ABO Headcanons and More

Thank you so much.

Ayo, lemme help!

Presentation doesn't necessarily mean that a mating cannot take place but it does mean that certain secondary sex characteristics would not be visible/usable. Mating is just the stronger version of marriage in omegaverse.

Depending on the depth of the AU, a bite may not be possible because the necessary equipment isn't available yet; they gotta wait for the next update. There may be some extra hormonal stuff going on to make the mating last longer, so the bond (if there is a bond) may fade between two unpresented individuals. But that doesn't mean the bond can't exist.

Perhaps in this story this could be something they would have to continually work on; perhaps this is something they didn't know would happen. Maybe this is something that actually prolongs their unpresented state. Who knows? Maybe they are a medical marvel and actual complete a full mating bite without even knowing if they can.

Yes, absolutely!

Packs do not necessarily need to be sexual. There can be packs of the family one was born into. Packs can be something as simple as the people you work with, like healthcare workers kinda already are (they all stick together like glue and share trauma and caffeine). Platonic packs would be one of the easier ways to utilize the idea of a close knit group of people. Skinship* is also not inherently sexual. It is calming to many people to get their scalp scratched and I know I'm a bitch that has a love language of physical touch (that doesn't mean I let my friend rub my back and go for more, I have some boundaries).

For your needed headcanons, I would focus on the need for close familiarity without needing deeply physically connection. Scent can be shared between pack via skinship and nesting/puppy piles and doesn't signify domination but merely cooperation. Gift giving isn't necessarily a declaration of ownership or desire to be that gift receiver's only world but it is reaffirming the bonds you have with your loved ones.

Think of a pack as a group of friends that have a bond so deep they could not live without each other.

*skinship in this instance means the literal touching of skin; skin to skin contact if you will

Aight so originally I was going to answer this by saying that mates cycle together so a pregnant omega could not have a mate who could go into rut. But that seemed like a bitch answer so lets do it.

Obviously, pregnancy is a delicate part of an omega's life and it would not be in the alpha's best interest to damage their mate, even if the infant is not their own making. If we were to base this off of instinct, I would say instinct would starve off a full rut. Maybe not starve off the entire thing but maybe make it more manageable.

OR we could say that if the brewing baby was not the alpha's, maybe that instinct was not intact and something else would have to clue in the alpha. Obviously, a pregnant omega wouldn't have the need to get knocked up so maybe the full rut would happen but the omega wouldn't naturally respond. Any self-respecting alpha would know that his rut is secondary to a pregnant omega's health/safety and the rutting instinct would not be to rut but to make house. The alpha must protect his mate and his territory without his dick.

Hmm, I have a feeling this will be more difficult to answer.

My first answer is no, that is just a beta.

My second answer is no, that is just gender dysphoria.

My third answer is no, that is intersexuality.

My fourth and final answer is yes, there could be an alpha/omega hybrid. This would be someone that has to display traits of both, the good and the bad of both genders. It will be difficult to create this hybrid because of the aforementioned points but not impossible.

How exactly nesting works? It's like just grabbing some stuff and putting it in your bed or actually making a nest like an animal would. I mean, I like the idea of making a nest like a closed little place where is all the stuff you like shoved in there

Hello, I have answered this before in this post and this one and this one but I'm happy to come up with some new information!

Personally, I like to think of a nest as a collection of things that bring comfort to the creator. A comfort item was brought up before and that also is a very simple way to look at nesting: anything that brings comfort in one space.

A lot of times, a nest is depicted as a weaved mass of stolen clothing or curated soft bedding. Anything that can bring safety and comfort are up for grabs. Enclosed nests are also an options. While this is more closely tied to the idea of a "cave" or a more animalistic version of omegaverse, it is still a form of comfort that can be given in a nest.

A nest also doesn't need to be a true bed but can be made out of anything. A nest can be straight mud and rock but as long as the creator feels safe inside, it counts as a nest. Some AUs that focus on packs or found family have a whole room separate to have a formed nest that isn't moved or destroyed, kind of like a place of bonding. The nest still has the same function of being a place of comfort, it just expands to comfort the whole pack not just the omega or omegas that crated the nest.

Nests also do not have to be an omega only experience. If a nest is something that brings comfort, what's to stop a distressed alpha from making a nest themselves. Just like real people make their bed more comfortable to sleep in, a nest is a comfortable place to relax and just be.

Hey friends! Guess whose unemployed and has lots of free time? It's me, myself, and I. And maybe you too, ya know, with this fucking recession happening.

I really suck at keeping this bitch alive but I'm trying. And what better time to clear out my ask box then when I have no time limit and no obligations.

