Falling For...?

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I find that frequently I settle for things and am not happy in my romantic relationships and yet I am unsure why. Some deliberation has caused me to suspect that it centers partially around my expectations. That I have perhaps created some "ideal" as to what I want that is incongruent with my reality. Eg. Falling for a literal "dark knight to steal me away" when there are none in this time period.

Where I've gotten these constructs from, and why I have held onto them when I live in a place and time that doesn't support them I don't understand. I really wish I knew...