croissaunt (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
croissaunt) wrote2015-06-05 10:05 pm
croissaunt) wrote2015-06-05 10:05 pm
Tu Shansu App!
Player Information:
Name: Jenn
Age: 29
Contact:
Other Characters Played: N/A
Most Recent AC Link: N/A
Character Information:
Name: Cass Rudolph (Last name not canon, but burrowed from her Voice Actress, since she kinda needs one)
Canon: Big Hero 6 (2014 Animated Movie)
Canon Point: After Hiro rushes after Baymax into the café and convinces Aunt Cass that he's going to register for classes at SFIT
Age: 48 (Although she has no canon age, this seems reasonable considering Tadashi's age)
Reference Links:
Disney Wikia Article NOTE: Her last name is not Hamada. She is their aunt on their mother's side, hence why she does not have an official last name.
Setting:
Cass lives in an alternate reality version of San Francisco called San Fransokyo in the year 2034 with her two nephews, Tadashi and Hiro Hamada. Or she lived with them both--until Tadashi died. Now, she just lives with Hiro in an early 1900s Victorian-style home. On the first floor is her pride and joy, Lucky Cat Café. The second floor has her bedroom bathroom, as well as the living-dining-kitchen open concept area. The third floor is another open concept room with bathroom that belongs to her two nephews, whom she considers to be her boys after raising them for ten years.
San Fransokyo is best described as East-Meets-West. Many of the buildings are similar to San Fransisco because they used detailed property data to recreate the city and then altered it from there. Even almost the same number of street lamps are mostly in the same locations as the real city that San Fransokyo is based off of [source]. Although geographically the same, the two cities are very different. Much of San Fransokyo is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, enough that many street signs are in Japanese and even the Golden Gate Bridge is influenced by Japanese architecture. Yoshino cherry trees are in bloomInexplicably for the whole movie, so let's assume they're mutant trees created by geneticists or something.There are even Yatai carts selling food and Yakuza-style gangs (which Hiro runs into, because Hiro is the family troublemaker).
Along with the Japanese influence comes future tech. The city is at least partially run from wind power provided by floating, Japanese kite influenced floating wind turbines. The old street cars still run, but the city's shining jewel of futurist technology is SFIT, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. It has fabulous sweeping hills and modern buildings filled with their future technology being made today by its students, which includes Tadashi Hamada--and later, his brother Hiro. Its robotics program is world class, with Robert Callaghan, one of the leading minds of the field, one of the top professors there.
Hiro Hamada gets accepted to the school by his brother first convincing him the school is more awesome than illegal bot fighting (which is only illegal when betting is involved), then presenting his project at the Student Showcase. His project, Microbots, are revolutionary even from the movie's point in time. They are small robots that can link together using magnetic bearing servos and be controlled by a neurotransmitter headband worn by a user, literally capable of doing nearly anything as long as the user can think of it. Constructing architecture projects with only one person, transportation, moving objects, and so many other things that would have utterly destroyed the economy if Professor Callaghan hadn't stolen them. Thank you, Professor Callaghan, for saving the world economy. ... And killing Tadashi in the process.
Other than that, it's very similar to our Earth. Still in California, still in the United States of America. Just a bit of alternative history to have it named and built differently. In the future, they may write it as having more alternate history, but I don't see that happening.
Personality: Aunt Cass is the embodiment of a strong woman. Not only is she a woman running her own business--a coffee shop, no less--she also raised her nephews after her sister and brother-in-law died tragically young, likely taking them into her home at the same time she was planning their parents' funerals, all whilst grieving herself. Without being prepared for taking care of two children, she brought them into her home, and loved them as if they were her own sons. She nurtured their intelligence and curiosity, allowing them to take over her garage for their own engineering projects. She lives for their accomplishments. If she had to give up her café, which she's incredibly proud of--she'll do it. She will do whatever it takes to keep her children safe.
The amount of strength that it took to pick up the pieces, bury their parents, and then create a new family with two children she was never prepared to raise all while running a business while keeping her optimistic and happy viewpoint in life intact cannot ever been overemphasized. Nor can her love for Tadashi and Hiro. They are both incredibly aware of just how much she loves them, because she makes sure to tell them constantly. Or she does things like finds bits of normalcy such as keeping up a tradition of getting family photos taken, some of them visible in the Essential Guide. She tells everyone else constantly as well. Aunt Cass is proud of her boys all the way down to the core of her being.
Of course, that's not always the case, like the time Hiro went bot fighting and illegally bet on his own fight. He got Tadashi and himself arrested. When they left the police station, it wasn't anger that was first on Aunt Cass's mind--it was worry. She paced back and forth, one arm wrapped around herself in a soothing gesture while the other was clutched near her mouth--a gesture that is sometimes replaced by clutching near her heart in other cases. Like any good mother, her first concern was if they were okay, and once that was confirmed by hugging them, touching their cheeks, and seeing it with her own eyes? She yelled at them, dragging them by their ears, and proceeded to lecture them about how she has tried to raise them for ten years, even though she didn't know anything about children, and that she had to close early because of them on Beat Poetry Night. But never once does she ever truly start screaming or raging. Flailing, yes, gesturing widely and every disapproving look under the sun, yes. But even through her words and body language, it's still clear that not only did does she still love them deeply even in that moment, but that she still does not regret all that she's done for them. It was also quite clear when she picked up a donut and started eating it that she eats when stressed--she even knew it and announced that it was their fault. An upset Aunt Cass moves with quick, jerky movements, and needs to physically touch and assess those that had her worried as soon as possible. An angry Aunt Cass is loud, with emphasized words and dramatic gestures. Also, ear pulling. Still, she's full of love.
