FIC: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures {TSN - Eduardo/Sean}
Title: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Fandom: The Social Network
Pairing: Eduardo/Sean
Words: 800
Summary: Some things are inevitable. And then there's Sean and Eduardo in a Canadian shack.
Note: This ridiculous encounter was written for the Canadian Shack Challenge's 10th anniversary. [Your characters just have to end up in one. It's a thing ( Read more... )
Fandom: The Social Network
Pairing: Eduardo/Sean
Words: 800
Summary: Some things are inevitable. And then there's Sean and Eduardo in a Canadian shack.
Note: This ridiculous encounter was written for the Canadian Shack Challenge's 10th anniversary. [Your characters just have to end up in one. It's a thing ( Read more... )
I'm embarrassed by how easily and clearly I can picture that and frankly how very on board I would be with young!sweetEduardo and older!burnedEduardo
It's kind of glorious, isn't it?
I love the foreshadowing of Eduardo looking down on Sean at that first meeting for getting pushed out of his 2nd venture paired with Sean's quote about doing it right and shining his shoes and what happens to a 20 year old at the top of a big internet startup -- full of implications that Sean is the way he is now BECAUSE of his past disappointments.
Sean GOT this way, he wasn't born a ruthless talking head. And now he's going to apply everything that people did it him to beating Eduardo, because Sean HAS TO WIN this time. Because there is so many great Sean characterization bits all through the movie, that make him so much more fleshed out than anyone other than Mark and Eduardo. I think there are indications that he's not actually as proud and happy on the inside as he tries to portray. Like the teasing of his model date, calling him "the homeless rockstar of Palo Alto" and Sean's, "alright, alright," as if he's used to being fucked with about that. And the ~nonchalant way he talks to Amy about being broke when she exclaims how rich he must be. And the ~nonchalant way he talks about crashing with someone because he had vague things to do in the area [basically, nothing]. And of course his final scene, where you realize how kind of desperate he is, rambling on and on to an audience of students young enough to still think he's a revolutionary- many of them not really even paying attention, panicking when his casual drug use ends up having real consequences. His smooth patter not working with Mark anymore...
It's been said that we sometimes dislike in other people what we dislike in ourselves, and think it could be argued that some of that is what happens with Eduardo and Sean in the film. (I don't know if that's supposed to be canon, and I don't care about author intent. I just think it's a possible interpretation and I like it.)
And then there's that whole other fascinating aspect where Sean is the character who produces the most raw emotion from Eduardo, who Eduardo lets him be not-nice with, who Eduardo allows himself to get truly ANGRY at, live and indignant - while he represses and sublimates when it comes to Mark and likely his father, stuck in passive aggression. It's kind of beautiful to me that Eduardo can say, "no, you're wrong about me!" to Sean and push back while even in the depositions I felt like Eduardo's true volume of rage and hurt was silenced. That's what he likes about you, Sean. You make him feel so tough.
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It's kind of glorious, isn't it?
Except Dark!Eduardo would probably sit on Pretty!Eduardo's bed and give him life lessons with a tortured voice and sighs. And it would end up being a PG fest with no predatory action. So bless Sean's willingness to just take.
I was reading this today and it reminds me a little of Sean--http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/. It's actually a fantastic article, and the idea of short term only planning that you mention in your first fic seems be how Sean's lived so far. Take what you want now, because someone's going to try to fuck you over sooner or later so it doesn't make sense to waste time trying to make sure your future is safe and padded. Enjoy the present, only plan a few months ahead, get yours and then cover your ass if it all goes up in flames.
But with Eduardo being who he is I can see Sean really adjusting to a different kind of standard. Because Eduardo would actually want long term plans, not to mention just being unfailingly kind to people for no particular reason. They would balance each other well. Okay, off to read your actual comment!
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I've discussed this with people before, how I find it much easier to buy into Sean/Eduardo set post-movie than Mark/Eduardo that's set post-movie, and that's not only because anything that Sean did against Eduardo was towards a relative stranger -- which is a HUGE difference than betraying your best friends' trust -- but also because I find Sean's actions comparatively more sympathetic to class issues...
I think it's hard to miss the large class discrepancy, because, fuck, Mark & Eduardo are attending HARVARD. The likelihood of anyone getting into that university... I've seen the stats before, and it's insane. And then not only do we have the indication that Eduardo came from money, but the ~casual high school sweatshirt that Mark is wearing? Actually an uber elite private high school. (And then of course there's the disdain of BU that he displays in from of Erica.) No matter what Mark spouts out about the Winklevii, he himself is someone who's been steeped in privilege.
