Chapter Text
Soulmate System Rules
**Timeline & Development:**
- Soulmates existed before quirks emerged in this world
- Quirks manifest between ages 4-6 (typically at 4)
- People can write to soulmates as soon as they learn to write (~age 4)
- Romantic soul marks appear at age 12
- Platonic marks appear only upon first physical contact
**Communication Rules:**
- Soulmates communicate by writing on their own skin—it appears on the same location on their soulmate's skin
- Names cannot be written before meeting (the system blocks/doesn't transmit them)
- **Multiple soulmate exception:** Once ANY two people in a soulmate group meet in person, ALL members can see each other's names in writing (but those who haven't met still cannot write their own names to the group)
**Soul Mark Types & Placement:**
*Romantic Marks:*
- Appear over the heart at age 12
- Represented by animals
- Multiple soulmates = multiple animal marks on the heart
- Start "inactive" (stationary on the heart)
- Become "active" (can roam anywhere on the body) after first physical touch with that specific soulmate
*Platonic Marks:*
- Represented by objects or animals
- Appear at the exact location of first physical contact
- Remain in that location permanently
- If another platonic bond forms and contact happens in the same spot, the new mark layers/adds onto the existing one
**Soul Mark Status Indicators:**
| Mark Appearance | Meaning | Duration/Notes |
|----------------|---------|----------------|
| Normal color, moving | Healthy and alive | ongoing |
| Lighter shade, still moving | In a coma | Ongoing |
| Light gray, barely twitching | Death-like state (reversible) | Lasts only minutes; most people don't know this exists |
| Darker gray, completely still | Dead | Permanent |
| Disappeared completely | Soul bond is broken | Caused by one soulmate repeatedly rejecting the bond in person until it cracks and vanishes |
**Key Distinctions:**
- **Death vs Broken Bond:** Death shows as a gray, still mark. A broken bond makes the mark disappear entirely due to deliberate, repeated rejection
- **Rejection mechanic:** The bond must be rejected in person, repeatedly, causing the mark to crack progressively until it vanishes