Chapter Text
On everyone's sixteenth birthday, right at the dot of midnight, a name pops up on their wrists.
This was known as a soulmate. Your other half. The person you are destined to be with.
Of course, having a name on your wrist doesn't guarantee a happy ending. Even the universe could not predict everything. It's not like the universe would know that there's more than one person named "John" that a person will fall in love with in their lifetime. Nor would it know that a soulmate would be engaged to the other soulmate's brother. Nor would the universe understand the concept of homophobia and racism back in the 1900s, which would be an obstacle, if not a barrier, between soulmates and their happiness.
However, the universe knew that those two people, in another life, would be madly in love with each other. That they'd never want to be apart. That, in a perfect world, those two soulmates would just make sense.
The universe plays a part in finding soulmates. However, it's always up to those two people themselves to actually fall in love with each other. It's up to them to decide whether they want to be together. It's up to them to accept their soulmates.
So, really, the concept of soulmates were nothing but a mindfuck of their own. It fucks with people's lives and happiness. It causes people to try and fall in love with a person who may not be good for them. It causes people to stop trusting their own instincts and just focus on whatever bullshit name popped up on their wrist. Because, of course, the universe knows best. It's not like the universe and fate ever fucked with anyone. It's not like free will exists, right?
So of course, Toni despised the idea of soulmates. And she had made a decision a while ago to never pay mind to soulmarks. If she wanted to be with someone, she can decide that for her own self, thank you very much. And she doesn't feel compelled to fall in love with whatever bullshit soulmate the universe gives her.
If she decides to be with her soulmate, she will. If she decides to be with someone else, she will.
It'll be her decision, purely. The universe can go fuck itself for all she cares.