When you come to weave the relationship fabric, there are many different historical and animal relationship units that you can use. Roman, Chinese, indo-American, Lions, birds, dolphins, bonobos, and so many more offer alternatives to the accepted monogamous model of the present day. You may even wish to take assexuality or religious aestheticism into account, having your characters eschew relationships altogether for their own personal reasons. You are free to pick and choose as you wish, weaving your tale and characters love lives into as simple or as complicated a tangle as your story dictates. I’ve touched on polyamoury in previous blogs, and in this piece I want to explore the creative ideas poly raises further in terms of world building and character development. The article contains minor spoilers for games, films, shows, and books.

I want to clarify what I mean by polyamoury (poly), as it is a term that has as many different interpretations as there are people who apply it to themselves. It is a conjunction of the Greek poly, meaning many, and the Latin amour/amoury meaning loves, thus combining to literally mean many loves. It comes in all shades and hues, from a couple seeking to introduce a third person into their relationship to a person dating as many people as their heart desires at the same time, and then a whole lot more. I appreciate that not every person reading this will agree or approve of the concept, and I want to solely relate this to the creative process, rather than the moral issues poly raises. In terms of writing and creating, especially in terms of world building, polyamourous ideas can open up a whole slew of new horizons for you.

In mainstream books, films, shows, and games poly is rarely, if ever, touched upon. More often than not, the viewer or games will follow a tail of a person forced to choose between two or more competing love interests, which is the standard trope from the days of ancient Greek sagas onwards. In fact, it is such a cornerstone of the cultural experience that to buck it within the creative process is enough to cause a viewer/gamer/reader to stop in their tracks. Monogamy (mono) is a singular exception to the usual rule of subverting reader expectations, as it is subconsciously taken as a given that a character must choose one person over all others. Yes there are plenty of examples in the historical literary and religious canon of characters who subvert the general rule, but popular culture is littered with those characters paying a very high price for their behaviour, either through being labelled as unfaithful/harlots/slags or by paying with their lives.

In The Lion KinG, where as the king of Pride Rock Sima would have laid with all the lionesses, Nala is given as his primary love interest, thus anthropomorphising human expectations over the natural lion behaviour. This is a silly example, but serves the point that the mono expectations are so ingrained that even when it would be natural to show poly tropes, mono behaviour is standardised. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lion King, and have no issue with Sima and Nala, but it would have made for a different experience if Sima had been shown affection for the other lionesses. Which brings me onto the more serious point of relationship complexity in creative works.

It is often the case that characters who wish to pursue relationships other than mono are punished or chided for their instincts, then ultimately forced to choose. Mass Effect has a scene where if you pursued two or more love interests you have to choose which one will be your sole exclusive love. What if, instead, you had been allowed to have multiple loves, all of which were fulfilling and rewarding? Would that be such a morally repulsive thing?

If you are building a culture you will naturally be inclined to default to mono behaviour as the way the society is ordered. If you choose to subvert this, then your audience will assume you are doing so to make a point. Personally I use many different forms of mono in Arz, such as the prides of the Kharse (based around lions), Quillian flocks (based around birds), Sjelby’s relationship with both Jackodee and Juniper, and other naval characters who sleep with who they wish without tying themselves down in a formal relationship. When I created Arz, I wanted to weave a rich tapestry of societies, some of whose relationship norms are alien to the mono accepted behaviours of 21st century Earth. I never use poly or non-mono relationships as shock factors, rather I use them as part of a character’s and societies fabric, to given them depth, and above all allow me to tell stories that open up new avenues for my audience to explore.

Imagine A Mid Summer’s Night Dream or Romeo and Juliet with a poly dynamic at their core. Picture and Hollywood love triangle made into a triad or a v. See James Bond as a serially poly rather than a womaniser. It does not take a huge leap to go beyond the usual expectations. This is the power of creativity and imagination, and when crafting relationships a dash of poly in any hue could enrich the tale you are seeking to tell. It is not for every tale or universe, as not every creative person is either willing or comfortable with these ideas, but I personally think it is worth exploring, without the ensuing guilt trip, as it can bring deeper meaning to many situations.

Ultimately, I believe, non-mono relationship structures can bring new ideas to the creative landscapes, explore tales in a way that challenges and subverts audience expectations. If you use them in a creative manner they will add flavour and texture to a tale, help bring dynamism and tension, while also giving your audience something refreshing to a well trodden path. As long as it serves the overall narrative arc of the story, and is not laden with hackneyed tropes, then poly characters and societies can something extra to the tale you wish to spin.