Mesedu Gadzhieva

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic isSultaniland the family name is Gadzhieva. In an Avar name, the family name is placed before the patronymic and given name."'Cheers, I'll drink to that.'""— Mesedu's catch phrase"{{sup|Mesedu Sultanil Gadzhieva, Esq. (Avar: {{Transcription|Хӏажиева Султӏанил Меседу|Khḣazhieva Sultḣanil Mesedu}} ; Russian: {{Transcription|Гаджиева, Меседу Султановна|Gadžieva, Mesedu Sultanovna}}) is a fanon character in the Disney film Big Hero 6 created by user Chechensichkeria''.  Born in Russia's Republic of Dagestan, she is an Avar-American criminal defence lawyer who is assigned to Robert Callaghan's case following the events of Big Hero 6''. A former assistant for Krei Tech Industries, Mesedu is also the mother of son Imanshapi "Shapi" Gadzhiev through an affair with Alistair Krei.

{{sup|She is portrayed by Russian actress Karina Tatarshao.}}

Physical Appearance
Standing at 5'7" or 1.70 metres, Mesedu is a 26-year-old Dagestani woman with a fair complexion and brown hair and eyes. Though above-average in height, she has a rather lean build with thick legs and slim arms. With a widow's peak in the centre of her forehead, her straight dark hair is abundantly thick and reaches her torso. In addition, she has thin yet bushy eyebrows and an aquiline-like nose with a prominent bridge and pointed tip. Mesedu has four beauty marks in total: two on her face, one on her right wrist, and one on her neck.

Casual Attire
Despite her occupation, Mesedu is known to be a rather casual dresser who selects her outfits based on simplicity and practicality rather than extravagance and style. Most prominently, she always dons a black-stringed bracelet with a gold cutout inscription of the Arabic word "الله" (Allāh) on her left wrist — it was initially a birthday gift from her uncle, but she has not taken it off since. Though not devoutly religious (she does not wear a hijab), Mesedu still dresses in accordance to Islamic dress code, which promotes modesty. She is thus never or rarely seen wearing short pants or skirts, but is usually spotted in loose-fitting blouses, light jeans, ankle boots with low heels, and a leather jacket with its sleeves half-rolled. Her favourite colours include white, cream, blue, grey, and black.

Mesedu is not typically fond of makeup and will only apply the basics, mainly light mascara and foundation. She personally prefers to wear her hair down, but will occasionally style her hair in a messy up-do bun or low ponytail.

Formal Attire
In the case of court hearings or trials, Mesedu dresses much more formally in dark suits and buttoned blouses, though she favours dark slacks and black flats over skirts and stilettos. In these occasions, she also pins her hair in a tight swirled bun and applies more makeup (including eye shadow and lipstick).

For celebratory, cultural, and/or religious related occasions, Mesedu will sometimes wear a loose headscarf (not necessarily a hijab) in the Avarian traditional fashion, with her forehead and hair partially left revealed and the scarf wrapped in a swirl and placed on her shoulder. As Dagestani clothing is rather difficult to find, Mesedu only owns several articles of traditional Avarian dress, which consist of loose-fitting robes and pants, tunics, shawls, curve-pointed boots, metallic jewelry/belts/headpieces, etc). These were specially tailored for Mesedu based on old traditional sketches and art she found online — she most prominently wears Avarian dress for San Fransokyo's annual Multicultural Day (which celebrates the city's vast cultural and ethnic diversity through performances of traditional dance, languages, song, and art along with food).

Official Description
TBA

Personality
Mesedu is characterised by her laid-back and easygoing demeanour, as well as her natural sense of humour and charisma with others. She values her personal space and privacy, however, and is usually reluctant to share detailed information of her own personal affairs and history. Inquisitive and naturally curious, she prefers to learn about the lives of others rather than sharing of her own experiences. Nevertheless, Mesedu maintains a sociable attitude and enjoys the company of others. Naturally humorous, Mesedu is not afraid to crack jokes or make witty comments when warranted, though her occasionally dark and self-deprecating remarks can be viewed as inappropriate at times. A former comedian and an inherent people-pleaser, Mesedu also takes pride in her ability to entertain and make others laugh. Moreover, she is very change-oriented and enjoys constant challenges (hence her career in law, which presents a variety of different cases), though this also indicates her tendency to easily lose interest and motivation for repetitive tasks. A realist, Mesedu is down-to-earth and favours perceiving things for what they are or what they turn out to be rather than predicting a possible positive or negative outcome. Additionally, she tends to favour her own personal morals and hold biases over others, such as her sheer belief in the negative aspects of technology and the flaws of San Fransokyan society.

