Is Omegaverse a dirty word now?

[queentrashmuffin]

So I have heard a lot about omegaverse over the last couple of months and a lot of it brings with it a lot negative connotations! I just wanted to open up another thread to discuss the topic and how other feel about the sub-genre! What is good about the genre? What can also be bad about the genre (personally I am not a big fan of non-con or dub-con for pretty obvious reasons)?

This is also a safe space to promote your own omegaverse (or loosely inspired) novels!

Mine is below and is loosely inspired by the genre in that is has the same hierarchical system (although even that is loosely inspired at best):

The Assassin Omega | Tapas

[YaoiParadise]

I got pretty pissed about how omegaverse stories took the usual trope of the boy on the receiving end always being a whre if he actually wants to have sex, and the romantic portrayl of noncon makes me angry. I also don't like that the alpha can be an abusive pos in general (emotionally, physically, over the top controlling and just generally a horrible human being) and that's somehow supposed to be attractive.
I do like the aspect that can be played of how someone's sexuality can be empowering, though, and I ended up writing a sort-of-omegaverse (which has gotten entirely out of hand 🤣)
https://tapas.io/series/Blood-Moon1

Never fails to amuse me how I still scoff at the omegaverse genre as a whole even though I'm kind of writing one.

[queentrashmuffin]

I haven't read your book yet, so I will definitely have to check it out!

I feel you on a lot of the topics that you mentioned! Romanticized non-con and abusive alpha tropes are really the first thing that turn me away from the genre as a whole. Sadly, I think that a lot of the bigger writers who use these tropes are kind of giving the genre a bad name, when a lot of really good books fall into the genre.

I never thought I would write a novel that fell into the genre, only really seeing myself as a casual reader, but then I had a dream and was like "welp, now I have to write about it" lol

[DesiredUsernameTaken]

I've never been part of the omegaverse, but I do like the concept of werewolves. Romances are fine, too, but when a character is specifically an a$$hat because they are part werewolf, it grates on my nerves. I love the heck out of animals.

I always found it strange that we act as though it's the wolf part that will make us lose control of ourselves. Humans are animals too, and many of us lose control, or know those who do so on a regular basis. Pinning the worst aspects of one's character--the violence, the possessiveness--on the wolf part of one's nature, is disrespectful to the wolf, and to the human by coddling the idea of a human.

The alpha/beta/omega pack hierarchy in wolves has also long been under debate, and may even be completely fictional, or misunderstood. The researcher who introduced the term even tried to clear up the misconceptions but they still prevail. The research was also done on wolves in captivity, where they behave differently. In the wild, wolf packs are generally an actual family. The "alphas" are just parents. No one calls the child in a human family the "beta child", 'cause that would be weird. Same dynamic with wild wolves.

At the same time, I can understand why, even if a writer knows all of this, they may still stick with the usual. A werewolf who has trouble with their "two natures" is a ripe situation for conflict--that's just making good use of what you've got. I do think it's a neat situation, and that fiction does not always have to reflect reality (it's even better when it doesn't try to reflect too much of it!), but wolves get a real bad rep. People hold them up as some symbol of supreme masculinity. They're actually kinda huge cuddle bugs and they whine a lot and they bug their parents all the time.

I'd LOVE a good werewolf story with a werewolf who's execution is respectful to both sides.

Edit: To address the question in the title, I don't know about "dirty word" but I guess it's tainted in some way. It springs to mind all of the drama surrounding the subject, and "werewolf romance" always springs to mind an abusive alpha man who tames a "wild mate" or claims some shy beautiful woman. I try to not to judge stories based off of what another one has done, and give each one a chance, based off of itself (keyword: try).

[queentrashmuffin]

You bring up some really good points! I am also a huge animal lover (so much so that I originally studied biology in college in the hopes of eventually getting a zoology degree, before turning to business and psychology). I feel like psychologically, the creation of werewolves (besides the actual physical presence of hypertrichosis, which is another strongly misunderstood and completely neglected topic) is human's projecting their bad behavior onto a more animal side of them (wolves are just the general projected animals). There are some cases where human have gone as far to claim themselves werewolves and use that as a defense for murder.

You also make a great point about the hierarchy system, which has been relatively disproven in actual wolf populations, as you pointed out! I think the hierarchical system, while possibly stemmed from misunderstanding, also was created as a social ideology. It has always seemed more human than animal to me.

