TRAMP ▶ TYLER DECKER
( FAIRY TAILS BARTENDER ● 35 ● SEBASTIAN STAN ● TAKEN )
Ryan Decker’s girlfriend left him when their son was six months old. He hadn’t wanted the kid but a near-miss incident on the steps seemed to trigger something paternal in him and, soon he was doing everything to provide a better life for Tyler.. Ryan only had his GED but began taking odd jobs around town: he was seen as a good man, a hard worker and a dedicated father.
Tyler considered his pa his best friends growing up but when he started school, his dad picked up more jobs and they grew apart. Ryan was trying to save money for Tyler’s college fund and Tyler was busy falling in with the wrong crowds. He’d get in trouble daily, detentions and suspensions becoming commonplace. Grades were abysmal aside from art and the only reason he was decent at that was because there were no rules. But even that talent fell to the wayside once partying took over. It broke his father’s heart that he barely scraped by in high school and was rejected by every college he’d lazily applied to.
Without prospects, he got various jobs around town, scraping by. Still frequenting parties, he met a guy, Mike, and what began as a casual fling soon turned into a relationship for a year. Tyler loved him but everything changed five years ago, when Mike got behind the wheel, intoxicated, and Tyler was too drunk to do anything about it. They t-boned an elderly couple’s car. He was sent flying and Mike was, unfairly, unscathed aside from cuts and a concussion. He left the scene of the crime and high tailed it out of town, too scared to call the police because he’d been behind the wheel at the time.
Tyler was in the hospital for months with two broken legs, broken ribs, a punctured lung and severe head trauma. They had him in a coma for weeks, his father beside him the entire time. He didn’t believe when they said Mike skipped town, nor the fact that the elderly couple they’d hit had died and until they could prove otherwise, he was the prime suspect who’d get charged. Eventually, this was dropped when an eyewitness and CCTV showed Mike leaving the scene. It fucked Tyler up. He’d love him and he’d left him for dead. His recovery wasn’t easy but months later, Tyler could walk again. His dad had lost two jobs taking care of him in the hospital, so he knew he had to do something to make sure his dad wasn’t dipping into what little retirement he had. One of the only places that actually looked at his lackluster resume was Fairy Tails, where he’s been bartending since.
CONNECTIONS ▶
SIMON CHURCH – His boss and one of the only people who had heard about the events associated with his name, and who saw his barely-there resume, and still hired him. He started by giving Tyler the shitty shifts until he worked his way up to being a decent enough bartender to cover the high-traffic times. Tyler doesn’t really talk to him much but he’s been in enough rough crowds to know that Simon Church is not someone you disappoint.
CORDELIA DU PONT – The nurse who refused to let him mope around and encouraged him daily for months as he was recovering. They’ve become best friends in the years since and in that time she’s been a terrible wingman but an ardent supporter. When his dad died, she was at the funeral with him. She’s the one who encourages him to work towards something, not just work to get by, and even pulled strings to help him get into Grimmbrook University’s art program at. He’s started taking classes here and there, but doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he’s not sure he can do it. He doesn’t want to let her down like he let his dad down so many times, but thinks he might.
ARIELA LOPEZ – Ariela is the friend he turns to when he needs to let loose. She's always known how to have a good time. He may not party as hard as he did before his accident, but Tyler still knows how to enjoy himself. Ariela was also the eyewitness who placed Mike at the accident. When she heard that Tyler might get charged, she sent in an anonymous tip and that tip was corroborated by video footage. Tyler doesn’t know any of this but Mike has also always been a strictly off-limits subject since the accident.
ALEXANDER YAO – The guy annoys the shit out of Tyler. He walks around like he’s Mother Teresa, saving all the poor souls in Grimmbrook from their terrible, pointless lives. He always tries to make conversation with Tyler when he sees him at the University. That alone is enough to make him want to drop out altogether. There’s something about someone who has their shit together like Alexander does, that pisses him off a bit. He acts like he’s some great hero and all his accomplishments are his own, seemingly owing nothing to the fact that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He wouldn’t be half the man he thinks he is had it not been for a good start in life. Just hearing Alexander’s name makes him bristle and roll his eyes.
DANIEL MICKEY – The asshole he found out tried to take a blood sample while he was unconscious in the ER. He’d never been one for authority figures, but this guy takes the cake. Tyler can’t help but make snide remarks whenever he comes in contact with the detective and it's not like he’s Daniel’s favorite person either. If it wasn't for the fact that Daniel could throw his ass in jail, and that assaulting civilians was never encouraged behavior for law enforcement, the two would certainly come to blows. If their verbal sparring were physical, it would be a bloodbath.