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The Scarlets

Player Character

The Player Character

The protagonist of Scarlet Hollow, recently invited to the small mining town of Scarlet Hollow for one week in order to attend the funeral of their late estranged aunt and who quickly becomes involved in the town's dark secrets.

Ambiguously Absent Parent: When discussing fathers with Kaneeka, the protagonist will admit that they have no idea whether their father is even alive or not, though later conversations imply that the protagonist considers their father a deadbeat who disappeared on them.
Bad Liar: If you don't take the Street Smart trait, you're this, with Tabitha immediately telling that your compliments to her house are fake.
Cloudcuckoolander: A protagonist with the "Mystical" or "Talks to animals" traits can come across as this if they openly voice the insight that these traits give them.
Demonic Possession: A protagonist with the Mystical trait can be possessed by the spirit of Charles Shaw Junior in Episode 3, providing the missing pieces of the otherwise one-sided conversations that are experienced when the ghost busting gang is held captive in his domain.
Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: The climax of Episode 3 can see the player successfully debating the vengeful spirit of Charles Shaw Junior to not only allow the player and Tabitha off the hook for the sins of their ancestors but to also finally pass on. Sybil is absolutely flabbergasted that this ploy actually works as she was convinced that the only possible solution to appease Shaw would be for the player or Tabitha to sacrifice a portion of their life.
Disappeared Dad: The protagonist's father was apparently not in the picture during their life. The player character will only vaguely allude to them in a conversation with Stella and later outright tell Kaneeka in an optional conversation in Episode 2 that they don't even know their dad.
Featureless Protagonist: Zigzagged. The protagonist is never seen in-game and has no set gender, so the player is largely free to imagine the character as they see fit. You can even self insert or imagine them as you, but don't have to. They do have "sunken eyes and rigid cheekbones" that instantly mark them out as a Scarlet. A Strong Family Resemblance exists between the protagonist and their mother. The "Hot" and "Powerful Build" traits will affect NPCs' reaction to your appearance as well. Sacrificing part of your life to Charles Shaw's ghost will have other characters reference your newly greyed hair and extra worry lines.
Most Writers Are Writers: A possible occupation for them is an English student working on their first novel.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: A couple of the choices the player can make can lead to disastrous results.
- At the end of episode 1, if you jump for the flashlight rather than holding onto Gretchen's leash, this will result in her getting infected by the Ditchling. Doing the reverse will result in Duke getting killed.
- At the end of episode 2, Rosalina, Becka and Alexis will sneak off further into the mine while the player and the others are not paying attention. If you have the Keen Eye talent, you can catch them in the act but you are still presented with the option of looking the other way and letting them sneak off. This will result in either Rosalina suffering a broken leg when trying to escape the cave-in, or Becka and Alexis getting trapped and possibly killed.
Nice to the Waiter: The player has the option of having the protagonist be nice to Avery throughout their interactions in episode 1 and, besides the option of leaving no tip, has the option of leaving a normal tip or a generous tip.
Nightmare Fetishist: They can be this if they have Hot as a trait and express attraction towards Wayne. Or Reese.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In general, the entire week of torment they are experiencing at the Scarlet Hollow all came as consequence of their trying to be a supportive cousin to Tabitha and attend her mom's funeral.
Purely Aesthetic Gender: The protagonist's gender has no impact on gameplay aside from pronouns.
Running Gag:
- Should you accept the bag of boiled peanuts from the stranger on the bus, you can awkwardly offer them to each new person you meet. They always turn it down. With the exceptions of Mayor Jimmy or the Goat in the glasshouse, who finally greedily claims the peanuts and removes them from the game instantly.
- The player's ability to talk to animals, should they have chosen that trait, understandably perplexes those around them. Stella eventually stops assuming they are trolling her and rolls with them either telling the truth or being psychic.
- Because so many of the cast uncannily come from broken homes, the protagonist has taken to welcoming them to "The Dead Moms"/"The Deadbeat Dads" Club.
Sneaking Snacks: The protagonist can do this if they accept Miles giving a pack of chips from the store away. Street Smart even has its own line for saying thanks.
Strong Family Resemblance: Greatly takes after their mother Vivian, which multiple characters comment on.
Web Video Creators: One of their possible occupations, with the further options of being a musician, an artist, a cook, a video gamer, or an advice giver.
White Sheep: While you definitely have the option to play your character as a jerk, in general, they are treated as this compared to the rest of the Scarlet family.

The Traits

The player is given the option of 7 key traits: Powerful Build, Mystical, Talk to Animals, Street Smart, Keen Eye, Book Smart, and Hot. The player can select two traits. These traits not only help to shape the protagonist's overall personality, but can also be crucial to solving major issues at the climax of each episode.

Academic Athlete: You can be this is you pick both Powerful Build and Book Smart.
Afraid of Needles: A protagonist with the Powerful Build is given the option to freak out during a blood test. Dr. Kelly will comment on how the "toughest looking people are always the biggest babies around needles".
Big Eater: If the protagonist has the "Powerful Build" trait, they can act like this, consuming the bag of boiled peanuts from the bus stranger with the justification of it being "protein", a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a biscuit and cup of coffee, as well as all of Stella's trail mix snacks.
Bookworm: When entering the library, the protagonist will mention having spent a lot of time in them as a child with their mother. Can be exacerbated if the player chooses the "Book Smart" trait to boost their intelligence.
Brainless Beauty: If you have both "Hot" and "Powerful Build", you get dialogue options that suggest you're not very bright (though whether you choose to play those options is up to you). Oddly, this doesn't happen if you have "Hot" but not "Powerful Build".
The Cassandra: Absolutely no one heeds the dire warnings that a protagonist with the "Mystical" trait gives out. You can bemoan that you are but a modern day Cassandra after Duke ignores your pleas to stay out of the woods and dies as a result.
The Charmer: A protagonist with the "Hot" Trait is not only very good-looking, but also great at making first impressions. They can even get Tabitha to almost relax during their first meeting.
Combat Pragmatist: Implied if you have both Street Smarts and Powerful Build and try to attack Wayne in Chapter 2, giving you option to try to unmask him, the only way the fight won't end with you on the ground.
Consummate Liar: The "Street Smart" trait allows the player character to effectively be able to lie without getting caught, though there are lies even it can't get away with if there's evidence involved.
Dumb Muscle: Powerful Build provides frequent simple-minded options that play into this trope. When combined with Hot, you are given even more options to be exceptionally dull.
The Force Is Strong with This One: Mystical trait protagonist has the ability to sense other people's auras. Just glancing at Sybil is likened to looking directly at the sun.
Genius Bruiser: If you choose "Powerful Build" and any of the smart traits, the MC can be this.
Hyper-Awareness: If the player chooses the "Keen Eye" trait, the protagonist becomes exceptionally observant, and can pick up small tells and information from other characters via both their body language and the way they speak about certain things.
Living Lie Detector: Of the non-supernatural variety: the "Street Smart" trait makes you extremely good at realizing if other people are lying. "Keen Eye" also does this to an extent.
Noticing the Fourth Wall: If you have the Mystical trait, you can notice the GUI during your fight with the library ghost, much to Tabitha's bafflement.
Sherlock Scan: The "Keen Eye" trait allows the player to take note of minor, normally unnoticeable details about characters and the environment they are in. This allows them to come with scarily accurate deductions and analysis on the fly, especially if combined with "Book Smart" or "Street Smart" (the former being geared more towards research while the latter is more on being able to see a lie or anything underhanded).
The Sneaky Guy: You can be this if you choose the "Street Smart" trait.
Silver Fox: If a "Hot" protagonist gives up ten years of their life, the characters reflect that the sudden aging has only made them more attractive.
The Social Expert: The "Keen Eye" trait gives the player the ability to discern the true meanings behind the things some of the other characters tell them, and better read how they are actually feeling. Street Smart is also partially this.
Spider-Sense: What the "Mystical" trait most commonly manifests as. In episode 1 the protagonist may realise that someone is going to die that night even before they make it into the woods.
Speaks Fluent Animal: If the player chooses the "Talk To Animals" trait at the start, they have the ability to do this.
Street Smart: One of the possible traits. It allows the player character to make up more convincing lies on the fly if need be, as well as being able to tell when someone is lying to them. Sneakiness and underhanded tactics are this trait's specialties. Underground/criminal know-how is also its advantage.
Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: A "Mystical" protagonist can successfully unnerve the creepy bus guy in the prologue.
The Worf Effect: If you have Powerful Build, you can try to "show Wayne who's the boss" in Chapter 2. If you do, the protagonist is gonna get their butt handed to them. You can avert this if you also have Street Smarts.
Vagueness Is Coming: A protagonist with the "Mystical" trait can declare that something ominous is afoot enough times to make a drinking game out of it.

