KA Hollow

The basement TP had just died 

So she lay by the closet and cried 

She went right where I stood

Stole nine rolls ‘cause she could 

Ovens in 1812 images

Beehive oven

synonyms for “soft”

different ways to describe voices

parts of a feather

To Sh*t street...

The first house we found was glorious

A treasure of wood and brick

We thought that we were victorious

Sadly, it went quick

The second was a fancy steeple

A mansion for ten to fit

We tried to grab enough people

But someone beat us to it

The third had a sagging roofline

And rooms that were blindingly dubious

Our friend cried, it’s vintage, let's sign!

We said, dude you can’t actually be serious

The fourth was just as desecrated

The fifth was even worse

We almost caved and separated

Just to escape this curse

Then burst forth the sixth house

from a chorus of heavenly voices

There was no more time to browse

By now we were out of choices

The front lawn is filled with junk

A creep leers outside the building

The streets are also loud with drunks

Based on the prompt: “My sweet, gullible girl. You were always the end goal.”

Maisie is ten when she has finally worn down her parents enough to go traipsing into the woods behind their village alone. She promises not to go too far but as ten year olds are wont to do, she does anyway. She ventures deep enough that the fluffed pine trees look nearly indistinguishable from each other. It’s within these walls of pointed green barbed wire she meets the boy. 

He’s taller than the other boys she knows – all gangly limbs and uneven proportions. But what stands out to Maisie are his ears which taper off into fine elegant points. He looks as shocked to see her as she is to see him. 

“What are you?” they blurt at the same time. 

Maisie giggles nervously. “I’m human, silly.”

The boy’s green eyes widen. “Human? That’s impossible.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes. It is.”

Maisie is only a few minutes into meeting this strange humanoid creature and already she grows tired of him. “Well then what are you?” 

The boy puffs up his chest. “I’m Finn Dradalios Ethos the Second, Crown Prince of the Fae Southern Kingdoms and future Vanquisher of Evil!”

“That sounds like a lot.”

“It is,” the boy says. “You should go back home now. Fae Princes are required to slay humans.”

Except Maisie doesn’t know how to get home. She doesn’t know how she ended up this far in the forest in the first place. She was just following the pretty birdsong down the trail. At the thought of never seeing her parents again, her eyes well up with tears. “I don’t know where home is,” she whispers, clutching the ragged skirts of her dress tight. 

She looks up as something thin and round and cold brushes her hands. In Finn’s now outstretched hand is a silver compass with a sparkling black arrow dancing inside the glass. “Take this. All you have to do is think of a place, and it’ll take you there.”

Maisie gently wraps her fingers around the device. “Even human places?”

Finn nods. “Even human places.”

“You know,” Maisie regards him, “you’re not so bad for a Vanquisher of Evil.”

Finn blushes. “That’s because it’s rude to slay girls.”

“That’s it? You aren’t slaying me because it’s rude?”

The pink of Finn’s pale skin deepens to a shade of purple – like the berries Maisie’s aunt picks in the springtime. “Of course not… I would slay you… I just haven’t gotten my sword and armour yet… “

“Mhmmm,” Maisie nods, her previous panic already fading in her mind. Then she remembers the compass in her hands. The compass that is decidedly not hers. “Wait. How will I give this back to you?” she asks. 

Finn shrugs. “Come back here a year from now.” “Why a year from now?”

“The Veil between Worlds will be thin again. It’s the only way a human like you can find us.”

“Deal.”

It’s only on returning home that Maisie realizes she never gave him her name. 

Finn is waiting for Maisie when she traipses into the circle of pine trees a year from their first meeting. This pleases her enormously, although she can’t quite put her finger on why. 

“You came back!” he notes, jumping up from his place on the dirt. 

Maisie presents him with the compass. “I won’t be needing this anymore.” She really won’t. She spent the past year familiarizing herself with the trees, learning as much of the forest’s idiosyncrasies as she could. 

Finn takes it and tucks it into his breast pocket. “Thanks….uhm…I don’t think I caught your..?”

