omegaverse-guide - Tumblr blog

[omegaverse-guide]

All About Alphas

This post is supposed to summarize and explain alphas in the context of the omegaverse. If you don't know what that is, refer to Omegaverse 101 first. Posts on betas and omegas wil follow and be linked here.

Biology

For the most part, people in omegaverse story are baseline humans and function as such, unless your canon (or AU of that canon) deals with aliens or magic. The difference is mostly in the reproductive system, which, in the case of alphas, mostly means their dick.

So how big are those dicks?

Big. A lot of the time, that's all you get, and all you need. The alpha has a big dick, usually even for alpha standards, and the omega likes it. It's up to you, the reader, to then imagine whatever size of dick seems appealing to you. When measurements are given, they vary wildly. Some will give you reasonable sizes of ~16cm/6in in erect length, that an actual human with above average dick size could reasonably have and put into someone, while others will throw reality to the wind and double that size, all while making the dick as thick as a thigh, and it'll still feel good stuffed into someone else. Somehow. Don't question it, just imagine, with every horny cell in your body.

Orgasms

Those are mostly the same, though they may occur more frequently. I mean, who really needs refractory periods? We got all the soft cuddling out of the way while the knot was in, so we can immediately go again! Unless the knotting was like six hours and involved like 20 orgasms. Maybe at least a snack is warranted. Some sustenance may be needed to produce all that cum anyway. How much cum? A real human male manages perhaps 1-2 teaspoons of it. The average omegaverse triples that, but don't be surprised to see way, way more. 10 times, 20, 30. Upper limits are for cowards, and omegaverse authors may be known for many things, but cowardice is not one of them.

Knots

Not every omegaverse contains knots, but the majority do. The base of an alpha's dick has the ability to swell during sex, which will lock the alpha to their partner for a period of time if the knot forms while the alpha is inside. This ensures their come is trapped inside for a while, and increases the chances of pregnancy if the partner is capable of it. The knot can last however long the author likes. Sometimes it's only ~5min, on average ~20min, but it can last multiple hours as well. The rest of the dick may go soft directly after ejaculation, or stay hard for the entire duration of the knotting. Or, if it's on the longer side, it may go soft and get hard again, to ejaculate multiple times. Even if the dick stays hard the entire time, it may still ejaculate more than once, and/or provide more than one orgasm to the alpha.

Fangs

While they're not as common as knots, some stories provide alphas with fangs. These may be an extra pair of teeth that drop and retract, or it's simply their canines that are either larger all the time or drop and retract as needed. These fangs exist to create a mating bite that will result in a mating bond, usually with an omega. They can ache when an alpha is really horny. Sometimes they dispense a chemical that forms the bond, though sometimes that chemical is simply mixed into the saliva, or does not exist at all.

Scent glands

Alphas have them, usually. They tend to be around the neck/shoulders, often with additional ones on the wrists and/or inner thighs. Alpha scents are generally described as musky, and while they can be anything that fits your blorbo, they don't tend to be sweet or unobtrusive, which is associated with omegas and betas.

Mating glands

Those are far from as common as the scent glands, though also usually located around the neck somewhere. Alphas tend to be the ones doing the biting, so they don't need a mating gland unless the author wants the bond between alpha and omega to be mutual and equal, or another alpha is gonna bite down on it.

Ruts

Fairly common for alphas, though not as integral as the omegas' heats. They can occur periodically, often once a month, or only happen if triggered by an omega's heat. Though even if they do happen on their own, an omega's heat may still trigger them. While they sometimes function as an equivalent to heats, their intensity varies much more. A rut could leave an alpha unable to control themselves, trying to bone every omega and fight every alpha in their vicinity, or it could just make them slightly horny and aggressive, but still perfectly capable of functioning in regular society with a modicum of self-control.

The elusive female alpha

Generally, they exist. Rare is the fic that outright states only men can be alphas. However, it's usually the badass female character the main m/m ship is friends with, or one of their parents, or some other side character. Regardless, she's not involved in what's going on in the bedroom, so we don't need to figure out her genital situation. Of course, some authors have still done it, always eager to go where noone else has ever gone before. It can be as easy as saying she has that dick on top of her pussy, and it's always been there, though then you have to deal with the ramifications of female alphas being identifiable at birth even without modern medicine. It can also grow inside of her and only pop out during puberty, or even remain retractable through life. It could also just be her clit growing into a dick during puberty. Maybe her balls always stay inside her body, maybe not. It's a mostly untapped market, and no consensus has been found, so if you, dear reader, are intrigued by this, venture forth with your own ideas!

