travelerclondike

[travelerclondike]

I love how in the tags and comments, everyone is like “THE HORRORS!!!” Which… yes. <3 But I honestly love playing with the concept of soulmates, but that's also because many of my stories delve into the concept of fate. But being Ace myself, soulmates aren't usually romantic. They're one's second half, the only one who truly and fully understands how the other's mind works, who each has almost a second sense when their “other” is in danger, the one each is forever tied to whether or not they can comprehend how or why it's them who are made for each other. I never thought to use anything like a mark or first words or hands or anything, but my gosh, playing with the concept brings out ALLLL THE DRAMA. I weep, I drool, I laugh. 

Because on the one hand, with so, SO many relationship combos, romantic soulmates are actually pretty rare so while everyone would just love to find that perfect connection, most understand the odds of finding your one true love as your future spouse is unrealistic to strive for. But that doesn't mean you're doomed to be alone, just know that you can still meet someone, fall madly in love, get married, have kids, and still understand that when things get rough, you may both have someone else you storm off to vent at because they understand you well enough to say if you're being crazy or unreasonable or share enough of that connection that the advice (whether good advice or not) cools the internal turmoil and makes you feel like something you probably should have seen or thought of yourself in the heat of the moment. Even in that world, lovers are probably idealized because it sounds like perfection in theory, but anyone who has actually found their soulmate knows even that wouldn't be without conflict. 

Family:

In these worlds, it's probably considered “lucky” when the soulmate turns out to be a family member because those on the outside may gush about how fortunate it must be to have that connection with someone you've known your whole life and save you ~all the trouble~ of searching for that level of bond. But the “lucky” people may not feel so lucky because it both leaves a TON of uncertainty for the future and a sort of bitterness that fate would pair you with a family member giving a feeling of being cut off from some of the joys others have in the discovery. After all, if you’re free to find and marry whoever you want instead of hoping fate will give it to you, it probably feels a little daunting. Like if your other half is a sibling, are you even meant to marry at all? But maybe they realize they don’t want to be with anyone, and can still vent or cry to their loved one about any other life’s troubles. Like I’m sure as a teen there would be some disgust while everyone is wondering if their classroom crush is “the one” there’s this kid over here going “ugh, I’m already tied to my mom, how fucking embarrassing” and trying to deny it while their friends are like “I wish my parents were so understanding / I wish I could go do all those fun things every weekend with my mom…” and no, no you don’t. But honestly having a sibling, parent, cousin, aunt, uncle, may be appreciated further down the line. 

This can cause a bit of tensions though with the rest of the family like feeling left out (if its between two siblings and a third sibling just doesn’t fit in), favoritism, maybe the other parent swears sometimes they’re always the bad guy or being teamed up on because the other and child have that sort of shared interest or mindset for mischief, the parents upset that kid is so much closer with other relative that didn’t raise them and seems to light up whenever they visit. Maybe one sibling is on bad terms with the rest of the family or in denial and desperate to get away only to have their other sibling somehow be the one to track them down and try to reason with them. How did they know where to find them? It’s just a feeling they had they knew where they’d go. If things with the family are really bad, the siblings may even leave together if they can convince each other, but how that affects the rest of the family is open for some heartache or bitterness. 

Best Friends: 