“Maisie.” Maisie says. She waits for his reaction. He seems to be waiting for something, something more so she adds, “Maisie Rue Fields the Seventh, Only Child and Vanquisher of Weeds and Bugs.”

There’s a sparkle of mischief in Finn’s forest green eyes when he speaks next. “Well Maisie. You wanna play a game?”

He chooses to teach her some popular Fae game withdrawn from a small leather satchel at his side. Finn, she thinks when she sees the device, has no concept of what a game is because that device is a puzzle. And while Maisie doesn’t quite understand how Finn solves the puzzle so quickly, she keeps at it, twisting and pulling the colorful cubes as the sun rises then sets. When it’s time to go, she tries to give it back but Finn just shakes his head. 

“Keep it for now,” he says. “You can give it back to me next time.”

“Next time, I’m going to teach you what a game actually is,” Maisie declares.

When next time rolls around, Maisie holds to her promise. Together, they take turns hiding and seeking, skipping stones across the pond a little ways from the clearing, and scratching grids of X’s and O’s into the dirt with sticks. Once they grow bored of that, Maisie teaches Finn some classic human rough-housing. They get so covered in dirt it’s impossible to tell where the ground ends and they begin. 

“We look like mud monsters!” Maisie laughs.

Finn agrees. 

When Maisie is thirteen, Finn brings his brand new sword. “I finally earned my sword!” he crows with delight, slipping it out of its scabbard to show Maisie. She gently runs a hand along the swirling patterns engraved in the wooden hilt, careful to avoid the blade itself. She knows Finn would let her touch the metal too, but it looks so sharp she doesn’t want to risk getting a cut. 

“What is its name?” she asks. In her books, all good swords have a name. 

Finn considers it. “Rue,” he decides. 

Maisie can’t help but hide her blush. “Why ‘Rue’?” 

“Because all my enemies will rue the day I pull out this sword to slay them!” He holds the sword up dramatically in the air one final time before placing it back into its scabbard. “You can get one too one day! If you learn how to use one. Here! I’ll teach you.”

He teaches her a few forms using a sword sized branch he pulls from the ground. Whenever she takes up the proper stance, Finn beams with pride. “See? If you keep this up, you’ll be a soldier in no time.”

When Maisie is fourteen, she prepares herself for more swordfighting and rough housing. Only to find Finn doesn’t want to do either. He wants to talk.

“We spend all day together once a year but I realized I don’t know,” he laments. “At least not really.”

Maisie drops the stick she was surveying. “Talk?” she says doubtfully. 

“I brought some pastries from the kitchens?” Finn lifts his satchel and shakes it. Sure enough, Maisie can smell the inviting aroma of flaked bread and fruit.

She caves quickly. In her book, food always trumps play. “Alright.”

When Maisie is fifteen, they share their first kiss. She wanted to know if he tasted sweet like tree sap. He does.

She doesn’t see Finn the next year. 

Or the next. 

Or the next. 

At nineteen, she’s all but given up hope, playing halfheartedly with a smooth piece of rock she found when he finally appears. His face is more gaunt and there’s a scar running down the length of his throat, but it’s undeniably Finn. Maisie doesn’t need to hug him to know, but she does anyway because he looks like he could use one. “What happened to you?” she breathes. 

“The kingdom needed their Vanquisher of Evil! There was only one man for the job,” he smiles at his attempt at a joke. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes though, which are staring at Maisie with the kind of tortured expression only war can cause. Finn sighs. “Okay fine so I lied a bit. The war didn’t just need me. It needed everyone who could fight, and it was awful. Every time the Veil thinned and I was out on the battlefield I could only think about how I was failing everyone. My battalion for being a terrible fighter, my parents for not being the Vanquisher they had hoped for…and you. You especially for not being there on the one day we have together. Wow this is getting to be really long, I’m sorry.”

Maisie smiles encouragingly. “It’s okay. I’m listening.”

“The point I’m trying to make is I missed you. Our time together was one of the few bright spots I could look to when I needed one. And I love being with you. So much so that I wondered…” he breathes nervously, his chest visibly collapsing and expanding. Maisie almost wonders if he’s having a panic attack when he pulls it together, features calming. To her shock, he gets down on one knee and extends a glittering diamond ring to her. “I wondered if Maisie Rue Fields the Seventh, Only Child and Vanquisher of Weeds and Bugs, if you would do the honor of spending time with me every day of the year and marry me?”

Maisie’s mouth drops open. She had imagined a lot of things happening (some scenarios more risque than others) when she finally saw him again but not this. “You want to marry me?”

Finn nods. “Yes. I do.”

“But I’m a human! And a commoner!” she exclaims. “Surely your parents have different goals in mind for their crown prince.”

His laugh is as warm as a ray of sunshine. “My sweet gullible girl. You were always the end goal.”

“Really?”

“Is that a yes?” Finn tilts his head hopefully.

Maisie rolls her eyes. “Finn Dradalios Ethos the Second, Crown Prince of the Fae Southern Kingdoms and future Vanquisher of Evil, yes I will marry you. Now answer my question.”

“It’s just a human way of expressing love.” [1]

The use of pet names in romantic relationships has existed for quite some time so it’s no surprise it ended up in our literature. In fact, approximately 87% of Americans and 74% of Europeans in relationships use nicknames. [2] It even increases the odds of a couple having a strong relationship.

“We name things, we give things symbols, and over time we tend to naturally manipulate those symbols toward a certain outcome.” [1]

What is that outcome in the romantasy genre? And what does it say, if anything, about those who take part in it? These are the questions I strive to answer in this article. I collected the pet names of forty six (as of writing this) FMCs (Female Main Characters) in bestselling romantasy books across the past decade or so to see if there were any nickname trends. The trends I noticed, correspond to many conversations occurring in the romantasy space on women and how their portrayal reflects a deeper truth about our culture.

“Loverese”

These are the words, sans inside joke, you might find yourself calling a romantic partner. Words like “Darling” and “Love” and “Sweetheart”. On the chart above, these words are categorized under “Endearment”. Interestingly enough, despite their massive potential to be used in the real world, not a single pet name is mentioned in a survey of satisfied relationship percentages by pet name used. The closest match is “Sweetie” with 85% satisfied American couples and 81% satisfied European couples. [3]

It is possible these terms are absent due to the survey’s lax methodology, but with a sample size of 1,026 respondents, the scientist in me is inclined to believe men in real life just aren’t calling us women “Darling” or “Love” in a romantic way.

Little Women

The use of Little “Insert Noun Here” is one of many hot topics in the romantasy community with good reason. When names hold so much power in today’s world, it is concerning so many authors would use one that emphasizes male/female size stereotypes when in reality, the two sexes aren’t terribly different from each other height wise.

"...on average, men are around 7% taller than women." [4]

So men really aren’t that much taller than women. Does it really matter then if that cute guy you went out with isn’t as tall as your sexy book friend? Yes…..well mostly.

"...preferred partner height difference depends on an individual's own height." [4]

Shorter men and taller women typically look for partners close to their own height while taller men and shorter women look for a greater height difference. When you look at the stats this way, it looks like romantasy is simply exaggerating our (women’s) collective preferences a bit. And with male love interests capable of living 1000 years, wielding magic, and conquering kingdoms in the name of the FMC why not?

The noun in “Insert Noun Here” is a different story. It tends to reflect a personality trait or occupation of the FMC.

Truthfully, I am not that interested in the emphasis on the FMC’s occupation or status as a human. Those to me are more reflective of current tropes passing through the industry at the time than what our culture perceives to be the “ideal woman”. I am more interested in the animal pet names, particularly because they make up such a large percentage here.

The animals in my sample include doves, rabbits, foxes, a serpent, and a dragon. I will be focusing on the typical symbolism of the dove, rabbit, and fox as those showed up more than once.

