A Sociological Look at Soulmate Universes
I want to take some time to think about Soulmate AUs in broader social and historical context. (Iām sticking to theĀ āfirst words written on your bodyā version of those aus)
In a soulmate universe there would be distinctly less homophobia because queerness would be both normalized and no one would be able to argue that it isnāt natural. (Not that there wouldnāt be any because people are assholes).Ā
Religion would be structured differently - destiny would be seen as an incontrovertible subject. āOf course you have a destiny and a place in Godās plan, just look at those words on your arm.ā What words were written on the arms of Messiahs and prophets?
Scientists attempting to explain it through genetics and physics.Ā
The culture of introductions would be essential. What you say to new people would be built into the culture of what is polite and it would change society by society.Ā
Societies with strict verbal introduction rules that limit the finding of soul mates (because what would disrupt strict social stratification than princes discovering that their soul mate is a maid).Ā
Societies where people craft personalized introductions and use the same line like a personal signature each time they meet someone new. Ā
First day of school or college or a new job being almost all meeting rituals. Ā
Special festivals that are dedicated to meeting new people and talking to them. Pilgrimages for young adults to go town by town to meet as many people as possible.Ā
Massive online databases full of those first words.Ā
Books dedicated to the first words of famous people.Ā
Analyses of your words (a la astrology: because you have the word ātimeā in your words it meansā¦)
Matchmakers who promise theyāll find you Your Soulmate!Ā
Imagine the shipping debates around TV shows: āHer words havenāt been revealed yet! So she could be his match!ā or āThey revealed his words in season 2 so we know his match isnāt Fred!āĀ
Imagine the pressure to find your matchĀ
People who claim children raised outside of matches are more destructive and less well adjusted and at a disadvantage
āIf you have sex outside a Match you will catch chlamydia and you will DIEā
Special marriages for matches.Ā
Support groups for those who find their Matches late in life.Ā
Imagine the family pressure in some families to never meet anyone unapproved by the family. āYour father speaks to everyone first!āĀ
Different marriage systemsĀ
Flexible ones where every non-match marriage is considered voidable if a soulmate match is found. Imagine being the person left behind by someone you love and trust because of words on their skin.Ā
Or a system of different marriages where people have different partners for different contexts: This is my household wife June and my Match wife Alice her household husband Larry and we all make it work.Ā
Or systems where you canāt legally marry unless you can both show your words and prove you are a match.Ā
People who lie about it to avoid the social pressure inherent in finding your match.Ā āOf course my husband and I are a match!ā Or teens who lie to their parents that someone is their match because their parents disapprove of their new date.Ā
Parents who worry like hell about their kidās words.Ā
People who fall in love with theĀ āwrong personā because this social system means that there is literally a wrong person. But they truly fall in love. Who try and scratch off their soulmate words from their skin because FUCK destiny, weāre making our own.Ā
Imagine how broken you would feel if you were asexual/aromantic and you didnāt have words.Ā
Imagine having words that you hated. Imagine having words on your skin that were a slur or an insult or a threat and knowing that someday you will meet someone who will say that to you and they are someone you are supposed to love.
It fascinates me because the idea is so much bigger than just meet-cute scenarios and fluff fics. It would change society from the ground up.Ā
I want to write the one in bold a little bit.Ā