I started with the 4 and three part mouths because they felt more interesting and then I pivoted to the 2 because the books said 2 palps. But I wanted to have the palps open to match what the books describe as inconsistent descriptions of a mouth. I also wanted to kinda do a fake out where when the palps are closed the it may still kinda look like a mouth. This coupled with the overall aesthetic of the brain wrinkles because I want to do start designing yeerk tech with a similar design language
The idea being that how the yeerk infests is similar to the proboscis of the ribbon worm. In essence the yeerk actually consists of nothing but raw nerve bundles as seen beneath the skin in the wrinkles. In a,b, and c of the 2 palp version they have visible sacs on the outside where the numbing agent is stored this is excreted through the holes on the interior surface of the palps. This ended up in the final design because if gives a nice area of rest and offers structure for the wrinkles to move around.
Additionally when interfacing with a yeerk computer terminal the rear two appendages contract and these nerve endings are connected to electrical ports where the yeerk can transmit and receive electrical impulses as data
Upon infesting the palps open clasp the ear, secret the numbing and then the yeerk basically flips itself inside out as it sends the branching nerve bundles into the ear canal and then eventually the brain. Filling the cracks with its own branching structures
