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-> ''"YUM YUM. DELICIS KROMER. DID YOU HAVE AN YMORE??"''
-->-- '''Spamton''', ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}''

So your ship runs on {{Unobtainium}} crystals, or your body is maintained by {{Nanomachines}}, or your magic relies on GreenRocks. Surprise! That's ''exactly'' what the MonsterOfTheWeek likes to eat most. Better keep it away from your WarpDrive, [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank bloodstream]], or BagOfHolding...

This trope is when a creature likes to consume whatever AppliedPhlebotinum is being used in the story -- maybe it even needs to do so to survive, often developing an insatiable HorrorHunger for the stuff. This can vary from a creature that snacks on GreenRocks to a monster called into being by the protagonists' use of {{Aesoptinum}}. It overlaps with PhlebotinumDependence when the creature ''has'' to consume the Phlebotinum, although Phlebotinum's main plot purpose must be something ''other'' than [[SavedByThePhlebotinum keeping the Phlebotinum Muncher alive]].

SubTrope of FantasticDietRequirement.
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!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Homunculi in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' are addicted to the Red Stone and munch on the stuff for extra 'lives'. Red Stones are created by sacrificing human lives and are needed to create the phlebotinous Philosopher Stone, which basically enhances the magical powers of alchemy. In [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the original manga]], the Red Stones simply don't exist. The Homunculi rely directly on Philosopher's Stones (yes, ''plural'') to provide their limited immortality.
* ''Anime/KemonoFriends'': [[BigBad The Ceruleans]] grow larger by absorbing Sandstar present in the environment and in the bodies of the Friends, making the Ceruleans very dangerous to them: if a Friend is deprived of Sandstar, she turns back to the animal she was before, the other Friends treat this as DeathOfPersonality [[spoiler:except Kaban, as she was originally a human before]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** In one story, Superman arrives at a moon of Krypton (long story short, it drifted away hundreds of years ago) and has to use {{kryptonite|Factor}} to prevent its uranium core from exploding. On his search for enough kryptonite, he comes across a (space) monster that feeds on it. He manages to save the planet, but since it's now made of kryptonite, he can never go there again.
** Since [[ThePowerOfTheSun Superman's powers come from the sun]], he will start to lose his powers if deprived of sunlight for days on end. This is a plot point in the CrisisCrossover "The Final Night", which involved a monstrous Sun Eater that is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin eating the sun]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheDragonKingsTemple'': Both the Goa'uld and the Asyuntians have incorporated naquadah into their biology, and require a regular supply of the stuff to live. One of the main plot threads is SG-1's efforts to devise a source of bioavailable naquadah for their two Asyuntian guests, and SG-1 speculates that this same necessity is the reason behind the Goa'uld habit of eating their own larvae.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''Literature/DirtyPair: [[TheMovie Project EDEN]]'' has this as a major plot point; the Sadinga monsters feed on Vizorium ore (warp drive fuel), and the fossils they were revived from were being mined for said ore until the EvilutionaryBiologist came along.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/ArifuretaFromCommonplaceToWorldsStrongest'': The kids are warned when they enter the Great Orcus Labyrinth not to eat monster meat because it's toxic. After he falls off a bridge into the depths of the labyrinth, Hajime eats part of a monster carcass out of desperation and nearly dies, surviving only because drinking the Ambrosia produced by a Spirit Stone he discovers heals him. He mutates as a result, gaining the ability to eat monster meat safely and absorb new powers from it, and eats his way down through the rest of the dungeon.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Dragons eat magic, and salamanders absorb the magical [[FictionalColor octarine frequency of light]].
* ''Literature/{{Gone}}'': In the second book, the aptly named ''Hunger'', the Gaiaphage tries to sabotage the local nuclear power plant so it can eat the fuel, fulfilling its HorrorHunger and giving it the strength to form a body.
* ''Literature/TheMagicGoesAway'':
** Dragons, mermaids, were-creatures, gods and such metabolize {{Mana}}. This is a kind of [[GreenAesop environmental metaphor]]; when human wizards started using up the mana faster than it could regenerate, all the fantastic creatures went *poof*.
** The [[DoomsdayDevice ultimate weapon]] of the setting was a magic disk. Powered by a simple propulsion spell with no speed limiters (and a [[RequiredSecondaryPowers secondary spell]] to keep it from tearing itself apart), it simply spun around uselessly and thus wasted ''all'' the Mana in the area. Wizards were left powerless, werewolves lost their "were-", and ageless beings suddenly began feeling their age. This is the origin of the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' card "[[SdrawkcabName Nevinyrral]]'s Disk", which does pretty much the same thing.
