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Since the very dawn of time, spirits have come and gone throughout the universe. Where do they go, after their time has been spent?
The stairway to the stars.
Who leads the spirits there? How do they find their way?

kostume
Guardian of the Stairway

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light
They're just old light

-Regina Spektor, Sampson

about audrey

So, as you might have guessed, I'm applying for your white draik Kostume. Call me Audrey. I'm 17 years old, and am going to be a senior next fall (oh my!). I've been playing neopets for many years now; I started when I was in 5th grade, but I lost those accounts due to chain freezing. I have never had a warning, or any sort of neo-rebuke since. I'm a member of the guild Shukumei, which I adore. I have 3 other accounts besides ventricle, which are farshore, enlarge, and ordeals. Sadly, I have sort of lost enlarge and ordeals, due to the birthday requirement. I'm trying to get those back, by guessing, but have been unsuccessful thus far.

I am mainly an artist, but I do like roleplaying, and writing stories. I used to be a more avid roleplayer, but things got in the way, and my abilities slipped a bit. I plan on majoring in fine arts (or graphic design) once I'm out of highschool. I live on a farm, and have lots of animals, which led to my appreciation of drawing animals.

I've never owned a draik before; I've always had lupes. This summer though, I thought it would be fun to do something different. I got bored of doing the same thing, over and over again.
There isn't very much else to know, actually.

audrey's art

Here on Neo, I mostly devote myself to making petpages. I used to be concerned with money-making, but I painted all my lupes. The only things I'm saving up for now are fancy petpets.. and I'm not getting too far with that. Umm.. back to art. If you want to, you can see my other various pages below. Oh, and Temhi does have a page, I just needed a page for the application. It's all safe in a document somewhere. xD

plans for kostume

Okay, instead of feeding her everyday, grooming her, and playing with her, I've got some other things in mind.

1. Give her an awesome petpage, similar in design to this one.
2. Enter her in the Beauty Contest, potentially. I've never tried it before (lupes are sooo hard to get a trophy for these days), but with a draik I think the competition would be less fierce.
3. Give her a shnazzy lookup, like the ones my pets have.
4. If I got Kostume, she would be put on my main account (ventricle). I'd do a bit of switching around.
5. Roleplay her within the realms of Shukumei, and find her some friends.
6. Do art trades to get her some fanart! (I would normally have a fanart section, but I don't like to ask artists for art if I might not get the pet.)

about kostume

Name: Kostume
Pronounced kos-toom
Gender: Female
Painted: White
Age: Immortal
Lineage Unknown
Species: Draik
Eye color: Blue
Fur color: White
Hair color: Deep blue, specks of light in it, resembling stars.
Wings: White, tipped with dark blue/sparkles.
Other markings: Undecipherable aqua-green writing around her neck, arms, legs, and encircling her tail.
Tail: Tipped with feathers like on her wings, and several smaller aqua-green ones.
Accessories: Silver metal band on forehead, and tip of tail.
Personality: Solemn, quiet, heart-broken.
Likes: Midsummers Eve/Summer Solstice, Sunrises, Stars, Warmth.
Dislikes: Boredom, Waiting

story

So, a couple of years ago, I had this idea to draw a stairway engulfed by the Aurora Borealis, into the stars. (I was inspired by the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Narnia soundtrack, if you'd like to know.) Then, about a week ago from making this application, I thought it would make a rather interesting story. Here's the original picture:

Drag it into your browser to view full size! 8D You can find the picture on my deviantart account, audaciously.deviantart.com.

So anyway, here goes!

Since the dawn broke on the very first day, the guardians have existed. When the sun first rose above the horizon, casting all dark away, the guardians were formed out of the brilliance of the light. These guardians were all gifted with special knowledge that only they would possess. They were given realms to live in; sky, fire, earth, water.. and death. Soon, there was little need for the guardians of the four elements. Fire was gifted to the human race, boats could travel the water with ease, flying contraptions could lift any being into the sky, and the earth was steadily being carved up for urbanization. The guardians of these areas went into hiding, abandoning their task to preserve their realms. Only one of the five remained. Kostume.

It is Kostumes job to send the dead spirits to where they belong, up the Stairway to the stars. It is not good for spirits to linger on the earth for too long. When they do, you get things such as ghosts, and demons, tied to the earth by some deep injustice that allows them to ignore the call to the Stairway. The Stairway can be found at the top of the earth, the North Pole, to be exact. It is invisible to all who have not yet passed into death. Kostume leads them there, guiding them up the stairway, smiling to them comfortingly, knowing that all is well. The spirits are often nervous to leave this world and take the first steps up the Stairway, but there is no reason to be. The Stairway, clothed in the Aurora Borealis, leads the spirits up into the stars, to take their place among the dead, and melt into the cosmos.

Kostume is clothed in starlight, as it graces her hair, and the tips of her feathers. The aqua-green symbols around her neck, arms, legs, and tail are actually the ancient script of the Guardians. It was longs since been decipherable, but the writing binds Kostume to her job. For Kostume, this job is somewhat of a curse. For thousands of years, she has dutifully done her job. To live forever may seem like a tempting offer, but Kostume would have exchanged all her years for a short, normal lifespan. However, each year Kostume is allowed one full 24 hours where she may go among the living creatures, and celebrate. This day is the Summer Solstice, Midsummer's Eve. Kostume normally heads somewhere south on this day, treasuring the warmth, and goes to some sort of celebration, to dance the rest of the night away. Each year she goes somewhere different, like Paris, or Rome, or small towns. She seldom makes friends, as she would only meet them for a day before leaving for the north again. The long wait until Midsummer's Eve nearly drives her crazy sometimes, but she is more or less happy to do her job.

