The Delaney family manor is filled with valuable antiques.
…and that’s about as much as Tyson knows about it or them.
Though they had many similar lessons and were tutored on countless matters about being heirs to the Delaney family legacy, Jethro - the intended and blatantly favoured heir - learnt far more about the manor itself than Tyson got to.
He used to be jealous of the time Jethro got to spent with their father, learning more about their history. Now, Tyson simply wishes the manor came with more plaques to explain what he was looking at.
Like everything in Tyson’s life, his phone was well organised. There was a code for everything in his phone: resources (ammo and gun suppliers, knife makers, fabric makers, tailors, butchers, bakers, anything Tyson used) were listed as different pieces of classical music, for example, his German tailor was listed under Schäferoper, one of Wagner’s operas.
By default, Tyson’s phone displayed all manner of incriminating data, but if he enters a different password when unlocking it, his phone will enter a mode where only data that he specifically flagged as safe will appear; it was easier than attempting to tag everything that wasn’t safe.
If the person matters to Tyson and is ever likely to call, Tyson will give them a personalised ringtone. His default ringtone, for people he doesn’t know/those he hasn’t gotten around to given a specific ringtone, is the chorus of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’. Whenever Tyson is out and about, his phone is on vibrate, but whilst at home he finds the music more useful to avoid unnecessarily springing into action.
For the people that matter to Tyson and are ever likely to call, he tends to rotate through different songs for them every other month to make sure the ‘new’ audio cue gets his attention quick enough, or else he tends to tune it out subconsciously if he’s too deep in his own mind.
There are, naturally, a few exceptions to this rule. Either due to rarity of calls or by having that song cemented in his mind for a particular person and it being someone he wouldn’t dare tune out. Those constants have a tendency to be family, or the people Tyson considers to be family.
Over the years Tyson has stolen many things, but most haven’t remained in his possession: either handed over to the Moriarty Mirrors if orders to steal it, discharged afterwards, or returned to their original owner when possible.
Most of the vehicles he’s needed to steal have ended up dismantled for spare parts and the majority of the money has ended up in charity boxes. Until he got Sienna to agree to take it off his hands, Tyson was stuck with a stolen painting and absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do with it.
A (relatively speaking, small) marble statue that Tyson snatched out of spite from a former business associate of the web has been at his Bath warehouse for over two years now. It’s too valuable to sell conventionally and too recognisable for Sienna to take care of for him. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and now Tyson gets the feeling that its smug expression is mocking him.
Though both brothers always enjoyed talking about mythology together, Norse mythology always caught Jethro’s imagination far more than Tyson; who found that the Greek tales resonated more with him, but that the Norse ones had more pathos to them than the Roman ones.
As part of an art project at secondary school, Tyson made a clay statue of Sleipnir for his brother. The face was somewhat questionable and part of the tail chipped off before Tyson got it home, but that statue still remains on the shelf of Jethro’s bedroom.
Though Tyson prefers not to leave clutter around, he has a tendency to keep hold of old keys.
When he knows a lock has been changed since, Tyson will throw away a key, but until that fact is proven, he will keep that key. Just in case.
No matter how unlikely it is that Tyson will ever return to that place, or that he would have that particular key on his person at the time, Tyson will keep that key as an emergency back up in a little metal tin under his bed.
Thought Tyson is very academically qualified and knows that there are many other valid forms of qualification and achievements, he doesn’t understand why people care about tokens of those achievements.
For example, whilst he would never dismiss someone’s pride at a coin of sobriety or the effort it took to achieve, he cannot internalise the value of it.
Sports achievements, Tyson can wrap his head around and understand what each one means in comparison to another and the different areas they cover, but he struggles with anything other than academic or athletic achievements.
Even military medals are something of a question mark for him.
Though the other contents of Tyson’s rucksack will change regularly, there are a few constants to be found there:
His latest journal. - The notebook/journal has several poly-pockets to store any loose papers and almost always has a business card for Pup’s Pet Store inside.
Medicine box – Tyson got the medicine box while travelling across India with Sebastian. The content changes often but there is always a set of bandages, fabric gauze, rubbing alcohol, stitching thread, and PTSD suppressant medicine.
Two hunting knives - One has a silver edge for when he meets supernatural and the hollow handle has salt in it. The other has a serrated edge and a sharpening stone, piece of flint, and a fake stone with a GPS tracker in the handle. The bottom of this knife has a compass in it.
