casual conversation topics for Steve and Tony

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

This seems like a silly thing to post about, but I swear, it's one of my biggest tripping points when I'm writing certain stories. And I'm not writing a story currently that requires this, but I've been pondering it lately and thought it might be fun for people to speculate on. And hey, if it turns out to be a jumping off point for discussion, so much the better!

Anyway, here's the question I've been pondering...

If Steve and Tony were just hanging out, talking casually (i.e., not about the latest threat or any other Avengers business), what would they talk about?

Sports? If so, which ones? Books? What kind? I can't really see Tony reading much fiction... Movies? Throwaway canon comments suggest that Tony, at least, doesn't go to many. I'm certain they'd sometimes talk about politics and world events, but I think those discussions could get a little heavy for casual conversation. Would they have philosophical debates? About what ideas? I doubt either of them has much time for hobbies, but can you think of one that either of them might like enough to squeeze in a few minutes for here and there? (Well, aside from Steve's art and Tony's tinkering, which are obvious ones.) Would they gossip about their fellow superheros?

Brainstorm away!

Comments

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

They definitely talk sports. Tony's favourite sport is apparently soccer. I can't recall what Steve's is, though I think baseball is a safe bet. I'm convinced that SI has season tickets and a corporate box for everything. Steve likes to sit with the great unwashed and they alternate dragging each other to the corporate/democratic sports experience. At least, that's how it goes in my head. ;)

Other things they talk about:

- motorcycles, aircraft, cars, basically everything with an engine (that Tony didn't build) - they both appreciate the beauty of a well-designed machine, especially when they go fast
- history - they totally wank about who their favourite historical characters are
- ancient armaments, and strategy - "Napoleon was so totally the greatest general of all time." "OMG NOE WAYZ!1"
- art (not Steve's) - Steve loves art, full stop; Tony is a collector
- music - Steve likes swing, big band, jazz; Tony likes rock, metal and little classical
- The Great Coffee Debate - how much is too much?
- philosophy - I need to brush up on my Steve canon. iirc he doesn't have an intense classical education, but being deeply philosophical by nature, he's have read all the great dead white dudes. Since being defrosted he's read some of the great lights of the past century. He's read way more critical socialist, feminist and postmodern stuff than has Tony, who has more of a business-school background. (imo, of course)

Would they gossip about their fellow superheros?

Kind of? They'd definitely discuss them, but I'm not sure if they'd gossip together. It seems more like something they'd do with their other friends. Clint for example, probably knows everything that goes down in the mansion, and makes a special effort to share with Steve the kinds of things he just. doesn't. want. to know about.

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

motorcycles, aircraft, cars, basically everything with an engine (that Tony didn't build) - they both appreciate the beauty of a well-designed machine, especially when they go fast

Tony: Really, Steve, there are lots of incredibly well engineered European and Japanese bikes. Harley Davison and Indian are not the be all and end all of motorcycle manufacturing, especially given that Indian went out of business almost sixty years ago.
Steve: Blasphemer!
Tony: There have been all kinds of advances in the past half century. Better shock absorbers, more efficient carburetors, synthetic brake pads-
Steve: We've been over this. You are not putting rear brakes on my flathead. It's a classic. Joe Petrali set a world land speed record on a bike just like it, back when I was a kid.
Tony: That was in 1937! I could make it go much faster than 136.183 mph. What if I told you I could make it fly?
Steve: That's what I borrow Fury's cars for.
*pause* Tony: Did you know Petreli was the flight engineer on the first and only flight of the Spruce Goose?
Steve: *thinks* Ha! You changed the subject. I won!

My pet fanon is that they've also got a long-running Jefferson vs. Hamilton debate that they've been carrying on for years, and also an ongoing argument over Teddy Roosevelt's anti-trust policies, Tony from the perspective of someone who fanboys Andrew Carnegie and U.S. Steel with a great and holy passion, and Steve as a die-hard Union Democrat.

Edited to fix my typos.

Re: CSI and Grey's Anatomy apparantly ;-)

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

My pet fanon is that they've also got a long-running Jefferson vs. Hamilton debate that they've been carrying on for years, and also an ongoing argument over Teddy Roosevelt's anti-trust policies, Tony from the perspective of someone who fanboys Andrew Carnegie and U.S. Steel with a great and holy passion, and Steve as a die-hard Union Democrat.