Anyways, don't expect too much from me. My head is home to only three braincells and two of them are focusing on finding income. The one left over is focused on a fic that I've been writing for 6 years. I'm hoping I can sometimes get that one braincell to be creative on this bog but that is proving to be a hard ask.

Be kind to yourselves and try to to overwhelm my one braincell!

hellor,

Generally speaking, the omegaverse system is based on the idea of the pack hierarchy of wolves. Its why the term pack is used a lot to mean family unit and its also why alpha is seen as a leadership position because of the ties to the idea of the alpha wolf running the pack.

With that being said, there are a select few animals that show sexual traits beyond the binary we tend to think of. The best examples of this are the white-throated sparrow of North America and African spotted hyaenas. The sparrow have 4 distinct genders seen spread throughout their two sexes that don't seem to have a deep affect on mate selection. Hyaenas have matriarchal packs that are lead by a dominate alpha female, similar to wolves but the alpha carries male sex characteristics as well as her born female characteristics.

In the human world, it is a lot harder to describe an example. We have created a world where we show sex characteristics on a binary and thus have a hard time expanding out of that. The gradual change from seeing gender as a binary to a spectrum has changed that. While I still would not say there is a caste system in the world that actually reflects omegaverse, it is deeply intriguing to see the gender spectrum being slowly reflected in omegaverse fics.

Yelloh!

Presenting has a lot of flexibility. It can be like a second puberty around a certain age. It can be something that needs a trigger. It can even be something that never happens if the ABO status is known at birth. A presentation might be a slow burn like puberty or it can be a hard change like with a "first mating cycle." Lots to chose from, lots to explain. Most of the time, this change coincides with sexual maturity which would place the age between 15-20, much like our very real puberty.

A beta presentation can be any one of the above depending on the AU. Betas might never have a "first cycle" and thus are subject to a peaceful life of no mating seasons. Or perhaps the AU focuses on sex assigned at birth and therefor presentation is less an instant change and more of a lifetime formation. I would say most of the time, a Beta presentation falls into the former category; it is largely wiped under the rug simply because there isn't the "biologic imperative."

I was wondering why that would be. Is it wrong to hc male Omegas as having vaginas?

Hai anon!

BASICALLY: this is a quick and easy work around for some AUs to leave out the dirty work of theorizing gender systems involving ABO.

Wrong would not be the term I would use but it is to make sure people are comfortable with what they are reading. For some people, ABO can read as transgender fiction, even if it is a fantasy world we've all created. It's been increasing difficult for writers to post their ideas online without getting burned at the stake for being slightly off politically center. The warning acts as a red flag to people to know this isn't going to be a fic where gender is the number one theme discussed.

ABO can be a creative way for people to analyze gender, gender roles, and the effect that has on individuals and communities. It can be just an easy way to write smut in a socially confirmative way but it is also an artform that allows people to explore gender and sexuality. Not every writer is using it as a creative forum, it is still just a trope, but it is important to know that it can still be used harmfully toward some people.

To headcanon that all omegas have lady giblets isn't wrong. It isn't even bad. The problem comes down to if this trope is used to eliminate a problem that comes from depicting a male presenting person as a receiver. It comes down to if the writer is distinctly and villainously trying to remove male bits from the body that can produce. Male omegas don't have to have lady bits to have a baby, ya know. You don't even have to get into the nitty-gritty of the biology and the organ use or formation. But it is the context that affects the warning of "all Omegas have a vagina."

Do you he any Hc for a poly relationship between several alphas or poly in general (and just an alpha/alpha couple too), like how they behave and how others see them.

Haha, jokes on you, this blog is nearly 100% in the grave. I have revived it, specifically for you. Allow me to spew some thoughts.

I do like the idea that alpha/alpha/etc relationships don't have to go down the "fight for dominance" route. While I think this happens a lot in fics, it totally depends on the context of the society (meaning: if you have gender based discrimination in your AU, there would definitely be sexuality based discrimination too). This can cause external and internal tension just like it does in the real world, just slightly removed because we have the ABO-ness of the situation.

If the AU plays its cards right, we can ignore real world issues and fall into the beautiful world of empathy fantasy and look at some more fun aspects of love. A headcanon I like to sit on a lot is the idea that alpha/alpha relationships are fluid; mailable in a way that allows the partners to move away from submissiveness and dominance. I would think that two people involved in this relationship would already have an interesting view on the concept and that would totally, deeply affect how it plays out in their lives.

Hello, yes you can unmate. The details of how depend on the writer really.

Traditionally, a mate was a one time thing; it couldn’t be undone. This was a life partner that was being chosen and that wasn’t something that could change later. The only reason a mating could be undone was through death, which in most AUs would leave some lingering scent/pain in the partner that was still living.

