Leonel Rimi

What is the omegaverse? The Omegaverse is, in essence, a subgenre of BL with a system of social classes or “second gender” divided between alphas, betas and omegas. In this way, there is not only the biological differentiation between men and women, which allows pregnancy regardless of the sex of the person. In reality, there is no clear idea of ​​when, or how, this new branch of BL began. Although its boom began with the Anglo-Saxon fanfics of series such as “Supernatural” or “Teen Wolf” in the early 2010s. The genre quickly spread through websites and soon reached the world of manga. In Japan, its boom came from the hand of Sex Pistols, the work of Tarako Kotobuki, due to its similarity to the structure of the genre. The Omegaverse, as such, is based on wolf packs, not only because of the alpha/beta/omega hierarchy system, but also because of animal characteristics, or even anthropomorphic animals. The main problem when establishing the rules of how this universe works is that there is no established canon. Yes, there are certain elements that all stories share, but, since they do not have a clear origin, everything depends on the author's interpretation. For this reason, one of the most important anthologies of the genre, “Omegaverse Project” has created a guide to general aspects so that everything can be understood better. The images in this article are, in fact, the work of this anthology.

A world of hierarchies The society of the Omegaverse is divided into three main hierarchies: the Alphas, the Betas, and the Omegas. Each of these sections has unique characteristics, as well as a social position. But not only that, they also change the proportion of people in each hierarchy. As you can see in the diagram, the society follows a rhombus structure: Alphas are at the top of society, representing 20% ​​of the population. They are usually high-ranking politicians, businessmen, famous personalities and, ultimately, those who move the world and influence the rest. After these, there are the betas. These are the majority of society, and they are the closest to a “normal person”. They do not have any special characteristics related to pheromones. And, finally, there are the omegas, the last link. These are barely 10% of the population, and due to their constitution they are usually rejected and set aside since they depend on the alphas. Their personalities are also marked by their social position. Because, due to their higher status, alphas tend to be haughty, arrogant, and tend to have proud and classist behaviors; while omegas are the opposite. Betas do not usually have as strong a character as the other two, so it depends on the flow of the story (it should be noted that this is nothing more than the stereotype, and everything can change depending on the author's interpretation)

Jealousy, pheromones and other problems The omegaverse is heavily inspired by animal behavior. As mentioned before, there is a clear influence from wolf packs. This can be seen in the differentiation of hierarchies, in which alpha and omega couples are for life or in mating cycles. But there is also an influence from the beehive system. This is where pheromones and the very special characteristics of alphas and omegas come into play. The heat period is fundamental when explaining the unions between alphas and omegas (betas are not affected by pheromones). The number of periods or the regularity of these periods is entirely up to the author's interpretation, although there are unitary characteristics for all the works. During heat, omegas produce a series of hormones and bodily fluids that attract alphas, just as the queen bee attracts the others. During these periods, the omegas' libido shoots up to its maximum, and they desperately seek the attention of an alpha with whom they can have relations. This is because, during heat (which usually lasts about 7 days) the omega is at its most fertile.

In heat, omegas are unable to do almost anything. Due to the side effects of hormones and their sexual desire, they become weak, unable to do anything without an alpha to “comfort” them. They cannot go outside, because if they do, they attract all the alphas who are near them. Unlike omegas, jealousy does not weaken alphas, but rather the opposite. They become extremely violent and territorial, so if they found an omega they would be completely out of their minds. In order to help omegas who do not have, or do not want to have, an alpha to spend their heat with, there are inhibitors. These are medications specifically created for omegas (although there is also a counterpart for alphas), created from the hormones of alphas, which serve to calm the instincts of heat. The effectiveness of inhibitors varies depending on the person, and in the same way their side effects, since some may be allergic or may not have any effect at all. The most common are usually pills that are taken daily, or injections, for the most critical cases or in desperate situations. Everyone can have children To understand why omegas are rejected, you first have to understand their physiology. Omegas have a unique characteristic: regardless of their biological sex, they can conceive children. This is because their reproductive organs are not the same as those of humans. As you can see in the image, alphas have a kind of protuberance on their penis (again influenced by wolves) that allows them to “knot” with their partner, to ensure fertilization. On the other hand, the clitoris of women has evolved to obtain a shape similar to that of a penis. In the case of alpha women, they can fertilize omega men.

Omegas can only be fertilized by alphas, regardless of the sex of either member of the couple. In addition, it should be noted that omegas are much more fertile than the rest of the hierarchies. Betas, on the other hand, can only reproduce among themselves, and only women can conceive children.

Alphas and omegas, much more than a simple relationship As you can see, all the gears of the omegaverse are essentially based on the union between alphas and omegas. Not only because of the dependence of the omega on the alpha in terms of heat, but because, anatomically, the omegas have been designed to depend on the alphas in every aspect of their lives. In fact, there is the so-called “alpha voice” through which they dictate an order that the omegas, upon hearing it, are unable to disobey. While it is true that the main function of heat is reproduction, this is not its only use. If during heat, an alpha bites an omega on the neck, a bond is created between them. This is unbreakable and will unite the two members of the couple in a bond until the death of the other. For alphas this does not mean any change, however, for omegas it means a 180º turn in their daily life. The first feature is the end of the period of pheromones so characteristic of heat. They will still be present, but they will only affect their alpha (with whom they are linked). Likewise, the heat will be much less strong, and in the case that it was irregular, it would become normal. But this is not the only novelty, they will also be able to sense their partner, and although it does not happen in all the stories, in the case of one of them dying, the other would also die. To avoid unwanted bonds, omegas often wear specific collars that protect them from bites. Although these can also be used to identify omegas. Bonds are usually created between lovers, but there may be cases of “destined couples”. It is believed to be a legend because it is extremely difficult to occur, but it can happen that an alpha and an omega are linked by destiny. Their hormones are so extremely compatible with each other that, upon perceiving each other, they automatically fall in love, and are unable to live without each other.