Identification: endosymbionts that take the direct approach to mind control
Variants: external and/or psychic rather than internal and physiological
Also Known As: Headriders, Brainlice, or Happy Fun Worms
Origin: Iota Quadrant, which is so obscure it doesn't even have a postal code
| LOOKS: | ew, there's a tapeworm up your nose | Z |
|---|---|---|
| BRAINS: | they can use yours | 20 |
| LETHALITY: | they don't want you dead, and once you don your leechproof tinfoil hat they can't touch you | 0.005 |
| CULTURE: | 100 % pirated | 04 |
| HARDNESS: | infeasible, but often introduced via genuine parasitological references | 3½ |
| TOKENISM: | multiple types of host don't count as a breach of the one‐per‐setting rule | 31 |
Motto: infiltrate, dominate, sporulate
Wardrobe: indirectly compliant with Pantellurian Fraternity guidelines (they go on the host‐body's legs, but it's the parasite that's wearing the trousers)
Favourite Colour: grey
Would Like To Meet: open‐minded Megacerebroids
Affiliated With: the least conspicuous agents of the Conciliary Ententicles
See Also: the even more insidious Polymorphoids and Synthumazoids, plus the much less insidious Astrolocustoids