What are Wormfrogs? Wormfrogs are little, white, segmented froglike creatures with black eyes and white pupils, and the most popular pet in all of Wormtopia. They most resemble the dominant bipedal Worm species, and act most similar to our domestic housecat. They only speak in "meeps", though they can telepathically communicate their thoughts to any species they can connect with. They can consume about anything, except for Wormtopian slime (a delicacy to the Worms), and love cake. They hate not getting their way, and have a penchant for tantrums and excessive panicking. They can survive for a very, very long time without food and water, but will almost certainly perish without social interaction. (Featured: eight different wormfrogs, the top-leftmost wormfrog is tattling on the one beside it, the one beside it is starting to panic, its eyestalks extended and teeth bared. Below it, a wormfrog is panicking, flailing its arms wildly, and to the top-right of that one, a wormfrog is suctioned to the screen. Bottom-left, a wormfrog is cheering and salivating as he's given a slice of cake. Behind him, a wormfrog is sitting content, hands clasped in front of it. Below it, another wormfrog is curled up, sleeping soundly. Behind it, a wormfrog sits with a neutral expression.)

Holding your wormfrog: Four different wormfrogs are being held in various methods, top-left -- the wormfrog is being held in one hand, feet and arms tucked in, supported and safe. Bottom-left -- the wormfrog is firmly but gently held by its haunches with its arms supported by a human's thumbs. It is content. Top-right -- the wormfrog is cradled by a human's arms, bottom supported by a hand, and head gently held by the other hand. It's sleeping soundly. Bottom-right -- the wormfrog is being squeezed by a hand, its right arm squished to its body, and its feet frantically kicking out behind it. It looks extremely uncomfortable. Do not squeeze your wormfrog.

When a wormfrog is upset, their eyes tend to migrate to the top of their head. The eyes also move outward, flattening its head and widening it in the process. A possible reason is rooted in its ancestors, where this relocation of the eyes is contributed to it searching for predators. Another function, known as seeking, also results from predator locating behavior, and is found in an evolutionary cousin, the Worm. (Featured below: A wormfrog as seen from the front, legs splayed out, shown repositioning its eyes to the top of its head, and looking upset.

Wormfrog Dimorphism -- Wormfrogs are sexually monomorphous, having both necessary sets of reproductive organs, and both can function as mother or father, depending on who deposits genetic material into whom. Wormfrogs designate themselves as the mother by donning what appears to be a hairpiece with one single accessory, usually something floral. They can pull this out of a pocket in their hind legs (which can function as a hammerspace, deep and expansive). They alter their personality with a softer cry, long fluttery eyelashes, and gain blush on their cheeks. It's unknown as to why they do this, exactly. (Featured: a wormfrog in the process of designating itself as a mother by putting on a wig.)

And now we bring the Creatures of this world -- Wormfrogs! The wormfrog is the cat of Wormtopia, and Daylon *adores* them. They have their quirks, however, and here's a few of them. #DaylontheWorm #wormfrogs #fictionalspecies #fictionalanimal #originalspecies

Max's Mom and Dad are... Max's mom and dad! They are also the legal guardians to Daylon during the IPPP. Both are loving, caring parents that encourage Max's natural curiosity and craving for knowledge. They also encourage Max to show empathy for others, especially when it comes to Daylon. They know that Daylon's current situation puts him at an enormous disadvantage, and while they know Max is also being greatly disadvantaged, they work hard to be the bridge between two kiddos that need a strong caring family. Mom is 35 and stands at a graceful 5'6", has dark skin, thick curly hair that she styles in locs. She has round glasses like her son, and usually wears a magenta sweater with orange pants. She works in finance, and loves the great outdoors in her downtime. Dad is 38 and stands firm at 5'8". He also has dark skin, wears square framed glasses, and usually wears a pale blue long sleeves button-up shirt and khaki pants. He is a remote engineer, as well as a stay-at-home dad. He's more of a homebody, and likes to draw in his spare time.

