History Main / FallingForSomeoneNeverMet

->''I miss you\\
But I haven't met you yet\\
So special\\
But it hasn't happened yet\\
You are gorgeous\\
But I haven't met you yet\\
I remember\\
But it hasn't happened yet''
->--'''Bjork''', ''I Miss You''

Have you ever fallen a bit in love without ever having met a person face to face? Perhaps with a singing voice, with a beautiful portrait or photograph, with the tone of a letter, or simply with what others say about someone who left an impression? In real life, this is generally just a tiny pang and we get over it quickly; that, or we become part of a celebrity's {{Fandom}}.

Fictional characters are rather more passionate and lucky when it comes to falling for Mr. or Ms. X. They stumble over the enticing traces of a charming, unusual individual and they're hooked. They strive to find out more about their mysterious crush, try to locate them and fall ever harder, and they often actually manage to meet them.

This can result in the person acting like a StalkerWithACrush -- especially if they start acting overly familiar with the other who doesn't even know them. It can also tragically overlap with PosthumousCharacter.

Often, though, this trope is played romantically and the love story ends happily.

Related to TheDulcineaEffect and LoveAtFirstSight if it relies on simply a photograph. See also LongDistanceRelationship and PerverseSexualLust. Compare LoveBeforeFirstSight. Basic concept behind ShipsThatPassInTheNight.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''YamiNoMatsuei'', the evil [[DepravedBisexual Dr. Muraki]] fell in love with Tsuzuki [[LoveAtFirstSight at first sight]]... from his photo. He further became [[StalkerWithACrush obsessed]] with him when he read his grandfather's (who was Tsuzuki's doctor) records of Tsuzuki's symptoms and mental health.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Mei Chan develops a crush (and claims she's "in love" with and wishes to marry) Edward Elric, after misinterpreting a description of the Fullmetal Alchemist and his [[ShroudedInMyth legendary exploits]]. She sets off in search of him... and unfortunately, [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller the real thing doesn't]] [[TheNapoleon look at all like the one she imagined]].
** Amazingly, she actually got him dead to rights with very few details to work with...except he wasn't tall, or courtly, or in love with her. Possibly justified by Arakawa having to draw something even though Mei's mental image was much blurrier than that shown, and of course RuleOfFunny.
* ''FushigiYuugi'''s Hotohori is a heart-wrenching example because he did meet Miaka (he was waiting for whoever the Priestess of Suzaku would be), fell in love with her for real, but she doesn't choose him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* The Comicbook/{{Superman}} villain, Obsession, was in love with Superman. At first he thought she was just in love with the idea of Superman, or something [[TwoWordsObviousTrope cliche]] like that. However, [[spoiler:when she sacrificed herself to save him]], he realized that her feelings were genuine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/{{Terminator}}'', Reese claims to have been in love with Sarah ever since seeing her picture, which kind of comes off as being [[StalkerWithACrush creepy]].
* This was Tatiana Romanova's cover story in ''FromRussiaWithLove'', which was the reason that the only agent who could extract her was JamesBond.
* In the movie ''Lake House'', the main female character has not met the man she is writing letters to, as he is two years behind her time.
* Meg Ryan's Character in ''SleeplessInSeattle'' find romantic interest in hearing the voice of Tom Hanks character over the radio. The whole movie revolves around this plot point.
** And they do it again in ''YouveGotMail'', where they fall in love through e-mail.
*** Which is a remake of ''TheShopAroundTheCorner'' (1940), which, since it was 1940, had to rely on snail mail instead.
* This was why Luke Skywalker was so eager to save Princess Leia after seeing [=R2D2=] project her message in ''ANewHope''.
* In the 1944 Film (noir) ''Laura'', the detective investigating the titular character's murder falls in love with her through his investigation, even going so far as sleeping under her portrait. [[spoiler:Subverted somewhat when he finds out that she's not really dead and the victim was actually another girl the murderer mistook for Laura. The two actually do fall in love and justice is served to the miscreant.]]
* An understated version from one of Charles Foster Kane's friends in ''Film/CitizenKane'':
-->'''Mr. Bernstein:''' A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl.
