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rebornfandom2018-12-16 05:12 pm
warmskies) wrote in rebornfandom2018-12-16 05:12 pm
Mammon and the Varia
posted originally on tumblr here, with images.
At the time that I wrote this, there was a section on the fandom wiki for Mammon that said they "avoid most of the Varia members" besides Bel. I had some complaints about that, and got the panels to prove it! One day, they might even get put into this post... but for now, the text portions.
I will agree that Mammon and Bel are together in a lot of their appearances, which could be for a lot of reasons (narratively and in-universe). However, it seems a shame that it’s generally ignored that our favorite little greedbaby does interact with the others and has pretty good relations (from what we can infer) with the rest of the Varia that wouldn’t be developed if they “avoided” the others.
Levi and Lussuria:
During the beginning of the Varia arc, Mammon freely compliments Levi on the speediness of his work and his cruel nature. During the Storm battle, they spectate easily enough with him, and afterwards while they acknowledge his flaws they also acknowledge that he’s still a solid fighter (to point out that Hibari is a threat himself). They don’t casually mock him, like Bel does, or have the antagonistic relationship Squalo has to suffer through. Mammon seems to feel at ease enough, and are aware that even if he’s not a genius like Bel or Squalo, he still has his place in the Varia’s upper tier. As for Lussuria, while there’s not nearly as much interaction between the two (a sadly low bar not passed), what little interaction that is there seems to hint that Mammon likes working with Lussuria or at least watching the Sun Guardian work, and Lussuria certainly seems to care about Mammon considering the quote above- “This is Mammon’s one single wish!”
Squalo:
The majority of interactions between these two is during the Storm battle. While they may be small, they’re significant when you think about it. The picture above is particularly during the aftermath of that battle when Hibari shows up. Squalo is a skilled swordsman and fighter- he can probably make his own observations. However, it means something that he specifically asks Mammon their thoughts- a sign of trust and respect he doesn’t really give to anyone else. Mammon also gives him their thoughts without much fuss- both then and during the battle when Squalo’s commentary showed he didn’t understand just what the hell was going through Bel’s head. It’s a casual exchange, one that gives me the impression that this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this.
Note: The third picture is a quote from Bel, during the Cloud battle. When asked what their boss could be scheming, Bel freely admits he doesn’t know but “Mammon and Squalo would probably know”. This means that, as far as the rest of the Varia is concerned, Squalo and Mammon are on the same level. Keep in mind that Xanxus has been put on ice for eight years or so, but the Varia still had to function (even if likely heavily watched). Who else would lead it besides the person who had technically won that right in the first place? For Mammon to be considered on a similar level and for Squalo to act towards them as he does, it seems logical that Mammon was a relied upon advisor for this period of time. Sensible- they are one of the Arcobaleno, after all, for good reason.
Xanxus:
With the above stated, it should go without saying that Xanxus at the very least actually seems to respect Mammon’s capabilities for Bel to think that he’d tell them about his secret plan as well. Of course, there are other circumstances that show Xanxus and Mammon respect one another. Mammon always seems to make sure to speak with him if something comes up with work (permission to remove the chain to their pacifier, requesting a favor of the Varia). In return, Xanxus pays attention when Mammon gets angry during the food fight of the Rep arc (when he does so to no one else), picks up on what sort of thing would bother them enough to ask for a favor (”Is this about the Arcobaleno?”), and reassures them that Bermuda’s lot is just “more trash to be taken out” when Mammon is panicking after most of their team is in hospital beds.
And, of course, the above panel when Mammon activates their watch and initiates Mirage R. Xanxus’ expression isn’t one of rage, or a villainous smirk or grin, or apathy. It almost seems like one of… respect, maybe. Interest. Something that certainly isn’t negative, at any rate.
And… Finally, there’s the bottom panel. Where it’s not just Bel tackling into Xanxus to keep him from breaking his watch so he can fight Hibari, but Squalo and Lussuria too.