Here we have the parents, Max's Mom and Dad! Loving parents that mediate between their headstrong children and promote empathy and understanding in their family unit. #DaylontheWorm #dtw_Mom #dtw_Dad #ocart #characterdesign #characterbio

Max, age 11, standing at 4'4" and weighing 79 pounds, is our little overachiever, star student and blazing athlete. Max is a bespectacled brown skinned boy, usually wearing a red shirt with a cream coloured long sleeves undershirt, as well as jeans and black and white shoes. He was the only child of his family, often dreaming of being a professional baseball player or a biologist. That all got upended when the IPPP happened and Daylon came into the picture.

Max is extroverted, outgoing, and always eager to learn about the world around him. He's fairly direct, and gives straightforward answers to others' questions, preferring the most logical outcome. This isn't always the nicest path, though, and can lead to emotional miscommunication, especially when it comes to Daylon. Max has a pretty low view of Daylon, seeing him as a spoiled rotten underachiever that wants everything handed to him.

As mentioned before, Max was an only child, so he was used to being the apple of his parents' eye. Initially, he was thrilled, albeit skeptical about the idea of having a brother. Now, after living with Daylon for almost a year, he can firmly say that he'd rather be an only child again. Still, little Max is determined to rein in Daylon's brattiness and unspoil him, whether Daylon likes him or not.

Max, 19 years old (23 towards the end) serves as the narrator of the story. Max is reflecting on his past experiences with Daylon and other members of Wormtopia. Occasionally, he'll inform us on the results these experiences and life alterations have on his modern life, as well as the fate of many of the members within his stories. Max currently stands at 5'8", weighing 137 pounds. He is a bit darker now, but still wears round glasses, and keeps to his red shirts and sweaters. We may also get a glimpse into Max's love life, which might have some *fascinating* details, but we'll get into that later.

Introducing Max, our main kiddo/narrator! Join him as he tells us all about his life with an annoying alien brother. #DaylontheWorm #dtw_Max #ocart #characterdesign

Biographical image of Daylon Worm, a bipedal white skinned black eyed worm-like alien from a place called Wormtopia. He is wearing a blue striped polo shirt, khaki shorts with a black belt, with white cuffed socks, and red shoes with butter coloured strings. He is 23 Wormtopian years old, standing at 4 foot 11 inches (assumed to be U.S. Imperial system), and weighs 67 pounds (again assumed to be U.S. Imperial system). He has no teeth. He was found guilty of attempting to assassinate the Worm King, as well as assault on a different Wormtopian Royal Family member. He also attempted to burn the castle down in the process. He was sentenced to be sent to Fishermantis, which would inevitably result in his death, but due to unforeseen circumstances, his sentence was commuted by way of the IPPP program (to be explained later.) He is associated with both the Worm family, and Max's Family.

Daylon is one of the 266 Worms chosen to participate in the Inter-Planetary Penitentiary Program, where Worms with significant crimes have their brainpower significantly depleted, and then are sent to the human planet to serve the remainder of their sentences in exile. These Worms may then earn the chance to reenter Wormtopian society if they can prove to be good stewards and members of society among the humans.

Daylon, while generally a happy-go-lucky free spirit, tends to be a bit selfish and demanding at times, and will often complain, whine, or throw a tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants. This also translates to his ability to succeed. If he isn't inherently good at something, he'll demand someone "fix" it because in his mind, if he isn't instantly good at something, it's obviously because someone isn't playing fair. To Daylon, anything that works against him is unfair, and his sense of self is personally offended by this unfairness that he has to feverishly point it out, in order for it to get "fixed". In reality, all Daylon really wants is to be loved and cherished by those around him, He after reflects upon his childish behavior at night in bed, and will then seek to make amends the next day. (Right: Daylon in the process of "tattling", a common process of Daylon's where he seeks to make things "right" for him.)

Here we are introduced to the Worm of the Hour: Daylon.

He's our main Worm, and the one that we'll be focusing on throughout the series. Given another chance to learn and grow, will he take it, or squander it? Time will tell.

#DaylontheWorm #ocsky #ocart #characterdesign #characterbio #alien

A young bespectacled dark-skinned man in jeans and a red sweater sits in one corner, while a worm-like creature in a button-up blue striped shirt sits inverted in the other corner.

Earlier this year, I decided to try my hand at a concept I had made since childhood, but was never able to draw until now.

That ugly thing in the upper left hand corner is that concept.

Meet Daylon.

And his little brother Max.

#DaylontheWorm #ocart #characterdesign #alien