Tabitha

Tabitha Scarlet

The estranged cousin of the protagonist, who invited them to the town of Scarlet Hollow to attend the funeral of her mother, Pearlanne Scarlet, the protagonist's estranged aunt.

Affectionate Nickname: Stella has one for her - Tabby.
Amicable Exes: Can be this with Stella if the player makes an effort to reconcile them while pursuing a relationship with Stella. Can even encourage the player to spend the night with Stella in episode 4.
Anger Born of Worry: After your romp in the woods in episode 1, Tabitha starts off the next day demanding you be back to the house by sunset, with the rather reasonable concern about her non-woods savvy cousin getting into some sort of woods-based danger out in the forest at night. This also contributes to her frustration about the player sneaking into her mines in episode 2, going on the ghost hunt in episode 3 and visiting the clinic in episode 4.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: If the player has a positive relationship with Tabitha going into Episode 3 and spends the morning bonding with her, it becomes apparent that she actually cherishes finally getting a family member she can rely on. This extends to Stella as well as you learn that she really does care about her and that they were even formerly in a relationship.
Broken Bird: Upholding the stress of running the town's coal mine, with a less than stellar reputation the town believes of her, and dealing with the death of her mother as well as organizing her funeral all alone leads to a lot of defensive cynicism and snark from her end, even towards the protagonist, whom she had invited there of her own volition. Later conversations make it clear that she's a hurting, lonely young woman who feels as though she had no choice in her life and that she bears the responsibility of the town and its people on her shoulders. All she'd really like is a quiet, simple life without the crushing responsibility, but feels that if she did what she really wanted and fled from Scarlet Hollow without looking back, she would be leaving the town to die and the people in it to suffer the consequences.
The Chains of Commanding: The only reason that she's still acting as head of the Scarlet Mines and dealing with all the stress it throws at her is because she's acutely aware that both it's workers and the town as a whole are both wholly dependent on it for their survival.
Commander Contrarian: Tabitha holds the Conflict Ball pretty consistently as she knows more than she is willing to admit, but will still openly second guess and question the player on everything they try to do. Tabitha only eases up on this if you make an effort to build a relationship with her.
Creature of Habit: She eats the same meal every day, she wears the same clothes every day, and she holds obsessively to schedules. One of her big problems with your presence is that you're a chaotic factor, and the more chaotic you are, the more angry she gets. Given her sense of powerlessness in her life, it's likely this is an attempt to regain control of things.
Deadpan Snarker: How she tends to respond to the protagonist if not in short phrases or curt one-word answers.
Defrosting Ice Queen: If the player does their best to get along with Tabitha, she'll slowly begin to warm up to the player by the end of episode 2. If the player makes an effort to bond with their cousin in episode 3, Tabitha will eventually open up to the protagonist and admit that she's happy that she invited them.
Disappeared Dad: In episode 3, conversation with Tabitha can reveal that her father one day disappeared from her and Pearlanne's lives, never filing for divorce, but never making contact with his wife or his daughter after leaving them.
Dispense with the Pleasantries: She values honesty over politeness — when you first meet her, if you keep complimenting her house, she'll get annoyed at you sucking up to her.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Tabby sports these no matter which sprite is used.
Embarrassing Middle Name: Tabitha Chrysanthemum Scarlet.
Exhausted Eye Bags: Has this across all her sprites. They get markedly worse if she gives away years of her life.
Fell Asleep Crying: Implied. Dustin will tell you that there's someone in the mansion who cries often at night, and it's very unlikely that the culprit is Wayne.
Follow in My Footsteps: Pearlanne kept her on a very short leash throughout her childhood, grooming her from day one to eventually take over the mines. Tabitha can mention that she hated Pearlanne for this when she was younger, but in the present day she's pretty much resigned herself to carry on the family occupation.
Generation Xerox: According to Sybil, Tabitha is very similar to Pearlanne, through the latter possessed more "social grace and hatred for her fellow man".
Hated by All: With the exception of Stella, nobody has much nice to say about Tabitha. If you get a good enough relationship with her, you can try to change that and get her to open up to people more.
I Just Want to Be Normal: In episode 3, if you choose to spend time with her, she will admit that she would genuinely love to be nothing more than a bank teller, with a 9 to 5 job, without the pressure of running a mine by herself, and by extension keeping her hometown alive.
Inappropriate Role Model: Rockfeller, Ford and Carnegie - all captains of American industry with accusations of questionable business practices to their names.
Jerkass Has a Point: Tabitha can be fairly surly and upset at the best of times, but one must admit that anger is justified when it comes to her wanting to get unruly teenagers out of an abandoned mine with one historical collapse resulting in numerous casualties.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: If pressed on why she's so bitter towards the protagonist despite inviting them to Scarlet Hollow, Tabitha will somewhat soften and apologize, explaining that she's experiencing a lot of stress and pressure due to her mother's death and the funeral, as well as calling and texting the protagonist numerous times when they're not at the house when she returns home until late at night. She can also apologize to you if your choices are a balance of somewhat polite and honest. She appreciates someone who has manners, but also prefers people with push-back. The trend continues in episode 2, where if you apologize but tell her not to yell at you, she will reiterate her point, but apologize for snapping at you.
Law of Inverse Fertility: Implies that she wants kids through a rant about Oscar's parenting abilities and teenage preganancy. If she gives up part of her life to Charles Shaw Jr, she will be deflated that she's further reduced her chances of kids.
Let's Get Dangerous!: If you get her to help with Reese, she shows up with a shotgun, shoots him multiple times in the head and if you let her, sets him on fire.
Limited Wardrobe: Always seen wearing the same brown coat over a tan dress. Particularly noticeable as the rest of the main cast outfits change every day.
The Not-Love Interest: Tabitha is one of the many people in Scarlet Hollow that you can form a bond with, and it's arguably the most important one, but the relationship is only a familial one.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: If you really get on her bad side, she can drive home that as much as she's a sad weirdo, she's also a powerful, wealthy woman with near complete control of the town. She might not like having her position, but she has it, and she can use it to destroy your life.
One-Note Cook: All that she seems to keep on hand in the kitchen is ingredients for PB&J, boxes of mac'n'cheese, and pints of ice cream, the latter two of which the player character is warned to not touch during their stay.
Pet the Dog:
- While going after the children in the mines, Tabitha will snark at Stella about how she doesn't care about people liking her, compared to Stella being a YouTuber who requires that, but does congratulate her for being in talks with a potential sponsor.
- For all of her venom, Tabitha is consistently protective of her cousin. Even if you prompt a more antagonistic relationship with her, she still goes out of her way to try and keep the player out of danger.
- At the end of Episode 3 if the player has built a positive enough relationship with Tabitha it will culminate in Tabitha refusing to let the player take the deal with Charles Shaw and sacrifice a part of her life to appease his spirit. She'll even repeat the player's words back at them if they ask why she did it: "that's what family is for."
The Pig-Pen: Her house is an absolutely pigsty, with rotting food in the fridge and cockroaches in the bathroom. At one point, Janey offers to do a deep clean, which she dismisses — she wants to know where all her stuff is!
Protectorate: Becomes this towards her cousin if they take the time to build a relationship with her. Exemplified in episode 3, where, if they have a good bond, she outright refuses to let her cousin sacrifice years of their life to appease an angry ghost, offering herself in their place.
Riches to Rags: It's strongly implied that the Scarlet Fortune isn't quite as expansive as it was in the old days — the house, while huge, is decrepid and partially collapsed, and she seems to be very worried about the buisness. Avery can discuss this during the strike, noting that she doesn't seem to have anywhere near as much money as she pretends.
Shotguns Are Just Better: She has her mother's old one hanging up above her office desk in the mines, and will not hesitate to use it on Reese if you call her for help in the clinic in episode 4.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Implied heavily that a lot of her vitriol and snark towards the protagonist is largely due to grief from the loss of her mother.
Stepford Snarker: A protagonist with the "Keen Eye" trait may observe that Tabitha seems to be hurting, and that her sharpness may largely be a defence mechanism to hide or hold back her grief, as well as the stress of running the business and planning the funeral.
The Stoic: Firmly believes that this is the best way to be, being critical of Kaneeka's public outburst on your third day in town.
The Un-Smile: The result of her faking a grin.
Trademark Favorite Food: Mac'n'cheese and banana-choc ice-cream.
Uptown Girl: Was this to Sam Wayne, before Pearlanne put a stop to things.
When She Smiles: Tabby finally gives a genuine smile when you hang out with her on episode 3 with a great relationship with her. You can also find photos of her sporting a genuine smile as a teenager on Stella's computer.
You Should Have Died Instead: In Episode 3 should the player sacrifice part of their life to appease the spirit of Charles Shaw, many of the cast will not mince words about their feelings that it should've been Tabitha to make the sacrifice instead. Tabitha, for her part, pretty much shuts down because she has a hard time dealing with guilt.

