#polyam rep

[fullofcake]

Just watched the Paranorman re-release and the new animated short, and there was a tiny bit of polyamorous rep!!

(aka it was mentioned by a character, but we didn't see any polyam characters)

[polyamorousmood]

The thing that gets me about The Gay and Wonderous Life of Caleb Gallo is that they have the advisors and their semi-non-sexual three way relationship and you're like "okay this is the poly rep everything else is just there for ✨The Drama ✨"

But no. They're ALL poly. We know Caleb's a poly mess. Karen is clearly poly by the end. Freckle has never had a monogamous relationship ever even once not even in middle school.

The Advisors are just the only ones with their shit sorted out.

[ghostofafruit]

god fucking DAMNIT I want a polyam book that isn't smut, now don't get me wrong a good erotica book ain't anything to be shunned, but I want poly rep that doesn't focus on the sex, I want a cute happy polyam relationship I want fluff and happiness and romance tropes with three people with FOUR people!!!!

[tuhkasirius]

I’ve been reading this book every single free moment of my day today and a few hours yesterday. It’s got everything you need from a book: a workaholic, the occult, demons, a strong independent woman, polyamory, the list goes on!

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

know of any shows with positive poly representation? everything I've seen either kills a part of the polycule, or they break up and the two with the most chemistry end up together in the end

i dont watch a lot of shows, but here's what i learned from running this:

the main one that has been recommended here by other followers is Leverage, the polycule even won the first showdown! from my understanding, in the original show they werent able to make it explicitly canon but the writers confirmed it's a polycule, and people mentioned a newer version but i know less about that.

the polycule from The Expanse just got second place in the canon showdown! so thats another one

I was told Siren is good but to not watch season 2 iirc cause thats where they do exactly what u dont wanna see (end the polycule in favor of a couple) but alot of Leverage fans recommended that one as well

Sens8 has one canon polycule and one trio that can also be interpreted as one, but arent confirmed canon. The canon polycule had to be rushed because netflix cancelled the show, but i hear its still v good!

If you count podcasts as shows, Penumbra Podcast Second Citadel has also been highly recommended and ive heard amazing things about the polycule in that one!

And idk if you only mean live action but if you include cartoons, there's Amphibia! How canon it is has been oftenly debated in my notes so i cant advocate much but a lot of ppl seem to feel like the show heavily supports that as a possible direction for the relationship of the protagonists?

those are the ones i can remember right now, im sure if you keep an eye on the notes to this ask there will probably be other recommendations! i also have the tag #polyam rep (which ill add to this ask since tumblr's search function likes to act up) with lots of recommendations by many different people, not all of them are tv shows, i think most are books? but still worth it to check it out imo

the only media with canon polycules i personally consumed have been two webcomics (Charity Case and Shootaround), one book (Iron Widow), and a game (Hades), also a spanish movie i watched before i knew what a polycule was and idk its name :( so yeah unfortunately i dont have too many personal recs, and none for shows, but i hope you find smth in the replies or in the polyam rep tag!

[enbylesbianism]

How ‘IRON WIDOW’ by Xiran Jay Zhao changed my reading experience

I’ll be straightforward: I’m in love with ‘Iron Widow’ since *checks notes* May, when I read it, and it’s now my life’s purpose to make everyone else as in love with it as I am. 

First of all, I’d like to say that I don’t usually consume media with sci-fi aspects, action, mecha suits, that kind of thing. I was a follower of Xiran and watched their videos analysing Asian (and Asian-inspired) media, such as Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, Netflix’s Over The Moon etc. I also happen to find Xiran’s voice very soothing, so there’s that. So, when they mentioned that they were writing a book, I was interested, especially putting that it was polyamory and a historical reimagining. When I got around to requesting the publishers (thank you so much, Penguin Teen Canada!) for an ARC and reading it... well, it was just game changing. 

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read a book with a love triangle that doesn’t end up with all of them in love with each other again. Of course, as a polyamory person, I’d already considered that as an option and I’d already asked (more like begged, actually) for more media with this concept, but I hadn’t actually seen it until now (I am going to need Tracy Deonn to follow in Xiran’s footsteps and make BreeSelNick endgame, by the way). I had considered it an option before, but since I’d never seen it happen, I unconsciously made myself believe that such a thing wasn’t allowed. ‘Iron Widow’ was here to tell me that it doesn’t matter if it’s allowed, because you can take it. I exist, and seeing myself represented is something I can claim as mine.

Another thing this book delivered flawlessly was unhinged women. The internet keeps talking about people written by men or by women, but I’m here for something else: people written by Xiran Jay Zhao. Wu Zetian wields her rage fearlessly, she’s shady and ruthless. Her moral compass is messy. I’ve waited for a character like her my whole life, but hadn’t known it until she’d been given to me on a silver platter. No, it’s better than that: given to me on a document sent to my e-mail, then to my Kindle, like most delightful things are. 