We all know the trope of found family and such, but sometimes the person you’re meant to be with does feel like you could be related when finding that perfect match. It’s not always like an instant click (just like love at first sight is uncommon) but there’s a certain point when hanging out that people really do look at these two and tease how they must be separated at birth, secretly lovers, or have just spent WAY too much time together because appear to share the same brain cell. Friendships are a little more tricky though, because there’s a lot of people one can be friends with, and even close with, but just like with lovers, how do you know THIS friend is the one who’s there forever even if you sometimes drift apart? And it’s a bit of weird line because if a pair does sync up that well and feel like they complete each other, there’s probably the outside pressure that maybe they SHOULD get married and move in together and be perfect and… no. They’re just friends, practically siblings, something “more” than siblings if that’s even possible, but they don’t love each other like that. In fact, it’s perfectly normal in this world for each half of this pairing to marry others but the spouses are in no way surprised when these two disappear for a “girls night out”, camping trips, road trips to sporting events, over at one house or the other almost constantly, meeting for breakfast every Saturday, or whatever it is they like to do together that spouse may or may not have any interest in. And you know what? That’s great if they have someone they can share all of those things with outside the family to get some time away from it all. But… depending on how it’s handled, just like the BFF can be seen as part of each other’s families, there’s just as much risk of maybe getting disconnected from the family. Spouse getting frustrated about the finances on this hobby, or if it seems like they’re being left home a lot, or if the bros are watching tv in the livingroom while wife is being asked to grab things for them so they don’t have to leave the game, or the spouse starts to wonder if there really is more to it than they’re letting on. What secrets do they share? How does it feel knowing you’re never going to fully understand or have that connection like they do with someone else? However, the funny thing is, if the BFFS are already paired, there’s a good chance the spouses also have soulmates they can go out and do fun things with or spend hours on the phone, or go and vent to about lover’s stupid hobbies when they’re frustrated. That is… if they’ve found theirs yet. Which can also lead to the potential dramas where they find their soulmate after they marry, is it romantic? That’s some internal conflict and red flags right there. And potentially opens the way for fics of BFFs where one is just really helping the other out after their lover left them, or trying to keep them from doing something stupid if they were cheated on. 

Lovers: 

In the off chance someone DOES find that their forever and ever is actually a romantic partner, that still doesn’t mean it’s all rainbows and sunshine. It just means that their sense of communication and predicting each other’s actions is often on point to a level it can be annoying or hilarious depending on what they do with this knowledge. Like surprises might be hard when they know each other so well to guess what they’re planning or would like to do, but it can be funny when one tries to bring up something and other is totally alright with it because they already knew they were going do that. Word of advice before you run off? It’s also nice that whenever outside stuff is getting to them, they can come home to their spouse and having a deep, meaningful conversation and get some advice without being judged too harshly. Maybe it’s about work, maybe it’s just needing some encouragement, maybe it’s being allowed to be fully vulnerable with their partner when no one else is allowed to see that side of them. But my gosh, when a fight breaks out, it’s usually a case of “you’re both being stupid, stop it” as any of their friends will probably tell them. Because LOVER OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD UNDERSTAND!!! Yes, but BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHY THEY’RE DOING THIS, DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY LESS RECKLESS / STUPID / PETTY AND THEY’RE TRYING TO REASON WITH THEM!! Synchronized huffing and storming off ensues until they can cool down and come back for the forgiveness and heart to heart. This doesn’t take away from poly-ships, but it does make things a bit more complicated when two in the set are ~fated mates~ but they love the other(s) none the less. The other mate may sometimes feel like a third wheel when it seems like they just don’t share that same connection as the two have, and may run into an argument where one storms off and the other half of the soulmates is like “I’ll calm them down / talk to them” to try to patch things, but that only makes it worse. On the other hand, the polys are fun when exploring all the different reasons they may be in this relationship. Maybe there is a triangle, where the soulmates have that connection, sure, they both fell in love with third member here and are more BFFS with each other. Maybe one member in the relationship is more there for physical affection and doesn’t mind the other two going off to their own activities to feed their interests. Maybe poly already knows their soulmate is someone not a lover (like the previous examples) and falling in love with these two (or more) just sort of happened and they never imagined they could still be so happy. Maybe none of them are soulmates and it’s someone with a family ship, someone with a BFF ship, and someone who hasn’t found theirs yet but it doesn’t matter because they’ve found each other while still able to do things with their pairings outside the group. 

A subcategory of this is naturally the ~fated lovers~ who just have all the obstacles in the way. Maybe someone is in love with one and refuses to acknowledge they’re meant for someone else. Maybe it’s a parent who sees who their kid has fallen in love with and ABSOLUTELY FLIPS OUT because look at this punk. Look at this jerk. Look at this unattainable princess that’s going to get you killed trying to reach. Maybe there’s actual obstacles in the way such as distance or borders or hierarchy. But those are the tales we love to see overcome. 

