#Yeshe the temple painter

[the-iron-orchid]

NGL, I really like the 'yeah you work at my lavish kinky sex parties, but our working relationship is totally normal, respectful and possibly even friendly' dynamic with Evander and those who provide services to said gatherings

Like sure, Yeshe and Coral and The Brewer and The Bouncer have certainly all seen some Very Interesting Things at these parties... but what happens in Evander's gardens, stays in Evander's gardens

...At the same time, I like to think of these characters absolutely talking smack about the canon characters from the sidelines like Statler and Waldorf 😂

Yeshe: "My goodness, I didn't know the good doctor had it in him."

Coral: "Well he sure does have it in him now!"

Both: "Dohohohohoho!"

[the-iron-orchid]

;_;

“It’s hard to be lucky.”  He says.

He is lucky to be alive and as well healed as he is following his injuries.  He is able to live an independent life - but he is disabled, and always will be.  It’s complex.

It’s as complex as it is for Yeshe, who is very lucky to have survived the plague, but will always live with both physical and visible reminders of it.

It’s hard for friends reuniting after the devastation to their city and the loss of many they knew.  While their interactions are generally cheerful and professional, meeting after everything makes for emotional shit.

[the-iron-orchid]

Yeshe, the Temple Painter. It looks like someone has accosted xem while about xir business, which is a good way to get rapped in the shins with xir cane tbh 😂

(This sculpt takes expressions REALLY well, I can't wait to put every silly grimace and frown on xir face. Adding the grey hairs is a challenge because of the way the hair is UV'd, but I think it looks aight!)

[the-iron-orchid]

Possibly the worst thing about Arjun trying to reclaim his good name by serving his 'liberator' is that he isn't good at much that would actually be helpful to Yeshe lmao 😅

He can't cook, he's bad at cleaning, he doesn't know how to grind pigments or stretch a canvas or mend things. Yeshe doesn't really need a bodyguard; xe's lived in Vesuvia all of xir life and is well aware of its dangers, most of which a swift rap with a hardwood cane will do for anyway.

Pretty much all he can do for xem is to lift heavy things, carry stuff around and reach high shelves on occasion, oops

[the-iron-orchid]

I will return to rendering shortly! Recovery is a bit slow but we gettin there 🐌

Until then, I am thinking entirely too much about how Vesuvia's sanitation system works because I don't want my little guys to freeze their nalgas off trying to get to a fucking outhouse in the middle of the night lmao

(I also don't want them to die of carbon monoxide poisoning from using charcoal braziers indoors when you can just, like, have a vent?)

Of course I can magic all this shit away with Jinana and Heron, but what about people who are neither magicians themselves, nor rich nobility, but also not impoverished? What do their lifestyles look like? That's some of what I'm looking to get into with Yeshe (besides the obligatory Statler and Waldorf-ing, lmao).

Well, that and also issues of long-term disability, its effects on self-image, being estranged from your birth culture, and other such light subjects. ;P

[the-iron-orchid]

❝  i’m not expecting anything,  i just,  thought it’d be nice to keep you company tonight. ❞

For Yeshe and Arjun because I feel like causing problems on purpose.

The FACE I am MAKING right NOW Pearl

Background: I haven't even finished writing it all up yet... we just thought it'd be funny to saddle Yeshe with a naga character with traits vaguely based on my actual pet snek lmao The gist is that years ago, the Nagaraja sent messengers around the world to warn of the Devil's plans. However, Arjun, the one sent to Venterre, was caught. Worse, because his serpent form is leucistic, he was bound in that form and given to Lucio for his menagerie. He remained captive for years, even after Lucio's death and the Devil being bound. While visiting the Countess's restored animal sanctuary, Yeshe accidentally frees Arjun by speaking the Mantra for Animal Liberation over him - something xe does out of habit as part of xir spiritual practice. Arjun declares that he now owes service to his liberator, otherwise he would be disgraced for not repaying his debt on top of failing his mission. The rest is sitcom history...)

Yeshe squints at Arjun over the mending in xir hands. For all of his decades of life beyond xir own, he is still somewhat young... for a naga. It shows in his brashness, even cockiness at times.

This diffidence, mild as it is, is unlike him.

