Concrete Mandible/Rumor Registry
Rumors
Concrete Mandible has 3 Rumors written about so far.
Concrete Mandible/IF-1667
The waters beyond this point are uncharted, tales from distant shores echoed back into our reality.
Background
The following accounts can be traced to a single leather-bound journal originally found in a locked wooden chest alongside a sextant-like device of indeterminate origin and a shell that matches no known species of mollusc. The chest was located in a storage room in the Legscraper’s lower levels that was described as “smelling faintly of the sea”. Subsequent attempts to locate and navigate to said room have been unsuccessful thus far. The journal details the exploits of the crew of a large sailing vessel, The Tokyo Adrift, descriptions of which are largely consistent with mid-17th century galleons.
With The Tokyo Adrift
To assist in naval combat, Captain Strongbody had The Tokyo Adrift outfitted with a naval ram. Strongbody had hoped that the figurehead would come to be feared as a symbol of the Adrift, warding off potential marauders from a distance. Sketches of the initial design resemble the modern day proteus or olm. Unlike most figureheads of the age, Mandible appears to have been carved from stone, likely to boost their hardiness and damage potential. It did, however, come as a surprise to both captain and crew when the figurehead arrived as a sentient elemental, capable of limited communication and motility.
Unfortunately, Mandible was far less useful in practice than in theory. Over the course of one summer in 1666, they had the lowest known rate of successful rams. Another sailor had described this as "the worst hitting season ever seen, possibly in history”. Despite expressing an interest in performing their intended role, the added weight made the ship unwieldy and incapable of the tight manoeuvrability that had allowed for much of its early success. As the journal states, “it soon became clear that Concrete would be more useful to the Adrift off it, rather than fastened to its bow”.
This began a period of deep research and chasing rumours. The crew of the Adrift were chiefly searching for a location “oft quoted in tall tales by fools and romantics”, the Wishing Pools. Described as a bay with “rocky shores dappled with tide pools, their perfectly still surfaces reflecting the grandeur of the sky above”, rumours said the pools were populated by all manner of bioluminescent flora and fauna. Populations of “sea stars and anemones glittered below the surface”, with “glowing chitons zipping back and forth like shooting stars”. If the stories were to be believed, sailing through the bay of the Wishing Pools on the night of the new moon with a sizeable contribution of coin would allow a sailor to will their heart's desire into existence.
After several dead ends, the Adrift tracked down the Wishing Pools and used their power to grant full life to Mandible. Unwrapping themself from the bow, Mandible slithered into the Immateria Sea, unfurling to their full length for the first time. Snout to tail tip, Mandible was roughly the length of the ship.
While they enjoyed several years with the crew, in the spring of 1666, Mandible reported feeling “a deep and primal call” and that “it was their time”. Following this, Mandible would dive into the Depths, a seemingly extradimensional space located at a depth of at least 2000 fathoms. This would mark the last sighting of Mandible by the crew, making them one of the few crew members who would not be present for the events of 1667.Concrete Mandible/IF-82.934
Concrete Mandible is an "art piece" by Hitoshirezu-no-mizuumi-sama.
Mandible is composed of concrete and rebar from different eras of Tokyo's recent history. It is 7 meters long from snout to tail-tip and carved in the shape of an Olm, a species the most ancient and honorable artist was only recently exposed to. It owns a briefcase that it carries around. It has been spray-painted with Tokyo Lift centric murals and has googly eyes embedded in its head.
Creation and Meaning
Mandible was created the first time a hunk of concrete inexplicably made it into the Lazarus Pit beneath Tokyo. For a time, this happened often enough, and was disruptive enough to the local kami, that she, most hidden and resplendent, was inclined to do something with the pieces- and thus, the idea of fusing them into a living thing was born. The power of the Lazarus pit animated the now-coming together Concrete Mandible fairly slowly, but it was fully awake before it was "complete", and is thus missing some sections on its tail and back. Concrete Mandible has come to symbolize the balance of nature and technology in Tokyo, along with symbolizing transformation and reclamation.
