Dakari Johessman is a lawyer and hotel manager from Atlanta, Georgia. She currently resides in Las Vegas.
| Dakari Johessman | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | Bianca Lawson |
| Played by | Rayneyday |
| In-story stats | |
| Power(s) | Metallokinesis, Metallic Extraction |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Affiliation | n/a |
| Full name | Dakari Ebele Johessman |
| Alias | Kendrick Goodman |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 30 |
| Date of birth | 14 July 1983 |
| Place of birth | Acacia, Georgia |
| Current Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Occupation | Lawyer, hotel manager |
| Parents | Shawn Johessman, Rayleigh Johessman |
| Siblings | Shawn "Young" Johessman, Ana Johessman, Maori Duquesne, Raymond Johessman, ChaToiya Johessman, Andrea Duquesne |
| Other relatives | Friend of Rayne Campbell, second cousin of Jeremiah Duquesne |
Appearance[]
Dakari is five feet eight inches tall and 135 pounds. Her skin is a light brown, what some might consider a walnut shade. She usually keeps her thick, dark brown hair relaxed and straightened, but sometimes wears it in cornrows or a ponytail when she can't be bothered to deal with it.
She has a pear-shaped figure, with an average bust and wide hips. She inherited very pronounced facial features from her father. Her eyes are dark brown, and her eyebrows are naturally arched. She does wear makeup for special events, going for either dark colors or pastels, depending on her outfit and mood.
Dakari is most often seen wearing business attire, since she spends a large portion of her time at work. Her suits are always black or dark blue, and she usually chooses pantsuits over dress suits. When she is not at work, she wears jeans and blouses and her favorite long black jacket when the weather allows it.
Personality[]
Dakari is very moody. She is seldom nice or pleasant to anyone, though she is usually very polite and respectful. Her heart is cold; few people outside her family can reach her and get an emotional response. She is arrogant and pushy, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
She is extremely vengeful, and impatient as well. She usually does her best to heed the laws of the land, simply because it is entertaining for her to see how far she can push them, but she has been known to overreact when angered. She is not afraid to hurt or even kill in retaliation for anything she considers offensive, and has slipped out of the clutches of the law several times thanks to her parents' influence.
When dealing with people, Dakari is distant but usually not outright mean. She views socializing as a chore that must be accomplished in order to meet her goals. Most people never see her truly angry, as that, like the rest of her emotions, is a difficult one to tap into. She is very up-front and professional while at work, and a little more laid-back with her friends.
Like her father, Dakari suffers from borderline personality disorder. She has trouble finding the "grey area" in issues- everything is either this or that, with no room for negotiating or meeting halfway. She alternates between high and low self-esteem; changes between the two can be caused by the slightest positive or negative event. She also suffers from severe clinical depression, which results in chronic negative thinking and a pessimistic attitude.
Abilities[]
Metallokinesis[]
Metallokinesis is the ability to manipulate metals. Using a connection between metals and her mind, Dakari can change the shape, malleability, elasticity, ductility, and conductivity and density of metals by altering the properties of their molecules. She can also move metal objects around, if they are not fixed in place. She can change the consistency of a metal to make it into a different metal, and advance, prevent, or slow the rusting of metals. She can also affect metalloids, metal alloys, or any material with a significant amount of metal in its composition.
This has many uses offensively, as Dakari can throw a metal object into an attacker, or weaken a metal awning or support. Defensively, she could form a shield from an already existing metal object, or move a metal object between herself and her attacker.
Dakari cannot move any metal that is fixed in place, such as a building. Also, the metal in question must be within a reasonable distance; Dakari could not alter the metal of a plane flying at 30,000 feet, but she could if it was just taking off, if she is near the plane. She can only manipulate solid metals, and cannot change a metal into a non-solid (liquid, gaseous, etc.) form; inherently, because mercury is a liquid in its natural form, she has no power over it. She cannot affect magnetic fields. She cannot turn other materials into metals, or vice versa; inherently, she cannot produce metals out of thin air.
