Thank you! My brain is a strange place, but it's very attached to Rose/Eridan (both pale and flushed, and sometimes caliginous! I just need more purpleshipping in my life). :D
Yeah, John would... probably not like him instinctively, the way he does Karkat. He would likely do a lot of reminding himself about the things he felt through the mental link, that he's brave and alone, that he's fighting for a cause just like the humans are, and that he has some painful emotional turmoil going on about someone who's important to him and gee, that feels so much like when Dave and Jade were breaking up and nobody knew what to say or how to act...
He might feel more undeniable pity/sympathy for Eridan, too, since he'd be a lot more aware of Eridan's fear, because Eridan flips out at forced mental contact, and because he's also deeply humiliated by it -- the humans have found a way to make him a lowblood, and a weak, unskilled one to boot! Even if John didn't pick up all the 'why' of it, he'd be hit pretty hard by the panic-fear of pain-violated-humiliated feelings.
Plus, Eridan being Eridan, John would probably find it harder to communicate mind-to-mind with him; Eridan is too worried about every little nuance to allow the kind of easy, broad-concept translation that Karkat does. (Maybe part of why Rose starts taking a turn at the telepathy bands?) So feelings would be the strongest part by far of what John gets from his captive, which would go some way toward building sympathy, both by direct empathy and of the "No, I'm not a horrible monster and I'm not going to do THAT! Geez, you were really worried?" variety.
Overall though? Nope, they're not getting any kind of cameraderie from Eridan; he's too petrified of misstepping and too off-kilter from his own wounded pride. Especially once he figures out that human colours don't correspond to rank in any obvious way! Anyone at all could be in charge, and he wouldn't know till he'd bared his teeth at them and they killed him for his offence? Wwhat a terrifyin' prospect!
(reposting as un-anon; sorry! Thought I was logged in.)
Yeah, John would... probably not like him instinctively, the way he does Karkat. He would likely do a lot of reminding himself about the things he felt through the mental link, that he's brave and alone, that he's fighting for a cause just like the humans are, and that he has some painful emotional turmoil going on about someone who's important to him and gee, that feels so much like when Dave and Jade were breaking up and nobody knew what to say or how to act...
He might feel more undeniable pity/sympathy for Eridan, too, since he'd be a lot more aware of Eridan's fear, because Eridan flips out at forced mental contact, and because he's also deeply humiliated by it -- the humans have found a way to make him a lowblood, and a weak, unskilled one to boot! Even if John didn't pick up all the 'why' of it, he'd be hit pretty hard by the panic-fear of pain-violated-humiliated feelings.
Plus, Eridan being Eridan, John would probably find it harder to communicate mind-to-mind with him; Eridan is too worried about every little nuance to allow the kind of easy, broad-concept translation that Karkat does. (Maybe part of why Rose starts taking a turn at the telepathy bands?) So feelings would be the strongest part by far of what John gets from his captive, which would go some way toward building sympathy, both by direct empathy and of the "No, I'm not a horrible monster and I'm not going to do THAT! Geez, you were really worried?" variety.
Overall though? Nope, they're not getting any kind of cameraderie from Eridan; he's too petrified of misstepping and too off-kilter from his own wounded pride. Especially once he figures out that human colours don't correspond to rank in any obvious way! Anyone at all could be in charge, and he wouldn't know till he'd bared his teeth at them and they killed him for his offence? Wwhat a terrifyin' prospect!