B L O C K R A I S E R
Name: Julius Grimes
Alias: Blockraiser (Formerly Grimer)
Race: African American
Age: 28
Height: 6’4
Weight: 160 Lbs
Profession: Musician and Stage Technician, Professional Criminal
Appearance: Julius is a tall man, placid looking, but with a body toned and shredded with muscle. After all, breaking and entering is hard work. His facial features are thin, handsome but with a nose that sticks out, thinly drawn lips and grey eyes. His hair is cut short to his head most of the time, or at best in smal cornrows down the back of his head that end at the nape of his neck. One could almost say he carries a perpetual look of boredom on his features.
Yet, out of all the things that stand out, a gigantic scar running from his shoulder down to his hip is the most notable, as are several burn marks on his legs and arms. Nasty and deep, they never properly healed. His reminder of the battle with Malicious.
Super Suit: A gaudy looking thing at first glance, the armor is more practical than people realize once you get past the surface. Purple cargo pants tucked into steel toed boots, with a purple layer Underarmor shirt above that. Yet, what ties it together is the modified riot armor that he wears. A bit thinner than usual, but still the same type of gear, he keeps it tight against his frame, pieces that would restrict his mobility eschewed in exchange for bundles of cords and wires that tuck into various speakers located along his person.
On his arms are two massive gauntlets, each one carrying the speakers that amplify his sonokinetic abilities. And then his helmet, which modulates his voice, making it unrecognizable outside of the suit, and serving as style points. Large headphones on the side constantly reverberate with the song he’s playing, and the facemask has a built in equalizer that shifts whenever he talks.
Personality: Grimes is a vicious individual, not against stepping over other people to get what he wants in life. Though he refuses to step over people that he has designated as his family. Family is more than just blood to him, it’s a bond that runs deeper than that, and it’s a bond he shares with all of Grime, his actual Biological brother.
Though this isn’t to say that he’s brutal, and needlessly cruel. Calloused is a good word for the man, people’s lives mostly inconsequential to him, but that doesn’t mean he’s against making casual friends. Against the small things in life. After all, the villain persona is only a small portion of the man.
He’s good with words, knowing how to talk with people, and is downright softspoken at the best of times when he’s not in character, but as soon as he steps onto a stage, steps onto any kind of spotlight, he drags it all to him. He tolerates nothing less than that. Yet, he’s quick to anger, anything can set off his temper, seemingly at random. But those close to him know three things above all else. Don’t call him Crazy, Don’t call him a good guy, and don’t mention the name Malicious.
That being said, his temper is the only thing he has under control. He knows when he wants to get angry, and snaps when he wants to snap. Mostly out of fear. The loss of control being his biggest fear, and so? He’s taken power for himself. The Most Dangerous Member, and the De’Facto leader of Grime.
Powers/skills
“Blockraiser!”: His powers are magical in origin, his family line a long history of mages and bards that utilized the powers of sound to their advantage. Oftentimes Covertly, but effectively. In his case? He was the first to ever utilize the powers for something more, for something that’d fulfil his own desires.
He is sonomancer, a mage of sounds, but his applications have always been a bit more physical and hands on. Sonic blasts that can shatter stone up close, explosive and destructive barriers of solid sound that he can manipulate at will. Bolts of sonic energy that he hurls like grenades. While he has the capabilities of using this for more esoteric variations later on, he lacks the creativity to actually use them in that way effectively. He’s focused on the here and now, and the subtle part of his power gets thrown to the wayside because of this.
“Hellraiser!”: The one unique trait that he tore directly from the aether was not linked to his powers of sonic might, but rather to his temper. From the moment he was born, his temper has manifested physically. His sheer magical might forcing and twisting his body, his psyche the more he loses his temper. The angrier he becomes, the more in tune with the magics of the world he becomes, and thus? The more dangerous. His muscles start to twist and swell unnaturally, veins of dark purple spreading along his figure eventually turning to an aggressive purple, throbbing with veins of blue.
Though, the stronger his rage, the stronger the damage dealt to him, the more he’ll feel it later.
That purple tone to his skin is bruising, from his muscles inflating like they do, his entire body turning more and more into just a vessel to accelerate his rage. One of his biggest fears is eventually losing himself to his powers completely, unable to come back.
“ON WITH THE SHOW!”: Blockraiser is an incredibly durable individual, do to the nature of his powers. Even buildings collapsing on top of him are usually insufficient to stop this juggernaut of a man. Bruises and broken bones barely seem to register to his dulled sense of pain, and with the magic constantly coursing through his body, he heals faster than humans as well. What would keep a man down for weeks would barely keep him bedridden for two to three days at a time.
“Been running this shit since I was a kid.”: Blockraiser is skilled in close quarters combat, but untrained. His style has been refined for years of street fights, and his knowledge of the city that he lives in, gangs and connections he can make is oftentimes one of his strong suits. The same thing can be said of him going incognito. He knows how to keep things hush hush when they need to be, and works with people well, in either a leading or a following role.
