->--''Ok, how do I write this entry? I can't think of anything clever, so I guess I'll just write it matter-of-factly.''

Telepathy, aka MindReading, is a [[PsychicPowers psychic power]] that allows a character to read another person's thoughts. At its most basic level, it functions as a short range radio, allowing the character to pick up the thoughts of those around him. Sometimes, it has limitations such as touch or proximity, or only being able to 'hear' rather than 'see' thoughts. A common hurdle comes from being unable to probe deeper into the minds of those around them, as well as being something of a FaintingSeer whenever an especially strong willed or horrifying character is around. Psychic overload is also common in crowds, represented by a PsychicNosebleed. Being a passive receptor and [[HearingVoices not being able to shut other people's thoughts]] out can easily drive a psychic insane, making this potentially BlessedWithSuck.

More advanced uses of telepathy involve receiving and [[ExpositionBeam transmitting thoughts and memories]], and probing beneath surface thoughts into memories, or outright going into a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind or dream travel.

At its strongest, a telepath will be able to MindControl others, sometimes even to the point of [[DemonicPossession possessing their bodies]], create FakeMemories after applying LaserGuidedAmnesia, create a SplitPersonality and let it [[SplitPersonalityTakeover take over]], or in general be a terrifying god who can MindRape his opponents.

->--''Okay, so far so good. [[ExactEavesdropping After this, I think I'll work on my]] EvilPlan.''

It's worth noting that for the above reasons telepathy is one of the most potentially {{squick}}y powers, since it's basically an invasion of privacy of the worst kind. The telepath is the sighted man in the kingdom of the blind, and provided he's discreet he can know everyone down to their most intimate detail, [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead which isn't always a good thing]]. This is why in settings with un-{{masquerade}}d telepaths, they are often persecuted, policed, and [[SuperRegistrationAct registered]]. That is, when they aren't used as weapons or [[BurnTheWitch killed.]]

Heroic telepaths are thus in a difficult position both inside and outside a story proving BadPowersBadPeople is not true. An author wants them to be heroes, but has to somehow assuage the reader the character isn't a mental voyeur (or if he is, he's got a [[ChivalrousPervert chivalrous side]]) and the character will also have to put their colleagues at ease that they aren't likely to turn into a [[MindProbe Mind Probing]] HiveQueen. To solve this, they often practice what they preach with MindOverManners.

->--''Hmm, [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny did I water my plants?]] I wonder if they still have those [[RealMenWearPink pink]] [[TooSpicyForYogSothoth leather pants on sale]]... gah! [[PsychicStatic I'm getting distracted!]] Focus!''

Telepathy comes in a lot of flavors:
* TheEmpath is usually treated as a low grade telepath.
* Twins will often share TwinTelepathy, sometimes to the point of {{Synchronization}} between their bodies.
* Very close people can also become MindlinkMates, if not a more generic PsychicLink.
* Aliens who are advanced enough become TelepathicSpacemen.
* A group of telepaths may create a MentalFusion.
* A telepath or empath is frequently also a LivingLieDetector.

It should be noted that telepathy involves forces that have not been discovered, as no current physics allows it. The electrical energy given off by the brain is far too weak. In many stories, not only does it involve unknown energy, but is often faster than light or unrestricted by distance.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* MahouSenseiNegima has a number of examples; Negi displays very limited mind reading ability in the first chapter (he puts his hand on the target's head and gets maybe 2 words out of it). Later on, the Pactio cards are introduced, which allows Negi and his partners to [[PsychicLink communicate telepathically]]. In addition, Nodoka gets a book that allows her to read people's thoughts as her artifact; after an upgrade she can essentially listen to the thoughts of anyone whose name she knows.
** Nodoka can also use her artifact on herself, which sometimes [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/c165.0/8.html has hilarious results]].
* [[PsychopathicManchild Mao]] of ''CodeGeass'' has the ability to hear the thoughts of anyone within 500 meters, even on a subconscious level if he concentrates, making him a formidable opponent to the [[TheChessmaster highly]] [[XanatosPlannedThisIndex thought-oriented]] [[VillainProtagonist Lelouch]]. It does, however, have the drawback of being [[PowerIncontinence unable to turn off]], meaning he ''always'' hears ''everyone's'' thoughts within five hundred meters.
** The gender-bent Mao in ''NightmareOfNunnally'' had a similar power, which also included the ability to see into a person's memories as a bonus. To a degree, all the geass powers involve a vague form of telepathy (Lelouch controls minds, [[spoiler:the Emperor can mess with memories]], etc.). At least, the ones in the anime do.
* Any Trance user in {{Psyren}}, in the form of Mind Jacks.