Odd and Maybe Even Unfair:

I’m not sure of a catch all for this category, but basically these are the mixed blessings to find your soulmate only to have a caveat that makes one want to curse whatever god thought that would be funny. 

Like mentor / student. One the one hand, it’s so nice to see tales of a kid who meets the bitter and lonely teacher who ends up changing each other’s lives. Some level of fate brought them together, and something about THIS kid made the old mentor want to take them in and protect them and teach them all they know and become like a second mother / father to them and the kid may be flustered at first but they keep coming back and learn quickly and soon they’re to fight for this once stranger through thick and thin because they have a connection that can’t be understood. But it’s also… weird. Like usually the mentor in question is middle aged or even old and suddenly they’ve found a companion who gives them life and completes them in a way they haven’t thought was even possible for a long, long time, yet at the same time in a world where these kind of meetings are fate, I’m certain there’s a level of swearing at the gods why the mentor should only find such companionship so late. They may have long since given up on ever finding a soulmate or feel like they’ve lived their whole life already getting married, having kids, kids out of the house (usually with a strained relationship in these stories that new kid helps them fix) and NOW the gods have sent them someone to bond with? Not ten, twenty, fifty years ago when they could have enjoyed it? And to have it be someone half, a third, a fourth their age when they find them?? Or the kid to realize while they have someone who they may relate to better than their own family, it’s someone less than ideal, heck total stranger when they met, and likely someone they’re going to outlive. Maybe the outside forces find this weird too. Why does kid keep going to mentor’s place? Is it like a neighbor or gym or after school? Maybe it started as a job but the job is over. Maybe their friends and family don’t like the influence mentor is having on them (like a gang not sure about punishment turning into member is planning on leaving now that mentor has helped them clean up, a parent who thinks what they’re learning is fine as a hobby but now it’s going too far with them wanting to make a career of it, maybe they don’t like the skill being taught in general, ect) In a similar vein is the “suddenly parent” situations where they may have been brought together by crisis, maybe the kid just lost EVERYTHING, and now the adult is flipping out internally because they felt an immediate need to help the kid, but now what? They… have a kid now, as granted to them by fate. Or they have outside obstacles telling them even if they did feel that sudden need to look after them, they need to get back to their family / be turned over to the authorities / go back where they belong but, but, but… … … 

Doomed lovers could be in the above category, but it’s a whole different level of cursing at the gods to have your soulmate only to be ripped apart. Why would they deem you should find your forever and ever only to have it be so short? How are you supposed to keep going when it feels like a part of your soul has died? This may even be on the other side of the cheating coin where it’s not death that keeps them apart but what are they supposed to do if they only found each other too late? When family complications have gotten in the way or old age or when just passing through a city and found a local you’re soon to be ten thousand miles away from? Sure fate deems that everyone will meet their soulmate once in their life, but must it only be this once? What about the enemies to lovers where the love is forbidden by family / country / societal ties and even if they’ve realized they complete each other, they also realize all their meetings may have to be in secret or risk their life for it? Is such a love even worth risking life and limb for? 

Then of course is the complete opposite of the BFFS where they’re not lovers, and don’t become lovers either, but outright nemesis. Different from the enemies to lovers, they genuinely despise each other and just CAN’T figure out why their paths keep crossing unless one is in pursuit of the other. And even then, how does pursuer keep finding them?? Because they know each other, OHHHHH they know each other so well, they could dangerous if they weren’t two sides of the same coin. If one could just convince the other they should be on the same side…. But which side will give in first? The hero to become a villain or the villain to start to redeem themselves? Is there even a hero / villain dynamic or are they both just haughty and dysfunctional and seem evenly matched even as it pisses each other off? Why, WHY would the gods give them a soulmate who shares all of their same interests and seems to understand their mindset but has a twisted perspective when making it sound reasonable when moral compass says it shouldn’t be? Sometimes such a quandary can lead to obsession since they’re attracted to each other and yet it’s maddening that the ONE PERSON IN THE WORLD who fully and truly understands them is someone they can’t stand. 

