FFVII AU - Makonoid
Dante and his twin brother were born in a lab for a failed experiment called the Mako Reaction Study.
The Study was eventually renamed to the Makonoid Experiment, but ultimately, the name didn’t matter, as the project was shut down after eight years. It became apparent that studying the Makonoid creature would need decades of dedicated research, and the funding required for that was just not enough to keep Shinra’s interest.
All Makonoid creatures were supposed to be incinerated, but a large majority of them went to private studies or put away in storage, as Makonoid show extreme resilience and hardiness, they can be stored for a long time with minimal care. Dante and his twin brother were a successful pair of experiments, as they managed to keep their sanity, and were one of few injected with Mako in utero that managed to survive.
An unknown scientist took Dante and his twin brother, and set them loose into Sector 8 of Midgar, where they eventually ended up in the slums. Before releasing them, both of them were granted Amulets that had a large piece of Materia inside. The Materia in question suppresses their Makonoid forms. Without the Materia, they no longer take the form of their human selves and begin to transition into the Makonoid form. (As shown below)
Since they wouldn’t be able to walk around looking like that, Dante keeps in mind how important it is to keep his materia on him at all times.
Dante is extremely sensitive to Mako Poisoning in any way shape or form, and will start developing his Makonoid traits if exposed for an extended period. While he doesn’t physically deteriorate, instead shifting into a new body, he can mentally deteriorate, becoming unhinged and aggressive.
Dante currently takes the job of a mercenary on the topside of Sector 8. He lives with his partner, a widowed father, and his three daughters, one of which is suffering the affects of Mako Poisoning, as they once had to live in the slums for a long period of time.
Dante is acutely aware that not only does he need his materia, but medicine provided by Shinra. He keeps up his work to get the medicine he needs, and to help support his partner in crime. While the people Dante live with are aware he is affected by Mako, he is afraid to talk to them in depth about the actual reason he is sick, and the affect it can have. Dante just makes sure to take especial pains to keep himself in line. Since his falling out with his brother, he is unsure where the location of his brother is, and since he has gone through several name changes, Dante hopes to keep it that way.
tl;dr: Dante is a failed Mako experiment born in a lab but released at the age of 8 years old with his twin brother. Although they are now separated from each other, Dante is doing what he can to live a normal life, and keep the secret of his past away from the people around him. Currently, he’s a jack of all trades, a mercenary that will do whatever he needs to just to make a quick gil He’s always happy to be hired, so long as the job doesn’t involve anything with Mako.
