History Main / SoulmateAUFic

** The fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'' has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with the mechanics and customs of soulmates changing at several points as a response to Madoka's wishes prior to Homura's time jumps. The 'gains color vision once you see your soul mate' take on soul mates is first, with later takes on reality including names on wrist, death counters, communicating with each other by writing on oneself, sharing pain, and literal red strings. While Madoka and Homura remain bonded, a few soul mates do change (at one point Sayaka's soulmate was Kyosuke but in most later ones it became Kyoko), and in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, showing the start of a relationship between the five and how it was developing before the events of the main story.
** Several such prompts appear in the anthology series ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29779803/chapters/73259037 Orajje's As N Approaches Infinity Fan AUs and Oneshots]]'', coming in platonic and romantic variations and having the name of one's soulmate appear on the person in question being a commonly used trope. A particular common idea explored is just ''what'' Homura's time travelling and constantly seeing her soulmate or soulmates die does to said names, frequently warping and duplicating them, [[UncannyValley which is considered rather unsettling in-universe]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/11393223 I Can't Believe Dumbledore Died]]'' is an Amethyst/Peridot fic of the "the first words you say to your soulmate are written on your arm" variety. Peridot unfortunately has "Man, I can't believe Dumbledore died." on her arm, spoiling her to the twist and leading to several uncomfortable Summers in long sleeves due to not wanting to spoil anyone else.

** In the ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556713 Fruitful]]'' series by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi SailorChibi]], people have the first words their soulmate will tell them on their chests. The connection manifests as a telepathic link some people choose to block until they are sure they can trust their mate, as happens with Alya (to Nino's chagrin). Meanwhile, Adrien and Marinette bond during a ball where she drops some pastries on his clothes while catering, and choose to keep the bond open, but the relationship secret so that Gabriel won't interfere. The only one who knows is Chloe, who was present and knew Adrien's words. Then they must keep it secret from their kwamis as well, because there are rules against Ladybugs and Cats knowing each other's identity...

* ''Fanfic/CinderellaAndPrinceCharming'':
** Soulmates feel each other's emotions, especially negative ones, and pain most of all. When (or ''if'') soulmates meet each other's eyes, they will instantly recognize each other, but before that they have no way of finding each other. Jaune is bonded to Cinder, and the fact that she's been tortured for most of her life bled over. Jaune resolves to be a Huntsman in large part due to a desire to protect his soulmate. [[spoiler:They finally meet each other in the middle of the Battle of Beacon, the ''worst possible time'']].
** For other pairings, everyone has a different opinion. Yang and Blake discover they're soulmates on the first day of school, and from then on are inseparable. Ruby is rather dismissive of the concept of soulmates, since her own parents weren't bonded but were perfectly happy together. Nora and Ren are soulmates, and while Nora claims it's platonic, no one believes her. Pyrrha has been soured on the concept due to the hundreds of fans who tried to claim they were soulmates. Weiss, on the other hand, is a hopeless romantic and finds Jaune's devotion adorable.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13034304/chapters/29813943 A Pair of Lost Souls]]'' is an AlternateUniverseFic where Weiss and Blake didn't go to Beacon. They first meet when Blake attacks Weiss and holds her {{hostage|Situation}}. It just so happens they're also soulmates who have their first words to one another written on their skin.

** ''Fanfic/TheSoulmateTimeline'' has Homura time loop into a universe with soulmates, which is not what typical for her. [[FishOutOfWater Meaning that Homura has no idea what is going on when soulmate tropes start happening around her]] and has to [[AudienceSurrogate learn about what is going on alongside the readers]]. 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, 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.

** [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/47843671/chapters/120616627 The Soulmate Timeline]]'' has Homura time loop into a universe with soulmates, which is not what typical for her. [[FishOutOfWater Meaning that Homura has no idea what is going on when soulmate tropes start happening around her]] and has to [[AudienceSurrogate learn about what is going on alongside the readers]]. 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, 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.

** [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/47843671/chapters/120616627 The Soulmate Timeline]]'' has Homura time loop into a universe with soulmates, which is not what typical for her. [[FishOutOfWater Meaning that Homura has no idea what is going on when soulmate tropes start happening around her]] and has to [[AudienceSurrogate learn about what is going on alongside the readers]]. Soulmates in the universe have identifying marks, can come in groups anywhere from two people to at least five (as 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 pair 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, 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.

