What is "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called"?

A comic-format exploitable in which a character shouts a "poly-" soundalike word at a subject whose name actually starts with "poly" or similar sounds, and the subject corrects them with "Not what I'm called".

Where did "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called" come from?

Tumblr user possessable posted the original drawing on June 7, 2024, with Polyphemus the cyclops from Homer's Odyssey as the misnamed subject.

What does "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called" mean?

The joke is a mishearing gag about Greek, Pokemon, game and other characters whose names look or sound like "polyamorous," starting from Polyphemus and extending to Polybius, Politoed, polychrome Jokers and more.

How do you use "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called"?

Keep possessable's three-panel structure and the "Not what I'm called" reply, and pick any character whose name sounds like "polyamorous" or another "poly-" word for the pointer to yell at.

Is "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called" still popular?

As of May 2025, new remixes still reached viral numbers, like @gregthesorcerer's phoenix edit at over 234,000 likes, though no sources confirm its status past that date.

"Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called"

2024exploitable comicsemi-active

Published October 19, 2026

On June 7, 2024, Tumblr user possessable posted a comic in which a character points at Polyphemus the cyclops from Homer's Odyssey and shouts "Polyamorous," prompting the reply, "Not what I'm called." Over the following year, X and Reddit remixes replaced the cyclops with Polybius arcade cabinets, the Pokemon Politoed, Balatro's polychrome Jokers, and a phoenix misheard as "penis," which reached over 234,000 likes by May 2025.

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Overview

Each version of the "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called" format runs as a short comic with three beats: a character introduces themselves, a bystander yells the wrong "poly-" word at them, and the subject flatly denies it1. The humor rides on how close the wrong word sounds to the real name, which is why the subject is almost always something whose name begins with "poly" or carries a similar cluster of syllables3.

Later remixes stretched the gag past straightforward "poly-" names into any mishearing that sits close to a real figure, like the May 2025 phoenix drawn as a "penis"10. Artists keep the same pointing pose and deadpan correction panel while redrawing the character being misnamed, which is what lets the joke move so easily between fandoms8.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Tumblr / X (viral spread)

Creator

possessable

Date

2024

On June 7, 2024, Tumblr user possessable uploaded the original comic, in which Polyphemus the cyclops from Homer's Odyssey greets two bystanders with "Hey guys," one points at him and announces "Polyamorous," and Polyphemus responds, "Not what I'm called"1. Possessable's post collected over 85,000 notes within ten months, and Know Your Meme catalogued it as the template for the format4.

How It Spread

Reposts moved the comic off Tumblr in October 2024. On October 9, Redditor u/Pocomics shared it to r/tumblr, where it picked up more than 6,900 upvotes2. Eleven days later, X account @scrungeonmaster redrew the setup with a Polybius arcade cabinet in place of the cyclops, reaching over 92,000 likes3.

Remixes multiplied in December alongside Odyssey translation discourse on X. @girlbossmoder reposted possessable's original on December 27, 2024 and the post reached over 127,000 likes5, while quote replies brought new versions, including @AquaPani's Pokemon Politoed edit on December 28 at more than 39,000 likes6. On December 31, Redditor u/Moon_official890 adapted it for Balatro's polychrome Jokers in r/Balatro7.

Fresh variants arrived through spring 2025. @puterpawed's April 16, 2025 repost of the Polybius version collected over 144,000 likes in two days8, a Perturabo edit from Warhammer 40,000 followed on April 17 from @TearShapedHeart9, and @gregthesorcerer's May 11 phoenix-and-"penis" variant hit over 234,000 likes and 21,000 reposts within two days10.

Timeline

2024-06-07

Tumblr user possessable posts the original comic featuring Polyphemus the cyclops.

2024-10-09

Redditor u/Pocomics reposts the comic to r/tumblr, picking up over 6,900 upvotes.

2024-10-20

X user @scrungeonmaster swaps the cyclops for a Polybius arcade cabinet.

2024-12-27

X user @girlbossmoder reposts the original during Odyssey translation discourse, drawing over 127,000 likes.

2024-12-28

X user @AquaPani posts a version with the Pokemon Politoed.

2024-12-31

Redditor u/Moon_official890 adapts the format for Balatro's polychrome Jokers.

2025-04-16

X user @puterpawed reposts the Polybius version, collecting over 144,000 likes in two days.

2025-04-17

X user @TearShapedHeart posts a Perturabo (Warhammer 40,000) version.

2025-05-11

X user @gregthesorcerer posts a phoenix-and-"penis" variant that reaches over 234,000 likes in two days.

How to Use This Meme

A typical post follows possessable's three-panel layout: the subject speaks or waves, a pointer character blurts out a "poly-" soundalike (polyamorous, polychrome, penis, etc.), and the subject corrects them with "Not what I'm called." Common conventions include picking a character whose name starts with "poly-" or shares phonemes with one, and keeping the correction deadpan rather than angry7.