History Main / MindlinkMates

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Creator/CSLewis in ''A Grief Observed'' said that once or twice during his bereavement he felt as if Joy was trying to comfort him from beyond the grave.
* Cybernetics researcher Kevin Warwick (of putting a chip into his arm that ''[[{{Technopath}} remote-controls electric circuits]]'' fame) [[http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/neuro/implants/Neural%20implants%20with%20internet%20connectivity%20between%20two%20humans%20-%20Thought%20communication%20and%20control%20-%20a%20first%20step%20using%20radiotelegraphy%20-%202004%20-%20awesome.pdf conducted an experiment]] in which he and his wife got wireless transceivers patched into the nerves of their arms. It's not clear how much they were able to communicate with each other, and it may have been [[TheEmpath empathic]] at best. Pretty good going for real life.
* There is a practice made popular on some corners of the Internet that involves supposedly creating a second conscious personality in one's mind, known as a [[{{Tulpa}} Tulpa]]. This second personality can basically become an entirely new person, and one with whom the practitioner (known as the "host") can share an incredibly close bond that's basically this trope exactly, a closeness most people will never experience.
[[/folder]]

* One episode of ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'' touched upon this concept, [[DeconstructedTrope with less than desirable results.]]

* In ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', Tatsuya and Miyuki have a low-level example because part of her magic is devoted to suppressing his. When Miyuki dies, [[spoiler:as in the Reminscence arc,]] Tatsuya knows she's gone because the suppression is.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' fanfiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3427267/1/As_the_dust_settles As the Dust Settles]]'' begins an entire series where this plays a huge plot point for Starfire and Robin. Be warned, the stories are rated for a reason.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/42342387/chapters/108850083 Two of Two]]'', Mariner and Boimler are assimilated by the Borg, and while they are freed from the greater collective, Dr. T’Ana is unable to sever a separate neural link between just the two of them without fatally damaging their brains. This results in Mariner and Boimler being able to hear each other’s thoughts, feel each other’s pain, share memories, and even see everything the other person sees.
* In the Franchise/{{Digimon}} fanfiction series, ''Fanfic/AStickySituation'', [[spoiler:the Renamon line]] apparently form these types of bonds.
* ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' fandom took Cas' canonical telepathy, the [[HoYay "profound bond" comment,]] and the fact that Cas literally left a brand on Dean's body, and ran with it. Often, it's one-way (Cas can sense Dean, not the other way around), and for whatever reason Cas doesn't bring it up--at least until the events of the given story.

-->'''Ophiuchus:''' Would you mind telling me if you have psychic abilities?
-->'''Aquarius:''' And no, I don't have psychic abilities, I just know you well, love.
* In the ''Snapped'' offshoot of ''Fanfic/{{Team 8}}'', this is implied--Naruto is killed, but manages to hook his consciousness onto that of the Kyuubi as it leaves his body for Itachi's, and then when this kills Itachi both enter and inhabit Hinata (who is still young enough, unlike Itachi, for her chakra coils to stretch enough to survive the Kyuubi's chakra). Later it is stated that Hinata "always has very interesting dreams".

* Believe it or not, this is what the Music/GoldenEarring song "Radar Love" is about. But it doesn't change that it's an awesome driving song.

* ''Webcomic/{{Twokinds}}'': Wolf siblings Zen and Natani were sent to kill a sorcerer on one of their earliest missions in the assassin guild. Said sorcerer used a forbidden spell on Natani to defend himself, which had the effect of injuring Natani's soul instead of her body (and also killed the sorcerer as BlackMagic tends to screw over the user). Zen took his sister to [[CardCarryingVillain Clovis]] for help, who linked their souls so that Zen's could heal hers. This had a whole bunch of side-effects, including a mind-link, shared pain and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Natani's gender changing to male]].

