ABO Worldbuilding: Different Types of Social Structures
A cornerstone of the omegaverse trope is packs. Like the rest of the trope, packs are usually modelled after wolves. But I’ve been thinking recently; what if that wasn’t true everywhere in the world, and what would other pre-civilization social structures look like? In this four-part series, I will be outlining my ideas for four different social structures: Packs (modelled after wolves), Prides (modelled after lions), Pods (modelled after dolphins, and Clans (modelled after hyenas).
Part One: Packs
Part Two: Prides, Links to the other parts will be placed here after they are published.
Note: in this post, all heats and ruts happen at the same time every three months. Pre-heats and pre-ruts last for four days, while heats and ruts last for three days. This 7 day period is referred to as “mating week.”
Packs
Packs can range from 2 to 30 members, with an average of 10. Children in packs are called pups.
Smaller packs have only one head alpha, but bigger ones are co-led by an alpha male and an alpha female. All other members of the pack are subordinate to the head alpha(s), even if they are alphas themselves. Here is a diagram of the pack structure:
The chain of command goes Head Alpha(s), their Omega Mate(s), Subordinate Alphas, their Omega Mate, Beta Males, their Beta Female Mates, Unmated Alphas, Unmated Beta Males, and finally Unmated Omegas and Unmated Beta Females. Within each group, things like number of pups, favor of head alpha(s), fighting prowess, and past deeds determine an individual’s ranking. When it comes to the functioning of orders in the pack, they tend to be passed down as follows:
Head Alpha --> Subordinate Alpha --> Mated Beta Male --> Unmated Alphas --> Unmated Betas
It is common for alphas to challenge a head alpha and overthrow them by killing them. Challengers very rarely come from outside the pack, and are usually supported by other pack members. When it comes to packs with two head alphas, both alphas have to be overthrown by new ones in order for there to be a complete power shift (ex. if the head female alpha is overthrown by a new one, the newcomer cannot simply replace the head male alpha with someone else or get rid of him entirely; he has to be overthrown as well. Until he is, he will rule with the new head alpha female).
If a head alpha dies without being overthrown, they will either be proceeded by their eldest alpha child (of their own primary sex if there are two head alphas) or an alpha they appointed before their death. If they had no alpha children and appointed no successor, then either a vote by all pack members or a competitive fight between all eligible alphas in the pack will determine who takes the vacant role.
Head alphas are the only alphas in the pack allowed to have more than one omega. When they are overthrown, the new alpha claims their omega(s). They will also commonly kill the alpha children of the old head alpha. If the alpha dies naturally, their omegas will be reclaimed by the successor (unless the omega in question is related to the successor or too old to have more pups), but no children will be killed.
Every other alpha in the pack is allowed one omega, and each beta male one beta female. Some larger packs allow alphas to mate with beta females and omegas to mate with beta males, and it is not entirely uncommon for the head alpha male to have a sexual relationship with the head alpha female, although they are both expected to procreate with their respective omega(s).
Pups eat first at meal times, then the head alpha(s), then the head alpha(s)’s mate(s), then each mated couple with children in order of pup age from youngest to oldest, then childless mated couples, and finally unmated members.
Generally, the alphas and beta males of a pack will hunt, do border patrol, fight, and build shelters, while the beta females and omegas will look after their pups, gather food through scourging, and make clothes and weapons. It is not impossible for a beta female or omega to be allowed to hunt if they prove themselves to be strong and capable, but it is rare.
Every mating week, packs that are allied will meet up with each other in large gatherings at pre-agreed upon locations. Unmated pack members will mingle with one another, and if they find someone they like, they will present them to their parents and head alpha(s). If the parents and head alpha(s) approve of the selected person, they will spend their rut and heat together (or just bang a few times if they’re betas) and mate. Afterwards, the beta female/omega will move to the pack of their new mate and start a family.
If a beta female or omega doesn’t want to move packs, they can mate within their pack. However, because most pups in a pack are raised almost completely communally, they develop sibling-like bonds, and therefore do not feel much attraction towards each other, making same-pack matings quite rare.
Packs claim territory, with their borders being marked by the head alpha(s) scent being rubbed on whatever is around. You need a pack’s permission to enter their territory, and if you don’t obtain it, entering will be perceived as a highly aggressive act. Alpha and beta males will be attacked on sight, often with intention to kill. Beta females and omegas will be detained and sometimes kept, and negotiations will have to happen with their pack in order for them to be returned. Having members of your pack trespass in another’s territory will always make your relationship with that pack worse, resulting in it being highly discouraged, and members who do it without their head alpha(s) opinion will usually be punished for it within their own pack. Wars are very commonly a result of territorial disputes.
Packs are generally found in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Packs were the most common social structure amongst primitive human groups.
ABO Worldbuilding: Different Types of Social Structures
aA cornerstone of the omegaverse trope is packs. Like the rest of the trope, packs are usually modelled after wolves. But I’ve been thinking recently; what if that wasn’t true everywhere in the world, and what would other pre-civilization social structures look like? In this four-part series, I will be outlining my ideas for four different social structures: Packs (modelled after wolves), Prides (modelled after lions), Pods (modelled after dolphins), and Clans (modelled after hyenas).
