Are you looking for soulmate story ideas and prompts? Read on for prompts like someone with the ability to cut other people’s soulmate strings. An alternate universe where people gets a glimpse of their soulmates in their dream.
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I have to admit that the first time I heard about this trope, I wasn’t sold. At all. I felt like it was forcing the idea that having a soulmate was the only important thing in existence—that’s not how real life works!
HOWEVER. As I consume more and more entertainment with this trope, I think I finally understand the appeal of this trope.
Join me in a journey to unpack it below!
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Soulmate Story Ideas Must-Haves
The origin of the soulmate myth is traceable to Plato quoting Aristophanes (Symposium, c. 385–370 BC), that people originally possessed four arms and four legs; half male and half female.
Out of fear, Zeus ordered them separated in half, and ever since then human has spent their lives looking for their other half.
Aristophanes describes the wonderful feeling of two soulmates reuniting as follows:
And when one of them meets his other half, the actual half of himself… the pair are lost in an awe of love and friendship and closeness, and one will not, as I may say, be out of the other’s sight even for a second.
– Aristophanes
Fast forward a little (actually, a lot), in a letter dated 1822, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was considered the first person to actually coin the term “soulmate”.
To be happy in Married Life… you must have a Soul-mate.
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Soulmate stories appeal to many because, despite the uplifting notion that someone out there is the epitome of our happily ever after, the process of finding him/her can feel daunting.
And thus, a story in which soulmates are already pre-determined provides a hopeful escapism.
There’s no need to find that magical spark, all you need to do is make sure you play by the rules in order to find your soulmate as soon as possible. (Or, for the rebellious, avoiding it as long as they can.) But, careful, one wrong step could still take the potential soulmate away and potentially ruin your entire life.
Another notable appeal is the mysterious aspect. Your soulmate could be that person who just cut in front of you, it could be that mean bully at work, or that person you always bump into but never thought much of. These two are often what drives the soulmate stories forward.
Typical Elements in Soulmate Stories
To sum it up, soulmate stories often have these elements:
– Set in an alternate fantastical universe that frequently defy rules of logic
– Racing with time
– The issue of free will
– The idea that your soulmate could be anyone. Bonus point for angst if it’s your archenemy.
Common Soulmate Tropes
– A connection. For example: a red string, or a matching tattoo (or alternatively, a tattoo of someone’s first word to their soulmate, of their last word, or their hobbies, etc.)
– A sensation. For example: someone will feel warmer whenever they’re nearing their soulmate, and vice versa. Or when one person experiences pain, their soulmate will feel it, too. Or when one person changes their hair color, the other’s hair color will change, too.
– A transformation when someone meets their soulmate. For example: they can suddenly see in full color whereas before they met their soulmate they can only see in greyscale, and any variations of these.
Soulmate Story Ideas
Below are some ideas from someone with the ability to cut other people’s soulmate strings to an alternate universe where people gets a glimpse of their soulmates in their dream.
I hope the ideas are original, but undoubtedly with the popularity of this trope, something similar could have existed out there already. But sometimes the smallest details matter, and make all the difference!
(Please note that the genders in these writing prompts are just placeholders, and are not meant to enforce any hurtful stereotype nor offend anyone.)
Soulmate Story Ideas: Red String
1. There’s someone who provides a service of soulmate string-cutting for a price. What happens when one day, a prospective customer comes to have her string cut, only for the string cutter to find that her string is connected to himself?
2. A lonely guy realizes that his string is not red but gold. What happens?
3. What happens when one person has multiple strings going to more than one soulmate?
4. An aromantic orders a special concoction from a witch, enabling him to see the red string connecting them to their soulmate, because he’s intent on defying the system by cutting the string.
Soulmate Story Ideas: Sensory Telltale
1. In a universe where soulmates can share intense feeling whenever they’re in close proximity, a guy suddenly feels his stomach twisted when a woman on the verge of delivering her baby comes into view. But the thing is, he isn’t the father of the baby.
2. In a universe where soulmates have matching birthmarks in random places of their bodies that glow or turns into a color whenever they’re in close proximity, imagine two people experiencing this phenomenon in a crowded place.
3. In a universe where people can see their soulmates in a dream but it’s always pitch black, they can only remember their soulmate’s voice, or the feel of their hair, etc.
4. And what if there’s a dream architect who can make someone see their soulmate clearly in their dreams but it costs them a fraction of their sight in real life?
Others
1. In a dystopian society where someone’s soulmate is determined by a mark they get on their body when they were born, one teenager finds that everything is just a ruse by the Elders to control the society (by predetermining matches).
2. Soulmate trope meets Groundhog Day. A loner only has one day to find their soulmate before the Elders assign it for them. So, they pray, and the gods let them repeat the same day over and over again until they meet their soulmate.
3. In a dystopian society, one teenager finds out that their soulmate is manufactured in a factory to ensure compatibility and help achieving the “perfect” society. Is it really your “soulmate” when their only reason for existence is… you?
4. An oracle/seer capable of seeing the red strings connecting people to their soulmates is torn between loyalty and destiny, when he learns that the chief’s bride-to-be’s red string is connected to himself.
Picture Prompts
Here are some picture-based prompts, because, a picture speaks a thousand words! Below are some image prompts as well as some prompt ideas to accompany each.
(Please click on the image for more information.)
1. In a certain culture, it is said that someone will see their soulmate’s familiar first before meeting said soulmate in person.
2. In a world where magical familiars choose their human counterparts, two individuals are surprised to find that their familiars are inseparable companions.
(Please click on the image for more information.)
1. There’s an ancient, tree deep within the forest that can grant anyone’s wish but for a cost that will only be unveiled after the wish is fulfilled. After wishing to find her soulmate, a disillusioned woman soon discovers that the price is far greater than she could ever imagine.
2. In an alternate universe, when someone is born, he/she is assigned a tree that is tied to his/her lifeforce. And the root of the tree is linked to the root of their soulmate’s tree.
More!
Here are some other posts that you might find interesting:
- Witch Story Ideas
- Surreal Writing Prompts
- Enchanted Forest Story Ideas
- Mermaid Story Prompts
- How Characters Meet: 25 Non-Cheesy Ideas!
Or browse our Story Ideas & Writing Prompts category for more ideas!
Have any question or feedback? Then, please feel free to contact me here. Until next time!