* In ''Series/{{Beauty and the Beast|1987}}'', Vincent and Catherine could usually tell when the other was in trouble. When the mind-link broke, it almost drove Vincent crazy.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', for a long time it has been hinted that the Doctor and TARDIS were mentally linked, to the extent that the TARDIS's translation circuits depend on the Doctor's health. Similarly, there was a RunningGag that there seemed to be some kind of CargoShip going on; the Doctor would call his time machine "dear" and "sexy", and even companions would joke about how he would stroke her console. It was all but confirmed in a Season 6 episode where [[spoiler: the TARDIS was forced into a human body, and the two characters spend nearly the entire episode flirting, having sexual tension, or tearful heartwarming moments.]] The name of the episode? "The Doctor's Wife".
* On ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', Zhaan's species can do this with each other as part of their spiritual/psychic bag of tricks. It's eventually revealed that the crime which got Zhaan imprisoned by the Peacekeepers was [[spoiler: using this link to kill her lover, an important political leader who was going to start a bloody coup d'etat (by hiring the Peacekeepers to take over their planet).]] The psychic backlash from this basically [[AxCrazy drove her insane]], but she used her years in solitary confinement to achieve a measure of inner peace through meditation. When she's forced to do this ''again'', the level-headed pacifist undergoes an abrupt personality shift for several episodes, becoming violent and short-tempered until she can find a way to recenter herself.
* On ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', Oliva and John Scott have this [[spoiler:even after he's dead]] via the sensory deprivation tank.
** Later in the series, Peter and [[spoiler: Olivia]] develop an odd (and especially impressive) variation of this which, par for course with the series, defies the very laws of time and space with unclear moral consequences: [[spoiler: After he writes himself out of the time-line and then reappears in the present, his presence and her unique abilities and brain chemistry bring forth her memories from the original time-line (including them falling in love). Unfortunately, this eventually completely replaces her memories of the new time-line, effectively killing that version of Olivia in favor of the OneTruePairing favored/required by TheMultiverse]].
* ''{{Series/Hannibal}}'' has a downplayed, non-magical version aided by Will's empathy and the [[TrueLoveIsExceptional exceptional intimacy]] between Will and Hannibal. While Hannibal and Will ''don't actually'' share a consciousness, they understand each other so deeply that they're able to reproduce the other faithfully in their respective Mind Palaces, making it "as if" the other were actually interacting with them. For example, Will uses this to have an effective conversation with his Mind Palace version of Hannibal in "Secondo" that helps him better understand the real Hannibal's childhood, and Hannibal points out that he and Will share certain chambers in the palace and he found a 'victorious' version of Will there in "Digestivo".
** This was also played with in the discarded season 3 [[TheStinger stinger]], where the viewer is left to wonder if Hannibal and Will are [[NotQuiteDead truly in the Norman Chapel]] or if perhaps they're now [[TogetherInDeath metaphorically together]] [[OutlawCouple in their shared Mind Palace]].

-->'''Emily:''' I HAVE to do this.\\
'''Paige:'''I know. That's what makes you Emily.

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' "Amok Time". Spock had a mindlink placed in him as part of an ArrangedMarriage when he was a child. This mindlink was suspiciously easily overcome.

*** Much later, in the seventh season episode "Attached", Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher are mind-linked for an episode due to neural implants. During this time, they come to terms with their feelings for each other and decide to keep things professional (because of personal history and because StatusQuoIsGod).[[note]]"Decide to keep things professional" is a euphemistic way of putting it. Picard seems all set to [[UnresolvedSexualTension resolve some things]], but his hopes get [[{{Pun}} Doctor Crushed.]] They get over themselves in the novels.[[/note]] The SeriesFinale does show that they did [[HookedUpAfterwards get together in the future]], but later divorced.
** Trip Tucker and T'Pol on ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' had a psychic bond and were in love (largely due to T'Pol's damaged emotional control from drug abuse). Their first hint is when they find themselves sharing the same daydream, despite being on different starships.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone2019'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone2019S2E1MeetInTheMiddle Meet In The Middle]]" Phil abruptly forms a telepathic connection with a woman named Annie. Over time, they fall in love, with Phil eventually going to meet her. However, [[spoiler: it turns out she's been manipulating him.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Kouichi and Keito from ''Manga/CatStreet'' are a little like this.

* Van and Hitomi in ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne''.

* Downplayed in Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} story ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn''. There was not telepathy involved per se, exactly, but Supergirl and [[TemporaryLoveInterest Geoff]]'s minds were bonded somehow, and that bond gave strength to Supergirl to break free when a villain was taking over her body.
-->'''Supergirl:''' It was someone entering my mind, letting his thoughts flow in with mine that allowed my will to live to ultimately win!

* Frequently used in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fandom.
** Very prominent in the "Fanfic/{{Dangerverse}}" between Remus and Danger.
** Harry/Ginny is also a popular target--[[http://dukebrymin.livejournal.com/43809.html someone made a list,]] and it's long. In most soul bond fics, the bond is made when Harry rescues Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets. Since the canon event involved damage to Ginny's soul, it's an easy spot to diverge into an AU. The exact specifics vary from fic to fic, but it's not uncommon for Ginny to [[GradeSkipper skip a year]] because she now has access to all of Harry's knowledge. And of course it's quite common for them to suddenly gain weird magical abilities as a result of the bond.
** ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9818387/1/The-Amplitude-Frequency-and-Resistance-of-the-Soul-Bond The Amplitude, Frequency, and Resistance of the Soul Bond]]'' is a reconstruction of Harry/Ginny soul bond fics, and subverts most of the conventions of the genre. Harry and Ginny do not instantly fall in love because of the bond, their bond actually makes them do ''worse'' in class because they can't focus, and they gain no extra powers besides being able to talk to each other and see through each other's eyes. The "bonded pairs have to touch or they'll die" is specifically given a TakeThat; Sirius warns them that they [[CantHaveSexEver absolutely cannot have sex before they're seventeen]], and everyone roundly mocks the idea of two teenagers being forced to touch ([[spoiler:it turns out Sirius was lying about the magical consequences because he just didn't want them to have sex too young]]). The plot also takes a sharp turn when Voldemort finds out about the bond; Ginny is made Hogwarts champion instead of Harry because she's not as well-protected, but their bond means that Voldemort can steal the blood protection from her as well. [[spoiler:It also turns out that Tom Riddle had a soul bond of his own. While he was always evil, he only went ''insane'' when his bonded mate died, and he wants to do the same to Harry to break him in front of the world]].
** To list the number of Drarry creature fics that declare this is true of Veela and their mates would take the better part of a month.