A teabag tin, used to stash away anything incriminating in a way that Tyson can hide away if he thinks he’ll get arrested to store safely away from the elements for later retrieval. There is a GPS tracker inside so that other agents of the web can retrieve it, if necessary.
And, inevitably, a few half-crushed dog treats.
Frequently, Tyson will be protecting his belongings from other pickpockets with a padlock and a crow plush from his nephew will frequently appear inside his bag.
Outside of the rucksack that Tyson carries around everywhere, the former Lieutenant always has a duffel packed as a go-bag. If he needs to uproot his life at a moment’s notice, Tyson can. He has everything he’ll need to survive and escape in that bag.
In other verses, the items in Tyson’s normal bag get changed a little:
DC UA: Here Tyson usually has a small laptop for his work as a professor, to back up his cover story whilst working for the web from his phone.
Hogwarts AU/Honey Badger AU: Tyson keeps almost everything he owns at Hogwarts within his rucksack to keep it safe.
Mythical!Verse: His tarot cards are a permanent fixture in Tyson’s rucksack in this verse and his grimoire joins his journal.
By nature, Tyson isn’t particularly territorial. He will allow people into his spaces without much fuss, because Tyson is confident that he can defend his home and the people that he cares about.
He remains cautious and watchful for any danger once people get close, and understandable paranoia causes regular patrols to ensure his safety, but that simply means that Tyson remains on guard - just in case - rather than trying to keep people out of his spaces or away from his things.
However, Tyson can easily be unnerved by taking away the things that are his.
It will set him on edge for hours, even the slightest action. Taking his established seat in a room will have him on the back foot immediately. Taking away Tyson’s rucksack will instantaneously activate his fight or flight instinct, and calling it yours will have his teeth bared for a fight.
This doesn’t apply to people that he’s already accepted, for the most part. He won’t bat an eye if his brother or family, in general, taking things, even straight from his hands, nor will Tyson care about the Moriarty Mirrors playing with his things. Sebastian will provoke a stronger reaction from Tyson, especially if its related to the web, but he is still oddly okay with Moran taking his things.
Though Tyson has a collection of rocks, coins, and comic books, he only actively goes out of his way to collect rocks.
Over the years he has amassed an array of figurine collectables that are scattered around his various personal spaces. Most of them he has received as gifts - or pawned off on him after covering conventions by Billy, which is like an aggressive gift - or else Tyson has stolen it to improve his thieving skills.
The collectable figures/replicas that Tyson has of note/that he actually cares about are:
Hellblazer Statue by DC Collectible Gift left at one of apartments Sebastian abandoned after Tyson helped him return there when the man was injured, now kept on the lowest shelf in his bedroom.
K.K. Slider Amiibo Figure Prize that travels between Nate & Tyson, depending on who won their latest video game challenge/competition with each other. When in Tyson’s possession, kept on the coffee table of his living room.
Kotobukiya Artfx+ Magneto Statue (Black) Swiped reflexively whilst in New York with Dick, kept at Tyson’s warehouse.
Noble Collection Magical Creatures - Basilisk 33rd birthday gift from James, kept on the top shelf in his livingroom.
Normandy SR-1 Model 31st birthday gift from Jethro, kept at Tyson’s warehouse.
Pinky and the Brain Q-Fig A ‘gift’ from Billy, kept at the family manor in Tyson’s childhood bedroom.
Though Tyson is pretty handy, it’s rare that he’s ever building something for himself.
Usually, if Tyson has a construction or DIY project, it is something Tyson is making for someone else; like setting up a digital mirror for Jethro’s home, or working on a project for or with the Moriarty Mirrors.
The exception would be when Tyson goes out to his warehouse and gets some time to work on personal projects, though even then he usually ends up tinkering with something for the Moriarty Mirrors regardless.
Tyson is happy to help out with any project that put in front of him, but he does prefer intricate work that will keep his mind occupied whilst he’s working.
He may offer suggestions or ask if one of the Moriarty Mirrors is capable of something in a way that is intended to prompt a response, he often even challenges what the Moriarty Mirrors say and do, but the only time Tyson throws down the gauntlet and issues a challenge is through those wax-sealed letters.
