Colton Anomaly

"You should never be afraid to try something new!"

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Colton Anomaly
Affiliation	Amanda the Adventurer Amanda Rebecca Colton
Biographical information
Age	19 (as of February 20, 2023)
Date of birth	April 8, 2003
Place of birth	Hameln Entertainment facility, Kensdale, Ohio
Date of death	February 20, 2023
Place of death	Hameln Entertainment facility, Kensdale, Ohio
Karma	Good
Physical description
Species	Psychic tulpa-like manifestation
Eye color	White
Appearances
Appears in	Amanda the Adventurer Amanda the Adventurer 2 Amanda the Adventurer 3
Debut	Amanda the Adventurer: Pilot Episode

“	Wait! They've helped me before. Give them a chance to try. Please?	”
— Amanda to the Anomaly

The Colton Anomaly was a monstrous creature in Kensdale, Ohio. A psychic, negative fragment of Rebecca Colton's soul, it was the sole protector of the tape recordings of Amanda the Adventurer, defending the show's protagonist Amanda, who was possessed by Rebecca at the time.

The Anomaly was akin to a wild animal that seemingly attacked those it assumed were causing distress to Amanda or would cause distress. If she intervened in its attacks, it slightly followed her wishes. However, the Anomaly was highly aggressive, and Amanda had to insist on it to give up on a target.

In 2023, the Colton Anomaly was attacked by Shepherd before reuniting with Rebecca Colton after she was freed from her stasis pod. The Colton Anomaly ultimately sacrificed itself when Rebecca broke the "7th Birthday" tape in half.

Appearance

The Colton Anomaly is a tall, very thin creature with a nearly skeletal appearance and gray skin. It sports numerous white eyes on its face, a mouth full of long, hooked teeth, and long arms and legs ending in long, sharp claws. It has black hair in a hairstyle very similar to Amanda's.

Personality

The Anomaly is a feral monster born from Rebecca's negative emotions, particularly her fear of being trapped and despair at being forced to be Amanda. It is a paranoid, borderline mindless entity that exists to destroy anything and everything that upsets Amanda, regarding it as a threat to Rebecca, which it does with brutal efficiency. However, it is not malevolent, simply feral and violent, and is fully loyal to Amanda - and thus, Rebecca - if she tells it that someone is not a threat. In particular, it is willing to sacrifice its own existence if it means Rebecca's freedom, showing it cares for Rebecca's life above its own.

History

Origins

The Colton Anomaly, named by Hameln Entertainment after the Colton family, was unintentionally created at the Hameln Entertainment facility on April 8, 2003, when Sam Colton attempted to rescue his daughter Rebecca Colton from inside the facility. Hameln theorized that when Sam reached Rebecca, an energy surge in the "Colton Asset's" neuropsychic system caused a discharge that created the Colton Anomaly and killed Sam. The Anomaly became tied to Rebecca in Amanda the Adventurer and became protective of VHS tapes of the show that contained Amanda, causing it to attack the staff at the Hameln facility.

To maintain control of Rebecca and weaken her link with the Anomaly, Hameln created Shepherd in late 2003, a trainable facsimile of the Anoamly that was designed to destroy the Amanda the Adventurer tapes. For a period of time, Hameln could not confirm the location of the Anomaly and the tapes.

2023

In February 2023, the Anomaly attacked Kate Park's house after Joanne Cook demanded that she give her Kate's collection of Amanda the Adventurer tapes. Kate and Joanne escaped, the former later being killed in a car crash and the latter sustaining a scratch mark.

On the night of February 20, 2023, the Anomaly hid in the vents of the Kensdale Public Library during Joanne and Riley Park's visit. While Riley told a dejected Amanda a story in "When You're Feeling Bad", the Anomaly appeared behind them, ready to strike. Amanda stopped it, wanting Riley to continue the story. The Anomaly hung in the Kid's Corner until Riley finished the story, then it went to attack. Amanda halted the creature again, as the story had made her feel better. The Anomaly slammed its fists before later disappearing.

After Amanda did not find a "special toy" in "Let's Hunt for Treasure!", she demanded that Riley find another treasure that would make her happy. The Anomaly appeared behind the TV, waiting to be handed a toy. After Riley gave it a Wooly puppet, the creature examined it before tearing it apart. Then, a howl from Shepherd outside the library prompted the Anomaly to return to the vents, destroying the office door.

Later, after Riley entered the abandoned Hameln facility, the Colton Anomaly fought Shepherd and was implied to have killed it, losing an arm in the process. The Colton Anomaly disintegrated when Rebecca, freed from stasis, broke open the "7th Birthday" tape. For a moment she turned into Amanda and smiled peacefully before fading away, presumably returning into Rebecca and making her soul whole again.

Trivia

• The Anomaly bears a slight resemblance to the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaargh from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in that both are eldritch abominations with multiple eyes.
• Before the release of Amanda the Adventurer 3, the developers referred to Anomaly by several censored names, including █████, [ ], and [EXPUNGED]. It was referred to in the game files as "Monster Amanda".
• On the Amanda the Adventurer Itch.io page, there is a screenshot of the Anomaly in a dark house hallway. This is not anywhere within the games.
  • It is likely that this image is a leftover from when the full release of Amanda the Adventurer was first announced, as it was also on the game's Steam page.
• In Amanda the Adventurer: Pilot Episode, the Anomaly was heavily implied to be Amanda taking a monstrous form. This was still suggested to be the case in "What's a Family?", as Amanda grows the Anomaly's eyes if the player chooses not to help the kitten, as if transforming. Amanda the Adventurer 2 confirmed that Amanda and the Anomaly are separate beings.
• It was initially believed that the Anomaly was a demon. However, as of Amanda the Adventurer 3, it is revealed to be a psychic manifestation of Rebecca's fears and desire to be free given independent life, akin to a Tulpa.
• It seems in order to create psychic manifestations, it needs a baseline, which can either be biological or supernatural. Shepherd utilises samples of Marcus Moutman's DNA. It can be assumed the Anomaly is a fragment of Rebecca's soul.

Gallery

The inception of the Colton Anomaly on April 8, 2003

The Anomaly killing Riley, as seen in the Gruesome Ending

The Anomaly posed to attack Riley

The Anomaly hanging in the Kid's Corner

Amanda and the Anomaly waiting for a toy

The Anomaly destroying the Wooly puppet

The Anomaly attacking Joanne, as seen in the normal ending

The Anomaly fighting Shepherd in the bad ending

The Anomaly roaring and Rebecca screaming at Shepherd in the bad ending

A wounded Anomaly in front of Rebecca

The Colton Anomaly disintegrating

"[REDACTED]" Steam Trading Card

Foil

"[EXPUNGED]" Steam Trading Card

Foil

The Anomaly at the end of Amanda the Adventurer: Pilot Episode

The Anomaly in a screenshot on the Amanda the Adventurer Itch.io page