[Which perhaps goes to explain some of his entitlement issues with the money Eduardo gives him -- I mean, he doesn't seem to grasp at all that this is a whole lot of money to give your friend. And Mark just buys whatever servers he wants without asking first, then rents a house, and then invites Sean to move in without questioning if Eduardo should be consulted. And then there's his reaction to Eduardo shutting down the account. Sure, that was a childish move by Eduardo born of personal desperation and thus unprofessional.... but then, Eduardo didn't actually have an obligation to keep throwing money at Facebook (especially when Mark had repeatedly not included him in decision-making). Mark really doesn't seem to get this, that the only non-personal reason he has to be angry is that Eduardo did it without warning him. It is NOT a CFO's job to finance a company with his own money. And the 30% of shares that Eduardo was given had been in exchange for money already supplied. There's of course many character reasons for Mark's behavior, but I do think that privilege and class factors into it.]
So then we have Sean, who is basically homeless at the start of the movie. He has the notoriety and some of the needed connections due to Napster, but he's currently locked out in a way that Mark & Eduardo WILL NEVER BE. He's broke, crashing with people, and it's implied that he doesn't even have a high school degree. When he's putting on his nice clothes and putting on airs, it's an act, it's him playing the part that he needs Mark to buy into. (to me the clue to this is that we don't see him dressing or acting like this in his scene before that dinner and when he gets established in the company then he's more casual again] And so I find his behavior comparatively sympathetic despite the shark-like nature, in the light of how much more he has to lose if he can't fight his way into this venture and hang on Mark's coat-tails.
If Facebook never gets off the ground, there's not really going to be any long-term impact on Mark or Eduardo. They'll just graduate from Harvard and Mark will make something else. And even if Mark never comes up with another great idea, he'll be hired as CTO in dozens of big companies with a nice, huge salary and plenty of respect. They'll both still end up rich and successful. Sean doesn't have that guarantee at all. Without Facebook there's a possibility that he'll never get another shot and he'll just end up another corporate sales guy... or maybe he won't even get his act together enough to even accomplish that.
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Harvard--> The Club --> Campus Elite -->Professional Success. Every step just adds one more rung to reach for, something else he has to prove.
And though Sean doesn't have the academic or financial background, (where it all comes easy and if you fall flat on your face, there's just more money and more contacts and some support to help you back onto your feet) he got to skip those first steps altogether. Sean got fame and approval and everyone clamoring for him all through his own 'smarts.' And god that's got to give your ego a huge boost and a huge chip on your shoulder. he got it all so young, but he also got to learn that as quickly as that spotlight turns on you and people look at you as a really really desirable commodity it can fade away. People's attention span is limited; it's all what have you done for me lately. And when that starts to go, well then you're just some dude crashing on people's couches and maybe getting on people's nerves. You've got to stay useful and stay relevant, and that's what Eduardo missed.
Eduardo put it all in up front. He gave everything, so when people (Mark) got used to that gift, he started to wonder 'what have you done for me lately.' It seemed like Eduardo wasn't contributing even though he'd already contributed so much. If people can't see it or feel it, they're not thinking about it, and it doesn't count. That's the lesson Sean learned. He'll never put all his cards on the table. Better to start well and keep dazzling people. You have to keep something in reserve for when their annoyance starts to creep up and they wonder if your bad outweighs your good.
Sean would never have put the 300,000 in a bank account to be drawn down as needed. Even if he chose to finance the project he would have put $50,000 and they would have had to come back to him for more. He wouldn't have made them beg, because it's not about humiliating people, it's about keeping them grateful and happy you're around. You want to be the guy that when there's a problem, they turn and start asking 'Where's Sean?' You want them to come searching for you. (And when they do, you want them to know how hard you worked to deliver what they needed, even if you didn't work that hard at all. You want them to think of you as they guy you'll always come through, if only they ask).
And to make that happen you have to be absent. Because if you're always around or taking care of problems before other people notice, they don't get a chance to realize how fucking important you are. They just get accustomed to things running smoothly and don't realize how much work you put into it. You need to be available on call, but not always present fixing.
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Imagine Sean when he first blew up. Young, startled, proud, with all those people telling him how great he was, and even more mind blowing--when he really knew he had power--all those people threatening him, all the people who were scared of him. Eduardo battling with him was one way Sean knew he was in. It's not about how much someone tells you you matter, because people keep telling you that even when they've lost interest. Because people are shit at tough honesty. It's the people fighting to keep you out--the harder they fight, the more of a threat you must be to them and the more power you must have. When people don't fight you at all, when they just dismiss you or worse yet smile at you and move on, that's when you know you're finished.
