These are recommendations made by tropers for Touhou Project fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here. This section has fanfics focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.
You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. You can do it by expanding on the synopsis and/or pertinent tags, or linking similar or related fanfics. Reviews are also encouraged, but please make sure to make reviews have substance; if you simply want to recommend a fic without an extensive review, put your troper name in the Recommended by line of the fic in question. Please use the discussion page for conversations about fics.
Fen Cheng
by Arnold_Kolmogrov- Recommended by: Zepherim
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In the year 192X, an immortal who seeks death meets a magician who seeks immortality. It has been half a century since youkai were driven out from the cities and banished into the wilderness. To unravel the mystery of what it means to be human, the two embark on a new life and journey to the West in search of the city upon a hill – the Eternal City.
- Tags: Philosophy, Existentialism, Angst, AU
Add ReviewAlice's Glorious Homestead Defense by X to the Zoltan
- Recommended by: Selryam, Jiven, Vrock8
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A look into Alice's mind and life when she has to put up with playing hostess to Marisa for a day.
Animating Gensokyo by !ZA L5aj 48 Pg
- Recommended by Tropers: THP Anonymous
- Status: Abandoned
- Synopsis: —>"A Necromancer forces his way into Gensokyo, searching for a particular Lovecraftian tome. Necro Anon is rather different from most in his profession. He's trying to recover what a loved one lost and Gensokyo just might hold the key. Now only if he'd stop putting his foot in his mouth when talking to pretty nuns and terse shrine maidens."
Average Joe in Bullet Hell by Magnificent Sasquatch
- Recommended by Tropers/Flash Of Sonic, Kerreb17, Nightmare Syndrom
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: Follow the misadventures of a shameless semi-self-insert as he attempts to make heads or tails of this new crazy world and its even crazier inhabitants! There is fantabulous adventure to be had! (From author's fanfiction.net description)
- It has its own tropes page, here.
A World Without You by Pikablukachu
- Recommended by Tropers/Dattix
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Even the most powerful youkai take things for granted sometimes. What if, one day, someone who was truly special to Yukari Yakumo suddenly didn't exist?
Being Meiling (Thread One), by Keymaster.
- Recommended by: HatFancier and colBoh
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A slice of life comedy (for the most part) starring the one and only Hong Meiling. Things start looking up after she manages to pull one over on a certain black-white witch, and it only escalates from there. The series has two sequels in Pleasant Meadows and Tengu of (Mis)fortune.
Between Life and Afterlife by Snail-Ice-Cream
- Recommended by Selryam
- Status: Complete
- "Synopsis": A bright red higanbana was blooming at brink of the Sanzu River. /one-shot/
Boundless World of Danmaku by Terrarian Creeper
- Recommended by That Random Guy In the Corner
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis'': Following Darius Loyhrs, who finds himself forced into Gensokyo against his will by Yukari to distract and escape from an angered Reimu, he ultimately decides to stay. As time continues, an old friend of his awakens her locked powers and loses control, instigating not only a war for Gensokyo itself, but the awakening of an ancient entity hell-bent on the destruction of all.
- Comes with a trope page!
The Dollmaker's Daughter by UnmovingGreatLibrary
- Recommended by Dr4gonia
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: From the author's summary: One of Alice's lifelong goals is fulfilled when a Shanghai doll works its way up to sentience. But how exactly does one raise a doll? And are two teenage magicians really ready for parenthood? Pairing: Alice and Marisa.
- Notes: A heartwarming story about a doll gaining sapience and learning about the world.
- Tags: Family
Dolphin Rider Koishi by Roukanken
- Recommended by: GuyYouMetOnline, banjo2E, Prime32
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: An AU story staring Koishi as a dolphin-riding Magical Girl.
- Has its own page.
Eientei Clinical Record 385-A by Ciryes
- Recommended by: Dattix
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: From the author's summary: "Enclosed is a summary of this week's patient visits to Eientei and pharmaceutical allocations for archival purposes. When reading this document please bear in mind the importance of doctor-patient confidentiality. (Yes, Tewi, that means you.)" One-shot.
