injure one is to get lucky enough to stab it through the gaps in its exoskeleton, or stab it through the mouth. Killing them usually involves more extreme methods, such as fire, explosions, perhaps a very large and heavy object, or the highly corrosive alkaline “vaccine” the antivirus forces use.

- Malworms come from a world where the only ones they can trust are themselves, and they are fiercely protective of their nestmates as a result. They will kill a darkner just for looking at them wrong or getting too close to the nest location. They are even more protective of members of the nest that are deemed too weak to defend themselves, which generally applies to their larvae. (Or an addison…)

- Malworms can't taste sour foods. This is possibly because the ability to taste sourness may have evolved as a way to prevent us from eating rotting food, but malworms can eat pretty much anything that was once alive, rotting or not, hence their inability to taste sourness. They still vastly prefer fresh meat, though.

- Malworms have an extreme reaction to bitterness, possibly because of how dangerous medicine can be to them. Because of this, bitter foods are the one thing they might not eat. Maybe.

- Malworms love the taste of sugar just as much as they love the taste of raw meat, despite sugar not being a necessary part of their diet whatsoever. They can safely consume large amounts of it.

- Malworms can taste the burn of spicy foods, but don’t physically react nor actively seek out spicy foods like humans do.

- Producing venom demands a lot of the malworm's body. It slowly pools in the venom glands, filling up faster the more the malworm eats. Unless they use it on a host, malworms essentially need to milk their own venom glands by using it on regular prey, as a buildup of venom can cause irritation and pain if they don't drain the glands.

- The bright coloration and glow of a malworm’s eyes is caused by bioluminescence. Malworms can control the brightness of their eyes, usually turning it off while hunting. Their eyes appear gray when not lit. When malworms are physically weakened, in pain, or in a depressed state, their eyes become desaturated or completely gray depending on the severity, and they can’t light back up until the malworm recovers.

- Malworms are even more social than humans. They do absolutely everything together; feeding, hunting, grooming, sleeping, giving each other gifts, taking care of each other while molting, teaching each other mimicked phrases, even just physically being together. They literally share an egg, united before they’re even capable of thought. They function as a family unit, a single minded colony, a hivemind. A singular, lone malworm would never exist. (loud incorrect buzzer sound effect)

That’s all I have for now! There was a lot of stuff I came up with as I was writing Wormton himself, such as his sleeping issues (hey, what Spamton fic doesn’t give him nightmares?), his eyes going gray (static) when he’s in pain, and the fact that he can’t summon any magic attacks. I figured it was about time I wrote down all the stuff floating around in my head. I also wanted to better clarify how their lifecycle works in general. I find it fascinating how parasites like cordyceps fungus and horsehair worms can control the brain and body of their host, and it felt like the perfect thing to add to malworms. Parasites are simultaneously really interesting and something I want nothing to do with!

[cheesycatz]

he's so gender

[cheesycatz]

Where can I read worm in the apple?

WITA is not currently publicly available, but it will be eventually released on AO3 (archiveofourown). I decided to draft the entire thing in detail before releasing chapters to ensure that I provide the best story I can. I have like 3.5 chapters and revisions left, so I don't think it would be unreasonable to say that I will start releasing the final thing at some point this year, though!

[cheesycatz]

I love the clay pin! I should make one myself to go with my suspiciously convenient pink tie : D

Fanart for @cheesycatz's wormton au, cuz Spamton malworm sure is infectious :3 Mainly worm memes and I also made apple flower pin from clay so I included it here. Congrats on catching a shiny /ref

[cheesycatz]

YOUR VOICE IS NOT YOUR OWN (Acrylic Painting)

[cheesycatz]

The same I use on all my color pencil works

Drawing challenge!

Original template

Featured (In Order):

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

[cheesycatz]

Drawing challenge!

Original template

Featured (In Order):

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

Spamton G. Spamton (DELTARUNE)

[cheesycatz]

Parasitic worm pretends to be your valentine so you don't notice that they're the reason you have 24 days left to live

Wormton AU fic is 190k words now! : )

Nothing crazy new plot wise, more bonding and found family stuff. Obligatory fluff after how much these guys had to go through. I like describing all the sounds he makes when isn't trying to suppress them; chirps, warbles, trills, chirrs, chitters, screeches, snarls, and that weird computer whirring sound he makes that may or may not have the same connotations as purring (sorry I couldn't resist)

I'm excited to go through revisions! It's been so long since I wrote some of this stuff that I don't remember the fine details, so it's genuinely fun for me to read through. Also, I had fun making disguised wormton seem as cursed as possible without actually describing his real form until post-reveal. Blue was probably the only one who didn't think he was some deranged serial killer at first sight, which, fair enough. I was kind of worried about a few very minor original characters I added not being accepted, but then I remembered that Trashy the trash can probably has more speaking lines than any one of them and it probably isn't that big of a deal. I hope you enjoy the one chapter with these three kids putting their LPS animal dolls through the most traumatizing, heart-wrenching, dark story as we all did as children (I promise it's plot relevant and contains symbolism).

Drew some non-canon wormton stuff for Valentine’s Day. I mean, I don't know how you would send a valentine to an elusive homeless man with no official documentation of his existence. The asexually reproducing computer worm guy can't feel anything romantic, but he would love to take advantage of you—gladly accept your lovely gifts. Bro’s just teasing haha he would never inject parasitic worm larvae into your abdomen just don't go to the doctor in the next 24 days please he definitely loves you and not the worms hypothetically eating your organs

“worm.vbs” is a reference to the file type used by the ILOVEYOU worm and other old malware. I only know this because I realized that one of the official spamton valentines from last year contains its exact file name “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs”. sharing this trivia because it was like the one reference in those valentines that I didn't see anyone mention back then and because it makes me feel smart

Food for thought:

Honestly, he'd be pretty scary if it weren't for his justified fear of the antivirus forces. Malworm safety is all about avoiding disembodied voices trying to lure you into alleys, so the fact that you can physically see his relatively humanoid disguised form would make him seem dangerously trustworthy. I was thinking about what would've happened if he would've gotten help from the person on the phone (probably gaster I guess? idk). He could've totally been like a cult leader manipulating people into willingly becoming hosts because it was honorable or whatever. And that could combine with the fact that their venom slightly influences the brain. And the followers would've thought he was simply dressing up as a malworm and his fall from grace would've been when they realized he was just a malworm in disguise infecting them and prolonging the invasion. I prefer what I have now; lonely hypothetically-murderous wormton is a lot more redeemable than very-murderous cult leader wormton would be. The addisons, or anyone really, would want nothing to do with him. Fun to think about! And only to think about; I'd rather focus on the version I have now.

See you next time at the big 200k 👀 chapter 3 might actually come out before my multi-book-length spamton fanfiction but don't worry I would never abandon my favorite freak of nature

yappin complete B)

[cheesycatz]

happy valentine's day

[cheesycatz]

who the hell are you? I want my skinless puppet with elongated human teeth

[cheesycatz]

YAY idk what it is about spamton but he is simply so creature-fiable and I'm glad people like my weird cat

I do adore when people make Spamton into funky creatures

Dragon Spamton belong to @thedragonlair77 Wormton belong to @cheesycatz

[cheesycatz]

The they/thems and the car-length flesh-eating computer worm living in their walls

(Worm in the Apple) 180k words progress update

The final five chapters are being worked on now! The number might change, but the plan for now is 28 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue. There's still problems for the characters to solve, but there should be more fluff than angst now. I'm excited to dedicate more time to the other addisons! Even though Blue is a main character alongside Wormton, I wanted the other addisons to also feel nuanced. They each have different thoughts about Wormton and reactions to his real form depending on their experiences. I wanted them to feel distinct from each other, but still fit together as a friend group.

On a side note, I've made it so that they use their color names as nicknames throughout the entire fic, because it's impossible to remember who's who when you're reading multiple fics and they're all using the exact same name like “Survey” to describe three different ad colors. I think I even put a worldbuilding joke in the fic somewhere about addisons usually going by nicknames, because every single one of em is named after some form of advertising despite there only being like 25 advertisement types max. For every “Banner” or “Click” there's probably some unlucky soul named “Product Placement” or “Telemarketing.”

I'd say I'm about two thirds of the way to posting? I only have five chapters and the epilogue left, but I plan on going through the whole fic and doing revisions before I start writing the final version. Like, I started writing this when I was 15. It absolutely needs a few revisions. After that, I'll finally be able to start writing finalized chapters and posting them. When will that be? Idk

Uuuuuh go random addison drawings I found

[cheesycatz]

creature feature

(scary piano sound effect)

featuring: the creature

[cheesycatz]

Salutations ^^

Kind of a silly question, is there the Alien film (from 1979!) somewhere in the cybercity library? Imagine how mindblowing this would be.

It's kind of hard to say whether Light World movies and stuff would actually appear in the Dark World in the same form. After all, chapter 3 is seemingly going to be based entirely on whatever's playing on the TV, where the movies themselves would become the environments in the Dark World. Hard to say for sure. However, I'm sure that darkners both have some knowledge of the Light World and would have their own movies, shows, websites, books, music, etc. based in the Dark World itself.

Assuming you're asking about Wormton specifically (I mean, I could yap about regular Spamton headcanons for an eight hour long video essay worth of time, but I doubt that's why you're asking about Alien), I imagine that darkner movie monsters/aliens could be based on malware, including malworms. However, I imagine that making a sensationalized film about the real horrors that Cyber World darkners frequently face (ain't no way a public library in a rural town is gonna have advanced cyber security systems) would be seen as insensitive. They could be used as inspiration for a darkner horror film, but malworms themselves would be more likely to show up in unsolved mystery or nature documentaries.

TLDR: erm no obviously that would be copyright infringement 🙄🙄🙄