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[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* From the MarvelUniverse:
** Professor Charles Xavier of the Comicbook/{{X-Men}} has formidable psychic powers and is probably the foremost telepath in comics. A number of others have followed in his wake; the X-Books have more telepaths than any other comics subgroup.
***Such as Jean Grey, Cable, Rachel Summers, and Emma Frost and [[spoiler:her clone daughters]] the Stepford Cuckoos being the most prominent examples.
* From TheDCU:
** This is one of the MartianManhunter's [[ComboPlatterPowers many, many powers]], usually used in a benevolent manner to communicate with allies or to help heal damaged psyches. When in the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, he often acts as a sort of psychic hub through which the team can communicate mind-to-mind.
** Gorilla Grodd, one of the {{Flash}}'s nemeses, is an evil [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys gorilla]] with telepathic powers; his good counterpart, the late King Solovar of Gorilla City, had similar powers. Grodd usually uses his powers for MindControl or [[MoreThanMindControl more subtle manipulation]], though he can also fall back on his [[GeniusBruiser natural strength]].
** Grodd has a grandson (or brother, depending on who's telling the story) dubbed Sam Simeon, one half the comedic crime-fighting duo Angel and the Ape, with a watered-down version of Grodd's powers that just lets him cloud the minds of people around him so they see him as a normal human.
** Aqualad of the TeenTitans animated series claims to have telepathy, but he has yet to use it on anyone who isn't a fish.

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[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

* Voldemort in Fanfic/MyImmortal can read minds, because he "[[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe hath]] [[RougeAnglesOfSatin tele]]''[[MindOverMatter kinesis]]''"
* In Fanfic/LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami, Night Yagami can use her Shinigami Ears to hear people's thoughts.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''The Demolished Man''.
* AlanDeanFoster has a thing for telepathy; it's heavily featured in many of his SpaceOpera novels. Of particular note are the (extinct) Tar-Aiym and the Ulru-Ujurrians in his ''HumanxCommonwealth'' series and the Solarian Combine in ''Design for Great-Day'', who have developed telepathy into what is effectively a multi-species, intergalactic HiveMind. In the latter case, this is treated as the natural and [[TheSingularity penultimate evolutionary stage]] of all species.
* The telepaths in JohnBrunner's ''Telepathist'' covers the heroic range of this trope (split into "receptive" (able to listen) and "projective" (two-way),but most of all it's seen as a benefit to mankind. Actually having the ability to feel and see what someone is thinking is shown to be invaluable in,say,clinical psychology or conflict negotiation. However,when a really powerful telepath succumbs to the temptation to construct a {{dream land}} like their patients',they can construct a grand hallucination that another telepath has to [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind pull them out of]].
* In ''{{The Inheritance Cycle}}'', it seems that all magic users have the potential to become telepaths. Anyone with sufficient training can attempt resist an attack upon their mind.
* John Wyndham's classic ''The Chrysalids'', in which the core characters can share what they dub 'thought-shapes', implied to be an intermediate stage on the way to full telepathy. In the midst of its larger points re: resistance to change and growth, the novel also acts as probably the most famous serious exploration of the fear and horror telepathy might inspire in the wider 'normal' community.
* In MarionZimmerBradley's {{Darkover}} series, the noble caste (referred to as "Comyn"), have telepathy as one of their defining features, along with [[RedHeadedHero red hair]]. With a society where most of the people (at least those who appear in the books) have telepathy has led to interesting social rules like 'Do not enter another's mind without permission' and if one accidentally 'hears' something they weren't meant too, it is considered polite not to mention it. Also, if one is suffering from mental anguish, one tries to keep their thoughts to themselves so as not to burden others with their emotions. These do not apply to the mind-blind peasant class, who treats the Comyn as descended from Gods. Interesting world, Darkover.
* MaximumRide has Angel. She's six years old and can make you buy her a teddy bear - or make a flying enemy fall by telling them to. SoYeah.
* [[HellsGate Sharona]]'s Voices have perfect recall and can send and receieve telepathic messages to each other, including sensory information - sight, sound, smell, and touch, but can't read minds. On the other hand, Sifters can't send messages, but they can tell when other people are lying or telling the truth.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''{{Babylon 5}}'' had one of the most fleshed out portrayals of telepaths in fiction, even showing how different cultures treated their telepaths.
--> The Corps is Mother. The Corps is Father.
* Matt Parkman of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is unusual as being a telepath who ''isn't'' inordinately brainy.
* ''{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'':
** In the S3 episode "Earshot," Buffy is exposed to some AppliedPhlebotinum and gains the power of passive telepathy, which becomes progressively more powerful during the episode. Eventually, the power [[BlessedWithSuck becomes so advanced that she is overwhelmed]] by the [[PowerIncontinence incessant stream of thoughts]] and needs some more AppliedPhlebotinum to get better.
** Throughout Season 6, Willow shows the ability to communicate telepathically with the people around her at will. She can give messages to others, who "hear" her voice in their heads. She can also read people's "surface thoughts," though most of the Scoobies prefer to speak aloud when communicating with her telepathically.
* The plot of the TV series ''TheListener'' is about a telepathic paramedic.
* ''StarTrek'' has several telepathic species, including Vulcans, [[StarTrekTNG Betazoids]] and [[StarTrekVoyager Ocampa]].
* Sookie Stackhouse, the central character of ''{{True Blood}}'' is a telepath.
* Clark gained this ability for one episode of ''{{Smallville}}''.