* ''Fanfic/SurrogateOfZero'': In this fic Asuka [[spoiler:died by childbirth,]] but her soul is connected to Shinji and both share a mind-link.
* Turns up a lot in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fandom, mostly [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original series]] and ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'', because of the Vulcan cast.
** [[SlashFic Kirk/Spock and Spock/[=McCoy=]]] fic, in particular, make a Very Big Deal out of the "mindlink" aspect--in K/S, Kirk is generally portrayed as very enthusiastic about the bond. In contrast, S/Mc often makes an issue of [=McCoy=]'s distaste of the mind-meld and his eventual acceptance.
** The trope is discussed in ''[[http://cosmicduckling.com/spirk/smile.html His Golden Smile]]'' (alternative link [[http://www.ksarchive.com/viewstory.php?sid=934 here]]), between an elderly Spock and his student.
--->"When planned for and dealt with properly, it is reduced from a chimera to the simple, sweet cement of a bonding. We have extra reason to love our bondmates, we Vulcans--more so than any other species in the galaxy. They give us life as they give us love."
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' plays with this in the sequel between Harry and Carol thanks to an accidental permanent PsychicLink. Unlike most examples, unless one or both is trying to use it, the link mostly just extends to a tangential awareness that the other is around and what they're feeling. Even still, the possibility that the link is affecting one or both of them is discussed. Since Harry is a devout believer in MindOverManners and one of the most powerful psychics ever to live, he is terrified of (in his mind) accidentally committing an unforgivable crime. However, Carol points out that the very fact that he's asking that question goes some way to suggesting otherwise, which he eventually concedes. The immediate romance is also subverted - while the {{UST}} sparks fly all the stronger, they still don't get together [[spoiler: until chapter 46]], largely because of their remaining issues.
* Occurs fairly frequently in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' fanfiction as well, especially with elves--but then there is some vague {{canon}} evidence for telepathy.

* Turns up in a couple of ''Series/TinMan'' fics, where it's {{handwave}}d as a means for an Ozian sorcerer/sorceress to focus and replenish their magic. The Lavender-eyed Queen and Ahamo (or, rarely Glitch) are usually depicted as having this kind of bond, but it also turns up in DG/Cain fics.
* Fanworks from ''Series/TheSentinel'' often have some sort of empathic/telepathic link between Jim & Blair; there is a whole subgenre of 'bonding fics' that are almost-but-not-quite Slash.

