Kudzu

The Kudzu is the Flower in the Department of Fictional Psychology. She shares director responsibilities with Doctor Freedenberg.

The Kudzu first appears in TOS Mission 21, "The Dark Elf."

Responsibilities
To keep the department running smoothly, the Kudzu has her work cut out for her. Her staff, though dedicated, is small and subject to being summoned away to pitch in with other departments, the only positive side of which is that some characters who would be brought in get dealt with in the field. She is in charge of departmental paperwork, and all incoming and outgoing canon characters have to be processed and assigned appropriately. So, too, do agents. Somehow, though, in all the chaos, the Kudzu manages to keep a tendril (or ten) on the pulse of the place. Her bulk is located in her office, room C-1, but rumor has it that she has creepers running through every wall of FicPsych.

Although she doesn't often get involved in the actual work of the department, she has the power to authorize treatments, such as Agent Ilraen's culture implant. She also looks after the well-being of the department as a whole, which has been known to involve foisting team-building exercises on the nurses, whether they like it or not.

Personality
In person, the Kudzu is less acerbic than her peers, though every bit as sharp, and mildly condescending. Some agents claim she has a southern United States accent. This is patently not true, since she doesn't have a voice. Their minds are probably just inventing things to make them feel more comfortable. In any case, she gets along well with her staff and most of the other department heads, with the Marquis de Sod a notable exception. She thinks the bowlered daisy needs an attitude adjustment. He disagrees. Their relationship is the subject of much speculation around the Bloffee pot.

When she writes medicine labels in English, they tend to not make much sense.

Gender
In the Kudzu's first named appearance, it is referred to as "he," but in subsequent appearances, "she" has been used. Given the ambiguous nature of gender and flowers, this may not mean much of anything, but in this case it is entirely possible that the Kudzu deliberately sounds different to different people, perhaps For Science. Either way, though, to the staff of FicPsych, the Kudzu is a she.

Appearances

 * "The Dark Elf" (Lord of the Rings), Agents Jay and Acacia (DMS)
 * In which the Kudzu takes an interest in a bizarre specimen of Sue.


 * "Introducing Ilraen"
 * In which she authorizes a culture implant for a recruit.


 * "Fifth Anniversary Celebration" (RP)
 * In which she definitely doesn't party in the halls, tease the Marquis de Sod, or imbibe Bleepka cocktails while HQ is in lockdown.


 * "A New Patient"
 * In which she is confused by Leon Barker


 * "Gestalt Therapy"
 * In which she conspicuously goes missing prior to the 2008 Macrovirus Epidemic and Mary Sue Invasion.


 * "Going Postal," Agents Durotar and Kur'nak
 * In which the Kudzu sounds different to different people and has a letter for the Marquis.


 * "Recruitment: Team Physical Therapy"
 * In which she prompts the nurses to get involved with the All-HQ Australian Indoor-Rules Quiddich League.