A / β / Ω

-acknowledges that pregnancy is stressful and dangerous, childbirth is a genuine risk to the parent's life, and parenting is a difficult responsibility -affirms that the person who is pregnant should have the right to decide whether or not to be pregnant, and that an unwanted pregnancy is an imposition of the right to bodily autonomy -understands and articulates that bodily autonomy is a person's inherent ownership of their body, and that if this ownership is taken away by a partner or a government, that's a violation of their right -believes that regardless of a spiritual determination of if or when a fetus has a soul, a person still has the ultimate right refuse to be pregnant. anti-choice "pro life" mpreg: -believes that pregnancy is ultimately and automatically rewarding, and sees any complication of pregnancy as either a challenge to be overcome or a threat to the baby*, not the parent. -believes that a womb is owned by those making use of it, not the host parent supporting it. therefore the primary owner and rights holder of a pregnancy is the baby, and secondarily the partner that caused the pregnancy (i.e the alpha male). believes that a pregnant person only owns their body in so far as they have a duty to protect and care for their baby to term. -sees pregnancy as a matter of submission, duty, and responsibility to others, not as a medical condition that threatens a person's life and personal autonomy. takes for granted that a person's pregnancy would be automatically subject to others' concerns and agendas. -doesn't believe in personal autonomy, can't articulate the concept that everyone, even people with wombs, should own every part of themself and have the ultimate say in what happens to them, even when that say displeases their superiors or denies life to an unborn baby. -believes that a fetus has a soul and that to refuse to carry a pregnancy to term is the same as killing an innocent person. believes that a baby's right to be born is paramount and its parent is automatically subject to this right from the moment they recognize their pregnancy. *-believes it's a 'baby' from conception through birth, ignoring or mistaking the medical terms of zygote, embryo, and fetus as irrelevant to its ultimate status as a baby. in conclusion: pro-life mpreg sometimes features miscarriages and challenges to the parents' ability to carry to term, while pro-choice mpreg sometimes features an inability for the parent to terminate their pregnancy even when they want to. however, pro-life mpreg is written to affirm the rewards of pregnancy and a baby's 'right' to be born, while pro-choice mpreg is written to acknowledge and explore the challenges and dangers inherent in pregnancy, while affirming the (often violated) right a pregnant person has to self-determination.

Knotted dildos. It's a classic. A silicone toy with a slightly tapered bulb at the base so an omega can't hurt themself on it. The knot is also softer than the rest of the toy because alpha knots are softer like that. This also allows the omega to contract around the toy like their body wants and "milk" the "cum" from the toy.

(Also note these are what come in emergency heat kits that can be found in workplaces. Basic toys like this are sold at drug stores)

Inflatable knotted dildos. These are the slightly more advanced version. They cost a bit more for the special feature of a knot that grows while the toy is being used. They can have a pump or a mechanism at the bottom that reacts to an omega mounting the knot. Whatever the case, they inflate and deflate over the average for alphas.

Cream-filled dildos, with or without a knot are toys that have fake alpha cum that can be inserted and released. The fake cum can be basic lube, or it can be prescription with artifical pheromones that ease heat symptoms.

Prescription "cum" was just mentioned. It's lube-like artifical spunk for omegas in heat. It has pheromones, donated or made, that ease heat symptoms. This lube is used usually for overheated omegas or in relationships where the mate can't produce cum that will ease their mate.

Omega fleshlights. These are much smaller fleshlights than alphas would buy. They're often simple and have little texturing on the inside for the sake of oversensitive heat-cocks. This also applies to grinding mats for afab anatomy, or smaller dicked omegas.

Strap on toys. These aren't what you think they are! These are toys that are secured to an omega, like a fleshlight with a belt, do the omega can focus on other things while still getting pleasure during heat. This leaves 2 free hands and stimulated junk!

Plugs. Plugs are VERY common for omegas both in and out of heat. Plugs used to keep cum inside of an omega and encourage mating are restricted under prescription as a "family planning" device due to their shape. Other Plugs, with a traditional shape, are used for easing pre/post heat even while in public.

Gland stimulators. These are collars, bracelets, and garters made in leather or softer fabrics to create pressure on sensitive points.

if the whole point of heats & ruts is that A & O have ++ sexdrive then, wouldn’t that mean they have 0 sexdrive the rest of the time?

cuz like…..

if it’s a neck-bitey ‘verse and the neck is this semi-erogenous zone

what does a covered-up neck mean???

is that like mysterious? overly-modest?? slutty? to cover up a bite mark? a lack of bite mark? or to suggest one even if there isn’t??

could it be an ageing thing?? 