In some more non-traditional AUs, a mating bite specifically was transient. The bite needed to be redone every so often to continue the bond. This meant the bond could slowly dissipate either by accident or my choice. When the bond disappeared altogether, sometimes there would be a lingering feeling of missing something and sometimes there would be no difference from before the mating even took place.

Do I?? This is a joke right?

Allow me to elaborate.

Historical!AU: Omega/Beta couples have become more common as the world became more global. With more cultures in contact, it became easier to see new ways of life. For A and B, it was eye opening. They had been friends for years, partners at the reading club, and maids of honor at their unfortunate weddings. For a while after B’s partner passed, it felt taboo to be seen away from each other. And then they meet C and D, a couple from (insert random ass country name here). They had never met people as happy and joyous as C and D. And the key to that happiness? A friendship that was kindled into something more.

CoffeeShop!AU: A worked at the cutest coffee shop in (insert college town here). And while most of the clientele were looking for a quiet place to study, occasionally an ill-advised Alpha would come in. They would smell that calm atmosphere and something would snap into place in their brain; there needed to be something more aggressive in this place, something more wild. And while A would think the massive string of pearls hanging in the back would show how wild this place could be, they could fend if the Alphas that spoke to loudly or asked to harshly where extra tables were (all the tables are visible from the counter, there are no extras). A was quite good at this and only had one encounter that they couldn’t handle. But that one encounter was entirely handled by a regular omega client, B. And boy to B have some words to say to the poor, sorry soul that walked in, needing to be humbled.

Fantasy!AU: When fire lights up the sky, A knows to run under ground. They were born with the Omegan ability for empathy, something this cruel battered world had no need for. A had lived long enough to know they needed to hide those abilities, it would help their life last longer. And they were successful, until B fell from the sky, right next to their slain dragan. B shouldn’t have been able to fly a dragan, only those with an Alpha’s authority could ever be equals to the wild beasts of the sky. But here B was, a Beta with mild intentions and deadly eyes ready to take on this godforsaken world.

Space!AU: Floating through zero-G could give you a headache after a while, that’s what B always told A. When they were kids, B always joked that A liked the old stories of space travel too much, the stories of the first moon landing, the first expansion of the ISS which now sat at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. A always dreamed of the wonder space used to have, the mystery. B was the only person they know that traveled further than Satan and they did on a dare. A may have been the one to produce the flight plan but B was the one able to do it. B, the only Omega this side of the Atlantic Ocean, was blue to fly to Neptune and back. A was going to make sure they both got to stay in the stars.

Hello! Short answer: imprinting is like a step below soulmates.

Imprinting is sort of like soulmates on it happens after getting to know a partner or in dire situations. For example, an imprint can occur after a traumatic situation and, forevermore, those involved with the imprint are connected. It can be, depending on the AU, something very deeply connecting (I’m talkin’ like read each others minds or emotions). This is similar to some soulmate!AUs where the soulmates are very deeply connected. The difference between the two is there is normally an event that causes the imprinting to occur; soulmates are generally born and cursed (for lack of a better work) to find one another.

Hello! Yes I have tons of thoughts about Betas!

I do think Betas get tossed to the side in many fics and it is a disservice. Betas are the middle ground, the valley between mountains, the single aunt with no kids who gives the best Christmas gifts. Betas can be many things (included evil if that’s what the writer wants).

In a very simplistic view, Betas are not ruled by instincts and therefore have none. Personally, this is a reductive view on an integral part of a vastly diverse AU. Betas, unlike their two partners in crime, have a choice when it comes to their mating patterns. They are not on a cyclical pattern doomed to repeat itself. This allows so much more freedom for a writer.

One of my favorite HCs I rarely see is what I would term “fluid Betas.” This is not to be confused with the trope of changing subgenders completely. In this small portion of the ABO universe, Betas are the calmer of the dynamics but float between Omegas and Alphas and fill the gaps. This can mean that in an Alpha dominated workforce, they may placate more often. Or if they are in an Omega dominated friend group, they might be the one to pay for the meals (to support yakno).

It’s been literally 2 years since my last post and I am now hoping to be more on top of this blog. My life as turn on its head but I’m at a much better place now (promise). I have much more time to work out my writers block! This blog had been a way for me to work through creative slumps in the past and I know it has been very helpful to a lot of others so I will try my best to revive it. I have just a sprinkle of creative energy at the moment and I will to my best to fan the flames of it.

I have asks from years and years ago that I will try to answer, slowly, to not overwhelm myself. And I will slowly answer the new ones as well! I apologize for being AWOL for years but I will try my best to come back, s l o w l y.

Thank you for all the continued asks that you all have, they are very thought provoking (I enjoy thinking about them immensely).