drifterdeadlockismyrock
New member
Please be kind as I have been working on this for a long time! The art is done by my friend heatherillustrations_ on Instagram. I hope you enjoy my idea!
Name: Elara (ella-rah)
Title: Lord of Rabbits
Gender: Cisgender Female
Voice: Black British (Estelle maybe?)
Inspiration: El-ahrairah from Watership Down
Health: Average
Mobility: High
Melee Damage: High
Weapon Damage: Nonexistent
Ability #1: Elara launches herself at an enemy and bounces between enemy units up to three times, dealing melee and spirit damage which steadily increases with each hop. On the third time, she pushes herself away (similar to Rem detaching himself from an ally). The player can control the direction of her jumps with the movement keys and camera movement, but a miscalculation will have Elara attack a minion or farm critter instead. Upgrades allow more hops and damage. This ability can be interrupted with crowd control abilities. Can be compared to Celeste ult and Jhin’s Dancing Grenade from League of Legends, except Elara is the ball. Can be used as a farm and wave-clearing ability.
Ability #2: Elara can place a jump pad/platform similar to Holliday’s. The difference is that Elara’s can be placed in midair and can be rotated to attach to walls. These platforms can be used by all heroes. Moving on the platforms grants move speed and momentum, and jumping from them sends heroes flying through the air. Placing them on a wall enhances wall jumps and allows heroes to wall-run. Upgrades provide more charges and more time between platforms despawning.
Ability #3: Elara dashes forward in a straight line so quickly that enemies hit are knocked up and dealt melee damage. Upgrades enable enhanced range, increased damage, and, on the final upgrade, a second charge. This ability can be used as an escape tool or to initiate combat.
Ability #4: For a limited amount of time, Elara may place three platforms that grant speed, momentum, and infinite stamina (for the duration of the ult) to allies who use them. Theoretically would be used to travel across the map at high speeds for objectives like urn or to escape. Upgrades enable a longer duration, more time before jump pads despawn, more platforms, and for the final upgrade, the timer does not start until you have three platforms placed. Enemies can use these platforms but do not receive bonuses for using them. (Idea given by my friend CoochMooch on Steam)
Passive: Elara’s jumps take her higher. This includes wall jumps. She jumps particularly high during dash-jumps and can even travel to the rooftops without use of a vent, jump pad, or rope. However, this leap consumes three stamina.
Lore
Long ago, Elara was a simple beast who lived her life nibbling grass and digging tunnels. She did not think much of humans until they began hunting and setting traps around her warren. She was hopping along towards the wild raspberry patch she frequented when, all of a sudden, she couldn’t breathe. Bloody spit foamed at her lips as she writhed and kicked, turning the grass into upturned dirt and mud, but there was nothing she could do to free herself from the sharp wire cutting her breath and slicing into her skin. If she had been anywhere else, she would have died and ended up in a soup or her fur turned into a scarf.
The Maiden of the Glade was an entity who hailed from the same plane as the Patrons. She had an interest in the ecosystems of this world and spent much of her time observing and researching the wilds. When she saw the poor yearling fight for its life in the cruel man-made trap, she took pity and saved it from its plight. The rabbit had been on the brink of death, but the Maiden’s magic did more than heal it. Her magic had enlightened it. Elara was alive, but she suddenly knew more than any rabbit could ever know. She could do more than any rabbit could ever do. She was faster, stronger, and she felt magic running through her fur. That day, Elara became more than any rabbit had ever been, but she also gained a powerful friend in the Maiden of the Glade.
At first, the Maiden dedicated time and resources to educating Elara on the world beyond warrens and fields. Elara used her newfound knowledge and power to help her people. She led her warren to a new home where humans wouldn’t hunt them, and she bamboozled elil (enemies of rabbits) into following her will. But no matter how powerful a single person is, they alone cannot stop the sprawling plague of mankind. Rabbits and their friends now find themselves in more danger than ever before. Humans are destroying forests and plains in lieu of neighborhoods and shopping centers. Hunting has become not only a means to feed, but also a sport.
Elara would do anything to stop it all. She would even walk straight into the Cursed Apple, one of the many hearts of mankind, to make a wish. Then no rabbit would hurt ever again.
Personality
Elara has a friendly, good-natured personality with a dash of prankishness and a sprinkle of anxiety. Even though she is strong and capable in this form, she still harbors distrust towards much of mankind and is wary around enemies of rabbits, including dogs, cats, and predatory birds. She is full of contradictions. She is confident yet skittish, but at the same time, she will walk right into danger for the sake of a goal. She sometimes relies too much on her speed and agility and is prone to over extending. She is less likely to fight over something and will instead get what she wants through the means of a clever trick.
Elara retains her animalistic instincts and qualities. She stamps when frustrated and as a signal. Her first instinct is always caution, which makes her indecisive. She is confused by figurative language and human habits.
Character Interactions
Abrams:
Apollo:
Bebop:
Billy:
Calico: Elara feels uneasy around Ava. Calico is amused and says she is right to be wary; Ava is an avid hunter.
