neopets J's Main Adopt. Acc. to pet Adopt!

Kureijii

This little guy was adopted at the very beginning of August, 2010 from Xoriakoi's Orphanage!

The story of the final permanent pet

Our story starts quite a while back. It must have been around November or December of 2009, and I had been back on Neopets for almost a year. It was then that I stumbled upon the "pound chat" and the notion of fostering Neopets. It was then that I also stumbled upon Keah, a beautiful Chocolate Gnorbu being fostered by a kind Neopian. It was love at first sight. I devoured every detail of the adoption agency page and rules, and set about making a brief neomail that soon evolved into a petpage. But as it was my first application and I really had no idea what was expected of me, I expect I just appeared to be one applicant out of the masses, and I know I didn't stand out. A different home was chosen for that pet, and I hold no regrets. That first interaction with a foster parent set me on the fast track-- I soon found that there was a better way to find Neopets homes than zapping and pounding again, and joined Keah's foster parent's guild, The Neopian Orphanage. I soon saw all the creativity that could be put on a petpage, and began to explore this creativity with the pets I already had.

Meanwhile, I continued to turn to Xoria's Adoption Agency for knowledge. I would just walk in there and sit in the office or in the adoption hall, so that I could see how things worked in preparation for making my own adoption page. I often talked to the pets in there—especially two in particular, Tigash and Kureijii. I was drawn to Tigash because I have a Lupe myself who had plans at the time to be painted Skunk, and I was drawn to Kureijii... well, I don't know why. I had no intention of adopting another pet, but I enjoyed simply spending a few minutes a day with these two. Each time I walked in, I expected them to have found new homes, but each time, they were still there.

Weeks turned to months. I had my adoption agency up-and-running by then, and had done quite a bit with my permies, all thanks to the little jump-start I got from that first application. Of course I was still looking for that elusive Chocolate Gnorbu to add to my family, and I had decided on what my final permie would be, an Island Krawk with a surfer persona. I was still visiting Tigash, Kureij (as I had begun calling him by then), and the other orphans with regularity, giving them a relief from the boredom that so easily crept in while Marjo was on hiatus. A notion was starting to form in my head... it had been there for quite a while, as a little seed, but it had been sprouting without me noticing and it was now breaking the surface of the soil. Could Kureij fit into my family somehow?

No. No, he couldn't. If I ever wanted hope at getting a Krawk, I would need to apply for one. There was no way I was going to be able to earn the money for all the other things I had planned AND a Krawk Morphing Potion. And besides, if I turned Kureij into my Krawk, I'd need to abandon my idea of an Island Krawk with a surfer persona, as that didn't fit Kureij at all. Kureij was courageous, yet easily enraged, and very ambitious. He'd seen his fair share of war, but after the 'glory days' of his youth, he settled into a management position at a high end firm, where he used his ambition to reach the elite in a relatively short period of time, and took advantage of his quick temper to keep everybody below him in line.

Wait. No. No. NO! A character? A CHARACTER?! This couldn't be. Where on earth did a character come from?!

I dashed to my guild, seeking the aid of my friends. If you lurk a little over there, you can see the feelings I've shared with them. Through it all, I never had the feeling that I was going to NOT apply for Kureij, if that makes sense. Each board I made, I knew the answer I wanted to hear. I think I knew that applying for Kureij was going to happen eventually. I just didn't know when. I wanted to be absolutely sure that I wanted this to happen.

Especially since during those few months, I had applied for a second Chocolate Gnorbu who got taken down from UFA, and finally agreed to trade a Royal Custom for one, to a player who had standards of care for her permies akin to what I would look for in an adoption applicant. That meant I really and truly only had one permie spot left. If I were to be chosen as Kureij's new home, that would mean missing out on the chance to apply for any other pets, at least not without chewing into my fosters' spots.

