Omegaverse, also called A/B/O or α/β/Ω (short for "alpha/beta/omega"), is a type of fiction that explores imaginary worlds and relationships. This genre imagines a social system among humans similar to that of wolves, with dominant "alphas," neutral "betas," and submissive "omegas." In Omegaverse stories, this system influences how people interact in romantic, sexual, and emotional situations. While themes from this genre appeared in books from the 1960s, the Omegaverse became a recognized type of fiction in the 2010s. It developed from a mix of werewolf stories and the mpreg subgenre, which involves male characters becoming pregnant, within same-sex relationship fan fiction.

Genre characteristics

Works in the Omegaverse genre often show characters with two types of sex: a primary sex (male or female) based on their outside body parts, and a secondary sex that appears during puberty, determined by their inside reproductive system. The secondary sex is usually one of the following, each linked to specific traits:

• Alpha (α): socially dominant, physically strong, short-tempered, and a natural leader;
• Beta (β): a regular person, or has a mix of Alpha and Omega traits, or unique traits;
• Omega (Ω): calm, gentle, and a peacemaker.

Characters often act like wolves or other dog-like animals, especially during sexual activities, which are described as instinctive and driven by physical urges. This includes behaviors such as heat cycles, pheromone attraction between Alphas and Omegas, penises with knots (used to tie to a partner during mating, called "knotting"), scent marking, imprinting, breeding, mating rituals, pack structures, and possible lifelong psychic bonds with a partner. Between Alphas and Betas, only females can become pregnant. Male Omegas are sometimes shown as able to become pregnant through a uterus connected to the rectum, and Alphas can impregnate others regardless of their main gender. Male Omegas often have anuses that naturally produce lubrication to make penetration and pregnancy easier.

The Omegaverse genre can be seen as a type of fantasy, as defined by Tzvetan Todorov, but its detailed rules also make it a unique literary category. Since Omegaverse is a type of folksonomy, authors may choose to include or exclude certain elements. Sometimes Betas are not included, or other roles like Deltas or Gammas are added. The genre often includes fantasy elements like werewolves or other mythical creatures. Some stories show a strict social system where Alphas are elite and Omegas are at the bottom, facing discrimination because of their biology. In darker stories, this can lead to non-consensual relationships, forced pregnancies, or the kidnapping of Omegas.

Omegaverse stories most often focus on male-male relationships between Alphas and Omegas, though some stories feature heterosexual relationships. In 2013, about 10% of Omegaverse stories on the fan fiction site Archive of Our Own (AO3) were labeled male/female. Some stories change common tropes, such as showing Alpha-Alphas in secret relationships, Omegas hiding their scent to avoid prejudice, or dominant Omegas and submissive Alphas. Japanese Omegaverse stories often include non-traditional couples.

The terms "A/B/O" and "Omegaverse" are sometimes used the same way, but "A/B/O" usually refers only to sexual relationships, while "Omegaverse" is used for stories in a new fictional world. Some people avoid "A/B/O" because it sounds like a racial slur.

History

The common themes found in the Omegaverse genre are not unique to it. These ideas appear in many different types of media, but they became especially popular in the Omegaverse, as described by Professor Kristina Busse as "a seemingly perfect storm." The concept of humans experiencing mating cycles and heat was first introduced in the 1967 Star Trek episode "Amok Time," which featured the Vulcan mating cycle called pon farr. This idea became a popular topic in Star Trek fan fiction, especially stories about the characters Kirk and Spock. In 1969, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote The Left Hand of Darkness, a novel about an alien world with characters that change gender and experience mating cycles called kemmer. Stories involving animal transformations, such as werewolves, appear in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, Teen Wolf, and Harry Potter, with the Harry Potter fandom popularizing certain themes.

The Omegaverse genre is often linked to the Supernatural television series fandom, where it combined ideas about werewolves with a type of fan fiction called mpreg. Another possible influence was the Dark Angel television show, in which an actor from Supernatural played a character with feline DNA, and female characters experienced heat cycles. The first stories recognized as A/B/O were published in mid-2010. A writing prompt on a LiveJournal community for Supernatural mentioned "alpha" males with a physical feature called a knot and "bitch males" without it. This inspired a story titled I Ain't No Lady, But You'd Be the Tramp, which focused on actors Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as an Alpha and an Omega. Though it did not use the word "omega," the story introduced many elements later associated with the Omegaverse.