Metallic Extraction[]
Metallic Extraction is the ability to extract materials and properties from metals. Dakari can absorb the energy expended by electrons within metallic atoms, or the charge of the electrons. She can also extract the components of metals, especially alloys. If there are non-metallic components, such as oxygen, present, she can extract that as well. After extracting something, she can either absorb it herself, or, if it is a metal, form something else with it. For example, she could extract the copper from a brass object, then use it to make a copper penny.
In a fight, Dakari could extract the iron from a nearby steel beam and fashion it into a weapon. She would not need to touch the steel to do this. However, she would need a lot of time; also, the loss of the iron would affect the steel adversely. Defensively, she could remove the oxygen from an oxidized metal to help her breathe, if there is enough oxygen available; she could also absorb more energy if she needed it.
Theoretically, Dakari could extract molecules from the metal itself, such as iron from a bar of steel, but her body is not any more capable of handling excess metals than any other human body would be. Therefore, doing this excessively would wind up poisoning her, like anyone else who is regularly exposed to high concentrations of metallic compounds. She cannot store metals in her body for the same reason. She cannot change her body or anything else into a metal.
Also, making things takes time. Unless her opponent was already knocked out, she could not use this ability in a fight, as noted above. She must also be careful of how much she takes from something- reducing a steel support completely to carbon would be inadvisable. She cannot control energy beyond extracting and absorbing it, so she cannot shoot energy pulses at people, or create an energy shield.
History[]
Dakari was born and raised in Atlanta, or more specifically, the suburban city of Acacia. She is the firstborn of a set of triplets- herself, Shawn II, and Anastasia. Her parents were in college when the triplets were born, but fortunately, they had the resources to raise them.
Her parents, Shawn and Rayleigh, were both accomplished entertainers, and Shawn had already established his record label by the time the triplets were born. They were also both accomplished criminals. Between the two of them, they controlled the Atlanta underground, and had made a fortune dealing in drug trafficking, weapon smuggling, and the like.
Almost a year after the triplets' births, a series of events led Shawn's cousin, Jeremiah Duquesne, to end his own life. As requested in his will, Rayleigh and Shawn adopted his two children, Maori and Andrea. In the next few years, Rayleigh and Shawn had two more children of their own, resulting in a total of seven Johessman kids.
Dakari and her siblings grew up in moderate wealth. Although Rayleigh and Shawn were rich, they only used the money they needed to get by and give their children a better childhood than they'd had. The rest went toward building the Johessman empire, both legal and underground.
Rayleigh and Shawn retired from the entertainment industry early in Dakari's life, giving the children more stable lives. They did travel occasionally, especially to Jamaica, where most of Rayleigh's family resided. This, and an emphasis on education, made all of the Johessman children well-rounded individuals intellectually.
Dakari's parents also emphasized the importance of standing up for oneself and claiming one's territory. They all learned self-defense at a young age. Dakari grew up to be a true daddy's-girl, following in Shawn's footsteps and gaining power within the Atlanta gang world as she progressed through high school, graduating near the top of her class.
What was missing from her childhood was a sense of belonging and compassion. Having both been fairly neglected as children, neither Shawn nor Rayleigh ever really perfected the art of showing love or appreciation toward their children. This may be part of the reason for Dakari's difficulty with maintaining relationships, expressing emotions, and interacting positively with others.
Aside from her parents' background and her gang connections, Dakari had a normal childhood. She never did any jail time for breaking the law, thanks to her parents' help and her own wiles. Only two experiences really stand out for her: her attempted suicide during high school, and the subsequent stint in a mental health facility.