Blaseball
Concrete Mandible is catastrophicably bad at Blaseball. While it poses itself dramatically on street corners and in train stations, please do not hand it a bat for your own safety.Concrete Mandible/IF-94.807
Origin
Concrete Mandible is a batter and lineup player for the Tokyo Lift. They’ve been a Blaseball player for the majority of their conscious lifespan. Little is known about the manner and reason behind Mandible’s exact origins, beyond simply the location they were discovered. They claim their earliest memory to be waking up in what might have been a forest, observed by the entity they would later come to know as Freemium Seraph. Whether Mandible was born from pure Earthen magic, was awoken via the effects of a meteorological anomaly, was animated from the sidewalk outside the Tokyo Lift’s home stadium by the sheer competitive energy of the game, or came into being by some other means entirely, their existence now is certain- if possibly the only certain fact of their origin.
Physical Form
Tall and hulking even in comparison to many of their Lift teammates, Mandible appears to be a large construct made of an indeterminate type of stone/rock-like material, with strangely insectoid elements of their joints and facial structure. They have been primarily referred to, both as a self-descriptor and by other members of the Lift, as an Earth Elemental, although Mandible admits to uncertainty regarding the accuracy of that term.
Some have suggested the rock-like material is concrete, a reference to Mandible’s name, but basic geological analysis of Mandible’s physical makeup has left only questions about the exact nature of the material. It has been suggested that Mandible is, quite possibly, made up of some sort of yet-unknown Earthen mineral. When asked about it, they simply replied, “I don’t know, I’ve never really asked too much about it. People don’t go around asking why they’re made of people, do they? I figure it’s the same for me. I’m made of rocks, that much I understand. Everything else is…… sedimantics.” They did, when reporting this, laugh at their own joke.
Reputation
Both Mandible and their teammate Freemium Seraph have garnered the attention of their team and Lift fans over the years of their respective careers for having what’s been called their “lucky streak.” Known around the league as a sort of dynamic duo, Mandible and their fellow elemental[1] Seraph have endured lengthy Blaseball careers seemingly unscathed by the unpredictable and destructive nature of the game’s weather effects. Having been on the same team together since the beginnings of their league and underleague records, they’ve managed to avoid having their lineup positions changed, being swapped to other teams via feedback, and being targets of any rogue umpires’ incinerations. While rumors of a few close calls and thwarted attempts to break this streak exist, no evidence can be found to prove these claims, and no visible damage exists on either of the pair that might suggest near-misses with umpires or other prevalent hazards.
Several of their teammates and other ILB players and fans have commented that it would be ‘weird’ or ‘strange’ to see Mandible and Seraph playing on different teams, citing the fact that neither one of them has ever been seen on the field without the other.
Mandible, known to their teammates as a fun-loving, ultra-competitive player, is rumored to be willing to accept nearly any type of challenge set before them, particularly if it comes in the form of a game. Notably, their biggest opponent is usually Mandible themself, as one of their favorite hobbies involves setting personal records and then breaking them. Mandible has been described as a “nightmarish” board game partner, not because of cruelty or a lack of respect for the rules, but because of the stubborn and delighted frequency with which they demand rematches, regardless of whether or not they were the winner.
In line with their competitive nature, Mandible’s signature pregame ritual has been reported as ‘surgery’, which is a slight misinterpretation of the fact that Mandible can usually be found playing ‘Operation’ before a Blaseball game. It’s mostly beneficial for helping Mandible steady their hands and narrow their focus before they’re up to bat -- although they admit that Operation itself has its own sort of thrill.
When asked if they’d ever considered other sports besides Blaseball, they reported having also considered, among many things: competitive darts, ski jumping, cup stacking, and Jenga. Ultimately, the wide reach of Blaseball proved to be a fantastic fit for Mandible’s career aspirations, quoted to be “..to play a game [they] love, with awesome people, for as long as [they] can swing it. ‘It’ being the bat, of course.”
- ↑ Speculated.
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