Soul Marks for Soul Mates

We fanfic writers love to play around with the soul mate idea. It sounds lovely in some ways–two people who are meant for each other, destined to find each other and fulfill each other’s every emotional need.

In real life, most people probably don’t believe in soul mates. I personally believe that one could find happiness with any number of different mates, and that choosing a spouse is more about finding somebody that you choose rather than about finding someone who is a perfect ideal match. In fact, I don’t think one truly can find that sort of match in another imperfect human being, and that trying to can be detrimental to relationships and happiness.

But that doesn’t meant it isn’t fun to play around with the trope in novels! The idea of soul mates has been regular in fanfiction for many years–I can attest that I was seeing it in stories written around the year 2000 in another fanfic genre, but I’d imagine that it has probably existed in people’s imaginations since the concept of soul mates was first popularized in the 19th century.

The idea of a soul mark is a newer and interesting twist to the soul mate idea. The idea of a soulmate mark, or soulmark, is some sort of mark that forms on the bodies of the two soul mates, helping them find each other and affirming their connection. This idea has existed in fanfiction since at least 2011 and possibly earlier, and it has taken on all sorts of twists and turns ever since! Soulmarks have appeared in several stories in JAFF fandom, adding a new twist to our beloved story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

What does a soulmark look like? Well, that depends on the story you’re reading! Early soulmark stories usually had the soulmark state the name or initials of the soulmate. Others have the mark portray the first words your soulmate will say to you. Sometimes the mark is a shared symbol, or a countdown that changes over time (this is based on a science fiction movie from 2009 called TiMER, which may have been what inspired the soulmark idea to begin with), or the soulmate’s first touch can leave a handprint or mark on the skin of the other. Soulmarks are commonly on the hand, wrist, or arm, but they can appear anywhere on the body according to the needs of the story. In my soulmark story, Mark of Character, the soulmark is a symbol that is shared between both characters and it appears on the character’s back. In my short story, “There Can Be No Doubt,” it is a symbol that appears on the back of the hand or wrist. In Melanie Rachel’s short story, “Sole Mates,” the name of the first song the soulmates dance to is etched onto the soles of their feet!

When does the soulmark appear? From my research, it looks fairly common to have the soulmarks present at birth. In some cases, the soulmark is one color upon the birth of the older soulmate and then it changes color when the younger soulmate is born. In other cases, it appears on both at the moment the younger one is born. In other cases, the soulmark might appear at puberty, or at a certain age. In Elizabeth Adams’ Meet Your Mark, individuals are able to choose on their thirteenth birthday whether to receive a soulmark.

Does it matter if the soulmates find each other? In some stories, it doesn’t necessarily matter, although there is the sense of the character living their life unfulfilled if they do not find their soulmate. There is a trope of soulmarks that portray the last words of the soulmate, meaning that a character does not know that another person was their soulmate until that person dies! I find this idea intriguing but rather sad in some ways. In both my soulmark short story and in my book, those who are marked must find their soulmate or suffer a wasting ailment that will eventually kill them, so there is not only a necessity to find one’s soulmate, but a deadline.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if people really had soulmarks? Some cultures would likely flaunt them and others hide them. Some cultures would elevate the idea, declaring those with soulmarks somehow superior to others, and some would denigrate the concept and leave the Marked to be oddities or outcasts. In some fanfiction stories, like AMarguerite’s An Ever-Fixed Mark, people typically wear a bracelet or ribbon around their wrist to hide their soulmark–or lack thereof! In my story, Mark of Character, the very fact that the soulmark appears on the back means that people typically keep it private. And of course, in some stories like “Sole Mates,” the mark makes itself known to all the moment it appears. Regardless of how the culture might be affected by the display of soulmarks, the world would be a different place if people’s matrimonial ambitions were guided by a mark on their body.

Whether you believe in soulmates or think it a ridiculous idea, you may enjoy reading the twists and turns that having a soulmark causes in fanfiction! If so, the idea is beginning to seep into our fandom, and you may find a new story to love!

The books and stories that I mentioned featuring this trope are:

Mark of Character, by Sarah Courtney

Meet Your Mark, by Elizabeth Adams

An Ever-Fixed Mark, by AMarguerite on AO3 (unpublished)

“Sole Mates,” by Melanie Rachel, available for free if you sign up for her newsletter at https://dl.bookfunnel.com/orcbd5j1wl

“There Can Be No Doubt,” by Sarah Courtney, a short story in the collection Vexed a Little in Love

Do you have other favorite soulmark stories that I’ve missed? Tell me about it in the comments!