Aunt Cass is not only loud when she's angry, but also when she's extremely happy and excited, such as when Hiro completed his presentation at the Student Showcase, the excitement only continuing when the presentation of his microbots got him an acceptance letter into SFIT. She screamed about how Hiro was her nephew, and about her family, shouting loudly and grabbing the arm of the man next to her, shaking it because did you see what her nephew just did. Like every time she was excited, she annunciated individual syllables of some words and stretched out others, her eyes wide and smile bright with excitement. There was a bounce in her step, literally as she couldn't stop herself from hopping sometimes. And then when they were out of her building, she couldn't contain herself--and yet again, as she always did, she let her family know just how much she cared for them. She danced a wide-stance jig similar to the one that Tadashi did when Baymax first worked, before launching herself at her children. Instead of a desperate hug like seen at the police station, she's pulling them to her with how proud she is, tugging them close and pulling them in. An excited Aunt Cass is loud, with annunciated syllables and stretched out, sing-song words, full of wide and affectionate gestures. She cannot help but share her excitement with those around her. And most of all, she can't help but share her love with the two people that mean the most to her: Tadashi and Hiro.
Which is why Tadashi's death hits her especially hard; he dies after rushing back into the Student Showcase building in an effort to save Professor Callaghan, whom was supposedly still strapped inside only for the building to explode while he's also inside. She had already had to bury her sister and her sister's husband, and now she had to bury their son. It was something she, painfully, already knew how to do. It hurts, and it aches. Her movements, in opposition to moments of anger or excitement, are subjected to gravity. Like when she was worried, she hugs herself with one arm, the other clutched above her heart. She is without energy and the ability to smile more than remotely. But she doesn't cry--all of that would have had to happen before, when the news was fresh and the ink on the coroner's report was not yet dry. She has to remain strong during the funeral, has to keep her emotions that are usually so freely shared locked up enough to hold herself together for both her and Hiro. Even so, she still accepts comfort--Tadashi had a good group of friends, ones that care deeply about Tadashi and by extension, Tadashi's family, and all of them step up to the plate to comfort Cass after the funeral. While she'll be strong for her family, she also knows when to let others help her grieve. And she was grateful, such as when thanking Wasabi for his condolences or when Honey provided her with tea. When Hiro isn't able to see it, and she is in the presence of good people, Aunt Cass lets herself grieve. A grieving Cass is quiet and subdued, folded in on herself, and quiet.
But when Hiro is around, she doesn't let him know how much she's hurting. She can't. As his now-mother more than aunt, she has to be strong for him. As he sinks into a depression, she quietly supports him. She makes sure that he has food within reach in his room, but doesn't force him to eat it, knowing that doing so would only make it worse for him. She puts on a face smile, making a good effort at hiding her pain with lengthening her words just as she normally would when very happy. Knowing that he finds Mrs. Matsuda's clothing hilarious, as they're very inappropriate for an 80-year-old, she tries to get him to come out of his room to see what she's wearing that day, but doesn't force him when he declines. Even opening up the blinds over his desk and telling him in that false happy tone that the school said he could still register for classes. None of that gets more than a lukewarm positive response from Hiro, and when she has her back turned from him, we can see truly how much in pain she really is. But she can't let Hiro see. And we can also see that, for the first time in a long while, she doesn't know what to do, what to say, or how to help Hiro--Tadashi had been young when his parents died, but the brothers had each other as well as her, and that had been enough to bring together a new family. Without Tadashi, she's as lost as Hiro, but she's still able to move on, to reopen the shop despite her pain and return back to work as Hiro lets himself flounder. Aunt Cass will hide her pain from her children, put on a happy face, and hope for the best--even if she's lost, too. She knows she's supposed to be a rock and takes up that mantel without fighting against it.
That pain continues even when she thinks that Hiro is registering for classes a short time later. It's taken her by surprise that he's out of his room, gasping for a moment. She's tentative in her suggestions, trying to keep her hopeful smile at bay, that gentle sort of support that Tadashi had mastered. And then, slowly, it hits her--yes, Hiro's up. Yes, he's going to register for classes (according to him)--and then she's excited. It's subdued, but you see the same motions--the same hand gestures, the same strength to her hugs. And you see the relief in her gaze even though it's alongside pain. Aunt Cass knows she has to make due with only one nephew left while still grieving for his brother. But seeing Hiro starting to move forward is bittersweet, as he should have been going to college alongside his brother, not alone. Aunt Cass tells Hiro that she'll make the super hot chicken wings that melts "your faces off", saying it in such a way that for a moment, it's obvious that she's referring to both the boys--it had been one of their favorite meals, after all. Still hurting, Aunt Cass doesn't jump to conclusions, confirming what had seemed like an impossibility is happening before celebrating it--even if she hasn't processed the event that had lead to all of the pain.
There are other things we know about Aunt Cass that did not fit into the chronological narrative above. When in good moods, or trying to feign good moods, she tends to refer to Hiro by calling him honey or sweetie.She probably did this for Tadashi, too, but he caught himself on fire before we could really see much of that. Cass tends to wear darker t-shirts, better to hide coffee stains, and jeans with comfortable flats. As a savvy business woman, she will organize special events to drum up business--including events that feed into her love of poetry, such as Beat Poetry Night. She has a fluffball, overweight cat named Mochi. And lastly, in a completely opposite interest, she also loves to curl up with a good horror movie.
Appearance:
Abilities: While she might not have superpowers, it still takes a lot to run a café successfully over many years. It takes not only being a good cook, but a multitasker that can balance budgets and everything else that it takes to run a restaurant, wait tables, make a variety of beverages (including tea steeped at the correct temperatures and for the correct times), and keep up a professional but friendly demeanor no matter how she feels.
Cooking is hard. Or, well, it's easy when you're doing one or two things at a time. Aunt Cass has to get up early to get all of her food, ingredients, some of the drinks, and bakery goods ready for the morning rush. Which means she's good at time management, knows how to use commercial equipment, and knows safe food preparation. Being the main chef/cook, she would have a Food Safety Certification, and with obviously consistently passing her state/city inspections of her kitchen, she's got the very important skill of Not Killing People with Her Food.