* Ungoliant in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' will eat pretty much anything, but magic trees imbued with the primordial light of creation (and shiny elven stones imbued in turn with a spark of that same light) just happen to be delicious.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': In one of the interludes for ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', we encounter the larkin, creatures that seem able to suck the titular light out of a person's body. In ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'', we see that they can also drain gemstones, and drain the EvilCounterpart, Voidlight.
* ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'': When Demoness Metria traveled to Mundania, she had to be accompanied by a guy whose talent was to project an 'aisle' of magic around him whenever he was in Mundania, because a minor demon's Mundane form is a dust devil. How the minor demons survived the Time of No Magic (when Demon Xanth left) is a FridgeLogic question. It was noted at the time that the deep region of rock where Xanth abided had soaked up so much magic from his long stay to function as a battery. (There's a village which falsely believes ''they'' act as the source of the realm's magic by creating storms to spread magic-charged dust which comes up from the rock nearby -- they have no idea of its ultimate source.) Demons were established at the time as already living deep underground where magic was already more powerful due to this, and their personal power somewhat dependent on how deep their society permitted them to reside. Taking in refugees from above would probably let most of them survive during Xanth's absence, or at least not sustained irreversible damage.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho2016CSTheReturnOfDoctorMysterio The Return of Doctor Mysterio]]", the Doctor meets a young boy, Grant, who is homesick; when the Doctor passes a small bit of Phlebotinum for Grant to hold, saying, "Take this", Grant misunderstands, thinks it's medicine, and swallows it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has had a number of creatures that feed on magic, such as the Disenchanter.
* Most creatures in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' that use magic naturally have a dependency on background {{Mana}} and will rapidly die if totally deprived of it.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
** The [[http://magiccards.info/mi/en/86.html atog]] eats magical artifacts, and its various relatives eat other magic-related things: the [[http://magiccards.info/tsts/en/2.html auratog]] eats enchantments, the [[http://magiccards.info/vi/en/28.html chronatog]] eats time (you can give it a big stat boost by skipping your next turn), and the [[http://magiccards.info/od/en/286.html atogatog]] eats [[ImAHumanitarian other atogs]].
** ''Magic'' also had a reference to ''Literature/TheMagicGoesAway'' in the form of [[Creator/LarryNiven Nevinyrral]]'s [[http://magiccards.info/c16/en/265.html Disk]] -- they were more willing to pull SdrawkcabName tricks in the earlier days of the game.
* ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'': Pandorans and Prometheans who have entered the Refinement of Flux are incapable of generating Vitriol (essentially liquid CharacterDevelopment) and must steal it from Prometheans who are in a true Refinement.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Strain III bacteria eats magic and lives in astral space. It can drain magic out of an Awakened creature, causing it to weaken and die.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
** [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Skaven]], Grey Seers, or Warlocks from Clan Skyre can munch down [[GreenRocks Warpstone]] in order to fuel their spells. This can turn them into [[BodyHorror Chaos Spawn]] though.
** ''All'' Skaven eat Warpstone -- it's what made them giant sentient rats as opposed to just rats, and it's a large part of what ''keeps'' them that way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The main character, splicers, and little sisters in ''VideoGame/BioShock'' require the substance ADAM (created by a certain species of sea slug). At first they use it for cosmetic upgrades and fun but frivolous superpowers, then to survive a superpowered arms race as the city crumbles around them; eventually, long term use (enough to drive you mad, and possibly [[BodyHorror semi-randomly mutate you]] and get you to the point you're referred to as a "splicer") gets you psychologically dependent on it; keep going, and you need fresh intake of ADAM and the occasional plasmid just to keep your body from completely breaking down into a puddle of goo. Fortunately, that pleasant experience doesn't show up anywhere in the games.
* The Scrin in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' are the aliens who created [[GreenRocks Tiberium]], and their entire race is completely and hopelessly [[DrugsAreBad addicted to it]].
* The monsters of ''Videogame/{{Evolve}}'' can eat the bohrium that powers the fancy tech that advanced society depends on. This is enough to count as food towards evolution, and with enough will envelop their claws in a burning aura.
* The black mages and many other monsters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' are spawned from concentrated Mist, which is a decidedly evil fog composed of [[spoiler:souls of the dead that have been blocked from going to the afterlife]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Swallowing one of the [[AmplifierArtifact Zonai Secret Stones]] will cause a person to undergo [[TerminalTransformation draconification]], transforming into a nigh-immortal dragon at the cost of their mind and sense of self. [[spoiler:[[ForbiddenChekhovsGun Guess what ends up happening]] to Zelda and Ganondorf?]] The same game features a sidequest to help an NPC find and swallow lots of a different kind of rare stone, [[spoiler:but with basically the same results when eating them all turns him into a Blupee]].
