Canon/Headcanon and Fanon explanations to the Gensokyo I am creating
Hello, if you are a fan of my works, this page isn't something for you.
If you are a Touhou Fan, it might be an interesting snippet of information that you can look at, but it won't enhance your experience with my work by a considerable amount.
If you are a hardcore Touhou Fan, this is for you. For you, before you run into my door and accuse me being a filthy fanon brain rot person.
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The Touhou Project is a series created by Jun'ya Ota, alias ZUN. ZUN barely puts any restrictions on individual people creating derivative works of the Touhou brand, since his origins come from the doujin circles themselves.
As that, a major and big part of the Touhou Fandom are the Fan Works. Music, Games, Manga, Doujins, Fanart, even entire Fan Anime, the Touhou Project as a whole is an IP shaped by its fans creating things.
Of course, there are canon works. The games created by ZUN themselves, the official Manga's, etc.
Still, trying to create a derivative Touhou work on the strictly canon...
...is boring and kind of pointless? A doujin is the most fun, when people take artistic liberties and write characters in a way that makes sense, but doesn't contradict the official.
Not to mention that ZUN leaves a lot of gaps one can work with to create an interesting story.
So, what is the purpose of this auxiliary chapter?
Well, it's simple.
It's ONE giant dump of lore. Locations, characters, sources, etc. I'll provide everything and explain what parts are canon, my head canon and shaped by fanon, all while providing sources.
By the end of it, only the hardcore fans will stay to read this "exposition chapters".
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The OC I am inserting into the story:
Man...
...I have no idea, alright? This about the 13th time I am re-writing this section here, alright? I am just going to go out on a leg and say that I am the fucking system and the OC is just an OC that isn't a self-insert.
We'll see what I decide deeper down the path.
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Rin Satsuki:
Oh boy, where to start with this one?
A third playable character that could have appeared in the first game of the new Touhou canon that starts with the first Windows game of the series, Touhou 6 - Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, but was cut due to time constraints.
What do we canonically know about her?
Well...
8D E1 8C 8E 20 97 D9
...you might be wondering what those numbers and letters represent.
That's all the hexadecimal code that was left of her in the game. Outside of that, she doesn't exist.
You know what, just visit the en.touhou.wiki.net page for her or watch a video about scrapped content. I don't have much to say about her myself.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Rin_Satsuki
https://youtu.be/RcjhM4tfPq4?t=441
...
What, the background and design of my OC coincidentally aligns with how the Fandom draws/portrays Rin Satsuki?
Honestly, it's more of a coincidence than anything else.
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Reimu Hakurei:
The protagonist of the series with the ability of floating. The Shrine Maiden of paradise who is lazy and doesn't want to do her job.
Or is she?
Throughout the time of the series from 2002 to today, ignoring the PC-98 era, we have seen multiple facets of Reimu.
Especially with each different Manga series Reimu's personality seems to differ with each entry.
To explain my (probably) headcanon for why Reimu is the way she is, let's talk about some canon and fanon stuff first.
That is, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.
The Hakurei Shrine Maiden's duty is to watch over Gensokyo and resolve incidents for generation after generation.
And that's about everything I know that's 100% canon. What follows honestly sounds convincing enough for me to make me think it's real, but I do not have found a definitive source for it, so I'll treat it as the Lore the fanon shaped as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's duty.
That is, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden has to see everyone as equal. She is the absolute and invicible system that keeps order in Gensokyo in place.
Not being allowed to favour someone, treating everyone the same. Nothing more important than the other...
...at least, it's a pretty common theme that I saw in the earlier doujin works in the fandom.
And while the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's duty and Reimu's personality allign pretty well with that type of story...
...I personally don't have any confirmation that things are so, as supposed to just personal interpretations.
Back to why Reimu is acting like Reimu.
Having to balance her duty as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and her own personal desires.
Reimu is for a lack of better term, lazy, prideful and arrogant, as well as an airhead and a joyful person.
She is often seen in a good mood, until her routine is broken. She is quick to anger, but also get's over those situations pretty quickly. In other words, she doesn't hold grudges and a simple person.
An explanation as to why Reimu gives out so many different vibes, is because depending from the perspective we see Reimu from "the Reimu that humans see" or "the Reimu that Youkai see", etc are all different.
Anyways, that's all I am going to be talking about Reimu's personality, because if I do more, I am going to die.