Being able to run a restaurant takes a lot of skills. You need to be able to balance your budget and look at cost-per-food-item in order to make a profit. You have to massage the menu to make sure to keep highly popular items on the menu and switch out items that don't sell. You need to be able to afford repairs, either doing them yourself or hiring someone who can, juggling the schedule for that with the schedule for your business. You need to be able to accept critical feedback when a customer has a problem, although being able to prevent most problems is her goal (which she succeeds at, generally, considering how much she enjoys her business). While the movie doesn't show her having any employees, there's truthfully no way she can manage an entire café on her own--she's likely to have at least two or three employees. Which means she's not just going to be getting benefits (health insurance, dental, etc) for herself and her family, but for her full time employees as well. With employees comes the abilities to manage them, fire them, and train them. Also, she has to be able to interact well with customers so that they'll want to come back. She has analytical and people skills, basically. Note: While some may consider the idea of employees headcanon, I've never seen one person survive managing a coffee shop of that size on her own. So. I really don't consider it headcanon, but will concede it as headcanon if asked. However, the Food Safety Certification is nonnegotiable, as it is a REQUIREMENT pretty much across the US, and definitely in California. That's like saying a Doctor doesn't need their medical license.
Additionally, because her younger nephew, Hiro, has a mild peanut allergy, she's particularly aware of food allergies in general. When she starts her new café in Keeliai, she will make sure that ingredient lists are available for anything that she makes--and she will get ingredient lists for any products that she doesn't. It's just polite to make sure that your customers don't die from a preventable allergic reaction (and that Hiro won't chance running into peanuts, because a mild peanut allergy could one day become a major one, and Aunt Cass does not want to see that day ever happen). (This is really extrapolation because this is how parents whose children with food allergies generally act, and also how I've seen restaurants take care of food allergies if they're conscious about them.)
On top of this, she's capable of raising children even if she has to wing like half of it--she's adaptable. She managed to learn enough about the interests of her nephews that she could get them the equipment they wanted to flourish and reach their potential. Hiro and Tadashi might both be brilliant, but it takes a safe, good, and rich environment to develop the skill sets that they have now.
Lastly, she's managed to survive raising Hiro and Tadashi for ten years. The house is still standing. Now that has to be a skill.
Inventory: Clothes. She has clothes. A normal black t-shirt, pair of jeans, a brown belt, and red flats. She wears a turquoise gemstone necklace on a silver chain and two silver thin bangles on her right wrist. I'm assuming that she has her cell phone in her back pocket, as well as likely a wallet in the other. The wallet contains the usual, State ID, probably a certification card for food prep safety, bank cards, maybe a gift card or two, pictures of herbabies nephews, and some appointment cards. She does tend to keep it pretty light.
Suitability: First off? Her boys are here, and there's no way in hell some giant turtle is going to separate her from them. Nope. No way. No how. She's coming to the turtle because they need her--especially Tadashi, who doesn't let himself be too much of a bother by letting other people in to comfort him. Cass needs to make sure that they're both eating right, too. And taking care of themselves. And that they aren't causing too much trouble. The reasons for why they need her could go on forever.
Second off, she's been raising these two nephews for ten years. Ever had your washing machine turned into a hovercraft? Ever had your kids strap rockets onto a shopping cart? Well, she has. And then there were the rocket boots that they put on the family cat. Not to mention, there's the time that Hiro got himself and Tadashi arrested. Arrested! Those are just some of the things that she, her house, and her nephews survived over the years. If she can survive raising those two, then she can survive being completely uprooted and thrown into a new world.
Like stated in her personality section, she is also very adaptable. Her life was already upended once when her sister and brother-in-law died, leaving behind two very young sons--and she not only survived, she thrived, taking them into her home and loving them just as if she was their own mother. There was no resentment, no anger. For "not [knowing] anything about children", she's raised two very bright, very loved, and very stable children. Both end up going to college. The love between all of them will keep her strong.
Cass can bounce back quickly from adversity and do what needs to be done. Which goes into exactly what she would do in this setting. She may not be a brilliant engineer like either of her children, but she is a brilliant cook. She would try to immediately find some way to open her café again in some way. Not an in-and-out pick-things-up bakery, but an actual café. The atmosphere is as important as the food--and it would be a good place for foreigners to have somewhere to relax and have a few moments of normal. Of course, this would take a while, considering what she would need, how business works in the game setting--but that hasn't stopped her before! She's not going to let it stop her now. She'll find a way, even if she has to work underneath someone else for a while in order to save up the funds in order to create her own place.
The way she gives back is by giving a place for people to just... relax and enjoy themselves. Special theme nights. Probably Karaoke. People could even rent her café out for meetings. She loves to create an environment where people feel welcome and safe. She'll also listen to people's troubles and worries--for anyone who needs it, not just her children--and will be a shoulder to cry on. She puts down roots, so she won't be the one that explores, and she's not the type to get involved into politics. But for those that do--they will have a place to come back to when they need it.
Of course, she'll have to experiment with the analogues to Earth food, which means taste testing. She's going to be shoving food into people's mouths. Expect some versions of her smoothies, coffee, tea, salads, cookies, macarons, pies, croissants, tarts, donuts, quiches, muffins, and a variety of sandwiches to come about. Maybe even her specialty, Yakisoba-pan, a chow mein hot dog, if she can find the right ingredients. A little taste of home for some of the foreigners. And she's smart enough not to give everyone a taste of everything, except for her kids (and maybe Callaghan). After all, she wants them to come and try out the rest of her goodies once she's selling them for money!
Let her come. She will feed you. Explorers, builders, and politicians have to eat, right?