Societal standing

Alphas are naturally dominant, and thus are generally imagined to be in a position of relative societal privilege. You live under patriarchy, you know how it is. For a pwp fic, you don't need anything else, and the same goes for some pure and innocent fluff.

One key difference though is the existence of betas. Not that this really has to change much - but at least it probably means alphas aren't seen as the standard default human, that privilege now gets handed over to betas. In turn, alphas get to be a bit special, the obvious leaders, whether it's just the pack or an entire nation or the whole galaxy.

Still, if you get really into the trope, there are an infinite amount of variations, that are much harder to summarize than the biology. I've compiled a short list of ways alphas can fit into society, just know it's incomplete and I have no way of incorporating every nuance of every 100k+ omegaverse fic out there. Many omegaverse fics even include societies in the process of change, or clashing cultures, so there really is no one way to write alphas and their role in society!

Total alpha domination

In this society, alphas rule. Whether it's by force or law or both, alphas decide everything in society, and hold all the important positions. Even if there is nominally equality, everyone defers to the alphas, and their power structures hold. Or perhaps there is no equality even on paper, and people largely agree alphas are superior or are scared enough to follow even if they disagree. This isn't the most common scenario, but it lends itself to darker stories rather well, as well as stories set in primitive societies.

Alpha leadership with beta backup

This is what I've seen most often. Alphas have traditionally been the leaders in this society, the ones who become kings and make all the important decisions, but with a network of betas behind the scenes. Alphas in this still hold privilege, but can be questioned, not just by other alphas but by betas as well. On smaller scales, laws tend to be in place to protect betas and omegas from being at an alpha's whims. Most modern AUs fall into this category. It can even leave space for powerful omegas without changing society itself.

Alpha brutes

In this case, alphas aren't the leaders. It's the betas, though it could also be the omegas. Alphas with their competitive and aggressive nature are seen as suited to physical work and combat - but not decision-making. They are the footsoldiers with no hopes of rising to an officer rank, the dangerous beasts driven by instinct in a modern society who has progressed past physical violence as a means to attain power. They may still hold some privilege simply through biology and instinct (and they may still score most omegas), but face oppression as well in the form of negative stereotypes about their intelligence and self-control, or being denied certain jobs and important positions.

Breeding stock

Alphas are reduced to nothing but their ability to procreate. Again, it's likely the betas calling the shots in this case, but it could also be the omegas. Whatever physical or natural dominance alphas have is taken from them in this scenario, so they're either left to try and attain a semblance of it when they're with omegas, or even that is outside of their power. Again, this is rare, but fun if you're into certain stuff.

Alpha Instincts

Whether it's just nebulous feelings or a distinct inner voice the POV character can actually talk to, alphas have instincts that are stronger than what a normal human experiences - perhaps even impossible to resist, if the author so chooses. So, what are they compelled to do?

Mate & Breed

Obviously, that's the first and most important one, the one the whole trope is famous for. An alpha wants to mate and breed an omega, especially if said omega is in heat. That's just what they do.

Protect (& Provide)

Not quite as famous, but almost as integral. Once the alpha has acquired the mate and possibly even impregnated them, they must be defended. It's incredibly common that this same instinct also compels the alpha to provide for their mate/pack, usually by bringing them food (even if it's just stuff they bought from the grocery store). If you so choose, this also makes them naturally inclined to take of their kids, though far from all fics do so, as child rearing is often relegated to omegas.

Establish Dominance

This is important. At least in bed, alphas generally want to dominate their omegas instinctually. But this also drives them to compete with other alphas, whether it's over a potential mate or not. Whether it's petty or violent, if an alpha doesn't control themselves, they'll be fighting a lot, with a win boosting their ego and a loss seriously bruising it.

...And that's about it! You've made it all the way to the end!

Remember, I've been generalizing - if there is any one thing you don't like, you can remove it from your fic! This is your playground! Everything here can be changed and challenged, adjusted to fit your fandom and your blorbo and your own desires. This is just an overview.

