File:One-sided pale romance flag 1 by Pappy.png

Summary

One-sided pale romance flag by Pappy (one of the proposed versions).

Pale romance refers to a type of romantic relationship an alien species from webcomic Homestuck practice. It is not strictly romantic in typical human sense, but involves a deep bond centered around mutual emotional regulation and improvement of social performance. It is not associated with sexual relationships as normal human romantic relationships are. In human terms a pale relationship could be read as a friendship functionally keeping one or both participants out of trouble, and likely with a lot of semi-therapeutic feelings discussions.

One-sided pale romance refers to a stable relationship arrangement where one of the participants behaves as a pale partner of the other one, but no reciprocation is expected.

The person that is does not behave as a pale partner in this kind of arrangement can practice any kind of one-sided treatment of the other one, including acquaintanceship, friendship, queerplatonic relationship and other. Although the term doesn't strictly refer to explicitly mutually agreed on one-sided relationship, it is implied that this kind of an arrangement is consensual, sufficiently satisfying and preferred over mutual pale romance rather than being a substitute to it.