** In Peppermint_Shamrock's series ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/1061534 The Soul System]]'', soulmates experience an intense feeling of connection and recognition upon first contact - and ''only'' first contact. So if two children meet and experience the connection when they're too young or assumed to be too young to understand it, they may not know or be able to prove they're soulmates, which is what happens to Rose and Juleka (along with an implication of homophobia on Rose's mother's part). In addition, sometimes one person experiences the connection but the other does not, meaning the former is considered Mismatched, which happens with Chloe for Adrien and Ondine for Kim. In the case of the Love Square, Ladybug and Chat Noir [[CrashIntoHello meet as they did in canon]] and discover they're soulmates. The complication comes when this doesn't stop Marinette from falling in love with Adrien after the umbrella scene, leading her to feel awful about emotionally betraying Chat, especially since she believes that Adrien's soulmate is Chloe. [[spoiler:Her guilt leads her to slip Adrien's birthday scarf into his locker without signing her name (on purpose, unlike in canon), and when Chat Noir brings it along on patrol, Ladybug recognises her work, makes the connection and promptly screams before [[HeadDesk banging her head against a chimney stack]].]]

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has the fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'' has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with the mechanics and customs of soulmates changing at several points as a response to Madoka's wishes prior to Homura's time jumps. The 'gains color vision once you see your soul mate' take on soul mates is first, with later takes on reality including names on wrist, death counters, communicating with each other by writing on oneself, sharing pain, and literal red strings. While Madoka and Homura remain bonded, a few soul mates do change (at one point Sayaka's soulmate was Kyosuke but in most later ones it became Kyoko), and in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, showing the start of a relationship between the five and how it was developing before the events of the main story.

* The ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'', a SoulmateAUFic, has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with the mechanics and customs of soulmates changing at several points as a response to Madoka's wishes prior to Homura's time jumps. The 'gains color vision once you see your soul mate' take on soul mates is first, with later takes on reality including names on wrist, death counters, communicating with each other by writing on oneself, sharing pain, and literal red strings. While Madoka and Homura remain bonded, a few soul mates do change (at one point Sayaka's soulmate was Kyosuke but in most later ones it became Kyoko), and in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, showing the start of a relationship between the five and how it was developing before the events of the main story.

This concept most commonly involves "soulmate marks", which are tattoo-like markings that help you find your soulmate. When your mark appears and what it looks like [[DependingOnTheWriter depend on the writer]], though most commonly, you're either born with a soulmark or it appears when you come of age, and it's either the first words your soulmate will say to you, a unique image you two share, or just your soulmate's name.

* Soulmates have a PsychicLink -- sending mental messages, [[SeeingThroughAnothersEyes seeing through each others' eyes]], etc. -- or experience {{Synchronization}} (jokes about feeling your soulmate's periods are almost inevitable)
* The 2009 film ''Film/{{Timer}}'' inspired a subgenre where people have similar "soulmate countdowns".

Soulmate [=AUs=] are usually PlayedForDrama due to the inherent dramatic potential of having one person who's objectively your best possible partner. Recurring plots include "I haven't found my soulmate and [[AloneAmongTheCouples I'm really depressed]]", "My soulmark [[BlessedWithSuck seems like it won't help me at all]]", "I found my soulmate, but [[FoeYayShipping I hate them/they're my enemy]]", "I found my soulmate, but [[StarCrossedLovers circumstances conspire to keep us apart]]" and "I love someone, but [[FriendOrIdolDecision they're not my soulmate]]". More philosophical works might muse on the implications about [[BecauseDestinySaysSo free will and predestination]], or present a soulmate relationship that genuinely goes bad and watch them struggle with societal and internal pressures to stay together. Despite all this, most soulmate stories end HappilyEverAfter.

* ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13688301 I'll Carry You Until the End, so Just Hold On for Now]]'' is a soulmate mark fic where your soulmate's name appears on your wrist as a teenager. Jyushimatsu meets his unnamed love interest but she doesn't want to tell him her name. He begins calling her "Homura" as a pun on "home run", unaware that she's really his soulmate. Homura doesn't feel she deserves a soulmate, due to her DarkAndTroubledPast as a sex worker, and went as far as to SelfHarm her soulmark to the point where it's illegible. Eventually, the two figure out they're soulmates when Homura sees her surname on Jyushimatsu's wrist.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17498354 You'll Find Your Wings]]'' is a ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAsThePrincessAndThePauper'' oneshot where Princess Anneliese is being forced into an ArrangedMarriage unless she can find her soulmate in a week. She meets a woman named Erika who turns out to have a matching wrist soulmark.

The "Soulmate AU" is a kind of fanfiction or fanart that revolves around a setting where everyone has a OneTrueLove, and there's a RedStringOfFate that ties these 'soul-mates' together. [[AWizardDidIt It's magic]]. Usually soulmates are romantic, though works with platonic soulmates exist for those who enjoy {{Heterosexual Life Partner}}s, {{Pseudo Romantic Friendship}}s, and PlatonicLifePartners.

The most common form of this concept involves "soulmate marks", which are tattoo-like marks that help you find your soulmate. When the mark appears and what it looks like [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]], though most commonly, people are either born with a soulmate mark or it appears when you come of age, and it's either the first words your soulmate will say to you, a unique image you two share, or just your soulmate's name.

Another common way for soulmate [=AUs=] to work is for people to see in greyscale until they meet their soulmate. Soulmates may have a PsychicLink -- sending mental messages, [[SeeingThroughAnothersEyes seeing through each others' eyes]], etc. -- or experience {{Synchronization}} (jokes about a man having to feel his soulmate's periods are almost inevitable). Again, these might end once the soulmates find each other. The 2009 film ''Film/{{Timer}}'' also inspired a subgenre where people have similar "soulmate countdowns".

Soulmate [=AUs=] are usually PlayedForDrama due to the inherent dramatic potential of having one person who's objectively your best possible partner. Common plots include "I haven't found my soulmate and [[AloneAmongTheCouples I'm really depressed]]", "I found my soulmate, but [[StarCrossedLovers circumstances conspire to keep us apart]]", "I found my soulmate, but [[FoeYayShipping I hate them/they're my enemy]]" and "I love someone, but [[FriendOrIdolDecision they're not my soulmate]]". Despite all this, most soulmate stories end HappilyEverAfter.

More philosophically-minded works might muse on the implications about [[BecauseDestinySaysSo free will and predestination]], or present a soulmate relationship that genuinely goes bad and watch them struggle with societal and internal pressure to stay together.

This type of fanwork is most popular on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn and Website/{{Tumblr}}. On the former, there are currently over 60,000 stories tagged "Alternate Universe - Soulmates". The earliest known cases of the "Your soulmate's name is written on you" prompt date back to the ''Series/{{Glee}}'' and ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' fandoms circa 2011, though the broader concepts behind this trope are centuries old.

Sub-trope to AlternateUniverseFic. Somewhat related to ReincarnationRomance.

The "Soulmate AU" is a kind of fanfic or fanart that revolves around a setting where everyone has a OneTrueLove, however there is a form of RedStringOfFate that ties the soulmates together. Usually these soulmates are romantic, though works with platonic soulmates exist for those who enjoy {{Heterosexual Life Partner}}s, {{Pseudo Romantic Friendship}}s, and PlatonicLifePartners.

There are numerous ways for this concept to work. The most common is the "soulmate mark", which is a mark that soulmates share. When the mark appears and what it says varies DependingOnTheWriter, though the most common interpretation is that people are born with either the first words their soulmate will say to them or their soulmate's name on their body. Another common way for soulmate [=AUs=] to work is for people to see in greyscale until they meet their soulmate.

This type of fanwork is most popular on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn and Website/{{Tumblr}}. The earliest known cases of the "Your soulmate's name is written on you" prompt date back to the ''Series/{{Glee}}'' and ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' fandoms circa 2011.

The 2009 film ''Film/{{Timer}}'' might have helped spark this form of fanwork. In it, for a fee a person can get a device that counts down to the point where you meet your soulmate. However, it only works if both soulmates wear a device.

Sub-trope to AlternateUniverseFic.

* The ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'', a SoulmateAUFic, has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with the mechanics and customs of soulmates changing at several points as a response to Madoka's wishes prior to Homura's time jumps. While Madoka and Homura remain bonded, a few soul mates do change (at one point Sayaka's soulmate was Kyosuke but in most later ones it became Kyoko), and in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, showing the start of a relationship between the five and how it was developing before the events of the main story.

