#asksozo

[nayialovecat]

Ask from my friend Titatotrix... In my bad translate it sounds something like that: What's that cloak you're wearing? What is it made of, who gave it to you, why do you wear it?

Ask for Sozo, so...

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Cloak? What cloak? Sozo doesn't wear cloaks… Oh, unless you mean Sozo's royal cloak! Yes, yes… this Sozo sometimes wears. He doesn't know what it's made of, but it's a nice material and some fluffy fur. Soft as Sozo's fur, only less smelly… but still Sozo thinks Helob's fur smells better. Sozo got it from the little traitors, yes, when he didn't know they are little traitors - on the day of the coronation, along with the Mushroom Crown and the death sentence, yes… He doesn't like wearing it, no, he only wears it on special occasions… When he issues decrees to kill more traitor toadstools… when he's having a day of listening to requests and refusals them… Ah, and when he goes to someone and wants them to know that Sozo is important… For some ceremonial meeting (in Lamb's village, for example)… or when he's going to the Smuggler's Sanctuary, yes…

Once he went without his royal cloak and was disrespected, no, bad smugglers, they tried to cheat Sozo… Then Sozo left and came back soon - in the royal cloak and with a lot of mushroom subjects. He got what he was supposed to get and everything he was supposed not to get in reparation for smugglers' bad treatment him… From then on, Plimbo and his smugglers treat Sozo like they should - as a king. But Sozo wears a cloak when meeting with them anyway, so that they never haven't forgotten who Sozo is…

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Thanks, Titatotrix.

I have plenty more questions in my askbox - but none of them are related to Helob or Sozo, so I'm not going to answer them any time soon. As I wrote: if no one listens to my wishes, why should I listen to someone else's? Some asks are downright annoying, as their authors don't seem to have even bothered to find out what my AU is about. I'll answer these questions someday (maybe), but as tomorrow is my last day at work and then I'm on vacation (and I'm drawing answers only in my work) - no sooner than about three weeks from now…

[nayialovecat]

So have you two had your first kiss? How did it go?

First kiss? Oh, I remember that one... It was right after the Blood Moon… Sozo had spent the first day of the festivities in the village of Lamb and there had seen two friends doing a strange ritual. So he asked and found out it was a kiss - and that only very close friends do it. So when he met Helob again, Sozo suggested that they should try… It was really interesting, Sozo likes Helob's scents, and then he found out that he also likes Helob's taste, yes… Friend liked kiss thing too, so they repeated it, and then they added this "kissing" ritual permanently to their common rituals…

*giggle* But Helob upgraded the "kiss" recently, yes, yes… Sozo likes the upgraded one, yes, no?

Helob saw in one village in Anura how two animals make a kiss, but longer and… more interesting, yes, more interesting. They used tongues. So Helob suggested they try it too, yes? Yes. Helob likes a new better kissing ritual. Sozo do?

Sozo definitely too, my dear… Wanna do now?

[nayialovecat]

Sozo, I understand your reason for hating the mushroom people. But don't you think it's a little unfair? Your currently living subjects have nothing in common with those who wanted to kill you.

Pfff… what stupid thinking. Just because it's been a while and someone else has pooped a shit doesn't mean it's stopped smelling terribly and being shit!

[nayialovecat]

Helob and Sozo do you have any weird hobby or skills your partner dosn't expect?

Oh yes! Helob happy, cuz has a hobby and can boast of it! I love to carve in wood. Being precisely, like to make wooden figures. Helob can do many things, yes, builds traps by his own - but makes figurines for fun, yes, yes… Helob likes. Usually they are figurines of beings he knows and likes, sometimes completely random creatures, yes…

Unfortunately, once he tried very, very hard, but no, no, didn't succeed… Now I'm ashamed, yes, ashamed, cuz it was a figurine of his beautiful mister, his great and beloved king, and the shrewd king Sozo found the figurine and took it, and has it… and Helob so, so ashamed, oh, very, very ashamed…

But that's okay, because he's already doing the next one, yeah! Helob makes a beautiful one and give in exchange for that ugly, not good one, and king Sozo will be pleased! Because now it will be something really beautiful, see for yourself!

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Oh, Sozo hasn't had any hobbies that weren't obvious for a long time, y'know, like researching mushrooms, drawing different types of fungus, experimenting with new potions and mixing drugs… but recently Lamb showed Sozo something new - fishing! And Sozo loved it! And he's very, very, very good at it. There's no conceit in Sozo now, see for yourself.

