.・゜゜・ 𝕊𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕣𝕞... ・゜゜・． ✦ 🐛 ✦

Squirm chews the edges of every book he reads, and every book in his collection has distinctive teeth marks on the covers and page corners. He knows it ruins the books, but he can't stop because chewing soothes his nervous system. He's already ruined forty-seven books, and he has a special shelf for the "chewed" ones, which he can no longer donate to the library. Squirm sniffles about once every two minutes, even when he's not crying; it's become a reflex due to his chronic runny nose. He carries three handkerchiefs, two of which are always damp. Squirm is afraid of the dark, but even more afraid to admit it, so he sleeps with a small book-shaped nightlight he bought secretly and hides under his pillow so no one will see. Squirm never eats in front of other people, because he's afraid of slurping and being judged. Squirm has a habit of rereading his old diary entries and crossing out the parts where he seems "too pathetic"; his diary is now covered in black lines. Squirm wears his glasses (without prescription) only in public, to appear smarter and to avoid being picked on; he adjusts them whenever he gets nervous, about ten times per conversation. Squirm can't drink from a mug without a lid; he constantly spills, so he carries his favorite mug with a straw and the inscription "Nervous Worm" everywhere. Squirm counts every step he takes down the hallway to avoid stepping on cracks in the tiles; he has an ideal route from his room to the library with a precise number of steps (eighty-three). Squirm can count backwards to one hundred and does this when he's anxious, as it distracts him from his panicked thoughts. Squirm once tried to dye his segment a different color, but he was afraid the dye would ruin his skin and washed it off after ten minutes, leaving only a pale stain. Squirm keeps a box of movie tickets under his bed, which he never attended because he was too afraid to go alone at the last minute.

Squirm is an anxious, nervous thun who often cries or whines, is easily upset, is timid and peace-loving, and agrees with those who offend him to avoid conflict. He is a shy and anxious bookworm, and has a habit of chewing every book he reads. His nervousness creates difficulties for him, but he always tries his best. Squirm wakes up slightly anxious, the morning begins with a lump in his chest and a desire to hide, but he gets up because he has to. He always chews the edge of the page, leaving teeth marks on the edges of the books. He knows this ruins the books, but he can't stop; chewing soothes him. Squirm sniffles almost constantly, even when he's not crying; he has a chronic runny nose from nerves. He feels ashamed, but he can't help it; his sniffles become quieter. Squirm is afraid of Shrimpo, he hates him, but he'll never say it because when Shrimpo screams, he loses the ability to speak and simply nods at everything. If Shrimpo says "YOU'RE STUPID," he nods and sniffles because he thinks that if he agrees, Shrimpo will stop screaming. Squirm always tries his best, even when nothing works. He knows he's weak, but he tries to be helpful. If someone asks for help, he agrees even if it's scary, because he's afraid to refuse. He can't say "no"; he has a physical block in his throat. Squirm is modest and can't accept compliments; when praised, he looks away and crumples a page of his book, blushing all over. Squirm constantly apologizes even when it's not his fault: if someone steps on his foot, he says "Sorry," if someone drops a book, he says "Sorry." He feels like he's always in the way, so he makes way for empty hallways. Squirm is afraid of loud voices and sudden movements. Any shout makes him flinch, cringe, and tremble. When someone raises his voice, he stops breathing for a second, then breathes rapidly, closes his eyes, and waits for the shouting to stop. Squirm dreams of a quiet life, where no one shouts, where he can read books in complete silence.

Squirm is a caterpillar-like tun with six body segments that have a repeating color scheme of blue and mint, the same color as his antennae. The third, fourth, and fifth body segments each have a pair of greenish-yellow legs, matching the heart shape on his face. He has three dark green freckles on his cheeks, and his eyes are drooping. The first head segment is blue with mint spots that look like small clouds. There's a small crack on the right side of his head from a fall, which Squirm has covered with clear tape. His antennae are long and curved, the tips are slightly darker and constantly twitch when he's nervous. His left antennae has a barely noticeable knot from when he got tangled once and couldn't fully untangle it. The second segment is mint with a blue stripe and has a dried ink stain on it. Squirm doesn't know where it came from and is afraid to wash it off. The third segment is blue with a pair of greenish-yellow legs. The left leg is slightly shorter than the right from birth, and has a small hangnail on it that Squirm constantly picks at. The fourth segment is mint with legs and has a small scar on its right leg from where it caught on the corner of a book. The fifth segment is blue with legs and has a ring-shaped mark on its left leg from an elastic band it wore when it was little. The sixth segment is mint without legs and has a slight curve at the end, like a tail. The heart shape on the face is greenish-yellow, slightly crooked, the left half is slightly larger than the right, due to Squirm drawing it himself as a child with a mirror marker. There are small scratches on the heart from constant touching. Three dark green freckles on each cheek are asymmetrically placed: on the left, they're closer to his nose, on the right, closer to his ear. They vary in size, with the largest freckle on his left cheek and the smallest on his right. Squirm considers them his "special spots." His eyes are cast downwards, creating a perpetually sad expression. He has dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep; he often rubs them when he cries, and tiny teardrops are sometimes visible on his eyelashes. Squirm has a tiny mole on the first segment between his whiskers.