Date of Award

4-6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Aliyah Turner

Second Advisor

Dr. Amity Reading

Third Advisor

Dr. Kevin Moore

Abstract

This thesis tackles intimacy in omegaverse fanfiction. In an effort to describe the omegaverse, I published a survey, held interviews, and read five select works of omegaverse fanfiction. The themes that emerged from those qualitative survey responses and interviews were wolf packs, freedom to procreate, animal instincts, societal rigidity, and exploration of gender and power dynamics. Survey respondents were quick to note that the omegaverse is more than just erotica or smut; it is worldbuilding at its core that draws many of them to this genre. The five works of fanfiction I read support this idea, many using sex as a means of furthering the story and generating intimacy rather than solely for erotic purposes. In addition, the fanfiction I read highlights many ways that the themes identified are used to generate intimacy between the characters. Authors painstakingly utilize trope after trope in these stories to build intimacy between their characters. I explore how this is done within each theme through tropes like dominance and submission, pregnancy, heat and rut, sex, and social norms. I conclude that the omegaverse is incredibly intimatopic and that its tropes and themes are used chiefly to generate this intimacy between characters.

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