And that's just one last hour or so. Sozo loves fishing but doesn't like eating fish, his Helob doesn't like fish either - so he didn't know what to do with them at first and threw them at his stupid, false mushroom subjects. But then Helob said he knew someone who would buy Sozo fish. Sozo wanted to give fish to Helob so he would have more money, but Helob said no, no, not like that… and now Helob and Sozo are business partners, yes! Sozo fishes, Helob sells, then they share money fifty-fifty… Sozo doesn't need money, no, he doesn't, the mushroom king has enough money for his needs, so he collects for something veeery special… yes, yes!

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+ BONUS

Hi, hello, Mrs Cat! Hello there, old baby kitties! Wanna more fish? Helob has some freshy, mmm… still alive, yes, yes…

[nayialovecat]

Helob and Sozo what is your favorite food?

King Sozo.

Well, not so long ago Sozo would have said "mushrooms" without hesitation.

...But now, after staying with Helob in his lair for a week, and having Sozo's friend cooking various delicacies for him, he can't say otherwise than: what Helob will cook for his king! Spider cooks great, yes, so everything he's cooking is my favourite!

King Sozo! He's better than anything Helob could ever cook!

Oh, my! I can see that you're really hungry for your king! Would you like to taste Sozo's limb?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes, yes, please!

If you wanna know, Sozo feels really honored to be a beloved friend's favourite delicacy. Too bad I only have four arms and they grow back so slowly…

Helob likes to eat many, many different things. He likes meat, yes, meat (but not fish, no, nasty fish). He also likes mushrooms. Even some plants, yes, good herbs, give a good taste to meat and mushrooms. But nothing, NOTHING compares to the taste of his beautiful mister, the good and generous king Sozo!

Sozo is on drugs. Helob is on Sozo X"D

Wait. It makes sense O_o

[nayialovecat]

My friend gave me next interesting question. Thank you, Titatotrix :)

My poor translate: Is there any subject you like, liked, or even tolerated more than others? - to Sozo

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What? Favourite subject? One of these toadstools? Have you looked at all these Shroomies? They look exactly the same! They may actually have different colours, but that only makes them even more difficult to tell apart! Even if they weren't vile traitors and murderers who all want their king dead, there's no way Sozo would know he was talking to someone of them for the second time in his life!

But wait a minute… Yes, Sozo actually likes certain toadstools more. To be precise, the ones he doesn't see are the ones you can assume are his favourites!

Oh! Even more Sozo likes, yes, likes the most - those mushrooms, little toadstools that go to or with Sozo's friend, Helob and don't come back! Oh, yes, those Shrooms are king's favourite!

[nayialovecat]

1/2 asks from my dA :) Next one tomorrow I guess...

Oh, Sozo and Helob have engagement every week. They have one day and a specific time once a week when they're meeting.

Yes. Helob has a deal with the Lamb and can visit his wise king once a week and be with him for up to four hours! Four hours of pure time with the king Sozo, yes, the journey doesn't count…

By the way, Sozo needs to talk to Lamb about limiting his time with Helob. He doesn't like it very much. It looks he'll have to be unpleasant to Lamb again.

*gasp* Or maybe king Sozo will just visit Helob more often at his home in Anura? Helob will make a formal dinner engagement.

They have no idea what are you asking about X"D

[nayialovecat]

Helob, Sozo question for you two. Are there any species differences that bother you two or only one of you?

Hmm… No, absolutely not. King Sozo likes everything about Helob and spiders, and nothing bothers him. Some would say spiders aren't nice race, because they like to eat other beings, but Sozo doesn't see that as a flaw. He likes that he can use his friend's hunger to slowly getting rid of the murderous toadstools traitors.

Should he dislike anything about his king? Oh no, no, no… Ol' poor Helob sees no unpleasant things in his lovely and kind king's species… Nothing bothers him, no, no...

Well, maybe one thing. Helob very much dislikes how giant ants treat their males. Yes! This is a trait that bothers Helob, and if he could, he would go and hurt all ants from the anthill of the good and wise King Sozo very much for how they treated him, yes!

Yes, that's it. The ants are very lucky to be dead. Because Helob would kill and eat them all for that.

[nayialovecat]

Sozo what is the symbolism of the tattoos on your body? Did they all appear after you were "poisoned" with mycelium or any you had before?