Have fun writing and reading!

[omegaverse-guide]

WHY would you read that?!

Let's admit it - upon encountering omegaverse for the first time, we all thought it was weird. Maybe someone reading this still thinks so. There's certainly enough people out there who wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

But it's popular. I love it, personally, and I'm clearly not the only one. There are tv shows being made with a concept that a singular person put into a fandom-specific kink meme a mere 14 years ago. My grandma could walk into the bookstore and see a manga with omegaverse terminology in the title and ask me what it is. That's wild.

So, this is an earnest question - not necessarily of how it spread this quickly, but what's so appealing about it. This is based on my own personal experience and what I've heard others say, not necessarily representative of everyone who enjoys the trope.

From what I've seen, omegaverse has four major draws:

1. Porn

That's kinda obvious, and the one most people would put first, or perhaps as the only reason. And I'll argue the other points later, but I think it'd be stupid to understate the importance of this one. If you're into certain kinks, even if it's exclusively in fiction, omegaverse is great for you. Big dicks, breeding kink, excessive amounts of cum, biting, marathon sex, dubcon, feral/animalistic sex, dom/sub dynamics, possessive behaviour, maybe a dash of furry stuff, it's all there. There's a reason so much omegaverse is pwp, and it's that these are common kinks, and they work well together. People are horny, that's how omegaverse got made and spread, and that's beautiful.

2. Mpreg

Yes, there are other ways to knock a man up. Make him trans. Use magic. Or science, which is essentially the same thing anyway. You can come up with any amounts of ways to make this happen. But the beauty of the omegaverse is you don't have to. You don't have to do any research, you don't need to come up with a reason, and you don't have to figure out what the implications are if you don't want to. This man can get knocked up, and it's totally normal to everyone around him, and everyone reading will know and accept it, so you can get all of that out of the way and just focus on your guy, or all the guys, getting pregnant and having and raising a bunch of kids you made up for them. This gives you the satisfaction of letting any character you want produce babies with any other character you want, while also giving you the chance to torture any man you want with pregnancy symptoms (very cathartic). Or maybe you just have a pregnancy kink! Either way, it's convenient.

3. Social Commentary

Okay, to anyone who's never read omegaverse, this probably sounds like a joke, but I'm dead serious. At the core of omegaverse is one basic assumption: if a group of people is capable of bearing children, society will do anything and everything to make them have kids, and restrict them from whatever other roles they can, and they'll find whatever excuse they can find. It exposes sexism by stripping away all pretense of logic: in omegaverse, omegas are the stand-ins for women, and are treated as such. but anyone can be an omega. it has nothing to do with physical or mental capabilities how you're treated. you could literally be batman, the moment people find out you could theoretically give birth to a child, it's all over for you. the reality of our world is, sexism is still here. it's gotten better in a lot of ways, but sexism is not over. and sometimes the best way of realizing just how not over it is, is to put a man into the exact same situations we experience and go 'hey would that be fucked up or what?'.

4. Free For All

Because omegaverse is, by and large, a fanfiction thing, it's popular with the kind of people who enjoy reading and writing fanfiction. Do you know what the best thing about fanfiction is? No, it's not the gay sex, though that's a close second. The real answer is: it can be whatever the fuck you want it to be. Fanfiction has one major selling point: it doesn't need to be sold. Which means no author ever has to consider a target audience, or god forbid, a mass audience. Someone can just pour out their passion onto the page, and sometimes thousands of people will read it, and other times it'll just be you and three other freaks, but there's no reason to only produce the first type of fic. Most fic writers don't even have an editor/beta reader. And omegaverse is the same in that regard, at least in the realm of fic. It can be literally anything. It can be nothing but porn, including all the kinks, and only all the kinks you personally enjoy. It can be fluffy family stuff. It can be deep drama in a 200k epic, with biting social commentary. It can be all of that at once. Omegaverse has no rules. It's an author's playground, and fic writers love their playgrounds.

So that's my thesis on what's good about omegaverse. Why do you like it? Did I miss anything? Let me know!

[omegaverse-guide]

Basic Omegaverse Tropes

This is intended to be a guide for common tropes associated with the omegaverse. If you don't know what that is, check out Omegaverse 101 first.

None of these tropes are necessary to classify a story as omegaverse, but they're ones you'll have definitely seen if you read omegaverse. If you don't like a particular one, don't read or write any stories that contain that trope, there are enough others.

I'll just give brief overviews here, but I plan on going into detail for each of them later (let me know if there's a specific one you'd like me to tackle first, or something I missed)!

Animal Hybrids

As a trope closely associated with werewolves, it's no wonder omegaverse characters can often be part wolf. But if some other animal fits your particular blorbo better, why not go with that? All animals have the drive for sex, after all. Whether these hybrids just have ears and tails/other defining features like wings, are almost entirely animal, or can shift freely is up to the author. Regular humans may or may not exist alongside these hybrids, and they may or may not have a/b/o dynamics if they exist.

Bitching

The process of turning an alpha into an omega. May be done through hormone treatments, but is generally done through having lots of sex with the bitched alpha as the bottom/submissive. Bitched alphas may or may not be able to bear children, but they generally do experience heats and can be mated. Consent is typically not required for the process, nor can it be reversed.

Commands

Generally, only alphas are able to issue commands over omegas. These commands are spoken with a growl or the emmission of a scent, in a way that makes omegas unable to resist the command, even if they consciously want to. This trope tends to be associated with dubcon/noncon, even if only for the main alpha to free the main omega from the bad alpha's commands.

Inner Alpha/Omega

While almost all omegaverse deals with the instincts that come with being an alpha or omega, some take it a step further, by giving these instincts a distinct voice. That inner alpha/omega will urge the POV character to give into their urges. Primarily the sexual ones, but not exclusively. Inner omegas may seek safety from an alpha, while inner alphas may insist on doing something to provide for the omega, and they'll preen if the (desired) mate is pleased. Especially characters who are in denial of their feelings will argue a bunch with these inner voices.

Mating/Mating Bites

A mating bond is formed between two people, usually by an alpha biting the mating gland of an omega, which is located somewhere around the neck/shoulder. Sometimes only alphas and omegas can mate bond, sometimes anyone can. That bond attunes the mates to one another, and often makes especially omegas no longer smell attractive to people they aren't bonded to. The bond can go as deep as being able to read each other's minds, or be as shallow as nothing but a visible, unfading mark on the neck. In some fics, the bond can be broken - through hormone treatments, prolonged physical distance, another mating bite placed over it, or death. In other fics, it's forever. For a bite to be permanent, typically a rut/heat is required, sometimes a knot as well.

Mpreg

Men get pregnant. Specifically, male omegas. This is generally seen as normal. Depending on the anatomy, it might be more difficult for them to give birth than it is for women, or it might not be. Most omegas come with the innate breeding kink to make this happen, as do the alphas they mate with.

Nesting

Typically done by omegas, especially during heat. They just build a nest to be comfortable and safe. Generally it consists of pillows and blankets or whatever they usually sleep in, scented by their mates or other people they trust. They may get upset if they can't build a nest, or if someone they don't approve of enters their nest.

Packs/Pack Bonding

A pack can be anything ranging from a poly relationship to a family, with harem and friend group also somewhere in there. Just a group of people who are important to each other, and formed attachments, usually through bites or scenting, or both. However, there is usually sex involved. How much depends on the vibe the author is going for, and also how many of the pack members are children. If adult pack members have kids, those kids usually are immediately part of the pack and may be parented by all pack members, though they may leave upon reaching maturity.

Presenting

This can be confusing because it means two separate things.

At some point in their life children (often called pups before this point) will present as either alpha, beta, or omega. This usually comes with their first rut/heat, and happens around puberty age. Or later, if the author is uncomfortable with pushing all this sex stuff on a 13 year old. There really is no upper limit, if you want your guy to surprise-present as an omega in their 40s, that can still happen. Sometimes betas have no noticable presentation and it is simply assumed you're a beta if you don't present as alpha or omega by a certain age, other times their scent changes to tell them apart from pups.

Presenting during sex means, to put it bluntly, to put your hole on display for your partner. Typically done by an omega to show submission and inviting an alpha to rail them doggy style.

