Naga

Collected notes
they are a semidivine entity (i.e. Hindobuddhist spirit) that takes the form of a snake or a man or a snakeman

18:41]

or a snakewoman, in the case of nagini

specifically a cobra, for some reason, and they are traditionally depicted as such in art

They are ambiguous morality-wise, like most Hindu spirits, and sometimes associated with water; their realm, Patala (plus other names) is depicted as a splendid underground palace studded with jewels and similar

D&D seems to represent the divinity by having them 'created by some gods' and the moral ambiguity by having two types, one good and one evil

(plus bonus skeletal type which, fair enough)

it also gives them an antipathy with the yuan-ti, presumably as a way of reconciling the awkwardness of two snake-themed races in one multiverse

but yuan-ti also get all the other stuff; shapeshifting magic, human and hybrid forms, their own civilization

[18:47]

so to summarize, emphatic yes to both your points

[18:48]

evil snakepeople who fucking love snakes and cover themselves with snakes and live in snakepits and turn into snakes and have arms that are snakes is a dumb dumb idea anyway, they should just be what they are which is

admittedly

[18:48]

snakepeople

I do like one thing about the Yuan-ti, which is that they have a consciously organised society (albeit based around their weird snake fetish). They have values, attitudes, goals and so on that they've chosen (albeit based around their weird snake fetish), rather than just being innate slave traders or natural fascists like goblins and hobgoblins

[19:01]

Spinning off this and the immortality thing, I had the idea that thematically Naga society could be based around seeking perfection through cyclical permanence

[19:03]

On an individual level, any snakeperson could hope to attain true Naga status, becoming immortal... forever. This could be through enlightenment, societal value, religious influence, straight merit, or some confusion of all the above.

[19:03]

They are then 'perfect' beings, both as a prerequisite to becoming a Naga and because they alone have all eternity to hone their qualities

[19:05]

By the same token, a society led by these beings would be a step above any flailing mortal civilization. Reversals in fortune that destroy lesser peoples' ways of life can be accepted with equanimity, as the immortal Naga will ensure that their values are preserved and that their civilization will rise again

[19:12]

The major flaw in Naga society, however, also lies in its circularity. By its own understanding it is a closed system, eternal but already perfected, and any flaws or problems that might seem to occur can be rationalized as part of the cycle; we may be mired in war and discontent now, but this is only because we are declining, as all things must do, before rising again in the fullness of time. This too shall pass - and any other society would, of course, be handling these challenges with far less grace than we

[19:12]

by definition

[19:14]

The same can be said of individual Nagas, whose great power and seemingly limitless possibilities can instead serve to arrest their development, leading to beings no less selfish and myopic than any other great leaders, but far more assured of their own infallibility

[19:14]

(bit of that good Avatar/Nietzsche life-denying vs. life-affirming thing, is what I'm trying to get going here)

Miscellaneous naga notes: "In the "Devadatta" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the daughter of the dragon king, an eight year old longnü (nāga), after listening to Mañjuśrī preach the Lotus Sutra, transforms into a male Bodhisattva and immediately reaches full enlightenment. This tale appears to reinforce the viewpoint prevalent in Mahayana scriptures that a male body is required for Buddhahood, even if a being is so advanced in realization that they can magically transform their body at will and demonstrate the emptiness of the physical form itself."

[22:20]

(included the whole thing cos it's funny, but I especially like that shapeshifting is the power you get from realizing the emptiness of the physical form)

[22:21]

also, "In the Vajrayāna and Mahāsiddha traditions, nagas in their half-human form are depicted holding a naga-jewel, kumbhas of amrita, or a terma that had been elementally encoded by adepts."

[22:23]

????