# "Polyamorous" "Not What I'm Called" 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. ## Origin 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 format[4]. - **Platform:** Tumblr / X (viral spread) - **Creator:** possessable (Tumblr) - **Date:** 2024 ## 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 it[1]. 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 syllables[3]. 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 fandoms[8]. ## How to Use 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 angry[7]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### 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"[1][4]. ### 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[1]. ### 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[3][6]. ### 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[7]. ### 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[10], though no sources confirm its status past that date[4]. ## References 1. [https://possessable.tumblr.com/post/752670695864074240]() 2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/1fzjd8y/nobody_is_going_to_call_him_that/]() 3. [https://x.com/scrungeonmaster/status/1848109363208343720]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/polyamorous-not-what-im-called]() 5. [https://x.com/girlbossmoder/status/1872856090788155451]() 6. [https://x.com/AquaPani/status/1873131552957415685]() 7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/balatro/comments/1hq9024/polymer/]() 8. [https://x.com/puterpawed/status/1912588706277650470]() 9. [https://x.com/TearShapedHeart/status/1912846018812555390]() 10. [https://x.com/gregthesorcerer/status/1921613960396099700]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/polyamorous-not-what-im-called Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library