It could also be pointed out that Omegaverse has its major starts in the homoerotic fiction/fanfiction and most were written by straight women who fantasized about gay men. I think this is also where the whole dom/sub position that most omegaverse novels are grounded in, since a lot of straight people (and even a lot of gay people) are under the belief that in queer relationships there has to be a dominate individual and a passive individual. It goes in line with the whole "so who's the bottom and who's the top or who is the boy and who is the girl" in a queer relationship. (This was mostly in response to your edit)

[shfra13]

I'm not sure whether omegaverse is a dirty word or not now, but there are a lot of stigma in it which.... is understandable, to say the least. Though, I personally have a long history of love-hate relationship with the genre (lol).

I'm a sucker for soulmate stories, so the fated pair aspect always gets me hooked. I unironically kind of like the marking/biting too. Feeling that they trust each other so much that they created an unbreakable bond is something I enjoy to read. So, in theory, I don't mind the trope much... except for how each hierarchy is portrayed, I guess.

The stories, however, not so much.

Don't get me wrong. There are some omegaverse stories that I unironically love; ones that make my heart clench and feel comfortable and soft and all that. However, their percentage is closer to zero compared to.... the other side of the trope....

A lot of omegaverse stories use the dynamic of bossy and power-abusing alpha and a meek, helpless omega. An alpha being portrayed as superior shouldn't have mean that an omega is inferior I mean, if an alpha is supposed to be superior in looks, strength, brain, whatever, sure, you do you. But what does it have to do with making an omega inferior? And like, being an alpha isn't personality trait, so why do a lot of omegaverse need to follow the same textbook alpha character with exactly the same personality? It's annoying that the trope becomes a free pass for dub-con and non-con storyline. Like.... do better, I guess...?

That was kind of why, when I was tempted to finally write my own omegaverse (psshh excuse the link drop https://m.tapas.io/series/A-Call-for-Happiness), I vowed to create a supportive and caring alpha, who's very soft and is the sappy romantic one in the relationship. Omegaverse could use some more good stories tbh.

[queentrashmuffin]

Thank you for dropping the link! I have subscribed to check it out! I totally agree and when I first conceived my own novel in the trope, I wanted my characters to feel different then the typical trope. That is why my main Omega character is an assassin who starts out more passive, but is also strong willed. My alpha character, as I have written him so far, is also more passive in general. He is still a pack leader, but he is more down to earth.

[ShoresofAcadie]

I actually really enjoy a lot of omegaverse stories, especially the creative or unconventional ones, but the non-con aspects of the genre can be incredibly cringey. I realize that to a certain extent, it's about being kinky (and if that's your sexual fantasy, no judgment!), but the romantization of rape/abuse/violence as love is just...really...troubling sometimes.

I am actually working on an omegaverse fiction right now that focuses on subverting/calling attention to some of the negative tropes/stereotypes that can make omegaverse less palatable for readers. Among other things:

• No rape/sexual abuse. So far the story hasn't had any explicitly sexy scenes, but when we get there, it will be consensual stuff only.

• A lot of the plot of the story focuses around Omegas leaving (and healing from) relationships that were abusive or unhealthy.

• The main couple features an inversion of the typical Alpha-Omega dynamic. The Alpha (Raf) struggles with societal expectations that require him to be a hyper-masculine/dominant personality type when that's really not who he is, while the Omega (Dante) is an intelligent but jaded therapist who is trying to put his life back together after things didn't work out with his bonded mate.

If that sounds at all interesting and you'd like to check the story out, the link is below!

Unmarked Hearts | Tapas

[ShoresofAcadie]

I saw your story was featured recently - congrats on that!

It's on my list to check out.

[queentrashmuffin]

I have already subscribed and look forward to reading!!!!

[DesiredUsernameTaken]

I feel like psychologically, the creation of werewolves (besides the actual physical presence of hypertrichosis, which is another strongly misunderstood and completely neglected topic) is human's projecting their bad behavior onto a more animal side of them

Hey, if we'll never know for sure, that sounds like a pretty good educated guess. Projection is a time-old thing of ours.

I've always wanted to get into zoology, and psychology! I need to figure out where to fit it into my life.

while possibly stemmed from misunderstanding, also was created as a social ideology. It has always seemed more human than animal to me.

I feel like the simplicity of it is also alluring. It's not something anyone has to think about too hard--when you hear it, the idea clicks right away, and sticks (same thing with the idea of evolution and the misconception that every single quality about an organism 'made it for a reason').