* Metroid Prime/Dark Samus from the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' (and other [[PsychoSerum Phazon enhanced creatures]]) needs Phazon to live.
* ''VideoGame/NexusWar'': The Corruptor demon from ''Nexus Clash'' has the power to devour spells and enchantments in a world that is chock full of them. It eventually gets so bad that even shooting at one with a magical gun and ''missing'' is enough to forfeit the weapon's magical-ness to the demon.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', Herba Mystica is a family of rare herbs capable of curing any ailment that TeamChef Arven needs to make speciality sandwiches [[spoiler:to heal his partner Mabosstiff]]. However, each one is located in a cave guarded by a Titan Pokémon, which were Pokémon that continually ate them and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow grew into massive kaiju]].
* Rock/Ice/Lava Monsters in ''VideoGame/RockRaiders'' eat energy crystals, and will destroy your buildings to get at them. If destroyed the crystals they have eaten can be recovered. Slimy slugs are similar, except they suck the energy out of them instead.
* The Zerg in ''Franchise/StarCraft'' use minerals and vespene gas as resources by metabolizing them.
* Styx from ''VideoGame/StyxMasterOfShadows'' consumes amber, the substance used in his universe to power machinery and also as a dangerous drug, to fuel his magical abilities and is already addicted to it at the start of the game.
-->'''Styx:''' Amber. I need it now. My head is gonna explode!
* The Adephagos of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' gets summoned into the world by an overflow of Aer, [[GreenAesop a magical substance that all the machines in the world consume to function]].
* Grey Mann from the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' comics is kept alive by a life extension machine on his back, which requires a steady supply of [[{{Unobtainium}} Australium]] to keep working.
* ''VideoGame/UnleashTheLight'': As a Prism being, George only eats Chroma, which is collected from crystal formations in the overworld. Feeding him certain Chroma [[AndYourRewardIsClothes lets him craft new costumes for you]].
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has mana wyrms and arcane elementals that feed on {{mana}}, often appearring in locations with large amounts of loose mana.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* The "whales" from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' are a relatively benign example. [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2013-01-23 Apparently]], they help maintain cosmic homeostasis by feeding off concentrations of ambient magic energy, to keep it from getting out of control. Unfortunately, the Moperville anomaly is far too big for them to do anything more than slow the spread of the effect.
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'': Thanks to a botched scheme by her clone Golly, Molly the [[CuteMonsterGirl monster]] now has a second clone named Jolly who is [[OurGiantsAreBigger the size of a small mountain]]. Considering what {{Big Eater}}s Molly and Golly are, Jolly's potential food intake beggars the imagination. This is {{Hand Wave}}d with the explanation that, among her various bionic implants to help her [[SquareCubeLaw move and respirate at such a huge size]], she has a "[[AppliedPhlebotinum Phlebotinomatic]] Food Synthotron".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* The Elders in ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' need to receive trait positive blood transfusions on a semi-regular basis to survive.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', the resident Phlebotinum Muncher is a one-eyed creature called the thirdak, which eats magic. It tried to eat Genie and managed to eat half of Carpet.
* ''WesternAnimation/CareBears1980s'' has the cloud worm, who eats the clouds that the Care Bears live on, and in a later series the cloud monster, which does the same.
* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Nibblonians ''excrete'' Dark Matter, which is used as starship fuel.
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** Arabus, the villain in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' "Bright Lights" story, gets power from eating ponies' shadows, which depletes the ponies of their energy and strength.
** Lord Tirek in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' [[ManaDrain consumes magic]] from all magical beings in Equestria, including the strength of Earth ponies and Discord's chaos-based magic.
* The energon in all incarnations of ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''. It powers their weapons and ships and is also their currency and food. This means Transformers ''eat'' money and starship fuel. And in every series except for ''[[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1]]'' and ''[[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise RiD]]'', it's a natural resource that the ForeverWar has made quite scarce, and making substitutes either is impossible or what you get comes with ''nasty'' side effects. DrugsAreBad, [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark mmmkay]]? In ''those'' series, though, it's possible to create energon from other energy sources. For ''them'', that makes it easy: oil, gas, etc. is a handy source of food and fuel. It makes them Phlebotinum Munchers to ''us'' instead. Many a ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers episode]] and [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel comic]] revolves around raids on everything from oil wells to hydroelectric dams to ''concerts'' (the music is somehow made into energon, causing it to sound just horrible to the listeners) for energon.
[[/folder]]

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