Vivian

Vivian Scarlet

The protagonist's mother. She left Scarlet Hollow many years ago before the protagonist was born, and never looked back. Died of an extended illness recently before the story's beginning.

Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: This is the impression Pearlanne drilled into Tabitha about what Vivian was like. Vivian was the flighty sibling who ran off to the big city and abandoned her responsibility to the mines, leaving the entire burden on Pearlanne.
Parents as People: Vivian's characterization, given that she is dead in the present story, is shaped almost entirely by how the protagonist reflects on their relationship when talking to Stella in Episode 1. The implication is that she was a good mom up until she became ill and whether she died on good terms with the protagonist or if their relationship deteriorated somewhat is left to the player's input.
Raised by Grandparents: Raised by her grandma Edwardine Scarlet after her mother died in childbirth.
Removed from the Picture: Her face is scratched out on the family tree in Scarlet Manor.
White Sheep: What little is revealed about Vivian is despite being Pearlanne's fraternal twin sister, she was considered the "good" Scarlet of the family.

Pearlanne

Pearlanne Scarlet

The protagonist's estranged aunt, mother of Tabitha Scarlet. Former boss of the Scarlet Mine before the responsibility was passed onto her daughter. It's her death that kicks off the story, as the protagonist is invited to their ancestral home to attend her funeral.

Bad Boss: According to the miners, Tabitha (not the most pleasant person around) is a big step up as boss from her mother.
Gossipy Hens: Apparently has spread rumors about you (despite not having ever met you) around the town.
Hate Sink: She mistreated her employees, sabotaged her daughter's romances, and has been spreading rumours around town about you - despite having never met you - just because you're the child of her hated sister. Even her own daughter can't find something nice to say about her and pretty much everyone else is relieved she's dead.
Iron Lady: All accounts of her imply she was a ruthless coal baroness.
Love-Obstructing Parents: According to Tabitha, Pearlanne didn't like it whenever her daughter dated someone for too long, and would always eventually force her to break up with them some way, including Stella Richmond. Pearlanne also apparently did something that at some point made Sam Wayne, Tabitha's ex-boyfriend disappear when he was too stubborn.
Posthumous Character: Her death and funeral are the reason the player character is in town. A Mystical player can even see her corpse in the clinic's morgue in episode 4.
Raised by Grandparents: Raised by her grandma Edwardine Scarlet after her mother died in childbirth.
Speak Ill of the Dead: No one in town has a kind word to say about her after her death. In fact, many openly wish her a very unhappy afterlife. Up to and including her own daughter.

Silas

Colonel Silas Everett J. Scarlet

The founder of Scarlet Hollow and the Scarlet Mine. A distant ancestor of the protagonist and Tabitha Scarlet.

Posthumous Character: Died in the 19th century.
Red Baron: His ruthlessness earned him the nickname "Bloody" Silas Scarlet while fighting for the military in the Indian War.

Enoch

Enoch V. Scarlet

The protagonist and Tabitha's great-great-grandfather and Edwardine Scarlet's father. Born September 9 1887. He was in charge of the mines during the Collapse of 1918.

Bad Boss: A Mystical player can find out that he knowingly let a consignment of rotten wood be used for mine props, over the objections of Charles Shaw Sr.
Greater-Scope Villain: He's long dead and buried, but his actions are responsible for at least two angry ghosts, and it's implied that he was involved in a lot of the uncanny parts of the town,
Posthumous Character: Died August 20 1957.

Edwardine

Edwardine Scarlet

The protagonist and Tabitha's great-grandmother who raised their mothers. Born April 9 1913. Died February 12 2003. She was in charge of the mines after Enoch's death in 1957.

Affectionate Nickname: Eddie, her childhood nickname from Charles Shaw Jr.
Kill the Ones You Love: Beat Charles Shaw Jr, whose child she was pregnant with and whom she was childhood friends with, to death with a baseball bat with tears streaming down her face.
Posthumous Character: Died February 12 2003.
Tragic Stillbirth: According to her medical files, this is what became of her child with Charles Shaw Jr., though Street Smart will point out that the information seems incomplete.

Scarlet Hollow Residents

Stella

Stella Richmond

A Scarlet Hollow local who runs a Cryptid Hunting YouTube channel. Meets the protagonist on their first day in Scarlet Hollow, and ends up being the reason they first encounter the town's darker side.

