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Olivia Solace
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Beloved Capitalist

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:20 pm


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Gallery | pw: Solace


    _______Info
    >> Name
    Nagendra

    >> Gender
    Male

    >> Owner
    sumisueme

    >> Scent
    Serpent's Kiss

    >> D.O.B
    6/21/07

    >> Stage
    Child


    >> Likes
    >> Dislikes
    >> Personality
    Seductive, Lustful, BADASS

    >> Something Special
PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:04 pm


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:::: 1. Journal Post ::::
:::: 2. Table of Contents (you are here) ::::
:::: 3. Introduction ::::
:::: 4. About the Scent ::::
:::: 5. About Nagendra ::::
:::: 6. About Sati ::::
:::: 7. The S-S Trading Company ::::
:::: 8. Sati and Nagendra's Apartment ::::
:::: 9. Friends and Enemies ::::
:::: 10. Gallery ::::
:::: 11. Updates and Events ::::
:::: 12. Reserved ::::
:::: 13. Reserved ::::
:::: 14. Reserved ::::
:::: 15. Credits ::::





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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:10 pm


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Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.
W.C. Fields



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A TALE AS OLD AS TIME

A long time ago there was a far-away land, and in the far-away land was a bustling market square, and in the market was a merchant. The merchant was as rich as a merchant could be, selling jewels and gems and spices to the King himself, but still she sat in her tiny market stall, selling wares less shimmering and shining to the crowds, bronzes and irons instead of silvers and diamonds. Her prices were fair and her goods sold quickly, as they always did, but one thing remained at the back of her tiny table, never to be sold. Nestled at the back of her table was a coiled basket, and nestled in the basket was a snake-demon.

"Merchant, what fine things do you have today?" asked a well-off old man. The merchant smiled, her gold bracelets clinking and jingling as she smoothed her hands over a platter set with imperfect jewels and smooth glass gems.


"Good sir, we have many precious stones and shining fabrics," she said, producing a small sample of each with two flicks of her heavily-hennaed hands. "We have metalwear and polished woods, or select oils and spices," she said. "But most amazing of all are the contents of this basket," she said, offering it forward for him to peer into.

"Set me down, woman!" roared the snake-demon from the basket. "I'm not yours to parade like a prized pet mongoose; I'll strike you down and curse your family! See if I don't!"

The customer blanched, but the merchant was composed even then. "One moment please," she said, spinning on her heels away from the man. She opened the basket lid and peered inside sternly as the snake-demon reared its toothèd head. "Demon, why do you cry out?" she said in a voice like spun sugar.

"Woman, you know well I am too fierce and wild for this way of life. Let me out now and I'll let you live," said the snake-demon.

"Oh?" hissed the merchant back, fearlessly grabbing the snake-demon behind its great head, so it couldn't strike her. "Because I just happen to have this skinning knife right here and I hear snakeskin fetches a fine price at this market. AND YOU SEEM LIKE THE KIND OF DEMON WHO REALLY LIKES BEING SKINNED; I WILL BE SURE TO TAKE MY TIME. ALSO YOU SEEM LIKE YOU DON'T LIKE BEING FED; I SHALL HAVE TO STOP DOING THAT, TOO. Unless, of course, you'd like to stop scaring away the customers so I can be rid of you? I can't skin you if I'm rid of you…"

The snake-demon gulped with fear. "As you were, then," it squeaked.

This isn't that story. But it might as well be.





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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:11 pm


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Vetiver blinds, that lend
To burning summer noons
The scented chill
Of winter nights.

Bihari(1595-1664)


SERPENT'S KISS

Seething with passion, yet utterly cold-blooded. Dragon's blood, vetiver and spice.

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DRAGON'S BLOOD: A bright red resin obtained from the wounded bark and leaves of the Canary Islands Dragon Tree. Dragon's blood is used as a varnish, dye, medicine, or incense. A masculine, earthy, smoky scent with a sour hint of citrus. Highly useful as a coagulant.


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VETIVER: A fragrant grass native to India; it grows in clumps that can reach 1.5 meters in height. The leaves and stems are tall and rigid, and the flowers dull brownish-purple. Vetiver is an excellent erosion-control plant due to its vast, long roots, and the roots are also cultivated for their fragrant essential oil. The oil is a thick, syrupy dark brown that thickens and grows more intense as it matures. It smells of damp earth and quiet sweetness, wet grass and wood. Herbaceous and smoky with a hint of spice. It is extremely useful in both perfumery and medicine, being used to treat stress, depression, arthritis, exhaustion, sores, and cuts.


