big thanks to The Youkai Cafe discord for the fun questions about our OCs, with this question coming from @jadebrightwind...thought it might be fun to share my answers on tumblr!
ANSWER #1: Rei travels back in time to her own childhood
Rei lost her parents at a young age. Her aunt (her only living family) was supposed to take her in, but she declined, leaving Rei adrift. If Rei went back in time to an era in which they were all alive, perhaps back to Rei's childhood, I can absolutely see her befriending her aunt and parents with three goals in mind.
The first goal is to say goodbye to her parents. To spend time with them, really bask in their presence, because she doesn't have a chance in her current timeline.
The second goal is to understand her aunt better, in hopes of soothing some of the hurt still lingering from her aunt's betrayal/abandonment. She'd befriend her aunt and try to get to know her. Maybe even change her mind about why she abandoned Rei. But time is fixed, supposedly, so Rei has little hope of pulling that off.
The third goal (and perhaps the most important one) is to tell her younger self that everything will be OK. She wants to give her younger self the advice she'll need to make it through the next few years--the advice Rei was never given but could have used in a crucial formative moment.
ANSWER #2: Rei travels to Himiko's time period (AKA the Yayoi Period)
As we've learned in The Sight Unseen, Rei has an ancestor who was an ancient warrior queen, shaman, and psychic. This woman (Himiko, whose soul is currently sealed inside an ancient mirror) is the supernatural source from whom Rei draws her powers.
If Rei got sent back in time to Himiko's time period, I can absolutely see her tracking down her ancestor, kicking in the palace doors, and demanding A TRAINING ARC.
"Hey Grandma, you would not B E L I E V E the bullshit I'm going through in a few thousand years, so BUCKLE THE FUCK UP, you're my sensei until this time travel bullshit resolves itself! Eye of the tiger, lady! Let's fuckin' goooo!"
Cue the training montage set to a backdrop of shakuhachi flute and shamisen music. Let it be known Himiko would make Genkai's training camp look like a preschool.
ANSWER #3: The Roaring 20s
Because the first answer was so goddamn depressing, here's another "fun" answer to lighten the mood of this post: Rei would head to 1920s America so she could attend a bunch of parties and learn the period-accurate dance moves (and also make out with a few mobsters just for the fun of it).
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! As always, you can read The Sight Unseen on AO3. Click Here!
