Mindbond (Generic)

A generic 'mindbond', often called a 'soulbond' or simply a 'bond', is a device used in fantasy. It consists of an invisible connection, sometimes mysterious or fuzzily defined, between two people's minds or souls.

Common properties of a bond

• Between two people (or more)
• Indicative of a close relationship
  • can be equivalent to marriage or accompany it
  • can also accompany platonic friendship
  • can occur 'naturally' between family members, often in utero
• Intended to be permanent
  • may be broken if the relationship deteriorates
  • generally broken on one participant's death
• Causes participants to sense each other's presence, thoughts or mood
  • a bit like empathy or telepathy, but only between specific people
  • sensing may be random, sporadic, only under high stress or always present
• Participants may be able to use each other's powers or abilities

In roleplay writing

Bonds are often used as a way to connect characters of two or more different writers.

Care needs to be taken when writing bound characters that all involved writers are in agreement. For example, it's advisable to agree beforehand on just what everyone means by 'bond', anyway.