Once upon a time, Kostume broke her heart. It was Midsummer's Eve, and she had flown to a small town near the mountains. All the creatures of the village were dancing in the street, and a band was playing, the soft tone of the flute carrying over the crowd. Kostume joined in with the dancing, feeling at total bliss as she swayed to the music. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted on of her own species. He was a black draik, with a golden hair and white markings over his body. It was love at first sight. You may not believe in that sort of thing, but were Romeo and Juliet not besotted with eachother on the spot? Theirs, the most memorable love story of all? It was quite possible for this to happen. Kostume and this stranger fell in love; it was as if they were meant for each other. They danced all evening, telling each other secrets, and sharing their thoughts as if they'd known each other for centuries. Kostume happened to glance over at the clock, and it was nearly midnight. With a tear, Kostume told her stranger to meet her the same place next year. He agreed, swore his fidelity, and watched as she flew away, heading back to the north.

For the next year, Kostume replayed the events in her head, so anxious she was to see her stranger again. Never had she been so excited for Midsummer's Eve! She happily welcomed spirits up the Stairway, until one caught her eye, a few days before Midsummer's Eve. Gold. Bright gold hair, and beneath this hair, the dark face of her stranger. Kostumes heart leapt in her throat, and she let out a cry. He ran towards her, gathering her in his arms. "How.. why..?" She cried. It was an accident. He hadn't left the town where they met, but there was a sickness that he caught. The villagers wanted to move him to a bigger town, to see if he could recover, but he refused to move from the spot. He would have missed Midsummer's Eve, he said, and nothing could have stood in his way of that. So he had died, 3 days before Midsummer's Eve. Her stranger pleaded to stay with her, but Kostume shook her head, as much as it pained her to do so. "No, my love, you must go on. There is nothing left for you here, even me. We must all someday take our place in the stars. He nodded, sort of understanding. With one last embrace, he stepped up the stairway, watching her until the northern lights covered him up, and all he could see was light.

Now, every Midsummer's Eve, Kostume does not dance. Instead, she watches the frivolity, remembering what it was like to be loved. She perches on buildings, watching. Maybe you've seen her before, always separate from the activities, but somehow she is a part. She's a part of something grander, a huge stretch of time. Maybe someday she will be allowed to walk up the stairway, and melt into the stars. Then perhaps, her heart would be whole again. For now, she will continue her job, ferrying the souls to whatever lies beyond the Stairway.

design

Drag the picture to your browser to see full view

For Kostume's design, I wanted something ethereal to go along with her story. I would have taken more advantage of her awesome name (a masquerade type story; delicious!) but I felt really attached to the whole Stairway story, so I thought I'd use it.

Roleplay

Even though my roleplaying skills are rusty, I might as well give you a demonstration. When I would roleplay Kostume, I would probably let her have some time off from from her guardian duty (I can do that; I'm all powerful. xD) Or I would just schedule the roleplay for Midsummer's Eve. I'll just right a sample intro.

Finally, it was midnight. The Summer Solstice had begun. Kostume had been waiting patiently, ever so patiently for her 24 hours of freedom. She felt invisible bonds breaking, and she leapt into the sky, her white wings instantly unfolding to lift her higher, and higher into the air. She flew with overwhelming speed, for excitement coursed through her at the thought of what lay ahead. True, the Solstice would never be the same.. now that he was gone, but Kostume knew that she could allow herself to have a little bit of joy here and there. She had decided to venture to a city that night; she hadn't enjoyed the city life for many years. New York City. With a smile she flew, flying for the first hours of the morning until she would reach the city. A light had come into her normally solemn eyes as she pictured the upcoming events. First she would visit the Empire Stat Building, and perch on the uppermost railing. Then, perhaps, she would go to Times Square, and stroll down Fifth Avenue, admiring the shops. Her bright blue eyes glistened as Manhattan came into view. Now she would have fun. Now she would live.

Kind of short, but it's an intro, anyway. Roleplaying=not my strongest area.

Petpet

Because Kostume is coming with a petpet, I thought I'd add a bit about him. I would probably change his name, just because I'm not sure Mask would really fit the story. However, I haven't quite thought of a name yet. I like the name Arawn, so I'll use it for now.

Arawn is Kostume's companion; he shadows her footsteps on everyday except the Summer Solstice. On that day, he flies around the world on his own, looking for stories. Arawn gathers up these stories, and once Midsummer's Eve is over, he flies back to the Stairway. For the rest of the months afterwards, Arawn will tell Kostume stories, for he is quite the storyteller. His stories make her laugh with mirth, and sometimes cry, for some have tragic endings. He finds stories out of Shakespeare, movies, and embellishes them in his own way. Arawn is often found curled up between Kostume's wings, as he is not as cold resistant as she is. Arawn was born just after Kostume, but it took many years for him to find her. He was nearly dead, as dead as immortals can be, and drifted towards the Stairway. Kostume knew that he could not go beyond, not now. She nursed him back to health, and he was been with her ever since.

misc.

Here are just some things that would go on her page.

Adoptables! I've always loved making adoptables, so these would go on her page. I've made one of Kostume, just to show you.

Lookie, an animated link! She would have lots of link trades.
And that's all for now. I would have had more here, but my vacation has prevented that.

goodbye

Thanks so much for reading my application! I hope you enjoyed it. I will be leaving for vacation on July 24th, and will get back August 11th. I may have internet during that time but I'm not sure. Just so you know.

Layout works well in Mozilla Firefox and Safari.. not too sure about IE.

If you have any questions, Neomail me! I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

All the art/content on this page is (c) ventricle (Audrey).