Agent Mulder: Stella believes in the supernatural and is often the one to suggest that something strange has a supernatural explanation, whether it be ghosts causing a haunting or strange shapes being cryptids.
Amicable Exes: She sees her relationship with Tabitha this way, and you can take steps to make it mutal.
Arbitrary Skepticism: Stella believes in aliens, cryptids, and ghosts, but mountain lions in Scarlet Hollow? No way.
Casual Sports Jersey: Wears this in the first episode, befitting someone who runs around the woods a lot.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: Going by Stella's description of them, her parents were downright saints, and she speaks very fondly of them.
Fearless Fool: Stella has a tendency to show a very low sense of self-preservation, making a habit of sneaking into old mines, getting stuck in crevasses in the woods, and generally doing many things that a sane person might not for the sake of self-satisfaction and curiosity.
Freudian Excuse: She's desperate to believe in the paranormal because she's never healed from the loss of her parents and wants more than anything to see them again. She never does, but with the help of the Protagonist (and Tabitha), she's able to find a degree of closure in Episode 4.
Gut Feeling: If the protagonist expresses any trepidation about being in the woods early in act 1, Stella comforts them by telling them she depends on her gut to tell her if anything is off, and that it will be fine. Too bad she's wrong.
Hartman Hips: She admits that this is the main reason she could never explore down some of the tighter mine tunnels while making her ghost-/cryptid-hunting videos.
Meaningful Name: Stella means "star" - which fits a character who constantly has her head in them.
Mercy Kill: If Gretchen gets captured by the Ditchlings, Stella will insist on putting her down so she doesn't have to suffer. Though the actual killing can also be taken up by either Duke or the protagonist.
Modesty Towel: Will wear one if she invites the player to her house back on Thursday night.
Nice Guy: Stella is one of the kindest souls you meet upon visiting the Hollow. She lets you pet her dog, treats you at the diner, invites you to go cryptid-hunting with her, offers more snacks, and is even hospitable enough to offer you to stay in her home for the night — and all these after having just met her on the first day.
Queer Establishing Moment: While Everyone Is Bi, she's the only character to explicitly identify as bisexual, informing you if you ask about her relationship with Tabitha.
Ship Tease: If they make breakfast together, she can hint at being interested in the protagonist. If the protagonist is Hot, they will notice right from the start she is flustered by their appearance, and will refer to them as "gorgeous" (rather than "mysterious") when filming out in the woods.
Stepford Smiler: She has a habit of burying negative thoughts with an outgoing attitude. Her bottled up emotions come to the surface during either choosing to walk with Stella in episode 2 when you have a great relationship with her or when everyone got out of the library in episode 3. She also says that this is her way of coping.
Street Smart: Stella shows sleight-of-hand, isn't above lying to get in/out of precarious situations, and has a habit of sneaking. The developers stated in a Q&A that this is one of Stella's traits.
String Theory: Has a string-covered board in her bedroom.
Supreme Chef: Offers to keep the player character filled with delicious snacks all week, and if you hang out with her on Wednesday morning she will whip you up a breakfast of your choosing.
Web Video Creators: She's a professional YouTuber.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Due to her parents dying in a car accident while she was in the car, Stella has a big phobia of riding in cars and, by her own admittance, refuses to get into them unless it's a matter of absolute life and death, preferring to walk everywhere she's going even if a car would be a much more reasonable option for travelling longer distances. Though this can get taken to more unreasonable levels, such as trying to refuse getting into Duke's car if he lives after episode 1's escape from the Ditchlings, wanting to try to walk back to her home through the woods even after the events of the evening.

Wayne

Sam Wayne

A former employee of Scarlet Mine. Something is... wrong with him.

Back from the Dead: Most of the other miners apparently had no idea of Wayne's circumstances, and a good few even believed him to be dead, so hearing that he has been seen walking around brings many of them relief. However, from his conversations with the protagonist, it's entirely possible that he was dead, even if not for long.
Creepy Good: Though Wayne has a very unsettling appearance and mannerisms, his primary goal in the game appears to be protecting you from harm. The protagonist can mention at several points in later chapters that they don't sense he wants to harm them and he takes direct action to try and protect you from a transformed Reese in chapter 4.
Demonic Possession: He pretty much confirms this is the case if the protagonist asks him about his ex in chapter 3.
Wayne: This body knew her well.
Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: Despite being an Undead Abomination, he's also one of the possible love interests in the game.
Electromagnetic Ghosts: In episode 2 the protagonist can talk to him while in an active conference call. Said call immediately cuts out to static the moment Wayne appears, only resolving itself when he leaves.
Horrifying the Horror: Implied in Chapter 3, with the ghost of Charlie Shaw doing everything to keep him away, and very clear in Chapter 4, with Reese, even at the height of euphoria of his transformation, being outright terrified of him. Ditchlings aren't afraid of him, but considering he can casually crush one's head with his foot, it may be a case of Too Dumb to Live.
Humanoid Abomination: He looks like a normal, albeit severely ill and deformed, man, but he's able to appear and disappear at will, strong enough to take on a werewolf, and regularly makes comments implying that this isn't really his body.
Last-Name Basis: Most everyone who has met him or knows of him appears to refer to him by his last name, "Wayne", ranging from the protagonist, to some of the townsfolk, and even the local miners who worked with him.
Mysterious Protector: Implied to be his motive for following the protagonist. During their encounter in episode 2, he urges them to wait the week out safely ensconced in the Scarlet Mansion instead of running around chasing shadows. If Tabitha is not brought along to the ghost hunt in episode 3, then he'll step up to act as the protagonist's escort through the ghost's realm. He confirms this under certain conditions in episode 4.
Nice Guy: None of the miners in episode 2 have a bad word to say about him and Janey also describes him as friendly and nice when he was at the Estate. Several refuse to believe that the figure stalking the protagonist is actually Wayne, purely because they find it hard to imagine 'Wayne' and 'stalking' in the same sentence.
Older Than They Look: Has the body of a man in his prime, but the entity that you interact with is at least a century old, considering it confirms that it was around and kicking when your great-grandmother was a young girl.
Our Slashers Are Different: A lot about him evokes Slasher Horror villain, though he is too talkative, and doesn't seem to be doing any actual killing, to qualify for a Stock Slasher. A number of characters, including the protagonist, may point it out and Reese, being a horror buff, even compares him to the classic Jason Voorhees.
Skull for a Head: If you get close enough to see, his face seems to be this under the veil he always wears.
Sleeping with the Boss: According to rumors, Wayne and Tabitha were dating for a while, and there was even a rumor he had moved in with her into Scarlet Manor for a time. Tabitha is resistant to admitting more, but can concede in episode 3 that he's an ex-boyfriend.
Special Person, Normal Name: A creepy Humanoid Abomination called Wayne.
Stalker with a Crush: Wayne is this towards you, if you open the story to romancing him. He first appears suddenly to greet you in episode 1 and you can see him from your window for a brief moment in episode 2. He also follows you during the possessions in episode 3. If you don't have Tabitha for the ghost hunt, he becomes your companion, telling you that you need protection. If you have the Hot trait, you can tell that Wayne is definitely into you.
Two First Names: Both "Sam" and "Wayne" are valid first names, though Wayne is usually referred to by his last name.
Undead Abomination: Whatever Wayne is, other characters like Tabitha have commented that Wayne is... not what he used to be.

Avery

Avery Belle

Currently living in Scarlet Hollow, working in the town's diner. Uses they/them pronouns.

Caring Gardener: Avery decorates a public gathering space with various plants and has kept and cared for all the plants gifted to them. They're not one for succulents, but will reluctantly accept them if given anyway. When asked about their love language in an in-character Q&A, they said that giving away cuttings is their way of showing their care.
City Mouse: Came from Charlotte, North Carolina and now is a waiter in the town diner where their aunt is working. They can't help feeling like a Fish out of Water in the Hollow for not having grown up there, but you can convince them that they're fully embraced by the residents there with Keen Eye, citing that Stella wouldn't have mentioned Avery's party if they were considered unrelatable by the townsfolk. The town also lets them play music on local occasions and have a garden in a public space. If you or Stella invite them to the ghost hunt, they will be wonderfully grateful for giving them an experience they shared with others to bond with.
The Confidant: They're often ready to lend an ear like in episode 2 when the player can choose to confide to Avery the whole truth of what happened the night before.
Dissonant Serenity: They're one of the chillest people in the Hollow; even when recovering from being painfully puppeteered by a ghost, Avery admits that they find the situation, though horrible, also exciting even while aching.
Hyper-Awareness: As someone who works at a diner, Avery gets to listen to the townsfolk, getting news on the fly with sharp ears.
Nightmare Fetishist: They show hints of this. If they get possessed by the ghost on Wednesday, they say that the experience, while unpleasant, made them feel alive. On a separate occasion, they say they'd let Ditchlings lay eggs in them, then suggest they're just kidding — but a Street Smart protagonist will sense they were serious.
Odd Friendship: If you hang out with them in episode 3, they can reveal that they have one with Julius Tremaine, a distant relative of the Calloway family that Duke suspects has stolen their pumpkin.
Loved by All: They're friends with everyone in town, and no-one has much of a bad thing to say about them. This is actually used against them during the strike, with the miners equating their lack of enemies to a lack of committment — someone who's everyone's friend is no-one's friend.
Sherlock Scan: Hanging out with them on episode 3 gets the player to see how much Avery reads people. When they talk about Stella, they mention noticing how she closes up in times of emotional turmoil, among other things. This is even more apparent when it's said in Scarlet Hollow's Reddit QNA that Keen Eye is one of their traits.
Ship Tease: In episode 3, Avery is one of the options you can choose to hangout with if you don't wait for Tabitha. You have the option of calling them hot and Avery teases back. They'll even reply that they find you hot as well if you got the Hot trait.
Symbol Motif Clothing: Avery usually wears plant shirts, befitting of one who's fond of caring for greenery.