~

We have Aphrodite/Venus, the goddess of love to thank for our current interpretation of the dove. The bird is the perfect Valentine’s Day mascot representing monogamy, loyalty, and of course love. In literature (at least in my experience), it’s used to emphasize the divine feminine.

"The Divine Feminine typically refers to an aspect of Creator that is Love made manifest through the birthing, living, and transformational death experiences of life." [5]

The Divine Feminine is peaceful, compassionate, and pure. It often is tied to the Virgin Mother image in ancient and modern religions.5 By tying a character to the dove as a pet name, the author is choosing (knowingly or not) to tie that character to the Divine Feminine symbolically.

~

Used frequently in children’s literature, the rabbit represents innocence and curiosity. There are rabbit tricksters known for their cunning but this trait does not seem to be the reason “little rabbit” is used — at least from my own reading experience. The pet name’s use in romance more closely aligns with its symbolism in dreams. There, the rabbit symbolizes fertility and vulnerability.6

The vulnerability in particular stands out to me here. In a romantasy I recently finished, the FMC is dubbed “little rabbit” by one of the male love interests (the edgy dark one she’ll most likely end up with out of the love triangle) because he can hear her fear through her heartbeat when he’s near her. It is made very clear that he is a predator in this world and she is the prey. The pet name paints women less as a holistic person with real thoughts and feelings and more as a prize to be hunted and won.

~

Much like the rabbit and dove, the fox has present in literature for a very long time.

"In Celtic mythology and folklore, foxes are mystical guides, representing cleverness and transformation, urging you to trust your instincts in uncertain times." [7]

Foxes are intelligent, resilient, and mischievousness.7 In many stories, they’re capable of outsmarting anything. If the male love interest is calling an FMC “fox” it is often to highlight how resourceful she is.

One Feisty Bitch

Something is changing in how women want to be perceived. Books like Fourth Wing and The Book of Azrael name their FMCs war related pet names like Violence and Monster respectively.

The percentage of the war related pet names is small (only 13%) but it reflects a growing understanding that there are multiple kinds of strength and femininity because there are many types of women.

We are “dove”, “darling” “nightmare”, “goddess” and so much more.

Sources

[1]E. Landau, “Terms of endearment: why do we use pet names in relationships?,” Scientific American. Accessed: Jun. 09, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/mind-guest-blog/why-do-we-use-pet-names-in-relationships/

[2]R. Hosie, “Introducing pet names to your relationship could make it stronger, according to science,” Business Insider. Accessed: Jun. 09, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.businessinsider.com/couples-who-use-pet-names-have-healthier-relationships-research-shows-2018-11

[3]“That’s Not My Name: Analysing International Terms of Endearment,” Superdrug Online Doctor. [Online]. Available: https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/thats-not-my-name.html?utm_source=affiliatewindow&utm_campaign=Skimlinks&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=100028X1555662Xe90b30214afe59aeb7c72f52880dbf04&utm_content=0&awc=2026_1543496211_c9370b23041fb5022c3003ad8f5dfa31

[4]G. Stulp, A. P. Buunk, T. V. Pollet, D. Nettle, and S. Verhulst, “Are Human Mating Preferences with Respect to Height Reflected in Actual Pairings?,” PLoS One, vol. 8, no. 1, p. e54186, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054186.

[5]R. M. published in News, “Why Do Doves Represent Love?,” Live Science. Accessed: Jun. 09, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.livescience.com/33001-why-do-doves-represent-love.html

[6]“The Dove, Iona, and the Pleiades Seven Sisters Star Cluster,” Return Of The Doves. Accessed: Jun. 09, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.returnofthedoves.com/the-dove-iona-and-the-pleiades-seven-sisters-star-cluster

[7]“Rabbit as Symbol: The Significance of Rabbits in Dreams, Literature, and Art.” Accessed: Jun. 09, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://rabbit.org/essays/rabbit-as-symbol-the-significance-of-rabbits-in-dreams-literature-and-art/