So, this is not D&D or even tabletop related. I'm going to call this page "worldbuilding" and put it in the same category, though.
This should go without saying but I'm going to be talking about weird sex here. Be warned.
table of contents/to do list
Short answer: because it's fun and I like thinking about weird subjects way too seriously. Also I dont agree with how omegaverse "science" is written sometimes. So I might as well make my own!
The longer answer is that I think this would be a fascinating thing if taken beyond a framework for porn. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with that! Sometimes a piece of worldbuilding only exists to facilitate the plot (or porn) and that's perfectly fine. But I can't stop thinking what a version of omegaverse would look like if taken completely seriously. What are the natural consequences of these worldbuilding decisions? Is there a way this could work in a semi-scientific way?
Look, I think that would be cool! So here we are. This will be a mostly serious description of a way omegaverse could work, with biological and societal implications. Also, my own aesthetic and practical preferences.
Before I can get into how Lunellum's Omegaverse (tm tm tm) works, we need to get into what the fandom think omegaverse is. I will be ignoring of modifying some of these aspects, and I'll tell you why when we get there.
What is omegaverse, according to fandom (an incomplete but hopefully complete enough list:
This section was hard to write. I have some complicated feelings on gender in general, and additional thoights about gender in an omegaverse setting.
When taken in one of its most stripped down, original slash fic, sex/porn based ways, there are only two genders that matter in omegaverse: alpha men and omega men. The romance and sex exists between two men, except there is added biology-based kink and pregnancy. They have biological urges that simply cannot be denied or resisted, and that translate to character traits. In this way, omegaverse is very bio-essentialist, just not in a way that exists in tbe real world.
Of course, this is not the only (or even currently the most popular) version of omegaverse, but the bio-essentialist aspects tend to persist. Alphas are strong, intimidating, physically large, and penetrate. Omegas are small, timid, always bottoming. (Betas are just sort of normal guys, but that's not their fault.) Women are (unless you're reading femslash) often an afterthought. I've read fics where women can't be alphas at all, they're all omegas by default. Trans people... well, it's complicated. More on that later.
In the worst kind of omegaverse fics, it feels like reading an incredibly sexist gender-essentialist rape fantasy, except they're all different kinds of men. (Alphas, of course, are the best kind.)
I don't like this. In fact, I kind of loathe it. I'm not opposed to some freaky power dynamics, kinky sex or lust-driven non-con, as evidenced by the fact that I still like omegaverse, but I prefer it not to be quite so... binary.
There is an argument to be made that the trope of heat suppressants (and less subtly named hormone therapy) is a trans allegory. This omega wants to be an alpha, and is taking matters into their own hands. But often, the reluctant omega still ends up mated happily to an alpha, one way or another. Sometimes the "misbehaving" is is considered faulty and has to be taught to love themselves as they are by a kind alpha. It feels unsatisfying, or straight up transphobic.
Fics that lack the more extreme of these faults can still feel lacking. They've rejected the extreme biological determinism but are still operating in the same basic system, just a slightly kinder one. One where women and trans people and kind, non-agressive alphas are allowed to exist. But it's the same system.
It feels as if we're not taking this concept far enough, instead staying in the safe harbour of mostly conventional gendered tropes. A little bit edgy (gay men who can get pregnant, animalistic urges), but not enough to challenge the gendered assumptions inherent in the fiction, or even our society.
(Yes, I did take some gender studies classes in uni.)
So, now that I've hopefully explained why I have some issues with the omegaverse and what they are, what am I going to do about it?
You see, there are also a lot of opportunities when it comes to digging deeper into omegaverse. Let's really get into the implications of having more than two genders and what that means for transness. Let's dig into women who can impregnate men and how that changes what it might mean to decouple womenhood from the stereotypically nurturing motherhood.
Let's go!
Trying to figure out how omegaverse could work in a scientific of biological sense is tricky because we're working backwards from an outward expression in a kink context, written about in the societal and biological context of, well, us. This world. In this world, a man who goes into heat and gets pregnant from another man through anal sex isn't generally a thing. In order to keep to the "aesthetic" and core defining traits of omegaverse, we're going to have to make shit up.
From here on out, I'll be phrasing things as fact. Keep in mind it's just my own personal Lunellum's Omegaverse (tm tm tm). Keep in mind also that I'm not a biologist or geneticist or anything. My goal here is to describe something that makes logical sense, I will not be going into details about genetics.
General terminology note: I will use the term "sex" when talking about biological categories and "gender" when talking about identity and societal categories.
And finally: nature is messy. In this hypothetical omegaverse, these are just guidelines.
Omegaverse biology is similar to real human biology in the sense that we would visually recognise all (or most) of the constituent parts as something that we also have, if maybe not in that configuration. Biologically, hormonally and genetically though, it works very differently.
All individuals in omegaverse have two sets of genitals located vertically above one another, the expression of which is determined by genetic and hormonal factors during gestation and later during puberty. The urethra is alwys connected to a developed set of genitals. If both sets are developed, it is almost always connected to the top set of genitals. They also all have pheromone glands located along certain major lymph nodes (neck, armpits, groin).
In utero, the two sets of genitals start out identical and have the potential to develop into either set of mature genitals, or remain vestigial. Vestigial organs have no further reproductive function and usually remain internal. Which set of genitals develops in which way is determined genetically. Omegaverse humans have a similar chromosomal strucyure as humans, with what I will call X and Y chromosomes, with the X chromosome determining whether a vagina/uterus/fallopian tubes set develops and the Y chromosone determining whether the penis/gonad set develops.
The most common genotypes abd pre-puberty ohenotypes are:
Variations in these are possible (for example XXY, which would manifest as the same ohenottpe as XY) but are usually considered intersex conditions. They will often manifest as one of the above phenotypes but there are exceptions.
One of these is where neither set will fully develop. These individuals will often be infertile and may need medical intervention to be able to urinate. Another is when both sets of genitals develop the same way, so two vagina sets or two penis sets. These phenotypes are usually less fertile and oregnancy will be very risky.
As always, nature is complicated and makes infinite variations.
The differentiation into alpha/beta/omega and development of secondary sexual traits happens in two stages when the hormonal makeup of the body changes.
During first puberty, most of the physical changes are set into motion. This starts on average between the ages of 10 and 12 years old, and is considered complete when second puberty starts.
Second puberty starts on average between 17 and 20 years old and is faster and more unpredictable than first puberty. It lasts an average of six months to a year, though has been known to last 6 or 7 years in rare cases. During second puberty the changes from first puberty are finished and sexual maturation is triggered. The pheromone glands of alphas and omegas activate and they get their first rut/heat respectively. Betas have a milder second puberty with weaker or no pheromones and no rut or heat. All roles will become able to procreate during second puberty. Others will also be able to discern an individual's role by pheromones and scent starting with second puberty.
Just like humans, omegaverse humans have a multitude of hormone combinations, the most influential groupings being alpha hormones and omega hormones.
The most common combinations of chromosomal and genetic aspects are:
As with pre-pubery genotypes and expression, there are exceptions and variations. These may be considered intersex conditions or fly under the radar. For example, an individual with YY and alpha hormones who would otherwise develop into an alpha male might have an insensitivity to certain alpha hormones and develop into a beta male instead.