Ephemeral Light of a Cherry Coloured Innocence by Mind-the-Gappy
- Recommended by Rising Tides
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: From the author's summary: Being a shortlived human's not fun, especially when you're as shortlived as Akyuu. Being a youkai must be so much more fun! Or so this little Hieda thought...until an unlikely chain of events ends with her wish coming true. But there's no time to settle in. Gensokyo is in dire need of a new heroine and she's going to have to learn on the job. Watch Out, Gensokyo! It's Akyuu's turn! Personal Synopsis: A very empathic tale with a central theme that many touhou fans should be able to relate to - the wish to become a youkai and become a part of that wonderland that is Gensokyo. Thus was Hieda no Akyuu's wish when death finally came knocking on her door at the end of her most recent incarnation. However, Seiga had other plans for her, one that involved making Akyuu her personal undead Jiang-Shi servant. Her plan didn't account for one thing - the appearance of Satsuki Rin. Akyuu's wish was granted, but not quite in a way she could ever have imagined possible.
- Notes: Contains a lovely depiction of a zany cloud cuckoo lander Satsuki Rin as Akyuu's personal youkai mentor.
- Tags: Action-Adventure, Drama, Comedy
A Fairy's Tale by Princess Tepes (another writter name of U. N. Owen)
- Small Tales & Tall Tales, to read after the main story
- Recommended by Megaolix
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A completed Gamebook Pre-Gensokyo story at the Scarlet Devil Mansion with some interesting characterization. A Fairy's Tale follows a fairy maid in the Scarlet Devil Mansion who's normal day leads to a fateful encounter that changes her life forever. The narration starts off somewhat simple as to reflect the development of the character. Starting off nameless, she eventually gets a name and over time there is a paradigm shift as she learns and develops, breaking down simple views that we see in the beginning as she learns more about the world and the others in the Mansion.
Forest Mix by KChasm
- Recommended by: skooonD
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A slice of life quest about Christie Christoferson's adventures in Kourindou after waking up in Gensokyo.
- Comments: Notable for featuring Rinnosuke and Rumia, as well as the OC's very unique and colorful way of speaking. If one wants a low-stakes story about an Outsider in Gensokyo, this is the one.
A Fox In Paradise by Erien
- Recommended by: Hymn
- Status: Completed
- Synopsis: A Fox in Paradise is a Touhou Quest focusing mostly on Slice of Life and Incident Resolution. It follows Ayumu, a five-tailed fox who has decided to move to Gensokyo rather than fade from existence. Shortly after he meets Sanae, who is looking for a worker to help repair Moriya Shrine in exchange for room and board. An agreement is struck, and Ayumu takes up residence in Moriya Shrine.
- Comments: Notable for its quality, as well as consistent and regular updates. Strong character voices and backgrounds, especially where the Moriya are concerned.
Favors Owed by !ttRabBit9s
- Recommended by THPAnonymous
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: —>"Poor little rabbit. Made a deal she shouldn't have, for people that really didn't deserve it. Poor, stupid little rabbit. Made a deal and didn't think of herself. Didn't think of her kin. Poor, naive little rabbit. Three favors owed, for three lives traded. For a life thrice, a poor little rabbit must repay in kind. Poor little rabbit." - Introduction Reisen made a bargain with an mysterious group to help Eirin complete the Hourai Elixer. Three Favors done, Three Favors owed, and her contractors are cashing in by having her assassinate three targets in Gensokyo. You control Reisen's actions, make sure she succeeds.
Flandre's Playtime with Her Sister
- Recommended by RN 452
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "Remilia never plays with her little sister, who lives alone in the cellar of their mansion. Sakuya tries to fix this..."
Flight of the Steel Butterfly by Spaztique
- Recommended by Blue Bird
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsys: Brett is a middle schooler who gets gapped to Gensokyo by Yukari, but this is not his story: this is the story of his sister, Sara. Desperate to save her lazy brother, Sara travels all the way to the Japanese wonderland of Gensokyo, forgetting that she might not be so perfect herself...
- Comments: An atypical take on the usual gapped into the Gensokyo formula. It shows what happens back on the outside world when someone gets gapped into Gensokyo. The sister aren't fully free of faults herself, but is still much, much better than many Gappies. Not that she's one herself.
Functioning Alcoholic by Solblight
- Recommended by Big B, 71TheRoman, SpiriTsunami
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis:Ibuki Suika is a permanent guest at the Hakurei Shrine, but does Reimu know exactly what Suika does when she's not around? Or even when she IS around? Join Suika on her misadventures as she uh... she uh... Hic! What was I doing again...?
The Game, by Fell
- Recommended by: Your Everyday NEET, lilmissfangirl
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A little runaway youkai... tortured for six months... by the Green Girl... A little runaway youkai... along with her friends... tries to hide... from the Green Girl... while keeping her sanity.
