Tyler O’Neil is a supporting character in the Scream roleplay universe, appearing in the first volume of The Story so Far and the Lakewood: Year One prequel.
Attractive, athletic, and academically gifted, Tyler has all the characteristics of the textbook Big Man on Campus, but he’s burdened by a crippling sense of inferiority and a canyon-deep chip on his shoulder, courtesy of his troubled childhood, growing up in the shadow of his demented sister Gemma.
Tyler’s pursuit of perfection brings him into the whirlpool of chaos surrounding Nina Patterson. His repeatedly frustrated attempts to capitalize on an end-of-summer fling between them at the start of their sophomore year at GW High eventually drew him into a conspiracy to cover up a violent crime. The incident became the bedrock for the Lakewood Eyes blackmail syndicate, an anonymous information broker that traded in the dirty doings of Lakewood’s residents.
Tyler’s commitment to Nina only enabled her. Lakewood Eyes kept growing, their wealth of secrets piling up…until some very powerful and dangerous eyes were drawn to the project. Eyes Tyler was too familiar with.
A minor character in the original television series, Tyler originally had a very small footprint in the Scream roleplay universe. He was portrayed by Celebrity01, the moderator of the 2015 forum and, along with Nina, was the only player character to be killed off when the forum was active, in effect only barely outliving his canon counterpart, who was killed offscreen in the opening scene of the series’ pilot. Unlike Nina, however, Tyler’s early death was undone in The Story so Far, which kept him alive for a short time longer. Tyler also features prominently in the Lakewood: Year One prequel, which gives him a point of view as he helps Nina build Lakewood Eyes.
| CHARACTER | Tyler O’Neil |
| Faceclaim | Pierson Fode |
| Age | 17 |
| DOB | September 30, 1998 |
| DOD | October 16, 2015 |
| Occupation | High school student Teacher’s assistant Amateur software developer Hacker Blackmailer and information broker (Lakewood Eyes) |
| Residence | 148 Crescent St Lakewood, Louisiana |
| Family | Patrick O’Neil (father) Eloise O’Neil (mother) Gemma O’Neil (sister) |
| Friends | Christian Tatum Ashwin Amanpour Clyde Carter Jake Fitzgerald Will Belmont Brooke Maddox Riley Marra Emma Duval |
| Love Interests | Nina Patterson (girlfriend) |
| Enemies | Amanda Steele Audrey Jensen Noah Foster Gemma O’Neil (target of her abuse) |
| Cause of Death | Impaled through the skull. |
| Killed By | Piper Shaw |
| Appears In | Scream Season 1 AU The Story so Far– Vol. I Lakewood: Year One |
| Portrayed By | Celebrity 01 (Season 1 AU) ThePlotMurderer (The Story so Far and Year One) |
| First Published Appearance | Season 1 AU: September 7, 2015 The Story so Far– Vol. I: Chapter 1 |
| First Chronological Appearance | Lakewood: Year One– Part 1 September 3, 2023 |
| Last Chronological Appearance | The Story so Far– Vol. I: Chapter 5 |
| Last Published Appearance | Lakewood: Year One– Part 1 January 4, 2025 |
History
Golden Boy
Tyler was born on September 30, 1998, to Patrick and Eloise O’Neil. He was their first ‘planned’ child, but not their firstborn. The dubious honor was taken by his sister Gemma, born a decade earlier, the result of a teen pregnancy that had necessitated a shotgun wedding for mother and father’s straitlaced Irish Catholic families.
The result of Gemma’s untimely birth and her unruly childhood meant that Tyler had lots of expectations heaped upon him from the start. Patrick and Eloise were on him every second, watching his grades, seeing him on as many youth sports leagues as possible, and generally ensuring he stayed on the right track to not be a burnout.
Things weren’t helped by Gemma deciding to become a domestic terrorist on the eve of her high school graduation. The rebellious hellraiser torched the principal’s office and was subsequently sentenced to a year in prison, after which she promptly cut off all contact with her family and faded into obscurity.
As far as Tyler was concerned, the absence of his sister was a good thing. Gemma was a cruel bully, and had subjected him to torments of all kinds throughout his childhood. Her being gone gave him a degree of breathing room, even as his parents’ pressure continued to tighten.
Second Fiddle
By the time he started high school, Tyler was on the path that had been painstakingly paved for him. He was a well-rounded scholar athlete: an Honors scholar and the point guard on the Lakewood Lancers basketball team. His good looks and swaggering charm earned him his fair share of admirers as well, and he was quite popular.
But not popular enough to ensnare the attention of his class’s most popular girl. Tyler had been fascinated by Nina Patterson since middle school. She was beautiful, charismatic, and controlled every room she walked into. Unfortunately, she never took any notice of him, despite the fawning affection of several of their classmates, including Nina’s own friend Stephanie.
Things changed in the summer before their sophomore year. Nina threw a party to ring out the last days of vacation and invited several of their classmates. Tyler and Nina hooked up at the party, but Nina took off before afterglow had even set in, leaving Tyler confused and frustrated. Once school began, he continued his pursuit of Nina, trying to capitalize on their encounter, and coming off as increasingly desperate and pathetic to his friends.
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