In terms of Islam, Mesedu is rather indecisive and tends to fluctuate wildly between dedication and disbelief. She typically does not engage in active worship, prayer, or daily religious deeds, but will turn to "last-minute" prayer in moments of pure distress or fear. Mesedu does refer to herself as a Muslim — she does identify with the creed in terms of a cultural background — but does not thoroughly follow its doctrine (i.e. alcoholism). This is due to a general lack of adherence and rejection of pressure to comply, though Mesedu wishes to change her habits for the sake of her parents to please and satisfy them. In all, Mesedu presents herself as a Muslim, but religion does not play a significant role in her everyday life.

Her status as an only child and the fact that she was devoid of the presence of both a mother and father during childhood have prevented Mesedu from developing a maternal instinct and general sense of empathy. Due to lack of proper care and attention from her uncle, Labazan, Mesedu struggles to empathise and care for children and infants; most notably, her own son, Shapi. Personally, Mesedu finds the care of children to be an unnecessary waste of time and energy, instead preferring to prioritise her own life and needs over those of her son. Though she shares a strained relationship with Shapi due to her long work hours, Mesedu is generally an easygoing parent (much like Labazan was to her) and grants her son many freedoms many others would deny — this is mainly caused by her carelessness and lack of knowledge on parenting, however. She tends to be forgetful of key milestones in Shapi's life, including his Despite her initial cluelessness, Mesedu is, in fact, actively trying to be an active parental figure, regardless of the many promises she breaks or her sloppy attempts.

Familial Background
Mesedu Sultanil Gadzhieva was born on November 2, 2006, in the Russian village or aul of Sasitli (Avar: Сасикь) in Tsumadinsky District, Republic of Dagestan, as the only child of Sultan Ramazanovich Gadzhiev (Avar: Хӏажиев Рамазанил Султӏан; Russian: Гаджиев Султан Рамазанович) and Muminat Sagidovna Gadzhieva (née Kurbanova; Avar: Къурбанова Сагӏидил Муъминат; Russian: Курбанова Муминат Сагидовна). Of pure Avar descent on both sides of her family, Mesedu's father, Sultan, worked as a scholar of Islamic doctrine and a muezzin for the local mosque while her mother, Muminat, was a linguist and teacher of the Avar language. As an infant, Mesedu often traveled with her father between Sasitli and Makhachkala — the capital of Dagestan — for his numerous teachings and lectures in Islamic law until she was eventually sent to live with Sultan's brother, Labazan Ramazanovich Gadzhiev (Avar: Хӏажиев Рамазанил Лабазан; Russian: Гаджиев Лабазан Рамазанович), in Makhachkala. As her uncle was much more financially stable, Sultan and Muminat decided to allow their daughter to reside with him.

Early Life
Mesedu was placed under the legal guardianship of Labazan and lived with him in Makhachkala for several years. As Labazan worked as a professional boxer, he often traveled between Russia and the United States, generally between Makhachkala, Moscow, New York City, and Los Angeles. At the age of eight, Mesedu and Labazan both gained American citizenship and moved to San Fransokyo, California, for a boxing job offer Labazan had received. Both still remained as Russian citizens, however, and gained dual citizenship. A devout Muslim, Labazan enrolled Mesedu in San Fransokyo's private Al-Amin Islamic Academy, where she was educated in the English and Arabic languages and Qur'anic studies. Though Mesedu's first language was, in fact, Avar (she had been taught to speak it by her parents in Sasitli and in an Avar-language school in Makhachkala), she lost fluency in her mother tongue as her English-language teachers encouraged her to solely speak English at home and among peers.

Due to his booming career, Labazan was often out of the house training at the gym, competing across the nation, or celebrating a victory through the night. Because of this, Mesedu was left to care for herself in San Fransokyo, which developed into a sense of independence and self-reliance (as well as a future lack of maternal instinct). Nevertheless, Labazan was a rather easygoing guardian who allowed Mesedu to do or buy whatever she wanted as long as she didn't complain or bother him. Despite her religious education at Al-Amin, Mesedu never took real faith in Islam and its teachings, much to Labazan's scorn. Moreover, Mesedu found herself distrusting the technologically advanced lifestyle of San Fransokyo, which was a stark contrast to her early life in a rural Russian village. She viewed the people of the city as being reliant on technology to the point where they supposedly "could not function a day outside their robotic city".

