Rashida Mafdetiti

Rashida Mafdetiti is an agent in the Department of Floaters. She is written by SkarmorySilver.

Appearance
Rashida is an Androsphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion (Panthera leo). Her ethnicity is African in origin (being related to the Theban Sphinx, one of the most famous members of this race), but she is albino - a notable aesthetic trait, but biologically possible in this continuity (albino Sphinxes are similar to Spirit Bears, 1 in every 10 animal being white, for the population she is descended from). Nonetheless, her straight, slightly off-white hair, pale skin, and reddish pink catlike eyes do attract odd looks. Her ears are furry and feline-like, not humanoid, with tufts like a lynx or bobcat, and she has fangs like a lion as well as whiskers coming from just above her cheeks. The jewelry adorning her body is typical of Sphinx mystics, with bangles, headress/crown, and an Egyptian necklace decorated with gold and rose-cut diamonds. Her lioness body has pure white fur, being albino and all, but she also has the wings of an eagle (with distinctive curved primaries), feathers running down her back and, for flight control, a feathery tail like a dromaeosaurid dinosaur, with an ankh-shaped tail fan and display plumes at the tip.

There are rumors that Rashida may have had a humanoid form, particularly given some of the stories coming from her home continuum, but these tales have not been confirmed. When disguised as a human, she prefers a normal African-American or African appearance whenever possible, to avoid attracting attention. Her favorite human disguise is a well-muscled African woman in her mid-thirties, with short, curly black hair, a black bulletproof vest over a dark gray T-shirt, fingerless gloves, military camo pants, and combat boots.

Powers
One of the most prominent speculations regarding Rashida’s past is that in her home continuum at least, she was famous for her immense power. Of course, when you’re from a world where literally Everything Is Trying To Kill You(TM), being able to at least hold your own against a small army is all but mandatory for survival. Tall tales exist of her once being able to stir up tornadoes of flying debris, complex implements of psychic energy, and all but the strongest opponents being turned to dripping pink confetti. These legends are most likely apocryphal, however - only one confirmed report exists of Rashida using any major psychic powers, during a period of extreme emotional stress, and while it did result in the utter annihilation of the target Sue, it severely crippled her former partner as well. She has undergone intense consultation and emotional therapy with FicPsych since then, and has resolved to never, EVER manifest anything even close to such abilities even in an extremely dire context. The trauma of the incident and her general fear of causing collateral damage is also why she chooses disguises without such powers. In reality, Rasheeda is a hit-and-run offensive fighter, in both melee and ranged combat, relying on her grace and natural weaponry. She has razor-sharp, fully retractable claws, bony spurs on her wings, and a powerful bite (Fig. 2); her primary ranged attack is a cutting field of mystical energy that she can “throw” from her wings and claws. Because of her resolve not to come off as being too overpowered, her brainpower is devoted to strategy instead of might, allowing her to use the characteristics of her enemies to her advantage. The one psychic ability she HAS allowed is a sort of “sixth sense” which enables her to detect others in her presence even if they are concealed, and which also allows her to forecast their next course of action with enough concentration. While not as quick or precise as she’d like it to be, this skill can be invaluable for a creature without much in terms of armor or other defenses, allowing her to cut in and exploit a fatal vulnerability before her enemy fights back.

Personality
Rashida’s character can best be described with two words: knowledgeable and irritable. One of her associates has neatly summarized her as being like a cross between Grumpy Cat and Spock, combining the former’s dismissive scorn for pretty much everything with the latter’s rationality and emphasis on logic. Her long history of having to keep a cool head in times of crisis has led her to consider most matters as being below her effort, one of the few exceptions being the guidance of protagonists and the destruction of “canonical impurities” (a.k.a. Mary Sues/Gary Stus). Characters who are borderline Sues or Stus are only occasionally given the benefit of the doubt if they show their worth, and anyone beyond that line is likely to be swiftly and systematically terminated. It can be said that Rose’s demeanor is very business-like, preferring to get a job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and she finds any interaction that she deems unnecessary to be both intolerable and a waste of precious time. While not as much of a “neat freak” as several other characters in her home continuum, she prefers being organized and coherent, being a Mystic and all, and has a relatively low tolerance for unnecessary disarray. Though sarcastic and violently antisocial, she is a strong voice of reason who ultimately means well, though she expects at least some form of karmic retribution for people who annoy her (blatant Sue/Stu material aside), and characters who slack off or attempt to lighten the mood at the wrong time are especially likely to end up on the business end of her vitriol, as her current partner can attest all too often.

Rashida is strictly carnivorous, preferring milk and raw meat. She is courteous enough not to prey on sentient species (notwithstanding the reputation of the Theban Sphinx as a man-eater), and only kills Sues/Stus out of obligation rather than sustenance. In fact, ever since the fiasco of her first mission, her major trigger in badfic has become defined as excessive, unwarranted violence, along with any deplorable and/or explicit variants thereof. Other minor quirks related to her include her fascination with ancient and/or mystical inscriptions, her DISTURBING UNBLINKING THOUSAND-YARD-STARE OF IMMINENT DEMISE when she’s angry, and her tendency to swear by the name of the Egyptian goddess of justice, Mafdet, when she is truly serious about something.