There are many discussions and topics open about this particular topic that is shaped by canon, fanon and headcanon views. Especially on a topic like this.
If you are interested in more, look at my sources our do some research of your own.
Let's go to another topic. Her ability.
Her capability to float was first mentioned with that descirption, in her Last Word description in Imperishable Night.
While translations have officially translated that she is capable of floating, it could be also translated as to be frivolous, cheerful or to be uncertain/undefined.
My headcanon to Reimu's extend of her ability is basically that she has plot armor.
No bullshit, no hassle, life will play out for her like she wants to.
Now onto all my personal headcanon stuff that isn't particularly shaped by anything existing in canon.
To be specific, about the Hakurei lineage.
Personally, I'd like to think that the Hakurei lineage is a bloodline, the head of the shrine passed through each generation.
I'd like to think that the Hakurei Shrine before the establishment of Gensokyo was prosperous. A grand shrine with hundreds of thousands of followers coming fron across the country to pray there.
But, give its current state, the once proud shrine obviously deteriorated. As to why, I am still cooking.
Contrary to popular trope, the head isn't determined purely through bloodline, but through ability.
That means to be the head you must develop a technique good enough to be passed onto the next Hakurei. Meaning there had to be somone who developed the needle throwing techniques, and yet another who developed the use of yin-yang orbs.
Once again, this is strictly my headcanon.
Lastly, since Reimu (theoretically) resembles Kaguya, and in my headcanon Kaguya is canonically the hottest 2hu out there, (since she's literally based on the Kaguya from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), I like to imagine that Reimu is pretty beautiful.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Reimu_Hakurei
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Memento_in_Strict_Sense/Reimu_Hakurei
https://dynasty-scans.com/series/koumakyou
https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/aq4leq/the_many_faces_of_reimu/
https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/wyc8sf/after_reread_the_official_mangas_it_seems_to_me/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhvSeukcVFk
https://i.redd.it/wiv8nj3a3z151.png
Lastly, since Reimu's personality is most depended on the Point of View the story is told...
...Raymoo is going to be portrayed as a cute Tsundere throughout most of my work. (you can't stop me)
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Marisa Kirisame:
The deuteragonist of Touhou Project and a main stay since the first Windows Game. Marisa Kirisame.
Reimu's eternal rival and a little bit of a kleptomaniac.
Marisa Kirisame is an outgoing person, who befriends both humans and youkai.
She used to be a liar, but wasn't particular good at it and it's fairly obvious when she does lie, though that habit isn't as prevelant nowadays as it was in the early days.
She is a magician and her ability is obviously, duh, using magic. Though her origin is more easter, Marisa uses magic in the image of the western perception, making her an "Western style Eastern magician".
The complete opposite of Patchouli Knowledge who has a more western origin, yet uses a magic system coming from the east. Making her an "Eastern style Western magician".
Still, Marisa isn't just a tomboy, happy-go-lucky, or anything of that sort as commonly depicted in many fanworks.
As seen in Grimoire of Marisa, opposite of Reimu, Marisa is a very hard-worker, but conceals that fact by acting easygoing most of the time.
It's quite ironic that despite having the more pronounced personality that Marisa is the simpler character between her and Reimu.
That is to say, Marisa is by no means a simple character.
There are many ways you can write her, whether it's simple and outgoing, how deep her friendship with Reimu is, how invested she actually is in her relationships in general.
You can even approach her from the inferiority complex angle depending on how you write her.
Is her confidence just a mask? Or is it really her?
Depending on the parameters you set, her character will be pulled in different directions. Just like a real person, there isn't a 100% set Marisa. But a general trend that fluctuates depending on her surroundings.
Also, canonically, it feels like Marisa's list of acquaintances increases with each entry to the main series. Starting with Nitori, then it kept going with Narumi, and recently we had Enoko.
For that reason, Marisa is sometimes depicted as having a harem. In my works, it won't go that far, but I'd still like to think she's a bit of a rizzler, and casually just seduces people she comes across, consciously or unconsciously, both are the case.
But, ultimately, my heart lies at ReiMari mainly, so her and Reimu will end up in a relationship in my work with a high likelyhood.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Marisa_Kirisame
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Patchouli_Knowledge#Abilities
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Memento_in_Strict_Sense/Marisa_Kirisame
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/The_Grimoire_of_Marisa
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/The_Grimoire_of_Marisa/Author%27s_Aphorism
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/all_become_m#1
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Rumia:
Youkai of darkness. Basically a nobody.