So I continued to procrastinate. After all, I had 13 permies who all needed my time and attention and all needed their petpages revamped, and I kind of thought I should get that done before I added anybody else to the family. I also had an adoption agency to advertise for and run, and PCers to help in their quest for their dream pets. It also took a while to get my head around the fact that it was my last spot that I was about to try to fill. And not only that, but I would never get to experience that adrenalin rush of competing against another Neopian in an adoption process again. If I still wanted my Krawk, I'd have to find other means of attaining it.

Even when Kureij's foster parent came back from hiatus, I continued to put it off, although I let her know briefly that I was interested, hoping to feel that pull that meant I was ready to actually apply. It wasn't until she began to consider with the rest of the guild what the future held for her fosters that I started to feel what I needed. When I saw Kureij in the "Keep or Zap" thread on Billo, my heart did its simultaneous drop and leap that it tends to do when I see him. What would this decision mean for me? I honestly didn't care if he continued to be zapped. He would be the same pet as an Ogrin, Koi, or Moehog. He would still be the same whether he was Fire, Green, or Maraquan. But if he became something more desirable, he would attain more interest. A double edged sword. On one hand, I'd get that adrenalin rush of competition that I was dreading losing, and I could be assured that he would get the best of available homes. On the other hand, the very real possibility of this made me realize that I would be devastated if any other Neopian adopted him. Sure, if they were good to him I would be able to move on, and maybe I would eventually adopt that Island Krawk. But if they broke a promise to him and to Marjo, I would forever regret it. Plus, I realized that leaving Kureij in his foster home any longer wasn't fair to him or to Marjo. She could very well use that spot for another homeless pet. And surely, after spending so much time in Marjo's care, Kureij would be ready to go home. So it was decided. On the 28th of July, I opened a Word document and began to spill out the words that would hopefully enable Kureij to come home. Once the idea was committed to a hard copy, it was simple to set aside hours of time to devote to the project. It was just that first step that was difficult to take.

Because his name reminded me so much of Japanese, I also decided to Google it. Turns out, it's almost exactly like the Japanese word for Insane which is typically spelled "Kureiji" in the English alphabet. I thought this was fitting, because I worked as a waitress in a Japanese restaurant for a while. Other than that though, the knowledge that his name is essentially a Japanese real word is just a little random fun fact.

The morning after I begin my hard copy of my application, I look on TNO and who should I see but Kureij:

And I have no idea why this made me so happy but the first time I saw it, I grinned for 10 minutes, no joke. Even now, when I see it, it still makes me smile.

Character outline

As I mentioned, Kureij is courageous, quick-tempered, and ambitious.

In his late teens and early 20's, Kureij fought in the wars of Meridell, Maraqua, and Tyrannia, and has therefore seen plenty of pain and hurt. His brash boldness and his rage were his greatest strengths in battle, but made him difficult to manage off the battlefield. In fact, he was discharged from the army when he was 23, after 5 years of service, because he punched a lieutenant in the nose.

After this, Kureij joined Chia Steel Holdings and worked his way up from an assistant to one of the CEO board members in only 5 years. The stress of his difficult job tends to make his temper snap at the push of a button, so most tend to leave him alone unless necessary. Despite his personality flaws, he continues to be well-liked by the rest of the board because of his high ambition and his ability to come up with new ideas and strategies.

In his home environment (when he actually manages to be at home and not thinking about work) he is much more easy going. While not exactly a family man, Kureij manages to disentangle the stress of his job from his home life and not take his frustration out on any of the little ones. He appears quite chivalrous at first towards the ladies; however, once he begins to see another as his equal is when he begins to unleash his temper more on them.

The Robot

Just The Robot, nothing else.

The Robot is able to handle Kureij's angry behaviour. He isn't actually alive so Kureij can throw him around all he wants. This helps Kureij calm down when he snaps. It's also useful to have The Robot because Kureij doesn't have the responsibility of needing to feed it or anything, and he can take it to work, or he can just turn it off and put it in his closet.

