The Omegaverse

I decided to write this post today based on a question I came across on a Reddit thread that simply asked: Are there actually any good Omegaverse stories out there in manga? In short, based on the rules of the Omegaverse, yes. I'll be attaching more reviews to this post as I read them.

I stumbled upon the Omegaverse purely through top-rated BL lists. I was not familiar with the Western usage of Omegaverse in erotic fiction (which admittedly, I do not read) nor am I a big sci-fi or fantasy reader. That said, my S.O. is a huge fan of world-building and we are both lit nerds, so I have really come to appreciate the idea that there are rules to a world and you just have to follow them - even if they're non-sensical. Additionally, I do love to think of content and art as an ongoing conversation, where you get to see how different artists interpret an idea (think of an art class where they're all painting the same thing - and yet everyone comes out differently. Love that.)

A reminder: that I also see media as a reflection of society and the psychology of the creator people!

INTRODUCTION TO THE OMEGAVERSE

For those of you who are familiar, move on. For those not, but for some reason are intrigued, let me give you a crash course of some basic rules (these fluctuate a bit based on the writer's interpretation):

In addition to male and female there are additional sex assignments (though these are regarded as "gender" in many works - this is a conflation between sex and gender that is rampant in the Omegaverse. I have used "sex" here because it refers to sex organs).

• Alphas: They make up usually about 10-15% of society and are the elites. They are great at everything and have superior genes to everyone else. When they come into contact with an Omega's heat, they may go into a rut or lose their minds to the urge to reproduce/have sex with said Omega. I did not make up these rules.

• Betas: Essentially you and me. They make up the majority of the population and are simply the humans that we see every day in reality. In some interpretations, Betas can also be sensitive to an Omega's heat.

• Omegas: They are the tiniest slice of the population. They go through a monthly or quarterly heat cycle in which they lose their minds to their body craving sex to be impregnated (oooof). Male Omegas almost always can also get pregnant. They face discrimination and are often hated by the other two sexes because of how "disrupted" their heat cycle can be. As a result, they tend to be of the lowest class given that it is hard for them to find work. It also should be noted that in many interpretations the sexual assault of an Omega can be excused because they didn't control their heat AND those who assaulted the Omega can press charges against them for the same reason.

• Bonding: Alphas bite the nape of an Omega's neck in order to make them their mate. As a result, the Omega only releases pheromones during their heat that attract their mate - making life easier once they are paired. There is also the idea of "fated pairs" which occurs when a fated Omega and Alpha meet and immediately feel an immense attraction (sometimes love) to one another.

REFLECTION ON EXPANDED GENDER & SEX:

At first glance, the idea of expanding the sexes is interesting because you end up with male omegas who ultimately face many of the challenges that women in reality face: sexual discrimination, the threat of assault, classification as a "temptress", etc. In fact in many of their afterwards authors will acknowledge that they wanted to explore this.

And while they are right, many interpretations miss the mark (also the demographic for these stories is overwhelmingly female, which leaves me feeling like, "so what, we know"). To be clear, I don't have too many issues with the concept, just the execution. An entire new world has been constructed and yet the same gender and sex-based biases run rampant. Personally, I think if there were an instance where males had children, well I think the care of pregnant people and birth would be much better, but that's a rant for another day.

For today, I'll boil down my rant to two main points:

1. Imposition of female stereotypes/societal roles: The individual who is on the receiving/surrounding end of sex (i.e. female or a bottom) takes on the responsibility of carrying children (even if it is a world where everyone can get pregnant), stands to be a victim of sexual violence due to their body being "too tempting", are often the ones labeled "Mommy" and assigned other labels often attached to women, and often bear the primary responsibility of caring for the home and children while being protected by their alpha.
   

2. Validity of a relationship based on reproduction: This is a point that really irks me the most. While it may seem incredibly progressive to have various types of first-sex pairings such as same-sex couples, the compatibility of all of these couples is solely based on their reproductive capabilities most of the time (there are exceptions). While this irks me, my media brain finds this to be so fascinating and spot on for a society like Japan where the lack of acknowledgment of same-sex couples has nothing to do with religion, like it does in other parts of the world. It isn't said in so many words legislatively, but based on the constant highlighting in BL relationships that those two men will not be able to achieve the happiness of having children, and then the lack of this argument (and homophobia) in the Omegaverse where they can, and do, makes me think its entirely based on the idea that the ultimate goal of a relationship is to have children. Outside of BL, female alphas also regularly have the ability to impregnate an omega. Back to BL though, I am waiting for the day that there is a story of an omega (top) who falls for an alpha (bottom). We tend to continue to assign the "receiver" of sex as submissive and dismiss the idea that there is a lot of power in being in that position: 1) the receiver surrounds the giver 2) the giver becomes a part of the receiver's body, not the other way around - there is a lot of power in such acception. Still, I think the chances of me finding that story are slim, after all, it would go "against the nature" of the Omegaverse, and isn't that the same argument used against same-sex couples to begin with? That said - I DO believe that highlighting aspects of life by using another world is helpful to people because it removes them and allows them to see things more e objectively - something that I think BL does for its overwhelming female demographic in general, but more on that later. SO my one hope here is that people who have internalized the biases mentioned above find themselves questioning them (i.e. "why do I see receivers as temptresses", etc.). I am sure more qualified people than me could write (and have written) a dissertation on this - but the media studies geek in me is obsessed with this hypothesis/deduction, so I am sharing it here as a start.

DESTINY

This is something that is a recurring theme in the Omegaverse. The idea of whether or not one is owning up to their identity, whether they have a choice of who they fall in love with (re: fate pairs), and if they can choose their own happiness overall. The pieces that explore this theme tend to be my favorite.

The best example of this is a Beta who falls for an Alpha or an Omega, knowing that they have a fated pair out there possibly.

RECS TO GET YOU STARTED:

From left to right - please note these are all rated 18+ (Omegaverse started in erotica so....):

Kiraide Isasete (Hate Me, Let Me Be Here) by Hijiki

The Second Alpha by Shibue Yofune

Kouguu no Omega by Tsuyuhisa Fumi

THE WRAP-UP:

In any case, the above are going to be themes I'll continue to touch upon during my reviews of various Omegaverse stories. Alrighty - that's enough for now...happy reading!