Gender

In terms of his gender, Tyson is definitely male, but it’s not a strong part of his identity.

Tyson is Jewish. Getting him to admit it is like pulling blood from a stone, but Tyson is polyamorous, romantically bi, and sexually gay. Tyson is loyal to a fault.Tyson is a scholar in his heart of hearts, endlessly curious, and a mathematical prodigy. Tyson is Icarus. Tyson is too stubborn to die. Tyson is a walking contradiction.

Those are facts. Core tenants of his character. Male is very much an afterthought in his identity. It shaped who he is certainly, and events with Tyson’s father and The Colonel would have played out incredibly differently if he weren’t male, but equally, it’s not a part of Tyson that matters to him.

Masculinity verses Femininity

Though self-conscious about his appearance in not looking masculine enough, Tyson isn’t concerned about being too feminine. Tyson is often more concerned with what he should be, rather than what he shouldn’t be.

The idea that he shouldn’t be gay doesn’t get under Tyson’s skin and cause him guilt as much as the idea that he should be straight, and isn’t. He doesn’t care that he shouldn’t side with criminals, but Tyson does care that he should be a better role model for his nephew and - eventually - for his godson.

Tyson can barely tolerate shorts so the idea of getting him into a dress is a fool’s errand, but he has no problem with the idea of wearing women’s clothes. He is proud of how good he is at applying make-up and nail polish. He hates knitting, but that’s an objection to the clacking sound of the needles rather than crafts being too feminine, and he’s decent sewer.

His issues with his masculinity are more around his appearance rather than his hobbies. Tyson’s self-esteem issues around his appearance, his scars and looking like a carbon copy of his father, are complicated and difficult to separate into individual issues, but being smooth chested and not overly muscled has been a part of them since Tyson was a teenager.

Nostalgia

Even though Tyson can clearly remember his childhood with great clarity, it is very difficult to trigger nostalgia for his childhood.

A lot of that time, though clearly remembered, is suppressed on an emotional level for Tyson; similar to some of the time he spent on the run with The Colonel. It’s as though he spent those years watching his own life through a window; aware, yet notably separated.

Pangs of nostalgia for his years in the army are incredibly easy to summon - antiseptic and memories of John’s laughter, overripe fruit with Captain Samson’s voice, old PS3 era games with free time between rounds in the compound - but anything before that time is near inaccessible.

Chess

Shockingly, the mathematical prodigy and strategist adores chess.

Some of his favourite childhood memories of playing chess against his father, and the first time he actually defeated his father was one of the proudest moments of his young life.

When that then ‘evolved’ into having to play chess on a mental board and keep all the pieces straight, Tyson - for once - had the advantage over his father due to his form of Synesthesia. Which only meant that his father pushed Tyson to get better and better.

In many ways, Tyson feels like he owes his strategic ability to those games with his father. Chess and game theory were not exactly the same as the war games Tyson could later end up in, but they gave him the groundwork and understanding that he needed to walk the path he ended up on.

He finds playing chess, even against himself, to be incredibly therapeutic and it helps him think, to organise his thoughts with an idle task that - whilst it can be challenging - it often as easy as breathing for him.

Homes away from Home

Layouts for the homes away from home:

Appalachian Mountains Home

Used in: Earth!Verse, Istanbul!Verse, UA India

1. Living Room
   Livingroom at the end of the corridor. Floor dips slightly in the transition from white wooden planks to the brown wood, where there used to be a wall. 
   In UA India, this room is largely Tyson’s space.
2. Corridor
3. Entrance Hall
4. Office Space
5. Living Room
   Wall’s repainted a light blue. 
   In UA India, this room is largely Sebastian’s space.
6. Dog Bedroom
   Room for the dog’s beds with wooden floor, log storage, and a sliding glass door. 
   In UA India, this becomes Percival’s room instead.
7. Kitchen
8. Spare Bedroom
   Open plan by the staircase with livingroom at the side, beyond the bookcase divider.
   In Istanbul!Verse, this room is used for the employees of the web when they’re temporarily sent out to help Tyson.
9. Main Bedroom
10. En-suite Bedroom
11. Main Bathroom

Blue Ridges Mountains Home

Used in: Cat!Verse, Earth!Verse, UA India

1. Kitchen/Dining Room
   Kitchen leading into a dining room/hallway. 
2. Open Hammock Room
3. Spare Bedroom
   In UA India, this is the main bedroom instead.
4. Den Space
   In Cat!Verse, this has effectively become the cats’ room.
5. Wrap-around Balcony
6. Bathroom
   .5 Walk-in Shower
7. Main Bedroom
   Similar to his normal apartment, that photograph on the wall is replaced with a noticeboard.
8. Longue
9. Rooftop Cabin
   Rooftop cabin for guests, converted from the attic back when it was a holiday home; before Tyson bought it. 
10. Bedroom (In Cabin)
    In Cat!Verse, either Jethro, Jasmine, or Charlie will end up staying in that room to keep an eye on Tyson.
11. Entrance Hall/Room

