I read this and I thought "Okay, it kind of seems like Snively is running back to Regina because in addition to his confidence that he can take over, he also is seeking stuff from her (actual attention, displays of love, etc) that he doesn’t receive from Robotnik."
But then I read this. And I'm...still reeling?
The wording, the framing!
"The minute it goes awry you'll go crawling back to him"
It just...takes me back to Eggman making Snively declare he no longer in his little love relationship with Regina. The framing here is so "Why would I take you back? You say you care about me, but time and time again... Every time it gets hard you run back to your ex!" to me
And then this!
"I'm done with Eggman! I've come for you!"
"Tell me right now that you're done with Regina. Everything you had with her is over" vs "I'm sorry, but everything I had with him is over now! I'll prove it!"
I just...
There's a whole essay to be had analyzing Robotnik's relationship with Snively, and how Snively almost always seems to leave/betray Robotnik when Robotnik neglects him and/or his empire. And this is not to mention analyzing why Snively pursues Regina in the first place, what that relationship means, etc.
But I suppose my point is that...this entire framing to me frames Snively/Robotnik as toxic lovers with common goals who have had a sort of on and off relationship for forever now, and Regina/Snively as the slightly less toxic option, but at least an option framed as the better one, framed as a change from the norm, framed as Snively's gateway to getting what he really seems to want (not just power, but a partner to share it with, a family of his own making, people with whom he and they will delight in taking revenge on each other's enemies).
Do I daresay that Snively enjoys his game with Robotnik, but wants equal status, attention, and what feels like genuine care?
In other words, with the specific framing of these last issues of SU and Archie StH and the pitting of Snively's relationships with each other, it's hard not to see them both as well...examples of partnerships/lovers. I'll put it that way. I'm finding it hard to ignore possible romantic (or at least, not completely familial) subtext between Robotnik and Snively.
Okay I know I know obvious joke "they just got back together but of course divorce is looming again" but like
Like this isn't a confontation you don't expect. When I first read this I thought "Oh, Snively is undermining him and trying to bring back the Iron Queen". It's not hard to come up with that one. After all, Robotnik knows Snively (and the other grandmasters) are all conspiring against him. In fact, he finds that enjoyable. So he only calls one of them out when an assassination or plan of usurping him fails (like when he caught Snively in the act of tampering with one of his Metal Sonic's).
But it turns out Mr. Eggman over here is being...dramatic. Yeah that's one word for what's happening.
Because...the only proof he has that Snively is being "treacherous" and not "falling back into line" are tapes of his conversation with the bride of the Raiju clan. And what did Snively do? He just asked how the Iron Queen was doing and where she was imprisoned (he did love her after all), and he rightfully gets exasperated at the idea of him calling the Dragon Kingdom proving his treachery. Sure, the signs are there if he wants to retrieve the Iron Queen, but he clearly hasn't yet done so. And she's not going to be as powerful as before even if he did, so what's Robotnik afraid of?
He can’t be afraid of the Iron Queen taking his forces again.
So he's afraid of...what?
Mr. Flynn. Sir. Is Robotnik afraid of Snively leaving him? He's the one always telling Snively how he knows he'll come back, how he can't resist trying to use Robotnik to take power.
But before now, even if Robotnik was right—even if Snively does always come back to save his own hide, to get the power he craves, because he just can't help coming back to this little relationship—there is a new variable now. Hope, his only family? He'd ensured her safety, so Snively had no problem joining back with his uncle then. But Snively has fallen in love with someone else. Whether the Iron Queen was using him or not, he loved her. He believed she would allow him to achieve his dream of ruling without putting up with his uncle—a man who'd been neglecting his forces and losing their trust, neglecting the battle over his territory at hand, neglecting everything but his personal fight against Sonic, neglecting him (Snively), all because he couldn't handle one of many losses to Sonic the Hedgehog. Robotnik, purposely or not, pushed Snively away. And Snively opened himself up to love with Regina (the Iron Queen), because she wasn't neglecting him, she would say nice words to him and appreciate his assistance, she made him believe she loved him too.
And I cannot understate just how much his secret thing with the Iron Queen prior to her taking over was treated...almost like he was cheating. Dimitri even threatens to expose his romance (and their talk of treason) to Robotnik before Snively assures him that Regina can help out the Dark Legion.
(Note the end usage of "your very violent uncle finds out about your little love affair" rather than the focus on Snively conspiring against Robotnik)
This is all to say that the new variable in our equation is that Snively had fallen in love with the Iron Queen.
And this is a threat to Robotnik—to his control over Snively, and to being able to keep him.
I implore you to go back to the third image I posted in this post.
"Say it's over. Say that your little romance with the Iron Queen is over. Give her up. Here. Now."
It's hard to also not interpret this as jealousy. It would be enough to keep them apart, to keep telling Snively the proof of how the Iron Queen was just using him. It would be enough to tell him that it's over and expect him to follow orders.
But this "little love affair"? He wants Snively to prove it to him that it's over. He wants Snively to prove, right in front of him, that he'll only be loyal to him (and perhaps that he'll only keep trying to take power through him).
Jeez he's like a jealous partner demanding their date never goes back to their ex ever again and in fact denounces their ex so they can feel assured that their date will be devoted only to them (because they're also insecure and demand control)
But...I think this panel makes it clear that Robotnik doesn't have Snively as he once did. Their little game of Snively trying to usurp his seat of power and him foiling that plan and Snively running away to save his hide before running on back for the comforting familiarity of working under dear old uncle? It'll never be the same again. And it's clear to Snively that making him denounce his love completely, as if he's not allowed to even live with that love, even if he never betrays Robotnik or saves the Iron Queen, is crossing the line for him.
I'll be interested to see how this next divorce unfolds.
ㅤㅤ
If you're still reading after that, I only created this readmore so I could scream over...this
I don't have much to say it's just...packed with so much
The comedic timing of Robotnik freaking Snively out.
Snively, once again, getting to laugh and go on about how pathetic his uncle is (oh how the tables have turned).
Snively trying to lord over Robotnik just how much better his life is now with Regina compared to him.
Robotnik not only telling Snively that Regina is playing him and his feelings for a fool, but doubling down and asserting that Snively cannot love purely, because he's a coward who cares about his hide.
To Robotnik asserting again that Snively will be back, because he always comes back.
Acknowledging and defining the little buddy effect was a mistake because since then I have never known peace
I am seeing the little buddy effect EVERYWHERE
ㅤ
For the record, while I do ship at least a few of these I'm not claiming any specifically by making this post. Personally, if I had to boil my views on the little buddy effect and the characters involved in it (as with sontails), I'd say my thoughts are queerplatonic aligned rather than completely romantic or completely platonic. I just don't see any of these characters as siblings to each other is all. It's...complicated! And fun to dissect
With that being said, though, for the sake of any shippers out there I will be tagging all possible ships on this post.
