I decided to make a "Naga" monster from G-Amusements/American Sammy's 1991/1992 Nintendo Entertainment System adaptation of New World Computing's 1986 Apple II Might & Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum roleplaying video game. The Might & Magic RPG series was another one of those shameless Dungeons & Dragons ripoffs that changed things just enough so that they couldn't be sued by TSR.

Naga are powerful serpent entities found in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They can typically assume the shape of either a snake, human, or the hybrid form exhibited here. In Sanskrit, "Naga" is one of several terms used for snakes in general, and cobras in particular. Although, technically, the moniker only refers to the male variety of the supernatural creatures; "Nagi" or "Nagini" is the proper title for females of the species. Even so, for the sake of consistency with what's been used in the game, I'll stick with Naga for my text and pray that she isn't insulted enough to make me pay for the slight in blood. I'm telling you, the ring bruises that result from the constricting coils of a Naga take a really long time to fade and I have to remember to wear long-sleeved shirts to conceal them because it's too exhausting attempting to explain where they come from, especially to busybodies that don't believe that snake women even exist in the first place. Those knowledgeable souls just shake their heads and advise me that, if I didn't fall asleep with rubberbands wrapped around my limbs, I wouldn't end up with unsightly marks like those. What are the twin puncture wounds from her fangs then, stapler mishaps?

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Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white glue, acrylic paint, wire twist ties, and embroidery floss.

Dimensions:
5.0 cm (2.0") wide x 4.9 cm (1.9") tall x 5.4 cm (2.1") deep.

Time:
Four days: December 24th, 25th, 27th, and 28th, 2016.
And I don't care what you say, Nagas are very much in the spirit of Christmas. If candy canes, sleigh bells, and wreaths don't immediately turn your thoughts to serpent maidens, then I refuse to share my hallucinogenic eggnog with you.