Sometimes, people ask me what it's like to be on Wattpad. (This is a lie. No one ever asks me this. Still, go with me here.)
I tell them that sometimes it can be really exciting! Especially when you're writing a book of writing tips, and you receive beautiful messages from talented people saying that it's helped them in some way. That's really heart-warming.
It is also extremely exciting seeing something like this:
But the thing that is really funny. The thing that really summarises the experience on Wattpad.
Is clicking onto that button, to see the other stories that are trending.
Sorry, I literally just find this so ridiculously funny. Nothing screams Wattpad more than saying, "The top six books of the day includes DracoxHarry Potter fanfiction, regular smut, Minecraft Youtube smut, mafia stuff, and more mafia stuff. Oh, and a book of writing tips, too!
I love Wattpad.
Anyways, so I've been asked to talk about The Alpha Werewolf trope. So let's just jump into it!
The Alpha Werewolf. What exactly is it?
It's usually a story involving werewolves (no, duh), which has an alpha (someone give me an award).
The Alpha is usually the pack leader. The one who runs the pack, and is all-commanding, all-demanding, and all-powerful. He is usually a... well, there's a reason I just said he. He's usually a male, and the only time he loses his alpha status is if he breaks some sort of werewolf-bro code, or if he is defeated in a fight.
Now, a lot of people are very anti-this. Especially reviewers.
And honestly, I can't blame them!
I think I must have read about twenty werewolf books last year, and I think they were usually my least favourite.
But here's the thing: it's not because of the alpha werewolf trope.
It's because of how it is implemented.
Because, here is the thing! There is a reason the alpha werewolf trope is so popular. Part of it is, yes, we are young and hormonal and find men who have an inclination for biting very sexy. Part of it is simply what we see in the media -- like, hello, if I thought every werewolf looked like Dylan O'Brien, hell yeah, sign me UP. He's so cute.
We also admire their strength, and, similar to the 'bad boy' trope, there's a sense of adventure and rebellion that really excites us. We get too nervous seeing dogs bite people, but having human-dogs with abs do it? Hot.
And, like I always say, there is nothing wrong with people liking whatever they like. If you want to read werewolf books, go for it. If you want to write werewolf books, no one is stopping you! In fact, I've read a werewolf book or two that I have, quite simply, adored.
But, as I always say, you need to be careful of how you implement it. You need to make sure you are not promoting toxicity.
So, in this chapter, I'm going to talk about three certain things:
- The Problematic Thingz (so you know to avoid writing them!).
- The Good Thingz (so you know why it's okay to enjoy writing and reading these!).
- The Thingz I Wanna See More (so if you're looking for werewolf inspiration ideas, please, take one of these and then tag me so I can read the book!).
First up:
THE PROBLEMATIC THINGZ!
We'll start with the first one: toxic masculinity.
It's quite straightforward, really. Because we romanticise this "Alpha Werewolf" who is usually a man, who is usually swooned after and adored, we can sometimes insinuate that men are only attractive when they are not vulnerable. Why? It's because The Alpha Werewolf is never vulnerable. He is always strong and fierce and brave. And he always wins the girl.
In more scary terms, he can result to aggression. Because it's the 'animalistic predator' inside him. Again, we should not romanticise this! It isn't attractive (for most people) to be strangled!
Now, let's talk about this 'animalistic predator' thing. Because that's my next big issue:
Alpha Werewolves Do Not Represent Actual Wolves.
Now. I know, we are doing fictional writing. Werewolves do not have to be anything like wolves. You can create your own lore.
But so many authors excuse the concept of 'alpha' and 'aggressive, animalistic, grrrr' as something that we see in real wolves. Which is... absolutely not the case!
Wolves are very intelligent, very caring, and very playful. There is a reason humans were able to work with them, before we even bred dogs. They make sure to educate their children, they take care of those who are injured, and they stick with their family.
And the alpha isn't the "strongest" or the "sexiest" (though, can you imagine? real ass wolves lining up to see whose fur is the shaggiest?). It is basically the breeding pair of the pack. Not the hot, single one. The breeding pair. There is an alpha male and alpha female.
So, why don't we ever see that in the Alpha Werewolf? How caring they are to their pack? How no one gets left behind? How they are actually not all that aggressive? Mind you, they can be, depending on the history/location of the pack. But usually, they're quite timid creatures.
