Ngl I feel like fandoms as a whole miss out so much on worldbuilding in soulmate AUs. I don’t believe something as socially significant as soulmarks can be introduced into a world without it fundamentally changing the social norms of that world.

Like I saw some crack fics about how many people in “first words soulmate marks” AUs would have soulmarks that just say “Hi” or “Nice to meet you” or “Excuse me!” or even worse, “Welcome to Starbucks / Uniqlo!” and so people would have to come up with unique introductions

to prevent a dilemma where they can’t actually tell who their soulmate is.

So (1) it got me thinking about how various types of marks affect daily routines. Eg I’ve seen also “first touch” soulmate mark AUs. In those worlds, would people cover up to avoid accidental touches

in public spaces that may go unnoticed, and lead to them missing their soulmate? In such cases, who do people bare skin around? Does baring skin or inviting someone to make skin to skin contact with you have some kind of symbolism to it — “I hope that you are my soulmate.”

So what are the “rituals” surrounding soulmate marks, and how do marks affect the emotional significance of certain mundane actions, like taking off your gloves in front of someone else?

Then (2) ofc, I’ve been very fascinated by the notion of marginalization in soulmate AUs.

Like I do not think homophobia would exist in a society where soulmarks are a thing, because how can it when queer people’s soulmates will defo be the same gender? There’s no reason why same sex attraction would be considered “unnatural” or “abnormal” in such societies.

But what about people who ultimately end up with people whose marks they don’t bear? What about people without marks? What about people whose soulmates they don’t actually get along with? What about people who are rejected or abandoned by their soulmates?

Soulmarks would fundamentally affect who is marginalized, and what choices are stigmatized. Failure to “comply” with soulmarks would be associated with “brokenness” or “wrongness.”

That means that soulmarks become socially coercive in that when you choose not to follow them

you face discrimination and stigmatization, maybe even exclusion from social services. I mean, my country excludes single moms from public housing to “punish” them. Not to mention the internalized -isms going on for people who face issues with their soulmates / soulmarks.

Then (3) there’s the whole issue of “how do people know what the marks mean?” unless God himself routinely makes a PSA explaining what the soulmarks are, it’s going to be all speculation that the marks indicate the “one meant just for you.” But it’s a theory, not a fact.

So what are the different “theories” on what the marks mean? Do some people disagree that they lead you to your soulmate, but might instead lead you to someone you just have “fate” with, which might be platonic, romantic, or maybe you guys are FATED ENEMIES?

Maybe some people think that soulmarks are just a “suggestion” while others say that soulmarks is heaven’s will and going against it will bring calamity. Maybe some people say “they don’t mean anything at all” in the way many people think birthmarks or moles don’t mean anything.

And (4) what is the effect of knowing that someone is your marked one before you even truly know them as a person? What kind of shadow does the knowledge of “we are fated” cast on their interactions going forward? The power of “self fulfilling prophecy” is so great here.

Like if you look at transmigration or time travel fics, knowledge of future events affect your behavior so much. Soulmarks essentially grant knowledge of future events. How does that affect the person leading up to the meeting, and in interactions afterwards?

Anyways the possibilities are endless. I feel like there’s actually a lot of potential for social commentary on soulmate AUs. There’s a lot of room to explore fate and agency. Agency makes our choices meaningful. But if we don’t have agency, if all actions and outcomes

are predetermined from birth, and you don’t get a “choice” in who you choose as a partner.... then is it even meaningful that you ended up together, seeing you didn’t CHOOSE to end up w them? You went into it bc you bear their marks, not bc you chose them for who they are.

This was supposed to go into my private not my public but it’s too late now and too much damn work to delete everything and copy paste tweet by tweet onto my private. Sorry everyone for the unorganized THOUGHT VOMIT.