Dogun

**Doguns** are dogs that have shaped themselves to look mostly human after millions of years of evolution.

They own only a few dog-like features, like their nails, ears, tail, reproduction cycle, and the ability to bear multiple children at once. Even though they look human, they were once regular dogs and in no way carry human DNA.

They exist in a far future where the human race has decreased tremendously and are slowly dying out. Normal dogs and wolves no longer exist, though their wolfon relatives are actively trying to go back to their roots.

Their first online appearance was at Deviantart on September 8, 2015. They were originally featured in a chapter of the Ed, Edd n Eddy fanfiction, "Until I See You Again", and years later, an alternate version in the original story, "Stop, Max!".

## Past and behaviour

*NOTE: The details below refer to the breed as they appear in Until I See You Again.*

Doguns are creatures that are heavily focussed on the continuously growing human side of their nature, going as far to even condemn animal behaviour. They wear clothes and live in stone houses, but as they are not actually human beings, these clothes and buildings are fairly simple and their community sometimes primitive. For example, they don't know how to make shoes, glass objects, doorknobs, harvest electricity or use currency.

They speak the human language of the country they reside in, since their ancestors were once owned by human residents, from whom they picked up the language during their evolutionary transition started.

Their strange evolution was thanks to the dogs from the past striving to be like humans as a response to the years of good relationship they shared with them. Nevertheless, the two groups have no connection anymore, as the human population is so few, they never come across each other. The doguns, as for the wolfons, are the new ruling intelligent species on Earth.

Because of their drive to embrace their human side and discard their dog self, their (emotional) intelligence almost matches that of a human, but with it, they lost their original animal strength and are generally fearful of other creatures and the unknown.

Though they were once dogs, during the transition of becoming a dogun, their DNA brought them back to their wolf roots and they were "wolf people" for a couple million years. They were fully covered in fur, had fangs, paws and still acted much like an animal. The primitive wolf variant still exists till some extend, and are called wolfons. They are heavily disliked, as they are aggressive and have complete wolf body parts that the doguns frown upon. They feel superior for being more civilized and looking more human than them, while the wolfons don't care for that. They are each other's biggest enemy and the doguns' arrogance makes it appetizing for the wolfons to be a bother on purpose, which isn't hard to do, as their mere presence frightens them.

Reproducing with a wolfon is considered counterproductive and a disgrace. The doguns try to scare each other out of considering to hook up with their primitive version by spreading claims that mixed race pups are destructive and kill the dogun parent, even though nobody knows what the cross-breed looks or acts like. To scare each other as to "keep order" is a tactic doguns often use.

Even so, wolfons are only a problem to doguns that know about them. They rarely show themselves and the majority of doguns on the planet don't even know of their existence. In some communities they are talked about as if they're bedtime demons.

While they are smart and capable of love and empathy, two doguns often don't stay together after reproducing. The growing majority feels it's a bad trait that needs to change, but it's still accepted not to engage into a meaningful relationship, mainly because the doguns are still subjected to their original reproduction cycle and don't necessarily want to marry a stranger for answering to their instincts.

Doguns and humans cannot reproduce, but doguns could reproduce with normal canines if they still existed.

They are omnivores and hunt for food using simple tools and weapons. They cook most of their food, though this is not necessary for their diet. They prefer to speak in the human language, but sometimes drop the ball and squeal like a dog; when getting hurt, for example. Their pups also squeak like pups, opposed to crying like human babies, and are alot smaller than babies, allowing for the doguns to have litters.

Doguns build villages and live together as a group, but there are no real leaders like in the wolfon community. They have human-like family structures and mainly care for/about their own family.

## Appearance

Doguns look like human beings, but have dog ears at the sides of their head, a dog tail -both in the same colour as their hair- and black dog nails on their hands and feet.

Multiple dog breeds existed before their transition and many doguns have different ears and tails, representing that breed.

## Trivia

* The dogun design and the backstory is a response to the anime trend of humans with animal characteristics.
* The dogun example image is referencing "Ann" from a genderbent version of the Cartoon Network show, Ed, Edd n Eddy.