"You keep my company all day, Arjun." In fact, xe cannot leave the flat without him shadowing, ready to defend from all manner of imagined city threats, puffing his chest at anyone who gets too close. It's become something of a point of amusement in the Marketplace.

The naga's pale eyes flick aside. That is also unusual; he often stares like a snake, seldom blinking.

"Are your rooms not to your liking?" xe asks. "I'm sure the Countess would be happy to have them changed for you."

"No... no, they are very comfortable," he answers.

Xe pauses, taking in the attitude of his shoulders as he slumps, his elbows resting on the table. "Forgive me, but... are you homesick?"

A faintly stricken look comes over his face, then he sighs. "It's not important."

"Arjun, you are very far from your people... and you have been for some years. It would be strange if you didn't feel that way." Xe sets down the work, folding xir hands. "I've told you... my freeing you was an accident. You don't owe me anything. You can go home whenever you want."

A scowl furrows his brow, disrupting the crimson line of his tilak. "And I have told you... I must do this, before I can return with any honor to my name at all."

It is Yeshe's turn to sigh, now. "But you miss your homeland."

"...yes. I miss the waters. I miss my siblings." He takes a deep breath. "I... don't like being alone."

To give to one in distress is a moral imperative, the Perfection of Generosity. That imperative is even greater when it is something intangible, given of the self - a teaching, or comfort. What must it be like, to be the only one of his kind in all of Vesuvia, perhaps on the continent?

"You don't have to be alone," xe says, reaching for xir cane, rising with its aid. Arjun looks up at xem questioningly. "You may stay. As for the waters... well. I'm sure there's some place where you can at least go for a nice swim."

"The Palace waters are quite nice... if you don't mind the vampire eels." He laughs, showing the little points of his fangs. "Of course, they are afraid of me."

Yeshe gives the naga a narrow look. "Are you saying that you are the mythical King Eel of the Palace moat?"

His grin broadens. "It isn't my fault if people can't tell a giant snake from a giant eel."

-----

Arjun prefers to sleep in his natural form. His humanoid half rests quite normally on the pillow, but the vast coils of his snake-tail loop about under the coverlet, trailing off the edge of the bed. A cat has curled up in one of these loops, like a nest. Another cat has insinuated itself behind what would be his legs... if he had them at the moment. He seems to have fallen asleep the moment he arranged himself, no longer alone.

Samsara is a strange place. All beings have been all things to each other, over and over again through beginningless time, returning and forgetting. Perhaps Yeshe has become too complacent, too attached to xir current way of life, and this is the action of karma, disrupting that.

Having crossed over, I will rescue others. Having liberated myself, I will liberate others. Having found comfort, I will comfort others. Having attained parinirvana, I will cause others to attain it.

Both of them have taken a vow - he to xem, and xem to all beings.

There is little for it but to see how it all plays out.

[the-iron-orchid]

Quickie comparison render! Yeah, they're both short and they both have big dark eyes, but Yeshe is even shorter and a bit stockier, with smaller hips and bigger boobs 😅Xe is also rather pale due to largely staying indoors, thanks to post-Plague light sensitivity. But I suppose there is some slight resemblance, lmao

So should I give Yeshe a bunch of mantra tats, or no? :D

[the-iron-orchid]

Name: Yeshe Dorje (Dharma name, birth name unknown) Pronouns: Xe/xem/xir, will accept they/them Gender: Agender Age: mid-40s Occupation: Temple painter, decorative painter for hire Nationality: Vesuvian-born, of mixed Nopali origin Favorite Food: Veggie masala with akki roti Favorite drinks: Mango lassi, butter tea Favorite Animal: Cats Favorite Color: Ultramarine Favorite Flower: Carnation Major Arcanum: The Moon Minor Arcanum: Knight of Cups

Fun Facts:

Xir family came to Vesuvia a few generations ago from the Nopal region, intermarrying with locals and other ex-pats, creating an extensively mixed bloodline.

Feeds the feral cats around the Temple District and lets them wander in and out of xir flat, ostensibly to keep mice from gnawing on xir paints and brushes.

Suffers a number of post-Plague complications, including fatigue, joint pain and dizzy spells that require xem to use a cane for safety. Wears an enchanted necklace made by Heron to disguise xir Plague-scarred eyes. Wears loose, soft clothing due to lingering skin sensitivity issues. Needs glasses for close work thanks to age and Plague damage.

