Tyson tends to cycle through the books that he keeps in his apartment. When he’s finished with a book, Tyson will either leave it at his pet shop or add it to the library at the Delaney family manor.
Amongst the books that are guaranteed to remain in his personal collection are the series of books that The Colonel published about his adventures under the false name Zachary M. Cohen, and the book on the beauty of everyday mathematics that his father published.
There is usually at least one Discworld book somewhere in Tyson’s apartment and a very dog-eared copy of The Brothers Karamazov. The latest Jack Reacher novel is usually on the coffee table and whichever book Jethro sent along with that month’s care package.
When he has a long journey ahead of him or a stakeout ahead that doesn’t depend on needing to listen out for anything, so much as watching a target, Tyson will listen to audiobooks.
Those audiobooks will usually be some type of novel from whatever video game series he’s been most interested in lately, or else tailored to whatever Tyson thinks will appease his stakeout partner the most.
Though Tyson doesn’t put any faith in the Chinese Zodiac, he does find that it’s an easy way to conceptualise the passing of time and recognise patterns over a long timescale a little better than simply thinking about each year as a date.
Chinese Zodiacs for those within Tyson’s universe and people that Tyson has notable interactions with within his family tree:
For as long as he can consciously remember, as a child Tyson didn’t make a wish when blowing out the candles. He just paused long enough to make it seem as though he was. It wasn’t that Tyson was already too pessimistic about it working, he simply felt too awkward to do so.
Whenever Tyson has resorted to making wishes, it has been to shooting stars and as an act of desperation. ‘Please, just… let me survive this.’
There is a principle in mathematics called the Drake equation, that uses probability to figure out the likelihood of alien life, and - as ever - Tyson puts his faith in mathematics completely.
Whilst Tyson agrees that the construction of the equation is flawed in several ways, it seems more absurd to him to assume that there wouldn’t be other intelligent life in the entire universe.
He believes that there are other answers for being getting abducted and Tyson fundamentally hates anyone who insists that ancient human civilisation and religions were the results of alien influence, but he does believe that earth cannot be an anomaly.
Though Tyson tries to stay out of the way of the extended Moriarty and Moran families, he has crossed paths with a few members and - to varying degrees - manages to get along with them.
Tyson first encountered the eldest Moriarty shortly after becoming a joint pet. Saying that he isn’t fond of Colonel Moriarty is an understatement. The only encounters Tyson’s had with the man had been when he’s appeared to threaten Tyson: first not to cross his brother and his mirror, then later to remind Tyson of this.
Tyson tolerates Colonel Moriarty’s appearances because, and only because, he is the elder brother of his owner. He wouldn’t go out of his way to help the man, but he wouldn’t abandon him for dead either. Fortunately, their encounters have always been short and far between.
Interacting with Colonel Moriarty has given Tyson some perspective on his own Colonel. That isn’t perspective that Tyson particularly wanted, but it is now a realisation that he needs to internalise; one that Tyson is doing his best to avoid analysing too closely.
Richard Brook
Richard Brook
↳ Owner's twin, occasional friend.
To his own surprise originally, as he’d been expecting Richard to be as irritating as Colonel Moriarty, Tyson gets on well with Richard. Tyson isn’t sure which of his owners has Richard as a twin. No matter which Jim it is, Richard will always go deal with Jim when Tyson complains “your brother’s being difficult, Brook.”
Occasionally they’ll hang out together and share a pizza when neither of them wants to deal with the Moriarty Mirrors in their bad moods. There isn’t a reason that they don’t spend time together at other times, they simply haven’t gotten around to it yet.
He tends to view Richard favourably and enjoys his time in the other man’s company. He is somewhat protective of Richard, in the same way that Tyson is of anyone who is involved with the web’s activities without having too much agency within the web.
Severin Moran
Within Tyson’s main universe, Severin died in the childbirth that also took Sebastian’s mother.
Outside of Tyson’s main universe, Tyson reacts to the younger Moran in a similar way to the elder Moran: snapping at each other’s throat, before settling into begrudging respect and fondly barbed insults.
He isn’t as determined to impress Severin as Tyson is Sebastian, but Tyson still finds himself fighting like cat and dog with Severin. Out of principle more than anything. There’s just something about Moran that gets under Tyson’s skin, one way or another.
Though they walked incredibly different lives, Charlie and Hal were actually rather similar. Friendly and committed, hard workers who always have a smile on their face. Indulgent of Tyson whilst also calling him out. They both share a special place in Tyson’s heart, though for different reasons.
