->''"YOU'RE... GOING TO '''LOVE ME!'''''"
--> -- '''Fluttershy''', ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver The Best Night Ever]]"
%% One quote is enough. If you think you know a better one, bring it in the General Page Quote Discussion in the forum. Additional quotes might be put in the quote sub-page.

Love is something best given freely, not demanded; it's something that has to be earned and worked at to keep alive, not a [[AllTakeAndNoGive one-sided]] thing. However, the [[TitleDrop Love Hungry]] character apparently never got the memo. They are too insecure, [[DesperatelyCravesAffection starved of affection]], or even greedy: they want absolute, unconditional, and perpetual love, and feel that the ends justify the means. They won't settle for being merely loved by others, but in having their love enslaved to always do so. Even a [[NiceGuy genuinely]] [[TheCutie kind]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings person]] may become this out of [[BreakTheCutie fear]] of losing their love, [[NotGoodWithRejection anger at rejection]], [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy of another's love]], or a [[ItsAllAboutMe narcissistic desire to be the most-loved.]]

This character may try to gain love through [[RelationshipSabotage sabotaging other's relationships]], [[MaliciousSlander deception]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]], [[VillainWithGoodPublicity propaganda]], or even ''[[MurderTheHypotenuse murder]]''. If they lack this finesse or get ''really'' desperate, they may [[CaptiveDate kidnap the person(s) that they want to love them]] and try to create UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome. Of course, this TragicDream usually gets the opposite result, with the target becoming angry or fearful and rejecting the Love Hungry. The presence of magic and powers usually means that LoveIsInTheAir, CharmPerson, and {{Glamour}}s will be used to create this forced love.

This plot usually ends with AnAesop about not forcing others to love you, and many characters who try this either regret doing so before long and work towards a more genuine love or [[FaceHeelTurn go crazy]] in their attempts.

Compare {{Yandere}}, who is violent about keeping their lover. Compare AllTakeAndNoGive, where the taker tries to force someone into loving and serving them. See also MadLove, LoveMakesYouEvil, and LoveMakesYouCrazy. Can be the result of SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond. Relate to HappinessIsMandatory and GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul, where happy emotions are forced on others. For a more literal take, see EmotionEater. See also AndNowYouMustMarryMe and DoggedNiceGuy. NOT to be confused with LoveFreak, which is usually much more harmless.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/CrimsonSpell'': Vald's [[SuperpoweredEvilSide demon side]] calls his LoveInterest Halvir "my whole world", and boy, does he stand by it. At one point, he tries to trap Halvir in an alternate dimension with him so he can monopolize Halvir's attention. When Halvir points out that he's acting strange and there's [[LotusEaterMachine obviously something wrong with the world around them]], Vald demands to know why Halvir wants to abandon him and threatens to destroy the world if he leaves. Fortunately for him, Halvir is a CrazyJealousGuy, so the feeling is (mostly) mutual.
* ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'': Greg is convinced that if he whips and rapes Jeremy enough, he will come to love him. Greg believes that everyone loves him, and therefore so should Jeremy, but it kind of backfires on him and Jeremy eventually [[spoiler: tampers with his car and kills him.]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': In the backstory, [[spoiler: CC, then a young slave]], who is adorable but has never had a best friend, wishes that everyone would love her. It quickly becomes a BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor tale as she learns that if you force everyone to love you, then none of it will be genuine.
* ''Manga/CopernicusBreathing'': Oonagi, although he doesn't do this outright to Bird's Nest at the beginning. At first he is kind to him, but when Bird's Nest starts falling for his old circus co-worker Leo, Oonagi [[spoiler: ties him up for days, demanding his love.]]
* Toneri Otsutsuki, [[BigBad the villain]] of ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'', tries to get [[LadyOfWar Hinata]] to marry him. His attempts to win her over, however, make it clear that he's more concerned about ''his'' own feelings rather than hers. The fact that she's deeply in love with [[TheHero Naruto]], [[spoiler:who has ''finally'' [[LoveRevelationEpiphany realized both her feelings and his own for her as being romantic]]]], doesn't help either.
* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'': In the second half, Mytho's emotion of Love is corrupted by the blood of the Raven king. Rather than "a prince who loves all and is loved by all", he demands that people love him, and hate everyone else.
