History Main / DestructiveRomance

* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' gives us the short film "Jibaro" which depicts the destructive and incredibly brief flirtation between [[OurSirensAreDifferent a jewel-adorned siren]] and a deaf knight. After she kills the knight's companions by luring them into the water where she resides, the siren pursues the knight, who is [[DisabilitySuperpower immune to her call]]. Though she tries to seduce him, [[HarmfulToTouch her body is covered with razor-sharp jewels that slice his flesh]]. Eventually, he knocks her out in order to strip the treasure from her body in a scene [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything almost reminiscent of rape]]. The blood from her body gives him the ability to hear, and once the siren regains consciousness, she takes her {{Revenge}}.

* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' gives us the short film "Jibaro" which depicts the destructive and incredibly brief flirtation between a jewel-adorned siren and a deaf knight. After she kills the knight's companions, the siren pursues the knight, who is [[DisabilitySuperpower immune to her call]] and tries to seduce him. However, her very touch slices his flesh, and he knocks her out in order to strip the jewels from her body. The blood from her body gives him the ability to hear, and once she regains consciousness, she uses her song to drown him.

* ''Series/GoodbyeMyPrincess'': Xiao Feng and Cheng Yin. ''Twice''. The first time they get married, he kills her grandfather and attacks her people. Their second marriage [[UpToEleven is even worse]] and ends in her [[spoiler: committing suicide]] to escape him.

* Music/PinkFloyd's "Don't Leave Me Now", from ''Music/TheWall'':
-->Ooooh, babe\\
Don't leave me now.\\
Don't say it's the end of the road\\
Remember the flowers I sent\\
I need you, babe\\
To put through the shredder\\
In front of my friends\\
Ooooh, babe\\
Don't leave me now.\\
How could you go?\\
When you know how I need you\\
To beat to a pulp on a Saturday night\\
Ooooh, babe\\
How could you treat me this way?\\
Running away\\
I need you, babe, why are you running away?\\
Oooooh, babe!

* Music/{{Megadeth}}'s Dave Mustaine had an infamously turbulent relationship throughout the 80's. In fact, several songs - most famously "Last Rites/Loved to Deth" and "Tornado of Souls" are about this woman. Needless to say... the lyrics paint quite a picture. Just take a peek at some choice lyrics.

* Season 3 ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' gives us the short film "Jibaro" which depicts the destructive and incredibly brief flirtation between a jewel-adorned siren and a deaf knight. After she kills the knight's companions, the siren pursues the knight, who is [[DisabilitySuperpower immune to her call]] and tries to seduce him. However, her very touch slices his flesh, and he knocks her out in order to strip the jewels from her body. The blood from her body gives him the ability to hear, and once she regains consciousness, she uses her song to drown him.

* ''Webcomic/DearChildren'' has one of these between [[DomesticAbuserEric Saddler]] and [[GoldDigger Vallory King]]. He is in it for sex and the opportunity to psychologically abuse her; she is in it for expensive gifts and a boost to her modeling career. They do not love each other; they don't seem to even ''like'' each other.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': As sweet as it can be at times, Anakin and Padme's relationship wasn't healthy. When you have two people trained from a ''very'' young age to live a life of nothing but duty, and essentially forbid them normal, healthy relationships, there's no way it can end in anything but this trope. It's especially bad for Anakin because this prohibition is one of the seeds that would lead him to TheDarkSide.

* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': It wasn't really their fault, but the situation ended pretty badly nonetheless.

* ''Literature/WutheringHeights'': Most of the characters think Heathcliff and Cathy are a terrible match, though though there is something to be said for how their trademark brand of selfishness, vindictiveness, contempt for others, and mutual obsession makes them kind of perfect for each other. While their relationship may well have turned out disastrously even if they had been together from the start, it would probably not have gotten to quite the level of vengeful spite it did when they tried to live apart.

* [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Dahlia Hawthorne]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' does this to just about everyone she gets involved with, but no one worse than poor Terry Fawles, a dim prisoner whom she tries to set up for a murder she herself committed. When the trial doesn't go her way, she gets him to commit suicide ''on the stand'' just to avoid suspicion.

