Soft swap and full swap

Kitchen-table polyamory describes a relationship network where partners and their partners are comfortable sharing friendly social time. The image is of people being able to sit together at a kitchen table. It does not mean everybody dates one another, lives together or must become close friends. The term concerns the social connections around relationships rather than a required household structure. Someone might enjoy occasional meals with a partner’s other partner while keeping their own relationship private. Different people can want different amounts of contact, and those preferences may change. Treat invitations as optional and ask before sharing another person’s private information. A desire for a friendly network does not justify requiring attendance, closeness or emotional disclosure. If someone prefers parallel relationships with less contact, discuss practical arrangements respectfully. There is no need to rank one social style as more mature or more caring than another.

A polycule is a network of connected polyamorous relationships. It may include partners and their other partners, without everyone dating everyone else. The word describes connections rather than a fixed group size, shared home or agreed hierarchy. Each adult’s involvement and boundaries still need to be understood individually. A simple network might include one person with two partners who are not romantically involved with each other. Larger networks can have several overlapping connections. A diagram can help explain who is connected, but it should not disclose someone’s identity or private relationship without permission. Being part of the same polycule does not automatically create friendship, sexual contact, shared finances or responsibility for every member. Ask which information needs to be shared and who wants social contact. People may join, leave or change a connection; the network label never removes their individual choice.

Solo polyamory describes an approach to consensual multiple relationships that prioritises personal autonomy rather than assuming a central couple, shared home or merged finances. A person may have committed relationships while keeping substantial independence. Solo does not mean lonely, uncommitted or available whenever someone else wants contact. The label can help explain that conventional milestones, such as moving in together, are not an automatic goal. It does not specify exactly what someone wants now or what they may choose later. Ask about time, emotional support, privacy and practical commitments rather than assuming the word settles those questions. Being single and being solo polyamorous are different descriptions: one concerns current relationship status, while the other describes an approach. Independence still leaves room for reliability and care. If you make an agreement, explain changes and consider people who rely on it; autonomy is not a reason to mislead a partner.