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SPICES: An unknown blend of exotic spices, reminiscent of the markets of Sati's homeland. Just a hint of a hint in the Serpent's Kiss smoke, a warm, spicy, metallic tang to the scent that catches in the back of your nose. A wistful, comforting smell.







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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:16 pm


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I stick to the letters, to the visible and to the natural, like the hands of the watch.
But what is behind the dial plate? That is where you find the art of the master,
wheels and springs which like the mosaic serpent need an Apocalypse.

Johann G. Hamann

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MORE HISS THAN KISS

Name: Nagendra
Meaning: Means "lord of snakes"; from the Sanskrit "naga", meaning "snake", combined with the name of the Hindu god Indra, used here to mean "lord". Used in Hindu texts to refer to a large snake. Used here to refer to a large pain in the a**.
Nicknames: Nageh, though Sati never calls him that.

Gender: Male
Stage: Child
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Personality: Seductive, Lustful, BADASS: What Nagendra wants, he takes. When Nagendra can't take, he plots. Not necessarily with any great success; he's the kind of kid to kick some a** and ask questions later. But should he ever grow some smarts...hooboy.


Nagendra wants everything; thankfully for Sati and the world, the boy wants the world delivered to him, and isn't quite ready to work for it himself. He's naturally lazy- perhaps the calming effect of the vetiver? But when he sees the potential to be in charge, he takes it, getting his peers to do his whim with seductive words or simple violence (provided that it doesn't take that much effort). Nagendra is an amazing fighter, using his lithe form, sharp horns, and whip-like tail to great effect. He's also very good at starting fights; he's not smart by any means, but he knows what to say to get under people's skin, in a good way or a bad way. Either very dangerous or very alluring depending on which side of the coin you get stuck on.

He does have a "soft side"; he can be a real charmer when he sees something (or more likely, someone) he wants, all clever words and pleasant smiles. But none of that is real, and truthfully, he doesn't have the patience to keep that act up for long.

Were it up to him, Nagendra would surround himself with wine, women, and riches; as it is, Sati is trying to raise him simply, withholding most of her riches from his greedy little hands. Nagendra doesn't even realize how well-off they really are. He enjoys the lush opulence of their townhouse and genuinely thinks that everyone lives like they do. True to the draconic nature of his dragon's blood, Nagendra loves gems and jewelry, if not for their shimmering beauty then for the power they imply. He views beautiful humans of both genders on the same level, with a primal, cold, instinctual need to possess them, though he's still a bit too young to understand these feelings.

Nagendra simply doesn’t understand why people would ever do things differently than him. When he can, he forces others to conform to his standards, which are mostly rooted in wealth, beauty, and violence. He does have a conscience, however- and her name is Sati. He follows (or is forced to follow) Sati's rather strict rules because that's the only way he can continue his current style of life. Sati knows how to get to him, with a mixture of patience, stubbornness, sheer wit, and reward, and it drives Nagendra crazy to know that she can consistently outwit him. But in his own, callous way, Nagendra appreciates her, or rather what she can give him. Most importantly, bull-headed Sati is the only person Nagendra has ever been afraid of in his life, and that translates into a strange mock-up of love.

The most telling thing about Nagendra's personality: when he enters a room, he doesn't walk; he struts.



Physical Appearance: Lithe, tough, and full of pointy bits. His red hair (and tail-feathers) are impeccably groomed, mostly because Sati treats him a bit like an extremely dangerous pet dog; despite her best efforts, though, Nageh always manage to muss himself right back up like a real wild child. Nagendra refuses to cover his horns or tail because he likes to put people off their guard, and boy, does he ever. When he's not in action, he moves deceptively slowly, almost hypnotisingly so. He exudes a rogueish kind of charm that really draws the older ladies in (the exception being Sati, of course); they tend to think his impudence is cute instead of predatory. The striking green eyes only help that cause.


Likes: Confrontations, pretty things and/or people, being in charge, harems, loud music, dancing, red meat
Dislikes: SATI >:Y, boredom, not getting his way, lessons, calming music, non-potato-based vegetables



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:20 pm


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How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!
William Shakespeare

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THE RELUCTANT SNAKE CHARMER

Name: Sati Kuchhal
Meaning: Sati means "truthful" in Sanskrit; Kuchhal is a gotra or surname of the Agrawal caste, a powerful merchant-warrior class.

