Fanon:Dane family

The Danes are an up-and-coming family in my version of Veronaville. Although the Dane family name was unremarkable before this generation, current patriarch Cornwall is determined to make them a force to be reckoned with.

Origins and History
The Dane family originated in the Old Country, where they were a minor line of once-nobles, gradually falling further and further from the wealth and glory of their earlier years. Cornwall's parents, Hamlet and Tobea relocated to Veronaville prior to Cornwall's birth, and built up just enough of a name that when Regan Capp came of age, Cornwall was considered a good choice for her arranged marriage. Though the Dane family was patrilineal, they agreed to have Cornwall give up his surname in order to join the obviously more lasting Capp legacy.

However, the Dane family gained a new existence when Regan, tired of living in a loveless marriage, filed for divorce. Following a taxing legal battle, Cornwall legally changed his name back to Dane, and began his quest of beginning a real Dane legacy, one that would hopefully come to rival that of the Capps within his lifetime. To that end, he remarried, started a business, and decided to raise a large family.

Insane Expectations
The Dane children are under a tremendous amount of pressure from their parents, particularly their father. This "succeed or die" philosophy is greater with Cornwall than it ever was for any Capp parent. Cornwall's jealousy blinds him to the adverse effects of his quest for greater power.

While some of the Dane children can deal with their father's expectations, the pressure has had a particularly negative effect on the older daughter, Ophelia, who has developed anxieties related to virtually everything. Even the ones who seem able to cope may simply be too broken to not work hard. Rumor has it that Fortinbras, Cornwall's heir, is not simply a diligent and overachieving young man by nature, but suffering from a fixation caused by his father's obsessive focus on family success.

Swept Aside
Although the Dane feud with the Capps is bitter on Cornwall's end, it barely registers as a blip on the Capps' radar, embroiled as they are in the feud with the Montys. Because of this, Cornwall has been considering a political alliance with the Montys for the sole purpose of getting back in the Capps' sights, even if it will probably cost him his long friendship with Albany Capp.