* ''Fanfic/MyInnerLife'' gives "PsychicLink" a whole new, disturbing meaning.
* ''Fanfic/AmeliaTanaNari'' features this between a lesbian and a straight girl. It doesn't influence her sexuality, just romance, which causes issues. Largely PlayedForDrama, with several characters questioning how much the link is influencing their personalities [[spoiler: and catastrophic changes when it's removed.]] In the finale, [[spoiler: the world is restructured to feature hundreds of Mindlink Mates.]]
* In the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' fanfic "[[FanFic/TilTheSunGrowsCold Til the Sun Grows Cold and the Stars Grow Old]]," Link and Princess Zelda have met in dreams since they were very small children, which is part and parcel of their targeted reincarnation love affair of many lifetimes. Its true significance comes at a point when [[spoiler:Link thinks Zelda might be dead, and the fact that he can't find her in his dreams only seems to prove it]].
* In the ''Snapped'' offshoot of ''Fanfic/{{Team 8}}'', this is implied--Naruto is killed, but manages to hook his consciousness onto that of the Kyuubi as it leaves his body for Itachi's, and then when this kills Itachi both enter and inhabit Hinata (who is still young enough, unlike Itachi, for her chakra coils to stretch enough to survive the Kyuubi's chakra). Later it is stated that Hinata "always has very interesting dreams".
* WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom and Sam were supposed to have such a link [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/WesternAnimation in the original premise of the series]], only for it to be jettisoned. Apparently, [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4021512/1/Shadow_of_a_Doubt some fan writers have decided to]] [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8556012/1/The-Phantom-Reboot plug it into]] [[Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries their stories]].
* In ''Fanfic/{{Total Drama Comeback|Series}}'', [[CrackPairing Ezekiel and Heather]] have complimentary dreams about each other. In this case, is not explicitly supernatural, it just sort of marks their growing feelings and CharacterDevelopment.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' fanfiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3427267/1/As_the_dust_settles As the Dust Settles]]'' begins an entire series where this plays a huge plot point for Starfire and Robin. Be warned, the stories are rated for a reason.
* In this ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' story, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5863316/1/I_think_Im_in_love_with_Zim I think I'm in love with Zim]]'', has its own interesting explanation for how this works between Zim and Dib. It's later PlayedForDrama[=/=][[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] [[spoiler: when Zim is killed]].
* ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' fandom took Cas' canonical telepathy, the [[HoYay "profound bond" comment,]] and the fact that Cas literally left a brand on Dean's body, and ran with it. Often, it's one-way (Cas can sense Dean, not the other way around), and for whatever reason Cas doesn't bring it up--at least until the events of the given story.
* In the Franchise/{{Digimon}} fanfiction series, ''Fanfic/AStickySituation'', [[spoiler:the Renamon line]] apparently form these types of bonds.
* This concept is explored deeply in the ''Haikyuu!!''/''Film/PacificRim'' crossover fanfiction ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2074782/chapters/4512390 But for Me, There is a Storm,]]'' where the Drift, or psychic connection between pilots, is a big part of all relationships between copilots.
* ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': The fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7380995/1/Charlotte-Francine-Xavier Charlotte Francine Xavier,]]'' has this develop between Erik and Fem!Charles.
* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': As they develop PsychicPowers, [[BattleCouple Shinji and Asuka]] become this. When they fought [[EldritchAbomination Leliel]], their minds virtually became one.
* In the Phineas and Ferb fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9227752/1/Two-Halves-Make-A-Whole Two Halves Make A Whole,]]'' Doofenshmirtz makes an Inator that merges the souls of any 2 things that get hit by it. Phineas and Isabella get hit by it, as do Vanessa and Perry.
* The ancient marriage ceremony in ''Roleplay/LordsAmongTheAshes'' establishes a soul bond between the two recipients so long as they have both reached at least Lord level of [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Aura]] mastery. [[spoiler:Jaune and Cinder]]'s soul-bond is so strong that it allows them to sense each other's emotions, bolster each other's Auras, and [[spoiler:combine their Auras to form a dual [[YinYangBomb Semblance]], [[StatusBuffDispel Ruin]]]].

* This is where the titular "bond" in ''Fanfic/TheirBond'' comes from. Zelda and Impa have a special connection where they can talk to one another without verbal words and can share images with one another using their minds.
* In ''Fanfic/XMen1970'', Jean Grey creates a telepathic mind-link between Scott Summers and herself after their wedding.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, ''Fanfic/AGrowingFireInMyHeart'', Ember explains to Spike that in dragon culture, the bonding ritual used when two dragons become life mates (essentially the dragon equivalent of marriage) links their souls. They can feel what their mate feels, and in some cases if the bond is strong enough they can hear what the other thinks. This is also why dragon culture follows TogetherInDeath, because when one life mate dies the bond shatters and to the surviving mate it feels like they also slowly begin to die without it. It is seen as a mercy to die a painless death and join their loved one than to live without them while feeling half dead already.
* ''Fanfic/TheAwakeningOfAMagus'' features a non-romantic artificial variant, in the form of the Magus Circle. The number of people in it presents a considerable problem, because the vulnerabilities are there. When one of the Circle dies, everyone is depressed for a long time, while Harry goes catatonic for a while. After that, they start working on ways to take care of the obvious AchillesHeel. It is mentioned then (and was [[CanonImmigrant earlier described]] in a RecursiveFanfiction) that when Darius the Magus died, the only living member of his Circle went mad and massacred the wizards he held responsible.

* Amusingly done (and [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]) in Chapter 7 of oneshot collection ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/37213816/chapters/92846803 Tale of Two Stars]]'', where [[Literature/TheZodiacSeries Aquarius]] responds to everything Ophiuchus says ''before he even talks''.
-->'''Ophiuchus:''' Would you mind telling me if you have psychic abilities?
-->'''Aquarius:''' And no, I don't have psychic abilities, I just know you well, love.

* The ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]'' series has the "Warder bond" between the SwordAndSorcerer Warder and Aes Sedai. Many of the bonded are not lovers, but Green Aes Sedai who only take one Warder are usually married to them. Of the major characters: Rand and his harem, Nynaeve and Lan as soon as there's a second to spare, and, as of ''The Gathering Storm'', [[spoiler:Gareth Byrne and Siuan]].''Towers Of Midnight'' adds [[spoiler: Egwene and Gawyn]]. Note that this also includes one-way compulsory magic, so the romantic aspects are often downplayed.
** Rand's harem finds out the hard way that their jury-rigged version of the bond isn't one-way, especially during moments of strong emotion; to make it worse, one of the harem has a female Warder separately, of her own, who finds out that she can feel ''much'' more than she wants to. She ends up getting severely drunk to block out the effect. (Which may also have been a measure of giving her own back, as they'd earlier learned that drunkenness can ''also'' travel up the Warder bond.)
** Married Asha'man do something quite similar to the "Warder bond" with their wives, specifically because of this trope, but completely without the compulsion. As one put it, it's just really reassuring to know that your wife is okay.
** And the Asha'man Androl ends up bonding a Red Ajah Aes Sedai who had just bonded him more or less against his will. They end up becoming rather close by more than just necessity after that.
* In Nora Roberts' Sign of Seven Trilogy, Fox and Layla are both telepathic and even have a steamy sex scene where they are psychically linked.