Birthday: April 21
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Profession: co-owner of The S-S Trading Company, an importer of fine jewelry, spices, fabrics, and oils from the far-away country of Tamil.

Personality: Sati is all business, all the time. She's competent, composed, and responsible, and keeps her trading company running smoother than the silk they sell. She's obsessive about her logs and keeps everything in immaculate order. A real workaholic, Sati generally doesn't even leave the house unless it has something to do with her trade: a new customer to meet, a shipment to assess, rival importers to scout and local shops to scope out. When she's not hard at work outside her home, Sati organizes shipments in her storerooms and tends to the books. The closest thing she has to a hobby is reading…books about business. Oh, Sati.

Despite being a huge business-nerd, Sati gets along with people fairly well. She's friendly in a quiet, grumpy way and, once coaxed out of her shell, a dynamite storyteller, often regaling groups of people at parties with tales of Tamil, her far-away homeland. Sati is naturally very generous; her riches are part of her brand's image, so giving them away in large amounts is fine by her, as it creates more customers. She tries very hard to befriend potential customers; she sees every interaction as part of her job, and Sati is always employee of the month. On the down side, she's extremely stubborn and always painfully honest, which has lost her friends and customers in the past. She's careful about what she says because of this, but in the end her true nature usually wins out over showmanship. Her business partner, S., is the charismatic one of the company, and she relies on him to lead the way in customer interactions.

To tell the truth, outside of trading, Sati is a bit absent-minded. She'll remember the latest stock market prices and the exact arrival time of her next shipment, but she'll forget to eat. The only reason she takes meticulous care of herself, dressing in elaborate fabrics and jewels and dabbing her well-coiffed hair in scented oil, is to show off her wares to her customers. The same for her house: were it not part of her business, it would be a horrifying mess, but because it's the office for her business, she keeps everything as neat as she keeps her ledgers. She's very concerned about projecting the right image, so even though she's not naturally inclined to, she dresses to the nines and surrounds herself with dazzling, exotic, luxurious objects.

User ImageNagendra is not the kind of dazzling, exotic, luxurious object she had in mind.

Sati Kuchhal is good with children but not particularly maternal; they like the stories she tells and the pretty glass jewels she sometimes gives them, but she never wanted any children of her own. But little did she know that even inside her, business obsessive extraordinaire, lay an Indian mother in wait. Fierce. Unrelenting. Terrifying. Sati is a born disciplinarian, with the sheer force of will to get even defiant Nagendra to obey (well, as far as Nagendra can obey.) She's not above threats or even physical measures, but she tempers her harshness with rewards in the rare event that Nagendra actually listens. And when Nagendra tries to act out in public, well, she turns terrifying. She'll take him aside and threaten him with things that make even bad-a** Nagendra gulp with fear. A mother to be reckoned with, though she won't admit to feeling motherly or even let Nagendra call her "Mother" (which is a good thing, because he mostly calls her "woman" anyway.)


Physical Appearance: Sati is about five feet tall, with an average build and regal posture. She has thick, matte-black hair down past her shoulder blades; she usually keeps it tied back with a jeweled clasp or in a tight bun. Her eyebrows are thick, her eyelashes long, her eyes dark brown, and her features severe. Her skin is a dark golden-brown, and she has red henna Mehndi tattoos on her face, neck, collarbone, upper arms, and hands, going from swirling dots and patterns to solid burgundy at her fingertips. She wears flowing, jeweled saris in blues and greens, and heavy gold jewelry. She wears a thick, gold-rimmed monocle on her left eye- with the lense, her vision is perfect; without it she's severely nearsighted.

Sati usually travels with a bodyguard or escort because of the worth of her goods and garments, and she keeps a small jade dagger on a long chain around her neck, though she'd be completely lost if she needed to use it. She does have considerable strength for someone of her build, as she manages and organizes the storehouse (and several storerooms in her own townhouse) all by herself, but she has no idea how to fight, nor does she wish to have any idea. She always travels with two drawstring pouches, one made of striking silk brocade, and one of the thickest leather. The silk pouch is strung like a purse to accessorize her sari, and contains several stones of garnet and agate, glass gemstones, a few dozen tiny vials of the finest exotic spices (all samples of her company's wares), a handful of gold pieces, an embroidered handkerchief, and a stack of fancy business cards. The flat leather pouch is strapped to her thigh to thwart cutpurses, and contains a larger amount of gold, three tiny, perfect diamonds, and one large, flawed diamond- samples of her more extravagent goods.