- The catch is that due to constant torture and curse, the protagonist Kabuki which may or may not be Kogasa Tatara, is mentally insane. So, she has trouble describing things and cannot bring herself to mention the actual for a person and will use nicknames. For example: Silverman = Rinnosuke, The Green Girl = obviously Sanae. You must sure The Green Girl doesn't capture the Protagonist, but that's easier said than done since all the choices is really confusing (and reflecting her mental state)
Game of Touhou by Duwee Davis II and Festasim
- Recommended by RN 452, Feng Lengshun
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The Touhou cast as one has never seen them before. Honor and justice, peace and prosperity, freedom and glory, chaos and strife, and a mere reunion with a lost sister... all these ambitions and more lie in the land of Noros. However, the only way to make these ambitions reality is to play the Game. The Game of Deceit, Treachery, and most of all, the Game of Thrones.
- Also available in comic format, first page here. It also has extensive side-material, detailing the traits of all factions, a map of the continent, among others.
- An amazing story, with a high amount of tension that makes you want to just keep reading it and hope it update fast. Fortunately, it does. Although there are certain canon characters that are deliberately made to be different, it has used all of them very nicely. Though there are OCs, all of them are interesting, which is quite an achievement. Very much recommendable. — Feng Lengshun
- Also available in comic format, first page here
Gensokyoland Saga by Norseman
- Recommended by Chronopolize
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: Having been unwillingly transported to Gensokyo, our warrior-bard Viking weaves both his weapons and his words as he embarks on an great quest seeking his revenge against Yukari.
- Note: Here is the full Chapter List.
The Girl in the Cave and its sequel The Girl and the Oni
- Recommended by Timeskipper
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Parsee's best friend was the dripping water, and she hated it.
The Gold, Blue, and Red-White by Einhalden
- Recommended by Cirno
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: An "origin story" of Gensoukyou - why it was separated from the rest of the world and by whom.
A Fool's Reality by Heraklinios
- Recommended by kiriakoen
- Status: Dead; last updated December 2016
- Synopsis: A normal male human arrives to Gensokyo. At the beginning, it seems like a regular self-insert, but avoids being a Marty Stu by being almost automatically hated by everyone. Plus, he's really unlucky and tends to snark a lot, making him likable. He manages to get their trust with time, but still behaves like a jerk. After some chapters, it starts getting influences from Shin Megami Tensei.
Imperfect Metamorphosis by Taker Foxx
- Recommended by Makuta9999, Extraintrovert, Guy You Met Online, Zudak, Jiven, Rena The Archmage, RN 452
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: It's the first day of spring, and Cirno and her friends are once again up to no good! But after stealing a strange box from Marisa's house, they soon find themselves over their heads as they discover some things are meant to remain locked up.
- Has it's own page.
I Negative Bullet by Sorrowful Reincarnation
- Recommended by Patcheresu
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Awaking without memories,neither of who he is or what he is, a youkai tries to find his lost past in the land he awoke in. Doomed to be a walking enigma, he roams Gensokyo for his past, present, future and purpose...
- Recommended by aetherlight
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: From author's summary: An OC finds himself in Gensokyo courtesy of Yukari, and decides to make the most of it. Can he survive and grow stronger despite being just a normal human?
- Notes: It follows the same format Outsider-getting-gapped-into-Gensokyo-by-Yukari like other fics. This fanfic focuses on relationship of him and the inhabitants of Gensokyo.
- Tags: Harem, Romance, Action-Adventure
The Last Stand of Cirno the Valiant by U.N. Owen
- Recommended by Echo 13
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: Cirno has grown powerful- enough to make the other residents of Gensokyo wish her gone. Exiled, she makes a last stand to save the few allies she has left.
Le Tournesol Rouge by DraconicHex
- Recommended by rmctagg09
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A sunflower field peacefully grows, millennia in the past. However, humans cannot leave well enough alone.
- Notes: A oneshot fic that gives an origin story to Yuuka Kazami as just an odd red sunflower growing in what is implied to later become the Garden of the Sun long before the events of the Touhou series, how she gained sentience as a youkai, and how she earned her fearsome reputation.
- Recommended by Calamity2007
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "Written as a bet between me and the Walfas station wagon. What happens when a normal mechanical technician gets sent to Gensokyo, without being gaped in? Finished, and being made into a feature length Walfas film by the creator of Diamond in the Rough (Touhou), Spaztique!" -Chibi Chen's description of the fic
- Notes: Written as response to the depressing Deconstruction fic, Diamond in the Rough, this fic, written by Chibi Chen who went seeing Dit R blind and didn't know much about Touhou, is a Reconstruction of the type of fics labeled "Gappy Sue" fics, where an outsider is transported to Gensokyo. Instead of treating Gensokyo like he is on holiday and gaining power, like many Gappy Sues, the main character, Isaac, is mostly just interested in getting back home, or at least living a quiet life if he can't. When Chibi Chen asked Spaztique to read it, he actually really enjoyed it and decided to adapt it after DitR.