Kind of lives on butter tea, especially when working on an emergency devotional painting for an ill or dying person (which traditionally must be completed within 24 hours of beginning it).

Is a practitioner of the Diamond Path, which makes xir works more spiritually valuable, but not an ordained monk.

Regularly has henna applied to fingertips and feet to protect the skin from cracking.

Likely to have a paintbrush stuck in xir hair to keep it back, then to forget where the paintbrush is.

Associates:

Coral, The Cheesemonger (friend and artistic associate)

The Brewer (friend)

The Bouncer (QPP and flatmate)

Heron Phan (goods supplier)

Jinana Aditya (goods supplier)

Evander Murena (patron)

Count Lucio (former patron)

Nadia Satrinava (former patron)

Countless feral cats of the Temple District

More TBD!

Quotes:

"i have seen far more of the Count's taint than I ever wanted to, which was zero. Sadly, life in Samsara is suffering."

"Sometimes wrathful action is the better part of compassion, and I'm about to get real compassionate."

(in the presence of demons) "Om Vajrapani Hum PHAT get the fuck outta here!"

"I didn't survive the Red Plague just to get taken out by questionable barbecued eel skewers."

[the-iron-orchid]

Bonus: Yeshe the temple painter is not well, but xe takes it one day at a time. (Xe has one of the pendants that Heron gives out to Plague survivors, in an effort to reduce discrimination. It casts a small glamour to hide the scarring of their eyes.)

[the-iron-orchid]

The Temple Painter no longer goes by xir birth name, as when xe became apprenticed to a painter from the Land of Snows xe was given a new name: Yeshe Dorje, meaning 'Invincible Wisdom'. Xe has been known by this name for the better part of xir life.

The Land of Snows is generally considered to be part of the northern Prakran Empire, residing on a high-elevation plateau that makes the climate much, much colder than its surroundings. Political upheavals and clashes with Prakran rule have sent some of their religious leaders out into the world, where their words and ideas have found traction with spiritual seekers of other cultures. Vesuvia is home to a number of their temples, often admired for the vibrant and complex beauty of their religious artworks.

After spending years as a struggling aspiring artist, making ends meet through various odd jobs, a chance meeting with one of the Temple District artists changed everything for the Temple Painter. The older painter took xem on as an apprentice, passing on what he knew, saying it was xir karma that had brought xem here. Through the merit accrued by creating such art, xe might walk the path to eventual enlightenment.

Merit or no, xe found this structured art form to be most agreeable, and spent over a decade doing nothing but this - painting the deities, decorating statues and lintels and temple walls in vivid colors, even gilding the bodies of temple dancers for performances. It was an austere life, living primarily on temple donations and the odd commission for the long life of a lama or a noble, but was a reliable one.

And then xe came to the attention of Count Lucio.

He had already been reigning in Vesuvia for well over a decade, but it had had little effect on Yeshe's little world in the Temple District. Sometimes, xe had even benefited from his showy donations to the temples (it never hurts to hedge your bets when it comes to the gods, after all).

On this day, xe happened to be working on the image of a deity in embrace with consort, representing the union of Wisdom and Compassion, of the transcendence of dualism. All of the ornaments and painted brocades must be carefully gilded and burnished, and so xe was outdoors, taking advantage of the sunlight to work. The bright colors, quantity of shining gold, and subject matter instantly drew the eye of the Count.

It was well-known that to refuse the honor of the Count's patronage was to invite his particular wrath, and there is no proscription against temple painters taking other commissions for pay - everyone has to eat, after all. And so began the long hours of painting the Count's ridiculous imaginings... and the resulting increase in income. Yeshe gritted xir teeth and ground the pigments and resins and boiled the bone glue, preparing the fine gold paint according to the secret recipe handed down from teacher to student, stretching the canvas with the same care xe used for the images of deities. By dint of the Count's patronage, xe was soon able to purchase an abode for xir parents, and then for xemself, making it all worthwhile.

Xe ultimately contracted the Red Plague near the very end of its rampage through Vesuvia, surviving only because xe was fortunate enough to live slightly longer than Lucio himself did. There are numerous lingering effects on xir body, including chronic joint and muscle pain, crushing fatigue, and the characteristic reddened eyes of a Plague survivor.