She speaks with a slight Indian accent, which gets noticably thicker only when she's shouting.

[portrait] [Mehndi hand reference]

Likes: Vetiver, math, marketplaces, living comfortably, pleasant conversation, savvy clients and fellow businessmen, dulcimer and harp music
Dislikes: Confrontations, outdated ledgers, travel, losing her godforsaken monocle, loud music
Extremely confused by: Magic. She and S. hire a magician to magic up good weather for sailing when they ship their goods, but other than that she's had very little contact with magical people like those that wander around Cyrus. She's really, really weirded out by special powers, etc., unless the person using them is level-headed and can help her company profit.


History: Sati is the oldest of seven children and was raised in Tamil, a land far to the east of Cyrus City. The most studious of her family, she went to a prestigious college operated by the Cyrus military, and teamed up with S., her trading partner, there. She moved to Cyrus to organize the import and sale of their goods, and now sees it as home, though she misses her expansive family. She now supports the entire Kuchhal clan with her earnings, and owns the large compound in Tamil that her family resides in.


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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:21 pm


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Tis an old saying, the Devil lurks behind the cross.
All is not gold that glitters. From the tail of the plough,
Bamba was made King of Spain; and from his silks
and riches was Rodrigo cast to be devoured by the snakes.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

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S-S COMPANY
An importing venture founded by Sati's college friend S., the luckiest businessman in the world. No-one knows S.'s real name, least of all Sati, but nonetheless the Trading Company is named after the two partners. S. is a natural at finding and funding skilled craftsmen who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the raw materials to make their own goods; with his quick wit and silver tongue, he strikes deals that are lucrative to both the Company and the craftsmen, taking the wares he funded and selling them overseas for massive profit. S. is from a small, unknown clan, with few human resources; that's where Sati stepped in. Sati has the resources of the entire extended Kuchhal family at her disposal, and with that network she expanded the S-S Trading Company from merely the export of jewelry and woodwork to Cyrus to include valuable raw materials, such as woods and minerals. In addition, travel-hating Sati set up office in Cyrus City itself and now oversees the storehouses, log keeping, and all sales. With S. operating the buying and manufacture of their goods on the Tamil side, and Sati selling and making new deals in Cyrus City, the duo has a near-unstoppable monopoly on Tamizhan import into Cyrus.

The company's goods include fine art, fabrics, woods and woodworking, metals and metal jewelry, gems both cut and uncut, blown glass, spices, sugars, and, most recently, essential oils. A quick breakdown of some of the S-S Company's available merchandise:


Spices: cassia, coriander, cumin, date palm sugar, khus khus, pomegranate powder, star anise, tamarind, turmeric, etc.
Essential Oils: bakul, frankincense, gulhina, jasmine, lotus, sandalwood, etc.
Woods: mango, maple, oak, sandalwood, sheesham, and teak
Jewelry and Raw Minerals: agate, bauxite, blown glass, copper ore, diamonds, garnet, gold, iron ore, silver, etc.
Fabrics: cotton, hemp, mulberry silk, silk, etc.


TAMIL
The country of Tamil is based upon a small state in southern India, properly called Tamil Nadu. The real-world Tamil was originally colonized by the legendary East India Company, and was incorporated into India upon independence. For the purposes of Solace Scents, Tamil is analogous to colonial India. People of Tamil descent are called Tamizhan, which is also the adjective to describe anything originating from Tamil.









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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:22 pm


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Method is more important than strength, when you wish to control your enemies.
By dropping golden beads near a snake, a crow once managed to have a passer-by kill the snake for the beads.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



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THE SERPENT'S DEN
Sati's townhouse is a huge, luxurious three-bedroom suite in the upscale section of town. It's outfitted with electrical lighting and heating, a real hallmark of wealth in Cyrus. The whole place is moodily lit by stained-glass, tassled floorlamps, one in each corner of each room, with smaller table lamps throughout. Upon close inspection, the fancy glass lampshades have solid gold edging and fittings.

The décor is ridiculously lush and opulent, velvets and silks in dazzling shades of red accented with gold, purple, and royal blue. Every room has an incense burner and Sati routinely keeps them running, hard-to-find vetiver being the scent of choice. All the furniture is antique and stylish, and throw pillows run rampant. (Nagendra says they breed like rabbits. The truth is that Sati just thinks throw pillows are comfy.) The living room has a vast, expensive Persian carpet; all other rooms have polished teakwood floors.