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
It's her first night in Keeliai, and Cass cannot sleep. It's not the strange place or the new bed that keeps her awake. Well, perhaps it keeps her a little awake, but none of where she is, what is possible, or what it means for her future is on her mind.
No, what's on her mind is that someone now has a future when before he didn't. A future cut short that is now longer, an impossibility made possible by this place between realms or planes or whatever they called them. She remembered what they were called, but she didn't care. After such an emotionally exhausting day, she should sleep, but she also couldn't sleep. What if she was really on the realm of dreams? What if she woke up?
She didn't want to sleep because she didn't want to wake up and find her oldest nephew gone once more. Cass stared at the ceiling, her eyes already adjusted to the dark. It had been about an hour since the boys had gone to bed, according to the estimate of her internal clock. She didn't hear their footsteps anymore. After so many weeks, Cass had gotten used to one set of footsteps that she barely heard, as Hiro had barely ever moved anymore, and now she heard two sets all the time. Three, with Callaghan's, but she didn't know his, and thus was able to tell him easily from her nephews.
Her arms were flopped above her blanket on either side of her head. She had been too restless to keep them underneath--and hearing two sets of footsteps heading towards the same bedroom had made it necessary to wipe her eyes. It had been her second time crying that day, but this time, she had smiled. Quiet sniffles and tears running down her face instead of outright sobbing in relief without a need to desperately hold her nephew close and be afraid of letting go.
But she still needed to see him. It was important to let the two of them go to sleep, first. Her need to see him didn't outweigh her boys' need to sleep. Cass didn't want them to wake up and see her possibly crying for a third time--both of her children were hurting, and it would only hurt them worse if they knew how much she was hurting, too. She was their aunt, their parent, and she needed to protect them, to sew them back together into a family just like she did before. Both were older now, and both understood. It would be easier this time.
With a sigh, and sure that no one else is awake, Cass finally pulls her blanket aside and gets out of her bed.
Except that isn't true, or it isn't when she hears Hiro's footsteps outside her bedroom door. There's worry there, a gentle concern at that. Was Hiro still having trouble sleeping? Cass knew he was back home, but she thought it might be better here, with Tadashi back. She didn't know it was because of their visitor that Hiro felt safer elsewhere--and then there was the sound of a teenager flopping until what was definitely the couch.
Still odd, but at least it was a surface to sleep on. So she waited there for a while, trying to think of a good excuse in case Hiro caught her looking in on him. The easy excuse was that she heard him walking and wanted to see where he was going. But before she could do anything, she heard another pair of footsteps--Tadashi's--follow. She heard his footsteps stop after a while, but if he was camped out in the living room as well, she didn't hear Tadashi further. He was more careful about being quiet.
Okay, so the only people possibly sleeping were Callaghan and their guest. She sighed and shook her head softly. These boys.....
When there were no more sounds for a while, Cass finally put on some pants and opened her door. She has a long nightgown, but Callaghan was a stranger whom she only knew through Tadashi speaking about him. She only met him briefly at the Student Showcase. It was really awkward to walk around the house of a man you didn't know without any pants.
Her nephews weren't far away, as her hunch was right. Both of them were now in the living room, with Hiro on the couch, and Tadashi sleeping below him on his futon. Cass remembered the early days, when it was Hiro that would follow over into Tadashi's bed, not the other way around. It made her wonder, and worry, if it was more than just Tadashi wanting to keep an eye on Hiro. Did Tadashi now need Hiro in the same way that Hiro had so desperately needed him?
It made her worry, and her worry kept her tears at bay, because it meant that she had a job to do, even if she couldn't do everything now. Both boys were asleep, so she quietly crept up to them, first leaning over Tadashi and over the couch to pull Hiro's blankets back up around his shoulders. Then she took a step back, crouched, and made sure that Tadashi's blankets were right as well.
Cass wanted to touch him more than that, but anymore, and she would risk waking him. So instead she stood, backed up several steps, and then quietly sat on the floor to watch them both sleep. Tadashi's chest rose and feel exactly as it should. Both of her boys slept next to each other, no longer separated by the realms of Life and Death. The three of them were together again, and once more, they would be a family.
And then, very quietly as to not disturb them, Aunt Cass smiled as she began to cry for the third time.
Network: [Console] [Video]
[Have a brightly smiling middle-aged woman looking at the screen. She's had time to settle in and has been busy working--and working on some recipes towards her eventual goal of reopening her café back home. This is just one more step towards that, and it's a very exciting one. So she's having a bit of time holding still. She's a bit bouncy where she stands, and maybe a slight bit nervous, as she tucks a bit of her hair behind an ear. Nerves don't stop the just-contained excitement in her voice as she speaks.]
Hello everybody! [She waves to the people on the network.] My name is Cass, and--[closing her fist to jab her thumb towards herself]--I'm the owner of the fu-ture Lucky Cat Café Maaaaach 2! [And then she drops her hand, leaning forward with those wide grin and bright eyes never leaving her face.] I have a volunteer opportunity that you cannot refuse with ooonly ten seats a-vail-able! [She brings her hand back into the screen along with the other, holding up a total of ten fingers. DRAMATIC PAUSE, followed by a grin.] I need taste testers!
[And this part is the reward, so she will contain her enthusiasm for a few moments. She holds up one hand again.]
You'll get a free meal to try and coupon towards a future free meal when I finally open! [Cass counts those off for a total of two--which isn't much, but it's still better than nothing! She holds up her other hand.] If you're interested, leave your name and a list of foods you like, hate, and are allergic to. [And raises a finger for each of those, ending up on three. Two fingers on one hand, one on the other, and still smiling as brightly as ever.] Good, objective taste testers will be considered first for future trials!
[And that's it. Really. She pauses for a moment, tries to think if there's anything else she forgot--since well she's slightly nervous--but nope! That's it. It's all good.]
Thank you for your time!