Idea that, for most of human history, peoples’ unique scents were affected by their diet and therefore that usually meant they could only smell like things that originated in their homeland. 

ok but how does sexual dimorphism work in an a/b/o ‘verse cuz if anyone can be male/female/nb without it connoting designation does it just come down to height and scent to tell the difference would tall omegas just look like alphas to everyone would alphas be going around in high heels trying to look more alpha? 

-and if scent is a big part of attractiveness what about film stars how does visual attractiveness translate would the cinemas be piping in nice smells to make the stars seem hot how does perfume work exactly would people be wearing perfume trying to claim it’s their natural scent or would it be about chemicals that strengthen ur natural scent would people with cosmetic surgery try to alter their scent to match their fake good-looks and seem more natural-

what if the feeling of, for want of a better word, soulmate-yness is really just like super-MHC; it’s about detecting compatible fertility, someone who is biologically perfect for you, in terms of passing on ideal DNA?

and it detects compatible personality traits too so you’re not just truematching with someone who’d give you your genetically most-ideal kids but who’d be best at raising them with you, according to your personality? 

ergo: the soulmate-sense is detecting combined ideal-gene-giver and ideal-caregiver material (saying ‘this person combined with you would produce the healthiest happiest best-looking version of your kids and also be good for you as a person’.)

cue the parents of every soulmated couple being even more insufferable about grandkids

maybe it originally started as a way for breadwinning hunter-gatherer alphas to go out into the world, while their omega relatives are safe at home, and detect by scent which other alphas would be good matches for their omega relatives/siblings without having to risk exposing them (so that the alphas are not killing off potentially genetically-awesome brothers/sisters in law during resource competition). 

ditto with omegas coming into contact with other omegas

it would work to a lesser extent to detect potential same-sex friends

and therefore it would mean same-designation couples could also have soulmates, because it’s about expanding your group (your number of descendants, whether that is direct or indirect)?

(i.e. when both alphas/omegas are gay obviously it means they wouldn’t be physically attracted to those opposite-sex relatives or siblings, so the two alphas/omegas are true mates.) 

and because it’s originally about expanding your family group, the people with the highest chance of finding their soulmate would be those with lots of friends or relatives, and especially siblings, twins or triplets etc, who have the same tastes and values as them (because they have more similar people out in the world detecting potential matches for them, and maybe their sense of smell would become more highly honed to reflect that).

in a case where all the siblings are the same sex/designation, and have the same tastes, particularly if they are twins/triplets, the soulmate would smell nice to all of them and all of them would smell nice to the soulmate, but only one would smell amazing (because of minute differences in values and health and development). But after they’ve bonded, the soulmate would smell like ‘family’ to the siblings, and therefore stop being attractive. Potential for family drama! 

so the soulmate of a (genetically) disabled person would only be someone who has a compatible personality and genes that would combat that person’s specific health problems in their kids, if possible (even if they too were just as severely disabled) and vice-versa. 

(eg. Person A has HealthProblem + genes-that-solve-person-B’s-HealthProblem and Person B has HealthProblem + genes-that-solve-person-A’s-HealthProblem). 

(I think biology would be indifferent to a disabled person being happy to have similarly-disabled kids; it would pick them a soulmate who has cancel-out-disability genes, whether they want it or not, just because it’s more useful in survival terms to not be disabled. Of course they could still choose not to have kids with their soulmate.)

soulmate matches would be controversial historically because they ignore eurocentric beauty standards (i.e people of similar levels of attractiveness tend to bond to each other so you’d have butthurt racists being forced to admit that someone is good-looking, no matter their race, because their soulmate is.) 

which isn’t to say that only good-looking people would have soulmates; you might have two very weird looking people soulmatched because their weird genes, if blended together, would make a good-looking person. 

(People who want to convince others that they haven’t had, eg. plastic surgery to look that good, would definitely lie and claim their parents were super-compatible soulmates, because it increases their chances of being good-looking. Similarly, competitive grandparents would be claiming that their x-in-law is their kid’s soulmate because it proves how perfect their grandchildren are.). 

it would make psychopaths un-matchable, because even if someone had Hybristophilia and believed a psychopath would be a good protector, the fact that a psychopath is incapable of caring for/about them or any kids would rule them out of the soulmate pool. (The Lore would be that psychopaths literally have no souls.) 

and it might mean that soulmates would be likely to have complementary opposite qualities (eg. one far-sighted one near-sighted one tall one short one fair one dark one bookish one sporty) because the soulmate-sense is hunting for an ideal blend. 

(But people with a lot of not-physically-apparent unique quirks would be more likely to have a soulmate who looks similar, because they’ve got so many quirks to counterbalance that the physical-complements take a backseat.) 

