History Fanfic / TheSoulmateTimeline

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Where Soulbonds come from is something that Homura has wondered about in story. Having found evidence in her research all the way back to the age of cavemen, Homura is sure that it has to be the work of the Incubators and it can't be the work of God because she can't imagine He actually exists (she can't stomach God allowing the Incubators to run free). Kyubey in turn is completely clueless about their origins and has nothing to do with them,and is outright continuously thrown off by them, leaving their origins completely unsure. Every culture throughout the world has their own views on them, each claiming their origin to be from their own from the gods of Japan to the Christian God, with no indication of whom, if any, is right about it. So if Soulbonds are the creation of magic from another source than the Incubators, some divine blessing, or an unknown third source is unclear, and it seems that Homura and Kyubey, being outsiders to the system, are the only ones who ever dwell on it.

** [[Anime/HirogaruSkyPrettyCure Sora/Mashiro]]

* SoulmateAUFic: The premise of the story being Homura Akemi time looping into one where she otherwise is not from and having to adapt to it. Soulmates in the universe have identifying marks, can come in groups anywhere from two people to at least five (as is the case with Homura), and in larger groups soulmates become 'active' in waves and are triggered by traumatic or life changing events. Homura waking up in the new timeline ended up triggering a Soulbond with Mami, Madoka, Sayaka, and Kyoko, though the latter two are not active when she wakes up. Soulmates that are active can share emotions, experience the other's dreams, are cold until they find their soulmate(s) after gaining their marks, have societal services and norms set up for their relationships, and have implicitly changed history in ways that Homura can easily see when going over history books. Soulmarks themselves are distinct between each set of them and change over time to show how close a soulmate is with another, which in turn increases their connections. Magical Girls in particular gain a few unique benefits, as their bonds can purify soul gems just by being around the other, making it very hard, though not impossible, for them to turn into witches. However Soulmates have one key weakness in that if one dies, all of them die. Known sets of Soulmates in the story include.

** If the writer of ''The Immortal Story'', Yousra, is a Magical Girl like [[spoiler: Hitomi guesses]], retelling her own story, than she's been having adventures since the ''1320's''.

* ShowWithinAShow: Holy Quintet's Joyous Friendship, a magical girl series from decades ago that Madoka's family has VHS tapes of. As it turns out, as a child it was Homura's favorite show, a fandom only she had in the orphanage, and she'll still get angry if someone badmouths it.

* FusionDance: [[spoiler:Rika fuses with Bella Donna during the battle against the Uwasa of the Seance Shrine and can repeat the fusion later. Bella Donna’s explanation of how this happened (Ren, Rika’s Soulmate, meeting Bella Donna in a dream and then helping Rika accept her) implies that this could be possible for Madoka’s Soulmates as well.]]

* HumansAreSpecial: Per Kyubey, Soulbonds are something only seen in humanity among the species they deal with and they just baffle the Incubators. On aspects that the Incubators understand more, humans create more emotional energy, are more numerous than many similar species along with being less prone to destructive violence. Also its implied that trans or non-binary humans being contractable is an unusual but useful feature to the Incubator's goals.

--->'''Kirika:''' So you should make sure you have Grief Seeds to spare for when the Magius come to town or Kyoko Sakura suffers a FateWorseThanDeath at the hands of [[ItMakesSenseInContext dinosaurs and shonen manga]], when the scary one needs you to trust her you need to [[DeliberateInjuryGambit temporarily cripple yourself to keep a secret]], you need to teach her ‘Tiro Spade’ and ‘Tempesta Di Spade’, and you will be the last to find out what the pink one’s wish is, though it isn’t your fault. You couldn’t be there when it happens.

* KilledOffscreen: Zenobia, Albertine and Boxwood are vaguely referenced and having been killed in battle by Iroha and Momoko, Yachiyo, and Haruka respectively, though we don't see the fights in question. Roberta is also confirmed to have been one of the Witches Homura killed in Chapter 1.

** Nanaka has been keeping the truth of Soul Gems from her teammates while she evalutes how they might take it. [[spoiler:After Meiyui finds out due to necessity, they decide to tell Akira but not Kako.]]