* ''Manga/{{Karneval}}'': Eleska wants Karoku to fall so deeply in love with her that he becomes desperate and can't live without her. Unlikely.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'': The Plutonian, spurred from a childhood that consisted of being bounced around numerous foster homes. He went on to become the world's most beloved and admired superhero, but his [[CantTakeCriticism inability to handle criticism]] whenever he made a mistake or to deal with SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond situations drives him off the deep end after a tragedy occurs, and he ultimates decides that [[BewareTheSuperman it's better to be feared than loved]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* [[EmotionEater Queen Chrysalis]] and her changeling minions are prone to this characterization in some ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' works. Sometimes they are presented as a WoobieSpecies or will feature one out of an otherwise AlwaysChaoticEvil race who can't find true love because ponies fear and perceive them as heartless love-sucking monsters, while other times they are [[ShapeshiftingSeducer Shapeshifting Seducers]] who (ahem) "bribe" ponies to get what they want out of them.
* ''Fanfic/DantesNightAtFreddys 2: Animatronic Boogaloo'': With a backstory that involves being torn apart on a daily basis for being Foxy's ReplacementScrappy, Mangle is shown to be so desperate for affection in that she [[BlackComedyRape sexually assaults Foxy]] in a simultaneously disgusting and humorous scene.
* Yolei from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' suffers from this trope in ''FanFic/Digimon02TheStoryWeNeverTold'' as she chose to actively pursue a relationship with Ken just to make her feel special. With Mimi's guidance, she changes her habits and her appearance, distances herself from the other children, and neglects her responsibilities. [[spoiler: Her efforts fail spectacularly, earning only Ken's contempt for trying to pursue love instead of fighting, and alienates her friends, particularly Davis]].
* This is the hidden root of Xu'ffasch's motive in ''We Are the Night''. He pursues Helena, who is the [[{{Squick}} fourteen-year-old half-sister of his alternate self]], because he decided she's his perfect mate. He's beyond relentless because, after offing his whole family, he's LonelyAtTheTop and wants a companion. As Helena spells it out in her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
-->'''Helena''': You were only half right about you and Dami being different. It's not because you're stronger or smarter, it's because you're ALONE! And if I'm half of what you say I am, then I'm not going to be some doll you can dress up and play house with!
* In ''Fanfic/TheyllNameACityAfterUs'' Apollo is very hungry for a romantic love that does not end in tragedy. It drives him to kidnap Percy Jackson and confine the demigod in Delos.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film - Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'', BabysitterFromHell Madame Medusa {{lampshade}}s this. Penny might have been willing to accept Medusa as a foster parent if Medusa had not prioritized obtaining the MacGuffin over Penny's safety. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2yyvcdts9s Spoilers here.]]
-->'''Madame Medusa''': Snoops, you don't have a way with children. (sweetly) You must gain their confidence... make them like you.\\
'''Snoops''': Yeah? How do you do that?\\
'''Madame Medusa''': (angrily) You FORCE them to like you, idiot!
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film - Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/CitizenKane'', this is Kane's big problem. The only thing he wants out of life is love, but he wants it on his own terms.
-->'''Susan''': Love! You don't love anybody! Me or anybody else! You want to be loved - that's all you want! "I'm Charles Foster Kane. Whatever you want - just name it and it's yours! Only love me!" Don't expect me to love you.
* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': Anakin Skywalker for Padme's love. While he was [[GoodIsNotNice kind of a dick and rather aggressive]], he was still undoubtedly ''good,'' and his love for Padme was the only thing he valued more than [[MagicKnight being a Jedi]]. By ''Revenge of the Sith,'' his desperation to save Padme from [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone his visions of her perceived death in childbirth,]] his severely unaddressed trauma over his mother's death, and his growing feelings that the Jedi were stifling his power led to his increasing SanitySlippage and overtly possessive actions towards her. Even more explicit in Matt Stover's novelization, where Anakin reacts angrily and violently toward any perceived threat to his relationship with Padme.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature]]
* Rare, heroic example - The Child-Goddess Aphrael from Creator/DavidEddings' ''[[Literature/TheElenium Sparhawk]]'' setting. Rather than 'romantic' love, she aims for 'parental' affection, but it's no less binding, and she's perfectly ruthless about it, going so far as to be incarnated as Sparhawk's biological daughter, just so she'd have a stronger hold over him. To be fair, she ''does'' love him herself and tends to spread her love around; most people actually love her because she truly ''is'' a good person who cares for others (and as a deity, she treats her worshippers benignly).
