So now we know what stories I'm focusing on nowadays (when time/inspiration allows it), but that doesn't cover what the setting itself is like. Well, if you don't mind me spilling out a lot of brainstorming that is BY NO MEANS COMPLETE and OPEN TO CRITIQUE (to a point), I'm willing to share it. Also note I also include visual design limits, but that for the most part these do not apply to commissioned artwork, just characters I myself make for the setting.

So the following is a set of guidelines and rules I have set up for my own setting. Now why put rules on a setting, you ask? Because setting boundaries helps make a setting take shape. It gives you an idea on what is "the norm" in the setting and what can and can't happen in most situations (which also means that when something happens that breaks a rule, that means something big is happening and should get noticed). So among my ever-evolving personal rules for how things work in the setting(read: you don't have to agree with my design choices just as I have no right to judge you for the design choices for your own stuff) are as follows:




Biology:

- Pokemorphs are for the most part humanoid in shape, wear modern clothing (depending on region) and are usually human-sized, though larger species such as Steelix can go up to 10-12 feet high while smaller ones, like Joltik, can be up to 3 feet high. Shoes are either optional or not an issue, depending on the morph.

- Taurs, for the most part, do not exist with the exception of pokemorphs whose species are naturally multi-legged, like Trevenant and Octillery. Naga-like breeds are also possible for snake-morphs. Birdlike pokemon have wing-hands with rare exceptions.

- Water-type bodies are amphibious to a point (certain species do require a certain degree of hydration to be able to walk on land with ease). There are massive communities of Water-Types that live near-exclusively in underwater communities and only go to the surface for the sake of trading goods and information with the land-based ‘morphs or to visit family and friends who live on the surface.

- Feral Pokemon do exist and can be pets or prey, though they're not used for auxiliary purposes as commonly as they are in the anime or games, what with Pokemorphs being able to do their jobs just as well as they can only more efficiently. The exception is mounts and similar roles.

- There is a very rare, very unusual birth defect called Nyarth's Syndrome that causes a pokemorph to have a mostly to completely feral-like body while still having the mental capacity and speech of a regular pokemorph. Other than being genetic, no one's quite sure how it comes about or how to prevent it. There are several methods to help aid those morphs with Nyarth's Syndrome, from surgeries to robotics, though for the most part the community have been fairly accepting of adapting to their form and even embracing it at times. Some of the world's most esteemed minds have been 'morphs with this condition, in fact.

- Shinies exist, as do pokemon with unusual color schemes (like Pinkan Berry consumers), though for the most part this is restricted to color schemes that have been made canonical via any side games (Ex. Keckleon in the Mystery Dungeon games) or crossovers (Ex. Lucario's alt colors in Smash Bros). Everything else can be chalked up to tattoos, dye-jobs or very talented Smeargles.

- Abilities do exist and everyone can have only one (assuming they have multiples), including Hidden Abilities. How said Ability affects someone depends completely on the individual pokemorph and the Ability itself.

- While it is very possible for a pokemorph to learn every single moveset their species can (canonically) learn, the average non-battling civilian will learn around 8 in their lifetime and master four at most. Those that go to specialized academies and training programs can on average learn about double that. Those that actually take up combat as a career path (be it as a dance battler, a military fighter, a League sports combatant or anything in between) or a not-so-legal career path (pitfighting, assassin, etc.) are the most likely to pull off learning the most moves.

- This is all assuming said pokemorph can even learn that many moves. If they cannot learn any more moves, even by TM/Tutor/Egg move/etc, then they cannot get more. They can learn other forms of self-defense, however, such as martial arts and the use of a blade. Guns exist, but are fairly rare and unpopular They’re most commonly used by police ‘mon (and lowlife criminals) who require a “neutral” form of attacking or simply something stronger/weaker/less stressful to attack with than their own moves.

- Yes, Pokemon can still be strong/weak to other typings, though this only really applies to actual pokemon attacks (Getting hit with Waterfall as opposed to just being under a waterfall). The normal elements can also be harmful if one is overexposed to them, though most ‘morphs are strong enough to not have to worry about such things compared to their feral selves.

- Pokemorphs typically are born naturally able to speak their native "pokespeak" language before they're taught by their parents to speak in their 'Morph language. Sometimes the "pokespeak" leaks out when an individual is excited or scared (or even aroused), which can be seen as cute, childish or both.

- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is especially true in the case of individual pokemorphs. While many have humanlike ideals when it comes to the most attractive species (their own or others), many others look to other things for an ideal date, such as their skills, physical strength, their intelligence, even their scent or how large/small a wing or limb or horn or tail is.