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[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''NetHack'' has this as one of many obtainable abilities: when blinded in any manner, you can see the exact location of any monster on the current floor that can think.
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda'', Link often receives telepathic messages from the quest [[{{mentors}} mentor]] or the princess.
** Although it's usually through the use of a magic artifact or an item, such as the Ocarina or a magical pendant.
* Appears as a technique in ''GoldenSun''.
* In ''[[{{ptitlemv4qrxdx}} Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy]]'' this is the only psychic power that psychic prodigy Nick does not have. His Voice With an [[strike:Internet]] [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection Psychic Connection]] Sara does however.
* Similar to ''Psi Ops,'' ''SecondSight'' has this as one of the two powers John doesn't unlock- the other being DeflectorShields. Oddly, the only psychic in the entire game that uses direct telepathy at any point is the remarkably ambiguous Jayne Wilde.
* ''SuperMarioRPG'': Hitting the ActionCommand when using Mallow's "Psychopath" spell reveals a sentence of the affected enemy's thoughts.
* The first power that Neku discovers in ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' is the ability to read others' minds.
* While it's never exactly established as such, Mitsuru [[spoiler: and later Fuuka]] must use some form of telepathy in ''Persona 3'' to communicate with the protagonist and his party while in Tartarus, considering the fact that electronic devices don't work during the Dark Hour. More confusion is caused by the fact that such communications are ''displayed as electronic communications'', complete with static, even though it's been stated that that's impossible.
**The actual scouting seems to be telepathic, but the rest is just specially adapted technology. Unless her motorcycle works by telepathy too.
*** "[[PlotHole It's]] ''[[HandWave special]]''."
*[[spoiler:Kotori Shirakawa]] in the ''DaCapo'' DatingSim / {{anime}}. It stems from [[spoiler:a childhood wish to be able to understand the people around her after her sudden adoption. She is ''devastated'' when depowered near the end and retreats back into the StepfordSmiler mask she wore before she got her powers]].
* [[MetalGear Psycho Mantis]] is such a powerful telepath, he can [[BreakingTheFourthWall read your memory card]]. Oh, and he can also do mind control and read your controller.
* Pokemon has a move, Mind reader, that allows the user to make sure that the next hit does not miss.
**Used more amusingly in the Let'sPlay of Pokemon Firered*Link on page*

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* In DanAndMabsFurryAdventures, the [[HornyDevils 'cubi]] have thought hearing as an innate ability, which starts to manifest in their twenties, along with empathy, ''etc''. Actual mind reading and dream entering are advanced techniques which have to be learned.
* In ''SluggyFreelance'' all the Lysinda circle vampires have this ability, though Sam rarely seems to use it.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

*In Dark Heresy, psykers can have a range of these powers, from simple telepathy, through mind control, to full blown mind rape.
* Naturally, virtually every superhero [=RPG=] as well as most science fiction-, horror-, or fantasy-themed ones will have some version of this. In the last case, even if the word 'telepathy' never comes up and psychic powers as such ostensibly don't exist, magic spells and items allowing their user to read or control the minds of others will still be pretty standard fare.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* Language - speech and writing, in particular. (Note that this form is much less reliable than most of the fictional ones.)

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->--''Okay, that should do it. Hmm, why do I have that feeling that I'm BeingWatched?''