* This is one of the triggers for the plot of ''Film/SomewhereInTime''. The main character falls in love with an actress after seeing an old picture of her, making him use MentalTimeTravel to meet her after he learned that she'd already died of old age.
* In ''DonJuanDeMarco'', the title character falls, hard, for a centerfold model he's only seen in a magazine. After many attempts he manages to phone her- when she tells him to bug off, his response is [[SpurnedIntoSuicide rather disproportionate.]]
* Prince Eric falls for mermaid Ariel after hearing her voice in ''TheLittleMermaid'' movie.
* ''The Night We Never Met'' has this as its main premise.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Played straight with the Woman in the Wall: the protagonist falls in love with someone who wrote a letter and stuck it in a crack in the wall. She doesn't even know his name-- just the first initial, "F."
* In ''Someone To Run With'' Assaf follows a dog which is supposed to lead him to it's master. While he does so he speaks with people the girl knows, later even reads her diary and is already half in love with when he finally meets her. And he only falls harder from then on.
* In ''{{Elantris}}'' the foreign princess falls for her (ArrangedMarriage) fiancée this way
* In TomHolt's MindScrew book ''Falling Sideways'', the protagonist falls so hard for a portrait of a long-dead woman burned as a witch that he tries to get her cloned. [[spoiler:After much confusion and many, many lies, it turns out he was genetically engineered to feel this way precisely so the entire plot of the book could unfold as it did.]]
* Britomart for Artegall in ''TheFaerieQueene'' after seeing him in a crystal ball.
* In Donna Jo Napoli's retelling of "Literature/{{Cinderella}}", the Chinese prince had heard rumours of the most beautiful girl wandering during a festival. With that fact alone, the prince goes personally from house to house to every woman who had attended the festival to see if she is that girl.
* This is how Ender fell in love with Novinha in ''[[EndersGame Speaker For the Dead]].''
* Eva Ibbotson's ''Magic Flutes'' has David Tremayne falling for a princess he's never met, just from pictures of her and others' anecdotes about her kindness and bravery. Thing is, he's the assistant of said princess's {{Love Interest|s}}, so his love goes unrequited.
* Possibly the uber-version of this trope is the legend of the (historical) troubadour Prince Jaufre of Blaye's long distance love for Hodierna Princess of Jerusalem and Countess of Tripoli (also historical). Supposedly Jaufre embarked on the Second Crusade just so he could meet her, only to fall sick on the voyage and die romantically in her arms upon his arrival in Tripoli.
* Played with in Literature/LesMiserables. Marius and Cossette have only seen each other and not actually spoken, but they fall in love somehow. When Jean Valjean moves and takes Cossette away with him, Marius gets so depressed he does everything he can to find her, even though they've still exchanged nothing more than a few glances.
* Grace Greenwood's poem "To --".
-->We never met; yet to my soul
-->Thy name hath been a voice of singing,
-->And ever to thy glorious lays
-->The echoes of my heart are ringing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* The song "Mystery" from ''ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' is all about the singer's love for someone who happens to live in a different country... and to be dead. And who probably wouldn't have liked him anyway. Hence the title.
* In ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Geordi [=LaForge=] falls in love with starship designer Leah Brahms after working with a holographic version of her. It makes things really awkward when he meets the real (and already-married) Dr. Brahms who unlike the hologram turns out to be bossy, cold and highly critical of Geordi's work (to makes things worse, she gets really pissed when she finds out about the hologram), but the final episode suggests they end up getting married in at least one timeline.
* On ''{{Dollhouse}}'', [[spoiler:Paul and Echo]], arguably.
* ''{{Terriers}}'', of all shows, uses this one. Britt saw pictures of Katie when he robbed her apartment, tracked her down at the bar where she worked, and asked her out. ''And'' immediately gave up burglary.
* ''{{NCIS}}'' has an episode where Tony falls for a victim's sister without meeting her.
* In the ''Series/{{Wings}}'' episode "Ms. Write", Brian falls in love with "R", the author of some very passionate, poetic love letters delivered to his house by mistake. He eventually meets "R", who turns out to be [[spoiler:a 12-year-old girl]].