* As the quote above indicates, it happened to [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade]]--though this connection only happens when they both choose to reach out for it, which they don't until a good ten years after they meet and become friends, and they spend most of their time less thoroughly entangled. In ''[[Literature/OutboundFlight Survivor's Quest]]'' Mara explicitly points out that they can't use this connection to talk in words, but they use it in fighting to be a kind of single two-bodied entity that strikes with total precision.
** Also between a male PlayerCharacter and Bastila Shan in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''.
** It's not the same in ''Literature/JediApprentice'', but it ''is'' noted that a good early sign that the Master-Padawan bond is working as it should is for both parties to sometimes think the same thing in unison. Notably, this doesn't mean either can read the other's mind, though they may become close enough to know what the other is thinking.
* Andy and Vicky, the parents in the Creator/StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'' survive the drug trial that kills most everyone else by forming a psychic connection.

* ''Literature/HellsGate'' by Creator/DavidWeber features a world of psychics and a world of mages in a war. On the psychic side called Sharona, about 1/4 of the population has a form of psychic talent, ranging from telepathy to being able to teleport small objects. There are two types of psychic bonds shown. Married couples get a bond allowing a form of telepathy between them, even when only one is a Voice able to do true telepathy. (It's also shown to be extremely useful when one is a Voice, a telepath specializing in distance communication and perfect recall of memories, and the other has a power such as mapping where they can terrain map anything with in 5 miles.)
** The second type of bonding is a form of recognition. Much like a bond such as in ''[=ElfQuest=]'', but the bond is implied to be one and only soulmates. This is stated to be the source of most of the great romantic and tragic literature of Sharona, due to recognition ignoring if one of the soul mates is already married.
*** This type shows up prominently in the sequel, ''Hell Hath No Fury''. Characters who have never met before encounter one another and instantly begin behaving as if they've been together (happily) for years. There's little comment made about it.
* Lisanne Norman's Literature/SholanAlliance Series has a large number of Leska pairs that fill this. It doesn't work very well for some pairs.
* Creator/RobinHobb's ''[[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Farseer]]'' trilogy plays with this. Kettle (Kestrel) describes having this type of bond with her lover, before discovering him to be sharing the same kind of bond with her twin sister, Gull. Similarly, the Fool seems to experience an unrequited version through his feelings for Fitz.
* Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's short story "A Song for Lya", dealt heavily with this idea. [[spoiler:It didn't end well.]]
* In ''Literature/BeyondTheGlass'' by Antonia White, the main character has this with the man she falls in love with after the failure of her first marriage. And then the intensity of their relationship is a contributing factor to her going insane...
* The Patryn can invoke this in ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' as part of their marriage ritual.

* Katherine Kurtz's Literature/{{Deryni}} novels use this trope in nearly every book.
* Happens to quite a few couples in the Literature/SagaOfRecluce.
* Wizards in the Literature/YoungWizards 'verse experience this if they end up romantically intimate with each other--a fact learned and demonstrated during ''A Wizard Abroad'' when Nita's crush on the Irish wizard Ronan turns into her first kiss. It's broken off when she sees more in his mind than she expected: [[spoiler:Ronan is the new host for the One's Champion]].

* ''Literature/DunctonWood'' has this occurring between Rebbecca and Bracken. Despite this they don't actually mate until very late in the book because [[CrapsackWorld something horrible keeps getting in the way.]]
* In the ''[[Literature/GriffinAndSabineAnExtraordinaryCorrespondence Griffin and Sabine]]'' trilogy, the titular characters have a version of this, seeing each other's paintings and eventually building a very long distance relationship.
* The Fey in the ''Literature/TairenSoul'' series bond this way. As the breeding of girl children depends on the mindlink and the probability of one forming between any two given individuals is low, there always is a serious skew in the sex distribution. This is "compensated" by the men killing themselves after so many centuries if they don't form a mindlink.
** It should also be noted that truemates cannot share thoughts (without using magic, anyway) until their bond is complete, which can take some time. This rule conveniently allows for romantic tension between the truemated-but-not-fully-bonded-yet protagonists.