Tyson going out of the way to play into the Moriarty Mirrors theatrics means that he is daring them to do their worst and prove why they are the rulers of a criminal empire. It is also one the rare times that Tyson will make a request of them.
Though he generally prefers to offer a clean and quick death, Tyson isn’t completely comfortable with his use of poisons. It feels too poetic, too easy to detach from it and shake away the guilt of each kill. That doesn’t feel right to Tyson.
He keeps a lot of poisons and antidotes in his medicine cabinet, some that he’s acquired in his time in the web and some that Tyson has made himself. His medicine cabinet has three shelves: the top is the poisons, the middle is the antidotes, and the third in items you’d usually find in a medicine cabinet.
The vials are kept in coloured bottles with strings and labels attached which list the plants used in that poison or antidote written on so Tyson knows what they are, the colour of the card changes depending on if it is an antidote, green, or poison, red. The poisons are held in the racks test tubes are held in when in science classrooms.
He uses the poisons against enemies of the web, and also on Moriarty. It’s an old game between them at this point, poison in coffee to keep their immunity up and keep them on their toes.
As a child Tyson had a Grumpy Bear stuffed toy, until Tyson’s father forced him to give it away - along with other toys - when he was twelve. Tyson’s Kipper the Dog stuffed toy was also taken and the Superman action figure that Jethro had gotten Tyson for his tenth birthday.
It was one of the few times that his father decided to jointly punish them for something one had done. Jethro had lashed out publicly at one of the Professors attending a dinner party hosted at the family manor, condemning Christianity for its treatment of the Jewish people in a less than delicate way.
Even as a child Tyson understood why his father had reacted so strongly, but he also knew that it didn’t justify this father’s decision. Tyson keenly understood the kind of danger that could put their family in. It wasn’t the right choice, not even close, but he understands that John acted out of fear.
Predictably, Tyson was allowed to keep his chess, draughts, and backgammon sets. He was also permitted to keep two sets of playing cards and the Rubik’s Cube, but all other games were taken away. The broken slinky and a rather dented hula hoop weren’t exactly losses.
Given how many times Jethro had almost broken something with them, Tyson was honestly surprised that it had taken so long for the Devil’s Sticks to get confiscated. The Diabolo that had come with the same set was saved by virtue of being in their attic hiding place when the purge occurred.
Tyson managed to make a good argument for various balls as practising hand-eye coordination for his various lessons, but that still reduced them down to only one ball of each type; which somewhat defeated the point of the juggling balls. His fencing equipment was left untouched, but various toy swords were taken away.
He honestly can’t remember what argument that made that caused him to keep his skateboard, but he knows that the bike was kept as a way of letting Tyson get to and from school. The scooter was rarely used and had become too small anyway, but Tyson was sad to see the roller-blades go.
It was that moment that caused Tyson and Jethro to move their more valued personal items up into the attic permanently, just in case one of them managed to anger their father that much again.
Though Cosmos atrosanguineus (Chocolate Cosmos) is Tyson’s favourite flower, he honestly adores cacti.
There is a tiny cactus in his apartment living room, which despite his only green-ish thumb Tyson has managed to keep alive, and the wrap-around patio of his army home in all applicable verses is completely covered in various types of cacti.
From a mathematical standpoint cactus plants are rather interesting showcasing many different forms of geometry, and he finds that aesthetically pleasing in general.
More accurately, Tyson just likes prickly things. He had a bad habit of collecting things with sharp edges, metaphorical or physical, and then taking care of them regardless of consequences. Cacti, at least, are content to be spiky without hurting him.
Though he collects rocks, passively, Tyson doesn’t care as much for gems or precious metals.
His collecting is more sentimental than about the value of an item, and he tends to prefer simple jewellery over anything with gems anyway. In part that comes from his Synesthesia. There are already so many patterns and colours in his vision that it can become a little overwhelming to add more unnecessarily.
Even when he’s suppressing his Synesthesia, many of his decisions are shaped around that.
When it comes to metal, Tyson refers silver over gold. He doesn’t dislike gold, per say, but he is tired of seeing it as the ‘best version’ of everything. More generally, Tyson finds brass or copper to look more interesting than gold does overall.
Though Tyson doesn’t need a compass to navigate, Tyson finds them comforting to have around.
Logistically he will insist that it’s just in case he wakes up in an unknown location that he can use the compass to realign his Synesthesia and help to figure out where he is.