Becka

A Scarlet Hollow local. Leader of a pack of rebellious Teens.

Alpha Bitch: Becka is this towards everyone outside her group, and is rather often dismissive and rude even towards them.
Dirty Coward: For all her seeming bravado against the adults in the mine, Becka will immediately cower and flee at the first sign of the cops being called, fearing getting in trouble with her dad for drinking. Even if it means leaving behind Rosalina, whose leg had just been crushed and broken under rubble from a mine cave-in.
Rebellious Spirit: Played With. She's a misbehaving teen who rebels against authority, but she doesn't quite have the spine to back up her words.
Nonconformist Dyed Hair: She is a teen rebel with a streak of dyed hair.

Alexis

A Scarlet Hollow local. A member of Becka's posse, and friend to Rosalina.

The Dog Bites Back: If she and Becka both escape the collapse of the Shaw Mine, Alexis will finally snap and lash out at Becka for always pushing her into doing dangerous things and not being there for people who need it. Doubly so if the player has the "Keen Eye" trait and catches the girls trying to duck deeper into the mine, wherein she will lay into Becka for always causing trouble and then playing the victim, to the point Becka runs away in fury after being called out.
Peer-Pressured Bully: Appears to be generally a fairly pleasant, if quiet girl. But her kindness seems to usually take a backseat to doing whatever Becka pushes her into agreeing to. At least at the start.
Puppy Love: Clearly has a crush on Rosalina.

The Forsyths

Kaneeka

Kaneeka Forsyth

A Scarlet Hollow local, friend of Stella's who is very reserved with strangers. Daughter of Sybil.

Agent Scully: Whenever she is asked about some of the strange happenings in Scarlet Hollow, Kaneeka usually insists that they have a mundane explanation.
Black and Nerdy: Kaneeka is one of the more research-oriented main characters along with the academic background to go with it. She's also an anime geek and owns various manga/anime merch such as the Sailor Moon shirt you see her wear when you first meet her.
Book Smart: If the protagonist also has the Book Smart trait, only Kaneeka will understand some of their more erudite references to art history and obscure medical conditions in episode 3. Combine this with being Agent Scully, she is more likely to believe scientific explanations or at least theories that have a more research-grounded backing to them.
Capitalism Is Bad: Her animosity towards Tabitha is based on her being the owner of mine with a history of exploiting its workers than anything personal between them. She supports the miners' strike and refuses to cross the picket line on principal.
Disappeared Dad: Her and her brother Miles' father died within the last year, causing her to come home from veterinary school to mind the general store and look after her family.
The Dutiful Son: Kaneeka gave up on going to veterinary School after her father passed away and her family almost lost their general store. She ended up staying at Scarlet Hollow to manage the store and keep it up and running. This caused some dysfunction with her family since her mom, Sybil, seemed completely ambivalent to the entire ordeal and is hands-off with both the store and her son Miles acting out, leading Kaneeka to feel underappreciated for everything she sacrificed to keep the store running.
Horror Struck: She explores the biological aspects of the creatures you find early on. She prefers to think the ghost haunting Oscar's home is imaginary, but she confesses that she's unsure about her perspective of the supernatural world during her hang-out with her. And when she gets a first-hand experience of it during the ghost hunt, she's understandably terrified of the discovery.
Jerkass to One: Kaneeka projects a lot of her disdain for the Scarlet family onto Tabitha, who she assumes is just as corrupt as the rest of her family. Tabitha putting up a constant Jerkass Façade doesn't do anything to help this. If Tabitha makes the sacrifice in the library, this, combined with the existence of ghosts, gives Kaneeka a minor existential crisis about some of her long-held beliefs.
Perky Goth: Kaneeka has the fashion sense, but her otherwise upbeat personality really contrasts with it.
Scary Shiny Glasses: She gains these while possessed by Charlie.
Skepticism Failure: She's the most rational-minded of the group, probably even to a fault at times, but is horrified and initially in-denial with the experience of being possessed by a ghost.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: If Tabitha is brought along to either the Shaw mine or the ghost hunt, Kaneeka will not be thrilled.

Sybil

Sybil Forsyth

A Scarlet Hollow local whose late husband ran the town general store. Mother of Kaneeka and Miles.

Ambiguously Evil: While she seems to be a sweet, helpful old lady, later chapters start to case doubt on her. She's able to control minds, has been controlling her daughter, and Dr Kelly warns you not to trust her. Of note, if you've taken the tea the warning is distorted, as if the game is trying to stop you hearing it...
Caring Gardener: A sweet old lady who's tearoom is overflowing with greenery and who doesn't hesitate to help the protagonist and friends deal with the supernatural threats they face. Though certain protagonists can realise that all those plants have the potential to be very poisonous...
Compelling Voice: Seems to have this effect on Kaneeka and the player in chapter 4. In previous chapters, she generally advises her daughter to rest and stay out of trouble, but if you convince her to come with you to the clinic, it's less of a suggestion and more of an outright demand, which Kaneeka immediately and demurely agrees to. A Mystical character notes that it's as if something in Kaneeka is overridden by her words. Players who have drunk her tea and aren't Mystical will also have trouble refusing her, or thinking anything bad about her.
Cool Old Lady: Goes along with a street smart protagonist teasing Tabitha about picking up herbs without batting an eye.
Drink-Based Characterization: Try having a conversation with (or about) her where tea doesn't come up.
Mystical White Hair: Sybil has a lot of curious mysticism to go with her white hair. Justified in that it's due to old age.
Really 700 Years Old: Possibly. Charlie mentions "The Witch", who seems to bear a suspicious resemblance to Sybil. If it *is* her, then she was apparently in late middle age nearly a century ago.
Secret Secret-Keeper: Knows the truth about Reese's condition somehow, and was the one to suggest to Dr Kelly that she use ricin to keep it under control.
Widow Witch: Quite literally. A protagonist with the "Mystical" trait realises she's immensely powerful the moment they lay eyes on her. If confronted on it in Episode 4 she will also confirm her status as one.

Miles

Miles Forsyth

A Scarlet Hollow local, son of Sybil and younger brother to Kaneeka.

Black and Nerdy: To a lesser extent than his older sister, but a line in Episode 4 confirms that he's indeed wearing Goku pants. He's adamant about the fact it's one of the "good" anime and that he had better taste than Kaneeka.
Disappeared Dad: His and Kaneeka's father died fairly recently, leaving them with just their mother.
Hates Small Talk: If you try and chat with him, he just gives one-sentence replies before going back to his phone.
Lazy Bum: He's never seen doing anything but sit on his phone — if you try and buy something from the shop, he'll just let you steal it rather then bother to ring it up. This is a major cause of conflict with his sister, who feels she's doing all the work he's meant to be doing.
Phoneaholic Teenager: Both times you meet him his face is constantly buried in his phone, and gets annoyed when he has to pull his face out of it.