[Annnnd cut!]
Name: Jenn
Age: 29
Contact:
Other Characters Played: N/A
Most Recent AC Link: N/A
Character Information:
Name: Cass Rudolph (Last name not canon, but burrowed from her Voice Actress, since she kinda needs one)
Canon: Big Hero 6 (2014 Animated Movie)
Canon Point: After Hiro rushes after Baymax into the café and convinces Aunt Cass that he's going to register for classes at SFIT
Age: 48 (Although she has no canon age, this seems reasonable considering Tadashi's age)
Reference Links:
Disney Wikia Article NOTE: Her last name is not Hamada. She is their aunt on their mother's side, hence why she does not have an official last name.
Setting:
Cass lives in an alternate reality version of San Francisco called San Fransokyo in the year 2034 with her two nephews, Tadashi and Hiro Hamada. Or she lived with them both--until Tadashi died. Now, she just lives with Hiro in an early 1900s Victorian-style home. On the first floor is her pride and joy, Lucky Cat Café. The second floor has her bedroom bathroom, as well as the living-dining-kitchen open concept area. The third floor is another open concept room with bathroom that belongs to her two nephews, whom she considers to be her boys after raising them for ten years.
San Fransokyo is best described as East-Meets-West. Many of the buildings are similar to San Fransisco because they used detailed property data to recreate the city and then altered it from there. Even almost the same number of street lamps are mostly in the same locations as the real city that San Fransokyo is based off of [source]. Although geographically the same, the two cities are very different. Much of San Fransokyo is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, enough that many street signs are in Japanese and even the Golden Gate Bridge is influenced by Japanese architecture. Yoshino cherry trees are in bloom
Along with the Japanese influence comes future tech. The city is at least partially run from wind power provided by floating, Japanese kite influenced floating wind turbines. The old street cars still run, but the city's shining jewel of futurist technology is SFIT, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. It has fabulous sweeping hills and modern buildings filled with their future technology being made today by its students, which includes Tadashi Hamada--and later, his brother Hiro. Its robotics program is world class, with Robert Callaghan, one of the leading minds of the field, one of the top professors there.
Hiro Hamada gets accepted to the school by his brother first convincing him the school is more awesome than illegal bot fighting (which is only illegal when betting is involved), then presenting his project at the Student Showcase. His project, Microbots, are revolutionary even from the movie's point in time. They are small robots that can link together using magnetic bearing servos and be controlled by a neurotransmitter headband worn by a user, literally capable of doing nearly anything as long as the user can think of it. Constructing architecture projects with only one person, transportation, moving objects, and so many other things that would have utterly destroyed the economy if Professor Callaghan hadn't stolen them. Thank you, Professor Callaghan, for saving the world economy. ... And killing Tadashi in the process.
Other than that, it's very similar to our Earth. Still in California, still in the United States of America. Just a bit of alternative history to have it named and built differently. In the future, they may write it as having more alternate history, but I don't see that happening.
Personality: Aunt Cass is the embodiment of a strong woman. Not only is she a woman running her own business--a coffee shop, no less--she also raised her nephews after her sister and brother-in-law died tragically young, likely taking them into her home at the same time she was planning their parents' funerals, all whilst grieving herself. Without being prepared for taking care of two children, she brought them into her home, and loved them as if they were her own sons. She nurtured their intelligence and curiosity, allowing them to take over her garage for their own engineering projects. She lives for their accomplishments. If she had to give up her café, which she's incredibly proud of--she'll do it. She will do whatever it takes to keep her children safe.
The amount of strength that it took to pick up the pieces, bury their parents, and then create a new family with two children she was never prepared to raise all while running a business while keeping her optimistic and happy viewpoint in life intact cannot ever been overemphasized. Nor can her love for Tadashi and Hiro. They are both incredibly aware of just how much she loves them, because she makes sure to tell them constantly. Or she does things like finds bits of normalcy such as keeping up a tradition of getting family photos taken, some of them visible in the Essential Guide. She tells everyone else constantly as well. Aunt Cass is proud of her boys all the way down to the core of her being.
Of course, that's not always the case, like the time Hiro went bot fighting and illegally bet on his own fight. He got Tadashi and himself arrested. When they left the police station, it wasn't anger that was first on Aunt Cass's mind--it was worry. She paced back and forth, one arm wrapped around herself in a soothing gesture while the other was clutched near her mouth--a gesture that is sometimes replaced by clutching near her heart in other cases. Like any good mother, her first concern was if they were okay, and once that was confirmed by hugging them, touching their cheeks, and seeing it with her own eyes? She yelled at them, dragging them by their ears, and proceeded to lecture them about how she has tried to raise them for ten years, even though she didn't know anything about children, and that she had to close early because of them on Beat Poetry Night. But never once does she ever truly start screaming or raging. Flailing, yes, gesturing widely and every disapproving look under the sun, yes. But even through her words and body language, it's still clear that not only did does she still love them deeply even in that moment, but that she still does not regret all that she's done for them. It was also quite clear when she picked up a donut and started eating it that she eats when stressed--she even knew it and announced that it was their fault. An upset Aunt Cass moves with quick, jerky movements, and needs to physically touch and assess those that had her worried as soon as possible. An angry Aunt Cass is loud, with emphasized words and dramatic gestures. Also, ear pulling. Still, she's full of love.
