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this is in a similar vein to my magic au post, but i love considering worlds in which soulmates are a real concept. as a trope, it's got a lot of variety, but it essentially boils down to there being a tangible physical connection tying you to another person, whether it be feeling synced emotions or having the literal red string of fate or being able to write to one another using your skin. whatever the case, soulmates are basically horror to me.
there are really only two directions when you consider the logistics of a soulmate setting, neither of which are explored. firstly, there's the concept of soulmates being a government-assigned thing; you hit a certain age (or maybe you're even born knowing), and then you get assigned to someone and vice versa. secondly, it's legitimate fate and you are somehow born knowing you're going to be someone else's. both have a lot of appeal, personally.
looking at the first choice, this is pretty clearly dystopian. there's a couple of issues here, one of which is kind of inherent to soulmate aus. you're not going to be genetically suited for someone. that's a ridiculous notion and ignores the huge factor of nurture when considering someone's personality and their general predisposition to a variety of events. the second thing is that you must consider that this is a government-decided thing. in some idealized world, perhaps this could work (as it does in fanfiction, which is, of course, wish fulfillment). however, in reality, this would only be used to enforce heteronormativity. it's pretty easy to see how it devolves into a dystopia then, and i think this route could be a really great exploration of the costs of enforced social norms and the risks taken when being unconventional.
about the second choice: this is less dystopian by virtue of there literally being nothing to fight. fate is an intangible concept, and even if you don't like it, you'd have to submit to it anyway. to me, this is scarier than the first choice. there, at least there's some possible form of escape. realizing that the designated Person For You isn't actually for you would settle some things in your psyche and assure you of your sanity (probably). it's a lot worse when it's fate; even if you have the awareness required to realize that it's a scary concept to have your whole life, down to the person you're fated to be with, mapped out, and to know that you can't really do anything about it? it's terrrrrrrible. something i always love to toy with when i think of soulmate scenarios in my mind is a feeling of forced love (which i think mirrors the arranged marriage trope quite nicely; there, you're technically forced into a legal relationship but the trope often relies on a genuine affection grown, however tinged with caveats that is. here, you've got no legal binds technically, but if you've been fated to fall in love, is that really love on its own?). it's another one of those tropes that i don't really hate, but i think it has so much potential as a character study. i'd love for this to be enacted on a character who has never had the liberty of choice in their life especially given that the traditional norm is for romance to be some sort of freeing, changing thing.
there are really only two directions when you consider the logistics of a soulmate setting, neither of which are explored. firstly, there's the concept of soulmates being a government-assigned thing; you hit a certain age (or maybe you're even born knowing), and then you get assigned to someone and vice versa. secondly, it's legitimate fate and you are somehow born knowing you're going to be someone else's. both have a lot of appeal, personally.
looking at the first choice, this is pretty clearly dystopian. there's a couple of issues here, one of which is kind of inherent to soulmate aus. you're not going to be genetically suited for someone. that's a ridiculous notion and ignores the huge factor of nurture when considering someone's personality and their general predisposition to a variety of events. the second thing is that you must consider that this is a government-decided thing. in some idealized world, perhaps this could work (as it does in fanfiction, which is, of course, wish fulfillment). however, in reality, this would only be used to enforce heteronormativity. it's pretty easy to see how it devolves into a dystopia then, and i think this route could be a really great exploration of the costs of enforced social norms and the risks taken when being unconventional.
about the second choice: this is less dystopian by virtue of there literally being nothing to fight. fate is an intangible concept, and even if you don't like it, you'd have to submit to it anyway. to me, this is scarier than the first choice. there, at least there's some possible form of escape. realizing that the designated Person For You isn't actually for you would settle some things in your psyche and assure you of your sanity (probably). it's a lot worse when it's fate; even if you have the awareness required to realize that it's a scary concept to have your whole life, down to the person you're fated to be with, mapped out, and to know that you can't really do anything about it? it's terrrrrrrible. something i always love to toy with when i think of soulmate scenarios in my mind is a feeling of forced love (which i think mirrors the arranged marriage trope quite nicely; there, you're technically forced into a legal relationship but the trope often relies on a genuine affection grown, however tinged with caveats that is. here, you've got no legal binds technically, but if you've been fated to fall in love, is that really love on its own?). it's another one of those tropes that i don't really hate, but i think it has so much potential as a character study. i'd love for this to be enacted on a character who has never had the liberty of choice in their life especially given that the traditional norm is for romance to be some sort of freeing, changing thing.
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