It could also be pointed out that Omegaverse has its major starts in the homoerotic fiction/fanfiction and most were written by straight women who fantasized about gay men. I think this is also where the whole dom/sub position that most omegaverse novels are grounded in, since a lot of straight people (and even a lot of gay people) are under the belief that in queer relationships there has to be a dominate individual and a passive individual. It goes in line with the whole "so who's the bottom and who's the top or who is the boy and who is the girl" in a queer relationship. (This was mostly in response to your edit)

I didn't know about omegaverse history, so that's interesting! It would make a lot of sense of how the werewolf genre became what it did. I never thought of how many straight women may be the ones writing about gay men for their fantasies.

Aside from the portrayal of wolves and all, I think werewolf fiction has the same problems a lot of romance within fiction--be it the Romance genre, or a romance element in another genre--has. Especially YA that borders NA stuff. I think that's slowly starting to change. Toxic relationships are often called out in stories, and then addressed in some way or another, on a much more frequent and public basis than before. I think someday the omegaverse will be known for its cooler aspects, and the interesting ways in which a relationship can be explored through supernatural dynamics

[indagold]

I have no idea what this is still. It's like chad x virgin meme but they're werewolves?

[Zin_Trollborn]

I didn't read a lot of it, but to be honest I always took omegaverse stories as dystopia
I mean, omega characters and alpha ones have it so bad to be totally slaves of their own primal needs. I know it's probably a fetish related to BDSM relationship (and mostly portrayed in a toxic way) but I'm more interested in the lore of the stories than this side.

[Kina]

Personally, I'm not a fan of omegaverse. I read just a few books that I actually finished and gave them a chance, to begin with. I can't stand happy abusive, and toxic relationships that often happened there. Also, I dislike being dependant and behaving immaturely by a lot of 'omegas'. It's my personal preference, though. I really enjoyed a few books where the lower rank broke the stereotypes and fought for themself, that was admirable, and I root for them all the way. In werewolf books, I search for the same aspects with strong low-rank characters. But mostly where the universe doesn't divide society, and they are equal.

[darthmongoose]

From the perspective of somebody like me with zero interest in it who has never interacted with the community, my perception of Omegaverse is that it's like... the most uncomfortable stuff I don't like about yaoi (dubcon, enforced dominant masculine role and submissive feminine role) combined with all the stuff I find a bit cringe about some parts of the furry community (weird fantasy "wolf behaviour" projected onto humans, bestiality, people all sniffing each other and stuff but it's meant to be taken seriously). Like no shade on furries, they seem like nice people, but I'm sure even they should understand that that's an acquired taste. I don't find the thought of smelly wet dogs sexually appealing myself.
It's the perfect storm of "wow... this is embarrassing AND problematic AND it's another genre that's all about dudes all the time? Colour me as disinterested as somebody could be."

[Eiranyx]

I am someone who actually explores a lot in a particular genre and sub genres so pretty much I don't choose what to read based on the genre(though I may have a few favourites lol)
Omegaverse -- yes it doesn't have a very good 'reputation' for a lot of individual but this is my unbiased perspective regarding it:
What I don't like about it though is that usually, the common 'rules' that makes it omegaverse aren't explored of the other possibilities enough and therefore always ends up with stories that are non-con/dubcon and still viewed as something 'romantic'. because of that, it creates a 'stereotype' and impression that omegaverse sub genre is ALWAYS non-con/dub-con and NEVER consensual when IT CAN BE consensual and still be sexy at the same time exploring different kinks that one may put in it, but whether this can only happen will be solely be depending on the writers creativity in their plot or their world building.
Another one to take note is how the hierarchy is usually portrayed - like an alpha is always meant to be on top and the omegas are always either of the two extremes: are treated as a sexual object and shunned by the society or are treated as a treasure meant to be protected but reserved for the alpha and therefore still treated as an object -- rare are those stories wherein an omega chose their path. The betas on the other hand are always treated as the normal one no matter what they do and usually not someone special, think of it as someone with potential but tend to be not acknowledge because society deems them as not enough or because 'an alpha must not be surpassed.

What's good about the genre is the potential of how flexible it can be to suit a particular story or how can you integrate it in a theme -- I say potential because so far, I've only come across a very few stories that diverts from the norm (like the stories that don't have the usual setting that an alpha and an omega just got together because 'the heat' affected them and they fall in love things like that)
Another reason is because their concept of soulmate or the fated pair gets me hooked with it lol -- and I'm a sucker for 'a love that is meant to be'

Also because the concept of soulmate and fated pair has a lot of unexplored things like will their bond still be applicable in their next life if the world in that story has the concept of reincarnation?
If both of them are reborn, and in their last life they are fated , will that bond still be applicable even after being reborned? what will happen if the other half of the fated pair outlive the other?-- things like that

And because of the things that are not usually explored, I decided to create one that can break these common stereotypes.
I thought I was crazy for putting together Vampires, Omegaverse and Magic in my current work but I was glad that I went through it because my readers actually find the world interesting - even to those who are new to omegaverse

The thought of having a seme that whose reputation was so flawed yet turned out to be respectful towards the uke in an omegaverse sub genre was the best decision I went for when creating the characters -- the readers hated him at first in the story because they thought everything was orchestrated by him but it turned out he's not( and that's what I'm going for) -- was very refreshing for the readers too.