** The ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'' provides a darker example. The BigBad GodOfEvil, Torak, is driven by the need to be loved, by which he forces his people to make HumanSacrifice to appease him. At the climax of the series, he attempts to use his godly will to force Polgara to become his willing bride, and her ability to refuse him is what causes him to be defeated. Afterward, it's revealed that the other gods and his mother the Universe ''did'' love him, but he couldn't recognize it because he was so essentially narcissistic and self-centered that to him love meant obedience and abasement.
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', this is what would become of Galadriel if she had succumbed to the Ring and claimed it for her own.
--> '''Galadriel''': ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', it's revealed that Voldemort's mother, Merope Gaunt, was desperately in love with Tom Riddle Sr. So much so that she used a love potion to get him to elope with her. Tragically, she grew to want him to genuinely love her and released him from the effects of the potion. Once released, he fled, leaving her with their unborn child. Her DeathByChildbirth (possibly due to a combination of complications, depression, homelessness, and a broken heart) left her son an orphan.
* In ''Literature/TheSchoolForGoodAndEvil'', Sophie's motivation in all she does is to have her perfect fairy tale romance with a handsome prince and be a beloved, glamorous queen. How real and heartfelt the relationship is doesn't matter, because she will gladly lie or manipulate to make it happen. [[spoiler:Her late mother was exactly the same, turning to love potions to make the most handsome boy in her village her own.]]
* In Creator/NeilGaiman's dark fantasy children's novella ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' (and its ''{{WesternAnimation/Coraline}}'' stop-motion [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]]), this is the [[EvilMatriarch Other Mother]]'s primary motivation for [[spoiler: luring children like Coraline into her realm]]. As the black cat explains, "She wants something to love, I think. Something that isn't her."
* ''Literature/ACryInTheNight'': Erich is so desperate for Jenny to love him (and ''only'' him) that he deliberately isolates her from everyone else, tries to mould her into his idea of a perfect wife, constantly makes her promise she'll never leave, tries to curb any of her attempts to be independent or have a life outside of him, and overreacts to any disagreement they have, accusing her of rejecting or disrespecting him. [[spoiler:He eventually murders her ex-husband to get him out of their lives permanently and then tries to [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslight]] Jenny into believing she did it (among other horrible things) while using her children to control her; he promises he'll protect Jenny from the legal repercussions but she also knows he'll never let her leave him if she complies. When she doesn't play ball, [[IfICantHaveYou he tries to kill her]]]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AshesOfLove'': Run Yu becomes this after several millennia of forced social isolation, topped off with the trauma of [[spoiler: losing his mother]] and seeing his fiancée sleeping with his brother, all within the span of a few days.
* Rebecca Bunch resorts to all levels of [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]] and manipulation to get Josh to fall in love with her on ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Music]]
* ''Empress'' by Music/GammaRay is [[MindScrew somehow]] close ("All shall feel the fiery Love").
* Music/PoetsOfTheFall's ObsessionSong "[[https://youtu.be/MKk1u5RMTn4?list=PLjACqN5i5sDWIIpg-5EB4WcitMMqnXhFP Carnival of Rust]]" is all about this dysfunctional approach to love. The video has its singer Zoltar, the [[SadClown depressive]], decaying fortune-telling automaton so desperate for escape from the [[CircusOfFear Carnival]] that he causes the object of his fixation TarotTroubles in an attempt to compel her affection, and utters these lines preceded by a ScareChord:
-->Come feed the rain\\
'Cause I'm thirsty for your love dancing underneath the skies of lust
::To make matters worse, the opening verse notes he's ''aware'' that his attitude "should remind [him] of greed," but he twists the realization into WishfulProjection, hoping his listener shares his outlook.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop RPG]]
* One of the vignettes in ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'' has a recently released demon in possession of a human woman (it's closer to a MentalFusion). She's tempted by an EldritchAbomination with enough power to get everything she wants, and part of that included mentally enslaving her already loving husband to never stop loving her. Like Galadriel, she realizes the vision is ultimately hurtful and refuses.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Beasts of Nurgle are giant acid-oozing sluglike creatures with the mindset of a BigFriendlyDog, always eager to run around and play with their little friends. Unfortunately, [[AndCallHimGeorge said little friends tend to stop moving shortly]]. When the beasts mature, they turn into giant flies, driven bitter and hateful over their lonely larvahood. Nurgle being the AnthropomorphicPersonification of love and despair...