Part Two: Prides
Part One: Packs, Links to the other parts will be placed here after they are published.
Prides
Prides can range from 3 to 40 members, with 15 being the average. Children in prides are called cubs. Prides are organized in a strict hierarchy, with the head alpha(s) at the top, omegas second, and beta females last. The head alpha eats first, then the omegas, then the cubs, and finally the beta females.
Prides are usually led by one head alpha, but sometimes they will have two. They never have three or more head alphas. The main job of the head alpha(s) is to protect the pride’s territory through patrols and to protect the omegas, beta females, and cubs in their pride from danger. They mark their territory with their scent, and if an alpha or beta male were to enter it, they would kill them. Any omegas or beta females who enter would be absorbed into the pride, but this very rarely happens, as omegas and beta females never leave the pride they were born in. It only really occurs if they wander in accidentally while hunting.
Omegas are the most powerful group after the head alpha(s). Omegas and beta females are in charge of hunting for the pack, creating clothes, and having and raising cubs. The omega with the oldest omega cub has the most control after the head alpha, and power descends in age order of omega cubs after them. Cubs are raised communally, with mothers helping each other with watching the cubs in order to more effectively distribute tasks. All omegas in a pride are the claimed mates of the head alpha, and all children in the pride are fathered by the head alpha. This is why there are rarely more than one head alpha in a pack, as most alphas do not want to share their omegas.
Beta females are the least powerful group in a pride. They never have intercourse with the head alpha, and therefore never have children. Because of this, they are seen as the most expendable members of a pride, and are therefore given more dangerous tasks and expected to do more work. Despite being treated badly, beta females never leave, because they know there is nowhere they can go where another pride or lone alpha wouldn’t just take them and treat them exactly the same or worse.
Because prides are run mainly by omegas and beta females, with only one head alpha, prides have a very strange relationship with alpha cubs and beta male cubs. These cubs will grow up to leave the pride and try to find one of their own, making raising them an effort that does not benefit the pride very much. However, alpha cubs are still seen as valuable because of the head alpha’s instinct to advance their bloodline. If another pride is run by one of their cubs, then all the cubs born in that pride will be their grandchildren. Therefore, raising their alpha cubs is in a head alpha’s best interest.
The same is not true for beta males. Alphas are stronger than beta males, meaning beta males have a very, very small chance of ever running their own pride. Because beta males cannot be trusted as manual members of a pride like beta females are, as they are capable of impregnating the omegas and beta females, they are therefore seen as useless, and are left to die at birth.
All cubs are raised by their mothers, and will learn valuable hunting and other survival skills from them. Omega and beta females will also be taught how to make clothes and food, while alpha cubs will be taught how to fight by their father.
Alphas will leave their birth pride between the ages of 14 and 18. When one alpha decides to leave their birth pride, all their alpha siblings 14 or older will go with them. If an alpha cub does not leave their pride by the time they turn 18, they will be forcibly removed by their father. After they leave, their father will see them as an active threat, and they will be killed if they try to return.
After leaving their pride, the group of alpha siblings will roam, avoiding prides as they learn to survive on their own and grow strong. Head alphas will not show them mercy if they catch them in their territory as they will see them as future threats, even if they are all still cubs. When they decide they are ready, alphas will leave their sibling group one by one to find new prides and head alphas to challenge, until there is no one left in the group.
Once they’ve left their sibling group, alphas will find a pride with a weaker head alpha and fight them to the death. To initiate a challenge, an alpha just needs to step into a head alpha’s territory. The second they are found by the head alpha, the fight will commence. Other members of the pride will not intervene, no matter which way the fight goes. If the challenger loses, their body will be left on the territory line as an example. If the challenger wins, they will carry the old head alpha’s corpse to the center of their territory, where all the pride members live, in order to show them who their new head alpha is. They will then kill all of the pride’s cubs, no matter their secondary gender. They do this in order to kickstart all the pride’s omegas’ heat cycles, as omegas’ cycles stop after they give birth until they either lose their cub or their cub completes puberty. Because this is culturally expected, omegas will direct their grief at the dead former head alpha instead of the new one, as they hold them responsible for not being able to protect the pride. The new head alpha will then sleep with and claim all the omegas in the pride in order to cement themselves in their new position.
If a pride has two head alphas, then the challenger will have to kill both of them. For this reason, prides with two alphas will usually be replaced by two alphas, but singular challengers still commonly risk it by attacking the current alphas singularly while they’re patrolling alone.
Some alphas, not wanting to risk losing a fight to a stronger alpha, never try to take over a pride. These alphas live nomadically, staying clear of prides’ territories in order to avoid fights with head alphas. Sometimes, a solitary alpha will find an abandoned beta male cub, and will raise it as if it was their own pup. Rare cubs who successfully ran away to avoid death when their fathers were killed by challengers also sometimes join these groups. Very rarely, these groups have gotten big enough that they try and invade a pride in order to steal beta females and/or omegas, but they are usually culled by said beta females and omegas and the head alpha.