Gender Identity Generator: canine gay

How would the ability to scent alter human history? 

if people are sensitive to Bad Smells, did sanitation advance at a faster rate? 

What about ventilation? 

Or is it only other humans’ scents that people can detect? 

Do people really smell like other things (*cough*cliche*cough*) or is that psychosomatic? 

Does it work like Amortentia in HP where the most physically compatible person smells like all your favourite things? 

Where does perfume fit into all this? 

Is wearing perfume seen as ‘fake’, shallow, or basic / low maintenance? Something only omegas do? 

Is the perfume industry The cosmetic industry? 

Do people make a big show of only wearing fragrance-free (even if they don’t) to make it seem like that amazing scent they have is All Natural? 

Is adultery still possible if everyone can scent everyone else? 

Are married omegas expected not to scent-block because of the assumption that it’s covering something up, or is this an old-fashioned view? 

Are there places where everyone scent-blocks (like the work place), or where no one scent-blocks? 

When did scent-blocking technology become a thing? 

Is scent-blocking seen as empowering, for omegas? Androgynous? 

Can people cross-scent like cross-dressing? 

Are there cosmetic procedures that can enhance scent? 

Does a person’s scent alter with age? 

If the neck has scent-glands, and is therefore an erogenous zone, how does that affect fashion? 

Is a covered neck considered demure, mysterious? 

What about long, neck-covering hairstyles? And necklaces? 

Does the appearance of a person’s neck form a big part of their attractiveness? 

Are there cosmetics designed to enhance the appearance of necks??

(What does a scent gland look like, anyway?) 

What about noses? Are noses considered sexy?? 

Can a good neck and a cute nose move someone from an 8 to a 10?

If smelling someone is foreplay, what does mean for people with naturally flared nostrils? Do they get hyper-sexualised? 

If smelling someone is foreplay, how do unscrupulous people take advantage of this? 

Are there alphas pretending to brush their nose so they can sneak a sniff of an omega? Deliberately standing downwind? 

Are ‘genteel’ alphas expected to stand upwind? 

Do events get called off because of Wind??

Do innocent alphas get attacked because they scratched their nose just at the wrong moment? 

What does this mean for nose hygiene? Is it considered rude to scratch or blow your nose in public? 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/omegaverse-erotica-copyright.html?action=click&algo=bandit-story_desk_filter&block=editors_picks_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=363771365&impression_id=838338177&index=1&pgtype=Article®ion=ccolumn&action=click&module=editorContent&pgtype=Article®ion=CompanionColumn&contentCollection=Trending

And here’s my response to my chair, to those who are curious (key bits bolded for a TL;DR reading experience): —

It’s funny you would send this, as the “omegaverse debacle” has been a hot topic of discussion in media/fandom studies circles for over a year now. All of the BNFs and/or media scholars and/or lawyers I’ve spoken to about this agree that the case likely will not resolve in Cain’s favor (nor should it, imo).

As someone who has read the books in question, I have many thoughts on the situation; I’ll try (and probably fail) to keep them concise.

If you look at the first DMCA takedown that Cain sent to Ellis, there is not a single quote that is identical to Cain’s text. https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/9757a1_8b7166541a084d5ebe957b896cdc8132.pdf (see exhibit 3). Rather, Cain lists plot points. But the majority of these plot points Cain cites as evidence for plagiarism appear in any ABO story (fic or original fiction; differentiating between the two is particularly tricky when you’re talking about fic that Cain scrubbed for publication). Ellis’ lawyer’s response to the takedown notice tackles this: https://www.legalinspiration.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Counter-Notices.pdf. The similar plot points that can’t be solely attributed to omegaverse can be attributed to standard dark (heterosexual) romance novel tropes. The books were not similar in a way that would have stood out to me from other omegaverse/(het)romance fusion stories; they were both predictable in the way that genre stories often are. If you want a more in-depth analysis of this, Kristina Busse, who I’d say is the media studies expert on ABO fic, if there is one, wrote this: http://kristinabusse.com/pdf/Busse,%20Kristina%20-%20Discussion%20of%20Addison%20Cain’s%20Alpha%20Claim%20and%20Zoey%20Ellis’s%20Myth%20of%20Omega%20(2018).pdf

As the NY Times article notes, fandom has been using these tropes for over a decade under the label of “omegaverse” or “ABO” and some even previously appeared in similar forms via dom/sub verse, shifter verse, or sentinel verse fic. Fandom also, frankly, often deploys these tropes in more interesting ways than either Cain or Ellis did. Fandom, at least some of the time, uses these tropes to challenge social and romantic assumptions about identity and gender and investigate biological determinism rather than reinforce or further exaggerate gender binaries. The fact that Cain would write a story using watered down fandom tropes, scrub it, publish it, and then try and prohibit another author from using the same tropes that she borrowed is…sort of baffling.

