Since the beginning of time, humans have formed groups of friends and have sought to distinguish themselves from other crowds. This may come in the form of a nickname for the group, a Wednesday dress code, or simply bonding over a feeling of camaraderie. These friend groups—especially those in a secluded college—often become close and may feel something more. That’s why one Carleton College first-year friend group has ultimately decided to rebrand as a polycule, or more specifically, a queer-platonic polycule.
A polycule, defined by Merriam Webster as “a group of people in a polyamorous relationship,” and is an umbrella term for a broader polygamous relationship that includes a network of interrelationships. Naturally, the concept of a platonic polycule has been baffling to many Carls, which is why The Carletonian sat down to interview its members.
“We just feel like we are more than a friend group,” said Anita Littleloving ’29. “To me, our group is just something so special. We all love each other so much, in you know, a platonic way. Not to say that there aren’t a few relationships within our crew.”
“There’s about 20 or so of us, and we all just are so close, and I am so happy we all came to Carleton together. My heart is just bursting with love. Platonically, of course,” said Polly Gamie ‘29.
The platonic polycule shared that their rebranding is their way of showing themselves and their community the uniqueness as “one step away from a family.”
“We know everything about one another. We share literally everything,” said Coe Dependent ’29. “This campus is bursting with friend groups that are admittedly very tight, but from what I’ve seen, I think ours just has that extra flair. I had never had connections like this before I met these people during New Student Week.”
“We’re just like the Beatles. When we get together, it’s electric,” said Littleloving.
The group also sought to elaborate on why they went with the title of platonic polycule.
“So, a polycule is essentially a network of relationships. It’s definitely got a romantic connotation, but really only a small sliver of our polycule is dating. Still, we are largely platonic, but our souls are connected in the same way the souls of people in love are tied,” said Ima Beloved ’29.
“And we also feel a lot of our behaviors mirror the practices of couples. We all live in dorms that are relatively close, we all eat together at one long LDC table, and we just love being together,” said Gamie.
“And we all feel pain in our souls when we are apart. When someone gets up to get a slice of pizza from LDC, our mood definitely gets darker,” said Litteloving. “It’s sad but also kind of beautiful.”
Indeed, the platonic polycule expressed there is a bit of je ne sais quoi that has brought them together.
“The universe put us on this campus, which is our safe haven from the crazy world we live in,” said Gamie. “We’ve all been so close since moving in, and I can barely remember a time at college without my people, you know?”
“We just work, and it’s incredible,” concluded Dependent.