The Kelly Family

Reese

Reese Kelly

A Scarlet Hollow local and old friend of Stella and Kaneeka. Appears to be homebound with a vague illness.

Ambiguously Human: What exactly he is isn't 100% clear. Wayne calls him "an abomination" and "a mistake" and Dr Kelly's confession about becoming pregnant with him through a series of romantic sleep paralysis dreams heavily implies he's some form of half-incubus. On the other hand, genetic tests came back as 100% human, according to Dr Kelly.
Art Initiates Life: After taking on his true form, he can animate his artwork. Given his artwork is horrifying images of deformed humans, it's not pleasent to see.
Calling Parents by Their Name: Or rather, by their title. Reese regularly refers to his mother as "Doc".
Conditioned to Accept Horror: Having a mysterious illness, being smothered by his extremely protective mother, staying confined to his house most of the time, and being visited by Ditchlings has caused Reese to accept that there's not much he can do about his condition and the situations around him outside.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Raven hair, an almost sickly pale pallor, and everyone admits that there is something just...off about his whole illness in general.
Declaration of Protection: After transforming into a beast, Reese declares he intends to "protect" the protagonist from the control of his mother so that she can't affect either of them.
Delicate and Sickly: The Soap Opera Disease he's wasting away from has thankfully spared his good looks.
Disappeared Dad: His father is out of the picture. In episode 4 Dr Kelly reveals that there was no father, and that she just woke up pregnant one day after a recurring, romantic sleep paralysis dream.
Healing Factor: In his monstrous form, Reese can apparently withstand and heal from exceedingly severe injuries, such as taking a shotgun blast to the face and still being able to start pulling himself back together. This has apparently extended to the poisons and drugs his mother has given him over time to try and keep him under control, as it's noted she's had to give him increasingly higher doses as he aged.
Intimate Artistry: You can offer Reese to model for him someday. He even compliments your attractiveness if you're Hot.
Kill It with Fire: Given his healing factor, the only way to kill him is to literally burn him to ashes.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In chapter 3 he will say he appreciates Wayne's classic Jason vibes and, if you watch a movie with him in Chapter 4, will comment on its story structure - seemingly unrelated episodes slowly being revealed as pieces of the same puzzle - which is very similiar to how Scarlet Hollow itself is constructed.
Matricide: He can potentially end up killing his mother in Episode 4, depending on the player's choices.
The Movie Buff: His basement room contains wall-to-wall DVDS, as his condition severely limits his activity. Not surprisingly, horror movies are a particular favorite.
Nightmare Fetishist: His art is disturbing images of mutated bodies, he loves extreme horror and he enjoys sleeping in morgues.
Nothing but Skin and Bones: A mystery disease that makes it hard to keep food down inevitably leads to this.
Our Werewolves Are Different: When angry he turns into a flesh-eating, wolflike being with a superhuman healing factor, and the protagonist can call him a werewolf when calling for help. If you bring up the idea to Dr Kelly, she discusses the trope. She's drawn the connection herself, but silver does nothing to him and the moon has no effect on his changes, so even if he is a werewolf, he's far enough from the traditional myths that it's not helpful information.
Reclusive Artist: In-universe example. Reese is a very talented artist, and spends the majority of his time holed up alone in his basement bedroom at home without speaking to many people besides his mother. Though the reclusiveness is less of his own choice, and more of a combination of the difficulties of his unknown illness and the overprotectiveness of his doctor mother.
The Shut-In: Is confined to his basement thanks to both his illness and his mother. While he's generally pretty accepting of this, he gets rather annoyed when he realises that his mother has been keeping knowledge of visitors from him.
Soap Opera Disease: Discussed by Stella and Kaneeka. Though both are aware that Reese is very sick with something, and discuss vague symptoms of him being in pain and having trouble sleeping, neither of them actually knows what it is he has.
Stronger Than They Look: Despite barely having more muscle mass than an average skeleton, Reese is apparently strong enough to bridal carry the fully grown adult protagonist from an upper floor of his home all the way to his basement bedroom. His secretly being capable of turning into a monster likely has something to do with this.
True Art Is Angsty: Reese paints to relieve the pains that haunt him. Mystical protagonists will see the emotions trapped in the canvases, making this probably literally true if not figurative like complimenting the diner biscuit.

Doctor Kelly

Joan Kelly

Reese's mother, and the town's physician. Runs a clinic out of her home.

Doctor's Orders: What she says goes.
Dr. Jerk: She puts up with Stella, Kaneeka, and the protagonist's presence in her house with ill-disguised distaste.
Friend to All Children: Despite being generally abrasive to people, she's described as always being friendly towards children, and has excellent bedside manner when dealing with them. This can be exemplified if she's seen tending to Rosalina.
Good All Along: Well, sort of. It's strongly implied for the first three episodes that Reese's "illness" is actually her secretly poisoning her son. In chapter four, it turns out it is — but because her son is a monster and keeping him on the edge of death is the only way to keep him human. You can either agree with her decision, sympathise over the impossible choice, or continue to call her evil.
Hospital Hottie: The protagonist can admit to thinking so, which will encourage Stella to admit she thinks so as well. Reese and Kaneeka are not impressed.
I Did What I Had to Do: Her stance on poisoning her son — she didn't have any other information on what to do, and couldn't risk him transforming. You can agree with her, or convince her that she should have explored other options.
Laughing Mad: If you find yourself in the safe room with Doctor Kelly in Episode 4 but haven't grabbed the tranquilizers, she'll let out a "strangled" laugh as she realizes she's about to die.
Limited Wardrobe: The Doc always wears a black-and-red plaid shirt and mom jeans. Maybe a labcoat if she's feeling professional.
My Beloved Smother: The doc is understandably protective of her ill son, but said protectiveness includes not telling Reese that his friends visited him and being very controlling, among other things. As it turns out, much of her overprotectiveness and smothering behavior stems from the fact that she has to worry about her son's potential to turn into a hulking, murderous beast.
Mystical Pregnancy: When prompted about Reese's father, Dr Kelly reveals that there was no father in the picture that she's aware of, only that her period stopped and nine months later Reese was born. Though she does also describe having "romantic" dreams around the time Reese was apparently conceived.
Stacy's Mom: Both the protagonist and Stella can admit that she's aged like fine wine.
Truly Single Parent: As noted under Mystical Pregnancy above, Joan was not seeing anyone at the time Reese was conceived, only experiencing "romantic" dreams. As far as she knows, she's Reese's only parent.
Unmoving Plaid: Doctor Kelly's Limited Wardrobe of exclusively plaid shirts means she's a constant example of this.

The Gutierrez Family

Oscar

Oscar Gutierrez

The head (and only) librarian of Scarlet Hollow's library. Has a teenaged daughter. His home is presently haunted.

Bookworm: He is as well-read as you'd expect a librarian would be.
It's All My Fault: He has real problems with guilt, quickly blaming himself for anything bad around him. You can try and convince him otherwise, or you can try and help him prevent things from happening again. Or tell him that it is all his fault.
Nice Guy: He opens the only library in the Hollow, is a doting concerned father, lets pets in his library and even eat there, and is an overall kind person who shoulders too much.
Parents as People: Oscar is remarkable in that he's one of the few known characters in the Hollow that isn't a Disappeared Dad and he's shown to care for his daughter immensely. However, he tends to blame himself even when something is not within his control e.g. Rosalina's rebellious, but reckless decisions.
Scary Shiny Glasses: He gets these when he and the others get possessed by Charlie.

