What is Omegaverse? All you need to know about Chinese drama Desire and its male pregnancy twist
Desire, the recently released 2025 drama, is making history as the first live-action series based on the ABO (Alpha-Beta-Omega) Omegaverse, a daring decision that defies popular BL narrative conventions.
What is the Omegaverse?
Originating in fanfiction, most famously Supernatural, the Omegaverse depicts a universe in which people have a secondary gender classification: Alpha, Beta, or Omega. These characteristics extend beyond biological sex to determine hierarchy, behavior, and even reproduction. Alphas are dominant, Betas are neutral, and Omegas are generally submissive.
Scent-driven attraction (pheromones), heat or rut cycles, suppressant use, and even male pregnancy (MPREG) are all common features of the genre. Though originally inspired by werewolf mythology, the genre has evolved into a versatile framework for stories about power dynamics, intimacy, and identity.
Desire (2025): The first Omegaverse MPREG drama
Adapted from Nong Jian's novel Desire, this Chinese series fully embraces the Omegaverse setting. Set in a near-future world ravaged by a mysterious virus, society has evolved to include sub-genders that influence reproduction and pheromonal attraction.
Most people now fall into the familiar alpha, beta, or omega categories - but a rare, mysterious classification known as "Enigma" is rumoured to surpass even the power of an Alpha.
The plot revolves around Sheng Shao You, an Alpha and CEO of a leading pharmaceuticals company. Skeptical of the Enigma mythology, his world is turned upside down when he meets Hua Yong, a financially struggling Omega from a competing business. Despite his initial reservations, Shao You chooses to help Hua Yong, only to discover an intense, mutual desire that hints at something far deeper. But Hua Yong is keeping a life-changing secret that could rock their blossoming bond to the core.
Desire, which has 16 episodes, combines typical Omegaverse themes (suppressants, scent-based attraction, heats, and MPREG) with a unique twist, introducing the lesser-known Enigma subgender. Desire, marketed as the "World's First Omegaverse MPREG Drama Series," defies typical BL storytelling conventions.
The show will be available on numerous streaming platforms, including Viki, and is likely to draw worldwide fans anxious to see how this genre evolved into live-action drama.
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