Aunt Cass is not only loud when she's angry, but also when she's extremely happy and excited, such as when Hiro completed his presentation at the Student Showcase, the excitement only continuing when the presentation of his microbots got him an acceptance letter into SFIT. She screamed about how Hiro was her nephew, and about her family, shouting loudly and grabbing the arm of the man next to her, shaking it because did you see what her nephew just did. Like every time she was excited, she annunciated individual syllables of some words and stretched out others, her eyes wide and smile bright with excitement. There was a bounce in her step, literally as she couldn't stop herself from hopping sometimes. And then when they were out of her building, she couldn't contain herself--and yet again, as she always did, she let her family know just how much she cared for them. She danced a wide-stance jig similar to the one that Tadashi did when Baymax first worked, before launching herself at her children. Instead of a desperate hug like seen at the police station, she's pulling them to her with how proud she is, tugging them close and pulling them in. An excited Aunt Cass is loud, with annunciated syllables and stretched out, sing-song words, full of wide and affectionate gestures. She cannot help but share her excitement with those around her. And most of all, she can't help but share her love with the two people that mean the most to her: Tadashi and Hiro.
Which is why Tadashi's death hits her especially hard; he dies after rushing back into the Student Showcase building in an effort to save Professor Callaghan, whom was supposedly still strapped inside only for the building to explode while he's also inside. She had already had to bury her sister and her sister's husband, and now she had to bury their son. It was something she, painfully, already knew how to do. It hurts, and it aches. Her movements, in opposition to moments of anger or excitement, are subjected to gravity. Like when she was worried, she hugs herself with one arm, the other clutched above her heart. She is without energy and the ability to smile more than remotely. But she doesn't cry--all of that would have had to happen before, when the news was fresh and the ink on the coroner's report was not yet dry. She has to remain strong during the funeral, has to keep her emotions that are usually so freely shared locked up enough to hold herself together for both her and Hiro. Even so, she still accepts comfort--Tadashi had a good group of friends, ones that care deeply about Tadashi and by extension, Tadashi's family, and all of them step up to the plate to comfort Cass after the funeral. While she'll be strong for her family, she also knows when to let others help her grieve. And she was grateful, such as when thanking Wasabi for his condolences or when Honey provided her with tea. When Hiro isn't able to see it, and she is in the presence of good people, Aunt Cass lets herself grieve. A grieving Cass is quiet and subdued, folded in on herself, and quiet.
But when Hiro is around, she doesn't let him know how much she's hurting. She can't. As his now-mother more than aunt, she has to be strong for him. As he sinks into a depression, she quietly supports him. She makes sure that he has food within reach in his room, but doesn't force him to eat it, knowing that doing so would only make it worse for him. She puts on a face smile, making a good effort at hiding her pain with lengthening her words just as she normally would when very happy. Knowing that he finds Mrs. Matsuda's clothing hilarious, as they're very inappropriate for an 80-year-old, she tries to get him to come out of his room to see what she's wearing that day, but doesn't force him when he declines. Even opening up the blinds over his desk and telling him in that false happy tone that the school said he could still register for classes. None of that gets more than a lukewarm positive response from Hiro, and when she has her back turned from him, we can see truly how much in pain she really is. But she can't let Hiro see. And we can also see that, for the first time in a long while, she doesn't know what to do, what to say, or how to help Hiro--Tadashi had been young when his parents died, but the brothers had each other as well as her, and that had been enough to bring together a new family. Without Tadashi, she's as lost as Hiro, but she's still able to move on, to reopen the shop despite her pain and return back to work as Hiro lets himself flounder. Aunt Cass will hide her pain from her children, put on a happy face, and hope for the best--even if she's lost, too. She knows she's supposed to be a rock and takes up that mantel without fighting against it.
That pain continues even when she thinks that Hiro is registering for classes a short time later. It's taken her by surprise that he's out of his room, gasping for a moment. She's tentative in her suggestions, trying to keep her hopeful smile at bay, that gentle sort of support that Tadashi had mastered. And then, slowly, it hits her--yes, Hiro's up. Yes, he's going to register for classes (according to him)--and then she's excited. It's subdued, but you see the same motions--the same hand gestures, the same strength to her hugs. And you see the relief in her gaze even though it's alongside pain. Aunt Cass knows she has to make due with only one nephew left while still grieving for his brother. But seeing Hiro starting to move forward is bittersweet, as he should have been going to college alongside his brother, not alone. Aunt Cass tells Hiro that she'll make the super hot chicken wings that melts "your faces off", saying it in such a way that for a moment, it's obvious that she's referring to both the boys--it had been one of their favorite meals, after all. Still hurting, Aunt Cass doesn't jump to conclusions, confirming what had seemed like an impossibility is happening before celebrating it--even if she hasn't processed the event that had lead to all of the pain.
There are other things we know about Aunt Cass that did not fit into the chronological narrative above. When in good moods, or trying to feign good moods, she tends to refer to Hiro by calling him honey or sweetie.
Appearance:
Abilities: While she might not have superpowers, it still takes a lot to run a café successfully over many years. It takes not only being a good cook, but a multitasker that can balance budgets and everything else that it takes to run a restaurant, wait tables, make a variety of beverages (including tea steeped at the correct temperatures and for the correct times), and keep up a professional but friendly demeanor no matter how she feels.
Cooking is hard. Or, well, it's easy when you're doing one or two things at a time. Aunt Cass has to get up early to get all of her food, ingredients, some of the drinks, and bakery goods ready for the morning rush. Which means she's good at time management, knows how to use commercial equipment, and knows safe food preparation. Being the main chef/cook, she would have a Food Safety Certification, and with obviously consistently passing her state/city inspections of her kitchen, she's got the very important skill of Not Killing People with Her Food.
