Relationships on Alden (Patreon)

I'm going to use this post to explain how relationships work on Alden among Humanimals and what some of the terms you'll probably see in the comic mean. The terms were going to look at here are - Pre-Mate, Mate, Life-Mate, and Pack/Herd relationships.

1. Pre-mate. Pre-mate in human terms is equal to a Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Boyfriend/Boyfriend, Girlfriend/Girlfriend relationship dynamic. It usually consists of 2 individuals who are in the dating/courtship phase of a relationship (though it is possible to be a part of a Pre-mate dynamic in a Pack/herd grouping). They have no formal ties or commitments towards one another and have no offspring.  It does not mean they may or may not have sexual interactions with one another, but they have not reproduced in anyway. An example of Pre-mates in the comic would be couples like Katherine and Maxwell, or Red and Scarlet.

2. Mates: Mate in human terms would be equal to a unmarried couple who have had an offspring. They couple does not necessarily have to be in a longer term committed relationship with on another, but have ultimately reproduced. Sometimes the couple may stay committed to one another without any formal ceremony or public declaration of union, but they may also go their individual ways with one of the parents raising the offspring on their own. It is possible to have multiple mates. And example in the comics of a mated pair would be Walice and CeeCee.

3. Life-Mate: Life-Mates in human terms is equal to a couple who have made an official commitment to one another to remain together for the duration of their lives, whether producing offspring or not. Sometimes a ceremony of official bonding will be preformed, or an exchange of ornament items that identify a pairing is officially in a committed relationship will be given. Life-Mate pairs do not seek other individual outside of their relationships. Usually such a pairing consists between 2 individual, though it is possible to have life-mates in a Pack/herd relationship dynamic, though the level of commitment in these pairings can fluctuate as time passes. The obvious benefit of a Life-mate pairing is the comfort and security of commitment the other person brings to the relationship, as well as, being more beneficial to offspring raising. And example of life Mates in the comic would be Sly and Foxy (who are currently Pre-Life-Mates)

4. Pack/Herd relationships. This is a relationship dynamic that consists of multiple partners in a group that has agreed to stay together for mutual benefits, though the dynamics and roles of the individuals in the group may vary, but are usually agreed upon by all parties to reduce in fighting and the deterioration of the group. The group will often consist of an Alpha (the elected/agreed upon leader of the group. This can be both male and female, but no more than 2 individuals at a given time), a Beta (secondary decision maker. They will support the Alpha, but may attempt to become the Alpha themselves if the Alpha proves to be a poor leader. They may also produce an offspring with one of the Alphas), and the Omega (Support. They generally work to keep the group together by doing the necessary task that make things run smoother. They usually do not pursue an offspring of their own, but will aid in the raising of the Alpha/Alpha or Alpha/Beta's offspring ). By Alden Law a Pack or Herd relationship (which is different from an actual Pack or Herd = large groupings of humaimals) can must consists of at least 3 individuals but my not exceed more than four.  The reason this was limited was to prevent competition between groups of males who may attempt to take mates away from another male to join their own pack or herd, which would often lead to violence among the groups. With in a Pack/Herd relationship you may see the dynamics of the previous 3 types of relationships within the overall dynamic of a pack. Like 2 Alphas may decide to become life-mates while their Beta may only be a Mate who still can have an offspring within the group (if offspring are possible).  Some may be comfortable just being in the Pre-Mate level of relationship, simply finding comfort within the dynamics of a larger group with no desire to be more than support. These types of individuals often become the Omegas of the group, however.   The closes equivalent to a human relationship of this type would be those who live in polygamy relationships. However, Humanimals tend to have a higher success rate than humans due to being willing to full accept their roles within the relationship, often with little desire for change. This is probably aided by their animalistic instincts.  An example of this would be Cassie, Damion, and Lyle (From the LAPDOGS comics).

Relationship dynamics on Alden may be comprised of the following couplings: M/F, M/M, F/F, F/M/M, M/F/F, M/M/F/F, F/M/M/M, M/F/F/F, M/M/M/M, or F/F/F/F