* In one episode of ''BoyMeetsWorld'', Shawn finds a lost purse at school without an I.D. in it and he becomes attracted to the purse's owner based on its contents because they reveal that he and the owner have very similar interests. It turns out that the purse's owner is [[spoiler: Angela, a classmate he has just broken up with.]]
* Played with in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' when Wes tells Fred he loved her even before he met her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Performance]]
* In ''TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest'', Cecily not only falls in love with her guardian's nonexistent brother without meeting him, she actually makes up a detailed pretend romance and engagement.
* Mozart's ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'' has the hero Tamino fall in love with Pamina from her picture, and she apparently fell in love just from hearing from Papageno that he's a great hero who's in love with her.
* [[RichardWagner Wagner's]] opera ''Der fliegende Holländer'' (''The Flying Dutchman''): Senta gets silly over the portrait of the Dutchman and decides to deliver him from his curse -- some mother instinct might be at work here.
* The Ming-dynasty play ''Theatre/ThePeonyPavilion'' (''Mǔdāntíng'') is about ''two'' people who fall in love without ever meeting one another: The girl Du-Liniang falls deeply in love the boy Liu-Mengmei in a dream and, knowing that there is no way the love can be requited, dies of a broken heart. She, however, leaves her portrait near the titular Pavilion. Years later, the actual Liu-Mengmei comes upon the portrait and gets romantically smitten. Du-Liniang is brought back to life by ThePowerOfLove, and everyone is happy.
* The musical ''Bells Are Ringing'' embodies this in the song "It's A Perfect Relationship."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Also, the song ''I Knew I Loved You'' by Savage Garden is pretty much this. I mean, c'mon. "I knew I loved you before I met you, I think I dreamed you into life."
* The Music/TheyMightBeGiants song ''Ana Ng''.
* Music/TheWho, ''Pictures Of Lily''.
* Music/{{Bjork}}'s song "I Miss You"
--> I miss you, but I haven't met you yet
--> So special, but it hasn't happened yet
--> You're gorgeous, but I haven't met you yet
--> I remember, but it hasn't happened yet
* "The Day We Never Met" by the Crash Test Dummies
--> The lips I never kissed, are lips I can't forget
--> The dress you never wore, on the day we never met
--> The name I never whispered, as it echoed in your mind
--> The man I never was, the sweet thing that's not mine
--> I drink to you, I toast your name, a name that I don't know
* The song ''Haven't Met You Yet'' by Michael Buble. Especially noticeable in the official music video, where the singer dances around a department store and sings about how amazing he and his future (imaginary) lover are going to be, including the repeated line "I just haven't met you yet"... only for him to wake up from his daydream and get out of the department store embarrassed. Except as he's walking out, he walks past and notices a girl that looks identical to his imaginary lover.
* In Music/TheBeatles' song, "I Will," Paul is in love and doesn't know if he's met the woman or not: "For if I ever saw you/I didn't catch your name..."
* "China, IL" by Brad Neely is all about this.
* Another case of two people affected by this trope is the Music/DavidBowie video "As the World Falls Down" -- a woman falls in love with a man (Bowie) when a photo of his face mysteriously materializes via her copy machine. The man is already in love with a painting of her. [[spoiler: She figures out where he is, but only gets as far as opening the door before turning back.]]
* According to Music/TaylorSwift, Fearless is about the greatest love she hasn't had yet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIIRomancingTheThrone'', Graham sees Valanice in the MagicMirror, and sets off to find and marry her without having met her. (The FanRemake adds an element of MindlinkMates to this). Being as VideoGame/KingsQuest is as bad as {{Shrek}} when it comes to [[ZigZaggingTrope screwing with Fairy Tale Tropes]], this is pretty easy to shrug off.
* Its "brother game" ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'' also plays this, though. After a big mess involving TimeTravel, Roger's KidFromTheFuture shows him a holographic projection of Beatrice Wankmeister. Roger is instantly smitten, and (contrary to what his kid states) doesn't forget his trip to the future. At the opening of ''Space Quest V'', Roger still can't quite get Beatrice out of his mind. In the course of the game he meets her, and the pair start up a romance.
* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV'' it's possible for the hero to fall in love with a woman that he's only met in dream sequences. [[spoiler: Also, for the first four games in the series, she's dead - but it's possible to bring her back to life and eventually marry her in the fifth.]]
* This occurs in "Palla", a two-set book you can find and read in ''{{Morrowind}}''. The story's narrator falls in love with Pal La after seeing a statue of her fighting the monster that ultimately killed her; being a necromancer, he sets about the monumental task of bringing Pal La back to life, so they can live happily and in love ever after. He finally succeeds, but before he can join his beloved, he finds out that [[spoiler:Pal La was the ''monster''. Who is happy to meet him]].
* This seems to be the case for [[StalkerWithACrush Camus O. Laphroaig]], the leader of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Hell Hounds]], in the first ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' game. He proclaims his love for [[RoseHairedGirl Milfeulle Sakuraba]], despite the two never having met before, and demonstrates it by revealing several facts from her past at [[OldShame Elementary School]] and [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto Pilot Academy]]. Befitting his nature as a IneffectualSympatheticVillain, this scene is as [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments silly]] as you can imagine. In the [[DarkerAndEdgier manga]], however, [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Camus]] personality is [[PsychoForHire completely different]], which results in his advances being downright [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying]].
* A quest in {{Videogame/Fable II}} involves a man who has fallen in love with the long-dead Lady Elvira Grey. The player helps him by collecting her scattered body parts so she can be revived, Frankenstein-style.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology]]
* The story Culhwch and Olwen in the ''Mabinogion'' centers around King Arthur and his knights trying to fulfill the incredible laundry list of tasks the giant Ysbaddaden handed Cwlych (who's...twelve or so when the story starts) in order to marry his daughter Olwen. They're horrible and violent and most of Ireland and half of England get totally ravaged, but they're stuck. Arthur ''promised'' to do whatever the kid asked, and the kid wants to marry Olwen...because his stepmother who hated him told him she was very beautiful and cast a little spell to help him get obsessed. It takes a few years, so he's at least a teenager by the time he marries her.
** Ysbaddeden has one of those 'you'll die if your daughter ever gets married' prophecies hanging over him, but he's ''still'' a jerk. Half the impossible tasks involve helping him get dressed for the wedding--a particular witch's blood to wet his beard down, a comb from between the ears of a boar that rivals Godzilla, etc.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Kanaya of ''{{Homestuck}}'' initially hero-worships Rose Lalonde based on a GameFAQs walkthrough written by the latter. Whether this is romantic is not canonically addressed, but [[ShippingGoggles shippers find it excellent fuel]].
** Vriska goes on to get a crush on [[spoiler:Nic Cage, and then, more seriously, John.]]
** Jane, Dirk, and to a lesser extent Roxy all fell for Jake just from chatting with him over pesterchum, plus Roxy for Dirk as well. [[spoiler:It's even worse in Dirk's case, as he's separated from Jake not only by distance but by ''hundreds of years of time.'']]
* Revealed to be the case in ''RedString'' [[http://www.redstring.strawberrycomics.com/?p=555 with Makoto.]]
* Professor Madblood of ''{{Narbonic}}'' fell in love with Helen when he read about her development as a clone as a project. [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=10217 He went mad as a teenager.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Real-life example: Mark Twain fell in love with his future wife on seeing a portrait of her. Their courtship was largely through the mail.
* Quite a lot of people have done this historically, and because of the internet it's happening even ''more.''
* Zhuge Liang had fallen in love with Yue Ying when she had started spreading rumors about herself that she was highly unattractive, but very smart ([[ValuesDissonance This'd be in late 2nd Century, early 3rd Century China]]). Upon finally besting the few other suitors, Zhuge Liang fell even more deeply in love with her and [[EngagingConversation proposed to her on the spot when he finally met her]].
[[/folder]]