Oh no, on the contrary… Sozo had tattoos before he merged with the royal mycelium. If you want, Sozo will tell you everything in detail, he's not ashamed of his past, no, no…

Older are the tattoos on the cheeks. Sozo was very young, yes, very young… He was owned by slave traders then, yes, slavers… They sold him to various beings, but Sozo ran away. He said various, yes: because when he came back to them, they sold him again to another one and Sozo ran away again. And again. And again. It was fun, yes, it made a lot of money, and Sozo was useful to his traders. It was a good period of Sozo's life. But one time Sozo failed to run away. He was caught and punished. Severely punished. Sozo will put it this way: he lost his beautiful wings that day - but gained a questionable ornament on his cheeks, so that everyone from afar would know that Sozo is a slave who likes to run away… But Sozo ran away and he was no longer a slave, oh no. Tattoo is his only proof of his wretched past.

As for the forehead tattoo, it's a happier story. Much, much happier. Sozo remembers. It was made by the mushrooms, yes, yes, the mushroom subjects before the coronation of king Sozo. Sozo was happy then, yes, he wanted to be a good king. He didn't know that the mushrooms wanted to betray him. They tattooed him so everyone would know that Sozo is the mushroom king and has to respect him. Back then, Sozo wanted to be a good king for the mushroom people, he didn't know yet… but it was happy day when Sozo was gifted with that tattoo. Yes, this tattoo is a happy memory for Sozo after all.

[nayialovecat]

Got a question for the two bugs. Do they ever groom each other? Especially with Helob I can guess he'd enjoy a good brushing with all that fluff!

Yes! Finally someone asks about my fav bugs! Thank you! I was already starting to delete ask-not-to-Helob-or-Sozo from my ask-box, but today I stopped it, focusing on answering this one…

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Well, as me mentioned recently - once a year I do a cleaning ritual when I get all the dirt out of my fur, yes, once a year. This sometimes takes several days, yes, long activity, long and often boring. Grooming sounds like a very similar activity, so me probably wouldn't have time to do something like that more often. Besides, Helob's fur is tangled like a Lamb's wool - combing it is a job for many, many hours, yes, many hours of long grooming, brushing, smoothing, touching and searching for matted fur, and untangling, again combing and brushing… Helob doesn't think that anyone wants…

Long hours of touching Helob's fur? Sounds like Sozo dreams come true! And by the way, he has an excuse not to take care of his subjects (it's better for them, less of them will die).

I'm a bit out of practice in drawing, but it turned out nice.

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+ not well drawn BONUS:

Are you alright, my dearest friend of Sozo? Sozo doesn't tug too hard? You've got a lot of matted fur here… Helob good, yes?

Yes, yes, it's okay. The good and obliging king continues, yes, please. Helob very likes.

[nayialovecat]

What do you mean by "out of nowhere"? Helob and Sozo are friends... How dare you doubt it! But okay, Helob will answer that question… he'll try to answer it right…

Let's see… If Sozo called Helob a "spider boy friend"… Helob obviously is a spider… he's a boy, not girl, without a doubt… and he's definitely Sozo's friend. So, guess, he'd just be happy that Sozo considers him a friend too! Yes, this will be Helob's answer.

Wait a minute! King Sozo will never call Helob a "boy friend"! What idiotic ideas you have!

Just look at him! Does he look like a little baby to you? NO! Helob is a full-fledged, mature and adult male! MALE! Not boy!

So Sozo would rather call him Sozo's "spider male friend"!

And Helob will say that his reaction to such a descryption of Helob would be pure joy and happiness!

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Neither the spiders nor the ants in this AU have a clue about the concept of "going out" or "dating" or being boyfriend/girlfriend for someone… I suspect this concept is foreign to other animals as well. You're either a friend or a fiancé, nothing in between.

Additionally, at this stage of their relationship, Sozo and Helob really only consider themselves friends. They are so innocent… X"D

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PS. I was going to colour Helob's arms black, but it was too much effort and I decided that I wouldn't feel like it… Otherwise I would have posted this answer in about two days (I have a remote job tomorrow, so I'm not drawing Selob or anything from Cult of the Wrath tomorrow).

[nayialovecat]

Question for Sozo and Helob: Do you plan to get married and adopt a child in the future?