The start may be cliche but as they read through it, they are shocked by how the plot twist into something they least expected and because of that the readers tend to ask particular questions like:
How can the main lead, an alpha, was able to have so much self-control in face of the main character's heat?
How can two individual posses exactly the same scent especially if that someone is someone who is already dead?
Since this is a world where vampires, and human are coexisting, what will happen if an individual's soul-bond is a vampire? will the vampire outlive their fated pair or their lives will be connected?
If marking always happens around the neck and vampires usually bit the neck of their preys, how will that work when they need blood? (this is actually the easiest to answer)

And the things that they can look forward to:
- A respectful seme
- A bad ass uke
- Past plays a huge role to the present
- Equal relationship dynamic/power couple -- yes the omega and alpha there works side by side
- interesting side characters
- an alpha x beta pair
- slow-burn romance (struggle of instincts vs feelings coming to terms with it)
- and the best: PLOT, detailed plot

Here's my work if you're interested (though, I would say currently, I can only upload the preview of the recent chapters because of my contract)

Day Until Night | Tapas

[shfra13]

@queentrashmuffin Thank you for subscribing! Our character dynamics are pretty similar lol. My omega character is also strongwilled and rather hot-headed, while the alpha is a lot gentler and down to earth.

@ShoresofAcadie Thank you so much for checking my story, too! I really appreciate it

[bickazer]

I share a lot of the same feelings about Omegaverse as everyone else; there's a lot of potential in it but too often it ends up as a mess of romanticized noncon and tired stereotypes. I also find that the whole alpha/omega fated mates thing is often used as a crutch to get two characters who would otherwise have nothing to do with each other together. Even if they start off strangers or hate each other or one rapes the other, they ~have~ to be together because of their instincts and bond or whatever. Idk that just doesn't sit well with me. In general I'm not a fan of biological determinism in any way, shape, or form. I feel like I've read so many stories where a feisty omega just needs to find the ~right~ alpha to ~tame~ him and I am just not down with it.

On the other hand, there is something about Omegaverse that deeply intrigues me. I gues because the setting is so horrifically dystopic to me I'm really intrigued by unconventional/subversive takes on it? People rebelling against the roles that other people chose for them or were decided by "fate" is one of my favorite tropes, and Omegaverse is the perfect setting to explore that kind of thing.

So yeah, I basically wrote my sort-of Omegaverse story to subvert a lot of the typical tropes. I say sort-of because the terms are different and there's none of the furry/mpreg stuff (which sorry, just isn't my jam). But the basic core of it involves a system where the roles are rigidly defined and the characters have to struggle against them. The protagonist is completely unsure about his identity but pretends to be an alpha, while his love interest seems like the perfect submissive omega but is actually an ambitious, power-hungry schemer (he would probably qualify as a villain in a more traditional story, tbh, but messing with hero/villain tropes is also tons of fun). And there's magic and court politics and all that fun stuff. Here's the link if you wanna check it out:

Our Secret Storm - Part 1: Alone | Tapas

[djourner]

This is a term I had seen before but never looked into.
I now need to consider wether or not my story fits this too xD

[MShadowlawn]

To me, kind of, yes. But that's coming from someone who doesn't have very much interest in romance-style stories in general—but make no mistake, I'm kind of a sucker for werewolves in general. Perhaps it's actually because I like werewolves so much that Omegaverse stuff tends to piss me off—aside from the usually garbage-tier writing quality that seems to plague the genre. I mean, a vast array of the tropes in Omegaverse fiction with regards to how the werewolves operate are in direct conflict with not only how we understand wolves to operate in real life, but also actively defy common sense and evolutionary biology.

My annoyance with the genre actually got to the point where I formed a story concept in my head that's basically explicitly anti-Omegaverse, where all the crap about predetermined mates for life and alpha/beta/omega hierarchies turn out to be misconceptions believed by the majority of werewolves because they collectively drifted so far from their roots and origins.

Will I actually get around to writing that story? Probably not, but maybe one day.