* Ramses and Nefret Emerson, of the ''Literature/AmeliaPeabody'' detective series, have a one-way link, whereby Nefret knows when Ramses is in imminent danger.
* In the Literature/AnitaBlake series, this meets either LoveDodecahedron or {{Polyamory}}, but either way, it is complex. To take the relationship tree the story revolves around: Jean-Claude took Anita as his human servant and Richard as his animal to call, making a connection between all three of them. Anita, being a necromancer and animator, picked up some of the vampire power, and so now has Damian, her vampire to call, and a number of animals to call, because she keeps picking up various wereanimals that she might be able to turn into--but really doesn't want to. And until the first change, a person can ''keep'' picking up new wereanimals, so this probably isn't going to stop any time soon. And breaking the link between vampire and servant is severely damaging to both parties, but if the human dies that means the vampire is hurt and maybe goes insane, and if the vampire dies an unshielded human will die or go insane.
* The Marat in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' form telepathic bonds with totem animals. In the first book, ''Furies of Calderon'', a Marat girl named Kitai accidentally forms such a bond with the main character, Tavi. The two become a couple as the series progresses and display some aspects of this trope, such as being able to sense one another's presence and moods. It also means that [[spoiler: when Tavi begins to develop furycrafting, Kitai develops it as well.]]
* In Gene Roddenberry's novelisation of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', Kirk's mind calls to Spock from light-years away--this is what causes him to fail to achieve Kolinahr. Even with Spock's fluctuating-as-the-plot-demands telepathic abilities, that is really indicative of a mind-link. Slashers forevermore have had a field day with this, since the only mention we hear of person-to-person mindlinks without physical contact is in the context of the marriage bond.
* In ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'' series, Lakewalker marriage essentially involves becoming a limited form of this--no mind reading, but they can tell if the spouse is alive, and one character can tell the general direction her husband is in.

* In the Literature/FirebirdTrilogy, telepathic Pair Bonding creates a link between the couple, allowing them to always sense each others' emotions when in proximity, and leaving a feeling of emptiness when separated. When the bond is broken, the surviving spouse goes into [[HeroicBSOD bereavement shock]] and can take ''years'' to regain a semblance of normalcy.

* Alex and Jo are this way by the end of ''Literature/TheParasiteWar'' by Tim Sullivan.
* Joanne Bertin's Dragonlords have it sort of built in. A Dragonlord is a being with half a human's soul, half a dragon's; before they are born these souls are split in twain and reassigned. Dragonlords pine after their soultwins, and there's mention of the horrifically tragic case when one's soultwin turned out [[MayflyDecemberRomance to be a normal human]]. It's also said that most soultwins are just a little closer than really close human couples, but the title character of ''The Last Dragonlord'' envies those who are much closer, so close that it's physically painful for the two to be apart for more than a few hours. It seems there are also some who can't stand each other--not because of differences in personality or interest, which is unheard of, but because they are individuals who hate themselves.
* ''Literature/TrappedOnDraconica'': "We're twins; united in body and soul." [[spoiler: Presumably Erowin being Ben's twin serves as an 'anchor' which allows her to stick around and help after Mordak kills her.]]
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/OrdealInOtherwhere'', Charis and Shann develop a PsychicLink, though they have to take care to keep it from overwhelming them. That it led to marriage becomes clear in ''Literature/ForerunnerForay'', when their son recounts how the Wyverns trained him because of it.
* Treecat mates, in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series, since the species as a whole is telempathic.
** Later in the books, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Honor herself]] has one of these with [[spoiler:Hamish Alexander]], whom [[spoiler:she later marries]], though the link is empathic in nature, not telepathic. She comes by it honestly: [[spoiler:her mother Allison and father Alfred also have an empathic bond]].
* Rye and Sonia develop one of these fairly early on in the [[Literature/DeltoraQuest Three Doors]] trilogy. Late in the second book, they [[spoiler:are able to reach out to Rye's brother Sholto using this method when they cannot risk calling to him]].
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Eric and Kasile's minds are linked together by [[spoiler: Tasio]] which enables them to communicate telepathically. This leads to them becoming LikeBrotherAndSister with Eric's crush on her transforming into BigBrotherInstinct.

* ''Literature/TalesOfTheBountyHunters'': Dengar has aspects of this in his relationship with Manaroo, as her people use a device which lets them share emotions. It's standard among her people, and helps to recover some of his lost emotions from sharing hers.
* In ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', Tatsuya and Miyuki have a low-level example because part of her magic is devoted to suppressing his. When Miyuki dies, [[spoiler:as in the Reminscence arc,]] Tatsuya knows she's gone because the suppression is.
* Ingrey and Ijada in ''[[Literature/{{Chalion}} The Hallowed Hunt]]'' share an empathic-level bond [[spoiler: created by Horseriver to keep control of Ingrey as part of his plan. His breaking it when he starts the final step of the plan sends Ijada and four companions chasing after them.]]
* Troll wedding ceremonies in ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy'' involve drinking a magic potion that makes the couple feel what the other partner feels at all times. As a result, when one married troll dies, the shock is so severe that the other usually commits suicide soon after.
* In the ''Relentless'' series by Creator/KarenLynch, Mohiri mates can speak to each other telepathically once they consummate the bond.

