danielle had never been the kind of girl people noticed. and most of the time, she was fine with that. most of the time.
she didn’t mind being shauna’s little sister. she just wished sometimes that someone would see her as more than that.
danielle “dani” marie shipman, little shipman, a deer in the headlights.
played by maude apatow.
she was born quietly, a soft arrival into a world that seemed too loud for her. even as a child, she knew how to be small, how to be unnoticed, and how to find comfort in the spaces between the noise.
— danielle “dani” shipman came into the world on june 2nd, 1980, in a quiet hospital room just outside of wiskayok, new jersey. she was born in the early morning, the sky outside shifting from deep blue to the soft pinks and oranges of dawn. shauna, just a toddler at the time, was too young to fully understand what was happening, but she clung to their father’s leg, peeking curiously at the tiny, wrinkled thing wrapped in a pastel pink blanket.
— their mother had been exhausted but composed, already slipping into the familiar role of caretaker. their father had been there too, back when he was still around; before the arguments, the late nights, and the eventual absence. for a brief moment, they had all been together, a picture-perfect family.
— danielle was a quiet baby, content to observe the world around her with wide, curious eyes. she rarely cried, something their mother appreciated after dealing with shauna’s more demanding infancy. but as she grew, it became clear that danielle wasn’t just quiet; she was thoughtful, always watching, always listening.
of two sisters, one is always the watcher, the other the dancer.
— while only being about a year or so younger than her sister — 15 at the time of the crash and a sophomore — dani was always babied a bit more, even shauna's friends affectionately referred to her as “little shipman” to her annoyance.
— pre crash, dani was a huge film and literature nerd, she was in the school's drama club, and while shauna was the writer of the family, dani was the reader. she dreamed of becoming a renowned filmmaker one day. she also enjoyed older music from the 60s, like the beatles. she wanted to go to nyu.
— she has soft features, an auburnish brown hair, and expressive eyes. her and shauna share a striking resemblance, even for sisters, her mother used to joke they were twins and dani just wanted to stay in there a little longer. she is almost always seen with soft curls in her hair or tiny braids to adorn her head, courtesy of the rollers she wears nightly as part of her beauty routine.
— her style is feminine but modest; cardigans, turtlenecks, flowy skirts, tights, paired with mary janes or loafers. she sometimes wears her mom’s old sweaters or clothes, and even steals stuff from shauna's closet frequently. her favorite makeup looks consist of a bright red or soft pink lip and neutral colored eye makeup with a winged eyeliner.
— danielle always had a romantic view of life. most nights, she would lie in bed with her lamp on, flipping through pages of a novel, imagining a life bigger than the one she had. a life where she wasn’t just someone’s little sister.
— unlike shauna she's not althetic at all, she tried to pick up soccer as a kid when shauna started but failed miserably. but she did do a few years of dance and ballet instead so she was involved with something, and shauna always had to drag her along to her games and practices.
- growing up in the shipman household meant structure, expectations, and the constant weight of appearances. their mother kept a tight grip on everything; their schedules, their grades, the way they presented themselves to the world. after their father left, that control only tightened.
— danielle, younger and less rebellious than shauna, was easier to manage. she did what was expected of her, she was polite, well-behaved, soft-spoken. she was a good student, not because she was particularly ambitious but because getting lost in books was easier than dealing with reality. she liked escaping into stories, getting caught up in other people’s lives, ones that weren’t hers.
— shauna, by contrast, was the one their mother expected the most from. and because of that, shauna was often forced to take danielle along with her, to soccer games, to sleepovers, to outings with jackie. danielle didn’t always mind, but she also never quite belonged in shauna’s world. she was always just “shauna’s little sister,” a tagalong, an afterthought.
— she didn’t resent shauna for it…at least, not most of the time. she admired her, the way she seemed so capable, so sure of herself, so good at fitting in. but sometimes, when their mother pushed too hard, expected too much, danielle could see the cracks. the way shauna’s smile would falter when their mom wasn’t looking. the way she’d grip her pencil too tightly while doing homework. the way she’d sigh before telling danielle, “come on, let’s go,” when she was forced to bring her along.
— danielle’s world was small; books, movies, school, shauna’s shadow. she wasn’t the type to break rules or push boundaries, sneaking a cigarette or beer at parties was the extent of her rebellion. but there was always something restless inside her, something that wondered who she would be if no one was watching. she never got the chance to find out before the plane crashed.
her relationships with the other yellowjackets
— danielle and jackie had a polite, surface-level friendship, mostly because of shauna. jackie was always nice to her by complimenting her outfits or asking about school, but there was a certain distance, like danielle was just an extension of shauna rather than her own person.
— danielle admired jackie in the way one might admire a movie star; she was effortlessly charming, always knowing the right thing to say. but she also felt out of place around her. whenever shauna and jackie were together, she felt like a spectator in their world, not quite part of it. she admired jackie the way someone admires a painting in a museum; beautiful, untouchable, and completely out of reach.
— danielle had always thought she was just waiting to grow into dating, like the other girls, but no matter how much time passed, she never felt the same pull toward boys her age. it wasn’t that she didn’t want romance, it just never felt right. that is, until she started noticing natalie. at parties with shauna, on the soccer field, at school; natalie was different. there was something about her confidence, the way she seemed to move through the world, that made danielle’s heart flutter in a way she hadn’t expected.
— danielle never told anyone about it. she wasn’t even sure when it started, maybe the first time she saw natalie leaning against the lockers, all confident with a lingering scent of cigarette smoke, or maybe when she caught her laughing at something stupid kevyn had said, her smile unexpectedly soft. whatever it was, danielle felt it like an ache, something small and quiet lodged in her ribs. she knew better than to entertain the thought. natalie scatorccio wasn’t the kind of person she could just... like. she was cool in a way danielle would never be, all messy blonde hair, dark eyeliner, and don’t-give-a-damn attitude. she was older, too. only by a year, but enough to make it impossible.
— still, danielle found herself watching her sometimes, stealing glances in the hallways or during lunch. she told herself it wasn’t obvious, that no one noticed, but shauna had given her a look once, one of those older-sister, i-know-you looks that made her stomach twist. she had quickly changed the subject.
— she doubted natalie even knew her name. they ran in completely different circles. danielle spent her time in the library or working at the movie theater, while natalie was out at parties, skipping class, living a life danielle could only observe from the sidelines. but once—just once—natalie had spoken to her.
— it was in the school parking lot. danielle had been fumbling with her bike lock, fingers numb from the cold, when she heard natalie’s voice. “hey, you got a hairpin or something?” danielle had looked up, stunned to find natalie standing right there, shoving a hand into the pocket of her leather jacket.
— “a hairpin?” danielle echoed, stupidly. “for my locker,” natalie said, smirking slightly. “i kinda forgot my combo.” danielle, still half in a daze, reached up and pulled a bobby pin from her braid, handing it over without a word. their fingers brushed. she hoped her face didn’t give her away. natalie grinned. “thanks, little shipman.”
— and then she was gone, walking back inside, completely unaware that she had just wrecked danielle’s entire week with three words. danielle never got the bobby pin back. she didn’t mind.
the day of the flight and the crash
— danielle sat on the bleachers as the sun's heat beat down on her face, exhausted from the sweltering temperature and length of the game she watched, but when she saw jackie win the game with a bump of her head, she flung her hands over her mouth in surprise and joy, screaming cheers for her sister. after the win, when shauna came off the field, her face flushed with excitement, she spotted danielle in the crowd and gave her a grin. “we’re going to nationals,” shauna said, breathless. “can you believe it?” danielle nodded, her lips curving into a small, proud smile. “yeah. I can.”