Rosalina

Rosalina Gutierrez

A Scarlet Hollow local, Oscar's 13 year old daughter.

An Arm and a Leg: If she is hurt by the rockfall while escaping the mine, the next day it will be revealed that they had to amputate her foot.
Bratty Teenage Daughter: Deconstructed. Her disobedient and reckless behaviour is motivated not by vague teenage hormones but by perfectly justifiable frustrations over the fact her father is forcing her to sleep in the library without fully explaining why. You can tell Oscar that he's not been taking her feelings into account and that's what's been causing her bad behaviour, which he'll accept and will go some way towards mending the relationship.
Missing Mom: Her mother isn't involved in her life. According to Oscar, she wasn't as ready for a child as she'd initially thought. She hasn't spoken to Rosalina or Oscar in years.
My God, What Have I Done?: If her friends get trapped in the mineshaft, she'll be consumed with guilt over leading them down there.
Scary Shiny Glasses: Rosalina's glasses shine over her eyes when she and the others get possessed by Charlie.
Tagalong Kid: Deconstructed. She's only 13, after all, and her insistence on coming to dangerous situations puts her at severe risk. You can try to talk her out of it, or accept that she deserves to be here no matter the cost.

The Calloway Family

Duke

Duke Calloway

A Scarlet Hollow local who hunts and raises animals.

Animal Lover: He's out in the woods to find whatever's taking his chickens, but when he finds Bertie, he regards her more as a beloved pet rather than a piece of livestock he needs for his livelihood. He drops the tough guy image long enough to give Gretchen a scratch.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a rude, crochety old man with little care for niceties. But he loves his animals, and he'll gently comfort Stella when she has to drive home with him.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members: A choice in Episode 1 forces the player to decide if he or Gretchen dies. However, this is subverted if you chose the Powerful Build trait, which gives you the strength to save both of them.
Revenge Before Reason: Is determined to attack the ditchlings to avenge his chickens despite the overwhelming odds against him. It can get him killed.

Bo Calloway

A Scarlet Hollow local. Duke's son.

Gentle Giant: Even a Powerful Build MC thinks he's big. His talksprites even have the top of his head going past the screen because he's that huge. This is cushioned by his soft-spoken nature.
Sole Survivor: If Duke dies, it leaves Bo the last Calloway alive after their split from the Tremaine family.

The Scarlet Hollow Church

Pastor Daniel

Pastor of the church in Scarlet Hollow. Not well liked by the townsfolk. His wife, Janey, is the housekeeper for the Scarlet Mansion.

Good Shepherd: By all accounts he's a perfectly pleasant man who genuinely cares about his congregation's mental and spiritual health— which makes it all the stranger that everyone hates him.
Hated by All: To an uncanny and likely outright supernatural degree— even otherwise nice and understanding characters start contriving reasons to hate him and dismissing any attempt to change their mind, and he notes in one conversation that he's actually pretty popular with everyone except Scarlet Hollow townfolk.
Hate Plague: While strongly implied in all routes, it's basically confirmed if you have the Mystical trait, where you can you can feel some force compelling you to dislike him. Of note, even other believers in the supernatural dismiss the idea out of hand...
I Just Want to Be Normal: He dislikes his ability to speak with animals (on the grounds that it makes everyone think he's insane) and mentions that he keeps his faith in God despite it.
Speaks Fluent Animal: A protagonist with the "Talk to Animals" trait can discover that Pastor Daniel has also possessed "The Gift" ever since he was young, even possibly passing it onto his daughter. He actually expresses some relief upon meeting someone else who has the same talent as himself for the first time in his life.

Janey

Wife of Pastor Daniel, who runs the Scarlet Hollow church. She works for Tabitha as housekeeper for Scarlet Manor.

Church Lady: A given, seeing as her husband is a Pastor.
Early-Bird Cameo: She's one of the patrons in the diner (along with her daughter, Tulip) in Episode 1, but you aren't formally introduced to her until Episode 3.
Motor Mouth: Has a reputation as such, as she's a chatterbox who always seems to know the business of others.

Animals

Gretchen

Stella's 17 year old pet pug.

Evil-Detecting Dog: Gretchen apparently has a sense for when things are wrong.
- She can sense the Ditchlings out in the woods, and refuses to touch the chicken they've implanted with their young. Doesn't stop her from running after them in a blind fury into the woods on her own.
- Uncharacteristically, she does NOT like Reese, signaling that there may be more wrong with him than mundane illness. Chapter 4 confirms this, as it's when the protagonist bears witness to Reese transforming into a hulking beast.
If I Do Not Return: If you can talk to animals, before she's killed by the Ditchlings, she can ask you to tell Stella that she only did this to protect her.
Southern Belle: If the protagonist can understand her, Gretchen speaks like this.
This Is My Human: Her dialogue shows her be very protective of her beloved Stella.

Frou-Frou

Tabitha's pet tuxedo cat. She's not very nice.

Cats Are Mean: Frou-Frou hisses at the protagonist if they approach, and bites if they try to pet her. If the protagonist has the ability to speak to animals, she speaks French simply to avoid speaking to them at first. And seems to care not a lick for her owner or her owner's deceased mother.
French Jerk: If the protagonist is able to understand animals, the first time they try to speak to her, she will speak French to them. If the protagonist insists on speaking to her further, she will claim to "debase" herself by speaking English so they can understand her.
Frou-Frou: Your French iz terrible. Disgusting. How dare you defile my language with your clumsy American tongue?
Jerkass: She's an unpleasent and aggressive cat if you can't understand her. If you can, you learn she's also a complete and total asshole who reguarly mocks you, her owner and other animals, even happily gloating over Gretchen's death.
Pet the Dog: After the harrowing events of episode 2, Frou-Frou will come into the protagonist's room and curl up at the foot of their bed. If the protagonist can speak to animals, she will demand they not read into this and says she only did this because Tabitha kicked her out of her room. But it's a comfort to the protagonist nonetheless.
Unexplained Accent: Exactly where a cat from a small town in the Appalachians learnt French is unclear.

Dustin

An opossum the protagonist can find living in the chest of drawers in their guest room in Scarlet Manor.

Playing Possum: Naturally. He'll play dead if offered the bag of boiled peanuts, and will advise the player to do the same if they ask for advice on dealing with the monsters in the forest.
Video Game Caring Potential: A protagonist with the "Talk to Animals" trait has the option to make bedding for him out of their clothing. Dustin will express his gratitude. He'll also threaten to bite you if you try to take them back later.
You No Take Candle: Even if the player can talk to animals, they'll find Dustin speaks in broken sentence fragments and often simply voices emotions.

Dustin Mom

Dustin's mom. She moves into the drawer with Dustin on day 3 after another animal chases her out of the greenhouse.

Her Name Really Is "Barkeep": It might just be a bit of miscommunication due to how Dustin talks, but he says that her name is Mom. The dialogue box also just calls her "Dustin Mom."
Mama Bear: She says that if Frou-Frou tries to hurt Dustin, the cat will have to go through her first.
Outliving One's Offspring: According to the Twitter AMA, Dustin used to have siblings, but doesn't anymore, implying that her other children are deceased.
Playing Possum: She will also play dead alongside her son if the player does something that she finds threatening.
You No Take Candle: Just like her son.

Pixel

Oscar and Rosalina's pet cat. Likes to shred books for attention.

Attention Whore: Oscar admits that Pixel is a shameless attention seeker.
Mixed Animal Species Team: In Episode 4, if the library's ghost problem hasn't been fixed, when the player finds Pixel, he's being menaced by a Ditchling, only for a group of dogs to come to the rescue. If the player has the "Talks to Animals" trait, they can learn that he's been acting as a scout for the dogs in order to keep the town safe.

