Darwin Pell

Darwin Pell is a male survivor played by Devon. He was accepted on (1/19/2017) and is currently alive and active on the server.

Description
Darwin Pell stands tall, broad-shouldered, and a little disheveled. This disheveled appearance is slight, however, as he does well to mask it. Typically wearing a button-down shirt—either baby blue or thin plaid—he often sports a tie and jacket.

His pants are regularly dress pants, Macy’s, and are bound by a belt which is creased in too many places. His pants ripple as he walks. They are often pinstripe, and they billow at the cuffs—though they’re slim-fitted.

His body once carried the splendor of athleticism. Now, it’s barrel-bellied, sagged at the chest, and thin in the forearms and calves. He carries a short grizzle about his chin, which matches the sheen of whitening caramel hair. He has a growing bald spot—which was once a receding hairline.

He wears glasses—black, plastic ones—because kids don’t wear contacts, anymore. He needs to be relatable, after all. Often, his shirt is untucked to help with this.

His face is rosy. If one were to look closely, they’d see several busted capillaries across his nose. This rosiness, however, doesn’t extend far across his face. His color, otherwise, is a bleak peach with ashy five o’clock shadow.

He often smells of too much cologne. If one were to hug him, they’d smell body odor beneath it. On rare occasions: the tinge of vodka.

His voice is direct, calm, and collected.

Personality
Darwin Pell is calm, collected, and pointedly astute to the emotions of others. That said, much of his prowess in mental analysis is “turned off” when in day-to-day interactions. Mostly, this stems from psychotherapy training utilized to part oneself from daily emotional turmoil.

In the office: Darwin frequently folds his hands, leans back, and crosses his legs. While, at first, this may seem flamboyant, it may come off as an awkward attempt at openness. He is often dismissive to his clients, when initiating trust exercises. Beyond cognitive-behavioral framing sessions, typical practices, and go-to responses (flexible, of course), much of his work persona is carefully neutral, endearing, and oddly humanistic.

Outside of the office: Darwin is frequently seen with Andy, his son. In fact, nearly all of his time is dedicated to the growth, development, and health of the boy. He’s a stern father, when he needs to be. That said, much of his departure from his wife, Danielle, has sharpened his need for familial comradery. In a way, he idealizes Andy.

There is a quieter side to Darwin, however. A side which stays up late, falls asleep on the pull-out, and keeps a Wendy’s cup half-filled with vodka. On these nights, Andy is at a friend’s house.

Around others, Darwin is quiet, accommodating, and responsible. Living in West Point, he understands his incredible luck in maintaining such a position. For this reason, he may appear awkward at social gatherings—not entirely sure how to act near others. Work status has always been a social consideration.

Biography
Darwin Solomon Pell was born to Cathy and Edward Pell on January 7, 1952. The fifties were a good time to grow. A Baby Boomer, sure, but he isn’t all the Millennials crack him up to be. He spent much of his youth wanting to become a philosopher, but turned to psychology and criminology in early college—Bryan College, to be exact. Due to family monetary troubles, his criminology degree didn’t fly.

He obtained a doctorate’s decree in clinical psychology, with an emphasis on psychotherapy, in 1981. He studied at the University of Memphis, adopting a variety of techniques via advanced clinical study sessions. He completed a thesis titled: Translating ‘Not Sure’ to ‘Positive:’ A Court’s Perception of Eyewitness Accounts and Confidence.

In the early 1990’s, he met his soon-to-be wife, Danielle Seuss, while working as a high school counselor in Vienna, Virginia. He’d been working for higher industry certification, and was bound to the area. Eventually, his career took free. He and Danielle were happily wed, moved to West Point, Kentucky—where her siblings lived—and settled down.

In the early 2000s, Danielle’s siblings moved to aid their mother—who was sick with cancer. Much of this time between Darwin and Danielle was hazardous, as their marriage was new, ripening and coming into conflict.

On September 2, 2011, Andy Elijah Pell was born. The family love which occurred, however, was cut short due to a series of strokes suffered by Danielle. On December 22, 2013, she was taken to the hospital, one final time.

Since then, Darwin has dedicated himself to the growing Andy. Past medical bills, however, required payment. Their insurance was dwindling, and Blue Cross Blue Shield rates were going up. These days, Darwin can be found working, helping others, with Andy, at school functions, or at home.