Xir paintings now collect dust in the Count's wing of the palace, forgotten, which suits xir just fine. There was, however, one final beneficial side-effect to the Count's patronage: coming to the attention of another member of the nobility, one Evander Murena.

~ MORE SELF-INDULGENT AUTHOR'S NOTES :D

Yeshe ཡེ་ཤེས is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanskrit word jñāna ज्ञान :) I'm sure you see what I did there lmao

Dorje རྡོ་རྗེ is the equivalent of the Sanskrit vajra, the weapon of Indra. It symbolizes something indestructible like a diamond, a force as irresistible as a thunderbolt, so is generally translated as 'invincible'.

Both of these words are very common given names in Tibet and Bhutan. Yeshe is unisex, Dorje is generally masculine, but as the Temple Painter is nonbinary, both are appropriate (something something transcending duality something)

It's very common upon taking refuge to receive a highly auspicious Dharma name that also contains the name of the lama bestowing it (in this case, Yeshe). It's seen as something to live up to, as well as something that potentially bestows the quality itself.

I haven't received a Dharma name yet, but maybe one day I will!

I did come into thangka painting through a total chance meeting - while attending a meditation class, I saw a flyer for a thangka painting course. It really drew me at a very directionless point in my life (I had just had to stop working due to disability), and my teacher seems to have a lot of faith in my ability... so ten years later, here I am lol

My teacher has passed on a lot of knowledge, including the really traditional stuff like canvas-making, bone-glue paint binder, and the use of natural pigments (something I really want to try my own hand at, but it is both expensive and difficult). For the most part, I just use gouache - though I do make my own gold paint in the old-fashioned way, because there is no real substitute for it.

The main parallel here, of course, is that I myself became disabled after a viral illness years ago - I got very sick one winter, and then I never really got better. Ironically, I'm also prone to periodically having one or both eyes become reddened, painful, and light-sensitive (iritis). Woooo creepy plague-eyes woooo~

[the-iron-orchid]

A little moodboard for @luasworkshop: The relationship of Evander and Yeshe as Patron and Artist.

(Featuring two makara, the Peacock Wisdom Queen Mahāmāyūrī, and the four-armed emanation of Avalokiteśvara/Chenrezig.)

[the-iron-orchid]

excuse u i draw the line at lucio not paying his artists for his nonsense, he's more like that deep-pocketed furry commissioner with Weird Kinks but the money's good tho

lol that's fair, tho I really wouldn't put it past him to make at least one attempt to tip via sexual favors (not to save money, just to get laid)

He's probably also the commissioner who insists on posing himself, for accuracy, and the Temple Painter has seen far more of that man than they ever wanted to lmao

Anyway he's been painted at least once as a being with six arms, three faces, and just as many dicks

[the-iron-orchid]

The novelty of having himself portrayed in the style of an erotic temple painting or wrathful god only lasted so long for Lucio, in his typical fashion. Eventually, more of Yeshe's time went to decorative projects around the Palace in order to please the Countess.

Evander Murena happened upon xem working on precisely this, during one of Lucio's soirees for the nobility. While seeking out Marcus Aquila (who at the time was very young, very new to eir position under the Quaestor, and very stressed), he paused to admire the swirling gilded lotuses Yeshe was painting around the door to one of the many bath chambers of the Palace.

The polite and respectful inquiry from a passing noble rather took xem off-guard. Their conversation ended with an agreement to decorate the bow of Evander's personal watercraft with makara, an auspicious and protective emblem.

Over the course of this, Evander became aware of xir other forms of work, beginning a rather more fulfilling sort of client relationship as Palace demands on xir time began to lessen. In the final year before the Red Plague took hold in the city, xe was largely alternating between xir sacred-art duties and working for Evander - painting doorways, boats, private works, and even the bodies of performers and guests at his exclusive gatherings.

Of course, all of this came to an abrupt halt as the Red Plague rampaged through the city. Yeshe held out longer than most, likely due to the treatments provided by the monks of the temples - over a week. By the end of it, xe was on the brink of death, first delirious, then comatose. Xe then awakened some hours after Lucio's immolation, bewildered and too exhausted to speak... but alive.

