There have been some new faces lately, and this is for you guys who wandered in and want to know what in the hell is going on around here :) If you are an Omegaverse pro, you don't need to read this unless you want the particulars of how my version is different from all the other versions... if you are new to ABO, this should help explain things and help you get oriented a bit? I hope? It's in two parts because I'm long-winded. It's quite skimmable as there is some repetition of information common to each trait/gender.
Welcome to the Wokemegaverse!
Background: I’m not an Omegaverse (ABO) Expert, but my take on it is that basically, the whole genre seems to have sprung from supernatural romances that featured werewolves. A number of the non-human traits that people in the ABO world have are shared with wolves, both in terms of behavior (alpha, omega, mated pairs) and reproduction (heat, mating ties, pheromones, etc.). The wolfiness then merged with the LGBTQIA+ lit genre onine and voilà, the Omegaverse. The big draw is the wild sexual chemistry, the powerful attraction, the protectiveness, the nonbinary nature of Alphan females and Omegan males, the love-at-first-sniff thing, and the fact that Alphas and Omegas usually represent physical ideals in terms of attractiveness…
Part I-- Physiology: How the bodies work.
Terms to know:
Trait: Humans now come in a few extra flavors. In addition to a gender, about 50% of people have an additional genetic sex trait— meaning they are an Alpha or an Omega. People who have this additional sexual trait are different from average people in a few ways.
All Alphas and Omegas, regardless of sex, are alike in these ways:
1: They have specialized olfactory receptors in their upper respiratory tract that allow them to detect the scent & pheromones of other Alphas and Omegas.
2: They have scent glands in key locations in their body (mostly the places where you’d find lymph nodes) that emit a combination of pheromones and odors that are unique to each individual. These pheromones transmit information about fertility, arousal, mood, etc.
3: They are more fertile and have a higher libido than most Betas.
4: They may find a partner with whom they are hypercompatible genetically, meaning that they are statistically much more likely to reproduce successfully (and often) with that person. A hypercompatible bond is physical and emotional, and lasts for life. In lay terms, this is referred to as a “fated mate” or “perfect mate”, also called a "luna" in some ABO (but not mine-- luna is too werewolfy for my universe)… if a person finds someone with whom they are hypercompatible, they will experience an instant, almost irresistible physical and emotional attraction to that person. Alphas/Omegas can recognize a hypercompatible person primarily by scent, but also by appearance and by pheromone-related phenomena such as withdrawal symptoms when separated or the syncing of heat/rut cycles. It is absolutely not necessary to find a hypercompatible mate in order to reproduce or experience true love or partnership, many Alphas and Omegas do not find a hypercompatible mate. It’s a big old shortcut, though.
5: Because breeding cycles make their libidos overwhelming, most Alphas & Omegas take suppressant medication that prevents heat and rut cycles from occurring. Omegas can also take hormonal birth control if desired, because pregnancy is less likely to occur when having intercourse outside of a heat, but not impossible.
Claim Bites: Through a process similar to infection with a virus, an Alpha (male or female), can bite an Omega (male or female), allowing at least one tooth (usually their slightly elongated and sharper canids/bicuspids--aka 'fangs') to penetrate a scent gland. If this occurs, the Omega’s glands will gradually begin to reproduce the Alpha’s scent in addition to their own. Their fertility cycles, body chemistry, and libido will be attuned to the Alpha who bit them making it easier than average to reproduce with them, and much harder than average to reproduce with anybody else. Claim bites are pretty universal in ABO fiction, but this mechanism for how they work is mostly my invention and it’s a key reason why claim reversal (see below) is an important medical service for Omegas in my stories. Due to proteins in Alphan saliva, the bites generally result in white scar tissue, leaving a tell-tale ring of bite scars on the neck or shoulder of a claimed Omega.
Claim Reversal: For most of human history, claim bites could not be reversed. If an Omega was claimed against their will, their only option for retaining any type of bodily autonomy from the claiming Alpha was total separation to reduce the strength of the bond and the symptoms of it to manageable levels. Even separated, the Omega will likely experience infertility with other partners. Due to research completed in the last thirty years, doctors are now able to reverse most claims completely if treated within six weeks of the bite (think rabies). After this point, the claim can be suppressed but it may not be fully reversible. Claim Reversal is controversial, it is considered by conservatives to be a sinful, godless practice. Access to claim reversal services is scarce and conservative politicians would like it to be eliminated completely— In conjunction with the Anastasia Anderson Foundation, Johns Hopkins operates a claim reversal clinic founded by the Anderson family in memory of their daughter Anastasia and directed by Dr. Alexander Anderson.
Fertility Gospel: For Betas, all of the standard labels and ways of being apply, as do all existing IRL societal prejudices. For Alphas and Omegas, rather than heterosexuality, the ABO culture emphasizes *fertility*— if a couple has the biological potential to reproduce (meaning they belong to categories that have that potential) with each other, their relationship is socially, politically, and religiously acceptable. Pairings or groupings where partners do not have biological potential to reproduce together are disparaged by conservative religious and political groups and people in those relationships face discrimination. This is a me thing, and not common to all ABO, afaik.