Okay, it will be fun…

Why would Sozo want children? And addictionaly not his own? It's the most stup…

Wait, so this is LEGAL?! Can I really take abandoned children and raise them as my own?! Helob didn't know that an adoption is true! He wants, wants, wants!

* A little explanation. In my AU, male ants (a bit like in nature) die as soon as the female is fertilized, so they don't have any parenting instincts.

About Helob… Helob loves children. And by "loves children," I don't mean he wants to eat them. He really, really likes children. And he's sad that he can't have his own…

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And a little bonus:

[nayialovecat]

Ask from my deviantArt, thank you, hyperbeam33 :)

You ask if Sozo can tell you about the mating rituals of the ants? Not really. Because ants don't have mating rituals. Most ants are female - they are not fertile, cannot reproduce, and do not even need to. There are also males. The males are fertile, yes… And there's a queen that's different from other females, yes… One queen and some males. No dating, fighting for female, or anything… But if you want that much, Sozo can tell you a few more words, yes… a few words about how misery and papthetic is to be a male in an anthill, I guess…

Let's start with the fact that male ants are not treated fairly. No, no. They should. Without them, there would be no more ants, right? Their role is important. But it's not, no… Males are not respected. Males even aren't treated as persons. They are… like animals. Or things. Tools. They can't talk. They are not allowed to do anything except eat, walk and wait their turn. A good male, healthy and nice-looking - goes to the queen and makes larvas with her, many, many larvas. And a moment later he dies because he has done his job. And that's it. End of mating rituals.

Has Sozo satisfied your curiosity enough? He would like to say more about the mating act itself, yes, but since he is standing here and answering the question, it means that he did not die - that is, he did not do his duty, right?…

[nayialovecat]

Sozo, given your past and Helob's business. Were you ever worried when entering into a relationship with him?

Are you worried about king Sozo? Oh, sweetie, it's really nice, but unnecessary. King Sozo knows how to take care of himself, yes, he trusts no one… He knows that he is surrounded by traitors and murderers, yes… But likes Helob and wanna be his friend, yes...

But king Sozo seems to understand the question… He's never thought about it, but maybe that's why he likes Helob so much: because Helob is similar to Sozo's slavers.* Sozo remembers his slavers very well, yes, they very nice… He liked them. They taught him everything: read and write, know history, biology, how get food or make trade… And even talk, because Sozo, like most male ants, was mute before… Yes, Sozo thinks that is why he likes Helob so much and wanna be his friend. He has nice memories.

* Fun fact: Sozo makes exactly this digression next to Helob when he tells him his life story in the chapter "Sozo's story", which I have already written - but I have not yet reached the point where it will be in the storyline.

[nayialovecat]

Updated list: one question was asked. What next? :3

1. First impression?

2. First kiss? (Who initiated it, what did it look like, etc.)

3. Cuddling or kissing?

4. What do you like best about your beloved one?

5. What do you like to do in your free time?

6. What about Lamb?

7. Favourite food?

8. Any weird hobby or skills your partner dosn't expect?

9. Nicest thing your boyfriend has done for you?

10. What annoys you about the other/what would you change?

11. Do you have any of your own habits, rituals? Do you invite your partner to them?

12. What your very own rituals/habits do you do/come up together?

13. Are you superstitious? Any interesting superstitions of your species?

14. What do you think about the domain you live in? What is your favourite domain?

15. Who do you like the most besides your partner?

16. Who do you like least/hate?

17. What is your dreamed partner? Does it coincide with your specie or rather with the specie of the other?

18. Are there any species differences that bother you two or only one of you?

19. How much are you able to do for your partner?

20. Have you thought about living together with the other?

21. What is your ideal? (What character/appearance traits are important, which ones are not necessarily, and which ones are even undesirable?)

[nayialovecat]

See that little guy on the head? He and his friends devoured Sozo's antennae, Sozo himself doesn't know when… First he wore a petrified mushroom crown, yes, a crown made of an old fungus whose thorns released spores into Sozo's body. Then the crown fell apart and a huge mushroom grew on Sozo's head to kill him, yes… But he only managed to take his antennae away before Sozo showed him - and the mushroom subjects - that Sozo couldn't be killed like this. And from now on forever Sozo king of stupid mushroom people.

P.S. The mushroom is still alive, Sozo sometimes hears his dirty, evil thoughts, yes… But he doesn't listen to them, no, no… Stupid mushroom. He thought he could use and abandon Sozo like everyone else…