this is a scarlet hollow analysis post, but it's going on this blog bc it draws parallels between it and slay the princess and is specifically in response to what was presumably an anti-shifty comment i saw under one of the original songs on youtube. spoilers for scarlet hollow beneath the cut, specifically for episode 5, so if you haven't at least finished episode 5 then please beware.
so, the shifting mound and the witch have similar bases, right? being women, with one individual at the center of many, conducting a song and dance to move fate in one direction or another. but, as far as i'm concerned, that's about as deep as their connections go.
the shifting mound is fate as it is dictated by nature. change must exist for growth to occur. destruction is the basis for new life. she is ambivalent to the concept of human suffering, because humans are just a speck on her radar -- though that isn't to suggest that she goes out of her way to destroy. no, destruction -- along with creation -- is simply within her nature. she is change, just as the long quiet is stagnation.
the witch, while a powerful individual like shifty is, dislikes destruction. to her, it brings with it meaningless suffering. in her quest to put a stop to it, she has sacrificed her humanity, living much longer than anyone ever could. to me, she represents the ultimate lengths of careless selflessness that someone could go to in the search to stop suffering from occurring. she alone bears the weight of the sacrifices she's had to make to get to this point. this brings to mind the concept of "utopia" discussed within other fictional media -- mainly omelas and stories that are inspired by it, like persona 5 royal. one suffers so that the many can live happily. it's very similar to the position the long quiet is placed in if you get the good ending in slay the princess.
additionally, blindly trusting her leads many to lose an aspect of their autonomy -- if you drink her tea, you're put under her spell and you can no longer say no to her when she really wants you to do something. she knows best, after all, given however many years she's existed.
considering the familial and generational trauma themes present within the game, she also represents tradition. to do things as they've always been done. the daughter is an extension of the mother and must be at her beck and call, always ready to return when called upon. she is also a matriarchal figure, in a sense. she is someone whom everyone in town goes to for treatment, advice, and just some good company. she has a kind disposition, but like the tapestry mentioned by your mystical trait at the end of episode five, it's a carefully woven disposition. she wants you to trust her, and so she feeds you white lies, riddled with a kernel of truth. it adds to the sense of confusion that the game gives you -- can you really trust her? can you trust anyone?
in any case, all this to say that she's an excellent character, though she is nothing like the shifting mound when you look at their foundations and compare them. she would be like the shifting mound if she were a mortal with power who subscribed to the narrator's beliefs. while i enjoy her character and am curious about what her role within the story at large is, i also dislike her on a personal level for the same reasons i dislike the narrator is slay the princess and maruki in persona 5 -- she messes with your autonomy, and the autonomy of everyone around her (especially her own daughters) to achieve her goals, and due to personal reasons, i cannot accept that. so, no, being a shifty defender does not mean that i automatically have to defend the witch, and people who dislike shifty are not vindicated by the popularized dislike of the witch, because at the end of the day, they are nothing alike when you delve beneath the surface of the text
