Dominant, Strong, Powerful, Rich, Talented and Skillful. The protector, the provider. An alpha holds the room, or even the world on the palm of his hands; his mere presence or voice commanding or perhaps even demanding respect. Aside from his pheromones, an alpha is a natural born leader who sits at the top of any food chain, may it be the academic, societal, corporate ladder or romantic, platonic and familial setting.
Although the Alpha and Omega dynamic just involved the men at first, it sooner involved the women who typically can’t get pregnant (but can in some fiction). Both male and female alphas have a retractable member that have a knot at its base (it may be absent in females, some females also have only a small protrusion and a vagina).
Features:
Rut:
As defined by Merriam Webster, a rut is:
a periodic and often annually recurring state of certain male animals (such as deer or elk) during which behavior associated with the urge to breed is displayed
and this is precisely what the heat for an alpha is. It can be cyclical and can also be uncontrolled or triggered by an omega’s heat. It depends on how the fiction work is written and is also up to the author’s discretion, along with the degree of control, the aggressiveness, the level of arousal and the alpha’s general coherence, and will to dominate and breed in this state. In Kiss Me, Liar, Keith loses his memory after a rut. This is not true for all alpha however, but can be a great and convenient plot device.
Scent:
Alphas are typically described to smell of spices, they tend to have a masculine, musky and bold scent; in stark contrast to the fruity and sweet smell that most omega posses. An alpha’s heat can induce heat or arousal in omegas. In Kiss Me Liar for example, Yeon Woo can’t help but crawl to the floor as Keith’s pheromones and scent overwhelmed him. Other symptoms can include sweating and inability to concentrate. But there have been fictions showing that it can calm an omega, too.
Other Traits:
Disclaimer: Some of these maybe head canon but please bear in mind that the ABO dynamics and the omegaverse has always been up to the discretion of the author. So feel free to disagree with me on the comments section below. 🙂
Physical:
Alphas are naturally stronger, taller and have denser muscle mass. They can be intimidating and depending on the universe, won’t ever get sick. They are also incredibly handsome, muscular, and irresistible with more angular jaws, sharper and narrower eyes. Their eyes can flash red when angry or aroused. They are also able to scent an omega marking the omega as theirs as a warning to other alphas. The effect of the scent can either evoke arousal or can be calming to an omega depending on the world it’s written.
Good Traits:
- Stoic
- Determined
- Protective
- Proud
- Pack mentality
- Noble and has a strong sense of Honor
- Family-oriented
- Kindness to the weak
In short, picture an alpha wolf in human form. He leads the family and is protective of his omega or the betas under him. He is more pack-minded than the rest because it is in his nature to look after the pack, but he can also be written as aloof, depending on his background. It’s not set in stone. These are just some general guidelines.
Toxic Traits
- Overprotectiveness may cause problem
- Can be overbearing
- Can be too controlling
- Can get jealous too quickly
- Can sometimes be competitive
- May be more impulsive and reckless
Striking a balance between the alpha’s good and toxic traits is an important aspect because too much toxic trait can overwhelm and overpower other secondary genders like omega and beta (other sources also talk about delta and gamma and we’ll talk about them too in future articles.)
A favorite healthier source material for an alpha of mine is the Sasuke in Corporate Secrets, SasuNaru fanfiction by KizuKatana (See the Link for Corporate Secrets below if you’re interested).
A toxic alpha is patterned after Gu Yansheng from Black Lotus and some of Keith from Kiss Me, Liar.
The takeaway
Phew, that was more intensive than I thought. I’m sure I missed a few more features. I’ll edit this article soon if someone points out to it or if I encounter more sources pertaining to the Omegaverse world. This universe is vast and can sometimes have conflicting and divergent features. But this is how we’ll try to make sense of that world. If you have some examples or sources that show otherwise or support the date here, feel free to comment them in so I can include them. At any rate, stay tuned for more Alpha and Omega dynamics.
Resources
Corporate Secrets by KizuKatana : https://archiveofourown.org/works/9686639
Black Lotus Novel/Manga
Kiss Me, Liar
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