[OOC] Relationships
Edward Cullen
Twilight
Venom's relationship with Edward is a strange one. Logically, Venom should hate him - Edward is, after all, a vampire, and Venom has had terrible, terrible luck with vampires in the past. Truth be told, Venom probably wouldn't have known that fact at all if it weren't for Edward biting his throat open the night they met, giving him another ample reason to hate the man. Due to the circumstances surrounding that however (a curse forcing everyone to live out the deaths of their loved ones, meaning Venom ended up "possessed" by Zato's sentient shadow and attempted to murder Edward under the assumption that he was Millia. In his eyes, Edward's actions were self defense), he refuses to hold it against him or paint himself a victim.
Logically, he should hate Edward, but Edward kept his mouth shut about what happened, so Venom did too.
Afterward, for one reason or the other, they kept finding themselves together. Edward apologized for his actions and collected supplies for the assassin to help make up for it, meaning Venom found himself returning the favor until it became a strange circle of give and take. Venom took interest in Edward's knowledge of 21st century medicine and offered to supply the vampire with blood (even if the idea disgusts him beyond anything else) in return for information, forming a tentative partnership.
As of late, he knows more about Edward: the nature of his relationship with his fiance, his home world, his disregard for fucking speed limits. Most importantly, however, is his telepathy. Venom only learned about Edward's abilities due to accident (there was an incident where he was thinking not-so-polite things about Bella. Edward reacted.) and, though the use of those powers could be useful, he's currently distanced himself even more from the vampire once the realization of just what that meant sunk in. He doesn't like people being close or knowing information about him or his past history. He doesn't like anyone knowing his weaknesses and invading his privacy. Edward does this, albeit unwillingly, every time they speak to each other. Coupled with his unease at the man's abilities, however, is his devotion to his fiance. He's learned first-hand how quickly a mission, and Edward's sense of self-preservation, can deteriorate if Bella is anywhere near danger. After seeing the man set himself on fire for the girl, Venom isn't willing to take the man and his fiance on missions any time soon.
Still, Edward has a good memory and a sharp mind. So long as they can compile information with one another, the assassin still finds him useful He's just... leery about how loyal Edward can be to a cause without putting his fiance ahead of it.
Alkaid (Chika Kuramoto)
.hack//GU
Alkaid. Oh, Alkaid. Venom met Alkaid during his first night in the institute, forced into partnership with her and Spock in order to survive the horde of zombies plaguing the building. Venom soon found himself annoyed with the girl due to her abrasive attitude, complete stubbornness, and lack of basic strategic planning. Despite this, he also blamed himself for her injuries, making him unwilling to abandon her.
After that night, he soon saw that she took his concern for her well being as a sign to keep bothering him. The more they spoke, they more she annoyed him, yet she never ceased talking to him. Despite this, she does occasionally show her worth by having extensive knowledge in astronomy and basic knowledge of computers, meaning Venom has decided she has a use in this overarching plot of his.
She is member #1 of the Facepalm Trio. She makes him facepalm.
She's no longer in the institute.
Spock
Star Trek
Spock is the second patient Venom met on his first night here. From the start, Spock showed himself to be intelligent, very logical, but also unwilling to hear anything Venom had to say. He would not follow Venom's orders or listen to his advice, both of those things being something Venom cannot stand.
Venom hasn't spoken with Spock quite as much as he has Alkaid, but over time his opinion has... well, no. His opinion of Spock hasn't changed. He still thinks the man's obnoxious in his way of thinking, but he does respect the man's intelligence despite the fact that he hates being pushed to the side by people who think they know better than him. At least Spock and Venom can agree on one thing: Alkaid is weird.
Spock is member #2 of the Facepalm Trio. He also makes Venom facepalm.
Sora
Kingdom Hearts
Sora is someone Venom met his first day in the institute and notable for being the first person willing to be helpful and explain what was happening in greater detail. He was also the first person willing to listen to anything Venom had to say, meaning he immediately got on Venom's good side.
That is, however, where things became confusing for him.
Sora is an optimist. He still has this childish innocence to him and strongly believes that with the power of friendship, everything will be okay. Venom is very jaded and cynical, only believing the worst in the world and that every victory is Pyrrhic in some way or another. No matter how much Venom appreciates the fact that Sora is willing to help, he has a very hard time overlooking that optimism. He's... sort of jealous of it, not that he'd admit it. But now that he knows the boy, he's stuck between worrying over him and chastising himself for caring.
Now that they've gotten closer, he's started to understand a bit of why he's so unwillingly protective of the boy. As much as he hates to admit it, the two are... similar in a way. They would do anything for the people they care about, no matter the personal cost--and Venom doesn't want to see Sora pay for it like he did before, even if it means knocking off the kid's rose-colored glasses.
Brainiac 5
Legion of Super Heroes
Venom wants to like Brainiac 5. From the few discussions they've had, Brainy has proved to be intelligent, resourceful, and incredibly creative for his age. Unfortunately, he's also proven to have a large, fragile ego.
Venom does not feel like walking on eggshells in order to work with someone. He's always of the opinion that you can never allow your pride to get in the way of progress and Brainy looks like he has far too much pride to do anything.
Heinrich Lunge
Monster
Lunge is... interesting. He's smart, well-spoken, perceptive--but almost uncomfortably so. Lunge was one of the men Venom met while he, Edward, and Bella were checking on the clues given to them by the man on the radio. While he's lacking in combative skills, his intelligence and calm makes him a very desirable person to have around.