A New World by Iced Fairy
- Recommended by mysterykcad, Sakura Rurouni
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Set 300 or 500 years (the author says 500 years, but all in-story references say 300) after the events of the main Touhou games, time has changed Gensokyo for the worse. The boundaries within Gensokyo have become more difficult to cross, as has the Hakurei border. In addition, the Lunarians have been growing tense due to human colonization of the false moon.
- Main trope page here.
No Such Thing As Fairy Tales by Luminous
- Recommended by RN 452
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Alternate Universe. In this Gensokyo, Lucas Adler is spirited away to serve as a pet from a Fae, Wriggle Nightbug, and has to struggle to keep his mind.
- Crossover with: Changeling: The Lost and World of Darkness in general.
- Notes: Has a sequel, No Such Thing As Magic.
Rumia's Past: Alone in the Silence by A. Magpie
- Recommended by SpiriTsunami
- Status: Dormant
- Author's Synopsis: Before she became a youkai, Rumia was somebody else. Sold to a wealthy man by an abusive father, the nameless girl realizes that the mansion holds many secrets, including the ones of the first Rumia.
- Recommender's Comments: A delightfully macabre origin story for Rumia that will keep you hooked right until the very end.
A Scarlet-Stained Memoir by U. N. Owen
- Full chapter list, Q&A thread made after the end (contains much information not in the story, including the meat of the epilogue). Threads do not contains links to each other.
- Recommended by Brickman, Chronopolize
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: An ordinary peasant farmer stumbles not just into Gensokyo, but to the gates of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The mistress invites travelers in and offers hospitality, but once inside it's not easy to leave. Can such an ordinary man hope to uncover the mansion's mysteries? Can he even survive them long enough?
- Notes: Contains three original characters including the Audience Surrogate main character. Of the other two, one feels fairly at home in Gensokyo and the other seems to be written to be as jarringly unfitting for Gensokyo as possible (for good reason).
The Shrine of Gensokyo series by wrathie.
- Recommended by slain, totlmstr
- Status: Complete
- Composed of three parts:
- Shrine of Gensokyo: Prologue
- Shrine of Gensokyo
- The Miracles of Gensokyo
- Completed version (Fanfiction.net) (His page on there also has a tie-in.)
- Shrine of Gensokyo: Prologue
- Synopsis: Reimu has left Gensokyo, leaving behind her memories. Now, as an adult, she must return, and not only face off with her own past, but the consequences of leaving the youkai and humans of Gensokyo without the Hakurei maiden for so long.
Sublime Soliloquy by Luminous Beginnings
- Recommended by Rising Tides
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: From the author's summary: Multiple expositional monologues from various Touhou and Seihou Characters. Semi One-Shot Series, with Alternate Character Interpretation and playing loose and fast with canon. Personal Summary: A lovely tale told from the viewpoint of various touhou characters, exploring very original and highly emotive interpretations of the various characters, all while very subtly following the journey of one unnamed human whose passing interactions with the various citizens of Gensokyo and its surrounding realms sparks seemingly-small yet far-reaching changes in those he meets.
- Notes: So good it has even spawned a sequel.
- Tags: Drama
The Tale of Rumia - Hero of the Shadow by Raikaria
- Recommended by Ultralight 4, lilmissfangirl
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: What starts out as a simple good deed to appease Reimu, unwittingly begins Rumia down a path of discovery and development, which will transform not only herself, but Gensokyo and all those in it. Freindships form, enemies are made, but not all in the shadow is to be feared...
Teeth and Claws by UnmovingGreatLibrary
- Recommended by: WatcherCCG, Durazno, lilmissfangirl
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "When Reimu is fatally wounded during a youkai hunt, Yukari binds her as a shikigami to save her life. The only complication: it makes Reimu a youkai in every way that counts. No longer fit to be the Hakurei shrine maiden, she has to find a new place for herself in Gensokyo, guide her headstrong successor... and deal with some unique new dietary requirements."