And of course the “we found them, but at what cost?” Because yes fate has a funny way of getting them together across great distance or across hierarchy or any other circumstance brought up before. But what kind of crazy twist did one have to take to end up there? Like meeting someone in a new land after being forced to flee their home, or tales where they’re part of a captured collective and at least they’ve found companionship or even love to pull them through the ordeal until they can get out of the situation, or maybe they only met because one got badly injured / wounded and found the one to help them / heal them is their destined mate. What of those who only discovered their soulmate after dropping a societal tier due to finances or politics stripping them of their original position? But, um, silver lining, they found something better? 

Forced:

Not really a category, but in one particular world I play with this concept the most in, is the terrifying dark art of soulbinding. This is different from soulmates, because it’s completely unnatural, and brought about by ritual. It breaks things for one, where if one were soulbound, how does that damage things with their actual soulmate if they’ve been tied to another? Not to mention, the connection between these two is almost painful because the mental sync is heightened to a point of control. The point of this practice isn’t for humans though. It’s a means to capture the gods themselves, or try at least, often with terrible consequences. Usually in that the gods don’t take lightly to this and will try to use that tether to take control of the fool arrogant enough to try to command their power. In ancient days it was used as a last resort as a sort of sacrifice to the gods that this puppet be used to harness their power for the sake of the people or the lands, thinking that one who was soulbound actually lost their soul and would die when the vessel was no longer needed, but it was only a matter of time before someone tried to test that to its limits. There’s also a ritual that requires three people, with two being soulbound by The Entity, which in effect also ties to them to each other, and a third who is charged by fate with severing the power when the time is right, but there’s only one surviving case where we see that the tie is never really gone; either to each other, or their secret power source even if the power imbued is greatly diminished. This is the only time marks come up, but it’s not a mark that shows their fate, it’s the mark left by the gods that shows they’ve been taken.

This is way too long, but ahhhhh the strings. Strings everywhere it seems.

i can never write a soulmates au cause i very quickly stop thinking about romance and start thinking about the sociological implications of a world where soulmates are a confirmed verifiable thing

#This is way too long to get into specifics #but like 90% is in regards to a Pokemon AU #I think my obsession with the concept stems from growing up a Soul Calibur fan #and not knowing the full history of the characters but there were specific matches in the Destined Battle #Where obviously these two are fated to meet and often have met before in previous games #it just can't be helped #rivals. enemies. parent and child. friends trying to stop the other from getting killed. total strangers brought together by power. #the series gave me a lot of examples for fated encounters #Now I wanna babble about more specific examples but another time

[travelerclondike]

I came across a vid that made me really want to just talk about my dragon dweeb Gil.

I've never really gotten to play DnD but I love the world's and the story and a friend of mine I used to role play with decided since there was just two of us we'd create our own fantasy DnD-esque world where we grabbed s few of our pre-existing characters from other forgotten projects to give them new life in a new adventure. The main crew had our pirate queen, a Halfling named Lang Porter; one of her devoted shipmates a Swamp Triton nicknamed Firlan, a Tiefling fortune teller with plenty of shady ties named Prill, a very young Wood Elf nicknamed Vii, a human Tempest Cleric named Bree, and lastly there's Gil, a great mess of a "wizard".

