✎ Dani Bradshaw

[danibradshaw]

CHARACTER AGE: 28

SPECIES: Witch

BACKGROUND & HISTORY: Danielle Rosemary Bradshaw, Dani to mostly everyone, was born and raised in Siren Cove. She always had an interest in the world outside of Siren Cove, mostly bored by the drama and rivalries that still plagued the town. So most of her teenage summers were spent traveling the world and helping impoverished areas with various groups and organizations. She helped build communities, distributed food and medicine, and even learned various languages to help teach young girls in a safe environment. These travels sparked her passion for uncovering horrifying truths of daily life for some people across the globe. Returning to Siren Cove to attend college, Dani’s disenchantment with the town continued. She stayed because St. Bernadette’s had a great journalism program and because she actually missed her family.

Dani never grew up rich. Her parents worked two jobs each and she started selling her own articles at the age of 16 to mostly small websites. Between her parents’ hard work and struggles to keep Dani and her older sister living in comfort and the world she saw during her volunteer efforts, Dani became biased toward the rich. Mostly, the petty rivalries the rich had. Earning almost a full scholarship to St. Bernadettes for her academics and a powerfully written essay, Dani was able to receive her education, graduate with honours, and didn’t have to ask her parents for a penny, something she’s forever grateful for.

After graduation, Dani was hired with an up and coming, passionate web-based news organization whose focus was to bring world news to America’s back door. To make it real. It was her dream job. Dani travelled again, following tips around the world, infiltrating dangerous areas, exposing hardened criminals protected by the fear they wrapped around themselves. Her passion was women’s rights. She helped women escape bad situations and wrote about their stories, wanting nothing more than to make America realize that this shit is happening. Her talents with a pen and perseverance for truth gave the company the confidence in allowing Dani to chase her own stories. If Dani Bradshaw decided to investigate a tip, it had to be good and publish-worthy.

But then the unthinkable happened. Dani’s older sister Aimee went missing off St. Bernadette’s campus. According to local authorities, Aimee just “disappeared out of thin air.” With zero evidence, eyewitnesses, no leads to go by, Aimee’s disappearance became a cold case. The police told Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw their daughter probably ran away with someone. While that wasn’t far-fetched, her sister always the romantic optimist with her head in the clouds, Dani knew something had happened to her sister. Unable to return to Siren Cove until a few months later, Dani felt like the town had already closed the doors on her sister’s case. To add to the blow, her editor called to say the company was dead. Turns out, investigative journalism like theirs just doesn’t sell. Now jobless and angry about her sister, Dani had no choice but to stay.

Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw have since moved away from Siren Cove, unable to stay in their family home any longer with their daughter still missing. Dani had to figure out how to make money for bills and still be able to do what makes her happy. The world still had stories to tell, people to help. Needing to stay to investigate her sister’s disappearance herself, Dani decided she would fund those out in the field doing the dirty work since regular news outlets wouldn’t. In a yearly flair up between the Thorntons and the Coombs’, she had an idea. Paps swarmed the area and Dani realized exactly where the money laid in this town. She started working for Siren Cove’s tabloid paper, The Cove, quickly becoming a prominent writer for the magazine. Within a year, she became editor-in-chief, determining what prints and what isn’t even worth the trash bin.

Because of her true reason for working for the magazine, Dani’s main motivation is money. She can be bought to print or squash a story or photograph. Bought or bribed with a juicier story that’ll bring her more sells. She really doesn’t care about exposing the Drama of Siren Cove. She’s just going to bank on it and use that money to fund better causes, though that’s mostly unknown to residents of Siren Cove. Most think she just wants to get rich, though they have no idea what she spends her money on. Dani inherited her grandmother’s small home after her death, and while she dresses wonderfully, she doesn’t indulge and spend too much money on flashy things. As far as the residents are concerned, Dani Bradshaw is sitting on a throne made of cash and just enjoys bathing in money.

PERSONALITY: Dani is serious about 96% of the time. She’s analytical and smart. She knows what talks and what walks. With her experience, she’s well trained at figuring out other people’s bullshit and will call them out on it. She wants the scoop and no beating around the bush. Say what you want or need, make a deal, and walk away happy.

That being said, around people she genuinely likes, Dani is personable and humourous. She surrounds herself with other strong, big personalities and actually loves to talk journalism. She is capable of making respectable relationships (even friendships) with others and keeping that separated from her work. Her only interest in gossip is if it’s juicy enough to sell, so you may see a glint in her eye over a Thornton expose, but it’s only because she’s seeing the dollar signs.

OPINION OF THE RIVALRY: It’s dumb. Dani’s grown up with the rivalry thrown in her face and if she wasn’t banking off it, she’d honestly be over it. As it is, the rivalry is what sells in this town, so if someone wants to fuel that rivalry, go for it. More money for her.

LIFESTYLE: Despite the money she makes from the magazine and deals, Dani lives modestly. Inheriting the house from her grandmother means no rent or mortgage. She has nice clothing but mostly for appearances than anything else. She does like to hit up the night life in Siren Cove though, enjoying a good drink to get herself and her mind off news and stories.

The house itself is barely decorated. The living room, kitchen, and a bedroom are done up, but the rest of the house has been left as her grandmother had it. The office is where Dani spends most of her time, newspaper clippings, magazines, photographs, all the goodies spread all over the place. It may look like chaos, but it’s organized chaos. The desk itself is covered in tabloid fodder, but the rest of the room is taken up by investigative stories that have piqued Dani’s interest, her sister’s case being the forefront.

POWERS &ABILITIES: Dani is a witch, but she’s not good at curses or potions. Her powers lie in the art of making deals. If a resident makes a deal with Dani to hush a story, they are both magically bound to the deal. Dani will not renege on a deal she’s made. Reversing a deal is annoying, but possible. It involves another incantation and spell, then both Dani and the client are free. But this means Dani may totally expose the fact that the client tried to publish or hide something in the first place. Really, depends on Dani’s mood that day.

In the past, she used these powers to negotiate peace and safe returns of victims, binding the scumbag in question to keep their end of the deal without the other party knowing that magic was involved. Today, it’s used as a magical contract, only broken if both parties agree.

PLAYED BY: Nicole Beharie