Welcome to Gaia! ::

[b]Name:[/b] Danielle Hayes
[b]Nicknames:[/b] Dani, Nerd, Space Case, Dan Solo
[b]Pronouns:[/b] she/her
[b]Age:[/b] 18
[b]Birthday:[/b] April 9

[b]School:[/b] Smithwick's School of Technology and Science

[b]Occupation:[/b] Occasionally helps out behind the counter at the bakery.

[b]Hobbies:[/b]

[list] [*] [i]Martial Arts --[/i] Dani's parents enrolled her and her brother in Brazilian jiu-jitsu when they started getting bullied in primary school. The bullying stopped, but Dani kept up with her lessons, enjoying moving her body and the knowledge of how to defend herself. She's been a blue belt since she turned 16, attends lessons three or four times a week, and considers the academy her second home.

[*] [i]Sci-fi/Fantasy --[/i] Traveling vast distances to alien worlds, limitless possiblities open to you, [i]laser swords[/i].. Star Wars was Dani's first love and she's wanted to be a Jedi since she was six, although she doesn't announce that as loudly as she used to. Star Trek, The Expanse, Mass Effect - if it involves space, futurism and cool aliens, Dani will pick it up; she'll also take a gander at steampunk, fantasy and other genres, but she's more selective there. She's active on a few fandom message boards, subscribes to some online magazines, follows her favorite creators on social media, and goes to the local SFF convention. In fact, her whole family does; it's their big yearly event.

[*] [i]DIY Electronics --[/i] Introduced to soldering, circuits and the basics of programming at twelve when she swiped her brother's electronics kit, Dani's since learned to tinker with sensors, servos and microcontrollers to create various gadgets, including embellishing clothing with LEDs. Components cost money and her parents aren't too keen on her hacking the home appliances or storing a bunch of junk around the house (she keeps a box of scrounged bits under her bed), so things she makes tend to get reused for parts unless she really likes something, like the smart LED goggles she wears to the occasional under-21 club night.

[*] [i]Spaaaaaace --[/i] Not spending time there, sadly. (Yet.) But with rocket launches, talk of asteroid mining, and images of new exoplanets in her news feed each week, the galaxy seems just around the corner. If she can't be a Jedi, Dani will be an astronaut, or colonize Mars, or work for NASA or [i]something.[/i] She keeps up to date on space news, is part of a local skywatching meetup, and will drag anyone who shows a glimmer of interest to Etoile Observatory. One of her treasures is her telescope, a Christmas gift from a few years back.[/list]

[b]Pros:[/b]
[*] [b]I Got This[/b] [i]Confident --[/i] Dani can take the world on. She hasn't succeeded at everything on her first try, and sometimes the outcomes look different from what she envisioned, but with the right preparation, tools, and hard work? Nothing she can't handle. There's not much that intimidates her; she's comfortable in her own skin, flexible enough to laugh at her mistakes, and assertive about her needs and wants. (Sometimes too assertive, if you ask her family.) She tends not to view others as competitors - deep down, she believes that if someone's doing something she's not, it's not because they can and she can't; it's because the other person had got there sooner / wants it more / put in more work / had good luck. If Dani gets experience / wants it / works hard / is lucky? She'll get there too.

[*] [b]Show Me[/b] [i]Curious --[/i] Knowledge empowers you. Knowledge protects you. Most importantly, learning is [i]fun.[/i] Dani wants to know, well, everything, and while she's grudgingly acknowledged that 7 billion humans creating, discovering and changing things in a universe already 14 billion years old might be capable of more information than can be parsed in a human lifetime, that's no reason not to [i]try.[/i] She's a voracious reader and seeker of new experiences, and whatever topic has her current interest is investigated and prodded with a laser-like focus. As a result she's developed strong observation and analytical skills, and a somewhat esoteric collection of information from science, history, pop culture, and so on.

[*] [b]There Is No Try[/b] [i]Driven --[/i] Dani wants to do something big, something that [i]matters[/i]. She doesn't know what it'll be yet, but every step is taking her closer, and she won't let anything get in her way. She's not content to leave a goal unachieved or an issue unresolved; they'll [i]bother[/i] her until she completes them. She's a near indefatigable source of motivation and focus, something she's happy to share with others in the form of encouragement. First try didn't work? Attack the problem from another angle, and never, never give up.[/list]

[b]Cons:[/b]
[*] [b]I Got This[/b] [i]Reckless --[/i] Careful isn't Dani's style. She has the cavalier, slightly arrogant attitude of someone who hasn't really been touched by the world's dangers, for whom "it's easier to ask forgiveness than beg permission" has largely worked out, and a youthful incomprehension of her own mortality. It's not that bad things don't happen, but they don't happen to [i]her,[/i] or to anyone she knows. She's not incapable of caution or heeding others' warnings (if they seem reasonable and make sense) - the big bakery ovens, Smithwick's labs and anything her BJJ professor says have her respect - but she hasn't (yet) faced a challenge she couldn't meet, and it shows.

[*] [b]I Said I [i]Got[/i] This[/b] [i]Stubborn --[/i] Once Dani's set her mind to a task, she prefers to achieve it her way, herself, and she doesn't take kindly to attempts to control or redirect her, even when it might be in her own best interest. Her first response when a challenge turns out to be bigger than she anticipated is to double down and go at it harder, and while she's not incapable of asking for help, by the time she might she's made things harder for herself and everyone else than it would have been if she'd spoken up sooner. She can collaborate with a group - you don't go to Smithfield without learning how to do that at least somewhat - by cordoning off a set of responsibilities as hers, but within that boundary? She's got this. She'll just pull an all-nighter to get it done, and, uh.. put out that fire.

[*] [b]Open Mouth, Insert Foot[/b] [i]Blunt --[/i] Some people can turn a phrase so skillfully that bad news and criticism land soft as a feather. Dani.. is not one of those people. She's learned how to be taciturn, but when she opens her mouth about something she doesn't think much of the best she can manage is strict adherence to facts, and at worst, a cutting remark. It's lost her more than one friend over the years and is a deficit that irritates her, when she dwells on it (which isn't often) - isn't it [i]better[/i] to say what you really mean, rather than dance around? She just has to get around to reading [i]How to Make Friends and Influence People.[/i] At some point.[/list][/size]

[align=center][b]General Appearance[/b][/align]
[size=11]Dani stands at 5'5" and has a slim, athletic figure, slightly tanned skin and a heart-shaped face. Her eyes are big, round and a dark brown close in color to her hair, which she keeps shoulderblade-length. She prefers casual, sporty clothing that's easy to move in, with the occasional girly detail like simple earrings or eyeliner, and nerdy fandom or science paraphernalia like her oversized Mass Effect N7 hoodie.[/size]

[b]Notes[/b]
[list][*] Her mother was a food scientist and her father was a program manager; they met at a fandom convention. Eleven years ago they left the fast-paced corporate world to found their own bakery/coffee shop, Extra Loaves (because they're total nerds.)
[*] Her brother, Alex (21), attends Treva College for Career Advancement, with a focus on computer sciences, particularly AI. He still lives at home, does the occasional freelance programming gig, and handles the bakery's website and online order platform.
[*] The family home is ruled by Sir Edgar Pickles, a fluffy self-centered tuxedo cat.
[/list]