This debate is happening in my head right now, and it is so canon. The best part is when Hank McCoy wades in.

Steve: We've been over this. You are not putting rear brakes on my flathead. It's a classic. Joe Petrali set a world land speed record on a bike just like it, back when I was a kid.

At which point Tony rolls out the bike that HE broke the land speed record on. Last month.

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

My pet fanon is that they've also got a long-running Jefferson vs. Hamilton debate that they've been carrying on for years

I love this scene in "Three Times Steve and Tony had Sex". *grins* It made me a bit sad that I don't know even a tenth as much U.S. history as I would need to to write something similar. I'll just have enjoy it when it appears in yours and seanchai's fic. *g*

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

Twelve credits worth of graduate-level American History has to be good for something. Apparently, what it's good for is coming up with things for Steve and Tony to talk about while having sex.

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

What, that wasn't why you took the course in the first place? *grins* j/k, of course.

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

They definitely talk sports. Tony's favourite sport is apparently soccer.

Seriously? That surprises me, for some reason. Possibly only because I've never watched soccer, so I don't know much about the game.

I'm convinced that SI has season tickets and a corporate box for everything.

Of course! If for no other reason than taking people to games like this is pretty common for corporate negotiations and networking at his level.

Steve likes to sit with the great unwashed and they alternate dragging each other to the corporate/democratic sports experience.

And Tony likes to be able to have sex in the middle of the game if it's going slowly. *snickers* But yeah, I can so see them dragging each other to the different experiences. :-)

Also, awesome list of topics! I am so going to be coming back to this post regularly. *g* Now if only I already knew more about these topics. O.o It's going to be hard for me to write casual dialogue for them, I know it. I don't imagine they have all that many conversations about creative writing, geology, museum operations and ideology, or the Tour de France. *g*

They'd definitely discuss them, but I'm not sure if they'd gossip together. It seems more like something they'd do with their other friends. Clint for example, probably knows everything that goes down in the mansion, and makes a special effort to share with Steve the kinds of things he just. doesn't. want. to know about.

Hmmmm. Yeah, that feels right. Especially the part about Clint. *g*

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

Seriously? That surprises me, for some reason. Possibly only because I've never watched soccer, so I don't know much about the game.

Soccer is very strategic. It's not as flashy as say basketball, and certainly there's less scoring, but it's non-stop motion. Displays of impressive athleticism are the rule, but again, nothing flashy as in basketball. I was surprised that it's supposed to be Tony's favourite sport as well, but I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's just not on the radar of many Americans.

And Tony likes to be able to have sex in the middle of the game if it's going slowly.

Ha! So true.

Honestly? I could see these two talking about almost anything. They're both intelligent guys with lots of life experience, and broad interests. They also both like a good, friendly debate. So you could totally have them talk about the Tour de France, or anything you like. Steve is kind of a closet, proto-geek. He has the potential for bringing as many tidbits of seemingly useless information to the table, as do Tony and Reed. Just about different subjects. He's like... the geek that wasn't - he's got the baseline traits that make up a geek, but he doesn't seem to have gotten overly fannish about anything (aside from his shield, America and possibly art), as Tony is about machines, and Reed is about SCIENCE!

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

Soccer is very strategic. It's not as flashy as say basketball, and certainly there's less scoring, but it's non-stop motion.

Huh. That reminds me a little bit of cycling and, specifically, the Tour de France. Most people don't realize that cycling is actually a team sport, and that there's a huge amount of strategy involved.

And then you mentioned the TdF in the next paragraph and I swear I didn't read that first. *g*

Steve is kind of a closet, proto-geek.

*laughs* Best sentence ever! But I do see what you mean. Of course, this makes me want to find something that Steve could believeably be outright geekish about. *g*

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

Man, I was thinking the same thing. "Now I have to figure out what he's a geek about."

Maybe a particular artist?

[crimsonquills.livejournal.com]

If I recall correctly, elspethdixon and seanchai have him being a geek about a certain artist whose name I have totally forgotten. All I recall is that the guy liked root beer. *facepalm* But it totally seemed to fit, once I read up on the guy. *g*

What else? *ponders* Music? I can see him being a geek about certain music.