Imagine how many execs who were pleading for 5 minutes of Sean's time, were smiling blandly, excusing themselves mid-sentence and walking away a few years later. But Sean's greastest gift is that his best talent is internal. His biggest asset is just himself and his mind and the shit he loves to do with it. Not his credentials, not his history. If he can just get himself in the door he can actually make shit better. (But too many people are stuck on the credentials. Too many people want to play it safe. He'll never be that guy. That's why he needs in from the beginning, so he can shape the model around the way he thinks, because he knows he can't change himself to fit into models and spaces that don't work for him. He'll just take off. And this is a total aside, but part of the thing with Eduardo, the totally unexpected thing, is that he totally works for him. He thought that kid was something totally different. A nuisance, a rival, someone tied to Mark, someone he would enjoy bringing down because it was a measure of his rise, but as a person, he'd be as bland as a toasted banana-honey sandwich. Tasty, but something you'd eat once in a blue moon when you felt like having a rare, quiet day just taking in the view of the ocean and the breeze. But then it turned out that Eduardo was feisty and snarky and fierce and sharp and sweet and felt so fucking good. And just actually a kind of caretaking that Sean didn't realize he wanted (needed!) but it works for him. He loves it. And since no one does it. Definitely no one does it in an absent-minded way, where it's just happening and you happen to be there so you benefit from it, Sean notices it every time. It matters. And he appreciates it. And then he wants it and keeps wanting it and maybe he wants this guy around always and to keep him away from assholes). Not only is he brilliant, he's also the type of guy who learns from his mistakes. He knows better now and he can put that into practice.
Problem is, with his personal life, all those business lessons really shouldn't be applied to that. That's how you hurt people and yourself. Business is business, and personal life is personal life and you shouldn't actually live those in the same way. If you're Sean. And I think that's what he can learn post movie and in the fic.
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Still though, must be nice to kiss and touch and lie holding someone who could give a fuck about all that. Who isn't going to be telling stories to anyone. Who just sees you, the person and deals with you as only that person. Who you are to them. Not who you were to your company or the scene or could be to their business. Totally new for Sean. And the idea that you could interact with someone, where neither of you really had another motive. That someone would be with you and not be selfish (because of course if you were hanging out with Sean you would be selfish, you already know what he's getting out of it--mooching off of you--and you want something in return. It's always give and take, Sean just finds a way to take more and get out quickly) is (a) kind of stupid you think at first and then (b) kind of...good...maybe amazing and then (c) a mind warp drug because you find yourself doing things for them for no reason at all, for no motive, and that's not how you act if you're Sean.
Because when you're Sean, you have no back-up plan, you're living your backup plan, you're only around for as long as the good thing about right now lasts and then you'll move onto another (because if all you have to offer is your mind and that unlike a reputation can't be besmirched, or a license cancelled, or contacts messed up, then you can do whatever you like and burn your way through things). So everything you do right now, like with pool, you can see all the angles to it. And you're sure you can work it to your favor. There's no time to cool down, no time to settle in, and no one you want to take with you to wherever you go next. Partying and being brilliant is your job, and you're always working.
I think Eduardo helps him to shed those skins for a while, cause Eduardo doesn't want the party and isn't looking for any brilliant tips, he just wants the guy for the moment. And Sean starts to figure out where Sean the person begins and SEAN(TM) ends.
My thoughts! Keep talking, I love your thoughts on this. :) (And Eduardo gets a space, where no pressure, no expectations. Sean doesn't need him to anticipate anything and give it or to be any version of himself or live up to anything. Sean is pretty accepting of people, cause he's very much a cut your losses guy so he doesn't need people to change for him. But Sean really appreciates who Eduardo is--all those little things he does, just because that's how he feels or thinks. And you're right, Eduardo can be burning mad and pissed and scream and vent, because that's what people do to Sean 90% of the time. (Kind of. In the End, or the middle, whatever, Sean's not into specifics, except when he is.) And Sean kind of loves it, it turns him on, because yeah he's been mad and pissed off and fucked over and omg he loves honesty. When people put it out there and say what they feel and no subterfuge and no games, so Sean doesn't need to be paranoid. So he knows what's up and he doesn't need to check for the 2, 3, 5 traps they're laying for him.
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It's totally the Mona Lisa fic. It's right down your street and it only comes along once in lifetime, and Sean is not an idiot. Sean knows when shit is worth something, and he knows what to do with that. He knows how to prioritize. It's just the first time a person is sliding to the top of his priority list. You know, maybe even above himself. I'm sure he has a lot of moneys of 'how the fuck did that happen, what are you putting in the water, and then, who made you, seriously? What planet manufactured you'
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