“Dunno what this shit is, But I can make it.”: An innate knowledge of magic and how to weave it into modern technology means he has crafted a suit for himself that amplifies and focuses his sonokinetic powers into actual music as he fights, and keeps him safe from most small arms fire. It takes another ultra or a well trained team of people to fight him on even terms, and even then that’s tenebrous at best. His brother has also taught him rudimentary knowledge on technology that he puts to use during his stage performances and in assisting the making of his suits.
Gangster: Raised on the streets, he fights with guns as often as his fists, though his powers have taken this place in recent years, he still knows his way around most handguns. He also has an intimate knowledge of drugs and a rudimentary medical knowledge on how to deal with certain wounds to the human body, namely his own after he breaks it to pieces with his magic. Dancing and street signs, and a dialect to match.
History: “You wanna know my story? You wanna know it that badly then?”
There was a moment and several murmurs of agreement were heard, Julius shuffling around in the binds that locked him down. His arms tied behind his back, chains that dampened any sound he tried to make.
“I was an orphan, straight outta Bronx. Made my name there after I dropped outta highschool. Started running and racketing drugs for a price, all the while finding out I had these sound powers. Got me into a lotta trouble, and outta just as much trouble, until you motherfuckers started showing up.”
There was more murmuring, but he was urged to continue, to explain more, about his powers, about how he had found them out...and where his name had come from.
“See, that’s the thing. My powers? All sound based crap, but you guys know this. Guessing it’s for the Feds behind the scenes. The ones that don’t know shit about what they’re sending you people after. Yeah, I fight using sound, can vibrate things in my hand, throws blasts around, and I get...When I get angry, I get big. Scary to watch, even when I see it. Hate being like that.”
He let out a low chuckle, glancing towards the glass pane, the only thing separating him from them.
“Used to run with a gang, called us the Grimers, cus’a my last name. Invited a few people into it, Flaxie, Amps, and then this mother-,” He took a deep breath, his breath hitching in the back of his throat, teeth grit and then let out with another cold and hollow sounding chuckle. “This motherfucker named Malicious. That’s all he’d tell me. Never found out what his face looked like, never heard his real name. Even to this fucking day, motherfucker still doesn’t show his face.”
He took a few moments, his arms bulging, veins spreading along his fingers, but he willed the anger away. Just for a bit longer, before starting again, his breathing even.
“ Every one of them were friends, could even call em family. We were doing small time crime. Little robberies from grocery stores, protection Rackets, drugs...then outta nowhere? I get the good idea to rob a bank. We had four, five ultras at that point. Was gonna be great.”
Another minute to compose himself, he knew what he had to say.
“Then he starts fighting me on that, saying we can keep it small time, and keep things innocent enough, but I had bigger plans. He finally agreed. Night came around, we left...and when we got there? He betrayed us. Sold us out. Back then, I was still called Grimer, when I didn’t have DJ running the whole show. But...That was the angriest I’ve ever gotten. I blacked out when the first shots came in, when the tear gas started to put people down. When Malicious pulled out the chains against me…”
He took a deep breath and let it out, the night flashing through his mind. Then it was pushed away, his eyes opened, a vein throbbing on his head now. Just...thinking about that night made him angry. Pushed his temper beyond what was healthy.
“I lost it. I haven’t screamed so loud, I ain’t ever been that mad since. I attacked him. It’s what all the scars are about. Magic doesn’t save you from hellfire or demon chains, but those won’t save you from me either. That bank, and everything around me...about a city block was brought down. Magic’s never been the same since. Weaker now, so you probably shouldn’t worry about it happening again.”
There was an argument, about how it had happened once, which meant it could be repeated.
Julius chuckled again, leaning back, one leg crossed over the other, feet propped up on a table in front of him. “Yeah, maybe. Depends on how far you push me. Let me go right now, and you’ll deal with some crime, but nothing like before. You don’t let me go? I’m guessing DJ is gonna rip this place to pieces.”
They asked again, about how he met DJ.
“I woke up in the hospital with his freaky pet standing over me, saying he was going to take me in, and be my money behind the scenes, but he’s been asking me to do large crime ever since. Even said he’d take in Flaxie and Amps with me. I couldn’t say no to a few million off the bat. He’s family now. First person in a while...been there for...six...seven years now?”
They asked his real name, and Julius laughed. “You guys can’t even find out MY real name, what makes you think I’m gonna snitch on them?”
There was another question, then the entire building shook. Blockraiser standing up, arms pulling tight behind him, veins spreading along and up his arms. Purplish and sickening as he started to bend the metal. A smile was flashed their direction, his eyes still half-lidded and unfeeling.
“I tried to warn you.”
The chains snapped when he flexed, the purple veins spreading along his chest, eyes widening, wild and furious.
“I really did.”