— like with everything, their mom made danielle tag along with shauna for the flight to seattle, so danielle woke up and began to pack early. when she went up to get shauna, she saw her quickly tuck a slip of paper behind her back, she shook it off, thinking nothing of it and asked her to hurry up so they weren't late.
— danielle couldn't sit with shauna, she was already sitting with jackie if course, so she sat in a seat across the row from nat, by herself, they made small talk as nat tried to reassure her the trip would be fun. she ended up falling asleep as she listened to the plane take off.
— she awoke to the plane shaking, sickening sounds of metal tearing as screams filled the cabin. danielle’s breath caught in her throat as the plane descended, faster than anything she had ever imagined. she could see the panic on the faces of those around her, the terror reflected in their wide eyes. she clutched the armrest with both hands, her fingers aching, as the world outside the window spun out of control. she watched helplessly as the plane split in two as people walked the aisles.
— the crash was sudden and brutal. there was no warning, just the sickening sound of metal crunching, the sharp impact of the plane hitting the ground. danielle’s body was thrown forward, her head slamming against the seat in front of her as the world turned to chaos. the last thing she remembered was the searing pain in her chest before everything went black.
— danielle woke to shauna desperately shaking her awake, relief in her eyes as she realized she was alive, she and jackie tore danielle out of the seat in a rush. she looked around her to see flames eating up the plane, dead bodies littered around, and felt the pain in her chest worse and worse. she had blood tripping down her head, and her chest had major bruising from the force of the seat in front of her when she was thrown forward. but when she looked around outside, she realized her injuries were nothing compared to what she was seeing.
in the wilderness
— in the wilderness, danielle's role is one of a quiet observer and reluctant participant, at least in the beginning. she isn’t as assertive or strong-willed as some of the others, like shauna or natalie, and she doesn’t have the survival skills of the more experienced girls, which makes her feel even more disconnected. her shy, introverted nature keeps her on the sidelines, blending into the background as she processes everything unfolding around her.
— her love for literature and films, her way of escaping, becomes a way of coping in the wilderness. she clings to memories of stories and characters that once gave her comfort, but as the days stretch on, she becomes more aware of the brutal reality of their situation. despite this, she still holds onto a sense of gentleness, often feeling like the group's moral compass even though she doesn’t have the strength to always speak out.
— her relationship with shauna shifts as the days pass. she can sense her sister is keeping something from her, and she notices the tension around jackie and her. she tries hard to stay out of it, not wanting to make anything worse, but when it's revealed shauna is pregnant, danielle, worried for her safety, clings to her sister more than ever before.
— after jackie’s death, everything seemed to shift in the wilderness. shauna, who had always been a strong presence in danielle’s life, became something unrecognizable. the girl who had been her protector, her older sister who kept her grounded, now carried herself differently—hardened, distant, even cold at times. shauna, in the wake of the brutal reality of the hunt and jackie's death, started making decisions that danielle couldn’t understand. there was a shift in her eyes, a coldness that replaced the warmth that once guided danielle. she made the hard choices, the ones that were necessary for survival, but at the cost of her humanity.
— in the end danielle does not survive the wilderness, she does not live to see her dreams of becoming a film director come true, or see her sister start a family. whether it's a tragic end where she dies in her sister's arms after a fight gone wrong, like jackie — or a terrible accident, even a hunt that ends up with her as the meal for the girls (maybe she is pit girl?). shauna loses the last person she has in the wilderness, now she is without her best friend, her baby, and her sister.
— she definitely haunts the narrative, specifically nat and shauna, most likely she is still alive in s3, and dies in the second winter. her motif is a deer.
hiii!!! yellowjackets oc brainrot returns, dani is my least fleshed out oc for yj...so any thoughts on room for improvement is welcome! some things based drabble by @puppybutcher :33
and as always tysm to my yj oc inspos @dippindotties @natscatorcciosgf @antlerqueenss & @logansdogmotif!