There isn't a lot about canon I can say about her, and my work hasn't made it far enough to extensively talk about fanon.
Let's just say, watch YouReimu and ReiReimu. Both are good works centering around when Hakurei Reimu was still young, and the man-eating youkai was still big.
Lastly, so nanoka~?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-K-Gzrlxr0&list=PLXudsLlp4F7TfCScPN4RT0QuDxirufb8I
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Yukari Yakumo:
Yukari Yakumo. A legendary Youkai who's species is unknown, so old that the records of her weaknesses were forgotten. Capable of manipulating boundaries, the Youkai Sage of Gensokyo in well informed about all the events that happen inside of it.
She is one of the oldest, strongest and wisest Youkai of Gensokyo. The one who propose to create the Great Hakurei Barrier in the first place and keeps an eye out to everything that is happening inside of it. Literally.
Though, despite everything, she is one of the most mysterious Youkai.
There is a lot of information about her out there. This section of mine is supposed to only cover the things that I used in the novel.
If you are curious about anything here, as always just visit the en.touhouwiki.net site or play the official game.
Sidenote, I am pretty sure that her primary goal is to keep Gensokyo safe and stable, but that might be a headcanon of mine.
Also, I think she is quite the troll. Might be headcanon or not. But I'll link proof if I find it.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Yukari_Yakumo
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Keine Kamishirasawa:
Keine Kamishirasawa is a Were-Hakutaku who is the teacher of the temple school in the human village. She also acts as the guardian of the village.
A Hakutaku is a mythical creature known to give advice to noble monarchs and ward off monsters and epidemics.
Keine is a Were, because she is human most of the time and only in her Hakutaku form on full moon nights.
Which is why this character has two forms.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Keine_Kamishirasawa
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Hakutaku
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Hieda no Akyuu:
Author of the Gensokyo Chronicles, the Child of Miare is tasked to write the events that transpire in Gensokyo down to the last detail. For that, they have a special ability that makes them unable to forget things they have seen once. You can call it an eidetic memory, but it's more flawless.
The Child of Miare is a title given to the reincarnation of Hieda no Are, the first Child of Miare. Once a Child of Miare dies, they have to work for the Yama in exchange for their reincarnation.
Hieda no Akyuu is the ninth genereation of the Child of Miare, who are known to die young, usually not living beyond the age of 30.
As that, Akyuu has to listen to important people's stories and write down the events to record them into the Gensokyo Chronicle.
At the time of release of Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, she has been 10. Gensokyo time is running parallel to real time, as the events of the game play on the same date they were initially released.
As of the time I am writing this, she is currently 28. Make what you want with the information I gave you, it's canon. Let's see if ZUN will really do this.
Despite having a flawless memory and reincarnating for the ninth time, her ability only extends to her current life and she only posessess fragments of the memories of her previous iterations.
My headcanon is that she is able to flawlessly remember her currently life, everything related to the Gensokyo Chronicles, including the things her past reincarnations wrote down and a big chunk of her first life.
Oh, she is also a mystery novel author under the pen name "Agatha Chris Q".
Also, the reason why she was so close to Muenzuka on the Road of Reconsideration...
...look into my sources.
Lastly, she is cute.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Hieda_no_Akyuu
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/File:PMiSS_reconsideration.jpg
Why else would she be illustrated live on site?
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Alice Margatroid:
A magician who lives in the Forest of Magic and is Marisa's neighbour. Her
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Rinnosuke Morichika:
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Daiyousei:
Daiyousei literally just means "Great Fairy" in japanese. Now you might wonder why this little greater fairy is named this way.
It's because she was a nameless midboss in the first era Touhou Windows Game, Touhou 6 - Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.
But because it was the early Touhou times, fans latched to anything and everything they could take, and so this nameless midboss is more popular than she had any right to.
Similar to Rin Satsuki, but Daiyousei at least had an in-game sprite.
As for her design, she appear to wear a blue dress with white trim and sleeves, has green hair with a yellow ribbon tied to her hair and lastly, she has golden wings.
Now to the fanon and headcanon stuff.
Cirno and Daiyousei are the BESTEST of friends. Something that can't really be proved in canon, since the little, big fairy only makes appearances as non-verbal cameos.