The thing that one notices when one's been there a while is how sterile the place is, every wood surface buffed to a shine and not one speck of dirt or dust. Every book on the bookshelf wall is alphabetized and perfectly aligned, every painting parallel to the ceiling.

There is a small courtyard attatched to the foyer, with a small, aromatic herb garden and two marble benches. It is inhabited by Lalit, a large, irritable male Blue Peafowl, the national bird of Tamil. Nagendra and the peacock are mortal enemies.





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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:24 pm


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If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not,
after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster,
the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance,
the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty…

Robert Green Ingersoll


SCENT OF THE CHASE

Friends: --

Acquaintances: --

Enemies: --

Lusted After: good god, not yet, you rat

Not Yet Met:

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:25 pm


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Look like the innocent flower
But be the serpent under it.

William Shakespeare



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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:28 pm


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And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.


Events
4/22/07: Ah, the masquerade is over. What an ordeal!
4/04/07: Sati's business partner, S., sent her a ticket to some...masquerade-thing in the General's mansion. Man, it seems like there'd be a lot of nice things there...too bad I'm still oil.
Oh thank the gods. If I have to go to a godforsaken dance at least I shan't be burdened with that ungrateful child. **wipes monocle clean** I'll have to have Words with S. Ohhhh, I will have Words.


Updates
6/21/06: Nageh is a kid! Woop!
4/04/07: Journal up, all posts up, purchase RP post reserved. Phew. Hard at work here, yo.








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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:29 pm


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Hush! Hush! Hush! Come closer to me. Look into my eyes!
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I always was a fascinating creature, tender, sensitive, and grateful. I was wise and I was noble. And I am so flexible in the writhing of my graceful body that it will afford you joy to watch my easy dance. Now I shall coil up into a ring, flash my scales dimly, wind myself around tenderly and clasp my steel body in my gentle, cold embraces. One in many! One in many!

Hush! Hush! Look into my eyes!

You do not like my writhing and my straight, open look? Oh, my head is heavy--therefore I sway about so quietly. Oh, my head is heavy--therefore I look so straight ahead, as I sway about. Come closer to me. Give me a little warmth; stroke my wise forehead with your fingers; in its fine outlines you will find the form of a cup into which flows wisdom, the dew of the evening-flowers. When I draw the air by my writhing, a trace is left in it--the design of the finest of webs, the web of dream-charms, the enchantment of noiseless movements, the inaudible hiss of gliding lines. I am silent and I sway myself. I look ahead and I sway myself. What strange burden am I carrying on my neck?

I love you.

I always was a fascinating creature, and loved tenderly those I loved. Come closer to me. Do you see my white, sharp, enchanting little teeth? Kissing, I used to bite. Not painfully, no--just a trifle. Caressing tenderly, I used to bite a little, until the first bright little drops appeared, until a cry came forth which sounded like the laugh produced by tickling. That was very pleasant--think not it was unpleasant; otherwise they whom I kissed would not come back for more kisses. It is now that I can kiss only once--how sad--only once! One kiss for each--how little for a loving heart, for a sensitive soul, striving for a great union! But it is only I, the sad one, who kiss but once, and must seek love again--he knows no other love any more: to him my one, tender, nuptial kiss is inviolable and eternal. I am speaking to you frankly; and when my story is ended--I will kiss you.

I love you.



Oh!

Do not fall. My story is not yet ended. Come closer to me.

And then I crawled into the stupid forest, into my green dominion.

Now it is a new way, a terrible way! I was kind like a queen; and like a queen I bowed graciously to the right and to the left. And they--they ran away! Like a queen I bowed benevolently to the right and to the left--and they, queer people--they ran away. What do you think? Why did they run away? What do you think? Look into my eyes. Do you see in them a certain glimmer and a flash? The rays of my crown blind your eyes, you are petrified, you are lost. I shall soon dance my last dance---do not fall. I shall coil into rings, I shall flash my scales dimly, and I shall clasp my steel body in my gentle, cold embraces. Here I am! Accept my only kiss, my nuptial kiss--in it is the deadly grief of all oppressed lives.

One in many! One in many!

Bend down to me. I love you.

Die!