In fact, a lot of the Alpha Werewolves I read on Wattpad? They are nothing short of assholes. Sorry, Damien Axlebark or whatever your name was. You were, quite simply, an asshole.
Which brings me onto my next point: the mating.
Oh dear. Oh dear.
Because almost every book with the Alpha Werewolf has their mate. Again, nothing against the concept of soul mates, dog mates, whatever. I sometimes enjoy it! I especially love it when the mates challenge each other, when you can see why they are mates -- there is compatibility, but there is also growth. They help each other become better people.
What is problematic, though, is when the Alpha Werewolf quite simply abuses the 'mate', but the 'mate' is forced to stick with them because... they're mates. Or when it's used to write an 'insta-love' story, without us ever getting to see them grow a connection or a meaningful bond. I want to see them get to know each other! I want to see why they would fall in love with each other! Don't just have her imagine his hot fangs on her lips before she knows his name because "they're mates lol". That's cheap!
And I'm so tired of seeing Big-Chunky-Abs-Galore-Alpha treat his 'mate' like she's a piece of dirt on his foot/paw, but she's forced to stick with him simply because they are mates. It is not healthy. It is not good. Because it can promote to our own young girls that, "if you think he is the one, it's okay to let him hurt you". It is not okay. Period.
Speaking of young girls, where are the Alpha Women? Or the Alpha Non-Binaries? We know that the former exists in real life, with real wolves, so where are they? Why don't we see territorial female badasses who are here to keep their unit in check? Why don't we see them deal with all that responsibility, and handle it like the amazing kickass people they deserve to be?
Okay. I think I'm done. I'm going to quickly start typing the next one before another--
OH. Why are they always hot? They're literally balls of floof with painful teeth and bad breath.
Not complaining, though. Just asking for a friend.
THE GOOD THINGZ!
Dylan O'Brien--
I mean.
We spoke about the toxic masculinity earlier. Now, something that I can appreciate in a good werewolf story is where they unpack this (get it? pun? un-pack? because wolves travel in-- okay). They basically, through the form of literature, tell the reader why it really is not good.
They show the reader that it's actually really good to be vulnerable. They show the reader how important it is to be vulnerable and sad, and that there is no weakness in that. It's okay to have insecurities. If anything, it makes us root for them! Because, suddenly, they are so much more real.
So I really do appreciate the stories that show us the Alpha Werewolf learning that he needs to be more flexible, and lose that sense of control. I like seeing them grow, I like seeing them care about the people around them, and I like seeing them cry.
And, of course, there's the other good things! I think that each werewolf story I've seen has always had its own laws, its own unique concepts, and I really do commend any author who has tried to add there own spin on this classic trope!
THE THINGZ I WANNA SEE MORE!
Non-Men Alpha Werewolves.
Gimme women.
Gimme.
And as someone who plays soccer, trust me, I know we can be vicious. I have scars from being scratched.
Also, I'd love to see non-binary characters grappling with their sense of identity as an alpha!
I'd also love to see alphas that just... don't fit the stereotype. Give me a shy werewolf who has a genuine fear of talking to others. Give me an absolute dork who loves puns. Give me someone who is actually really dumb and confused and has no idea what they're doing, and often leads their pack into really chaotic and silly situations.
Also, let's think about this:
How long would werewolves have been alive for? Ages, right? Similar to humans? So, there must be ancient lore. So why do they think and act so similarly to humans in a generic American society?
Why don't they have their own unique social cues and behaviours? Their own special languages? Their own events and cultures and mythologies? Why don't we see more of them?
Also, more Dylan O'Brien. Because there is never too much of that.
Why are the Alpha Werewolves always so dark and gothic? Just search up "werewolf" on the Wattpad search bar, and everything is so dark and mysterious and creepy. Why can't we have some fun werewolf stories?
Give me an Alpha Werewolf looking for his mate, unable to find them, so he resorts to Tinder. This just occurred to me right now. I kind of want to do this.
An Alpha who wants to be a chef. An electrician. But doesn't wanna hurt the feelings of their pack.
A werewolf who discovers Wattpad and is absolutely horrified because he doesn't have abs.
I don't know! Anything!
But yes! Those are my thoughts. What are yours? I love hearing what other people think, so I'm all ears to all things!
Finally, we are going back to writing something a bit more formal and more advice-y than rant-y. We'll be discussing first person and third person. Hopefully that helps anyone who is a bit confused regarding that!