#theres also calling kids pups which ive thought was weird but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[crazywolf828]

I love your abo first, but some of the things that you write (like the nest one) kind of went over my head. So basically, my question is: where do I learn more about abo? I don't want to not understand what you, or anyone else who writes abo, is talking about

Oh boy what a question. Alright I'm going to put this under a read more because this got long and has nsfw technical talk

First off I want to say, this is my understanding, if you want broader terms you can just look at the wikis here and here

Alright with that out of the way let's get to the basics on how, most people, write/view abo.

The statuses are the main thing in the world, a hierarchy of sorts, with alpha's at the top, beta's in the middle, and omega's at the bottom (though some fics hold omega's to a high stature, something of a prize). I've never personally been a fan of this part of the trope, at least not pushed to some of the extremes I've seen, it can make consent a bit dubious not to mention like... Classism? That's not the right word, but one status thinking they're better than the others is...😬. It's also why a lot of fic writers tend to write the world normal, but some minor adjustments to fit the statuses to a minimal level to avoid all that.

Let's get the widely accepted definitions out of the way first

Alpha's- They're usually the dominant ones, the provider's, get the most respect in this universe. In most fics both male and female alpha's have penises and can impregnate omega's and betas, they also have knots on the end of the penis to uh, help ensure pregnancy let's say. They go into rut which basically just means for up to a week they want to do nothing but bang. They tend to get more dominant at this time and usually only have clear thoughts after orgasms. Some fics have them 'cycle' which just means that they get horny for a while before it goes away, enough they can eat, sleep, bathe, whatever, and then it comes back. That cycle happens for however long their rut is. Female alpha's can get a bit confusing because there's a couple ways people tend to write their genitals. I'd say the most common is where they have a vagina but when they get aroused the clit extends into a 'penis' that reverts back after, the other just has their genitals being a penis without a vagina. I have noticed they almost never have testicles though...

Beta's- they're basically just humans. Middle of the road, tend to be the labor workers of the universe. Most fics don't touch the topic of beta's because they are so similar to real life humans (and you clicked that fic for kinky shit lbr) the females can get pregnant and the males can impregnate.

Omega's- they're seen as submissive and are often looked down on as being lesser. They tend not to get jobs and are what you could equate to the old timey 'house wife' where they can't speak out of turn and all that sexist stuff. (Once again something I'm not a fan of and a lot of writers have moved away from) Omega's go into heat which, similar to rut, for a few days to a week all they want to do is bang. They tend to become more submissive during this time and only have a few moments of clear thoughts between orgasms. Some fics have them 'cycle' that cycle happens for however long their heat is. Both males and females are able to get pregnant and the males are... Self lubercating (the word slick has been ruined for me btw).

Mating bite/claiming bite- this usually happens when mates are having sex they'll both place a bite somewhere along the throat/shoulder. It's only done for partners who plan to be together for the rest of their lives because, in some fics, it leaves a scar. While in other fics it may fade after a while leading to them doing it again.

Nesting- in some fics omega's will take a bunch of blankets and pillows and just soft things in general and make, well, a nest. They usually do it before their heat and will put their partner's clothes or things that smell like them into it because it helps calm them.

Scents(?)- speaking of smells one of the biggest things in abo is scents. They're written a million different ways too so there isn't exactly a strict definition. Basically each person has a scent, one that their emotions can leak into. So say your alpha gets angry, their normally citrus smell might get a bit acrid, or more intense. The throat tends to be where the scent is the strongest. It tends to be more of an alpha/omega thing, beta's not being able to smell as well. But! In some fics beta's (and omega's) are good at neutralizing situations by letting out 'calming scents' which can basically cut through most other smells (say two angry alpha's) at relax the situation

I'm sure there's more but my brain is so dead rn. Anyway, it all varies from fic to fic, I'm not a fan of pushing that narrative where one class is better than the other, or that they completely lose themselves during heats/ruts, brings up a lot of consent issues. But that's just me, some people like to full lean into that type of thing which y'know, to each their own.