** Mami and Kyoko have a few from their time as teammates, including one that left Mami unable to look at a coffee pot the same way again, and another that involved Kyoko and a cat stealing used underwear.

* KilledOffscreen: Zenobia, Albertine and Boxwood are vaguely referenced and having been killed in battle by Iroha and Momoko, Yachiyo, and Haruka respectively, though we don't see the fights in question.

** [[spoiler: Candeloro now has a second type of Familiar called Familga Viscounti that represent Mami's separation from her maternal family in Italy].]

* BetterWithTheBadGuys: The girls Kyoko saves from the Griefer are sent to the Wings of the Magius, who will induct them into their cult and treat them like other members. Much better than being murdered by a serial killer.

** Paster Sakura was a very tolerant man who liked to discuss faith with those of different denominations and respecting their beliefs as valid as his own, but he had no love of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology prosperity gospel]] interpretation of the faith, considering it just a way to use religion for money and power.

** Matsuri's Magical Girl Story event and the events of Cross Connection come up a lot in Kamihama Interlude 2 as part of Matsuri and her friends having history in Kamihama.

** Apparently the first meetings of past Sayakas and Kyokos have ended in dismemberment.

* CanonForeigner: [[spoiler: Candeloro now has a second type of Familiar called Familga Viscounti that represent Mami's separation from her maternal family in Italy]]

** Several Magical Girls who tend to be active around Mitakihara from the Oriko series of manga, specifically Komami Asako, Lina Hitomi, Futaba, Mio, Miyako Saki, Mai Akane, and Sasa Yuuki, have been mentioned or referenced a few times by Homura, Kyoko, and Akasuki, but none have been confirmed where they are currently, making it unclear if they are dead, turned into Witches, or had to migrate to a different city like Tokyo or Kamihama due to the Witch drought.

* ShoutOut:
** In one timeloop, Sayaka was convinced that Homura was a [[Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers1978 pod person.]]
** Oriko, via the cue cards she gives Kirika, describes what she's doing with the Magius as [[Series/GameOfThrones playing the game of thrones.]] Comments from Kirika about Mami's confusion about the phrase implies the series itself hasn't debuted yet and that Oriko [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire is a fan of the books.]]
** Sorashido City is mentioned by Kanagi, Sayaka, and Takako. Sora is also established to be Sayaka's cousin.
** Mary Jane the Comicbook Witch from the second chapter is a massive shout out to superhero comics, and Spider-man in particular (being named after his primary love interest and having a design and powers taking an inspiration from the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom.)
** Iroha recalls from her recently-restored memories while trying to follow along with Mel's tarot reading powers that she used to play ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' with her little sister Ui, and they got Nemu and Touka into the hobby during their hospital stay. Touka [[LargeHam really got into]] the dramatic flourishes and attack calls, and on the three young Soulmates' bucket list was a desire to make real holographic monsters inspired by the card game.
** Madoka compares one of Homura's parodies of Mami's Italian-named attacks to [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight a visual novel Sayaka likes where King Arthur is a woman]].
** Kyubey namedrops [[Fanfic/ResonanceDays Dockengauts]] as one of the races that, like humanity, are contracted.
** After seeing Homura in action as a Magical Girl for the first time, Sayaka mentally afterwards calls her essentially "[[Manga/SailorMoon Sailor]] [[Literature/FateZero Kiritsugu Emiya]]". Ironically, she doesn't even guess how similar she is to him in personality at the time either...
** Takako Takeda wears a shirt in her casual outfit that's heavily implied to depict [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Ichigo Kurosaki]], as Homura describes the character as some orange-haired teen in black and wielding a giant sword. Takako also references Rukia's speech to Ichigo about attacking Hollows from behind so as to never see their true face.
** Nagisa's reaction to how [[InASingleBound high she can jump]] when she does for the first time is very similar to most [[Anime/PrettyCure Pretty Cure's]] reactions when they do the same.
** The chapter description for Chapter 7 mentions Kyoko being Series/ChasedByDinosaurs.
** Sute's Magical Girl outfit and her use of powers are based very clearly on four Shonen manga series: ''Dragon Ball'', ''Bleach'', ''Naruto'', and ''One Piece''.
** Kyoko describes one of the new spear moves she developed and uses on Ryoko (that being throwing a spear charged with magic at the ground which then erupts back up in a different location) as one inspired by a "crazy Irish spear that exploded into barbs", heavily implied to be [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Gae Bolg]].
** During her conversation with Inuhiko Kajimoto, the cop in charge of the Chitose case, Kyoko makes a few ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' references, which Kajimoto gets; he notes that the judge who'll oversee the trial of Yuma's mother would also find them funny, but the prosecutor would prefer to not hear them.
** The name of Homura's strongest attack is [[Anime/DragonBallZ Hellzone Grenade]].
** [[spoiler: When Rika {{Fusion Dance}}s with her Witch, Bella Donna and gains a ton of floating attack compacts around her like attack drones, Tsuruno asks why Rika turned into a Franchise/{{Gundam}}.]]
** Emiri gave Hinano, who fights by creating chemical reactions and can create types of metals with magic, a [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist red jacket]] for her birthday.

