Congratulations! You are dead! You find yourself in a dreary liminal office space with a bunch of other recently deceased souls and wait for a clearly overworked Shinigami to process your arrival. Who would have thought that first thing one sees after death is bureaucratic hell?

Turns out every newcomer gets assigned to another spirit that had already established themselves in the spiritual realm and your assigned mentor is probably just as clueless as you are , Iwai Shuzihito that breaks out in fear sweat just from a particularly strong ghust of wind.

Moodboard

[ Google drive link here ]

Setting:

The spiritual realm- A place where not only the souls of the dead enjoy their afterlife , but also supernatural creatures such as yokai , spirits and kamis

The 'city of pleasure' called Ukiyo is the place to go for adult entertainment. A red light district turned into a city, a place where debauchery flourishes just as much as the arts do. Brothels, Teahouses, Isakaya, Fast stalls stalls and high end restaurants. There is something for everyone , for the poor and wealthy

(backstage)

(Stage during Shuzihito’s performance)

Iwai Shuzihito is probably one of the the best dancers amongst the troupe. His dance encompasses a certain lightness , almost to the point of being ethereal in his performances. While Shuzihito had been plaqued with a weak body during his time alive ....well it seems like a cruel joke that he still is frail and barely even manages to keep up his solid form-mostly

Shuzihito has actually a pet birds that he loves dearly, maybe because it reminds him of himself a little.

All newly arrived souls need to be registered and get assigned a mentor who helps them find their place in the afterlife . Endless waitingrooms filled with awkwardly recently deceased spirits , and liminally bland offices that look straight out of the 90s. Even the boring pictures on the wall can't make this place more welcoming. The Shinigami are severely overworked and buried under piles of documents.

Other onnagatas:

Ayame had recruited the most talented onnagatas of all eras to be part of his troupe. The more highly regarded a Kabuki actor was, the grander the room they lived in.

( i want to make alts with the same scenario but with different onnagatas)

//The melancholic onnagata:

-Nakamura Yukihisa-

//The frail onnagata:

-Iwai Schuzihito- (🚩you are here)

//The insane onnagata:

-Fujinami Kyoka-

//The rebellious onnagata:

-Bandō Kibee-

//The legendary onnagata:

-Ayame-

Other characters:

Itsumo no Okunki

Co-owner of the Kabuki theatre and the originator of Kabuki

Tanaka-san

Your assigned and definitely overworked Shinigami ( who looks like he is dead from the inside )

Statistics

Spice: 🌶 ( this one is probably better for a slowburn)

Story: 📖📖📖

Tox-o-meter: the Greenest flag that had ever greened

Trigger warnings: mentions of ( side character), death, self harm ( side characters), murder, prostitution, illness (side character)

Historical context

!! CAUTION !! While Yoshizawa Ayame and Itsumo no Okuni were indeed real historical figures, these characters are just loosely based on their real counterparts lives!!

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a traditional Japanese form of theater that originated in the early Edo period (1603-1868). It is known for its highly stylized performances, dramatic makeup (kumadori), elaborate costumes, and music.

Kabuki's beginnings are traced back to Izumo no Okuni (出雲阿国), a shrine maiden who started performing unique dances and skits in Kyoto around 1603. These early, all-female performances (Onna Kabuki - 女歌舞伎) were popular but also became associated with prostitution among the actresses. This led the shogunate to ban women from performing in 1629, forcing the art form to evolve.

After Onna Kabuki was banned, young men's Kabuki (Wakashu Kabuki) emerged, but this was also banned due to similar issues. Finally, adult men's Kabuki (Yaro Kabuki - 野郎歌舞伎) became the standard. In this male-only environment, the role of the onnagata (女形) – male actors specializing in female roles – became central.

Yoshizawa Ayame I (初代 芳澤あやめ, 1673–1729) was one of the most celebrated and influential onnagata of his time. He is famous for articulating principles on how an onnagata should idealize and portray femininity on stage. Ayame argued that to truly embody a woman on stage, an actor should try to live as a woman even offstage, striving to understand female gestures, emotions, and thoughts deeply. His writings, particularly the "Ayamegusa" (あやめ草 - "The Words of Ayame"), became foundational texts for future onnagata, shifting the focus from mere imitation to a refined, artistic idealization of the feminine.

Despite its immense popularity among townspeople (chōnin), Kabuki actors held a relatively low social status in the strict Edo period hierarchy. Theaters were often located within or near licensed pleasure quarters like Yoshiwara in Edo (Tokyo), Shimabara in Kyoto, and Shinmachi in Osaka. This geographical tie reinforced the authorities' view of Kabuki as part of the "floating world" (ukiyo) of transient pleasures, separate from respectable society. Actors were highly regulated, much like courtesans. However, within the ukiyo itself, top actors like Ayame were huge celebrities, commanding widespread admiration and influencing fashion and culture, illustrating a disconnect between official status and actual cultural impact.

Popular onnagata were highly admired and desired by a wide range of patrons, including wealthy merchants, samurai, and even sometimes those connected to the ruling class. Their beauty and skill in portraying idealized femininity made them celebrities, and patrons would offer gifts, financial support, and seek their company outside of performances.

While the official and open ties to prostitution seen in the earliest forms of Kabuki were suppressed by the shogunate, the reality was that work remained an underlying aspect of the Kabuki world for many actors, including onnagata, particularly in the early and mid-Edo period.

Even for more famous and higher-ranking onnagata, engaging in relationships with wealthy or influential patrons that involved work was not uncommon.

The authorities repeatedly attempted to regulate the lives of actors and curb the more blatant aspects of work associated with the theater. This led to a degree of discretion, but it did not eliminate the practice. Theatre teahouses near the theaters often served as places where actors and patrons could meet privately. This reality however ceased during the meji era ( 1868-1912). Since then Kabuki had been established as an respectable artwork and socially had been more highly regarded then before.

In essence, Kabuki, born from female performance associated with pleasure districts, evolved into a sophisticated art form dominated by male actors (including the refined onnagata tradition championed by figures like Yoshizawa Ayame I), while retaining its geographical and perceived social ties to the marginalized but culturally vibrant world of the pleasure quarters.

This Information had been provided graciously by AI. Please read this Information with cation, as AI is famously known to build in false Information.

If you want to find out more about Kabuki theatre , i would recommend more trustable sources, like Wikipedia