- Comments: A very deep take on a common theme in Touhou (Yukari making Reimu a youkai). Reimu's initial struggle with things like her place in the world, her standing with Yukari and her friends, and of course her issues with her new diet are handled in a very thoughtful manner, and the Yakumo clan is presented as a family just like any other. Mild Reimu/Yukari, but it flows well with the story as a whole and is mostly an afterthought compared to Reimu's struggle to adapt. We are also presented with Shiko, Reimu's replacement as Hakurei Miko, who takes her job far too seriously and must be taught the value of the spellcard system before her aggression gets her into trouble.
Touhou Chronicles by Etherdrone
- Recommended by Nightmare Syndrom
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: Actual Summary: A newcomer arrives at Gensokyo after a great battle. Damaged, with low reserves of power, he tries to find his place within this strange, new world he has been introduced to.
Touhou Doujin Dawitsus folly by Duwee Davis II
- Recommended by Patcheresu
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Flandre's Laevateinn has been stolen! A mysterious pair of newcomers seem to be to blame- and Reimu naturally is picking up the pieces. But, there's something unique about one of the newcomers... A fanfic conversion of my hand-drawn doujin.
- It has its own trope page, here.
Touhou Ibunshu by Usually Dead
- Recommended by Kalle, Rena The Archmage, Extraintrovert, Selryam
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A collection of stories, including retellings of the games (from EoSD to IN) and side-stories, told from differing points of view as the writer slowly exposes the reader to an Alternate Universe Gensoukyou.
- It has its own tropes page, here.
Touhou Strikers - The Silver Lining by SynchroXyzStriker
- Recommended by: hyperlimitsorant
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis'': Over 600 years into the future, humanity is on the verge of extinction by the mysterious invaders known as CANY. In a desperate gambit to fight back, Frank Shinka Kizuna is sent back in time, bringing something that will determine the fate of not only humanity, but also for the supernatural beings in the land of fantasy, Gensokyo.
- Comments: This is a unique Science Fantasy story, despite suffering from a case of Early-Installment Weirdness in the early chapters. However, the author continuously improve on his writing stories and has begun Growing the Beard chapter upon chapter.
- Tags: Action-Adventure, Science Fantasy, Time Travel
Undying Gensokyo by WillieG.R.
- Recommended by Makuta9999, Kerreb17
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A selfish experiment works only too well and Aya and Satori find themselves surrounded by those that cannot die. Can they solve this incident on their own before losing their minds?
- A sequel has begun here.
- A sequel has begun here
Unparalleled Ayakashi Incident by Xavic
- Recomended by Bstarman
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: A centuries-old evil is stirring, and Yukari is worried about the poison it's beginning to spread. When a teenager with no memory is thrust onto the front lines, how will he fight it?
- Recommended by Selryam and Two Gun Angel
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Sakuya and Murasa discover they have a common love of the fine and well-aged. "Even if that sounds a little gushy for me, I hear ya, Izayoi."
The White Rose of Chireiden, by Sakura Rurouni
- Recommended by the Nolrai.
- Status: Dead
- Synopsis: The Ancient City being recast as a rebellious former client state of Makai. It tells the story of Makai's failed attempt at reconquest and the after affects.
A Wizard Is You by Demetrious
- Recommended by: Shockz, Jiven, Shinji 117
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: "One morning you abruptly appear in Gensokyo, 357 feet above the ground, along with half of a flaming airship, the better part of a clock tower, three wyverns, four giant eagles and a gigantic red dragon." So begins A Wizard Is You, a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story featuring a high-level Dungeons & Dragons wizard with far more spells than common sense as its protagonist. Thankfully(?), he's landed in one of the few places in the Planes where the average resident has even less common sense than him, and he ends up making fast friends with a local were-hakutaku and her ice fairy student. Now, if only he could figure out how the hell to get home...
Speak the Truth by Grand Phoenix
- Recommended by Rob Has
- Status: Complete (status only). No information about sequel despite the obvious Sequel Hook in the last chapter published.
- Synopsis: Always look beneath the underneath. What you know and what you don't know can often be dangerous and misleading. Both Sakuya and Eirin will be forced to remember, and in the midst of the storm the truth shall be set free. /AU; retcon/
- Tags: Drama, AU
Touhou: Myriad Scrolls by yellowkitsune00
- Recommended by Orchid Ink
- Status: Dormant
- Synopsis: In an isolated dimension far away from Gensokyo there was a nation named Hakoniwa trapped in the Warring States Era. A hermit librarian named Vạn Thư escaped from Hakoniwa after a series of incidents in order to live in Gensokyo as a normal villager. Yet troubles just keep coming at her no matter what. This is the story of a librarian who wished to find a peaceful life at Gensokyo.
- Tags: Adventure, Fantasy
