Sobby, the half-human, half-octopus prostitute, displays his wares to passersby.

The story of Sobby, a wretched member of the mongrel Humapus or 'jelly-legs' caste of octopoid humans (Homo Cephalopodus), is well-known in Tarvuism. In ancient Baalb, octopuses were prized by men for giving a peculiarly intense sexual experience, and many men preferred using them to even the most beautiful human prostitutes, even though they were often far pricier. Some men even married octopuses who had previously been in their erotic employ.

These octopus/human unions sometimes resulted in offspring who were shunned from society, both octopus and human. Some occasionally found work as pig-carriers, but the majority of them ended up working as prostitutes of the lowest order. It seems that Tarvu happened upon a humapus brothel one night, probably to distribute alms, and encountered the wretched Sobby. He was so taken with Sobby's piety and determination that he invited the miserable unfortunate to live by his side, where he remained for the rest of his life, eventually becoming one of the Apoffles. Sobby went on to write many of the books of the Tarvunty, including Ann*yances and M*ps.

A French childrens' cartoon series, The Adventures of Inspector Sobby, is inspired by the Tarvunian story of Sobby.