- There are a *select few* species of pokemorphs, mostly Legendaries, that can shift between a 'morph and a more feral form, usually done by those who can travel between dimensions. This is usually kept in secret, hence why there's so little info in regards to it.

- Lifespans depend heavily on species. Most have human-length lifespans and pass away on average at 90-100 years. Some, like certain Bug-types, can live for shorter periods than that, to around 50. Others can live considerably longer, like turtle-based pokemorphs and Ninetails. Legendaries make up for their short birth rates by having the longest lifespans of them all, some going as far as over a thousand years.

- Due to the technology used to create such mutations lost to time, Delta and Shadow pokemon are considered a myth at best and thus do not exist.

- Gijinka are also not a thing, though that goes without saying considering everything else.


History and Culture:

- Not EVERY in-game factoid/Pokedex entry is to be taken seriously...though if any of them make for interesting storytelling in my eyes (like a Pokedex entry that gives off an idea on what a certain pokemon is stereotypically said to be like), that is fair game.

- There WERE humans in the world at one point and it's been universally accepted that these creatures were what created the pokemorphs and shared their cultures with them in the first place. That said, there's as many interpretation to what they were like and what they even looked like ( as there are pokemon, so no one living has any solid proof as to what became of them...and if there is, they're not sharing.

- Pokemorphs have been around for a nearly a millennia now, their growth and development of their civilization echoing our own history, with noticeable differences.

- Locations include all the ones from the main games (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Sevii Islands) as well as some from the anime (Orange Island, Alto Mare, LaRousse City, Alamos Town, Inakano Town, Decolore Island, Brackish Town, Mocha Town, etc) and some from the side games (Orre, Fiore, etc.)

-There have been wars. Some places still have wars, even. Prejudice of all kinds, from class to species to even typing, it exist everywhere still, even if things have improved considerably since the old days when everyone was still getting used to the idea of being pokemon that can walk and talk like humans.

- Cultures are as diverse as the species, as is their language. Due to lack of creativity/laziness, pokemorphs of certain nationalities will mostly be referred to as the "poke-" equivalent of the real world (example, Poke-Italian, Poke-Russian, Poke-Brazilian, etc.).

- Arceus is still one of the most common deities shared among the 'morphs, though not the only one. And how can there be an Arceus (the God) and Arceus (pokemorph)? The morph version are considered "Children Of Arceus" as well as being the rarest breed of all, of which there is exactly one family of them still living somewhere in Sinnoh. It is considered taboo to ever refer to them directly as Arceus- morphs, as the religion usually accepts the multi-armed interpretation as its "true" form, known as The Original One.

-Other known poke-religions includes "The First" (Mew), "The Birds" (Articuno/Zapdos/Moltres), "The Flames" (mostly restricted to Fire-types that live in communities near volcanoes), "The Tides" (used by Water-types that continue to live in the ocean rather than on land) and "The Twin Heroes" (Reshiram/Zekrom), among many others.

- Legendaries are still rare (see 'Reproduction') and thus seen by some as creatures to hold in high regard or to be feared. This is of course mostly done by morphs who are ignorant about Legendaries for whatever reason. Legendaries, barring those like the Children of Arceus forced into high-ranked and/or religious-heavy families, are otherwise no more stronger or weaker than any other pokemorph.

- Superhero Pokemon do exist. In comics, movies, games and TV shows. Anyone trying to be one in the setting's reality is a vigilante and susceptible to getting themselves hurt or worse.


Technology and Economics:

- Technology level at this point in time is similar to modern-day with some considerable advances in health science and robotics, among many others.

- ...yes, there are mecha in this setting, *but* they're not that large and are exclusively for doing labor-intensive work such as for space stations and the like. Attempts to militarize it have been attempted, but there has yet been a war large enough to justify that kind of extra power.

- There is a "internet" and the largest community of Porygon-line 'morphs usually dwell there,. though they have long since perfected the means to transfer their data into that of a physical ’morph form outside of their cyber-homes. Rotom can similarly pull this off, though the logistics behind it is a bit different.

- Transportation is about the same as modern era, with cars and planes and so on. Many ‘morphs, however, are devoted fans of self-propelled travelling, with Fliers, Swimmers and Teleporters being the more abundant ones.

- Pokéballs are still technically a thing, albeit not as an actual item, but as a symbol, one that has been ingrained in the minds of many a pokemorph for centuries, as the actual technology has long since been lost. What said symbol means depends on who you ask: for some, it’s something to be feared, a symbol for entrapment of body and soul. For many others, however, it’s a symbol of unity, tranquility and friendship. The only thing anyone can agree on is that they are from the era of humans and, as such, as much of a mystery as the humans themselves. Similar technologies DO exist for use on inanimate objects, though it's still in its early stages and has yet to be perfected enough to be commercially viable.