Realistically, Tyson simply finds the presence reassuring. Like a comfort item.
Though Tyson doesn’t much care for holidays, he will occasionally join his family for Chanukah.
With both Jethro and Tyson being largely non-observant in their Judaism, it was hardly ever going to be an orthodox celebration. The most noticeable change is that Beyblades are sharing a space with the dreidel.
Though James is interested in his Jewishness and their traditions, it was obvious to every adult in the room that he had no interest in playing with the dreidel. Knowing that his nephew watched and enjoyed the anime, Tyson excused himself to go walk the dogs and returned with a group of Beyblades from the local newsagents.
A spinning top is a spinning top, at the end of the day. The game is different and the overtly Jewish symbolism is gone, but that didn’t matter to Tyson’s family. It was a game they could play that kept the spirit of the holiday.
Their menorah is always traditionally Jewish as is their food and the trip to Synagogue. The dreidel stays beside the menorah and the Beyblades are brought out of their box to play with, a little tradition just for them. Something to bring them together.
When Tyson went out during Chanukah 2012, he originally came back with four Beyblades from the (at the time) current series/toy line, Metal Fury: Cosmic Pegasus F:D for James, Fang Leone 130W2D for himself, Blitz Striker 100SF for Rosie, & Meteo L-Drago LW105LF for Yithrô.
Since then, one Beyblade is added to the box every year: Bandit Genbu F230TB is never used and is committed to the memory of John Delaney, Rock Orso D125B became Jasmine’s, Cyber Aquario 105RF became Charlie’s, Twisted Tempo 145WD, & Driger MS was the latest to be added in 2017.
Tyson doesn’t generally care about celebrating any holidays, least of all Christmas. Even when it comes to Jewish holidays, unless joining Jethro and his family in their celebrations, Tyson only ever pays attention to Passover.
Growing up, Tyson had never struggled for money. He had every luxury at his fingertips. Throwing money at gifts felt empty when he didn’t work to earn that money. It was empty. In making those personalised boxes, in carefully designing and toiling to craft them, Tyson earnt the right to give something from his heart.
Here are the gift boxes Tyson has designed that have been mentioned already. There are several which have been designed for various characters/version of characters, but the surprise shall remain until Tyson supplies them in threads/submissions.
Charlie Hotchner A completely silver box with a gyroscopic inside with green lining that spins upside down when opened to keep the content safe when she’s fidgeting with the box.
Dick Gannon Delicate waves of silver just above the bottom edge of the top of the box a deep blue lining inside.
James Delaney Polka dots of various metals and sizes around the box with a yellow lining inside.
Jasmine Dartmoor Series of silver butterflies engraved into the container, a twist lock in the shape of a butterfly, with a white lining inside.
Jethro Andrew Delaney Checker-board pattern in dull brass and shiny bronze on the container with a red lining inside.
Rosie Delaney Intricate silver vines wrapping around the box with an indigo lining inside.
Sebastian Moran A simple bronze box with the Hindi for I love you (मैं तुम से प्यार करता हूँ) in silver below the latch, with an emerald lining.
@blackvclvct || xx A few millimetres away from the middle, where both sides met at the opening, two thin lines ran parallel on both sides to reveal the stainless silver beneath the bronze coating. Libra’s scales (♎) were etched above the latch into the stainless silver. In place of Ganymede, Jupiter’s symbol (♃) to the left and Mercury’s symbol (☿) was used as an equal substitute for Hermes and completed the triangle: to the right of the latch.
@captainspangly || x The box was almost entirely coated with brass, but sun streaks of bronze and copper burst out from the latch to encompass the small container. The latch itself was a stainless steel version of Steve’s shield the size of a five pence piece that opened the box when turned to the left. Inside the box was lined with bright yellow felt.
Given how much importance Tyson puts on earning the right to give gifts, he is surprisingly willing to pour money into random gifts: be it something he saw in a shop in passing or bringing along food treats. His thought processes is ‘Hey, I saw a thing and thought of you’ and ‘since I’m rich I bought it for you whilst I saw there’ is more of an afterthought.
It’s a habit that compounds his need to make the gift boxes, to make giving larger gifts or gifts for special occasions actually mean something, but Tyson likes giving people surprises and little treats whenever he sees something he thinks they might enjoy.