The Varia as a whole is invested in their little greedbaby.
At the time that I wrote this, there was a section on the fandom wiki for Mammon that said they "avoid most of the Varia members" besides Bel. I had some complaints about that, and got the panels to prove it! One day, they might even get put into this post... but for now, the text portions.
I will agree that Mammon and Bel are together in a lot of their appearances, which could be for a lot of reasons (narratively and in-universe). However, it seems a shame that it’s generally ignored that our favorite little greedbaby does interact with the others and has pretty good relations (from what we can infer) with the rest of the Varia that wouldn’t be developed if they “avoided” the others.
Levi and Lussuria:
During the beginning of the Varia arc, Mammon freely compliments Levi on the speediness of his work and his cruel nature. During the Storm battle, they spectate easily enough with him, and afterwards while they acknowledge his flaws they also acknowledge that he’s still a solid fighter (to point out that Hibari is a threat himself). They don’t casually mock him, like Bel does, or have the antagonistic relationship Squalo has to suffer through. Mammon seems to feel at ease enough, and are aware that even if he’s not a genius like Bel or Squalo, he still has his place in the Varia’s upper tier. As for Lussuria, while there’s not nearly as much interaction between the two (a sadly low bar not passed), what little interaction that is there seems to hint that Mammon likes working with Lussuria or at least watching the Sun Guardian work, and Lussuria certainly seems to care about Mammon considering the quote above- “This is Mammon’s one single wish!”
Squalo:
The majority of interactions between these two is during the Storm battle. While they may be small, they’re significant when you think about it. The picture above is particularly during the aftermath of that battle when Hibari shows up. Squalo is a skilled swordsman and fighter- he can probably make his own observations. However, it means something that he specifically asks Mammon their thoughts- a sign of trust and respect he doesn’t really give to anyone else. Mammon also gives him their thoughts without much fuss- both then and during the battle when Squalo’s commentary showed he didn’t understand just what the hell was going through Bel’s head. It’s a casual exchange, one that gives me the impression that this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this.
Note: The third picture is a quote from Bel, during the Cloud battle. When asked what their boss could be scheming, Bel freely admits he doesn’t know but “Mammon and Squalo would probably know”. This means that, as far as the rest of the Varia is concerned, Squalo and Mammon are on the same level. Keep in mind that Xanxus has been put on ice for eight years or so, but the Varia still had to function (even if likely heavily watched). Who else would lead it besides the person who had technically won that right in the first place? For Mammon to be considered on a similar level and for Squalo to act towards them as he does, it seems logical that Mammon was a relied upon advisor for this period of time. Sensible- they are one of the Arcobaleno, after all, for good reason.
Xanxus:
With the above stated, it should go without saying that Xanxus at the very least actually seems to respect Mammon’s capabilities for Bel to think that he’d tell them about his secret plan as well. Of course, there are other circumstances that show Xanxus and Mammon respect one another. Mammon always seems to make sure to speak with him if something comes up with work (permission to remove the chain to their pacifier, requesting a favor of the Varia). In return, Xanxus pays attention when Mammon gets angry during the food fight of the Rep arc (when he does so to no one else), picks up on what sort of thing would bother them enough to ask for a favor (”Is this about the Arcobaleno?”), and reassures them that Bermuda’s lot is just “more trash to be taken out” when Mammon is panicking after most of their team is in hospital beds.
And, of course, the above panel when Mammon activates their watch and initiates Mirage R. Xanxus’ expression isn’t one of rage, or a villainous smirk or grin, or apathy. It almost seems like one of… respect, maybe. Interest. Something that certainly isn’t negative, at any rate.
And… Finally, there’s the bottom panel. Where it’s not just Bel tackling into Xanxus to keep him from breaking his watch so he can fight Hibari, but Squalo and Lussuria too.
The Varia as a whole is invested in their little greedbaby.