Venom just wishes he would stop turning that perceptive nature onto him.
Bella Swan
Twilight
Venom does not like Bella. He is of the opinion that she is too much of a spoiled teenager and therefore a liability. As much as he admires her respect and loyalty to her fiance, her inability to listen and follow orders, especially when in a situation where they can't afford to wander off without protection, drives him crazy. He's annoyed with her constant rebellion and penchant for going off alone. He hates that she's twice ruined plans he made because she felt the need to. He cannot stand the fact that she's essentially permitted to do whatever she wants without being called on it due to the fact that Edward is firmly wrapped around her finger, and he most definitely does not like that when he calls her on her actions himself, Edward throws a fit. He cannot even internally express his displeasure with the girl without Edward throwing a fit.
He would change his mind if she would stop being so stubborn--he really does appreciate it when she steps up to help (within the boundaries of what needs to be done). As it stands, he really does not like having to juggle Edward and Bella's problems on top of his own.
Claire Littleton
Lost
Venom liked Claire. They met on complete coincidence after he accidentally rammed into her table and spilled his food all over the place. They chatted while he cleaned up the mess and he came to find the woman was nice, but somewhat... off. She was far too eager to attack the soldiers around her without much of an actual plan behind it, and she seemed too frail to actually pull something like that off. They met again a few days later, where a drunken Venom and an enraged Claire proved they'd rather take on the guards than be physically assaulted via invasive pat-downs. While Venom ended up feeling incredibly guilty for starting the fight that Claire joined and therefore causing the soldiers to confiscate her belongs (especially the bear she'd gotten for her son), it cemented Ms. Littleton's instability.
Still. She was kind. He really didn't want to see her get hurt.
Two days afterward, he accidentally murdered her. It's going to take a long time to get over that blow to his conscience.
Harry Lockhart
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Harry is a strange man. Harry is talkative, but nervous, and never seems to understand how to ask other people what's happening. Every time him and Venom speak, Venom is of the opinion he could have easily gotten the information the assassin gives him if he'd just talk to anyone else in the building. Yet Harry keeps trailing back to him.
As much as it annoys him, he doesn't hate Mr. Lockhart for it. He's like an incredibly simple dog; he can't hate him for being dense.
Chipp Zanuff
Guilty Gear
Oh, Chipp... Venom wishes he could take you seriously.
Unlike Zato, Millia, or anyone else Venom is close to from home, Chipp is a wildcard. Venom's entire introduction to the ninja had been finding the man attacking Zato's corpse, then punching Venom in the face and demanding he work for him when he becomes president. As incredibly surreal and therefore humorous as the situation was, Venom inevitably gave his word when it became clear Chipp had no idea what he was doing.
But then Chipp kept coming back. Almost single-handedly, he knocked off a large part of the Guild's funds and control over A Country, something Venom should have immediately retaliated against the man for. Instead, he took the price off of Volf's head, the assassin who should have prevented that and incidentally the one responsible for the death of Chipp's master, Tsuyoshi. Even after that, Venom keeps letting Chipp come back and, despite the usual apathy to the visits, he never seems like he hates the man. Regardless of that huge blow and the sarcasm of the agreement in the first place, Venom doesn't look like he's going to take back his word now that he's seen that Zanuff actually CAN be serious.
Maybe it's Chipp's overbearing optimism. After having spent his entire life surrounded by death, having someone around who can move on after having dealt with it is probably nice to Venom. Not that he'll ever admit it.
Zato-1
Guilty Gear
If you were to boil down this relationship to one fact, it would be this: Zato means everything to Venom. Ever since Zato called off the execution and offered to take him in as his subordinate, Venom has clung to the man for everything. Zato saved him, taught him everything, put trust in him. Zato showed him sympathy and kindness when no one else would, making him the only friend, family, love-interest, anything really, that Venom had. He would do anything for Zato to make him happy, regardless of what it was. He's murdered for this man despite the fact that he despises harming other people. He would go through hell and back if it meant protecting him. It's almost to the point of dependency; he needs to make Zato happy. He needs to show that he's grateful, needs to hang on every word and follow every order because he owes him the world. If anyone dared to get in the way of that, they would see how terrifying it is to be on the wrong side of that affection. Venom's entire life has been spent being lived for the sake of someone else. To him, Zato is the world.
And then Zato died, leaving Venom scrambling to pick up the pieces of what the man left behind and wondering just what the hell he's living for. As much as he acts like it doesn't bother him, being without the usual source of his direction is crushing.
Millia Rage
Guilty Gear
Like Zato, Venom has known Millia for a very long time. Unlike with Zato, however, Venom absolutely despises this woman. Most of it stems from jealousy: she was Zato's favorite. Zato doted on her, spent more time with her, considered her stronger and more reliable no matter what Venom did. Zato loved her, even if the end result was a horrible, dysfunctional mess. As a result of this, he made sure she knew just how much he hated her every second they spent together, to the point where Zato has to remind him not to treat her like an enemy during important missions. She would taunt him for his loyalty in response and rub her relationship with Zato in his face, exacerbating the situation. They have never gotten along.
This only grew worse when Millia betrayed the Guild, had Zato arrested, then later murdered him when he escaped. What had just been jealousy before turned into a fever-pitch of hatred and it's safe to say Venom hates Millia just as much as he loves Zato. He can hardly sleep at night knowing she's still alive. It's bad.