Pre-PPC History
Rashida comes from an alternate world where the monsters of most mythologies were created by magic, which is in turn part of a mega-crossover currently developed by her author. She is one of the more prominent members of the main group of mentors who assist the heroes in her story, and was slated to monitor and guide a parody of the Gary Stu archetype into developing a better-written story arc involving the legions of Christian Hell. She never liked Mary Sues/Gary Stus, as one of her earliest encounters involved having to exorcise one from a canonical character that had been mutated into a man-eating monster. This is why, upon learning that she was given immortality 2400 years prior to the current storyline, as well as the full knowledge of the lost Secret Wing of the Library of Alexandria and a magical link to one of the 21 Sacred Beasts in the lore of her story, she was secretly terrified of being referred to as an impurity herself. Knowing of her backstory but unable to accept it until she was better developed, she fled through a Plot Hole and immediately signed up for the PPC, in the hopes that she could learn more about her own character as well as Mary Sues in general before rejoining with her allies back at home.

Initial PPC Career
Unfortunately, the very same backstory that led to her joining as an agent came back to bite her on one fateful mission, since it granted her incredible power that would have been considered extremely dangerous in a context that’s marginally less “hax.” Rasheeda initially registered for the Department of Internal Affairs, but while trying to brave a truly horrific badfic with an extremely violent and bloodthirsty character replacement, she suffered unimaginable levels of emotional turmoil which led to a devastating outburst when she and her partner finally confronted him. She transferred to the Department of Floaters after the incident, and has resolved to remain there for the rest of her career as a PPC agent.

Current PPC Career
Rashida's current RC is RC #227, where she is partnered with Falchion, whom she met shortly after her transfer and defeated in a Pokémon battle. The two of them sporked their first mission, involving a multitude of continuua being crossed over for no reason, a rather prehistoric Gary Stu in a modern context, and a pair of utterly vicious Character Replacements, in October 2014; unfortunately, the stress Rashida experienced during the mission ultimately led to her having a heart attack and being brought into Medical again. Thankfully, Falchion was able to complete the mission himself, and recruit one of the better-written characters from the badfic being sporked, which earned Rashida's respect - though she's still keeping a very close eye on him, just in case.

Falchion and Rashida have had two additional partners during their PPC career together: Sarah Katherine Squall, a Super recruited from the badfic they encountered on their first mission in their current department, and Velociripper, their current partner and a prehistoric ex-Gary Stu from the same badfic who would later join the PPC (and reconcile with Falchion in the process) in early 2015.

Mission Logs
Home: RC #227

With Agent Falchion

 * Prologue: A Wild Skarmory Appeared!
 * In which a former DIA Agent transfers to a new department, and becomes a Pokémon. Kind of.
 * Mission One: "Connecting the Dots"
 * In which Falchion discovers his untold backstory, with disastrous results for everybody.
 * Original fanfic: "Rise of the Galeforces" (The Incredibles x Portal x Megamind x Marvel Comics Universe x Jurassic Park x The Matrix x [sort of] Death Note x Donkey Kong Country x Kim Possible x Ice Age x The Land Before Time)


 * Mission Two: "Why We Can't Have Nice Things" with trainee Sarah Katherine Squall
 * In which a squatter moves into the RC — and accidentally makes a trollfic turn deadly.
 * Original fanfic: "Indiana Jones Dot Com" (Indiana Jones, NSFW/NSFB)
 * Mission Four: Excuses and Accusations (in progress, co-write with DesDenDelle)
 * Mission Five: "Scarlet Disgrace" with trainee Sarah Katherine Squall
 * In which vampires suck, canons are maimed, and the agents receive help from an unexpected source.
 * Original fanfic:"Scarlet Embrace" (Teen Titans)
 * Mission Six: "An Act of Sheer Will"
 * In which Falchion’s bad day is made infinitely worse by both an old acquaintance and a horde of character replacements.
 * Original fanfic: "New Directions" by Cori Falls (Pokémon) (Original fic deleted; anthology can be accessed here)
 * NOTE: Rashida does not take part in this mission, but appears in the pre-mission.
 * Mission Seven: "Go Home Canon, You're Drunk", with trainee Sarah Katherine Squall
 * In which a story has a very hard time establishing what year it's in.
 * Original fanfic (deleted):"An Angel's Secret" (Kid Icarus)
 * Interlude Three: "Separate Ways", with Agents Velociripper, Brenda, and Violet Rose Greenfield
 * In which one agent is exchanged for another.

Partnered with Falchion and Velociripper

 * Mission Eight: "Don't Fear the Reaper"
 * In which two different derivatives of the same character come face-to-face.
 * Original fanfic: "Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami" (Death Note)