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* In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', Mei Chan develops a crush (and claims she's "in love" with and wishes to marry) Edward Elric, after misinterpreting a description of the Fullmetal Alchemist and his [[ShroudedInMyth legendary exploits]]. She sets off in search of him... and unfortunately, [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller the real thing doesn't]] [[TheNapoleon look at all like the one she imagined]].

* The {{Superman}} villain, Obsession, was in love with Superman. At first he thought she was just in love with the idea of Superman, or something [[TwoWordsObviousTrope cliche]] like that. However, [[spoiler:when she sacrificed herself to save him]], he realized that her feelings were genuine.

* In ''{{Terminator}}'', Reese claims to have been in love with Sarah ever since seeing her picture, which kind of comes off as being [[StalkerWithACrush creepy]].

* Eva Ibbotson's ''Magic Flutes'' has David Tremayne falling for a princess he's never met, just from pictures of her and others' anecdotes about her kindness and bravery. Thing is, he's the assistant of said princess's LoveInterest, so his love goes unrequited.

* Played with in LesMiserables. Marius and Cossette have only seen each other and not actually spoken, but they fall in love somehow. When Jean Valjean moves and takes Cossette away with him, Marius gets so depressed he does everything he can to find her, even though they've still exchanged nothing more than a few glances.

* The TheyMightBeGiants song ''Ana Ng''.
* TheWho, ''Pictures Of Lily''.
* {{Bjork}}'s song "I Miss You"

* In TheBeatles' song, "I Will," Paul is in love and doesn't know if he's met the woman or not: "For if I ever saw you/I didn't catch your name..."

* Another case of two people affected by this trope is the DavidBowie video "As the World Falls Down" -- a woman falls in love with a man (Bowie) when a photo of his face mysteriously materializes via her copy machine. The man is already in love with a painting of her. [[spoiler: She figures out where he is, but only gets as far as opening the door before turning back.]]
* According to Taylor Swift, Fearless is about the greatest love she hasn't had yet.

* In ''KingsQuestII'', Graham sees Valanice in the MagicMirror, and sets off to find and marry her without having met her. (The FanRemake adds an element of MindlinkMates to this). Being as KingsQuest is as bad as {{Shrek}} when it comes to [[ZigZaggingTrope screwing with Fairy Tale Tropes]], this is pretty easy to shrug off.
* Its "brother game" SpaceQuest also plays this, though. After a big mess involving TimeTravel, Roger's KidFromTheFuture shows him a holographic projection of Beatrice Wankmeister. Roger is instantly smitten, and (contrary to what his kid states) doesn't forget his trip to the future. At the opening of SpaceQuest V, Roger still can't quite get Beatrice out of his mind. In the course of the game he meets her, and the pair start up a romance.
* In QuestForGloryIV it's possible for the hero to fall in love with a woman that he's only met in dream sequences. [[spoiler: Also, for the first four games in the series, she's dead - but it's possible to bring her back to life and eventually marry her in the fifth.]]

* This seems to be the case for [[StalkerWithACrush Camus O. Laphroaig]], the leader of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Hell Hounds]], in the first ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' game. He proclaims his love for [[RoseHairedGirl Milfeulle Sakuraba]], despite the two never having met before, and demonstrates it by revealing several facts from her past at [[OldShame Elementary School]] and [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto Pilot Academy]]. Befitting his nature as a IneffectualSympatheticVillain, this scene is as [[CrowningMomentOfFunny silly]] as you can imagine. In the [[DarkerAndEdgier manga]], however, [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Camus]] personality is [[PsychoForHire completely different]], which results in his advances being downright [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying]].

* Played with in {{Angel}} when Wes tells Fred he loved her even before he met her.

** Jane, Dirk, and to a lesser extent Roxy all fell for Jake just from chatting with him over pesterchum, plus Roxy for Dirk as well. [[spoiler:It's even worse in Dirk's case, as he's separated from Jake not only by distance but by years of time.]]

** Vriska goes on to get a crush on [[spoiler:Nic Cage, and then, more seiously, John.]]

* In Donna Jo Napoli's retelling of ''{{Cinderella}}'', the Chinese prince had heard rumours of the most beautiful girl wandering during a festival. With that fact alone, the prince goes personally from house to house to every woman who had attended the festival to see if she is that girl.

* The Ming-dynasty play ''ThePeonyPavilion'' (''Mǔdāntíng'') is about ''two'' people who fall in love without ever meeting one another: The girl Du-Liniang falls deeply in love the boy Liu-Mengmei in a dream and, knowing that there is no way the love can be requited, dies of a broken heart. She, however, leaves her portrait near the titular Pavilion. Years later, the actual Liu-Mengmei comes upon the portrait and gets romantically smitten. Du-Liniang is brought back to life by ThePowerOfLove, and everyone is happy.

* Mozart's ''TheMagicFlute'' has the hero Tamino fall in love with Pamina from her picture, and she apparently fell in love just from hearing from Papageno that he's a great hero who's in love with her.

* Prince Eric falls for mermaid Ariel after hearing her voice in TheLittleMermaid movie.