Alphas: About 25% of humans have the Alpha trait— and this number is divided in half between males and females (12.5% of all humans are Alpha males, 12.5% are Alpha females).
Alphan male: Taller, more symmetrical, and more muscular than most Beta males, larger sexual organs, higher libido and fertility. Often possess the personality traits of protectiveness and jealousy. More prone to aggression and physical violence than other males. Commit a disproportionate amount of all violent crimes including sexual assaults and forced claims. Without suppressants, will go into a rut (breeding cycle) 3 to 4 times a year. Can impregnate others (Omegas of either gender, Beta females), cannot become pregnant. They can have sex with whoever’s on board but especially when in rut, don’t always stop to be sure the other person is on board. As with canids, Alphas have a baculum/os penis (penis bone) which means that during rut or when an Alpha is especially sexually excited, the base of the penis swells up during intercourse, resulting in a mating tie that lasts, on average, 10 to 30 minutes. This is called “knotting.” When not in rut, Alphas do not routinely form a knot during intercourse and if they do not wish to be tied with a partner, they can simply withdraw the penis if/when a knot starts to form.
Alphan female: Taller, more symmetrical, and more more muscular than most Beta women. Facial and body hair comparable to Beta women. Possess the same personality traits as Alphan males, including the same tendency towards physical violence. Anatomy: possess a vestigial self-lubricating vaginal structure that allows for vaginal intercourse, a modified pair of internal testicles that produce sperm, and a specialized (very) enlarged clitoris that allows for penetrative intercourse and the ejaculation of sperm. The clitoral structure includes a baculum, meaning females can also form knots during penetrative intercourse. Alphan females can impregnate Omegas of either gender or Beta females, but cannot become pregnant. They can have sex with whoever’s on board.
Betas: 50% of all people are Betas— and this number is divided in half between males and females (25% of all people are Beta males, 25% are Beta females).
Beta males: Exactly like human males on planet Earth in every way. They come in all the sizes, shapes, shades, intellects, moralities, sexual orientations, gender performance preferences, etc that exist in our world. They can impregnate Omegas of either gender, or Beta females. Cannot be impregnated (unless they were assigned female at birth and later transitioned). They can have sex with whoever’s on board.
Beta females: Exactly like human females on planet Earth in every way. They come in all the sizes, shapes, shades, intellects, moralities, sexual orientations, gender performance preferences, etc that exist in our world. They can be impregnated by Alpha males or females or Beta males, they cannot get anyone pregnant (unless they were assigned male at birth and later transitioned). They can have sex with whoever’s on board.
Omegas: About 25% of all people are Omegas, this number is then divided in half between males and females (12.5% of all people are Omegan males, 12.5% of people are Omegan females).
Omegan male: Shorter, more symmetrical, and more slender than most Beta males. Facial and body hair comparable to Beta women. Experience heat cycles once per month, lasting 3 to 4 days unless suppressants are taken to prevent them. Culturally, most Omegan males reject binaries and exhibit gender performance that covers a wide range of behaviors labeled both “male” and “female” in Western culture. Anatomy: Omegan males have a penis (although smaller than the average Beta male penis) that becomes erect and functions for penetrative sex, if desired. They have vestigial testes that do not produce sperm but do produce seminal fluid that is expelled during ejaculation. They have a cloacal sphincter in the same location as the anus in Beta males, beyond this sphincter is a vestibular space which is bifurcated— one branch leads to the vagina, uterus, and ovaries. The other branch leads to the rectum and colon. Penetrative sex generally involves the vaginal branch— although rectal penetration is possible, the angles are somewhat unfavorable. The extra length of the reproductive tract in Omegan males (due to the vestibular space) explains the prevalence of larger penises in Alphan males. Omegan males produce lubricating fluid called slick that helps to keep the vestibule clean and makes it easier for sperm to travel the longer distance to the fallopian tubes for fertilization. Cannot impregnate others, can become pregnant (via Beta males or Alphas of either gender). They can have sex with whoever’s on board— especially when in heat, don’t always stop to be sure the other person is on board.
Omegan females: Comparable in size to smaller Beta females. More symmetrical, more noticeable secondary sexual characteristics than most Beta females (larger breasts, narrower waists, wider hips more likely to conform to the “golden ratio” for waist to hip, indicating maximum fertility). Facial and body hair comparable to Beta women. Experience heat cycles once per month, lasting 3 to 4 days unless suppressants are taken to prevent them. Like Beta women, they menstruate. Anatomy: With the exception of the aforementioned, comparable to Beta women. More likely to conceive during any given heat cycle than a Beta woman is during any given ovulatory cycle. They can have sex with whoever’s on board— especially when in heat, don’t always stop to be sure the other person is on board. Can be impregnated by Alphas of either gender or Beta males.
(continue to next post for Wokemegaverse Sociology)
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