Customization

I would choose either the Gift Bag of Neopoints or the Lawyer Briefcase, to show his dedication to his (high paying) job. I would really love to use the Neopets Office Backrgound but I will have to leave it as an ultimate goal, as I believe they were a first place prize for the AC staff tournament in 2010 and therefore there are none for sale. Instead, I will give him the House in Neopia Central one. I would like to put some glasses on him, but couldn't find any that suited, so he will be wearing a Smarmy Monocle and to top it all off, a Jazzmosis Hat just because that's cool.

Other plans

As I already mentioned, I wasn't interested in adopting Kureij because of his species and color, although he does look lovely as a Fire Ogrin. But what color WOULD he look best as? All my other pets have intended forms; Kureijii should have one too. Like so much else, it will take a lot of consideration. I think I'd like him to be a pirate though. Probably a Moehog (Come on TNT, Pirate Moehog MP please).

As you can see on some of my permies right now (here is an example), I have been working on description images for them, showing their final petpet, the paint brush or mophing potion I used or will be using on them, and a favorite item of theirs, along with their name, age, and brief description. I of course intend to give Kureij one of these.

As you can see on all of my side account lookups, I have a button linking to each of my permanent pets (I got the idea from you, Marjo!) to ensure account continuity. Kureij has one of these currently too.

I've recently been considering getting back into roleplaying, like I was when I was younger. No promises that I will honestly, but if I DO, Kureij will be my most used RP character, as he has the most depth and character background.

As you can see on Katrine's, Robyn's, and Liiz's lookups, I do enter beauty contests with my pets occasionally (I've entered an additional two times, once with Sydney and once with Katrine, but didn't place high enough for a trophy those times). They also receive art both from me and from others. I had better work on art for the permies I've had longer before I work on Kureij's, out of fairness, but I have already procured a lovely picture for him from a kind PCer, which you can see below.

Another thing that Kureij has inspired me to do is to make some adoptables Roralea hosts that page here, but the reason Kureij has inspired me to do so is that I looked around for Ogrin adoptables while making this app and could only find a few. So I'd like to make some adoptables of the less popular species.

Even though his character was once a warrior, I do not intend on training Kureij to be a BD pet. My Liizabelle already fills that role, and it would be the most fair to her if I followed through on that promise and put all of my training efforts into her. Plus, in hopes of another war plot eventually (Yay yay yay! The Faerie's Ruin!), I need to have my BD pet on my main, and Kureij lives on my youngest side.

A word from our family

Katrine: I am eksited two miet yue, Koore- Cyourei- Kuray- um. I am eksited two miet yue! And I will pounc on yue. Just doent taek up to much of Mummy's tiem, okaye?

Rainbow: As long as we're ABSOLUTELY CLEAR on the fact that I am getting painted before you, welcome to the family!

Orandas: Oh thank goodness Jacinta's not bringing another young pet home. I mean, I love them to bits but they do get exhausting. I look forward to chatting with you!

Firefly: Don't forget about me! You know, you really look like a guy who would enjoy some larping, some dungeons and dragons, some video games. If you're ever up for some, come find me!

Ovurie: Please excuse me while I go write a poem about the lament that is another addition to this household.

Vhalyre: Don't take it personally; it means he likes you! Kureijii, I hope you find that you fit in here. We're a rather crazy family sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Lizabelle: I'd love for you to show me some of your battle tips and stuff. I'm proving my worth in a glorious battle against the shadows right now and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Illie: (To Jacinta) nonononono mummy please dont bring him home I dont like him i dont like him i don't like him he is scary

Allie: *Pulls Illie into a tight hug and smoothes her mane* Kureij, I'm sure she'll come around. She's even beginning to enjoy Tia's company a little bit now. You just have to be patient with her because she's been through a lot of hurt.

Tia: Ah! More company! How do you feel about Fettuccine Alfredo? Believe me, my cooking is to DIE for. Ah! *Throws socks*

Art

Thank you so much, Hillari!

Just awesome!

You've come to the end.

I don't have anything else to say, so I'm just gonna... stop typing.