Ace is Asexual.
Aro is Aromantic
Poly is polyamorous
I should also have said Demi which is Demisexual.
One recent description I saw for Ace that I like quite a lot was "They might like soda but looking at a can won't make them thirsty." So they might enjoy sex when they engage in it but it's not a driving desire for them. Or they might not enjoy it at all. Demisexual is a bit similar and sort of on the same spectrum where sexual attraction to someone only develops after an emotional bond develops.
The Shadowheart party-night is a very Ace/Demi-style romance. Physical closeness, intimacy, comforting presence with each other.
Aromantic means that they don't tend to feel a desire to have a romantic partner or partners. They may be sexual and have casual sexual relationships, but tend more towards enjoying deep friendships rather than romances. Sexual Aros tend to get labeled and shamed or else characterized as predatory. Won't type the terms, everyone knows them anyway.
Polyamorous means having love for multiple partners. Doesn't necessarily mean everybody's a sexual relationship with everybody else.
I'm Ace-Aro, I do have a very large tendency to enjoy watching relationships develop (in fiction at least, I don't pry much in the romantic ongoings of people around me). It's nice to see people drawing pleasure and support from each other.
I have some friends that are Ace/Demi-Poly and one of them talks about how it's a rush to see your loved one happy and doesn't need to be you making them happy.
Video Game poly tends to be centered on a single person, which can happen, but the way video games (and most media, really) is Person A and Person B each like the PC so much that they're willing to accept them having a second lover. Which is a bit eww in many ways. A more healthy poly is where all involved feel the others involved are all an integral part of the relationship rather than something tolerated.
But yeah, video game romance is very lacking nuance.
Incidentally, that's another excuse that gets tossed about for not representing these types of sexualities: "Well, you know they're not going to do it right, so it's better they just don't do it at all, right?"
As a note, haven't played Hades is good at this. Thanatos being the male romance option, Megaera being the female option, and Dusa being the Ace romance option. And since you go around several times and can maintain relationships with all three, it's noted as a polycule (romantic grouping of more than 2 people) by a few people.
Last edited by Thrythlind; 31/07/21 06:13 PM.