Following graduation from Al-Amin, Mesedu began attending a public, secular institution, San Fransokyo High School. She was an above-average student who received B's and occasional A's, though Mesedu did not strive to take as many rigorous classes or participate in sports as many of the other students who were pursuing science or engineering did. As the school she attended was in the heart of San Fransokyo's technological centre, most of the school's curriculum was tailored to the robotics or science fields, to Mesedu's disdain. With the little programs that interested her or pertained to her career path, Mesedu mainly focused on extracurriculars and clubs centred around politics, history, government, and law. In an effort to raise more money for herself, she also took on some odd jobs, including a small-time career for Krei Tech Industries and a position as a stand-up comedian. Through her interest in writing, she was accepted into summer programs abroad in Russia as a junior investigative journalist, during which she would study the political situations and corruption in her own native Dagestan and the neighbouring Chechnya. By living in rural areas impacted by war, she gained a deeper appreciation for the lives and struggles of those less fortunate than her, thereby reinforcing her stances on the downfalls of technology. Mesedu eventually graduated, applied for multiple law schools in the East Coast, and left San Fransokyo for several years to pursue her studies with the goal of bringing her parents to the United States from rural Dagestan in mind.

{{sup|Following her completion of law school, Mesedu intended to remain in the East Coast and to move to the city of Paterson in New Jersey, which had a larger population of Muslim Caucasian peoples. She was persuaded by an old high school friend to return to San Fransokyo, however, due to an offer to work for said friend's family law firm. Mesedu thus accepted, and returned as a new attorney for Iwamoto-Rainer LLP.

Big Hero 6
Mesedu does not make a large appearance in the film, but her presence prior to the events of Big Hero 6 play a significant role on its outcome and aftermath. As mentioned before, Mesedu held (and still holds) unfavourable views towards San Fransokyo's high-tech enhancements due to her early experiences living in a secluded mountainous town. As a teenager, she unwittingly applied for a part-time career as an assistant at Krei Tech Industries, the largest technological corporation, for extra income. Mesedu was one of the assistants present on Akuma Island with Krei and the General during his initial test run for Project Silent Sparrow, though she was not placed in command of any of the portals' controls (Krei had personally requested for her to go to take notes of the trial). As such, Mesedu witnessed the portals horrifically malfunction — which also supposedly killed the test pilot, Abigail Callaghan — while Krei stood aloof and had even demanded for the other scientists to proceed. This incident fueled Mesedu's beliefs in the evils and selfish gains of technology along with a mistrust for Krei, and so she resigned from Krei Tech soon after.

Following Yokai's defeat by the Big Hero 6, Mesedu had watched the daily news as former professor Robert Callaghan was arrested for his crimes against the city. Robert's personal vendetta against Alistair and the fact that pilot Abigail was Robert's own daughter served as an opportunity for Mesedu to singlehandedly expose Krei for his deceit and selfishness in terms of his business and wealth. Mesedu thus sought out the convicted criminal and would eventually represent him in court in an effort to attack Krei's mistake.

The Future
TBA

Robert Callaghan
TBA

Abigail Callaghan
TBA

Imanshapi "Shapi" Gadzhiev
"'I didn't ask to be born, okay? My existence and suffering are all because of your mistakes and carelessness. And, on top of all that, abortion! You wanted to get rid of the creation you made instead of acting like a mature adult and just sucking up to the responsibility that you burdened on yourself. I can't believe how irresponsible you and Dad [Alistair] are.'""— Shapi, to Mesedu"TBA

Alistair Krei
TBA

Labazan Gadzhiev
TBA

Playlist

 * We Are Young - fun. ft. Janelle Monáe
 * As The Crow Flies - David Gray
 * Finest Hour- Cash Cash ft. Abir

Etymology
Mesedu {{sup|({{Transcription|Меседу|Mesedu}}) is an Avar name derived from the Avar word {{Transcription|месед|mesed}} (mesed) which means "gold, golden". She was named after her maternal grandmother, whose name was Aimesedu Murtazalieva ({{Transcription|Аймеседу Муртазгӏалиева|Aymesedu Murtazgḣalieva}}) meaning "golden moon" or "lunar gold".

{{sup|Gadzhieva (Avar: {{Transcription|Хӏажиева|Khḣazhieva}}; Russian: {{Transcription|Гаджиева|Gadzhieva}}) is the feminine equivalent of the surname Gadzhiev (Avar: {{Transcription|Хӏажиев|Khḣazhiev}}, Russian: {{Transcription|Гаджиев|Gadzhiev}}), which is prevalent among Russian Muslim populations in Dagestan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and other former Soviet states. The surname itself is derived from the personal name Gadzhi ({{Transcription|Гаджи|Gadzhi}}) or Hazhi ({{Transcription|Хӏажи|Khḣazhi}}) in Avar, a Dagestani Russified form of the Arabic title {{Transcription|حاجي‎‎|ḥājiyy}} (ḥājiyy)  denoting a Muslim who has successfully completed the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca.

Trivia

 * Despite not being completely fluent in Avar, Mesedu still retains traces of her childhood Avarian accent on some English words. As knowledge her mother tongue is quite obscure, it is mostly misidentified as Russian or Arabic by Americans.
 * Mesedu and her family speak the Unkratl (Ункъракь) dialect of the Avar language, which is the main regional dialect of Tsumadinsky District — it originates from the village of Kedi (Къеди) within the district. Avar has many different dialects depending on where one is from, with some other examples including Andalal in Gunibsky District or Batlukh in Shamilsky District. Unkratl is said to be understandable by most Avar speakers, even those that don't speak the specific dialect.
 * Both of Mesedu's parents were born and raised in Sasitli, a real Dagestani town with a population of approximately ~338 people in 2017. The real village does in fact have an Islamic school in which Sultan would hypothetically teach at.
 * Despite it being her first language and mother tongue, Mesedu is not completely fluent in Avar; she can understand the spoken language and read the Cyrillic script, but has difficulty speaking. This was due to years of forced assimilation into Russian and, later, American culture, in which the latter promotes teachers to encourage their students not to speak their native languages at home to make the English-learning process move more quickly. Learning English resulted in a loss of proficiency in Avar, of which Mesedu still regrets (she hopes to recover her lost knowledge through her mother, an Avar language instructor).
 * Mesedu was named after her maternal grandmother, who was named Aimesedu Murtazalieva.
 * In high school, Mesedu's favourite subject was history. She also took the AP United States Government and Politics course, of which she received a "5" on the exam (the only 5 she attained of all the AP classes she took).
 * Her parents endearingly refer to her as хирияб (khiriyab), which means "dear, darling" in Avar. Her uncle, on the other hand, calls her тІегь (t’eh) meaning "flower", which Mesedu dislikes.
 * Mesedu's favourite ethnic dish is chudu, a type of Dagestani pastry typically stuffed with cheese, onions, potatoes, or meat.
 * In terms of religion, Mesedu considers herself to be a "cultural Muslim", or a relatively irreligious person with a Muslim background. She does not perform the five daily prayers or fast for Ramadan, nor does she don the hijab (which some Muslim women also reject out of a personal interpretation of the Qur'an). Mesedu does, however observe important holidays such as Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Asha casually.
 * Due to her uncle, Mesedu enjoys watching boxing and wrestling matches.
 * Labazan, though not an alcoholic himself, taught Mesedu several drinking games he learned both in Russia and the United States. The two still play fear pong, Mesedu's personal favourite, whenever she visits him (or vice versa).
 * As meat is a staple food in Dagestani cuisine, Mesedu loves barbecue, steak, and grill houses. Her preferred meat is mutton, but she usually tries to abstain from pork and lard out of respect for Islam.
 * Mesedu owns two dogs: a Shiba Inu named Miko and a Dachshund named Otto. She often claims that dogs are easier to care for than children.
 * The dance Mesedu used to perform as a child was the lezginka — called къурди (qurdi) in Avar — a traditional fast-paced solo or pair dance (with a male and female) widely found in many Caucasian cultures.
 * Mesedu is allergic to flower pollen; upon exposure, she reacts with wild sneezing.
 * She frequently curses, which is a habit she picked up in high school.

Scrapped Concepts

 * The character has undergone numerous ethnicity changes, with old concepts suggesting Armenian, Georgian, Polish, Greek, Chechen, Crimean Tatar, Druze, Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian), or Tajik-Azerbaijani heritage. I ultimately settled on Avar because of a personal interest in the culture and language.
 * Mesedu was going to be half-Avar and half-Chechen, half-Lezgin (another Dagestani ethnic group), or half-Indonesian, but further research showed that rural Dagestani families tended to marry only within their own ethnic group — this multiethnic idea was discarded for authenticity and respect of the demographic note.
 * The Gadzhiev family was initially going to hail from Echeda (Эчеда), another Avar-populated village in Tsumadinsky District, Dagestan.
 * Mesedu's surname was going to be 'Gadzhimuradova' (ХІажимурадова) and 'Gadzhimagomedova' (ХІажимухІамадова) at different points in her development, but I ultimately decided on 'Gadzhiev' for simplicity (I felt that the aforementioned were too difficult to remember/pronounce for English speakers).
 * Her height was changed from 5'8" (172.72 cm) to 5'7" (170.18 cm).
 * I originally planned for Mesedu to be childhood friends with Abigail Callaghan with a bot-fighting background, but this was scrapped to simplify Mesedu's background and make it more coherent.
 * She was also going to be in a deal with Mr. Yama and his gang as a method to earn more money for herself (Mesedu would steal blueprints and schematics for various inventions in exchange for payment), but I also chose to delete this segment.
 * In my earliest rendition of the character, Mesedu (named Lusine "Lucy" Yeghiazaryan) was the estranged Armenian wife of Robert Callaghan, who would've be forced to represent him in court following his arrest.
 * Mesedu was going to be 23 years old, but she was aged up for a realistic portrayal of the years it takes to graduate from law school.