* Sion and Riesbyfe have this in Sion's good ending in ''{{Videogame/Melty Blood}}: Actress Again''. Explained in that Riesbyfe's entire existence is now a physical projection from the data inside Sion's head.
* Exploited in combination with LoveTranscendsSpacetime in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors''. [[spoiler: Zero's primary goal is to use mindlink between Junpei and Akane and give her information she needed to survive 9 years prior to when game takes place. The fact that they're in love results in particulary strong connection, which is why he was kidnapped.]]

** [[spoiler:Her father can speak German for similar reasons.]]
* Kevyn in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' while bantering with his sister made [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2005-05-07 a dirty joke about her cyborg husband and a ship's AI]].
* According to Kin in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', the closest [[SnakePeople Yuan-Ti]] come to what humans would call "Love" is "True-Seeing": when two Yuan-ti grow especially close, they can sense one another's feelings and pain as though they were their own. Minmax starts to think that he and Kin might be True-seeing one another, but she doesn't believe him... until she sees his hand is bleeding and remembers experiencing an unexplained jolt of pain in her own hand.

%%* ''Blog/{{Limyaael|sFantasyRants}}'' has [[http://limyaael.livejournal.com/180565.html a few suggestions...]]

* Early promotional material for ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' hinted at a "psychic connection" that Danny was supposed to share with Sam "SheIsNotMyGirlfriend" Manson. This was dropped in the series proper.
* Aelita and Jérémie from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' shared a mind link in the episode "Frontier".
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' had an unusual case, with three souls inhabiting one body (Coldstone), two of which were in love. They lamented being unable to feel physical things, but one can only imagine what it's like to not just be in each other's minds but ''be'' each other's minds... together. Made worse by the fact [[LoveTriangle the third guy also loves the girl]], [[TheRival hates the other guy]], '''and everyone involved knows it'''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' had a hint of this between Shane and Niko. Niko was already a Psychic ActionGirl, and could usually read the gents with ease. However, in the episode "Changeling," Shane was gravely wounded and had no way to communicate a "do not shoot" order to his team. In desperation, he used his implant and sent a telepathic message to her. The fact he was able to ''actively use'' telepathy during that one instance has led to a great deal of speculation on the part of fan writers.
* Spoofed in the rather infamous ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode "Handbanana". Handbanana mindlinks with Carl and immediately makes creepy threats about coming for him in the night. Then [[BlackComedyRape he rapes him. Repeatedly]].

* ''Webcomic/Dreamless'': Central conceit of the story. They can only block each other out when they're sleeping at the same time. Being in different timezones this can get a bit difficult to coordinate. They've shared consciousness since they were babies so they can speak multiple languages and get twice the experience.

* The ''Manga/FourKnightsOfTheApocalypse'' character Guinevere does not share her lover's telepathy, but she is strongly precognitive, which enables her to finish his sentences and deeply understand his personality before even meeting him (because she's seen almost everything he will do and say over the course of his life). Conversations between them are complicated, filled with nigh-instantaneous transmissions of ''non''verbal data and references to future- [[AnotherStoryForAnotherTime and past]]- events the reader has not yet seen.

* Subverted in ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheGreatPhantomPeril''. As part of a plan to escape from the PhantomZone, Faora Hu-Ul uses her telepathic powers to pose as the deceased wife of a lonely widower called Jackson Porter's deceased wife. Mr. Porter misses his wife so badly that Faora is able to create a psychic link between them which is strong enough to allow inter-dimensional communication.

* ''Fanfic/{{Amelia}}'' features this between a lesbian and a straight girl. It doesn't influence her sexuality, just romance, which causes issues. Largely PlayedForDrama, with several characters questioning how much the link is influencing their personalities [[spoiler: and catastrophic changes when it's removed.]] In the finale, [[spoiler: the world is restructured to feature hundreds of Mindlink Mates.]]

** One particularly dramatic case goes a long way towards showing that a lifebond is not necessarily all that desirable, and also supports Stefen's theory: In ''Brightly Burning'', Lavan Firestarter's lifebonded is [[spoiler: his ''Companion'']]. It's noted within the book how screwed up the relationship is and that it means that Lavan ([[YouShouldKnowThisAlready had he lived]]) would have been one giant mess of emotional issues, even for a Herald. It's only the extremely extenuating circumstances (Lavan is unable to control the full extent of his Gift, on his own, and [[spoiler:his Companion]] has to be 'bonded with him to provide the extra control) that prevent anyone from trying to undo things. When [[spoiler: his Companion dies at the end, he mentally collapses and unleashes fiery doom on the entire battle field, effectively ending the war and killing himself in the process.]] Lifebonding is far from an unambiguously good thing.

