bakerstreet | Alpha/Beta/Omega Meme

THE ALPHA/BETA/OMEGA MEME

In our world, sexual roles are commonly defined by genders -- male or female or other, by sexualities -- gay or straight, bi or asexual or in-between. But what if they were defined by something else entirely?

Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse is a fusion of fanfiction tropes and animalistic behavior. In this world, sexual roles are divided into three categories: the Alphas (the dominant, the protective and the aggressive), the Betas (ordinary humans) and the Omegas (submissive, fertile and able to carry children).

RESOURCES:
Fanlore on the Alpha/Beta/Omegaverse
Alphas, Betas and Omegas: A primer.

CONTENT WARNING: Below the cut contains descriptions of animalistic sexual behavior as applied to humans, situations of dubious consent, explicit situations, mpreg, and scenarios of societal oppression. Click with caution!

ROLES:
1 - The Alpha.
* Stereotypically type A personalities.
* Anatomically: Males have a penis; females may have a penis in addition to a vagina.
* Alphas knot their mates, meaning that the base of the penis swells and locks them inside their mate while they produce copious amounts of semen in an effort to breed.
* Strong sense of smell.
* Near an Omega in heat, they experience a compulsion to mate that is almost impossible to overcome.
* Alphas may go into rut, which is their equivalent of Omega heat, and drives them to mate.

2 - The Beta.
* Ordinary human being.
* Males have penises; females have vaginas.
* Can mate to anyone.
* Might be able to smell hormones of Omegas and Alphas, but will not be overwhelmingly affected by them.

3 - The Omega.
* Stereotypically submissive, quiet, intelligent and less physically able.
* Female anatomy is similar to Betas; males are self-lubricating and may have either an external or internal vaginal setup.
* Regularly go into heat, which involves being overcome by the urge to mate. They are unable to consent while in heat.
* May be made compliant by a bite to the neck. However, that may also induce a mating bond.
* Often regarded as second-class citizens or prizes to be won.

SITUATIONS:
1 - Bonding - Love at first sight. You've spotted your soulmate. You can smell them, you can feel them, you know that they'll be with you until the end of your days. Unless there's something between the two of you. It could be age - maybe one of you has to wait until the other has reached maturity. It could be that the bond is one-sided, and the other has yet to fall in love. It could be an unwanted bond, or society could have divided you into different places. Is your love strong enough to conquer?

2 - Heat/Rut - The need is coming on you strong. Everyone for a half-mile around can smell it. Better find someone to ride it out with, or hole yourself up in a room with a few bottles of water and a durable sex toy. And you'd better hope that there isn't someone out there who will take advantage of your pliable state. Best case scenario, there might be a Beta who can take care of you, or fend off anyone too predatory.

3 - Pregnancy - Whether through a heat or not, you're pregnant. Congratulations - or condolences. Is it time to start a family, or time to start panicking?

4 - Suppressants - You're using suppressants to keep yourself on an even hormone cycle, skipping heats, or maybe pretending to pass as a different class of society. After all, Omegas might want to be in the military, where they're not usually allowed - or an Alpha might want to take a job in a university or as a nurse. Shouldn't they be allowed to, if their hormones are suppressed? Just hope that you don't miss a dose.

5 - Mistaken Identity - That friend that you always thought was an Alpha, or an Omega, or a neutral Beta, turns out to be something entirely different, and your world is turned absolutely upside down. Does it challenge your preconceptions? Or does it just ruin the balance between you two?

6 - Unlikely Pairs - After all, there's no actual reason that Alphas have to mate with Omegas. Maybe two Omegas can satisfy each other. Or two Alphas. Or your intended mate could easily be a Beta. Maybe this is just about breaking out of your pre-established role and becoming something new.

7 - Manifestation - In some cases, an individual may not know they are Omega, Beta or Alpha until their first heat/rut/manifestation, usually happening in early teen years. It may take you by surprise; it may be a blessing, or may be a deep disappointment.

8 - Other - Adventures in getting jobs, making families, fighting bad guys, and anything else you can come up with!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He does grin at that, leans in closer and lowers his voice as though to confess, although his tone isn't sorry at all.]

It was a little macho. I do like punching them when they get like that.

