#I'm not opposed to the occasional omegaverse here and there but this is the first time I'm reading one with like...world building

[kiwichaeng]

And there I stand to the side, five minutes early to my errand, reading omegaverse fanfiction

[unheavenliercreatures]

you can leave my url if you want! :)

1. I want to say it was OG Avengers Movie-era MCU? Uncertain. I was like 12-13 so it's a little fuzzy. Also BBC Merlin but I'm not sure when that was re before vs after.

2. I've personally noticed a lot less experimentation with the well-known tropes, meaning, they were less defined back then than they are now. I used to come across more secondary genders than just alpha, omega, and beta (like an asexual gamma or delta gender, and so on), and I haven't seen one of those in years. (There's this one fic i absolutely adore that's an honest to god research paper on the nature of omegaverse and for me personally codified a lot of the secondary tropes--here you go: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4299357/chapters/9803262)

I also have noticed a good deal less of the "omegas as an oppressed class in society" trope, but that may just be because if I am reading an omegaverse fic these days, it's usually just pure PWP as opposed to a long form fic with the actual sex mixed in.

I've noticed that a heat has a good bit less urgency than it used to--where you used to see things like "heat centers" and such in fics (although usually it was mentioned offhand as an option for "desperate alphas/omegas who didn't have anyone to get them through it"), it seems more common now to have it be a thing one could usually get through on their own at home without too much trouble. I think it might be because of concerns re consent, but I'm not a researcher--just a reader. :)

Interestingly enough, I've noticed a lot more usage/mention of things like birth control, plan B, etc. taking away from the pregnancy/breeding aspect of the genre, although it isn't necessarily completely absent. I just haven't seen an omegaverse fic where someone is Actually Pregnant in a hot minute.

Finally, there is just straight up a lot more het sex in the genre (see: the omegaverse lawsuit), whereas in my experience back when I first started to encounter it, it was almost exclusively gay men with the occasional holy grail that is lesbian sex.

3. I've always considered myself something of a biology enthusiast, and I really liked the idea of having more than one gender--a primary and a secondary. Also, the idea of genitalia that wasn't strictly a vagina and uterus or penis and testes. Revolutionary! I won't say it helped me realize I was bigender, but there were signs, as they say.

4. Definitely science fiction that explores alternative biology. Nowadays that looks more like robotfucking, but I've been working on a TTRPG system for a while that explores alternative biology from a roleplay and mechanics standpoint.

5. Honestly? It's really interesting from an anthropological standpoint to think about what a society of omegaverse-type humans would look like and how things would change with the concept of secondary genders in play. (Would heat leave be a thing? Would omegas be discriminated in the workforce as a result? What's the whole deal with betas? etc.)

It's also great re a possessive/primal element that you can't get as much in other fic genres. (At least, not unless you're willing to sit through a dozen 5sog read-a-likes and at least two mafia AUs.) And another anthropological side note--it's interesting to see what people consider to be "primal instincts"! Is it trilling and purring and such? Is it public power plays? Fewer sexual inhibitions in a public setting (re things like mating bites)? What do you think?

Also, tbh, it's just funny! Sex is at its best when it's at least a little funny.

6. Hm. If it plays too much into real human gender stereotypes--omegas being an analogy for women, "what if men experienced a misogyny" feels kind of overdone unless we're planning to explore that. If we're actually getting into the nitty-gritty, by all means go for it! If you're just going to be having the omega in your fic experience sci-fi misogyny for two seconds right before they get fucked six ways to sunday, it's a bit of a turn off for me, personally.

If it had the characters falling too far into the "helpless waif of an omega" trope. No, actually, I don't think that Bucky Barnes would say all that shit. try again

If it seems too much like just normal sex with a trans person, I'm not, like, necessarily turned off? But it does make me go "oh, buddy. i've been there. you're going to have a realization in approximately 6-9 business months. have fun!"

Finally, if you're going to have slick smell like anything other than human bodily fluids. What do you mean by "vanilla scented slick". That sounds viscerally off-putting. Please see a doctor.

7. to the general public: most sex is cringe anyways, you might as well have fun with it.

Omegaverse readers & writers!! I want to hear from you!!!

Firstly — Yes — I have already done a lot of research. I don’t need the basics explained to me or the fact that it is an incredibly diverse genre with examples good writing, bad writing, good social commentary, bad social commentary, expansive thoughtful worldbulding, raunchy porn without plot, and everything in between.

What I’m looking for with this post is personal experiences and opinions from people who read/ write this content since I am not one. Feel free to link any fics that exemplify what you’re talking about.

you can write as much or as little as you like, answer as many or as few of the questions as you like:

What fandom introduced you to omegaverse?

What trends and developments have you noticed as the genre has grown over the past 14-ish years?

what initially intrigued you about it?

Are there similar genres, tropes, etc, that you also enjoy? (ie. werewolf or other supernatural romance, science fiction which explores alternative biology) basically, how does omegaverse fit into your wider literary tastes?

what do enjoy most about it?

what are some elements you avoid or are critical of?

Any specifics or nuances you want the non-omegaverse reading public to know about

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