* [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon Dahlia Hawthorne]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' dos this to just about everyone she gets involved with, but no one worse than poor Terry Fawles, a dim prisoner whom she tries to set up for a murder she herself committed. When the trial doesn't go her way, she gets him to poison himself ''on the stand'' just to avoid suspicion.

The characters may or may not be aware of how bad their relationship really is, but, in either case, the author is very aware: this severe form of LoveHurts is ''not'' portrayed as amusingly wacky or RomanticizedAbuse, [[SeriousBusiness no]], it is PlayedForDrama as well as NightmareFuel. However, RomanticizedAbuse or TheMasochismTango can morph into this trope through the power of MoodWhiplash or CerebusSyndrome.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Spike's interest in Buffy started as StalkerWithACrush, but she regarded his advances with contempt. But after Buffy falls into depression in Season 6 she secretly starts sleeping with him. Unfortunately this only ends up making things worse--Spike is convinced Buffy wants to come over to TheDarkSide and is frustrated by her unwillingness to either return his love or abandon her friends, while their InterplayOfSexAndViolence, her [[FoeYay lust for a soulless monster who's supposed to be her enemy]] and her [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman guilt over using Spike without respecting his own feelings]] only increase Buffy's self-loathing. At one point she savagely beats an unresisting Spike, describing him in terms that are clearly referring to herself ("There is nothing good or clean in you! You are ''dead'' inside! You can't feel anything real!"). The InUniverse ValuesDissonance between the two reaches a point where [[spoiler:after she ends the relationship, Spike tries to rape an injured Buffy; fortunately Buffy is able to fend him off and Spike realises that, even for him, this act is crossing the MoralEventHorizon, and motivates him to go on a quest to regain his soul.]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', the protagonist starts out at the end of a ''very'' damaging relationship with Bethany. His confidence in standing up for himself seems to be completely destroyed.
[[/folder]]

* ''Webcomic/DearChildren'' has one of these between [[BastardBoyfriend Eric Saddler]] and [[GoldDigger Vallory King]]. He is in it for sex and the opportunity to psychologically abuse her; she is in it for expensive gifts and a boost to her modeling career. They do not love each other; they don't seem to even ''like'' each other.

* Music/{{Blutengel}} has several songs on this theme, often from the point of view of a former BastardBoyfriend who realizes how horrible he has been.

* The comic series ''Flinch'' once featured a short story titled "Red Romance" (illustrated by Creator/BruceTimm, of all people) where a man and a woman, both sociopathic lowlifes, fall in love and begin a relationship that involves sickening amounts of [[MasochismTango Masochistic Tangoing]] until even this violence isn't enough to satisfy their desires. It leads to the jaded man hiring a specialist to torture and kill her while he watches, only to discover she hired the specialist for the exact same reason. The story ends with the couple in orgasmic ecstasy as they watch one another get horribly brutalized, before the specialist finally kills them and leaves them in each other's arms on the bloodstained bed. A story that manages to be touchingly romantic AND incredibly disturbing at the same time.

* Erin and Umbra from ''Fanfic/AndTheStoryContinues'' are caught in between this trope and WithFriendsLikeThese. One is an increasingly traumatized AllLovingHero in the midst of an existential crisis. The other is an insane, amoral and clingy shinigami for whom the one feels responsible, [[spoiler:being the unholy reincarnation of her friend and ImpliedLoveInterest L, with whom she'd already had [[AMatchMadeInStockholm a plenty troubled relationship]] before [[HeroicSuicide his death]]]]. Although he doesn't mean to, Umbra acts as a tormentor for her, and more than one of their interactions can be construed as emotional abuse or manipulation. Not to mention his possessiveness, which [[spoiler:unlike his previous incarnation]] he makes no attempt to hide--Umbra outright admits he doesn't like [[NiceGuy Stephen]] getting close to her and proceeds to bully and humiliate him from the outset to drive him away out of sheer jealousy.

* ''Film/{{Thirst}}'': You have a [[ReligiousVampire vampire priest]] struggling to keep his humanity and ethics and a [[FullyEmbracedFiend woman who can't wait to indulge in the powers and menus of vampirism]].

* "Heart to Break" by Kim Petras is about her giving her heart to someone whom she knows will probably lead her to ruin.