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', Trevor Philips has this as one of his primary character traits, due to his combination of AxCrazy personality and weapons-grade abandonment issues.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Part of Mileena's general poor mental health is that she ''really'' wants people to love her, particularly her "father" Shao Kahn and her "sister" Kitana.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]
* Yukitsuki Asaka of the first ''VisualNovel/FragmentsNote'' fluctuates, but can be considered this at best and {{Yandere}} at worst. Because she believes that she has no "self", she pursues her identity through those of her romantic partners. Thankfully, she gets better...
* In ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger,'' you soon realize after coming to Jumin's penthouse during his route that a life spent without sufficient, reliable intimacy with others has made him ''very'' attached to you, who sympathizes with his problems and isn't put off by his aloof demeanor, ''very'' quickly. He refuses to let you leave the penthouse, even trapping you in a WallPinOfLove when you talk a little too much about how you should be getting back to your apartment, all the while explaining away his actions by claiming that he's only worried about your safety. It's up to you whether or not you want to encourage this behavior and get the bad ending or stand up for yourself and get the good ending.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* Amical from ''[[{{Webcomic/Morphe}} morphE]]''. Consider that he gets upset if he suspects that his beloved seedlings do not adore him. When they call him out on being a kidnapper and a murderer he breaks down in tears. He is exceptionally eager to please.
* Show to be ''the'' main trait of The Sues in ''Webcomic/EnsignSueMustDie'', starting around the final moments of ''Wrath of Sue'' to then be completely explored in ''Crisis of Infinite Sues''. After being left powerless and imprisoned out of frustration by Kirk, Ensign muses that all she wanted is to belong in their stories and to be loved. She then comes to realize that forcing others into loving you is not real love at all, and tries to get this idea into her Mother, God Sue/[[spoiler:Lt. Sue]]'s head with no results. Made more ironic when it's revealed that, despite all her claims of being a benevolent being who loves Spock with all her heart, God Sue is actually ''incapable'' of loving, and only cares about her love hunger being satisfied.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Video]]
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick is willing to commit murder, kidnapping, rape, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking government felony]] if it'll make WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows love her. Nothing has worked yet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* A platonic version occurs with Azula and her friends Mai and Ty Lee on ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Azula is not above threatening bodily harm or death to get them to go along with what she wants. When the latter two eventually get fed up with this treatment [[spoiler: and betray her by letting Zuko and his friends go at the Boiling Rock, Azula orders for them to rot in prison. That she can't use fear to keep them by her side anymore is a big factor for Azula's VillainousBreakdown at the end of the series]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' reimagined Jervis Tetch, aka [[AliceAllusion the Mad Hatter]], using this trope. In this incarnation, Tetch is a brilliant scientist and inventor who develops groundbreaking [[HypnoTrinket mind-control technology]]. Unfortunately, his boss hates him, he has no friends besides the rats he experiments on, and he harbors a massive, [[AllLoveIsUnrequited unrequited]] crush on Alice, a secretary at his lab. After Alice and her boyfriend Billy have a fight, Tetch tries to win her over by creating the Hatter persona, only for Billy to return with an apology and engagement ring. This sends Tetch JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and compels him to use his technology on Alice in a desperate effort to make her love him--"I've waited my WHOLE LONELY LIFE FOR HER!" What makes it particularly tragic is that Tetch starts out ''aware'' of his Love Hungry nature and is able to initially withstand the temptation of brainwashing Alice; despite that self-awareness, though, he ultimately gives in to his darker impulses and ends up lonelier than ever.
* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' [[CentralTheme explores the universal need for love through many characters]], mostly in the titular character himself. Bojack is [[IJustWantToBeLoved desperate to love himself and be loved by others]], yet due to a [[AbusiveParents lack of]] [[FriendlessBackground experience]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast during his formative years]], [[{{Jerkass}} his]] [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex off-putting]] [[{{Narcissist}} personality]] and [[HisOwnWorstEnemy chronic self-sabotage]], Bojack has no idea [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove how to process love when he does get it]], [[InLoveWithLove let alone]] [[TheILoveYouStigma how to reciprocate]]. (His past as a Sitcom actor doesn't help either, as it led him to an [[WrongGenreSavvy unrealistically simplistic idea of how relationships work]].) The end result is a broken wreck of a (horse)man with [[IdleRich too much money]] and [[LonersAreFreaks no social life]] who's [[WhiteDwarfStarlet trying to recapture his 'glory days']] and who [[{{Tsundere}} both clings to and pushes away his friends and love-interests alike]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "Operation: S.N.O.W.I.N.G.", [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil fourth grade president]] [[PresidentEvil Jimmy]] has [[FaceHeelTurn turned evil]] in the hopes of [[VillainousCrush impressing Numbuh 1's girlfriend Lizzie]]. He is infuriated when Lizzie stays loyal to Numbuh 1 and insists that Jimmy can't make her love him. At that he reveals his backup plan of using a mind-control helmet on her. The Kids Next Door ultimately are able to stop him with help from his [[IgnoredEnamoredUnderling secretary]] [[WomanScorned Anna]], who decided to sabotage his plan when she learned she wasn't the object of his affections. Anna [[LoveConfession confesses]] her romantic feelings for Jimmy, who responds positively and acknowledges that he needs to learn the true meaning of love.
* Vlad Masters from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' seems to be largely motivated by this trope. After his tragic backstory, the Fruitloop decides that the logical course of action is to murder his old college buddy, steal his wife, and forcibly adopt their children. He never quite succeeds.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': On one episode, due to [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Timmy's Wish]], he and Trixie are the only two people left on the planet, and although Timmy initially enjoys being with his {{Love Interest}} due to [[AttentionWhore Trixie's attention-demanding personality]], she wants Timmy to show her the attention that normally lots and lots of people would give to her, eventually exploding into full-on {{Yandere}} mode.
* Multiply ItsAllAboutMe by GreenEyedMonster and you get Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. He's not above a little [[MurderTheHypotenuse hypotenuse murder]] either.
-->'''Bender:''' Now to make a cake so delicious they'll have no choice but to love and worship me!
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver The Best Night Ever]]": Fluttershy tries to get the woodland creatures around the gala to come to her in a FriendToAllLivingThings fashion. For some reason, they're all scared of her (she usually can get wild animals to flock to her and sing on cue), and she slowly cracks to the point of trying to capture them all, culminating in causing a stampede of wild animals fleeing her in terror and ending with the page quote.
** A non-romantic version of this (similar to Galadriel's under Lord of the Rings above) serves as the main motivation behind [[MadGod Princess Luna's]] backstory. She wanted to be as loved and appreciated as her sister and wanted her night to be as loved and appreciated as the daytime. Her plan to achieve this? Muck about with dark magics (which may or may not [[GoneHorriblyWrong have possessed her]]) in order to become stronger than her sister, install herself as Equestria's sole ruler, and institute [[TheNightThatNeverEnds everlasting night]] in the hopes that finally her subjects would come to appreciate and love her and her night. Never mind that most of Equestria's population [[ApocalypseHow would have starved and/or frozen to death]] had she succeeded...
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E18AFriendInDeed A Friend in Deed]]": Pinkie feels compelled to become friends with every single resident in Ponyville, and judging by this episode (and a few others), she is. Until Cranky Doodle Donkey arrives in town and wants nothing to do with her. HilarityEnsues.
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E7MakeNewFriendsButKeepDiscord Make New Friends but Keep Discord]]": Discord feels starved of Fluttershy's affection because of her new friendship with Tree Hugger, whom he eventually threatens to [[MurderTheHypotenuse tuck away into an alternate dimension]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Harry seems to be so starved for affection from his parents that he'll try to fill it with any kind of outside attention, from trying to get popular to getting a girlfriend (specifically, Gwen). He's treated sympathetically, though [[ScrewedByTheLawyers what turned out to be]] the final episode shows that he can turn manipulative to keep it up (namely, using [[spoiler:his father's apparent death]] to keep Gwen from breaking up with him).
[[/folder]]
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