She isn't the worst of his stalkers.
Jez: I'm not giving up that easily. Faint heart never won fair maid!
Mark: ...Right. The epigram on the Stalker's Manifesto.
A character noted for their obsession with another character. They claim that the motivation for their morally outrageous acts is a simple wish to gain attention from the crush-ee. Alternatively, the obsession may be explained as a misguided desire to "protect"
note (which often translates to isolate or smother) the crush-ee, whether or not the crush-ee wants or needs such "protection". In any case, the more sincere they seem, the
creepier they are.
Why does this happen? Because
Love Makes You Evil, and "
If I Can't Have You, No One Will!"
There'll usually be a
Double Standard at play with this trope. Male stalkers are more likely to be portrayed unsympathetically, and as an actual danger to their object of obsession.
Female stalkers, by contrast, are likely to be portrayed sympathetically, and typically portrayed as
charming or cute (though
beware the
Woman Scorned!).
note Might have something to do with the fact that a man is generally more likely to be able to protect himself against a female stalker if he wants than vice-versa.
Related Tropes
This can be a minor character who is
seduced to evil by the
Tragic Dream of being able to get who they want.
If the stalker manages to score
because he's a stalker, it's because the target believes
Stalking Is Love.
If the stalker is chasing a celebrity, especially one who didn't know them before the stalking began, they're a
Loony Fan.
If the stalker sticks to a "hands-off" approach and simply attempts to spy on their target in explicit situations, they are
The Peeping Tom.
If the stalker wants their target's DNA as much as (if not more than) their love, that's a
Stalker with a Test Tube.
Contrast with
Abhorrent Admirer, where a
Hollywood Homely or average woman is considered the worst thing in the world simply because she is attracted to the protagonist, even though no stalking takes place. See also
All Take and No Give.
If a male stalker is particularly
Wrong Genre Savvy about his role and reception, he's most likely also a
Prince Charming Wannabe or convinced he's a
Dogged Nice Guy. Can easily double as a
Crazy Jealous Guy. A
Hollywood Restraining Order may be mentioned.
If the stalker's
crush makes them go Ax Crazy at anyone who tries to interfere or even the crush-ee, the stalker is a
Yandere, especially if she's female.
Compare AND contrast with
Stalker Without A Crush, who can either seem similar to this through the "
Does This Remind You of Anything?" approach and/or become this through
Character Development.
Example subpages:
