Alpha/Beta/Omega
| Trope · Genre | ||
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms: | Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta, A/B/O, A/O, ABO, AO | |
| Related: | Knotting, Mpreg, BDSM AU, Dominance Hierarchy, Bonding, Heat, Mating, Werewolf | |
| See Also: | ||
| Tropes · Slash Tropes · Tropes by Fandom | ||
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | ||
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Alpha/Beta/Omega or Alpha/Omega (occasionally Alpha/Beta) is a kink trope where some or all people have defined biological roles based on a hierarchical system, with the terms originating from animal behaviour research. There may be werewolf, knotting, or other animalistic elements involved, or the characters may be otherwise purely human.
Alphas are generally dominant and able to impregnate Omegas. Male Alphas usually have a knot when aroused.
Betas are subordinate to Alphas and may or may not be able to impregnate Omegas; in some fanworks Betas aren't present and the trope is known as Alpha/Omega, in others they take the role and functions of Omegas and Omegas aren't present.
Omegas are generally lowest on the hierarchy (although in some fanworks Omegas are rare and prized). Male Omegas are self-lubricating and have the ability to become pregnant, sometimes referred to as being bred or mated. Lovers may form pair-bonds with a special connection with telepathic or empathetic qualities. Paired Alphas may be jealous and possessive of their mate, while the Omega may become submissive. Omegas and Alphas may go into heat and need to have sex; this may be the only time Omegas are fertile.
History
The trope probably originated in Supernatural fandom as a natural extension of werewolf and knotting kinks popular in the fandom, although a similar premise was already used in Life from the Ashes in X-Files fandom in the 1990s. This kink meme prompt, posted January 2011, inspired several fills:
- "There are three types of men, alpha males, beta males, and omega males. Alpha males are like any ordinary guy with the exception of their cocks, they work just like canines (the knot, tons of cum, strong breeders, etc) The beta male, is an ordinary guy without the special cock. Omega males are capable of child bearing and often called bitch males."[1]
In March 2011, the NCIS Gibbs/DiNozzo Centaur-fic Heat was posted by Kathana-grey, positing many of the same concepts used in early Omegaverse works but without the same terminology. Omegaverse elements included the submissive character going into heat, differentiated male biology, self-lubrication, fights for dominance, specific body postures to show submission, marathon sex, and a culture structured around differentiated biology.
There are also similarities with BDSM AUs, where the characters are Doms (sometimes called "Tops"), Subs, or (sometimes) Switches. Helenish's Stargate Atlantis BDSM AU Take Clothes Off As Directed offers a dissection of this trope[2] -- as a Sub in the military, John is subjected to harassment and insubordination. Parallels can be drawn between the role of Subs in society and that of women, LGBT/queer people or minorities to examine prejudice and discrimination caused by "designationism."
The Ragnarok takes a similar approach of Alpha/Beta/Omega AUs in her Inception fic The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized, in which Arthur is heir to the ruler and keeps his Omega status a secret, as Omegas are not believed to be capable of serving in the military or making political decisions. In this universe, both Omegas and Alphas go into heat, and Alphas are more capable of restraint than Betas when faced with an Omega in heat. Female and male Alphas can impregnate male Omegas, and male Omegas need medical treatment to conceive.
Example Fanworks
- Inception: The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized by The Ragnarok - Arthur/Eames epic AU.
- Merlin: Lupercalia by novemberlite - Merlin/Arthur Canon AU. On his way to Camelot, Merlin goes into heat for the first time. Things progress from there, as they are wont to do.
- Supernatural RPF: A Fine Job of Bending All the Rules series by Chash - femslash, pairing Danneel/Genevieve.
- Supernatural RPF: Wait for It (originally written for Blindfold SPN) and companion piece Good Things Come by concernedlily - slash, pairing Jared/Jensen. semi-non-AU fic in which Jensen, an alpha, is cast to play Dean Winchester, a beta, and beta Jared is cast to play alpha character Sam Winchester, against common entertainment industry and societal conventions.
- Avengers (Marvel): Never is a Promise by manic_intent - Steve/Tony fic which reverses the usual trope; Alphas are an oppressed minority.
Resources
- Works tagged Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics on AO3.
- Alphas, Betas, Omegas: A Primer, Part 1 by norabombay
- A/B/O Femslash & Het Ficathon!
References
- ↑ See the Knotting page for additional information.
- ↑ The story was a response to Coming Home by Xanthe where these characterizations didn't impact the social standing of the characters or the kind of jobs they could take; that was criticized as not realistic. (see comments to the original LJ post of Take Clothes Off As Directed)
