Mental Fusion: Difference between revisions

There's something [[Your Mileage May Vary|inherently]] sinister and threatening about a [[Hive Mind]], especially when it forcibly kidnaps people and forces them to join. What happens to those [[soul]]s trapped inside? Are they still individuals, or have they suffered so much [[Loss of Identity]] that nothing remains? It doesn't help matters that there's usually a [[Hive Queen]] or [[The Virus]] behind such things.

This isn't always the case though. If the characters ''willingly'' create a [[Psychic Link]] in order to do amazing things, then a lot of the [[Squick]] factor goes away (though those involved may blush afterward if they swapped embarrassing memories). This trope can be pulled off many different ways. A common one has mystics and magicians not just cast a cooperative spell, but use [[Super Empowering]] to give one among them their combined powers. [[Telepathy|Telepaths]] may subsume themselves into a group entity for greater psychic power and reach. [[Technopath]]s can simply [[Unusual User Interface|"plug in"]] directly to a greater AI or a group of other technopaths.

This comes in a few flavors: Usually, a single person is "elevated" and made first among equals. The other magicians, telepaths or what not give the first the full benefit of their individual powers, as well as [[Spirit Advisor|telepathic advice]], etc. while they meditate and stay immobile. While in this weakened state, enemies can attack these powerful Mental Fusions by going after the supporters. An equally common variant has the "mob", where the group has no one mouthpiece, but moves with perfect synchronicity and jointly use their powers and combat skills in beyond perfect teamwork to devastating effect. The downside to these is that they usually severely drain everyone once the spell is over.

* In [[The Book of the Named|Clan Ground]] Thistle-chaser has the ability to "hear the song" - that is, to join in the hive mind that unites True-of-Voice's clan. Unlike them, she also has the ability to tune the song out. In a later book, her brother is shown to have the same ability.

* Seamus Harper in ''[[Andromeda]]''

** It's used earlier by Talia and a group of rogue telepaths (none higher than P12) to overwhelm Bester (a strong P12) and give him [[Fake Memories]] of killing them.

* In the 1st Edition of ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', psionic characters could join their minds together to boost their total power.

* ''[[In Nomine]]'' has the Ethereal and Celestial Songs of Unity, the first just allows skill sharing among a group, the second creates a full-fledged Mental Fusion of the "mob" type, each body can act separately and the mass mind can use all their skills and abilities (although it can only take one *supernatural* action at a time) and can see, hear and so on from the point of view of all bodies simultaneously. The problem with the Song is that if the participants don't get along, the massed entity created from them may dither and delay due to the conflict. Also, the participants memories of the actions taken by the mass mind will be sketchy.

* In [[Starcraft]], this is the basis of the Protoss religion, called the Khala. Protoss are universally psychic, and evolved a super-powerful collective conciousness that manifests as magic-like abilities. Communion with this "Khala" is actually touching all the minds, thoughts, and emotions of the Protoss race at large. However, there is a small group of heretic protoss who fear that this will, one day, completely subsume their personalities, and take steps to sever themselves from it permanently (they evolved their own culture).

* The above picture is from ''[[Sequential Art (webcomic)|Sequential Art]]'' and the squirrels are forming Think Tank, a biological processor with super...squirrial inventive and strategical abilities.

[[Category:Mental Fusion]]