Over the next few months, other writers shared similar stories. On November 9, a new writing prompt first used the terms Alpha, Beta, and Omega, leading to three new works. By June 2011, the term "Omegaverse" and its themes became widely used. The following month, the first story combining Omegaverse themes with female-focused relationships (femslash) was published, and the first use of these ideas outside the Supernatural fandom was recorded.

The Omegaverse genre later became popular in other fan communities, including those centered on Sherlock and X-Men: First Class. It then spread to fans of Hannibal, Teen Wolf, Glee, Doctor Who, and the movie The Avengers. A Chinese translation of an A/B/O Sherlock fan fiction posted on the website Suiyuanju in October 2011 introduced Omegaverse themes to Chinese fan circles, where it influenced danmei original novels.

In 2012, the idea of "fated mates" was introduced. In 2014, the Omegaverse became popular in Japan, and in 2015, the first A/B/O manga was published. In 2016, the differences in power and status among Alphas, Betas, and Omegas were described, and the idea of a mark or bite that connects couples chemically and biologically was created. In 2018, the concept of the "inner wolf," an animal instinct that guides Alphas and Omegas, was introduced. A manga artist named Shinshi Nakai later tried to add a new character type called "Enigma" in Kanraku Alpha Enigma, but fans did not accept this idea, and it did not continue in the genre.

Reception and analysis

Omegaverse has become very popular and debated among fans. Some people say it supports ideas that favor men over women and a culture where unwanted sexual acts are not respected, because it has roots in stories about animals and unequal power between genders. Others like how it explores body and gender roles, providing a different view on queer identity and challenges faced by people.

Scholars have different opinions. Some think it shows old ideas about gender and includes elements that support traditional views on sexuality, while others see it as related to transgender experiences. Delgado Díaz, Ubillus Breña, and Cappello believe it isn’t connected to theories about gender identity or being transgender, even though it has stories about women’s roles. In these stories, characters called Omegas, who can be male or female, often act like traditional housewives and mothers, but these roles are only used as settings for stories about drama or horror.

Researcher Milena Popova says the A/B/O genre lets writers and readers explore topics like power, desire, and consent in different ways. She explains that it is used by writers and readers to discuss how consent works in unequal relationships. Similarly, Laura Campillo Arnaiz argues that dark Omegaverse stories help people deal with feelings of helplessness and shame, creating a way to release strong emotions.

Scholar Paige Hartenburg suggests the Omegaverse is linked to LGBTQ+ trauma and stories that try to fix problems. She says it shows how queerness affects the body and how traditional views respond to efforts to control stories. She also notes that while the genre has issues with ideas that favor men, it reflects challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities and the changing relationship between queer fans and mainstream creators.

Angie Fazekas wrote that in the Omegaverse, fans use traditional ideas about gender and sexuality to imagine a world where queer relationships are normal and traditional roles are often changed. However, she points out that these stories mostly focus on relationships between white men, which limits their progressiveness.

Impact

The Omegaverse became very popular in 2017 and was often used by fan fiction writers. By July 2018, more than 39,000 Omegaverse fan works had been shared on AO3, and by 2023, over 165,000 had been published. In addition to these stories based on the Omegaverse, it has grown into its own type of original commercial erotic fiction. Around 200 Omegaverse novels were sold on Amazon between January and June 2020. The Omegaverse has also become a subgenre of both commercial and non-commercial yaoi (a type of manga that features male-male relationships). Because of its popularity in Japan, South Korea began creating its own Omegaverse manhwas (a type of comic), and China also started producing Omegaverse stories, though strict rules in China have limited how widely the genre is shared.

In 2017, a subgenre called the "Dom/Sub Universe" became popular, especially in Japanese yaoi works. This subgenre uses themes involving power and control, with dominant and submissive roles acting as secondary genders. It is inspired by the Omegaverse in its portrayal of social classes. In the "Cakeverse," a small part of the human population is divided into "forks," who cannot taste anything, and "cakes," who have a unique flavor that makes them very appealing to "forks."