Some time after the Plague was confirmed gone from the city, a parcel arrived at Yeshe's residence by private courier, along with a note:

I hope this letter finds you in health. Should you have the inclination, your talents are always welcome. Please accept the enclosed as a token of esteem and a contribution to your work. - Evander

Alongside the note was a carved wooden box, containing small jars of finely ground mineral pigments, and a little enameled container full of a quantity of dun-colored chips, smaller than a pinky nail. Unassuming or even ugly to the uninitiated, these last were in fact a great treasure - pure powdered gold, suspended in drops of binder for safety in travel, imported straight from The Land of Snows. Yeshe was in no shape to make these xirself for some time during xir recovery, but Evander's gift allowed xir to begin painting again, propped up in xir bed.

After a few months, xe was able to be out and about again, albeit with the aid of cane, and wearing smoked glasses to cover xir Plague-scarred eyes. Xe happened upon Heron's booth in the Center City Market, where he donated the magic-imbued necklace that disguises this. In gratitude, xe painted the scarab-and-lotus motifs that decorate the doorways of the eponymous shop. Later, xe was able to make enough money to commission a set of Heron's magically-perfect magnifying lenses to aid xir finer work.

In the present day, xe continues to split xir painting time between the spiritual and the worldly; the one benefits all sentient beings, the other keeps a roof over xir head and food on xir table (and in the bellies of the Temple District's feral cat population).

[the-iron-orchid]

If nothing else, Lucio did pump a lot of cash into the pockets of various Vesuvian artists. Whether this was good for one's artistic reputation or not is debatable, but if you were willing and able to realize Lucio's latest wildly kinky fantasy image, you certainly would not go hungry.

The Temple Painter was spotted during one of Lucio's tours of the district, where he would make a big show of 'providing for his people' by tossing alms and sweets to the impoverished outside the temples. (Never mind that he could have provided much more by actually paying for civic infrastructure projects...)

By its very nature, the esoteric subject matter that the Temple Painter specializes in involves a great deal of highly-adorned nudity and representations of sacred sexual congress, all of it in bright colors and shining gold. Of course this drew the eye of the Count, who was not to be refused in this way.

But the Temple Painter didn't suffer through all those sittings staring at the Count's gleaming, freshly-waxed buttcheeks for nothing - with time, they went from living in a cramped rented space in one of Vesuvia's many insulae to outright purchasing a rather nice little flat in the Temple District itself.

(A/N wrt sacred art under the cut)

The linked images were made by my own painting teacher, who was trained in the Karma Gadri style of thangka painting, a lineage originating from the 8th Karmapa. Thangka painting is very rigorous and well-defined, and while there is some artistic license available in ornamentation choices and such, by and large it is a tightly prescribed art form. To be done properly, it requires direct transmission from a teacher - that is, you must interact with someone who has been trained and have them oversee your work.

However, its overall style and decorative elements do transfer well to other forms of artwork, and some contemporary thangka artists are also creating social commentary and pop-art works alongside their sacred art, like Ang Tsherin Sherpa.

[the-iron-orchid]

I'd like to make a model of Yeshe the Temple Painter, if only so I can eventually render xem painting for Evander or making faces at Lucio, but finding a good texture resource is v hard

Some of us mixed bitches be kinda green ok (they just call it 'olive-skinned' to be nice lmao)

[the-iron-orchid]

RIP to the person who hates my face (I was hoping at least one person would pick that one lmaoooo) but ig we're doing this

Fun fact - doing this sort of thing in the past has actually helped quite a bit with self-esteem and body image issues, I recommend!

Anyway, the Temple Painter's favorite refrain is: "I paint gods in the temples, you know", generally while painting a tasteful design on someone's buttcheek at one of Evander's parties. (The rest of the time, they really are making temple paintings and devotional paintings for individuals, but it is NOT a high-paying job - just ask my thangka teacher...)

Painting bodies and the occasional bit of classical erotica pays the bills, and it certainly beats the old days - when Lucio would commission images of himself having wildly improbable Tantric sex, would not take no for an answer, and would then try to stiff them on the fee ;P

The old-timers from my last fandom will remember what happened the last time I did a self-insert comic relief character lmaooooo