** Mitakihara's history as a city is explored in bits and bobs, noting how it started off as an industrial city that has successfully transitioned past the post industrial phase of its existence. Its tendency to have buildings based on other structures from throughout the world is also explained as being inspired on the first building to do so, the St. Jeanne Anglican Church.

** While Homura's starting actions usually tend to rub Mami the wrong way in canon, she is much more inclined to give Homura the benefit of the doubt when it comes to her dislike of Kyubey. While Mami doesn't immediately side with Homura against her old friend, she comes up with a (incorrect) assumption of why Homura doesn't want Kyubey around that she can at least understand and their relationship begins a lot more civilly, if not without disagreement about if Madoka should contract. This quickly warms up to a point the two start to fully develop close, romantic feelings for the other in about a week.

** Mami recalls the difference in earing culture between herself in Japan (where they don't pierce their ears) and her Italian cousins (who do) while shopping.

** The Magical Girls of Asunaro City, also known as the Pleiades Saints, have a reputation for being extremely territorial. Even though Asunaro is one of the few places left to still have Witches present, the fact no other Magical Girl who has come to that city has returned has made the city a last resort for any desperate magical girl. They'd rather try their luck at Mitakihara or go on to Kamihama instead.

** When Kyoko demands Suzumebachi to tell her why she's kidnapped so many young girls, Suzumebachi shoots back it's [[NotSoDifferentRemark the same thing Kyoko does with Witches]]. Kyoko takes this to mean she captures girls to directly feed to Familiars in order to grow new Witches for Grief Seeds, which causes Kyoko to swear off Familiar farming entirely just so she can stop any such comparisons in her mind. What Suzumebachi actually meant is that she's cultivating new Witches directly by manipulating vulnerable young girls into becoming Magical Girls, then forcing them to Witch Out and harvesting their Grief Seeds, but Kyoko not knowing of the true nature of the link between Magical Girls and Witches doesn't even consider this possibility.

* HeroicLineage: One of Tasuke Satomi's theories in his unfinished transcript about Magical Girls is that the potential to be a Magical Girl is genetic and passed through families. Yachiyo isn't sure about this herself, though she admits there just isn't a lot of examples she knows of one way or another and she can't tell if that absence if evidence to the contrary or not.

* MusclesAreMeaningless: Once someone becomes a Magical Girl, it doesn't matter how young or petite they look as part of the package comes with increased physical prowess not directly correlated to muscle mass, making them far stronger than any mere {{Muggle}}. This is shown in full when Homura can literally drag Madoka and Sayaka along and carry them under her arms, and when Akasuki casually knocks Sayaka aside after easily disarming her of the sword Homura lent her, despite both being described as very thin.

*** The name 'Holy Quintet' and the Cake Song appear in the third side story chapter, in-universe being from a old Magical Girl show that Homura loved as a child.

