User blog:TheMegabug/)PE Proposal: Owl (Songbird Symphony)

What's The Work
Songbird Symphony is an indie rhythm platformer video game released very recently. In it, you play as a young bird, who's unsure of his true species and goes on a long journey to find his identity. What he doesn't know is that he's being manipulated by someone who appears to be his advisor.

Who is the Candidate?
For the majority of the game, the Owl appears as the main character's main advisor - he claims he can help the bird find his family, if the bird collects song notes around the world to power up his artifact he had the Woodpecker build him, that can grant the wishes of who it chooses. Obviously suspicious but your character is a literal child so they can't tell. The Owl keeps at this role for most of the game, with several hints towards his true nature being peppered throughout - the Woodpecker is seen making hundreds of statues of his face, and he periodically appears on the televisions ingame. Most of the areas in the game have characters doing work for, or otherwise benefitting, the Owl. It's not until the endgame that the true nature of the Owl is revealed.

What they have done??
The Owl, rather obviously, is evil. When the bird collects all of the notes, the Owl tries to use it to power himself up - but the Artifact doesn't choose him, it chooses the bird. It turns out this is because the bird is one of the titular Songbird. So what does the owl do? Attempt to kill the child!! It's later revealed that the Owl nearly wiped out ALL of the Songbirds in the past, because 1. he's basically a racist and 2. he wanted to be the most powerful bird in the forest. The only survivor was the bird's mum, who lost his egg. The loss of the songbirds was mourned, but it was never known by the public that the Owl was responsible, and he kept his reputation as the wisest bird in the forest. But this seemingly wasn't enough for him. In the present day, the Owl tried to fill the artifact himself, but once he saw how quickly the bird could learn a note, he decided to use him to do it instead, not knowing he was a Songbird until the artifact tried to choose him. When the bird reappears with his mother the Owl once again tries to off them both.

Freudian Excuse/Mitigating Factors
God no. he's a genocidal tyrant who wants to be the strongest bird in the forest and would murder a child to do it. even beyond actual genocide, there's a lot of really creepy shit throughout the game that implies the owl basically has a stranglehold on the forest. He reappears in the games' credits, but not in any sort of redemptive state. it's just him looking hurt after being defeated by the bird and fleeing, possibly a sequel hook.

Heinous Standard
The Owl is the main villain, there's one comedic minor one and some bullies throughout the game that turn out to be well intentioned and against the owl. so he sets the standard. he passes the standard in general easily. child murder + genocide

Final Verdict
Genocidal bird who tries to murder a child because of racism and a lust for power. Yes.