* * The ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'', a SoulmateAUFic, has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with the mechanics and customs of soulmates changing at several points as a response to Madoka's wishes prior to Homura's time jumps. While Madoka and Homura remain bonded, a few soul mates do change (at one point Sayaka's soulmate was Kyosuke but in most later ones it became Kyoko), and in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, showing the start of a relationship between the five and how it was developing before the events of the main story.

* The ''Film/BarelyLethal'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14192460 Watering Plastic Plants in the Hope That They'll Grow]]'' is a 'Soulmark' fic based on the premise that the name of a person's soulmate appears on their wrist when they become 13, which simultaneously deconstructs and supports the soulmark idea. Like all Prescott girls, 83's soulmark was burnt off before she could see it to ensure that they would have no attachments outside of the organisation, and Liz has developed a cynical view of the very idea of soulmarks as her parents divorced despite being soulmates as it was apparently "too much pressure" to know their destined partner, to say nothing of Liz never understanding the meaning of her soulmark as it just states '83'. After Liz has worn bracelets or long sleeves to hide her soulmark ever since before Megan started living with the Larsons, she only learns Megan's 'real name' after Victoria Knox refers to Megan as '83' and explains the concept of Prescott's naming system, and still conceals the soulmark from Megan until she's sure of Megan's own feelings for her in turn, Liz wanting to know that Megan loved ''her'' and not just because the soulmark said so.

* ''Series/Supergirl2015'':
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278486/chapters/30384006 Hey, are you Lena Luthor?]]'' is a Lena/Kara ship fic. The first thing your soulmate ever says to you is written on your skin. Lena is infuriated at her completely mundane soul mark, and she hears the phrase an average of once per day. On the other hand, Kara has the oddly rude soul mark "Hey, go fuck yourself!" Written in English, no less, which confused her to no end when she was a young girl on Krypton.
** ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/9626711/chapters/21747911 Not Alone Anymore]]'' is ship fic between Cat and Kara. Cat spent almost forty years of her life without a soulmark until one day it appeared. When Kara arrived on Earth, she received her soulmark.
** ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/9303707 Signs]]'' is a Kara/Lena and Alex/Maggie soulmate fic. It uses an interpretation where everyone has a compass pointing towards their soulmate. Kara, [[BizarreAlienBiology being an alien]], doesn't have one.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':

* ''Fanfic/PnFSoulmates'' is a take on the powers variant, set in one where various powers are gained once you meet your soulmate, such as being unable to drown.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17498354 You'll Find Your Wings]]'' is a ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInThePrincessAndThePauper'' oneshot where Princess Anneliese is being forced into an ArrangedMarriage unless she can find her soulmate in a week. She meets a woman named Erika who turns out to have a matching wrist soulmark.

* Tumblr's [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia Dianakko]] [[https://dianakko-week.tumblr.com/post/186768593975/reminding-everyone-that-dianakko-week-2019 week 2019]] featured this prompt on the first day. The most common depiction seemed to be RedStringOfFate.
* ''Anime/{{Osomatsu San}}'': ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13688301 I'll Carry You Until the End, so Just Hold On for Now]]'' is a soulmate mark fic where your soulmate's name appears on your wrist as a teenager. Jyushimatsu meets his unnamed love interest but she doesn't want to tell him her name. He begins calling her "Homura" as a pun on "home run", unaware that she's really his soulmate. Homura doesn't feel she deserves a soulmate, due to her DarkAndTroubledPast as a sex worker, and went as far as to SelfHarm her soulmark to the point where it's illegible. Eventually, the two figure out they're soulmates when Homura sees her surname on Jyushimatsu's wrist.

*** It was also deconstructed with, news reporter and [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul Tony's friend]], Christine Everhart whose soulmate was a corrupt politician which she then later exposed.
** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678824 Look Again]]'' explores Wanda Maximoff's grief as she grew up without a soulmark until the Vision is activated and their names appear on each other's wrists. The fic also briefly looks at the other Avengers' soulmarks, such as Banner and the Hulk supposedly having different marks and Thor having several due to his long lifespan.

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