- The main currency in most places is the Poke-Dollar, though it's abbreviated to "Poké" by most (as opposed to in the games where they are two separate forms of currency) and uses the same Yen-like symbol as in the games. Similar to the games and the Japanese yen, prices use numerals in the hundreds. There are some more remote areas that use Heart Scales or even trading as their means of exchanging goods and services.

- There are some pokemon-exclusive consumer products in existence, among these being Shock Sticks; half-eCigarette, half-Battery, they’re used to stimulate bored Electric-types. Some even come with “flavors”, like Very Bluk Berry and Tangy Tamato. Surgeon Generals warn that consuming too many of these can cause an Electric-types inner voltage to get erratic, which can lead to uncontrollable electrical bursts.

Reproduction:


- While it´s a common theory that humans (whatever those truly were) were tinvolved in the creation of pokemorphs, the hows and whys have been one of those great mysteries that scientists debate over to this day. It is thought that at one point all morphs were developed from one "core being" as a blueprint for their general design, which partially explains the humanoid shape and in many cases, the humanlike means of reproduction. That said, those genetic modification could only dictate the way future generations of morphs would develop so far. Past a certain point nature still maintained great control, thus their reproductive natures reverted back to its feral-like origins despite going against how evolution truly works in real life. Then again, evolution was always an odd thing in the world of Pokemon. (Also, real talk, I'm not really interested in exploring their sexual nature beyond just this for the time being. I will change my wordings should that ever get changed, but until then...)

- Pokemorphs do not lay eggs with the exception of Pokemorphs whose species makes more sense for that to happen, such as an avian or reptilian-themed one. Eggs may also have significantly design differences depending on the species, though by default they match the ones seen in the anime or games.

-Similarly, Pokemorph genitalia is not universally humanoid in nature, though these usually apply to more alien/non-mammalian species. Reproduction also differs considerably from species to species.

- How breeding even happens and the rituals taken to prepare for it varies by species. A common example would be certain types of Fire-types, such as the Magby-line, setting up an incubator for eggs on an open flame or even submerged in lava.

- Genderless and male pokemorphs still need the aid of a Ditto to breed, which in turn make Dittos an invaluable asset to many a pokemorph, which can and has lead to polarizing issues regarding Dittos as individuals rather than just living tools.

- Nidos of any gender or evolution level can breed just fine, though there is an old wives' tale of sorts that you reach your menopausal state much faster if you evolve into a Nidoqueen too early. Scientists still haven't found much conclusive evidence to back this up, though doctors in general will still warn younger Nidos about it all the same for safety's sake. More on this under 'Evolution'.

- Mythical/Legendaries CAN breed, but for reasons no one has quite been able to decrypt, they tend to have abysmally small birth rates, which explains their general rarity.

- Non-Legendary "Unbreedable" pokemon still cannot breed, as the majority are made up of physically immature/"baby" pokemon. The exception to this are Dittos and Unown, though admittedly their means of reproducing are significantly more alien compared to most others.

- Pokemorphs of incompatible Egg Groups CAN breed but, much like with Legendaries, the birth rate is significantly lower than if the species were compatible. The usual alternative for this aside from adoption is Ditto-assisted artificial insemination.

- While the chances are highest that the offspring will end up the same species as the mother, this is not always the case. Cross-species pregnancy is an uncommon phenomena that has a dangerously high risk of miscarriage or even death to the mother due to the baby not being "made" for that specific womb. Thankfully, most Centers nowadays will have staff of assistants that are well-trained to handle situations like these, which have done wonders to decrease the risk of cross-species pregnancies significantly.

- There is no such thing as true hybrids. Any offspring born from two different species will result in a pokemon of one of those two species (albeit in their pre-evolved forms) with any noteworthy mutations born from said combination being aesthetic at most, such as skin or hair patterns resembling that of their parents, or the offspring acquiring the ability to learn moves they could not before (Egg moves). Behavioral patterns can also resemble that of their other parent's species rather than their own, such as a normally herbivorous pokemon developing a taste for meat because of who their other parent is.

- Ghost-types not only are more than capable of breeding, but it's actually significantly more common to meet Ghost-types who were just born from parents than it is meeting a Ghost-type pokemorph born from the death of their former selves. In these cases, the Ghost-type will have some physical trace of their past self on their persona, though retaining the memory of their past selves and what happened is not common unless there was someone else there during the incident that can provide them with information. It's sadly not too common for "born" Ghost-types to have some level of resentment for "revived" ones due to "revived" ones having something of a reputation of not having the mental state and maturity to cope with the change and essentially being the #1 reason most other 'morphs think their kind as being tragic, chaotic and dangerous.


