Dontae Shukara
Can't we all just get along?
Dontae Shukara, Manager of the Special Projects team
D
ontae Shukara is the manager of the Special Projects team, working in the Jacksonville, Florida, branch of
Hegemony International.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
D
ontae is physically unremarkable and his fitness is middling (at best). Being somewhat short for an American male, and moderately pudgy, his stature contributes to his overall insecurities, although he wears his weight well and does not strike most people as obese.
Facial Features
F
ew would define Dontae as ugly. Just as few would claim that he's attractive on any significant level. He tends to blend into a crowd and his features are generally unremarkable. Many see him as being just another "average white guy".
Apparel & Accessories
D
ontae tends to "run hot" and prefers to dress in shorts, flip-flops, and bold Hawaiian shirts. This shirt preference causes some to view him as significantly older than his actual age. Unfortunately, his chosen attire is not allowed for Hegemony employees.
Over-Dressed
In an effort to justify his station, he's prone to over-dressing while at work. Hegemony's rather nebulous corporate dress code is referred to as "business casual". But he has a difficult time mapping the dress code to actual clothing choices. This tendency is exacerbated whenever he has an important meeting on his schedule.
He's been known to show up at mundane corporate functions in high-end suits with designer ties and expensive Italian shoes. These choices can alienate some of his fellow employees, with some going so far as to label him a "poser".
Mental characteristics
Personal history
D
ontae was adopted by a U.S. couple of Ethiopian descent. His father died while he was in college, but he maintains a close (albeit contentious) relationship with his mother.
Closest Bond
He met Corinne Jacquinot in grade school and they've been lifelong friends ever since. Their bond is so tight that they think of each other as siblings. They both joined Hegemony International at the same time when they applied to the plebe program.
Sexuality
She's wayyyy too cute to be into me.
Dontae Shukara, Manager of the Special Projects team
H
e's heterosexual, but his love life has always been lacking. His longest relationship was with a girlfriend in college that he dated for four months. Many people in the office assume that he's a virgin.
Education
A
fter finishing high school, Dontae had numerous scholarship offers. He eventually settled on Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor's in computer science. He went on to earn an MBA from Duke University before entering the workforce.
Employment
egemony International is Dontae's first "real" job. In high school and college he held several part-time positions. But he was never a salaried employee before attaining his promotion to the manager of the Special Projects team.
Mental Trauma
H
is mother's demanding nature weighs heavily upon him. Although he excelled in school and now has what most people would consider to be a solid career, these accomplishments never really satisfy her - and she makes a point of making this clear to him during their many conversations.
Intellectual Characteristics
D
ontae's most prominent characteristic is his deeply-rooted naivete. He looks for the good in every person and in every organization (even when it comes to Hegemony International). While he has no delusions about the fact that the world contains many immoral people and unethical companies, when he's confronted with examples of such, his proclivity is to write these off as one-off situations.
Unmoored
His entire time at Hegemony has a "down the rabbit hole" quality to it. He's continually amazed by the people and the situations to which he's exposed. This is somewhat explained by the fantastical scenarios that thrive within the company. But it's also fed by the fact that Dontae continually fails to adjust his standard for what is "normal" or expected - be it from the company, or from its many employees.
Adrift
The Kafkaesque nature of Hegemony's Byzantine policies and eccentric employees frequently leaves Dontae feeling confounded and... adrift. During the most blatant scenarios of malfeasance or incompetence, he twists his mind in knots attempting to square his worldview of people as being inherently good with the corruption and maleficence that he witnesses from those around him.
Consigliere
These extreme occasions lead him to lean evermore on his close friend and confidant, Corinne Jacquinot. She's often the sounding board for his exasperation and the first (or... only) person he turns to for advice. In this respect, she functions as his consigliere, although he's willing and able to seek input from others as well, if the situation calls for it. The trusted bond between these two sometimes leads other team members to resent Corinne, although Dontae is generally oblivious to this dynamic.
Morality & Philosophy
B
y all objective accounts, Dontae is a good person. He has a solid moral compass. He cares about others and strives to help them - within reason. Where he tends to alienate others is in the lengths to which he will go (or... will not go) to remedy perceived wrongs and to ensure a sense of fairness amongst his team.
Nobody leaves this room until someone comes up with a solution that makes EVERYONE happy.
Dontae Shukara, Manager of the Special Projects team
People Pleaser
He has a severe tendency to avoid tough decisions altogether. Although he has no problem making minor policy determinations, he's known to freeze up when a particular quandary has no "perfect" answer - i.e., no answer that will make everyone happy and will avoid angering anyone in the least. In such cases, he's prone to chronic procrastination and will sometimes attempt to unload the decisionmaking duties on others. His desire to find common ground makes him an excellent mediator and a creative problem solver. But those qualities start to evaporate in the midst of complex problems where any solution is bound to leave at least someone annoyed or unhappy.
Risk Averse
Although he's not at all blind to the many ethically-dubious policies and practices within Hegemony, he will only move to remedy those situations if it does not entail undue risk to him or any members of his team. The mere fact that he continues, unabated, to work for Hegemony is a sign that there's only so much he'll do to "fight the system" - especially if he fears that such resistance would endanger his good standing in the company.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
D
ontae is averse to conflict and will sometimes go to great lengths to avoid it. He has an innate desire to see those around him get along. He fears any scenario where there is no perfect solution. This tends to highlight his skills as a mediator, always searching for middle ground.
Getting By
His motivations can feel quite mundane, as his primary objective is often to simply "get through" a rough situation and carry on with his daily routine. He's not particularly aspirational. Nor will he go out of his way to advocate for any one employee if he feels it will be rub another employee the wrong way.
Social
Family Ties
W
hile he maintains steady contact with his mother, her demanding and often-judgmental demeanor causes him stress and poisons their interactions. He maintains cursory contact with her extended family, but they have never fully embraced him.
His closest "family" tie is that of Corinne Jacquinot. Although they are not technically related, they met at a young age in grade school, share many similarities as adoptees, and actively view each other as "siblings".
Religious Views
Dontae's views on religion are driven by Nielsen ratings and public opinion polls.
Tessa Robicheaux, Office Manager with the Special Projects team
A
t various times he's considered himself to be either a Buddhist or a Taoist, although he doesn't have an expansive understanding of either. He was raised as a Christian, but he frequently finds himself disgusted by the religion's evangelical base. He's flirted with Islam and Judaism, although he's never thought of himself as a true believer in either. At this point, he views himself as generically "spiritual". While he's content to cherry pick different aspects of religions that appeal to him, he doesn't feel entirely aligned with any particular belief system. He's not even convinced of the existence of God, or a pantheon of gods, although he's uncomfortable with any strident assertion that they don't exist at all.
Hobbies & Pets
H
e has a strong affinity for strategic board games. He greatly enjoys chess and Go, but he's also happy to play more involved simulations. He reads regularly, although this rarely includes works of fiction. He will sometimes volunteeer for more-physical activities, mostly in an attempt to fit in.
Speech
A
s someone who's often nervous or uneasy, he can be prone to bouts of stuttering. His intellect gives him a stellar vocabulary, but he can struggle to find words that properly match the social or professional circumstances in which he finds himself. During periods of tension with other employees, he has a tendency to trail off or to be overrun by more forceful personalities.
Current Location
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Manager, Special Projects team
Year of Birth
2044
26 Years old
Children
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Straight and brown
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Caucasian
Height
1.6 m
Weight
86 kg
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments