A Geisha (or geisha expy) would make a good backstory for a bard, tbh
Most begin training at a young age; historically it could start as early as six, but nowadays girls are required by law to finish middle school (age 15), and most start right after high school and become fully fledged geisha by 21
Profession relies on talented performances, rigid beauty standards, and conversational skills
Trained in traditional dance, several instruments, card games, and tea ceremonies
Legally obligated to leave a trail of broken hearts behind them; geisha can date and have boyfriends, but aren’t allowed to get married until they retire, because they’re almost literally “married to the job”
Historically connected to courtesans but don’t practice prostitution (at least, not since it was made illegal in Japan; as far as I can tell before that it varied on a case by case basis) and definitely don’t auction off people’s virginity ARTHUR GOLDEN
Geisha houses are run entirely by women; your boss is literally called a Den Mother (and afaik sometimes adopts her employees?), your seniors are called your older sisters, and your juniors are younger sisters
In conclusion: mondo talented & charismatic, have the respectability of a 19th century opera singer who’s also somebody’s mistress, and come with a colorful cast of women in their backstories. Perfect bard material.
Further thoughts re: lore
Considering Japanese aesthetics are very based in nature and the changing of the seasons it’d be very easy to have this be primarily or originally an elf profession. There are one or two foreign geisha out of the hundred or so active in Japan (I remember reading about a Romanian and an American) so that’s not necessarily a barrier to making your character other races.
If you want an off-brand name, geisha districts are usually called “the flower and willow world” (based off the name for old red light districts, where their profession started as courtesan’s assistants) so it’d be easy to make a pun on that.
Geisha houses also usually have themed stage names; you take the first or last character of your mentor’s name and use it in your own. My favorite contemporary example is the Umeno Okiya, which has two juniors named Umehana and Umesana. For western names you could probably go with a more basic theme like starting with the same letter or types of flowers.
The makeup takes about two hours to finish, Maiko (apprentice) kimono weight about 20 lbs total, and fully trained geisha wear wigs so they don’t have to go the hairdresser every week or worry about fucking up their hair style when they sleep, so it’d actually be really easy to never have the party see you in full costume until you bust it out on the right occasion.
For instruments I’d go with a flute, a lute, and a dulcimer, since they scan with the shamisen, shakuhachi, and koto respectively. You also have your pick of Japanese drums.
An apprentice’s fees are paid by for by the geisha house, so she’ll stay with them to work off her debt and then transition to independence afterwards, but may choose to stay affiliated with them even while living independently. So barring a catastrophic backstory, any wandering adventurer is gonna be fully trained.
Independent geisha can have sponsors (Danna) who finance their day to day living. It’s a private arrangement and not necessarily a sexual one, though they may be dating or having an affair. This started out as a way for members of the merchant class to show off their wealth, and though it’s not as common anymore you can find geisha who are sponsors by individuals, companies, or wealthy women.
They aren’t allowed to marry, but they can date and have children, so don’t be afraid to let your bard be as slutty as you like.
