Background

It's not that Colton had a bad upbringing, just a...frequently abandoned one. He was the only son of a night creature single mother with only a tiny apartment in The City between them. They called her Sammy, and without many friends or much money, she did her best to keep Colton taken care of. Between napping next to her on the long days when she worked nights and watching way too much public access (and catching many of The City's burgeoning indie bands in the process), Colton was happily oblivious to the cold, uncaring City around him.

Sammy stopped coming home one September evening, about three months before the start of the main storyline. Colton sat staring out the front apartment window until 4AM that night, but to no avail. A rather untrusting, isolated girl, Sammy left behind a bit of money under her mattress that Colton was able to leave on the windowsill for rent or to get pizza with, but really, he wanted his mother back. Still with the wounds fresh, a month later, Colton met Penny, herself M.I.A. from her friends. Though kind and motherly enough to him, Penny ultimately returned with Sebastian and Kevin after they recovered her.

Colton, aching from the loss of both, declared himself independent at 14 and grew withdrawn. Still, Sammy's mattress money would only last so long, and knowing the trio had moved to Apricot Bay thanks to a passing comment from Kevin, took what would've been the last rent payment and paid for a train ticket instead. It's not that he wanted to see Penny again, though that would've been really nice...it just seemed like a safer place to stay than The City.

Description

Appearance/grooming habits

He doesn't intend to look dirty or anything, but only having one jacket means you kinda live in that one jacket, especially when it's a comfy, protective thing like it is for him. Madeleine's parents help majorly in that respect, getting him some new clothes when he starts to outgrow his old, tattered City ones. Neutral colored, loose casual wear is what Colton prefers, especially out on his walks, though at her father's insistence, he's absolutely got a tuxedo on standby.

Voice/speech patterns

Colton always sounds a tiny bit lost when he talks, many pauses and filler words, though they filter out when he's excited, passionate, or there's something specific on his mind. There's a certain thin tone to his voice (I've always thought of a less nasal, younger Elliott Smith) that especially comes out when he's singing. Such is life when you're untrained, but he makes it work.

Tics/nervous habits

Lots of handwringing and grabbing at things. How much of that is due to autism and how much of that is just being a raccoon is up for interpretation. Still, there's a reason you'll find him sitting with a guitar even when he's not playing. Security blanket and good chord practice too.

Personality

Strengths

Colton's a brave, independent, protective fellow. When he starts to heal some, you'll find a raccoon lad eager to help people where he can, never backing down when things look rough, and—though he's far too humble to admit it—happy to entertain with his guitar. When it comes to music, his or others', expect a ton of rambling about guitars, amps, studios, and mixes.

Weaknesses

That stubborn independence also works against Colton at times. He's not necessarily avoidant of people, but at the start of the story, he considers his frequent patronage of the Art Gallery his choice and no one else's. When he's emotional, be that anger and fury or achy sadness, it tends to come down rather hard.

Hobbies

Music! All those years spent watching bands and singer-songwriters on TV stuck with him, and when his mentor Riley gave him his ancient acoustic from years back, Colton was all over it. Past that, Colton's usually around climbing trees (scaring Riley in the process) or holding his Madeleine's hand on walks through the wooded hills of the Valley Cascadia.

Fears/insecurities

Colton's got some trust issues to work out, especially early on. You don't lose your entire world twice without developing them, blaming yourself, blaming the world, all that. He's got a bit of a complex at times about essentially being a dirty stray, something Madeleine's parents sadly contribute to at first and ultimately help rectify when they take him in as one of their own.

Disorders/diseases

Colton's somewhere on the autism spectrum, certainly. He can devour a stack of biographies (good for his slightly lacking reading ability...) and tab books and excitedly tell you about every last page. He's also incredibly picky about the feel of his instruments—their weight on his shoulders (heavy please), the roughness of their strings on his fingers (heavy gauge and rough please), and so forth.