#vergil could probably be her reluctant uncle figure but I can't see them working out without Dante | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prototypelq · 11 months

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DMC Questions Anon here!

"That day, if our positions were switched... Would our fates be different? Would I have your life, and you mine?"

While standing on top of the Qlipoth in DMC 5 Vergil posed a very interesting question that got many people wondering: How would the story of DMC go if Dante and Vergil's positions were switched?

That is what I am asking you now to answer. How does this story go in a world where their positions are switched?

Hi, dear DMC anon, always happy to get your messages!

I`d like to start this reply with recommending some very good videos/fics that explore this topic, as my opinion on the matter is affected by them, but also in case anyone reading HASN`T seen these, and more people really should!

Champion Analysis has done amazing videos on this exact alternate universe scenario (the term ‘alternate universe’ feels very justified here) videos – two speculative character analysis videos and one voice-acted retelling of the story of the switched twins in DMC 3.

Blood Red Brother by TheWritingSquid – a oneshot about ‘switched’ Dante running into a ‘reunited with Dante at the end of 3 and raising-Nero’ Vergil and their first and last interaction.

Bonus:

Devil May Cry D by Strawberry_Hope is an amazing fic in russian, this is a ‘switched’ twins retelling of the story of 5, and I LOVE it. This thing is huge, it has everything you wish to have in a long fic – good plot with some mystery, characters interact with each other a lot (as Vergil does NOT let Dante out of his sight, unlike the game which has Dante basically flying off the rails after his twin), and some good angst and drama (as is customary for DMC). maybe I should do a masterpost of my fav ru dmc fics, because they have some amazing stuff I have not seen in english-speaking community, or have seen very very little of it.

Hopefully, everyone is familiar with these (baring Devil May Cry D, as it is very optional because of language requirement), otherwise I highly recommend you check them out if this AU ever remotely interests you.

With that out of the way, I believe the Switch AU is quite unique, because global games-wise I don`t think it would change much. Vergil would work great as a (classic anime) protagonist – an elder twin, who tragically lost his entire family, and is the (only surviving) heir. Vergil is honorable, badass and actually a cheeky bastard, just as his brother, so he would make a great protagonist for the games. Story-wise in games, I think the only one we can expect to have huge changes is 4, as it revolves around Nero. There is pretty much nothing on The Fortuna Woman to base speculations around, sooo it could be a teen dad Vergil after 3, or he could encounter Nero only in the boy`s teens as original Dante did. Same as canon, I don`t really care for The Woman much, and I don`t see her having any effect on the story. (also everyone wants Nero and Vergil to have good father-son relationship, so it`s obvious which scenario out of the two the fandom and I lean towards)

This is...not much changing really, we just move the Nero&Vergil relationship earlier on the timeline, but so far that`s pretty much it

except it`s not

because I fully believe ‘switched’ Dante cannot be redeemed.

Original`s Vergil story is tragic, and it forced him to make horrible decisions, however his intentions have always been in the right place. Vergil, fundamentally as a character believes in results over the methods used to get them, so no, he Doesn`t care that his summoning of demon tower killed a lot of innocent people, and might have passed down his own childhood trauma on the new generation of children of Redgrave, he wanted to use it to finish off the demon lord, and it is a noble goal so everything works out. This makes the original Vergil a tragic, but misguided and lost character. Vergil as V was the perfect replica of all of that, and he needed someone to show him a better way – and Nero did. He showed crumbling and desperate Vergil compassion and a kind-of friendship, which was exactly what Vergil was looking for all these years, but too afraid to acknowledge it. After that, original Vergil can be shown the error of his ways, and he might try to make amends (starting with his brother), which will, in time, redeem him.

Dante is, as always, a perfect opposite of his brother. He is compassionate by nature, and his heart of gold is his greatest tormentor over the years, as he cannot accept the loss of Vergil and always yearned for his brother back. To take this emotional person with a bleeding heart, and to have him raise a demon tower as Vergil did in dmc 3? That requires breaking his foundational compassionate nature, and replacing it with ‘goals over morals’ mentality, and I don`t think that kind that damage can be reversed. Blood Red Brother fic I mentioned captures this perfectly – Dante, with goals over morals, also remains a thrill seeker and a kind of adrenaline junkie, this combination of traits, paired with demonic heritage, is extremely volatile, and could lead to terrible bloodlust.

All of this would make 'switched' Dante a truly horrifying sadistic psychopath, who would only seek massive demons to battle (which would also make him an amazing villain), and there is no way he could be redeemed after that.

Thank you for the ask, as always!

(well, there is an alternative scenario where Dante fights only demons, and doesn't harm humans, meaning he cannot get the power boosts orig Vergil got, and loses to Mundus spectacularly. still, I feel like 'antagonist' Dante goes against his nature and would alter him greatly, but perhaps he could be redeemed after that)

p.s. maybe I`ll make a reblog talking about DMC D fic as it has some amazing takes on this AU, but I don`t want to mix the authors original ideas with my ramblings

#dmc questions anon #dmc #dmc au #dmc switched au #dante sparda #vergil sparda #the only one missing is nero and he really wouldn't change that much #no patty propaganda in this one sorry everyone #vergil could probably be her reluctant uncle figure but I can't see them working out without Dante

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