Combs Duende/IF-87.83

Rumor / Community Lore
This article contains lore created collaboratively by the Blaseball community. It is just one of many Rumors that we've found in the Interdimensional Rumor Mill. You can find more Rumors about Combs Duende at their Rumor Registry.

History

Combs Duende is not related to Seattle Garages player Theodore Duende; the two are simply good friends who are both members of the Duende species.

Writer Federico Glarcía Lorca has documented Duende's playstyle and character extensively, writing, "Combs, then, is a power, not a work. It is a struggle, not a thought. I have heard an old maestro of the guitar say, 'Combs is not in the throat; Combs climbs up inside you, from the soles of the feet.' Meaning this: Combs Duende is not a question of ability, but of true, living style, of blood, of the most ancient culture, of spontaneous creation." He later added, "Combs' arrival always means a radical change in forms. Combs Duende brings to old planes unknown feelings of freshness, with the quality of something newly created, like a miracle, and it produces an almost religious enthusiasm."

Duende has 6 combs stuck to their hair, and they consider each of them to be a separate entity, but Combs and their combs are all integral parts of the Combs Duende we know and love. Each comb has their own name (D1, U, E1, N, D2, and E2.), and Comb's Combs are noted to speak, but only by each reciting one-sixth of the Nlavy Sleals copypasta.

The Reckoning

Before the formation of the Crabs blaseball team, Baltimore was host to an event that is shrouded in mystery - the murder of the Olde One in the Great Crab Reckoning.

While the details are shrouded in rumour, it has been said that Combs Duende took up a major role in this reckoning alongside both Brock Forbes and Valentine Games, with the three of them forming the heart of the movement, and it is presumed, the heart of the Olde One’s downfall. Besides Duende, several other members of the Crabs were thought to be involved in the event, ranging from Kennedy Loser to Finn James who was lost in the bay during the reckoning.

Blaseball Career

When the Crabs entered the ILB Duende made a natural transition to team captain, with many of the team already looking to her as a leader. She rounded out their roster with the creation of Sutton Dreamy, by trying to draw “the perfect blaseball player” and the two were close for most of Duende’s career. Duende also quickly became close with Nora Perez a new recruit who she saw great potential in, and began delegating leadership tasks to to try and develop her skills further. This lasted up until season 2, when Perez became the first player on the Crabs to be incinerated by a rogue umpire. Duende felt a great responsibility towards the deceased Perez, caring for one of the pearls made from her ashes, and diving into strategies on how to prevent another death on her team.

Sadly in Season 4 day 63 Combs Duende was incinerated by a rogue Umpire and replaced with Finn James. Her ashes were turned into Memorial Pearls and distributed to Kennedy Loser, Sutton Dreamy, Valentine Games, Forrest Best, Mickey Woods, and Beck Whitney.

The Hall of Flames

When Duende died, they were surprised to find themselves in the Hall of Flames, and being greeted by Nora Perez herself, who had taken up the duties of a guide for the recently deceased. Duende stuck close to her former mentee in an evolution of their previous relationship, with Duende acting as her quiet emotional rock, and Perez taking the lead in the hall. The two of them floated through the abyss, finding and connecting deceased players to each other and guiding them into the afterlife, treating every player with the same level of reverence, whether they were Landry Violence or Paul Barnes. The only exception being their old teammate Tillman Henderson who Duende made a point of letting know that she had heard his latest single, and allowed him to stew for most of the season trying to figure out if she thought it was funny or if she was mad.

In season xx when Kennedy Loser became haunted, Duende visited several times. Loser had taken it upon himself to lead the team after Duende’s death - and had held that same position though Day X, Ascension, and all that came after. Duende was never a person of many words - even in the Reckoning she led with actions, as such she did not waste words on Loser’s predicament. The two of them talked about the team, blaseball, and about hobbies and the goings-on in the trench. Slowly Loser was able to dismantle the memories of Duende he had built up, and squared them back into place with the figure before him.

In season XX the incineration of Brock Forbes lead to a touching reunion as the two former friends were finally about to meet again, with both of them showing uncharacteristic emotions as it became clear just how far Forbes has come since his burnt out state after the reckoning. Perez prompted Duende to pick Forbes up herself, and she may have cried when they hugged.

The Hall Opens

In Season 24 the opening of the Hall of Flames was the start of a chaotic time for Duende. As the world ended she was torn between loyalties to her team approaching the Black Hole, Perez trying to keep the Hall running, and the final leader of the reckoning, Valentine Games who was in the Vault. However Duende in a moment of crisis was Duende in her element, and she would never back down from the challenge ahead of her.