** Akasuki, while reviewing everything that's gone wrong since kidnapping [[spoiler:Hitomi]], including realizing that [[spoiler:Hitomi is friends with Madoka, who is the Soulmate to Mami (aka, the veteran Magical Girl of Mitakihara) and Homura (yet another Magical Girl of unknown but presumably decent skill), and no doubt both of them are tearing up the city looking for Hitomi and all but certainly have Nagisa to give them a name and description of herself]], contents herself by noting it could only get any worse if that "red-haired cult girl with a spear" showed up, not realizing that not only is Kyoko here, but she's just as eager to finish putting her into the ground.

* YouRemindMeOfX: In a brief moment of honesty, Suzumebachi admits to a paralyzed [[spoiler:Hitomi]] that a part of her actually feels bad about what she plans to do, as the latter proved to be a friendly and open girl to an apparent stranger, which reminds her of an old friend of hers (implied to be the very one she wished to save from suicide [[StartOfDarkness who then Witched Out]]). Unfortunately, Suzumebachi then admits that still won't stop her from going through with her plan [[ItsAllAboutMe for her own survival]].

* After Nanaka presses Matsuri on the details of Arisa's vision due to its similarity to Iroha's and learning it was about the salvation of Magical Girls instead of a missing sister, Meiyui starts thinking about hypothetical siblings of other Magical Girls. Matsuri is one of the ones where she thinks a sister like her would be a good thing and a sister unlike her would be a bad thing. She also believes that Kagari is likely not related to anyone. As readers of ''Manga/PuellaMagiSuzuneMagica'' would know, [[spoiler:Kagari is Matsuri's EvilTwin]].

** Matsuri's Magical Girl Story event and the events of Cross Connection come up a lot in Kamihama Interlude 2 as part of Matsuri and her friend's having history in Kamihama.

** Nagisa's reaction to how [[InASingleBound high she can jump]] when she does for the first time is very similar to how most [[Anime/PrettyCure Pretty Cure's]] reactions when they do the same.

* TarotMotifs: One aspect of Mel's powers allows the cards she uses as a Magical Girl to shift their appearance based on whose predictions are being told or who is seeing it. For example when Iroha is looking at the Death card, it takes the form based on Homura.

* ThouShaltNotKill: Downplayed. Magical Girls in-story either don't even consider the use of lethal force, or only do so as a last resort. While they often do end up fighting each other over resources and will defend themselves and their friends, killing is always something that a willing Magical Girl uses as a last resort both to preserve their humanity and to avoid dealing with the police afterwards. While Homura is more willing to immediately kill a target than most, this is based on her time loop experiences with Magical Girls prone to attacking her friends and is perfectly willing to knock out a target non-lethally (as shown with Takako and Sute).

** Deconstructed with [[SerialKiller Akasuki Suzumebachi]], whose pure power is on the low end for a Magical Girl but who's managed to leverage her [[PeoplePuppets power]] to its full potential in her lifestyle to live for decades honing her craft. However, it's made clear that her preference for targeting young and inexperienced Magical Girls and their resulting weak Witches to farm Grief Seeds for years has left her ill-prepared for throwing down with more honed Magical Girls and tougher Witches without [[CombatPragmatist stacking the deck in her favor]]. She was quickly overpowered by Mifuyu and needed Kyubey to intervene to take her down, and she was pretty easily beaten by Kyoko, only getting away because Kyoko prioritized getting her victims away from her, being sure Suzumebachi was dead or doomed to die. She also fairs very badly against a newly contracted Sayaka, who compensates for her inexperience with sheer strength, UnstoppableRage, and a superior HealingFactor.

** Mitakihara's history as a city is explored in bits and bobs, noting how it started off as an industrial city that has successfully transitioned past the post industrial phase of its existence. Its tendency to have buildings based on other structures from throughout the world is also explained as being inspired on the first building to do so, the St. Jeanne Anglican Church, and

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler:Candeloro]] has one for Homura.
---> '''Homura''': I consider taking responsibility for my mistakes a good thing.
---> '''[[spoiler:Candeloro]]''': Is that Homura talking, or is that the orphanage talking?