Though, the big fairy is seen together with Cirno in Visionary Fairies in Shrine Chapter 1, and they also play hide and seek with each other in Strange and Bright Nature Deity Chapter 13.
As for fanon and personal headcanon stuff...
For me, Daiyousei will be a cute fairy that is on the more shy side. Precious, cute, kind, and just a good girl in general. (With a little hint of Yandere towards Cirno)
She is Cirno's straight man to her fool, and tries to keep her shenanigans on the calmer side, though most of the time to no avail.
Like her Lost World counterpart, her kindness reflects in the kind of magic she uses, which is mostly healing and support stuff.
Also, she can teleport short distances.
That is canon.
You can not convince me otherwise.
She LITERALLY does it in the game as a midboss.
Lastly...
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/because_cirno_chan_is_the_strongest
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Daiyousei
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/touhou_sangetsusei_visionary_fairies_in_shrine_ch01#11
https://gamepress.gg/lostword/character/daiyousei
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Cirno:
What can we really say about Cirno?
Other than the fact that she's everyone's most loved famous nineball!
On a more serious note, let's discuss about Touhou 6, Stage 2 boss, Cirno.
Cirno is an ice fairy. Also, she's at least 60.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Cirno
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Fandom/Embodiment_of_Scarlet_Devil#Cirno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_bJ4Wqvjg
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Hong Meiling:
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Patchouli Knowledge:
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Sakuya Izayoi:
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Remilia Scarlet:
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Flandre Scarlet:
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Muenzuka:
Honestly, not a lot is known about Muenzuka it we speak about it in a canon term. Though, I guess I am going to say this a lot since some locations aren't used frequently in the series. After all, why would you need to go somewhere if you have no reason to go there?
As already mentioned in the chapter, Muenzuka is the resting place for the nameless dead. Because it is a place for the dead, and because humans quite often become phantoms after death, it's border is located very near to the border of the netherworld, as well as the outer world.
This place is known for humans from the outer world occasionally getting lost here, which is why occasionally Youkai's lie in wait here to prey on them. Since outside world humans are free game for the local Youkai residents.
Purple cherry blossoms bloom here, though technically not red spider lilies. These are located in another location close to Muenzuka.
Still, since the red spider lilies add to the atmosphere of the land of the dead, I didn't want to omit them, since they are present in Muenzuka during the 4th chapter of Strange and Bright Nature Deity and the final boss stage of Touhou 9.
Lastly, Nazrin lives here, but since the arrival of our protagonist is set way earlier than the Myouren gang, I guess Nazrin doesn't live here and of course, the owner of the antique shop Kourindou, Rinnosuke Morichika occasionally visits here to collect junk from the outside world for his shop.
Everything until now has been mostly canon.
My head canon is, that since this is about the only place where outside world stuff gets into Gensokyo, that there are just a couple of patches of electronical junk just lying around, as similarly depicted in Eho's doujin works.
This is all, below are all my sources:
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Muenzuka
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/touhou_sangetsusei_strange_and_bright_nature_deity_ch04#7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkGl_jNuQ8
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/1324867?q=eho_%28icbm%29
https://dynasty-scans.com/series/muted_afterglow
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Road of Reconsideration:
A road that connects the Forest of Magic to Muenzuka.
People without relatives or plan to take away their lives will often find themselves drifting here. It's a path filled to the brim with spider lilies who carry dangerous toxins in them.
As those who try to commit suicide walk this path, the toxins in these flowers will stir their survival instincts, making them reconsider whether they truly want to commit suicide.
Though, since outsiders tend to get lost here, Youkai lie here in wait hoping to prey on humans.
There is not much to say about this here.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Road_of_Reconsideration
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Hakurei Shrine:
The Hakurei Shrine is a run-down Shinto Shrine located on the Great Hakurei Barrier on the East Side of Gensokyo.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Hakurei_Shrine
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Forest of Magic:
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Misty Lake:
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Human Village:
The human village is where most of Gensokyo's humans live. Even though some Youkai occasionaly disguise themselves as humans to shop here, it's still the safest place in alk of Gensoko to live in.
From what we know of, there is only one human village in the entirety of Gensokyo.
My headcannon is that the population is 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 10.000 or more humans. After all, they need a population large enough to sustain itself. Meaning that the death rate can not under an circumstances eclipse the birth rate.
If the population of the human village disappears, Gensokyo would have a large problem at hand.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Human_Village
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Misty Lake:
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Scarlet Devil Mansion:
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