Not only did Xiran give me Wu Zetian, though, but on my Kindle silver platter, there was also Gao Yizhi and Li Shimin, her outstanding love interests. While Li Shimin fits the tormented bad boy criteria (but better, because that’s just what Xiran does, makes good things better), Gao Yizhi would fit the rich good boy one (yes, eat-the-rich-romantically trope!). But while he is kind and nice, we’re led to believe that there is something dark in him, though maybe his morals aren’t as messy as Zetian’s. Their dynamic can probably be described as Bonnie, Clyde, and their househusband. Perfection, truly. 

The plot is also marvellous, including the oppression at the core of the system, how dirty the powerful people play to get what they want, as well as realistic plot twists. Something I liked, too, was the way Xiran Jay Zhao dealt with the action in the book: I’m usually not all for action-packed books, but the way Xiran did it pulled me in. It’s intense and involves a lot of emotion, something that usually lacks action scenes (one of the reasons why I don’t like them all that much). 

The way trauma is handled in ‘Iron Widow’ is spectacular, too. There are all sorts of these included, from family trauma to ones caused by alcoholism (I’d disclose more on that, but I’m not sure how spoilery that would be), and it doesn’t show only the “pretty” part of it: we get to see the anger that’s so often played in a way as to make the traumatised person feel guilty and the lashing out. 

Besides, ‘Iron Widow’ has everything: hate-to-love? Yup. Friends to lovers? Absolutely! Fake dating/arranged marriage? You bet! Overthrowing the government? 100% yes! That’s basically the plot of the book. Femme fatale trope where a character seduces, then kills a man? Again, that’s basically the (initial) plot. Forbidden/secret relationship? Lots of it. Morally gray characters? Basically all of them are. Fighting while injured and not 100% healthy yet? Mhm. Intense fights with giant, magic mecha suits inspired by mythology? I got you (Xiran does, actually)! Plot twists? YES! One party of the relationship finding a way to help/save their loved one from a dangerous situation that was almost impossible to do so? Yes!!!! 

If all my gushing wasn’t enough for you to pre-order this book or add it on your TBR, then... get help. But fear not! Becuase I’ll definitely post more about this book! (Maybe not here on Tumblr, but I have an account on Twitter 100% dedicated to it, so...) Because I’m obsessed with it! ‘Iron Widow’ releases in NINE DAYS, on September 21st, so make sure to check it out! Or else Wu Zetian won’t come for you! And believe me, you want her to.

[wyrmzart]

HELLO!!!!!

YOU!

YES YOU!

A Good chunk of time back i mentioned that I was writing a book. I ended up finishing it when this post was originally published ( I'm editing it as of 04/21/22)

So far, only my close friends have seen/read it, and I really wish it had more attention! So I'm paying tumblr money to reach the rest of you.

This is The Jackalope's Journey! A fantasy novella about a vampire hunter who really doesn't want to be that anymore!

It's currently on itch.io for anyone to purchase!

It's only 5$ for about 40k words and three years of work! I'd love to see people enjoying it.

kisses you so gently on the forehead. enjoy!

[tigerwing-writing2]

Orange and/or Green

Another one my grandma prompted. Polyam rep!

"Hey, Red!" 

She jumped as her friend tapped her on the shoulder and spoke  in her ear. "O- oh, hi Blue."

Her friend, Blair, nicknamed Blue, snorted. She was looking at Red's notebook, where the page it was open to was covered with hearts and a few names. "Class is almost over, I just wanted to see if you'll be sitting with us or not."

Red nodded, scrambling to close the notebook, her face almost as red as her hair. "Yeah, of course."

"Don't go disappearing into the library again, then."

"Yeah, of course not," She packed up her things and got up as the bell rang, wondering if Blue saw the names in the notebook while she was staring at the back of her friends' heads. 

Blue rushed off in a hurry while Red walked away slowly, headed for her next class, which was just down the hall. 

Someone else tapped Red's shoulder to get her attention, and she was almost mad until she saw who it was.

"You ok, Red?" It was Green, and he was grinning at her. 

"Yeah, of course. Just... distracted." She smiled back nervously.

"Alright, then. Blue said you were going to sit with us for once?" He grabbed her arm and steered her around a group of people that were standing and talking in the middle of the hall.

"Yeah, I will. Ms. Hemmings said I should stop hanging out in there anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she sat down in her seat in the next class, and he sat next to her.

"I'm surprised, honestly." 

"Really?"

"Yup, I expected her to want you to keep helping with books."

"Good point... I think Blue is planning something."

"She is, but I can't tell you what."

She looked at him, surprised. "Really?!"

"It's for your birthday, but I can't say anything else." He held a finger to his lips and smiled at her.

She looked away, looking at the board. One of her drawings was in the corner still, all the way back from last semester. 

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

"Yeah... didn't think it was."

"Sure."

She elbowed him and whispered for him to be quiet. 

