Tossing out food for thought: What's a soulbond?

[sethrenn.livejournal.com]

Looking at the two threads started earlier today, it's occurred to me that there may be a problem with people using different definitions of the same word. Understand that I'm not trying to fan the flames or incite argument here; I'm bringing this up because it's a personal curiosity of mine, and because I think that misunderstanding is often the result of people making assumptions about others' experiences and assuming that others define certain words/concepts in the same way as them. (I'll answer this myself, eventually-- I just want to see first what others have to say about it.)

1) What do you consider a soulbond to be? Do you base this definition on your personal experiences, on what you've heard from others, or a combination thereof?

2) Do you believe the word 'soulbond' is useful and/or accurate, or that it's necessary to make a distinction between soulbonds and anyone else in the system? Do you think it's important or helpful to assign different terms to people who were created or arrived via different ways, or do you think it's unneccessarily divisive and creates the appearance of difference when little difference exists?

Comments

[poacu.livejournal.com]

The word 'system' often throws me as well.

Some use it in reference to everyone in the body, others in reference just to front-group (with the other 'groups' being different 'systems'), others referring to one 'town' of people, or 'country', and so forth.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

I don't favor the word - it's too biomechanical, as in "digestive system"; using it for family members who share a single body sounds as pompously clinical to me as it would to use it for family members who don't share a body.

[poacu.livejournal.com]

I can see that view, as well.