Bond Creatures: Difference between revisions

See also [[Psychic Link]] for similar bonds between humanoids.

 

 

{{examples}}

* [[Anne McCaffrey]] is probably the archetypal example of bond creatures. Her ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]'' series features dragons with near-human intelligence which choose a human partner at birth (this is called Impression) and two rarely outlive each other (and certainly don't ''want'' to). Fire lizards has a mild variant of the Impression (normally it merely helps to organize their swarms, but was turned [[Up to Eleven]] for dragons). Less well known but also interesting, this author's ''[[The Ship Who...]]...'' series features spaceships powered by the human minds of people whose bodies were defective or injured, and these [[Sapient Ship]]s, also known as Brains, form partnerships with human Brawns. This bond is not permanent, it may be friendly or romantic, and the telepathic element is enabled by technology.

** Early in the series, it's indicated that romantic feelings between a Brain and his/her Brawn is grounds for the partnership being broken up, as a Brawn who becomes ''too'' attracted to his/her Brain partner may become obsessed and attempt to access what is left of their body, which will kill the Brain. They find a way around this later, using androids.

** More recent Pern books, particularly those which Todd McCaffrey worked on, establish that whers—dragons' humbler, uglier cousins—also form psychic bonds with humans. Unlike either dragons or fire lizards, whers can sever their bond voluntarily if they form a solid emotional attachment to a different human, and the death of one partner needn't provoke suicide by the other (though it can) when a wher is involved.

* Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear did a brilliant and weirdly hilarious [[Darker and Edgier]] spin on some of the less charming implications of the Pern series in ''A Companion to Wolves'', which is pretty much Pern WITH VIKINGS and giant sentient wolves replacing dragons.

 

 

* [[Limyaael's Fantasy Rants|Limyaael]] calls these types of creatures [http://limyaael.livejournal.com/180365.html telcoms], for [[Psychic Link|telepathic companion]].

 

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Servant Tropes]]

[[Category:Loyal Animal Companion]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]

[[Category:A Slave to the Index]]