And by mess I mean the gang originally met him while on their first mission. Lang wanted her crew to stay a while and set up shop so she could hock off some of her stolen goods and rest easy a while in the great port city of Sprinos. The problem is, Sprinos is basically owned by a powerful Mafia family and she finds out quick that if you want to do business in this town, you'll need to make some friends first. Fair enough, alliances are good if it means she can come back at a later point and have some protection, but the people are uneasy about outsiders since there's been a series of missing people lately and no one is sure what's happening to them. After some information gathering and making friends with Prill (who's uncle is the leader of the clan), they hear rumors about strange activity at the lake and many a curious warrior hasn't come back from investigating. They find a cave hidden along the base of the mountain where they find Gil, a fierce Gold Dragon who turns out to be a human once he realizes they're not here to hurt him. There's been a lot of people coming to his home lately, claiming he's the monster of the lake, but he's really just some old recluse who would rather stay alone. He goes to town sometimes for supplies so Prill recognized him, but had no idea where he stayed since he clearly didn't live in Sprinos. In that case, she feels she can trust him. Warily but enough to believe him that he'd like to get his name cleared. After their success, he ends up deciding that he's missed out on a lot of changes in the world, and he's curious to see what else is out there. An adventure would do him some good, and admittedly he's been pretty lonely so seeing he can actually do some good in the world makes him wonder what else he's capable of. Why would he think otherwise?

Because he's actually a dragon.

See, in this world, about 300 years before events, there was a great uprising where all of the dragons were thought to be wiped out. It started with the Dragonborn (in this world once being second class denizens to a draconian empire) overthrowing their cruel masters but it spread far and wide. Gil, it turns out, was a very young Gold Dragon in the crumbling days of the empire and since he never really had the chance to learn, the one thing his father bestowed on him was how to Change Shape in the hopes he might be able to flee in the chaos. This is fun because it opens up the possibility of other Dragons being out there in disguise, but few can hold the illusion as long as his kind. He's been in hiding for the last century or so out of sheer terror to his childhood trauma, but dragons are so long lived, he's not really sure how much time has passed and has long feared that the slayings were still going on. It also doesn't help how going into town has allowed him to overhear the tales of these wretched creatures and see the rare and expensive dragon hides in the shops to know he's not safe there. But in a way it's given him some internal complexities because he knows what he is, but almost wishes he wasn't. Gil is around 400 years old, making him by far the oldest of the group, but that's true of his human form too as he appears to them as someone in his mid 40s. Most of the group will make fun of his archaic way of talking (he does start to learn more Common as he visits more) chalking it up to fact he's been living under a rock surrounded by his books and other old world things he's collected. It's a bit of a running gag that he's SO timid and SO unassuming, the others aren't even covering for him when he does something weird, they genuinely think he's just an oddball of a human. Doesn't understand social cues? He's been living under a rock. Knows a lot about history? Yeah he's a nerd, this is not news. Magic goes awry? Well he's a wizard in TRAINING since for all his reading he only tried putting things in practice on that first mission. Surprisingly durable for a human wizard? He's a total coward that will fake injury since he knows if he gets knocked out, his cover spell might dissipate. Prill is so annoyed early on to realize he's not hurt, he just laid down to hope the fighting would stop. Even once he starts showing other magic traits, there's discussion that yeah he's been living in the woods since he was a kid, but did it ever occur to him he might have some dragon blood in his lineage?

He really does start to warm up to the "other" Dragonborn they meet along the way, even if they're surprised how little he knows of their customers and feel sad to learn he's grown up without a clan to have ties to. Little Violex knows how that goes. She's the member he's gotten most attached to, not just because she's so young, but because he found out she came to the group under similar circumstances. When a mysterious force was unleashed and threatened to wipe out her entire home, her parents set up a teleportation spell to send her far from the forest in hopes someone would take her in. Someone had to survive to tell what happened. It's cute though because Gil will sometimes drop his spell during a long rest, but says he's setting up the illusion to help scare away bandits. Elves don't sleep as much as other races so Vii was the first one to see him in his true form but as a druid, she wondered in her wide eyes innocence if him turning into a dragon was similar to her turning into a squirrel when she's scared. He says yes, even if he's not one for lying. After all, it is similar, just she doesn't realize he also makes himself smaller because he's scared, it just happens to be almost all the time.

#Original characters #Tales of Emerros #Gil Pauptree #Gold Dragon