Being able to run a restaurant takes a lot of skills. You need to be able to balance your budget and look at cost-per-food-item in order to make a profit. You have to massage the menu to make sure to keep highly popular items on the menu and switch out items that don't sell. You need to be able to afford repairs, either doing them yourself or hiring someone who can, juggling the schedule for that with the schedule for your business. You need to be able to accept critical feedback when a customer has a problem, although being able to prevent most problems is her goal (which she succeeds at, generally, considering how much she enjoys her business). While the movie doesn't show her having any employees, there's truthfully no way she can manage an entire café on her own--she's likely to have at least two or three employees. Which means she's not just going to be getting benefits (health insurance, dental, etc) for herself and her family, but for her full time employees as well. With employees comes the abilities to manage them, fire them, and train them. Also, she has to be able to interact well with customers so that they'll want to come back. She has analytical and people skills, basically. Note: While some may consider the idea of employees headcanon, I've never seen one person survive managing a coffee shop of that size on her own. So. I really don't consider it headcanon, but will concede it as headcanon if asked. However, the Food Safety Certification is nonnegotiable, as it is a REQUIREMENT pretty much across the US, and definitely in California. That's like saying a Doctor doesn't need their medical license.
Additionally, because her younger nephew, Hiro, has a mild peanut allergy, she's particularly aware of food allergies in general. When she starts her new café in Keeliai, she will make sure that ingredient lists are available for anything that she makes--and she will get ingredient lists for any products that she doesn't. It's just polite to make sure that your customers don't die from a preventable allergic reaction (and that Hiro won't chance running into peanuts, because a mild peanut allergy could one day become a major one, and Aunt Cass does not want to see that day ever happen). (This is really extrapolation because this is how parents whose children with food allergies generally act, and also how I've seen restaurants take care of food allergies if they're conscious about them.)
On top of this, she's capable of raising children even if she has to wing like half of it--she's adaptable. She managed to learn enough about the interests of her nephews that she could get them the equipment they wanted to flourish and reach their potential. Hiro and Tadashi might both be brilliant, but it takes a safe, good, and rich environment to develop the skill sets that they have now.
Lastly, she's managed to survive raising Hiro and Tadashi for ten years. The house is still standing. Now that has to be a skill.
Inventory: Clothes. She has clothes. A normal black t-shirt, pair of jeans, a brown belt, and red flats. She wears a turquoise gemstone necklace on a silver chain and two silver thin bangles on her right wrist. I'm assuming that she has her cell phone in her back pocket, as well as likely a wallet in the other. The wallet contains the usual, State ID, probably a certification card for food prep safety, bank cards, maybe a gift card or two, pictures of her
Suitability: First off? Her boys are here, and there's no way in hell some giant turtle is going to separate her from them. Nope. No way. No how. She's coming to the turtle because they need her--especially Tadashi, who doesn't let himself be too much of a bother by letting other people in to comfort him. Cass needs to make sure that they're both eating right, too. And taking care of themselves. And that they aren't causing too much trouble. The reasons for why they need her could go on forever.
Second off, she's been raising these two nephews for ten years. Ever had your washing machine turned into a hovercraft? Ever had your kids strap rockets onto a shopping cart? Well, she has. And then there were the rocket boots that they put on the family cat. Not to mention, there's the time that Hiro got himself and Tadashi arrested. Arrested! Those are just some of the things that she, her house, and her nephews survived over the years. If she can survive raising those two, then she can survive being completely uprooted and thrown into a new world.
Like stated in her personality section, she is also very adaptable. Her life was already upended once when her sister and brother-in-law died, leaving behind two very young sons--and she not only survived, she thrived, taking them into her home and loving them just as if she was their own mother. There was no resentment, no anger. For "not [knowing] anything about children", she's raised two very bright, very loved, and very stable children. Both end up going to college. The love between all of them will keep her strong.
Cass can bounce back quickly from adversity and do what needs to be done. Which goes into exactly what she would do in this setting. She may not be a brilliant engineer like either of her children, but she is a brilliant cook. She would try to immediately find some way to open her café again in some way. Not an in-and-out pick-things-up bakery, but an actual café. The atmosphere is as important as the food--and it would be a good place for foreigners to have somewhere to relax and have a few moments of normal. Of course, this would take a while, considering what she would need, how business works in the game setting--but that hasn't stopped her before! She's not going to let it stop her now. She'll find a way, even if she has to work underneath someone else for a while in order to save up the funds in order to create her own place.
The way she gives back is by giving a place for people to just... relax and enjoy themselves. Special theme nights. Probably Karaoke. People could even rent her café out for meetings. She loves to create an environment where people feel welcome and safe. She'll also listen to people's troubles and worries--for anyone who needs it, not just her children--and will be a shoulder to cry on. She puts down roots, so she won't be the one that explores, and she's not the type to get involved into politics. But for those that do--they will have a place to come back to when they need it.
Of course, she'll have to experiment with the analogues to Earth food, which means taste testing. She's going to be shoving food into people's mouths. Expect some versions of her smoothies, coffee, tea, salads, cookies, macarons, pies, croissants, tarts, donuts, quiches, muffins, and a variety of sandwiches to come about. Maybe even her specialty, Yakisoba-pan, a chow mein hot dog, if she can find the right ingredients. A little taste of home for some of the foreigners. And she's smart enough not to give everyone a taste of everything, except for her kids (and maybe Callaghan). After all, she wants them to come and try out the rest of her goodies once she's selling them for money!
Let her come. She will feed you. Explorers, builders, and politicians have to eat, right?
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
It's her first night in Keeliai, and Cass cannot sleep. It's not the strange place or the new bed that keeps her awake. Well, perhaps it keeps her a little awake, but none of where she is, what is possible, or what it means for her future is on her mind.
No, what's on her mind is that someone now has a future when before he didn't. A future cut short that is now longer, an impossibility made possible by this place between realms or planes or whatever they called them. She remembered what they were called, but she didn't care. After such an emotionally exhausting day, she should sleep, but she also couldn't sleep. What if she was really on the realm of dreams? What if she woke up?
She didn't want to sleep because she didn't want to wake up and find her oldest nephew gone once more. Cass stared at the ceiling, her eyes already adjusted to the dark. It had been about an hour since the boys had gone to bed, according to the estimate of her internal clock. She didn't hear their footsteps anymore. After so many weeks, Cass had gotten used to one set of footsteps that she barely heard, as Hiro had barely ever moved anymore, and now she heard two sets all the time. Three, with Callaghan's, but she didn't know his, and thus was able to tell him easily from her nephews.