Charlene ‘Charlie’ Hotchner
UNIVERAL TRUTHS
Blood Type: B Positive
Date of Birth: August 31st 1982 – Virgo – Dog (Water)
DnD Alignment: True Neutral
Dominant Hand: Right
Ethnicity: Black, British
Myers Briggs Type: ISTP-T | The Virtuoso
Orientation: Demisexual
Religion: Atheist
Signature:
FAVOURITE
Favourite Animal: Puffin
Favourite Author: Stephen King
Favourite Colour: Violet
Favourite Film: Argo
Favourite Food: Crêpes Suzette, with orange slices
Favourite Plant: Foxglove
Favourite Poem: The Tyger – William Blake
VERSE DEPENDANT
Avatar Element: Water
His Dark Material’s Dæmon: Boa Constrictor
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Hybrid!Verse Pairing: Macaw
Mass Effect Species: Krogan
Pokémon Team: Umbreon, Misdrevious, Gastrodon, Accelgor, Haxorus, & Toucannon
If you ask Yithrô or Rosie, Charlie is a delightful lady who became James’ nanny when Jethro was going through chemotherapy for cancer. If you ask Tyson, he would simply say that Charlie was family, and his brother and sister-in-law would agree. After all, Jasmine was also family; the maid at the family manor, who may as well Tyson’s mother as far as both of them are concerned. There was more to it than that, however.
Tyson was the one to direct Charlie to his brother, once he found out that Jethro had cancer, following the reading of their father’s last will and testament. Having been the one to terminate her last employer - after she handed over the key code to his penthouse - he knew she was looking for a job that involved less bloodshed than one the web would normally offer, and that she could keep Yithrô, Rosie, and James safe from their line of work; particularly The Colonel.
Officially the deal was that she could have an easy job away from the Moriarty Mirror’s criminal actives as a live-in nanny for a family that could afford to pay her any amount, whilst secretly acting as a bodyguard prepared to kill to protect them, and in return she got to keep her life and freedom.
Unofficially, Charlie was a talented mercenary who specialised in corporate espionage and subterfuge looking for a way out of that lifestyle. Tyson had worked with her several times before and they had become friends during a handful of undercover jobs. He makes it no secret that despite loving both Moriarty Mirrors, he hates their work and the jobs he does for them. The former Lieutenant leapt at the opportunity to broker that deal for her.
If it hadn’t been Tyson - their loyal Pup - asking for this favour, it would have been very unlikely that either Moriarty would have let Charlie go. For someone freelance, she knew far too much about the web’s business dealings. This way, she’s technically still under their employment and Tyson is more focused on his job, with the knowledge that his family is safe. It’s a good deal for everyone involved, until Jethro learns the truth of where Charlie came from.
With James now old enough to attend school and Yithrô healthy enough to return to work, there isn’t as dire a need for Charlie to stay around in her official capacity, but there will always be a place for her with them, for as long as she wishes to be there. After all, Charlie is family.
Currently Charlie lives in her own bungalow, but she’s less than half an hour away if they need her and looks after James after school until Rosie or Jethro get home. Sometimes when James comes down to London, on the weekends where Tyson babysits his nephew, Charlie will come down with him as an excuse to come see Tyson.
Harold ‘Hal’ Malone
UNIVERAL TRUTHS
Date of Birth: February 15th 1983 - Aquarius – Pig (Water)
DnD Alignment: Chaotic Good
Dominant Hand: Left
Ethnicity: White, British
Myers Briggs Type: ISTP-T | The Virtuoso
Orientation: Asexual
Religion: Atheist
Signature:
FAVOURITE
Favourite Animal: Hippopotamus
Favourite Author: John le Carré
Favourite Colour: Yellow
Favourite Film: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Favourite Food: Rhubarb and Custard boiled sweets
Favourite Plant: Sweet Pea
Favourite Poem: The Highwayman – Alfred Noyes
VERSE DEPENDANT
Avatar Element: Water
His Dark Material’s Dæmon: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Hybrid!Verse Pairing: Beagle
Mass Effect Species: Human Biotic L3
Pokémon Team: Feraligatr, Slaking, Breloom, Hippowdon, Frillish, & Oricorio
Hal served with Tyson in Turkmenistan, training service dogs for the army, from 2002 until 2006. Hal was the first real friend that Tyson made during his service in Turkmenistan. He wasn’t a mentor as Captain Samson had been nor was he a brother-by-all-but-blood as Captain John Watson is, but he was the first person that Tyson could genuinely say that he cared about beyond being colleagues.
When he wanted to trade ‘in compound chores’ for his own ‘out of compound duties’, to spend time with Kim, Hal was always the first to take up Tyson’s offer. He never judged or pressed for answers, beyond a little teasing, when Tyson returned with lip-stick stains on his shirt collar or without his boxers (having sacrificed them to Kim to convince her to wear at least one item of clothing), Hal just lent him whatever clothes he needed.
He was always the first to call it a day and settled in the shade with a frozen treat, but Hal worked hard and was usually the first up. Whenever one of the dogs needed extra encouragement to get through water exercises, Hal was the best choice of trainer. A quick wit, that was somewhat undermined by largely being pun based.
On the 7th of April 2009, Hal was killed on active service in Iraq by friendly fire. Tyson didn’t attend the funeral, his deployment wasn’t intended to end for a few more months. Then, Tyson was forced to abandon the army by The Colonel (Colonel Sebastian Moran) and it was another two years before Tyson returned to Britain, and another six months before Tyson could bring himself to visit Hal’s grave.
