Biff (Discord user)

**Biff**, also known as **Biff Tannen** or **Biff Xannen**, was an American Discord user. He was primarily active in *The Amazing World of Gumball!* server and in JC's Discord server; he was the owner of the latter from 2019 to 2020. Though at times disliked by much of the TAWoG server for his behavior, his reputation greatly improved in 2019 and he was considered a staple of the community.

Biff struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse throughout much of his life, and he died in 2020 at the age of 21. His death was met with much mourning in the Discord communities in which he was active.

## Biography

Brian Joseph Boley was born on June 4, 1999, in Clackamas, Oregon, USA, to parents Charles Richard "Rich" Boley and Kari Ann Boley. The names "Brian" and "Joseph" were given in honor of two family friends who had died in automobile accidents.

Boley was raised in Canby, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. He was sometimes teased in school for his last name, which sounded similar to "bully". In either junior high or high school, he began using marijuana and drinking alcohol frequently, which resulted in his suspension from school on at least one occasion. Boley graduated from Canby High School in 2017.

Boley had no prospects in life and did not attend college or attain a job. He receded into depression and OCD. His alcohol habits continued and became extremely severe, as he often drank more than 12 beers every single day. Boley looked older than his years, which granted him ease when visiting liquor stores, despite not being old enough to drink until June 2020. On several occasions he attempted sobriety, but these attempts hardly lasted more than a week. His parents divorced in late 2018.

## Online activities

### *The Amazing World of Gumball!* server

Biff created his Discord account on January 19, 2018. Among the first servers he joined was *The Amazing World of Gumball!* server, and he soon became one of its most active members. Throughout 2018, his reputation grew sour. On September 2, 2018, Biff became a victim of the Ban Onslaught, and defended Bman, who had been banned several days prior.

Frustrated by his removal from the server, he found refuge in the Pennyland server, and led what Taliats dubbed a "crusade" against the TAWoG server. Almost immediately after the creation of the new server, Spectrum preemptively banned Biff.

On July 20, 2019, as tensions in the community decreased, Biff was unbanned. He joined immediately after and was once again active in the server. Taliats later remarked, "you have changed for the better and I am actually really impressed". Biff remained active in the server for the following year. He left again for several days on August 29, 2020, prompting concern. He returned on September 2.

### JC's Discord server

Biff was invited to JC's Discord server on March 2, 2019 and became an active member. On October 29, 2019, in the midst of drama surrounding Czezma's actions as server owner, Jc held an election to determine who would serve as the new owner. The votes were tallied on October 31; Biff won after receiving six votes. Though he accepted the nomination, he had second thoughts, saying "I don't think I'm fit to run this server".

Late 2019 and early 2020 was a period marked by extensive drama that occurred on an almost daily basis. Biff believed this to be his own fault, and frequently complained of his perceived incompetence as server owner.

Biff's alcoholism was well-known to the server members. On December 29, 2019, he stole a bottle of rum from his grandparents and told the server "I will committ suicide tonight. It depends on my alcohol tolerance. This is it, if I don't wake up tomorrow you will know what happened" [sic]. Ownership was briefly transferred to Jc that night. The next day, Biff apologized for this incident and regained ownership.

On March 30, 2020, Biff fell ill and began vomiting blood. He informed the server members of what he initially believed to be a heart attack before going inactive for several hours. This was relayed to the TAWoG server. Biff recovered the next day, though users urged him to seek medical attention.

Biff would sometimes explode at other members, and in the aftermath of these incidents would often be very remorseful. On August 2, 2020, he had a particularly heated outburst against Atticus, and left the server. Atticus also left the next day. Biff did not return until August 8, and informed members that he had suffered a concussion and said "that day was one of the worst in my life".

## Death

In the weeks prior to Biff's death, he had relapsed and began drinking again. His emotional state was precarious and he would sometimes break down over minor things. Around this time he made a post on Reddit in which he stated his alcoholism would likely kill him. On September 16, 2020, he "half heartedly" attempted suicide by drinking 20 shots and ingesting sleeping pills. His sister discovered him convulsing on the floor. In the aftermath of this incident, he proclaimed his intention to attempt sobriety again.

> `"I know in all honesty I shitpost a lot and stuff but I've been hurting for a long time now. Honestly I don't care about my health much, but I do care about my family. And they aren't happy watching me slowly kill myself. I need to change for them. I need to quit drinking this fucking poison."`
>
>

> `- Biff, September 17, 2020`
>
>

Biff revealed on September 19 that he was going to attend rehabilitation. On September 21, Galoom left the server after an argument. Biff believed this to be his own fault, and broke down the next day. He left the server for 39 minutes, during which time he broke his sobriety. He returned to the server drunk and ranted about his life, suicidal thoughts, and his intention to purchase more alcohol. That night, Biff had an argument with his parents wherein they ordered him to stop drinking or he would be kicked out of the house.

Biff remained sober for the next five days. He conversed with server members as usual. On September 27, he reiterated his intention to pursue rehabilitation. His final messages in JC's server and the TAWoG server were posted at 9:07 PM and 9:16 PM PST on September 28 respectively. They were in reference to the Lemon Demon song "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", which he insisted was Neil Cicierega's best creation.

Biff died on September 29, 2020. While his cause of death is not publicly known, it is believed he relapsed again and drank himself to death. He was 21 years old.

### Discovery

Server members were concerned about Biff's inactivity over the following weeks, though they assumed that he was attending rehabilitation. In such programs, it is common for patients to be restricted access to the internet or personal devices. By late October, a month after Biff's last message, members grew increasingly worried that rehabilitation could not account for his absence.

On November 3, 2020, users searched Biff's actual name on Google, which he revealed on September 5 to be Brian Joseph Boley. There, they discovered his obituary and a GoFundMe page titled "Brian Boley Memorial Scholarship". After identifying the photo used in the GoFundMe campaign as Biff, the information was posted in JC's server and the TAWoG server.

The discovery of his death was met with immediate mourning. Taliats posted the GoFundMe page in the #announcements channel and the icon for JC's server was changed to his face. Several users donated to the GoFundMe campaign. Two users who had previously left JC's server, Galoom and shoopdahoop22, returned in light of the news.

### Memorials and tributes

Memorial channels were created in JC's server and the TAWoG server. The contents of the latter were compiled by Taliats and emailed to Biff's family. He invited Charles Boley to the server, which he accepted, joining under the username "goggles". Some members have expressed their wish to visit his grave in Oregon.

The GoFundMe campaign promises to grant one $500-1,000 scholarship per year to a graduate of Canby High School, Biff's alma mater. Also included in the campaign is the construction of a memorial bench in Barview, Oregon. The campaign has far exceeded its goal of $2,500 and has raised a total of $12,536 as of April 2022.

The inscription on Biff's headstone reads, "Beloved Son, Brother, Grandson & Nephew - Never forgotten, forever in our hearts".