* This is quite common with ''Series/DoctorWho'' fanfiction too, particularly with Doctor/Master. Their [[spoiler: mind meld]] hasn't hurt matters. Most people just assume that any Time Lord marriage-relationship-thing of more than a passing nature must needs also involve a mind-meld-y telepathic Bond which tends to be Capitalized. The famous ShipTease scene in ''Recap/DoctorWhoS28E4TheGirlInTheFireplace'' between 10 and Reinette, which involved a ''lot'' of implied DirtyMindReading (10 was embarrassed, Reinette's smirk says she absolutely wasn't), and introduced the idea that even a non-psychic on the receiving end could enter the other partner's mind - "a door once opened can be walked through in any direction." As a result, there are legions of Rose/9 and Rose/10 fics in which this is the case.

*** This type shows up prominently in the sequel, ''Hell Hath No Fury''. Characters who have never met before encounter one another and instantly begin behaving as if they've been together (happily) for years. There's little comment made about it. It's like love at first sight turned UpToEleven.

* PlayedForLaughs in the first episode of ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''. Mira and Ao looks at the activity program of the newly merged Earth Sciences club, and they have such similar opinions that Ao says the first half of the sentence and Mira finishes the rest. As a result, Mari suggests some kind of telepathy to be in play.[[note]]In the manga, Mari suggests Mira is Ao's interprter instead, probably because Ao [[TheQuietOne doesn't speak much]].[[/note]]

* The concept of sparkbonding (the merging of "sparks", the Transformer equivalent of a soul) is used in a lot of ''{{Transformers}}'' fanfiction. However, the concept has never been used in canon.
* In a lot of ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' fanfics, this trope has become so common that it is {{fanon}}, [[MostFanficWritersAreGirls despite the fact that the series is possibly the LEAST romantic series of all time]] and that fanon applies this trope to either Vegeta or Goku, who are definitely NOT the best candidates for this, to say the least.
** In Vegeta's case, this idea came from a scene set during the Buu arc where Bulma seems to sense that something bad has happened to him... he blew himself up.
* Frequently used in FanFiction, especially in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fandom.

** Also a fair amount in ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'' fics, mostly for Jack/Ianto and usually including Ianto having some sort of super-empathic powers. There is a very marginal justification for this in that Jack explicitly has psychic training from his time with the Time Agency, with even powerful telepaths unable to read his mind, and Ianto is implied to have undergone something similar (but far less sophisticated) at Torchwood One. However, Jack's abilities are canonically totally defensive and Ianto's, if he had any, would have extended to the ability to spot Psychic Paper.

* ''FanFic/MyInnerLife'' gives "PsychicLink" a whole new, disturbing meaning.
* ''FanFic/{{Amelia}}'' features this between a lesbian and a straight girl. It doesn't influence her sexuality, just romance, which causes issues. Largely PlayedForDrama, with several characters questioning how much the link is influencing their personalities [[spoiler: and catastrophic changes when it's removed.]] In the finale, [[spoiler: the world is restructured to feature hundreds of Mindlink Mates.]]

* As stated below, WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom and Sam were supposed to have such a link [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/WesternAnimation in the original premise of the series]], only for it to be jettisoned. Apparently, [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4021512/1/Shadow_of_a_Doubt some fan writers have decided to]] [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8556012/1/The-Phantom-Reboot plug it into]] [[Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries their stories]].
* In ''{{FanFic/Total Drama Comeback|Series}}'', [[CrackPairing Ezekiel and Heather]] have complimentary dreams about each other. In this case, is not explicitly supernatural, it just sort of marks their growing feelings and CharacterDevelopment.
* ''FanFic/InTheService'' provides a rare example of a negative portrayal of the trope. [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Wolkenritter]] in skin-to-skin contact are no longer individuals in a meaningful sense. They find this both frightening and unpleasant, and consequently inter-Wolkenritter romances don't work.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' had an unusual case, with three souls inhabiting one body (Coldstone), two of which were in love. They lamented being unable to feel physical things, but one can only imagine what it's like to not just be in each other's minds but ''be'' each other's minds... together.
** Not only that but think about being the third guy. Who has to share a body with the SickeninglySweethearts.
** Made worse by the fact [[LoveTriangle the third guy also loves the girl]], [[TheRival hates the other guy]], '''and everyone involved knows it'''.
*** Including Demona, who originally summoned the ghosts that make up Coldstone's consciousness. She really is a jerk, isn't she?
*** Oh, and he's a psychopath. [[AllThereInTheManual Scripts]] and {{fan|Nickname}}s usually refer to these three as [[Theatre/{{Othello}} "Othello, Desdemona and Iago"]] to highlight the situation.

* Source of a major ShipTease in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'', when [[BelligerentSexualTension Jimmy and Cindy's]] brains are mixed together for a short time

* ''Blog/{{Limyaael|sFantasyRants}}'' has [[http://limyaael.livejournal.com/180565.html a few suggestions...]]