Rainverse
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Related tropes/genres | Soulmates |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Rainverse (레인버스) is a soulmates-related trope that originated in South Korean fandoms. Its creation is credited to Twitter user 0_pinna2, and the earliest references to it online are dated to 2015.
In 2018, it spread to Thai fandoms thanks to a viral tweet. Korean and Thai fandoms stay as the most prolific Rainverse-related contents makers.
Basic elements
The basic elements of the trope are taken from this Korean primer, Rainverse by Yoon.
In this universe, when people come of age, they acquire the ability to hear their soulmate's sounds (such as voice and heartbeat) when it rains, and become "Rainers".
Depending on the rain intensity, their soulmate may sound louder or lower. However, since it's the only thing they can hear when it rains and it's very dangerous to not hear any sound in situations where communication is important, on rainy days the world stops. The intensity of rain is divided into five levels: level 1 is enough for daily life, and level 5 is where you cannot communicate with words because you can only hear your soulmate. As soon as the intensity reaches level 4, you must stop what you are doing and stay still or go home.
Rainers are divided into 3 levels, where level 1 is the lowest and level 3 the highest. Level 1 Rainers can hear well even if it rains heavily. As the level goes up, their soulmate's volume also increases. A person without a soulmate is a level 0 Rainer, while level 4 Rainers are very rare.
People have limited job choices according to their Rainer level. For example, if a singer who has to perform on a rainy day is a level 3 Rainer, they can't sing.
History
The first mentions to Rainverse appeared on Korean Twitter on July 27 and 28, 2015. Asked for an explanation, a user posted a screenshot of a now-deleted tweet by Pinna (0_pinna2) dated June 21, 2015.[1] Pinna, who's its recognized creator,[2] wrote:[3]
Rainverse.
Normally, there's nothing strange, but on rainy days, all the sounds of the world other than your own voice are drowned out by the sound of rain, making it difficult to hear. On the contrary, your soulmate's voice is heard amplified. They sound like they're talking right next to you. In other words, you can only hear your voice and your soulmate's voice in the rain. Depending on the rain intensity, the volume of your soulmate's voice changes, and the thicker and stronger the rain falls, the clearer the voice is. Conversely, if it rains weakly and thinly, their voice will sound small.
Rainverse was a niche genre for years, gaining more traction only in 2017, particularly inside of South Korean K-pop fandoms. On May 25, 2018, a viral tweet by dxublebee introduced it to Thai fandoms,[4] which became the most prolific Rainverse-related contents makers alongside the Korean ones. dxublebee's tweet thread also featured other soulmate tropes as Colorverse, also including Sentinel and Guides which was presented with slight differences in its characterization.
Fanworks
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fanfiction
- Rain and Silence (there's only me and you), Archived version by Vizxia: The earliest Rainverse work (and likely the first one in English) hosted on Archive of Our Own (dated 12 October 2022), centered on the pairing of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington from Bridgerton.
Fannish resources
References
- ^ slslsll1 (2015-07-28). ""@173_64 이거에욧!!!(두근두근…". Twitter (in 한국어). Archived from the original on 2023-02-14.
- ^ ebwe_ebwe_ (2017-09-09). ""@sunmist15_JGO 레인버스 이거ㅓ에요...! !(로맨틱ㄱ사랑ㄹ하는 사람…". Twitter (in 한국어). Archived from the original on 2023-02-20.
- ^ 아만다 (2015-10-25). "토리탑 레인버스 조각 : 네이버 블로그" (in 한국어). Archived from the original on 2023-04-28.
- ^ dxublebee (2018-05-25). ""Rainverse คือเวิร์สๆ นึงที่เกี่ยวข้องกับฝนตามชื่ออะแ…". Twitter (in ไทย). Archived from the original on 2020-01-31.