Sexuality:

- In-game there are Male, Female and Genderless pokemon. This still applies in Pokemorphs, as well as non-binary genders.

- "Genderless", by the way, is not a derogatory term for a non-binary gendered person in this case, but used exclusively to refer to pokemorphs with _no genitalia to speak of_, such as Magnemite or Golurk. While they CAN "breed" with Dittos, the process is a bit more complex as the Ditto is essentially gathering the pokemorph's data to make a imperfect clone of the other pokemorph. The exception is Manaphy, who do have a means for laying Phione eggs, though due to needing a Ditto to breed at all and the fact that every single one has the orifice needed to lay Phione eggs, scientists are unsure what to classify them as and Manaphies themselves typically do not care to *be* classified.

- That said, Genderless pokemon can feel sexual identity issues just as well as a regular non-binary individual would, often in partial thanks to peer pressure from a mostly-gendered society. The norm of many older-generation Genderless is to simply embrace the fact that they are not gendered and thus not burdened by the need to sate their desires for intimate companionship (which is not the same as friendship or even relationship, mind). There are a few younger-generation species that have developed workarounds to this, such as Porygon-line parents installing AI programs that best match how they want their offspring to mentally develop their self-identity, though these tend to be either insufficient or even immoral, which just leads to more debate on the issue.

- "Unbreedables" and Legendaries CAN have genders, which is especially true for the more organic breeds. That said, there ARE a few Legendaries that can still be classified as Genderless, such as Deoxys and the Regis (Genesect is still up to debate. Mewtwo would be as well except I'm pretty sure people would kill me if I did that :P).

- Single sex pokemorphs (Kangaskhan, Gallade, etc): For the most part, they cannot be (biologically speaking) any other sex save for the one assigned to them by species. Self-identifying and cross-dressing among these breeds is not uncommon. Surgical procedures do exist, but it is not the norm at all and a huge health risk as well as a social one due to how uncommon and unreliable the procedure is. Being born opposite your specie's given gender is, while not impossible, extremely rare, with any surviving to adulthood being even rarer due to the mutation usually including many other side-effects that their young bodies have trouble coping with. Pokemorphs with sex-based evolutions being able to evolve to a form whose sex they do not match are also extremely rare to the point of being considered a myth. Mega Evolving to your opposite gender is just plain impossible.


Evolution:

- How evolution is treated depends solely on the family, though for the most part it's considered a moment of celebration, akin to one's birthday or graduation. For those with controllable evolutions (stone evolutions, held items, special circumstances), it's fairly common for a family to set a date and time for a ritual celebration for when one is ready to evolve.

- "Experience"-based evolution is not solely done through battle. That usually happens when one feels a personal growth/maturity that is similar but not *quite* like hitting puberty. There are even those that manage to "will" themselves to evolve, though doctors tend to discourage people from doing so as "forcing it" may cause some unusual side-effects, from unusual aesthetic changes to far more severe issues. Also, above all, doctors are constantly reminding their patients that *evolution is a one-way street* and should not be done on a whim. Even Mega Evolution can have its risks, even if they are arguably lesser ones due to it being temporary.

- The process of evolution can feel either really painful to really pleasant, depending on the individual and circumstances. A forced evolution, for the most part, will always hurt more than something that you let develop on its own. The same principle applies to Mega Evolution.

- There are older families whose species have branching evolutions who take great care for their children to "evolve as they should" for various reasons, such as certain evolutions being rarer than others or simply more well-respected than others. This can lead to a great deal of pressure to the younger generation who are still struggling to adapt to their current forms, let alone the one after, assuming they even want it.

- As stated, some evolutions are more common than others, especially those who evolve with rare and expensive stones or unorthodox means, usually those requiring a second pokemorph for assistance. Mega evolutions are similarly rare due to the rareness of Mega Stones.

- Evolution does NOT mean "maturity". It is very possible for someone to be fully evolved (though this can get more unusual with certain ones, such as "experience"-based evolutions) before they've even left grade school. That said, this is usually frowned upon for many reasons, key of these being that child's inability to learn certain moves they could only develop in their prior form. Similarly, one can reach to full age without ever evolving though, again, this is much more unusual in some breeds than others and can even be problematic at times (for example, "baby" pokemon are unable to reproduce).

- "Formes" are not evolutions and affect pokemorphs the same way they do in-series, with few exceptions (like Deoxys and Meloetta).

More to be added at a later date.