Pontic Mountains Home

Used in: Earth!Verse, Redemption!Verse, UA India

1. Kitchen
2. Spare Bedroom
   Redemption!Verse - Charlie’s bedroom.
3. Dining Room
   Lead off of the kitchen, an extension that drops down a step.
4. Staircase
   Leads from the ground floor to the first floor, leading off the living room.
5. Chill-out Space
6. Ground Floor Bedroom
7. Spare Bedroom
   Redemption!Verse - James’ bedroom. 
8. 1st Floor Living Room
9. Spare Bedroom
   Redemption!Verse - Converted into a playroom for James. 
10. Main Bedroom/Curtains
11. 2nd Floor Sitting Space
12. Spare Bathroom
13. Sitting Room
14. Office Space
15. Open Living Room
    Walls repainted pale lilac.
    Redemption!Verse - Walls are covered in James’ art and photos of Jethro & Rosie.

Scottish Highlands Home

Used in: Dublin!Verse, Earth!Verse, UA India

1. Kitchen
2. Living Room
3. Side Entrance
4. Conservatory/Dining Room
5. Main Entrance Hall
6. Staircase
7. Spare Bedroom
   Dublin!Verse, Mischief’s bedroom.
8. Bathroom
9. Spare Bedroom
   Dublin!Verse, Tyson’s bedroom.
10. Sitting Room
11. Main Bedroom
    Dublin!Verse, Sunshine’s Bedroom.
12. Office

Rock Climbing

Though Tyson isn’t particularly fond of rock climbing, it’s something he does enjoy doing with his brother.

When they were growing up, it was one of the few activities unrelated to academic lessons that their father would set aside time for and allowed them to do together. Even with sports that they both took, they were in separate lessons or had separate tutors. Rock climbing was just for them.

It was one of the first things that Tyson and Jethro did together when they reunited after Jethro ran away from home, when Tyson returned from his time with The Colonel, and to celebration once Jethro recovered from his cancer.

Gym

Despite calling himself lazy, Tyson actually gets more exercise than most people and keeps himself to the standard of fitness that he was at during his army days.

Typically the days when Tyson finds himself going to a gym are the times when Tyson has been too busy to complete his normal workout schedule. He finds that going to a familiar private gym and grabbing one of the trainers helps keep him motivated, and it’s a good way to have his form corrected or areas that he needs to work on pointed out.

His need to keep wounds from his work with the web secret and his constantly fluctuating schedule to work around the Moriarty Mirrors prevents Tyson from going to the gym as his default way of exercising, but Tyson would struggle if he needed to primarily go the gym regardless. It’s a refreshing environment every once in a while, but he finds it too chafing to be a regular.

The other reason why Tyson will choose to go to a gym is to work himself to exhaustion, until every muscle hurts and he cannot move the next day. He won’t always go that far, but sometimes Tyson needs to ground himself in reality, to feel that ache with every movement and know that his body is solid.

And in agony, but mostly the solid and corporeal thing.

Avatar!Verse

In Avatar!Verse, Tyson is an earthbender living in Ba Sing Se.

Though they have a long history in Ba Sing Se and were largely Earthbenders, the Delaney family claim to fame - outside of the teaching aspect - in this verse was a long history of benders from different elements going back generations before the Hundred Years War.

This verse is primarily set after the events of Avatar: The Legend of Korra, with Tyson’s Great Great Great Granduncle (Jethro) being one of the last of the original Airbenders in hiding and Tyson’s brother being named (Jethro Andrew) in honour of the return of the Airbenders.

The skin around the dent in Tyson’s torso is covered in burn marks from Sebastian’s attacks. He has suffered other minor burns from The Colonel’s assaults, but none so deep. The dent causes his daily pain still, but the burns have damaged the nerves enough to muffle some of the pain received from contact.

Childhood Friends

Tyson’s father purposefully forced Tyson into having an isolated childhood, an attempt to make for his ‘failings’ with Jethro and further groom Tyson into being - what he saw as - the ideal heir to the Delaney family; which became something of an obsession after Anne left.

As such, Tyson didn’t have many friends. It took him a long time to properly build up his social skills and he was incredibly isolated from those he tried to make friends with. His life was completely different from those at his school and he was an easy target for bullying; especially as the rich kid that no one needed to feel bad about pushing around.

Leaving secondary school at fifteen to attend Cambridge University officially certainly didn’t help Tyson find a place amongst his peers. The two most notable ‘friends’ of Tyson’s childhood were Peter Campbell & Alistair Mandelson, who only appeared once Tyson was a teenager and were paid to be his friend by his father.