Colton Ray

Old-school cowboy type with a cruel streak and a weakness for power

• Name: Colton Ray
• Parents: Mary Jo Ray and Donald Ray
• High School: Cedar Ridge Regional
• Born: 2002
• Age: 34
• Nationality: American (Southern white, NewCon loyalist)
• Job: Security and livestock discipline at Three Pines Agricultural Center
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Children: None

Appearance

Colton has a rugged, cowboy-inspired look—tall with a broad chest and thick arms, but also a softening beer gut from years of drinking. He wears faded jeans, scuffed boots, and a tan or olive security shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His signature piece is a beat-up cowboy hat and aviator shades he wears even when it’s cloudy. He sports a weathered mustache, maybe a goatee, and often has a chew in his mouth. People say he looks like he walked off a bad country album cover—and he likes that.

Personality

Colton wants to be seen as cool, calm, and in control. He speaks with a slow, dry drawl—like he’s unbothered by everything—but beneath that is a mean streak. He’s the kind of man who’ll call someone “darlin’” right before hitting them. He believes deeply in hierarchy—white over Black, man over woman, worker over “livestock.”

He thinks of himself as “worldly,” but he’s never been more than 40 miles outside Cedar Ridge. He holds a quiet grudge against anyone younger, prettier, or smarter than him. His voice may be calm, but his eyes always look like they’re trying to calculate how much power he still has in the room.

He’s especially twisted up over Foxy—the one woman who makes him feel something he doesn’t want to admit. He lusts after her but hides it behind racist degradation. He acts like he’s above Zane, but he’s just as bitter, just quieter about it.

Motivations

Colton wants control. Not justice. Not fairness. Control. His job at the farm gives him a sense of power over women and over a system he otherwise has no say in. He also wants recognition—to be seen as important, respected, and feared. The men below him call him “boss,” and the women can’t fight back. That’s enough—for now.

His feelings for Foxy haunt him. She gets under his skin in a way that makes him feel weak. That terrifies him, so he masks it with cruelty.

Weaknesses

Colton’s entire identity is a performance. He’s not as calm, wise, or strong as he wants to be seen. He drinks too much. He lashes out when he feels small. He fears exposure—whether it’s his feelings for Foxy, his dependence on his job, or his growing anxiety about the resistance outside.

He’s jealous of youth, afraid of change, and deep down knows the world he’s part of is crumbling.