Colby Katzan

Personality
Colby is a sarcastic guy who almost always acts lightheartedly in any situation, even when he’s not trying to, has a smug smile for some reason. He's trying to be a cool young Han Solo wannabe that aspires to be confident like Iron Man, or at least the poor man's version of Iron Man with an average B-C grade. His cheeky sense of humor is how he deals with life, and he views the world as one big satire.

Despite how childish he can act, he knows when to be considerate. If he has to, Colby will force himself to be optimistic. He can’t always afford to be disheartened or stressed, mainly for the sake of the people his close friends so they wouldn’t have to feel that way. And he seems to put a little too much faith in his friends (if he has any), especially those he just met. It’s probably because he grew up with little to zero friendships. This doesn't mean he's entirely gullible. He's more observant than some give him credit for. His loyalty just makes him stubborn to question his friends’ integrity right away.

Like Iron Man and Han Solo, Colby hates bullies. They're one of the reasons why he spent several years learning martial arts. He understands that someone might've had a crappy life. He’s had one, too, but it's not an excuse to be a near-sociopathic asshole to others, especially to those who can’t defend themselves. If someone doesn’t show respect to him and others, don’t expect it in return from him. He doesn’t instantly start throwing punches, but he’s not above acting passive-aggressive.

Despite working at a cafe, he does not like drinking coffee (but still enjoys the scent). He prefers drinking tea—his favorite is Earl Grey, and he was told he smells like it. With a hint of blueberry muffins. (He eats blueberry muffins for breakfast.)

Background
Colby was born in New York during his mom’s 2-year prison sentence for burglary and was raised in the prison nursery program during those times. It seemed his biological father, PJ, didn’t know about the pregnancy. After his mom discovered PJ had died in a car crash a year ago, she and Colby, 5 years old traveled to an Oregon town near Silver Oak Academy and found PJ’s relatives who were kind enough to take care of them—well, his parents welcomed them with open arms and let them live in their house, while most of his extended family didn’t treat them quite well, viewed them as aberrations they tried to ignore. From what Colby heard, his dad was a screw-up, the black sheep in the family and a semi-known local troublemaker in the town and at his Alma mater, Silver Oak.

Growing up, Colby was often teased for being a shy, underachieving dork who had enough courage to stand up for his closest friends but not for himself. He had trouble making a lot of friends, especially with kids near his own age, but he somehow managed to be friends with a couple of people.

During middle school, Colby moved to California because of his mom's job transfer. He might’ve had a secret not-so-legal relationship with his neighbor. And perhaps on the day after getting his driver’s license, he won his first street race (and may have gotten his first speeding ticket)—that was also the moment he believed that he might actually be good at something. It didn’t take long for him to become addicted to the racing scene, thanks to his questionable new friends, fueling his adrenaline rush with fast cars and motorcycles, but mainly trying to help his mom pay the bills—he lied to her about taking odd jobs that pay surprisingly well. Their living situation got worse after her job laid her off. Mom tried to become a musician again while working a part-time job, but it wasn’t easy earning enough money on time. So, his new friends helped him get shady jobs to retrieve and deliver certain vehicles and parts in not-so-legal ways.

Several months ago, his last job got him arrested and almost sent him to prison. He also might’ve gotten caught street racing a few times earlier. Unable to deal with her son’s lawless exploits anymore, his mom, convinced by her jerk boyfriend, sent Colby back to Oregon at the start of summer vacation, hoping he stays out of trouble there—although, he might've gotten in trouble for speeding on his dirt bike in the summer, possibly racing one of the local daredevils. Even though his father's side of the family is decently well off, Colby could barely afford to enroll in Silver Oak Academy, which he is still able to attend for the first time, repeating his junior year for the second time because he kind of slacked off in his last school.

He currently lives under the guardianship of his paternal grandfather, Jim Florence, the owner of the Sleeping Hedgehog Cafe, a local humble coffeehouse with a cozy, rustic bar aesthetic and a few store chains in the state. Silver Oak has one cafe on campus; like in the original store, Colby works there part-time, only because Grandpa Florence kind of forced him to.

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