[But mostly: yes. This place is his, and it will be as he likes. The proprietor reserves the right to refuse service, &c. He even has the sign, though he doesn't display it as prominently as he could.]

[ Malak smells - omega, he's pretty sure. His sense of smell has always been a good one, though this man smells of a thousand more things, things that make Malak think obscurely of starlight and candle-wicks.

Maybe something having to do with magic. Malak hasn't been particularly fussed about the 'discovery' of magical folk that have been here all along. Life goes on. ]

It was sexy.

[ Again, something he didn't really mean to say. There's something freeing in being here, a bar where he doesn't have a name, an identity. Doesn't have his shop and his daughters. ]

That you protect what's yours.

[Something flares under his ribs, dark and rich, like unsweetened cocoa. He does; he does, and he has had so little that was every truly and only his own, and it is a ludicrous, trifling thing to other gods, but this little place is his, every polished floorboard, every facet of every glass, every breath of each customer, for a little while, wandering through. There's a sense, wispy and elemental, that Malak sees a glimpse of the true face of it, that it is a sanctuary for him too.

That reaction is too deep, too heavy and true for him to share easily. But flirtation is easy, and it covers all manner of sins. His grin goes broad and roguish.]

Glad you liked it.

[ A little smile, in echo to the grin. He senses there's a moment of communication here, something that isn't just flirtation. A hint of connection, like a spark between fingertips. ]

I look for - places to feel safe.

[ He wasn't sure he wanted to flirt, before, but now he does. ]

I'm Malak.

[A flicker of a thought: the heavens are places made by gods, where mortal souls settle, if they are attuned to them. So are the hells, of course, and he's only a godling, and it's only a bar. But there's a patina of resonance to it. He lets the polish of his charm weather a little, soften around his eyes; what he says next comes out - tired, determined, honest.]

I want that. To make that.

Hado.

[For the moment.]

[ There are a lot of romance novel cliches about seeing eternity in someone's eyes. But, for a brief, dizzying moment, that's exactly what Malak does see. He has the momentary perception of something endless and bottomless, an emptiness punctuated with swirls of unknowable. He blinks, withdraws an inch or two. ]

It's good to meet you.

And you did get a new regular, when you did that. Not that I'm the biggest spender.

If I were more of a businessman, maybe I'd mind.

[He was a very good businessman, back in Sky-in-Shadow. Money is power, after all. But that's not his purpose, here.]

You're welcome. Anytime.

You do have to make money somehow.

[A faint twitch of a smile, dry and amused.]

I'll manage.

But I can give you the really wretchedly expensive scotch next time, if it makes you feel better.

[ A laugh. ] No, thank you.

Though maybe for a special occasion.

So, what do you do when you're not having new bar adventures?

[ He considers explaining, and then, instead, he reaches down and slides the ring off of his pinkie finger. From a distance, it seems to have a pattern of scratches; up close, it's revealed that it's an intricate inset of plant life, like a vine that's grown and twined around in the silver. The vine has thorns. ]

This is one of mine.

[He reaches for it gingerly, takes it to examine more closely if Malak lets him. He is a little bit jaded about artistry - was jaded for beauty by the time he learned to talk. But he likes it too, is accustomed to and appreciates quality, and this sort of personalized craftsmanship, he has discovered, is more rare, in this world. He rubs a thumb over the edge of the ring, can't help thinking of Yeine.]

It's exquisite.

[Soft, sincere as he offers it back.]

[ He relinquishes it without complaint. This one isn't worth so much, monetarily, anyway; it doesn't have any jewels, isn't made of very fine silver. He values it because when he's making things for other people, he doesn't get to put in the thorns.

He's thinking of carving name and phone number into it, and giving it to Vivian. God knows Vivian would never let it out of her sight, and if she were ever lost... ]

Thank you.

It isn't just jewelry, but that's the moneymaker. [ Slides it back onto his finger. ]

Your design, too?

Yes. This one, yes. I like - thorns.

[He nods, agreeing, approving.]

They're -

[perfect]

- it would be a platitude without them.

[All magic is communication.]

Edited 2013-12-15 20:10 (UTC)

I make plenty of platitudes.

[A sharp glance, light and crisp.]

Who doesn't?

Alpha/Beta/Omega Meme

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject