The One and Only Direction

A Guide to Soulmarks

Hi! This page will change pretty often as this will be where I keep a pile of soulmate identification ideas. As I discover and invent more, they will be added here. This will not be necessary to read before reading another part of this book, hopefully the way soulmates are found in that universe will be clear. This is really just a place for me to keep all of my different ideas and hopefully a place for any confused readers to go if the story is not clear enough.  Tell me if you have anymore ideas or notes on these, I'd love to hear them!

First Words- Probably the most common soulmate trope. The first words your soulmate ever says are tattooed on some part of your body. Often, to give it a more personal touch, the words are also said to be written in their handwriting.

First Touch- The first place your soulmate touches you glows or turns to a bright color after the contact occurs. Before first contact the skin can either look completely normal or slightly off, such as having the coloration of a bruise.

First Thoughts- The first thing your soulmate thinks when some large event happens. What event exactly is up to the author. It could be the first time they noticed their soulmate, what they were thinking during the most important moment of their life, or the moment they realized they were in love. Or anything the author can come up with, really.

Most Life Changing Words- This one I actually came up with, not sure if it's been done before. Instead of the words their soulmate first said to them, it is whatever words matter the most to them. Lots of people probably have something like "I love you" or "Perfect", but it's the people that have "Pretzels. Okay. Well, they're right here, when you want them." (Leverage, anyone?) that make this idea so interesting to me. 

Countdown- This is also a fairly common soulmate identifier. People are either mailed the date that they are destined to meet their soulmate, or wear a watch that counts down to the exact millisecond when they meet for the first time.

Marks- In this soulmate adaptation, things that change the look of one person's skin changes the look of the other person's skin. Different versions of this allow scars, sunburns, tattoos, tans, and bruises(among other things) to cross over to the other's skin along with the standard marker drawings and notes. 

Matching Marks- Soulmates both have an identifying tattoo on some part of their body. Sometimes the tattoos match each other exactly, sometimes they play off each other(rope and anchor, sun and moon, etc.), and sometimes they simply reflect their soulmate's soul.

Flash of Light- This trope often accompanies another, though it can be used alone. All that this flash of light includes itself is a brilliant flash of light at some determined point in their lives that they share such as the first time their eyes meet, during their first kiss, or as one of the soulmates takes their last breath.

Scars- Scars on one soulmate's body turn up on the other's body. When accompanied by their feeling of pain as they receive the scar, it no longer belongs only under the scars category and is accompanied by something else.

Pain- This is also fairly common and often is accompanied by something else on this list. This on it's own allows you to feel your soulmates pain. In some cases, you experience the pain yourself and in some you simply feel that they are in pain in a particular way. However, this is all secondhand pain, so any scars or bruises received in a world where this trope is used would be from another identification mark on this list such as Scars or Marks.

Empathy- Empathy is being able to understand your soulmates feelings. In some cases this only occurs before or after the initial meeting, but in others can last throughout their whole lives or for a set time.

Telepathy- Telepathy is being able to hear your soulmate's thoughts. In some cases this only occurs before or after the initial meeting, but in others can last throughout their whole lives or for a set time.

Soul String- The soul string is a classic stemming from the idea of each person having a string that represents their entire life. When fate cuts that string, you die. And when fate binds that string to someone else's, you have been brought together by fate. The strings are not always visible to everyone, nor does everyone have to be bound to another. Authors have a few creative liberties with this method also. Does the string lead directly to your soulmate or down the path taken to find them? Does the string represent an individual's soul, or the partner's connection? Really it's up to the author.

Matching Hair or Eye- You are born with part of your body belonging to someone else. This is usually shown through a single eye or a portion of your hair. A soulmate is born with one eye(or lock of hair) their own and one their soulmates. In some cases the hair or eye is switched back to whoever they belong to biologically after meeting, but most often soulmates keep a mismatched set.

Seeing Colors- In this variation of a soulmate story, you are born into a world of black and white until the day you see your soulmate. After that, your world is full of color . Although a rarity, a fun version of this is that only your soulmate or things having to do with them has color, or color can only be seen while near them. This trope also is often accompanied by the idea that the world returns to grays after your other half passes.

Through their Eyes- There are hints of this in many different soulmate situations, but it is rare to be found on it's own. This trope allows you to see through your soulmate's eyes in some way. In stories this is most often found, I believe, in dream sequences. Being able to see what your soulmate is seeing basically through their eyes. This can be done many different ways, with either essentially switching sight with each other, watching what your soulmate is watching in the exact moment they are watching it, by seeing what they had seen throughout the day in your dreams, or several other ways. Again, what you see, how much you see, and how you see it are up to the author.

Soulmate Day- Soulmate is the name given to the idea(by me) of having a day where you wake up in your soulmate's body. During that day there may be rules or limitations depending on the situation and the author, but it is up to you what to do with your soulmate's body and whatever information or perks you are now privy to.

Immortals- You stop aging once you turn eighteen until the moment you meet your soulmate so the two of you can age together. Some things to think about with this are the implications. What happens if one soulmate dies after they meet? Before they meet? Is it possible to not meet your soulmate? Do you even have to know this other half of you or does meeting once in the hallway between classes senior year count? Interesting concept.

Reminders

Kinds of love- Not all bonds(soulmate or not) are romantic. You can easily be the perfect match for someone without wanting to pursue a romantic relationship. There is a fun theme recently where your soulmate actually ends up being the person you hate most in the world.Experiment with different relationships.

Effects- These different identification methods can have wildly different outcomes. Consider what happens when one half dies. Consider whether or not people are born with whatever information is given. Do they receive it on their 18th birthday? At the exact moment the younger of the two turns 30? The first time they are in a mile radius of each other? Plan out what the effects of your method should be.

Mix it up- Make new combinations of these. Remember that there are so many different new methods to try out and have fun with it. :)

Go for it- Don't be afraid to try.