I think a victory for Ellis will do little to change the landscape of fic/romance/fantasy publishing. The two lawyers I’ve spoken to (and lawyerly opinions I’ve read on the topic) did not indicate that it would result in authors having “one fewer legal lever to protect their work,” as the NY Times article posits. Rather, it will maintain the status quo for “original” authors who scrub fic or use fandom tropes in their original fiction, while warning authors against making DMCA claims that they cannot fully support (and will hopefully lessen the number of claims weaponized against competitors).

Alternatively, a victory for Cain could be disastrous for writers traversing the divide between fic to original fiction, and potentially troublesome for writers of fic—but it would also set a scary precedent about whether or not “Scènes à Faire” elements can be copyrighted. In the legal world, “Scènes à Faire” are common aspects inherent to a particular genre or trope. Currently, you cannot copyright Scènes à Faire, and doing so would be all but impossible. Imagine if someone tried to say that elements inherent to many “western” or “alien encounter” or “mermaid” stories were suddenly their property?

In essence, after reading through the available court documents online, it appears Cain’s argument isn’t one of plagiarism; she’s trying to claim ownership over omegaverse Scènes à Faire, when she herself borrowed the Scènes à Faire in her works from the collaborative hive mind of fandom.

I think the NY Times article, in particular, reinforces the assertion I make in my project RE digital capabilities bringing widespread attention and accessibility to fandom spaces. This attention, while at times unwanted in fandom niches, facilitates conversations about media, literature, who/what is controlling the content we as consumers have available to us, and who/what owns that content. While not mentioned in the article, the lawsuit (and countersuit) illustrates the connection between social media, fandom publishing/archiving, and original publishing that my project also notes. The docket for the case is full of screencaps from social media posts that the authors, particularly Cain, made while producing fic and fiction. 

OOooooH, that could be true. Then again we can say little ones have a difficulty with figuring out whose scents are whose other than their family members, along with what is an artificial scent compared to an organic one. They’d be hella confused in my opinion. lol

Although if you think about it, they’ll be disorientate trying to figure out where people are, so their scents are gonna either help or not work. To make hide and seek difficult like it always is, their scenting won’t work. 

Maybe even they wrap up a bandana or scarf around their noses so it’s not cheating or something. 

Orrrr, it could be that they can only pick up scents when they are close to a person to be able to scent them. 

yes for some 

no for some 

some animals are already more than one gender 

some animals can switch genders 

What is omegaverse?

Omegaverse is an AU that sprouted from ideas originating in werewolf fanfiction. In the omegaverse, humans have wolf-like traits and take on one of three main dynamics: Alpha, Beta and Omega. These are sometimes referred to as a “secondary sex” as opposed to the “primary sex” male/female/other.

Alphas:

Tend to be leaders. They are protective and can be aggressive. They have a tendency to be easily swayed by emotion. They will not allow harm to come to their mates or loved ones. They are often naturally talented and/or charismatic, as well as strong. They can often be seen in positions of leadership. Alphas tend to be larger than betas and omegas. Alphas can be intimidating. They have what is called an “alpha voice” that can be used on betas and omegas which makes them more likely to obey.

Alphas can impregnate female betas, female omegas, or male omegas. Female alphas can not become pregnant, and if they do, likely cannot carry to term. Female alphas have a retractable penis and internal testicles. Alphas have the ability to form a “knot” to encourage pregnancy during mating. If this occurs, partners are stuck together until it goes away.

Betas:

Are the most common dynamic. They tend to have to become the peacemakers, being more emotionally stable than the other two dynamics. Betas are very versatile, and vary a lot from one to the next. They sometimes struggle under the shadow of alphas who seem to have an easy time excelling. However, due to their large numbers and their ability to more easily remain rational, they are in the majority in many places of work. Betas tend to be smaller than alphas, but larger than omegas. Betas are most similar to a regular human, with the males being able to impregnate others and the females able to become pregnant. Male betas can impregnage female betas, female omegas, or male omegas (the same dynamics that alphas can).

Omegas:

are able to become pregnant regardless of their primary sex. Omegas have a natural insitinct to nurture and have a tendency towards being submissive. Omegas go into heat at regular intervals, which causes alphas to become somewhat irrational around them. Because of this instability they cause and because of their reduced productivity during these times, omegas are (in some universes) seen as being inferior. They are sometimes underestimated. Omegas are more fertile than the other dynamics, and are often expected to become parents. Omegas are typically smaller than betas and alphas. Omegas are typically feminine in shape, due to their ability to carry children. A male omega’s body self-lubricates during heat/mating in order to facilitate mating.