Jimmy (minor episode 3 spoilers)

Scarlet Hollow's mayor, who is a dog. He doesn't hold much actual political power, but takes his position surprisingly seriously.

Authority in Name Only: Being a dog and all, he obviously can't really do much within the local government. Apparently having a dog as a mayor is something of a town tradition since around 1900, due to both the town's relatively small size and the fact that the Scarlet family holds all the real power anyway.
Mayor Pain: It's downplayed due to his obvious lack of actual political power, but a player who can talk to animals can learn that he knows that pets around town have been disappearing and seems to believe that he would be able to do something about it if he chose, but doesn't want to because publicly acknowledging it might scare away tourists. This is despite Scarlet Hollow being a Dying Town that barely even gets tourists. This might be a Shout-Out to Mayor Vaughn from Jaws, who had a similar motive for not publicly acknowledging a monster.
0% Approval Rating: A truly bizzare example. If you can talk to animals, you can learn that the dogs of the town consider him an incompetent buffoon, and have their political support near uninamously behind Scraps, a stray dog. If you pass this information on to people, they're very confused.

Supernatural Creatures

Ditchlings

Ugly little creatures stalking the woods. Mostly harmless, but they foretell disaster. And a lot of them have been seen around Scarlet Hollow since you arrived…

And I Must Scream: Animals they implant their eggs into are kept paralysed and alive in utter agony. If you can talk to animals, you can hear them beg for death.
Canon Foreigner: While the other supernatural creatures are based on real legends, these are made up whole cloth by the game. It's actually Lampshaded — at one point, Stella is accused of faking the footage on the grounds that no-one can find any other stories of these things.
Dark Is Not Evil: While horrifying and highly dangerous to animals, they're not harmful to people. Indeed, if you have both the Mystic and the Talks To Animal traits, you can understand them — They're begging you to run for your own safety.
Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: They implant their eggs into animals, keeping them alive as hosts for their offspring. Luckily, they don't do this to humans — but as they get more brazen, some are wondering how long that will last.
Harbinger of Impending Doom: In a supernatural sense. They mass around areas of imminent tragedy. Figuring out why they're here is the driving point of the game.
Humanoid Abomination: They look like severely deformed humanoids, with warped and hairless bodies. If you punch one, you can realise it has no bones under its skin.
Monster Is a Mommy: A creepy example. They're chasing you in the woods because Duke took the chicken they laid their eggs in. Give it back, and they leave without incident.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: They're nocturnal and shy. So when they start appearing in open view and broad daylight, it's a clear sign of how bad the imminent disaster must be.
Starter Villain: While basically harmless, they're your MC's first introduction to the lurking horrors of the town.
Too Dumb to Live: They're noted as being extremely stupid and basically unaware of danger, making them easy to kill if you put your mind to it.
Whispering Ghosts: Indecipherable whispers are constantly audible around them. It's their attempts to warn you off.

The Tommyknockers

Mischievous spirits rumoured to cause mine collapses, and heard in the Scarlet Coal Mines.. in actuality, they're the vengeful souls of the victims of the 1918 mine collapse, still trapped down there after all these years.

Dishing Out Dirt: They can control the mine, causing earthquakes and tremors.
Feral Villain: Unlike the other supernatural phenomena, they're closer to a natural disaster than a person — there's no way to communicate with them, even with the Mystic Trait, and they don't show any signs of sapience or planning. Only their human origins imply they're anything more than a walking earthquake.
Flat Character: We never really get to interact with them in any way, nor do they show any real personality — even a mystic can only sense how much they hate you.
Hell Is That Noise: The eponymous knocking. While the first knocks heard are teens playing around, they later become a chorus of supernatural thudding as the mine collapses.
Mundanger: While they're obviously not an example, skeptical characters like Kaneeka or Tabitha can point out that even if Tommyknockers aren't real, being in a mind with loud thudding noises is probably still really bad.
The Power of Hate: If you're a mystic, you can sense a deep, overwhelming hatred coming from the mine, targeted at you specifically. Or your bloodline, at least
Poltergeist: The only thing they do is invisibly attack the mine supports. If you have a Keen Eye, you can see it looks like invisible hammers are hitting them.
Tragic Villain: They're undead children screaming for revenge — it's hard not to feel for them.
Undead Child: They're formed of the souls of child labourers, some as young as ten. Which might explain why they're unable to communicate
Unstoppable Rage: As soon as a Scarlet enters the mine, they immediately try to kill them, no matter the collateral damage.
Would Hurt a Child: They have no qualms entombing or maiming the teens in the mine.

The Library Ghost

The wrathful ghost under the library, who's driven Oscar and Rosalina from their home. In life, he was Charlie Shaw Jr, the son of the man framed for the mine collapse of 1918, seeking revenge on the Scarlet Family for his ruined life

Art Shift: His haunting is done in the form of paper cutouts — even the people appear grotesquely warped and distorted, and he himself is a mass of scribbles.
And I Must Scream: He describes himself as trapped and desperate to die. He can, ironically, inflict this on others too, turning them into puppets who are explicitly conscious and in agony.
Black Bug Room: The room under the basement is his, endlessly looping through his traumas and grief. Being trapped here hasn't been good for his mental state.
Broken Masquerade: While the Ditchlings could be dismissed as weird-but-mundane undiscovered animals and the Tommyknockers as a mine collapse, there's no way to parse this as anything natural. Any characters who come on the ghost hunt are forced to admit that the supernatural is real after meeting the Library Ghost.
Frame-Up: His father was framed for the Scarlet family's negligence, ruining his life and driving him to alcoholism and abuse. Gaining justice for this is his unfinished business.
Hell Is That Noise: The constant, plasticy stretching as he puppeteers people — it sounds like their bodies are about to snap.
Living Doll Collector: In life he was a dollmaker, which leads to his ability to People Puppet others in death.
Living Memory: He can turn people into these, unable to do anything but repeat key moments in his life. If you have the mystic trait, you can take part, filling in both halves of the conversation.
My God, What Have I Done?: One way of defeating him is to convince him that he's actually become the monster that his family was falsely accused of being. This causes him to retreat in guilt without having to sacrifice any years to him
Paper Tiger: As terrifying as he is, he's a Master of Illusion, and is running low on energy. If you don't give him your youth he can't force you to, and other supernatural creatures dismiss him as basically harmless.
Rapid Aging: What he tries to inflict on you or Tabitha as punishment for your ancestor's sins
Revenge by Proxy: He sees all Scarlets, even those 100 years later, as complicit in his family's misfortune. You can call him out on this and, if persuasive enough, convince him to forgive you and leave peacefully.
Revenge Is Not Justice: A Booksmart character can pull this on him, persuading him that real justice is the living Scarlets uncovering the truth of what happened to him.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Even though his father's life was ruined by them, he fell in love with Edwardine Scarlet. It didn't work out, with her caving his head in with a hammer when he tried to leave the Hollow.
Talking the Monster to Death: You can, in various ways, convince him to leave peacefully — either by convincing him that he's become a monster, that the people who hurt him are dead and punishing you won't change anything, or convincing him that the only person keeping him here is himself. Any of these end the haunting without any negative consequences to anyone.
Til Murder Do Us Part: He was murdered by his lover, Edwardine Scarlet, for currently unknown reasons.
Tragic Monster: Evil and horrifying as he is, it's hard not to feel for the guy. However, you can tell him that his tragic death doesn't excuse his actions, and all he's doing now is hurting people who had nothing to do with his torment.

Characters / Scarlet Hollow

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