Finding the Forward, Part One (HockeyVerse)

Glossary of Terms

Designations

Alpha: Larger, faster, and with better senses, they make up about a quarter of the population. Their barks and pheromones can influence people. Male alphas have knots, female alphas have locks. Their scent has a distinctive note that marks them as alpha. Female alphas can carry children.

Beta: They make up over half of the population and are your average ordinary people. Like the other designations, they can have kids, they have scents, join or form packs, and an alpha can mate with them.

Delta: They have a lot of alpha characteristics–especially in regard to size, speed, and senses. They tend to make excellent soldiers and security, especially because they are bark-proof. They’re rarer than the ‘big three’ designations (alpha/beta/omega.)

Gamma: Essentially, Gammas are ‘failed’ omegas. While sometimes a genetic switch is thrown, halting development, most of the time it is environmental. Something is so dangerous in their environment that the body declares it unsafe to become an omega and halts a genetic process. Gammas can have many omega traits, but it varies from person to person. Gammas rarely respond to barks, pheromones, or danger the way omegas do. Common causes of gammas are war, famine, extreme poverty, and asshole parents, and are very rare.

Kappa: The life of the party, they’re usually adrenaline junkies with poor decision-making skills. They’re an extremely rare designation.

Omega: Omegas are usually smaller than the other designations and tend to be nurturers and caregivers. They’re the most physically compatible with alphas, so they’re often sought after as mates, even though they make up less than ten percent of the population. They can and do partner with other designations. Omegas have the same rights as everyone else. Omega males are very good at making kids. Omegas have an extra element to their scent that marks them as such. They also produce slick and perfume when aroused.

Sports

Boner: When one hockey player scores three goals in a single game. Fans toss bones onto the ice in celebration.

Bullet: The skate smash player who scores points for their team by making laps around the ice. One bullet is in play in each succession.

Crusher: The skate smash player who tries to stop the other team’s bullet from scoring points while protecting their own. Three crushers are in play in each succession.

Discovery League: Skate smash’s team-sponsored junior league where teams choose high school and university players who show potential and give them special training and opportunities to prepare them for the draft.

EUBG: Emergency Backup Goalie. Amateur goalies who play during a hockey game if both of a team’s goalies can no longer play. The home team is responsible for providing an EUBG who can then step in for either team. A lot of EBUGs are goalies for their collegiate teams and are part of goalie development programs offered by many PHL teams.

Fútbol: Soccer/football. A sport popular worldwide, especially among betas.

IATS: The International Association of Team Sports is the world-wide governing body overseeing team sports such as fútbol, ice hockey, and rugby.

ICIS: International Coalition of Ice Sports is the worldwide governing body for sports such as figure skating, speed skating, skate smash, and curling.

MASO: Mates and Significant Others. A term that encompasses the mates, packmates, spouses, girlfriend, boyfriends, partners, and significant others of professional athletes in team sports.

PHL: The Professional Hockey League has four conferences (eight divisions) with thirty-two ice hockey teams spanning four countries.

PSSL: The Professional Skate Smash League has four conferences of teams spanning four counties.

Skate Smash: A contact ice sport where five players from each team skate around the ice trying to gain points. Ten two-minute successions comprised each period, with a thirty-second rest between each succession. They also have dance battles where they perform synchronized routines as a team.

Swing: A skate smash player who plays crusher but can be tagged by their team’s bullet to act as such. One swing is in play in each succession.

Other Terms

Alpha-Blockers: A type of medication that dulls alpha senses and instincts. It’s most commonly prescribed to violent alphas, young alphas who aren’t in full control, and criminals. There’s a huge stigma on them, so many who should take them don’t.

Defender League: A popular superhero franchise with movies and comics.

Game Buddy: A personal video game device that can also be hooked up to your TV.

Go-goKart: A popular car racing video game, often played on a Game Buddy.

Gratitude Day: A harvest festival where people gather with family and friends, share a meal, and give thanks.

Heat Suppressants: A type of medication omegas take so that they don’t go into heat. Typically, female omegas have three or four heats a year, often lasting up to a week. Male omegas have two to three heats a year, usually lasting a few days. Heat suppressants are completely legal, though prolonged use can have side effects.

Scent-Blockers: A type of medication omegas take to blend in/function in society. These range from light scent-blockers that simply dull an omega’s distinctive scent to heavy duty ones that lock down both omega scent and instincts, enabling them to hide as a beta. All are completely legal but can be hard for hidden omegas to get. Prolonged use, especially of the heavy-duty blockers, can lose their effectiveness and/or cause health issues.

Scent-Match: Soulmate. That perfect match between two people–usually an alpha and omega. They usually know it by smell. Scent-matches are rare and plenty of people have happy and long relationships without being scent-matches. Sometimes scent-matches dream of each other, but that’s mostly in books and movies.

Spiral: Dangerous drop in omega hormones which can result in unconsciousness, irrational behavior, and/or hospitalization. Often a trauma response.