Daryl

Daryl Abbott is a minor character in Twelve Forever.

Daryl is the biological father of Dustin and Reggie Abbott, as well as Judy Abbott’s ex-husband. He walked out on his family around eight years ago and is supposedly in Tahoe as of right now, living “in a boat or something” (as explained by Reggie).

Appearance
Daryl Abbott is of average adult height and slightly husky. He has mid-length brunette hair with bangs, styled similarly to Reggie’s with inarticulate chops and two upstanding pips on their hairlines. Daryl also has a Chevron mustache, bushy eyebrows, and large eyes with dark pupils. He wears a simple faded white collared shirt with lined sleeve hems, and is seen in a photograph to wear (or have worn) gold-rimmed aviators. Lastly, Daryl has a tattoo below his outer-right shoulder: a red heart with an arrow striking diagonally through the middle.

Personality
Daryl is never shown within the show, outside of photographs that Reggie discovers in Reggie's Dad Forever, but his personality is described via Reggie and Judy Abbott respectively.

Reggie finds her father to be fun-loving and exciting, remembering him fondly because of his leniency. It’s implied that despite his departure from the family when Reggie was four, she finds him to be that of a role model, looking up to him for inspiration in the greater margin of Reggie’s Dad Forever. Reggie additionally describes him as “hot” to Todd, as well as a “hockey champion”, further solidifying this fact.

However, it’s clear through Judy’s input that Daryl was not the ideal father that Reggie insisted him to be (although this is also foiled through Reggie’s crosshatching of “coolness” and irresponsibility, such as when Daryl allows her to stay up late and watch “Killer Squidmen from Vegas”). While Judy finds him to have good aspects that she sees shine through within Reggie, such as creativity and being outspoken, she anecdotes that he ultimately left the Abbott family due to his inability to handle the responsibilities of adulthood (or, for that matter, being a dad.)

Relationships

 * Reggie: Reggie is Daryl’s biological daughter. She sustains a dichotomy between finding him as a role model, while also harboring insecurity at their own lack of communication. She inquires briefly if Daryl was “just a big jerk” in a moment of vulnerability, which Judy denies. Reggie and Daryl share similarities in both appearance and personality, most notably their disposition to maturity. Reggie’s main weapon on Endless Island, a hockey stick, may also pay homage to Daryl (who was supposedly a “hockey champion”, or at the very least played the sport.)


 * Dustin: Dustin is Daryl’s biological son. Dustin’s opinion on his father is incredibly unclear as of right now, although it’s not out of the question to assume he feels negatively towards him (or at the very least, apathetically.). Daryl and Dustin may not have been very close since they don't appear together in any of the Abbott family photos.


 * Judy: Judy is Daryl’s ex-wife. It’s unclear what Daryl’s opinion on Judy is, although Judy herself seems to hold a minor grudge against him despite her best efforts. While she doesn’t seem to hate Daryl, their relationship fell apart when he was unable to uphold the responsibility of being a parent to two children. This eventually lead to arguments and finally a divorce, with him leaving her alone with their children. Nevertheless, Judy doesn't hate Daryl and tries to discourage Reggie from hating or insulting him.