He slid a notebook to her, it was open to a new page with "Do you like me?" written on the first line.

She glanced at it and then looked at what the teacher was writing on the board.

It was a list of people that were missing assignments. Her name wasn't up there, so she yawned and pulled a book from her backpack instead of responding to Green's note. 

He poked her with it. His name was on the board, and she pointed at it.

He poked her with the notebook again. 

She grabbed it and wrote "I'll tell you if you do your work". 

He looked at it, then her, and finally sighed dramatically and grabbed the assignment from his bag.

She read until he poked her and took the assignment to the teacher. She grabbed the notebook and wrote "Maybe" in response.

He looked at her. She looked at him. The answer was actually yes, but he probably already knew that. 

He looked away, then wrote "What about Orange?" and passed the notebook to her again.

"Yes."

He made a face and looked at the paper. "Seriously?" he wrote.

She shrugged and scribbled down another message. "Do you like me?"

"Yes."

"Do you like Orange?"

He just looked at her, then at the paper, all without responding.

"Your silence says enough, you know." She looked at her book and started reading again, ignoring him poking her.

***

She walked into the cafeteria and made her way to a table, where her friends were sitting. She was humming, the song was Waiting For Love.

Her group of friends was a whole rainbow of nicknames, all for various reasons. Her own nickname was because of her hair. Her actual name was Jen.

Orange was called that because she used to wear an orange hoodie everywhere. Said hoodie was now too small to wear and was replaced with a black jacket, but the name stuck. She was actually an Izabella.

Yellow makes flower crowns from dandelions, and once a young kid pointed at him and shouted Yellow. His actual name was Carter.

Green once dyed his hair blue, but the color faded, leaving a brilliant green that was still visible even now, on the ends of his hair. He was actually an Isaac.

Blue wore and still wears a blue ribbon in her hair. It matched the ever present blue nail polish. She was, of course, Blair. 

Purple got her name when Yellow learned that purple and violet are the same color. Her name was Violet.

There was an Indigo, but he moved before this year started.

She walked up to the table, but there was someone in her usual seat. She didn't recognize him, and just shrugged before heading for the library instead. 

He didn't notice her, but both Orange and Green looked up. They saw her walking away and both walked after her.

Red set her backpack down next to a table in the library and walked up to the desk. "Do you have any books to put up?" She asked the librarian, Ms. Hemmings.

Ms. Hemmings nodded to the books on the cart. "All of those are ready to go back on the shelves."

Red nodded and wheeled the cart over to the nonfiction section and started putting the books up.

Orange and Green walked in at the same time and looked for her, but Red was hidden behind the shelves. They looked at Ms. Hemmings, who pointed to the shelves Red was behind. 

They set her stuff down next to hers and went to her. Orange started helping with the books while Green leaned against a shelf.

"Hey guys," Red said when she saw them, smiling a bit.

"You ok?" Orange asked as she crouched down to put a book on the bottom shelf.

"Yeah, thanks." Red answered.

Green sighed. "Let's sit down, I brought you something to eat." 

Red looked at the cart of books and finally nodded, moving to sit at the table she set her stuff next to. Orange sat next to her and offered a cookie, while Green slid her a sandwich from the cafeteria.

"Thanks, both of you." Red took the offered food and ate quickly.

"Blue told us what was in your notebook." Orange eventually said.

Red nearly choked on her food, Green looked at Orange.

"I'm sorry, I should have kept it to myself." Orange looked down and slid a folded piece of paper to Red.

Red looked at it and pocketed it when she saw a name on the outside, written in what looked like random letters. A code.

Green muttered something and looked at the floor.

Red looked at him. The bell rang, making all of them jump. They headed to their classes, which none of them had together.

***

Red decoded the note during her next class. Orange liked her too. Red stared at it the entire rest of the time, only looking away to take notes. 

She ran into Orange in the hallway after class. Quite literally, too. They looked at each other, then walked to their next class together. Green joined them, and they all sat together again. 

Red kept her hand in her pocket, holding the note Orange had given her.

Green smiled. He knew what was in the note, of course. He got out his notebook, opened it to a clean page, and wrote "So?" before nudging it onto Red's desk.

She looked at it, then at Orange, who was pretending to look away.

She scribbled in the notebook: "You both know I like both of you already. Blue would have told you that."

Orange and Green both looked at it and nodded.

Red took the notebook back again. "Do you like each other?"

Orange blushed and looked away, Green smiled. That was answer enough.

Orange took the notebook. "So now what?"

Green took it. "You two date each other, it's fine."

Red looked at it, then at her friends. Orange was playing with the zipper of her jacket, Green was tapping his fingers on the desk. She grabbed the notebook. "But if we all like each other..." They both looked at her. Red blushed and kept writing. "We could all date each other?" 

Green was nodding, Orange looked very surprised. 

***

The three of them ended up being a polyamorous trio that ended when Green moved over the summer.