Scents/Scenting

People in the omegaverse - sometimes with the exception of betas - have very good noses. Each person tends to have their own personal scent that is unique to them, though omegas tend to have sweet ones, betas neutral ones (or none), and alphas something more on the musky side. By their scent, people are able to tell whether a person is an alpha, beta, or omega, whether they're in heat/rut, and what mood they're in. Sometimes people can control (to a degree) how much of their scent they emit, or do it on purpose, for example to soothe their mate. But a lot of the time it's subconscious, and especially during heat/rut can't be controlled. Scents can be hidden through scent patches on scent glands, or by taking scent suppressants. Scenting simply means to cover someone else in your scent, usually a mate, though it can be done platonically, usually between packmates or family members.

Soul Bonds

The omegaverse version of a soulmate AU. People can be fated mates, and they're able to tell by their scents, being immediately drawn to each other. Sometimes only fated mates can bond, or their bonds are deeper than regular bonds.

[omegaverse-guide]

Omegaverse 101

So you've encountered the term for the first time - maybe you're 12 or very offline, or you've heard it before but heeded someone's advice to not look it up - either way, you're here, wondering. What is omegaverse, or alpha/beta/omega dynamics, as AO3 puts it? Here's a brief overview for you!

What is the omegaverse?

It's a trope mostly used in fanfiction, that has been spreading into published fiction, manga, and recently even into anime and tv shows. It can appear confusing to outsiders, since there is no unifying canon a/b/o authors draw from, and the details vary wildly between each story. The core is simple: On top of your gender, which is still identified at birth and works the same as it does in real life, you're also assigned to be an alpha, beta, or omega, though this tends to happen later in life, usually around when puberty happens. Whether you're male, female, intersex, non-binary, or any other sex/gender does not determine what you present as.

Alphas can sire children, even if they're afab. They tend to be seen as aggressive, competitive, and natural leaders. Whatever you associate with stereotypical, hypermasculine behaviour in the real world, that's now associated with alphas. They can go into ruts, a period of time where they get extremely horny and often aggressive/protective, and they may or may not be able to control themselves during that time. They generally have big dicks, though exact measurements are rarely given. Those dicks can swell at the base during sex, to lock them and their partner together for a while, which is called knotting.

Betas are essentially just baseline humans. They can have sex and feel horny, but only in the same way a real human can. Sometimes they're infertile, but other times they reproduce the same way actual humans do. Storys are rarely about betas, but they tend to be seen as rational and calm, good to have around to diffuse whatever the alphas and omegas have going on.

Omegas can bear children, even if they're amab. They're generally seen as submissive, caring, and weak. Women, basically, just more exaggerated. They periodically go into heat, which makes them horny and extremely appealing/irresistable to alphas in their vicinity. This is also the time period where they're fertile. Male omegas tend to have small dicks. Sometimes they have a pussy on top of that, other times their asshole self-lubricates and is connected to their uterus, whichever the author prefers.

How did we get here?

The terms originate from behavioural studies of wolves, and so does some of the biology (yes, wolves do have knots. in real life. if you didn't heed the warning to not look up omegaverse, at least heed mine not to look up wolf dicks. or any other animal dicks). Parts of the trope are pretty old - what's a heat if not a Pon Farr (Star Trek) for werewolves? Then, in 2010, a request was posted to the supernatural kink meme, requesting J2 smut with what became the basic tenets of the trope. It fit the already popular werewolf fic in the massive spn fandom, and spread like wildfire in just a few years far beyond spn or werewolves, and here we are.

Notes

Almost all omegaverse is m/m. Het omegaverse has found success (and a lawsuit) in original books, though I can say I haven't read any. The only het omegaverse I've ever read was fic with a female alpha and male omega, so don't ask me about this. Rare brave fans do write f/f omegaverse, and they have all my respect and gratitude. However, they're the exception, so for the purpose of this and any further discussion on this blog, please assume all parties are male unless specified otherwise.

Omegaverse can be abbreviated as A/B/O, or A/O if you don't have/don't care about betas. Some people simply use abo without the slashes, but abo is also a slur for aboriginal people in australia, so proceed with caution if you insist on using it.

There is NO one true way to write an omegaverse story. Nobody has the copyright to it. People will expect some of the above framework if you classify your fic as omegaverse, but you can do whatever you want forever. If you've read published manga, many of them share an explanation graphic that gives some base rules, but you don't need to stick to those, nor should you expect others to. It's a wild west out here. Write and read stories that do the trope how you like it, and don't read the rest. It's that easy.