#but gary and efnisien have a talk about his schooling

[not-poignant]

I've seen you mention in the Underline the Rainbow series that there are different types of schools for Alphas/Betas. And we know that Ef didn't get a formal education due to his abuse by Crielle and the rest of his family. What happens to an average Omega? Do they go to regular schools? Are they separated out to only go to schools with other Omegas? I'm trying to understand what a well adjusted Omega's life might be to compare. Thanks! Love your works!

Hi hi anon!

So omega schools have been mentioned quite a few times. So what's established in Underline the Black is that omegas go to omega creches or omega academies, and Gary asks Efnisien early on which omega academy he went to, at which point Efnisien replies he was home-schooled. Gary asks him what 'level' he schooled to, which indicates that there's grades and years in omega education just like there are in any other.

In Underline the Blue Nate says that he studied poetry and writing at an omega tertiary academy.

So the stories answer this! Most omegas go to omega creches / academies, and can even go through to the tertiary level if they want to.

None of them go to regular schools and this has never been mentioned in the worldbuilding at all. Even in Underline the Red Faber mentions going to a school of betas/alphas.

What happens to an average Omega?

See above! This is answered in the stories!

Do they go to regular schools?

This is also answered at least superficially in the stories - they don't!

They go to omega-dedicated education schools. Which also answers your next question too. This is why all omega education facilities in the story are always called 'omega academies' or 'omega creches' or 'omega levels' or 'omega tertiary education' and not just 'school' as a singular term. To indicate that they are separated (and also that these schools aren't at the same level or taken as seriously). In the same way that we have 'omega rehabilitation facilities, we know that they're not rehabilitation facilities for betas or alphas. Likewise we have beta/alpha school, which is the more standard 'school.'

Creches teach omegas the 'basics' (and can be thought of more as a finishing school - they'll teach you to read and write, and how to maintain a good home and sew clothing and be a good omega for your partner and how to handle a heat). Academies allow for more subjects to be taken, and omegas can matriculate through them at a tertiary level, but this is rare.

There are no schools that combine omegas, betas and alphas, and on top of that, no school education for omegas is considered as being on the same 'level' as beta and alpha education. However, in extremely rare instances, omegas can apply (or straight up lie) to do a beta or alpha level education online. This is how Flitmouse has done things in the past, he's pretended he's a beta to access more opportunities online re: education and business.

There's really no such thing as an 'average' omega, but I guess you could say most go through the schooling system, learn how to read and write, and then are matched off into marriages often against their will (and certainly not according to their own choices) as either male trophy omegas or partners.

Some parents are more 'liberal minded' and let their children choose their partners, this is more common in the lower-middle classes (i.e. Nate's class, where his parents let him choose Christian, which he considers a big deal, and a sign of his independence that he's quite proud of). But as is clear, it's not like Nate's independence has gotten him that far re: Christian or helped him avoid an omega rehabilitation facility.

Omegas are by and large second-class citizens that the get the life their parents think they should have, most don't even know they could dream for more, and feel lucky and privileged to even go to an omega academy, for example, and many don't ever ask 'but why can't I go to a beta/alpha academy' - they just assume they're either a) not smart enough for that or b) it's too much power for them to handle and therefore would be dangerous in their hands.

The brainwashing starts early, basically.

But it is normal for omegas to go to school!

[not-poignant]

Fae Tales - Falling Falling Stars - Ch 134/140 - Friends

Title: Falling Falling Stars Rating: Explicit Pairing: Efnisien/Arden Tags: Hurt/comfort, Pure O and PTSD, intrusive thoughts, mental illness, therapy, animal abuse (past), sexual assault (past and poss. present), violence, nonsexual BDSM, Efnisien is his own warning, chronic illness (see the fic for a more comprehensive list of tags). Summary: “Imagine me deciding to feel bad about everything I’ve ever done, and then imagine what kind of life I’ll have. Because I’m not brave enough to live in some fucked up eighteen-hundreds-style purgatory. I’d rather die.There’s no one who wants me, and there’s no one who will. Which is exactly what someone like me deserves, isn’t it?” A story about a broken boy, who is learning how not to break everything else around him.

Falling Falling Stars - 134 - Friends

In which Dr Gary and Efnisien talk about Efnisien's possible future going to university, or completing high school. After that, Dr Gary and Efnisien make some discoveries together about Efnisien's idea of friendship, and how much it's expanded over the years.

Want another way to support my writing? // I have a Patreon account! // Buy a Ko-Fi!

[not-poignant]

It never hit me that Nate is the 1st person that Efnisien hasn't liked since Augus. Will we ever get to see Efnisien talking about Augus with Dr. Gary?

We will!

I’ve come to realise that it’s actually getting really important that we explore why Efnisien didn’t like Augus, because it’s more complicated than just ‘jealousy.’ And I think it will be a really valuable thing in the story to explore in general, to give a better picture of Efnisien’s...thinking patterns, and how he might actually have good reason to resent how someone who also engaged in criminal activity regularly got a completely happy ending with zero consequences for his actions.

Cuz you know, Augus did legitimately steal a house, rape a fellow teenager and send him to the hospital, terrorise kids in the school, run a racket of selling papers for pay while making other kids do that work for him (Terho was legitimately scared of Augus, lmao), and his reward for it was getting adopted by the best mother ever, his boyfriend becoming a millionaire, having a job he likes, people in his corner who will fight for him (and ignore the law for him), etc.

And granted, Efnisien didn’t go to juvenile detention, but it’s... definitely complicated in Efnisien’s mind. I think one of the reasons he consigns it all to ‘it’s just jealousy’ is because thinking about it further than that is difficult for him.

And I think one of the reasons he dislikes Nate is that Nate gets to go around the world being rude and mean to people, and other people still accept him, and he resents that. He has...some issues around all of this stuff that I think Dr Gary will be curious to draw out, he’s waiting to tap into the Nate-hate, because at the moment he knows it’s bigger than it seems, and he’s waiting for Efnisien to recognise that too.