[SETTING]

This story takes place in a universe much like our own, with two key differences. One, males only make up 40% of the population. Two, the female portion is split into two groups: those that grow up to be normal women with careers and families, and those that grow up to be human pets. The adult population is split 40% men, 35% women, 25% pets.

The change is driven by hormones, with a minor physical effect and a major mental effect. The physical effect is that pets are sterile. They can't get pregnant except after special fertility treatments. The mental effect is that at some point in their teens, they begin to develop the urge to be someone's pet. They start wearing animal-themed costumes or accessories (anything from a simple hairband with fake ears to body paint or fursuits), they undergo personality shifts of varying degree, and eventually they look for a man or a woman to belong to. Many end up with someone they were close to before their change. What happens to the rest varies, as each country has adapted in different ways. The main story takes place in a country that has set up adoption agencies, which function more or less like regular pet stores.

Pets are still people with free will, and they have similar rights as anyone in most countries. If your pet doesn't like you she can leave, and you'd get in serious trouble if you were caught abusing one. Social norms have developed around the idea that pets are submissive, playful, and easy to please, which is generally true. But they have individuality like anyone else, and can be moody, shy, or even rebellious - especially if their previous owner was a bad one.

Sex between pets and their owners is common but not mandatory (it's a lifestyle as much as a fetish), and rarely causes relationship issues unless a spouse is being neglected in favor of the pet. Public sex is as taboo as it is in reality, but as far as most people are concerned there's little difference between petting a dog and "petting" a pet girl.

This is intended to be a fairly lighthearted story. There's no rule against adding some darker branches, just use descriptive titles so people know what they're getting into. If you want to make any big changes to the setting, post under [ALTERNATE START] unless you're sure you can work the change into the main story organically.

While everything here is canon for the main branch, the following sub-chapters are optional worldbuilding for my own chapters. You don't have to use it if you branch off before their content becomes relevant to the plot. If you want to add your own worldbuilding here, message me so I can read your draft before you publish it. If you're just adding some pictures or ideas to [STYLE: DESIGNS] you do not need permission.

Also, if you have a picture you think would fit into an existing chapter, requests for what to write in future chapters, or anything else you want to talk about please say so. I'm always open to suggestions, though I won't always use them.