It’s Knot What You Think—Or Maybe It Totally Is
It's knot a phase, it's a lifestyle.
Hey page turners, today we’re back to talk about the the myth, the legend, that is knotting 🌡️ ⚔️🌶️.
So, cast your minds back to February 2024 when Ali Hazelwood released Bride. I naively assumed we all knew what knots were but then this book came out and I was, for some reason, surprised by how many people have never encountered knotting before.
I had to check myself because monster / paranormal / omegaverse romance is a sub genre that not everyone has ventured into, like when I first came across knotting (whenever tf that was) and, like many others, I googled it, did the head tilt and was like oh, okay! 🤠
I genuinely find it so amusing watching people discover what knotting is and I find it even funnier when they’re horrified by it. Because it’s not the fact that the MC is a werewolf / wolf shifter etc, it’s that they (probably) have the correct anatomy and that shit is funny to me.
Without further ado…
Wtf is a knot and what is knotting?
Loads of people use 🪢 to signify knotting but Sarah started using 🌡️ and honestly, it makes the most sense because that’s what it looks like. At the base of a appendage, a knot expands to form a ball-like area. The knot has a bigger girth than the rest of the appendage and aids in keeping cum inside the desired hole (edit: laughing while reading this through because there really isn’t any other way to describe this than by being blunt, lol). In some books, beings may have multiple knots stacked on top of each other. Think of it like a stopper or some sort that expands at the point of ejaculation / arousal.
Knotting is where the characters are doing the deed and, at ejaculation, the individual(s) with the knot can push it into whatever hole is being used to ‘lock’ the characters together and keep the cum inside; knotting often goes hand in hand with breeding but this isn’t a necessary requirement for all of the books out there e.g., being in a setting where males cannot breed doesn’t mean that knotting doesn’t happen in line with the above.
Knotting is probably most common in omegaverse or any kind of book with wolves or werewolves. Omegaverse because Alphas have knots which Omegas crave during their heats and, other shifter books (not just wolves) because of anatomical reasons. It can also be found in other paranormal / monster books where authors have taken creative liberties with the anatomy of their characters. In my opinion, no paranormal / monster romance should come with regular appendages so, if in doubt, add a knot 🌡️.
The recs
If you’re intrigued or, you already know what knotting is and want some recs, look no further 😉😉😉
Happy knotting 🌡️⚔️🌶️
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Yesterday I had to explain to some friends what omegaverse is, and then subsequently had to explain knotting. I don’t understand how people make to their 30s without knowing this?? I can’t remember ever not knowing it. I don’t even know when or why I learned it 😅
Apparently I am the outlier. I grew up in the country where it is more common to see animals mating out in the open. Almost all canines knot. Apparently some seals/pinnipeds do as well.
Just in case anyone is interested, a much larger variety of species (including insects) produce "mating plugs" where the male deposits a thick, gel like substance after evacuating which remains for a time keeping the sperm inside after they withdraw. Same reason, to increase the chance of fertilization.
That is my TED talk for the day. 😜