I'm so glad I'm a Beta

[LMNO]

Though it started as a joke, my friends came up with a binary ranking system that makes quite a lot of sense.  Either they're a 1 or a 0.  Either you find them attractive, or you don't.

And Dingo, I think the reason Adrian comes off as a poser is because you're describing his actions as calculated and emotionless, and you're showing both the actions and the results in a very clinical manner.  A "real" alpha would most likely simply be that way -- somehow he instinctively knows the rules of non-verbal communication.  If questioned about his 'technique', he'd most likely say something like, "I just talk to them, you know?" because he hasn't analyzed and deconstructed how he behaves.  You've created Adrian as someone who isn't and alpha, but desperately wants to be one and has studied the routines.  It doesn't come naturally for him.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I like the binary rating system! Of course, appearance is one thing, but someone can go from a 0 to a 1, or vise versa, after talking to them.

The most "alpha" guys I know, in terms of being attractive to women, would scoff if asked about "technique" and if you asked them about how they approach women, LMNO is right, that is exactly what they would say: "I dunno, I just talk to them". They both share a particular quality, which is that they really pay attention when they're talking to you. They aren't faking; they are interested and they care.

Even though they both got around a fair bit when they were younger, neither of them could really be considered "players", both have many close friends of both sexes, and both of them are happily settled down.

[LMNO]

I like the binary rating system! Of course, appearance is one thing, but someone can go from a 0 to a 1, or vise versa, after talking to them.

Exactly.  There are plenty of "conventionally attractive" people I know who are TOTAL ZEROS.

[Placid Dingo]

Thanks all for responses.

I wasnt too worried about how this applied to my writing, it wrote it separately because it was something else I'd been playing with.

I don't think Nigel's quite right when she says what I 'honesty think', but I certainly was using the idea of alpha beta as attributes of people as types, rather than contextual roles. That shift in thinking is useful.

And Net, you're right, it's not the most useful frame, and it's odd I've spent so much time thinking around it.