As a high school senior, Dakari felt particularly overwhelmed, with the combined pressures of getting into college and graduating with honors, and continuing to deal with her duties in the underground. She considered ending her life, and attempted to by jumping from an interstate overpass. The timing of her jump led her to land on the roof of a passing car. This is when she first discovered her abilities: some part of her, deep within her subconscious, seemingly did not want to die, so instead of breaking a bunch of bones and dying, her mind altered the car roof to be soft and malleable, so the effect of her landing was similar to jumping and landing on a large mattress.
Dakari's mother had her committed to a hospital for a week, where she was supposedly rehabilitated. Afterward, her parents helped her develop her abilities further, and she is now quite skilled at using them.
Dakari attended Columbia University in New York as an undergraduate and then as a law student. She has passed the bar and is licensed to practice law in New York, Georgia, and Nevada. She manages the Johessman properties in Las Vegas, including Hotel Angelis, where Rayne Campbell regularly performs. Additionally, she has opened a small private law practice. Currently, she mostly arranges annulments and divorces, but is hoping something bigger will come along, something that will earn her fame and her own fortune.
The Johessman family is well-known in many parts of the world, and while Dakari is proud to be part of such a powerful family, she occasionally uses the name "Kendrick Goodman" when she does not want to be identified as a Johessman.
Medical problems[]
Since childhood, Dakari has had to monitor her dietary habits due to hypoglycemia. She also suffers from major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder. Both conditions are prevalent in her family.
On 23 November 2010, a car accident left Dakari in a coma for several days, with a broken ulna in her right arm, a shattered kneecap in her right leg, and a pneumothorax caused by a broken rib. The rib and kneecap were fixed in surgery.
Recent activities[]
Dakari allowed the Hotel Angelis to be used as a refugee center and aid headquarters during April Fourth. The Angelis was the only building on or near the Vegas Strip still standing. Dakari had used her abilities to keep the skyscraper from falling over and crumbling, resulting in her saving the lives of her several hundred guests and the lives that were later saved by the organizations that set up centers in the hotel.
At the start of the Special "exposure," Dakari was featured on The Late Show with David Letterman alongside Chloe Murry. She represented the plaintiffs, the American government, during the hearing for Ark Industries concerning their role in the April Fourth devastation.
In late June, Shawn Johessman was shot while dancing with Dakari at his wedding anniversary. The shooter turned out to be Jade Alastair. After being shot in the chest, Shawn was legally dead until he was revived by Dakari and her brother, Shawn II. Shawn recovered after spending some time in the hospital. He still experiences blackouts on occasion.
Over the summer, Dakari recruited for and referred matches at an underground fight club in Las Vegas. Her father played a role in managing the events. On 4 September 2010, Dakari was among the small group of Specials who were kidnapped and left in the small town of Hell, Arizona. Because the town's civilian population was completely decimated, the group were deemed "terrorists," despite having nothing to do with the deaths. Dakari's ability helped protect the group from an antimatter explosion that further destroyed the town.
Since the summer of 2010, Dakari has been seeing a psychiatrist. The arrangements had been made without Dakari's knowledge by her parents, who convinced the Jung Facility therapist Marshall Quatrevaux to take on the case. The deal had Marshall visit Dakari in Vegas and Dakari visit Jung alternatively every two weeks. Marshall was well paid for his trouble. After one of Dakari's visits to Jung, as Marshall was driving her back to the Los Angeles airport, a truck slammed into Marshall's car and pushed it over one lane under the trailer of a semi. Both Dakari and Marshall were seriously injured, but both survived, thanks possibly to a combination of their abilities shielding them from fatal harm.
Dakari has entered into a relationship with Lucius Kilvayne, currently the head of the Kilvayne Corporation and co-chairman of Ark Industries. She has also limited her law practice in order to focus on running the Angelis and reshape the government in Jamaica, which the Johessmans overtook in 2011.
Facts of interest[]
Dakari has a fear of injections.
She speaks some Spanish and Japanese, and she and her family often communicate in Jamaican Patois.
She drives a dark purple Porsche, the only one of its kind, obtained through a contact of her father's.
Like most of her family, she is a very good shot.