Art by  DecolorDomina
Words and characters by  Kinto_Mythostian

This lovely young lady is Pura Doris Quaatsch, a character I created for and submitted to the Furry Basketball Association run by  BuckHopper. I am ceaselessly impressed by the creative breadth of the FBA and am pleased to be able to contribute. I was planning to get a second picture to go with this one that actually showcases Pura Doris’s basketball skills, but what with one thing and another it will have to wait.

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The Washington Hitching Post
The Mid-Atlantic’s Leading Equine Newspaper

Unbridled
A weekly column by Samson St. James (quarter horse)

[picture]
Caption: Pura Doris Quaatsch comes face-to-face with a Hypselodoris zebra while snorkeling in Bermuda.

COLLEGE PARK This year’s FBA draft is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and talent-packed in years. In our area, all equine eyes are sure to be on Pura Doris Quaatsch, the University of Maryland’s star zebra point guard. Fleet of hoof and a master of the pass, Quaatsch was instrumental in getting UMD into the playoffs this year, all while maintaining an enviable GPA. The adopted daughter of an aardvark and a Przewalski’s mare, Sluggy, as she is known to her teammates, is now ready to take her skills to the big time. I caught up with the barcoded baller for an interview recently in College Park.

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SSt.J: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

PDQ: It’s my pleasure.

SSt.J: What have you been up to lately?

PDQ: My parents and I just got back from two weeks in Bermuda; it was wonderful to have a chance to relax after graduation but now I need to buckle down and get some serious training in before the draft. I’ll be hitting the gym a lot between now and then.

SSt.J: Is it true you learned basketball from Kwaku Bbwaddene [Jungle Wolf, PF, MON]?

PDQ: Sort of. He introduced me to the sport, at least. My family used to travel a lot and one summer we spent a couple months in the Congo. Dad would go out hunting for snails and I would explore the village where we were staying. Early on I found my way to the yard where all the boys were playing. People in that part of the world tend to be rather traditional, and because my parents weren’t the same species no one would let their kids play with me, like I was diseased or something. Kwaku didn’t care; he saw me watching awkwardly from the sidelines and invited me to play. I refused at first; they were all a lot bigger than I was, apes and the like, and I’d never even held a basketball before, but Kwaku wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was very encouraging, very friendly. He wanted me to have fun. It ended up being an amazing summer.

SSt.J: Are you looking forward to seeing him again?

PDQ: We didn’t keep in touch; I doubt he even remembers me. I was just a skinny little filly back then. But yes, it’ll be great to get to introduce myself to him again.

SSt.J: How much of an influence has he been on your game?

PDQ: I don’t know that I’d’ve ever taken up the sport if I hadn’t met him, so in that way he’s been a huge influence. Other than that, though, not a whole lot; I have my own style. I’ve never been much of a dunker, for one thing. I don’t worry too much about my own personal stats. I look at the big picture, what will it take for our team to win the game. I get the ball where it needs to be exactly when it needs to be there. Sometimes that means passing it off to the open fur, sometimes that means sinking a three. I know how much I contribute to the team, and importantly so do my coaches and my teammates.

SSt.J: This season you set a school record for most three-pointers in a single game. You weren’t thinking about your own stats at all?

PDQ: Connecticut’s defense was shutting down everything down low that night. Like I said, I do what it takes to win the game. If I break a record in the process… okay, maybe I was thinking about my own stats a little.

SSt.J: Everyone is talking about the FBA’s rumored “five limb rule.” What do you think about it?

PDQ: Ultimately, it’s not my decision to make, but personally I don’t like it. My parents are in a mixed-species marriage, so unfortunately I’m no stranger to discrimination. I try to be open-minded. As a society we need to be more accepting, not more ostracizing. More importantly, I think playing with and against furs of different body types makes us all better athletes. It forces us to adapt, and think about our game. If we’re going to limit the league to players with two arms and two legs, we may as well play against humans.

SSt.J: Isn’t that going a bit far?

PDQ: Maybe. But there’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ furry. It’s the /Furry/ Basketball Association; I think we need to be as inclusive as we can.

SSt.J: Your father is a college professor. Did it bother him when you decided to be a professional athlete?

PDQ: I wouldn’t say bother; perplex would be more accurate. He comes to my games when he can, and he tries to understand what’s going on, but a lot of it still escapes him. He does understand how much I enjoy playing the game, and I think he’s aware that I’m very good at it, but it took him a while to wrap his head around the idea that anyone could actually play sports for a living. I think mom had a talk with him at some point when he wasn’t thinking about snails, and then he had a talk with me, and after that he’s been nothing but supportive. He loves me, even if he doesn’t always quite know how to express it, and he wants me to be happy. Both mom and dad insisted that I should finish college before going pro, though.

SSt.J: You spent four years on the team at UMD; any concerns about having to adapt to a whole new system?

PDQ: I’d be a fool to not be a little anxious. At UMD I was the leader all the younger players looked up to; now I’m going to be coming in as a rookie into a team with their own established camaraderie. I love getting to know new people, and I’ll do everything I can to contribute to making my team the best it can be. I look forward to earning my teammates’ respect and friendship, but sometimes I lie awake at night worrying that things won’t turn out that way, that they’ll hate me or that no one will take me seriously. It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. I’ve invested a lot emotionally and physically into this sport, and I know I have what it takes, but ultimately the only thing to do is to just dive right in and sink or swim.

SSt.J: Speaking of diving, I’ve heard you like to scuba; I don’t know that I’ve ever met an equine who could say that.

PDQ: Finding the Holy Grail is less of a quest than finding a mask that fits, I will say that.

SSt.J: Where did you learn?

PDQ: Dad named me Doris after a type of sea slug, so I suppose it was inevitable. I first learned to snorkel when I was seven, in the Bahamas while dad was counting conchs. We traveled a lot and everywhere we went, mom encouraged me to learn something new. I didn’t take up scuba until much later, but I love to dive every chance I get – which isn’t very often, between basketball and school.

SSt.J: You majored in classical furry literature?

PDQ: Yes. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’m a sucker for classical romances… St. George and the Dragoness, the Knight with the Lion, Baiardo Furioso…

SSt.J: And minored in French?

PDQ: I also speak German, and bits and pieces of Dutch, Afrikaans, and Mongolian – that’s mom’s first language.

SSt.J: Rapid fire time. Shoes or barehoof?

PDQ: Barehoof. Always.

SSt.J: Favorite pregame meal?

PDQ: Spaghetti and mealworms.

SSt.J: …mealworms?

PDQ: I was raised by an insectivore. They’re packed with protein. Sometimes I eat ants at halftime, too.

SSt.J: Who are you rooting for in the finals this year?

PDQ: Williamsburg by default, since I was rooting for the Arctics or the Whips. I played with Constantine [Jones (Raven, C, ALK)] and Vincent [Maraundi (Caracal, G/F, SFW)] at UMD; it’s great to see them both help their teams to the playoffs in their rookie season. C-Sharp even knocked out the reigning champs no less. Any scouts who are listening, I’ll be motivated to match that feat so he can’t lord it over me.

SSt.J: Very subtle. One final question: White with black stripes, or black with white stripes?

PDQ: I’ll never tell.

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Have your own questions for Pura Doris? Ask them in the comments!

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Art by Decolor Domina, posted with permission. Characters by Kinto Mythostian.
Original post: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8246083/

July 10, 2012