THE SERPENT'S STORY, Leonid Andreyev, from The Crushed Flower and Other Stories, 1916



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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:30 pm


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Revenant alors à la blanche coline, le ciel ayant ouvert ses vannes,
il me sembla près de moi sentir une présence, les pieds dans l’eau comme celui
qui vient de recevoir la marque du baptème, me retournant vers l’est,
face à moi je vis déroulant sans fin ses anneaux,
l’énorme SERPENT ROUGE cité dans les parchemins,
salée et amère, l’énorme bête déchainée devint au pied de ce mont blanc,
rouge en colère.




Returning then to the white hill, the sky having opened its gates,
it seems there is a presence near me, the feet in the water like him
who has just been baptised, turning myself again towards the east
facing me I saw unrolling without end, his coils,
the enormous SERPENT ROUGE cited in the parchments,
salty and bitter, the enormous beast unleashed
became at the foot of this white hill,
red with anger.




"Le Serpent Rouge", Author Unknown





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PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:31 pm


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L
ord Krishna saw how the Kāliya serpent had polluted the Yamunā River with his terribly powerful poison. Since Krishna had descended from the spiritual world specifically to subdue envious demons, the Lord immediately climbed to the top of a very high kadamba tree and prepared Himself for battle. He tightened His belt, slapped His arms and then jumped into the poisonous water.

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead landed in the serpent's lake, the snakes there became extremely agitated and began breathing heavily, further polluting it with volumes of poison. The force of the Lord's entrance into the lake caused it to overflow on all sides, and poisonous, fearsome waves flooded the surrounding lands up to a distance of one hundred bow-lengths. This is not at all amazing, however, for the Supreme Lord possesses infinite strength.

Krishna began sporting in Kāliya's lake like a lordly elephant — swirling His mighty arms and making the water resound in various ways. When Kāliya heard these sounds, he understood that someone was trespassing in his lake. The serpent could not tolerate this and immediately came forward.

Kāliya saw that Śrī Krishna, who wore yellow silken garments, was very delicate, His attractive body shining like a glowing white cloud, His chest bearing the mark of Śrīvatsa, His face smiling beautifully and His feet resembling the whorl of a lotus flower. The Lord was playing fearlessly in the water. Despite His wonderful appearance, the envious Kāliya furiously bit Him on the chest and then completely enwrapped Him in his coils.

...

The Lord remained for some time within the coils of the serpent, imitating the behavior of an ordinary mortal. But when He understood that the women, children and other residents of His village of Gokula were in acute distress because of their love for Him, their only shelter and goal in life, He immediately rose up from the bonds of the Kāliya serpent.

His coils tormented by the expanding body of the Lord, Kāliya released Him. In great anger the serpent then raised his hoods high and stood still, breathing heavily. His nostrils appeared like vessels for cooking poison, and the staring eyes in his face like firebrands. Thus the serpent looked at the Lord.

Again and again Kāliya licked his lips with his bifurcated tongues as He stared at Krishna with a glance full of terrible, poisonous fire. But Krishna playfully circled around him, just as Garuda would play with a snake. In response, Kāliya also moved about, looking for an opportunity to bite the Lord.

Having severely depleted the serpent's strength with His relentless circling, Śrī Krishna, the origin of everything, pushed down Kāliya's raised shoulders and mounted his broad serpentine heads. Thus Lord Śrī Krishna, the original master of all fine arts, began to dance, His lotus feet deeply reddened by the touch of the numerous jewels upon the serpent's heads.

Seeing the Lord dancing, His servants in the heavenly planets -- the Gandharvas, Siddhas, sages, Caranas and wives of the demigods -- immediately arrived there. With great pleasure they began accompanying the Lord's dancing by playing drums such as mridangas, panavas and anakas. They also made offerings of songs, flowers and prayers.

My dear King, Kāliya had 101 prominent heads, and when one of them would not bow down, Lord Śrī Krishna, who inflicts punishment on cruel wrong-doers, would smash that stubborn head by striking it with His feet. Then, as Kāliya entered his death throes, he began wheeling his heads around and vomiting ghastly blood from his mouths and nostrils. The serpent thus experienced extreme pain and misery.




The Mahabharta, Chapter 16: Krishna Chastises the Serpent Kāliya






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sumisueme


sumisueme

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 9:32 pm


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Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.
Chanakya


Nagendra/Sati Kuchhal © sumisueme
Solace Scents © _shouko_ / olivia solace
Solace Scents official art ©_shouko_
Sati art/banners © sumisueme
Quotes and photographs © respective owners
Journal idea credit to anyaXD


...and my sincerest apologies to anyone who tries to load this page on dialup. 8D;;;







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