—————Terms to know:

Pups: Babies. Commonly between 1-3 are born at once.

Rut: in some universes, alphas experience rut regularly. This is similar to an omega’s heat, and causes them to want to mate. An omega’s heat can also cause an alpha to go into rut.

Presenting: when a person’s dynamic finally becomes apparent (usually during puberty or the teenage years).

Nesting: the trait of building a bed out of soft objects and one’s/one’s loved one’s things, typically seen in omegas.

Feral: to turn wild and animal-like, usually as a response to extreme stress. It is most commonly seen happen to alphas, then omegas, and less commonly to betas.

Slick: usually referring to the lubrication that is naturally created inside male omegas during heat or arousal.

Scenting: the act of rubbing one’s scent on another person or thing. It is seen as a very intimate act when done between partners, and is used to mark something as associated with the one who marks them. Scent glands are located on the back of one’s neck, behind/under the ears, and on the wrists. (Position may vary slightly from universe to universe)

Bonding: to bite a partner on the back of the neck, officially marking them as your partner. Alphas can do a bonding bite on any other dynamics. Betas can do a bonding bite on omegas or other betas. Omegas cannot do this bite. Bonding is an emotional experience that connects two people for an extended time. The mark from a bonding bite is long-lasting (and in some universes, permanent) so long as it was done by a dynamic that is capable of it.

Soul bond: in some universes, soulmates exist. A soul bond is the strongest bond.

—-

It is almost winter where I live (It’s fall and it’s already 13 degrees ;-; winter will be rough…) So I decided to make some chilly omegaverse headcanons (Haven’t been doing those in a while, whoops). A lot of these are based on actual things that happened in my school or that I am familiar with ^^ Feel free to add your own two cents and add on other nice wintery stuff. 

• Teachers have a really hard time handling Omegas in particularly harsh winters. They bring covers and pillows to school and make nests in the middle of the room, claiming that “it is too damn cold to learn in their desks”. 

• It is very common for Omegas and Beta females to share gloves and scarfs if one of them forgets theirs at home. The result is Omegas and Beta females walking around holding hands all over the school, to keep the remaining ungloved hand warm. (In other words it’s adorable).

• There is a government (and some other private companies) initiative called “Neighbour Nest” in which every winter people can donate nest supplies and winter clothes of all dynamics to less fortunate people that cannot afford them, So they can share a warm nest with their families on harsh weather. 

•  Teachers also have a hard time handling mated Alphas on winter. Omegas are naturally warmer. Like little walking furnaces, always giving off heat (maybe that’s why they get colder easily, they just give too much heat off lol). Alphas will latch on to their mates and cuddle with them in any given opportunity. Teachers often have “arguments” with Alpha students because “No, you can’t have your Omega on your lap for the entirety of the class. It’s against the school rules, no matter how cold it is”. Some of them will do it anyway and face the consequences later.

• Just a bunch of Omegas walking around with coats double their size, because their mates thought that “they weren’t wearing enough layers”. Winter is when Alphas mother Omegas the most. Must protect smol bean from cold.

• Winter is the season that nesting is the most common. Gonna watch a movie? Must build nest. Gonna eat with family? Must build nest. Gonna sleep? Nest. Nest with your family, with your pups, with your mate, with your grandma. It doesn’t matter. If it’s winter, Omegas are gonna nest. It feels nice and it feels appropriate. 

• Funnily enough heats and ruts tend to last less in winter (to the joy of unmated all Alphas and Omegas). Presumably this happens because their ancestors’ bodies saw that as a form of “hibernation” season. So their bodies take it that they must save energy and resources by waiting for a more prosperous and less hostile season to carry a pregnancy and small babies. They don’t really stop, but their duration is much shorter and Omegas and Alphas might experience periods in which their heats/ruts completly stops, just to kick back in after some hours or after a day. This doesn’t happen in any other season that not winter. 

• If an Alpha or Beta wants to court an Omega on winter, they are also more likely to gift them much more heavy covers and nest supplies. They also gift them fat and sugar-rich foods like chocolate, cakes and pastries. To help the Omegas build more fat for winter and to also make their nest experience more “sweet”.

• Mates take advantage of the fact that you wear more clothes because of the weather by scenting every individual piece the other owns before they put it on, this way the scent gets trapped under non-ending layers of fabric. Making their mates smell like them for so much longer.