Her arms were flopped above her blanket on either side of her head. She had been too restless to keep them underneath--and hearing two sets of footsteps heading towards the same bedroom had made it necessary to wipe her eyes. It had been her second time crying that day, but this time, she had smiled. Quiet sniffles and tears running down her face instead of outright sobbing in relief without a need to desperately hold her nephew close and be afraid of letting go.
But she still needed to see him. It was important to let the two of them go to sleep, first. Her need to see him didn't outweigh her boys' need to sleep. Cass didn't want them to wake up and see her possibly crying for a third time--both of her children were hurting, and it would only hurt them worse if they knew how much she was hurting, too. She was their aunt, their parent, and she needed to protect them, to sew them back together into a family just like she did before. Both were older now, and both understood. It would be easier this time.
With a sigh, and sure that no one else is awake, Cass finally pulls her blanket aside and gets out of her bed.
Except that isn't true, or it isn't when she hears Hiro's footsteps outside her bedroom door. There's worry there, a gentle concern at that. Was Hiro still having trouble sleeping? Cass knew he was back home, but she thought it might be better here, with Tadashi back. She didn't know it was because of their visitor that Hiro felt safer elsewhere--and then there was the sound of a teenager flopping until what was definitely the couch.
Still odd, but at least it was a surface to sleep on. So she waited there for a while, trying to think of a good excuse in case Hiro caught her looking in on him. The easy excuse was that she heard him walking and wanted to see where he was going. But before she could do anything, she heard another pair of footsteps--Tadashi's--follow. She heard his footsteps stop after a while, but if he was camped out in the living room as well, she didn't hear Tadashi further. He was more careful about being quiet.
Okay, so the only people possibly sleeping were Callaghan and their guest. She sighed and shook her head softly. These boys.....
When there were no more sounds for a while, Cass finally put on some pants and opened her door. She has a long nightgown, but Callaghan was a stranger whom she only knew through Tadashi speaking about him. She only met him briefly at the Student Showcase. It was really awkward to walk around the house of a man you didn't know without any pants.
Her nephews weren't far away, as her hunch was right. Both of them were now in the living room, with Hiro on the couch, and Tadashi sleeping below him on his futon. Cass remembered the early days, when it was Hiro that would follow over into Tadashi's bed, not the other way around. It made her wonder, and worry, if it was more than just Tadashi wanting to keep an eye on Hiro. Did Tadashi now need Hiro in the same way that Hiro had so desperately needed him?
It made her worry, and her worry kept her tears at bay, because it meant that she had a job to do, even if she couldn't do everything now. Both boys were asleep, so she quietly crept up to them, first leaning over Tadashi and over the couch to pull Hiro's blankets back up around his shoulders. Then she took a step back, crouched, and made sure that Tadashi's blankets were right as well.
Cass wanted to touch him more than that, but anymore, and she would risk waking him. So instead she stood, backed up several steps, and then quietly sat on the floor to watch them both sleep. Tadashi's chest rose and feel exactly as it should. Both of her boys slept next to each other, no longer separated by the realms of Life and Death. The three of them were together again, and once more, they would be a family.
And then, very quietly as to not disturb them, Aunt Cass smiled as she began to cry for the third time.
Network: [Console] [Video]
[Have a brightly smiling middle-aged woman looking at the screen. She's had time to settle in and has been busy working--and working on some recipes towards her eventual goal of reopening her café back home. This is just one more step towards that, and it's a very exciting one. So she's having a bit of time holding still. She's a bit bouncy where she stands, and maybe a slight bit nervous, as she tucks a bit of her hair behind an ear. Nerves don't stop the just-contained excitement in her voice as she speaks.]
Hello everybody! [She waves to the people on the network.] My name is Cass, and--[closing her fist to jab her thumb towards herself]--I'm the owner of the fu-ture Lucky Cat Café Maaaaach 2! [And then she drops her hand, leaning forward with those wide grin and bright eyes never leaving her face.] I have a volunteer opportunity that you cannot refuse with ooonly ten seats a-vail-able! [She brings her hand back into the screen along with the other, holding up a total of ten fingers. DRAMATIC PAUSE, followed by a grin.] I need taste testers!
[And this part is the reward, so she will contain her enthusiasm for a few moments. She holds up one hand again.]
You'll get a free meal to try and coupon towards a future free meal when I finally open! [Cass counts those off for a total of two--which isn't much, but it's still better than nothing! She holds up her other hand.] If you're interested, leave your name and a list of foods you like, hate, and are allergic to. [And raises a finger for each of those, ending up on three. Two fingers on one hand, one on the other, and still smiling as brightly as ever.] Good, objective taste testers will be considered first for future trials!
[And that's it. Really. She pauses for a moment, tries to think if there's anything else she forgot--since well she's slightly nervous--but nope! That's it. It's all good.]
Thank you for your time!
[Annnnd cut!]
FOOD SAFETY ADDENDUM (Not to be considered with app unless revisions are requested.)
Food Safety. Any chef/manager worth their salt is a Food Safety Prep Nazi. You can actually tell if a restaurant is good almost solely by their health safety inspection reports--if their safety report is good, almost always so is the food. Caring about both goes hand-in-hand.
Which means that Aunt Cass will ask about the process of getting a food business permit, passing safety inspections, what sort of certifications are needed for food handlers and managers.
AND NONE EXIST. Which will be hysterical. She will be all Are. You. Serious. How do you not know if you're poisoning people? How do you know if they wouldn't get a dozen health code violations back home?? WHAT IF THEY'RE CRITICAL VIOLATIONS. (Critical violations cause an immediate health hazard that can lead to food borne illness.)
Also now I'm reading up on this site because why me.