Celeste: Celeste is amused by Elara because she is so adorable yet so fierce. Elara and Celeste feel a kinship with one another, united against the same enemy: mankind. Celeste tells Elara that not all people are bad. It will take Elara some time to see it that way.
The Doorman: The Doorman knows the Maiden of the Glade, and Elara eagerly asks how she is doing. When in the Baroness, the Doorman taunts Elara by saying she may be a god to rabbits, but at the end of the day, she is still a mere rabbit.
Drifter: Elara and Drifter are unlikely friends and share a Tom and Jerry dynamic. Drifter likes her because she is just as animalistic as he is and because she makes chases fun. He would still gladly kill her for the fun of it, though. Elara does not trust Drifter, but she is amused by playing tricks on him and baiting him into a chase. It wasn’t intentional, but they actually share some parallels. Drifter started out as human but has become more animalistic over the centuries. Elara started out as a rabbit but has become more human over the course of her time among men. One was born an animal, and the other was made into one.
Dynamo: Elara thinks Dynamo has a comforting presence.
Graves: Elara is unnerved and says that Graves smells “as clean as last year’s bones.” Graves takes the observation as a compliment. The quote is a reference to El-ahrairah’s description of the Black Rabbit of Inlé, the rabbit equivalent of the Grim Reaper.
Grey Talon: Elara panics when she hears an enemy Rohan coming.
Haze:
Holliday:
Infernus: Infernus tells Elara about some working rabbits he saw at a thrift shop once. They would return the paying customers’ change and receipt, and Infernus wonders if a working rabbit would drum up business at Jezebel’s. He asks Elara if she’s up to the task, and she’s offended by the suggestion. Infernus follows it up by saying she would get all the salad she asked for. Elara decides to consider it. (based off the working rabbits at Eureka Springs)
Ivy:
Kelvin:
Lady Geist: Lady Geist thinks Elara’s outfit is a disaster.
Lash: Elara smells Lash’s can of beans and wants them. Lash is offended that Elara has no clue who he is.
McGinnis:
Mina: Mina asks Elara what eyeshadow she uses. Elara tells her that it is just her natural fur. Mina accuses her of gatekeeping.
Mirage: Mirage thinks Elara and Nashala would get along.
Mo & Krill: Mo thinks Elara is pretty, but he is too shy to say anything about it.
Paige: Paige thinks Elara is adorable and asks to touch her ears. Paige reminds Elara of her sister.
Paradox:
Pocket:
Rem: Elara wants to protect Rem. Rem likes how soft Elara is.
Seven: Being near Seven makes Elara’s fur stand on end.
Shiv:
Silver: Elara is unnerved around Silver but tries to be polite anyway. Silver tells her she can drop the act and self-deprecatingly says she wouldn’t trust herself either.
Sinclair: Elara has a special model when she is turned into a rabbit. The model is supposed to be her rabbit form.
Venator: Venator tries to share the gospel with Elara, but Elara is uncertain that his god would care about a mere rabbit. Venator quotes the proverb, “When God sings with his creations, will a turtle not be part of the choir?”
Victor: Elara is initially unnerved by Victor because he smells like death, but finds his company surprisingly pleasant, if not depressing.
Vindicta: Elara detests Vindicta’s stakes because she has been trapped in a snare before.
Viscous: Similar to her feelings towards Celeste, Elara feels a kinship with Viscous. They both traveled to a strange, alien place for the purpose of saving their people, although it seems like Viscous is having an easier time with it than she is.
Vyper: Vyper mistakes Elara for a PlayBoy bunny and questions what she’s doing at the ritual, of all places. . . not that she’s complaining.
Warden:
Wraith:
Yamato:
Trivia
What is Watership Down?
Watership Down is a 1972 novel written by Richard Adams. The title gained infamy for the 1976 animated film for its unexpected depictions of violence. Watership Down follows a group of rabbits searching for a new place to live after their old home is destroyed by humans. Richard Adams created unique mythology and even a new language for the rabbits, which, in my opinion, is the best part of the book. Elara often says Lapine words.
I haven’t read or watched Watership Down. Give me some more context, please!
In the beginning, Frith (the personified sun that rabbits worship) created the world and the stars. He created the animals. They were all the same, and they all ate grass together. But the rabbits were so plentiful, ate so much grass, and multiplied so quickly, that soon, there was no grass for the rest of the animals. The rest of the animals pleaded to Lord Frith for help. Lord Frith went to the Prince of Rabbits, El-ahrairah, and told him to control his people. El-ahrairah declined and declared his people as the best of them all. This angered Lord Frith. He could have killed El-ahrairah, but Frith needed him to jest and play tricks. So instead, Frith told every animal to come to him, and he would give them a gift. When the bird came, he gave him a song to sing. For the cow, he gave her the strength to fear nothing. But when animals like the fox, dog, owl, and weasel came, he gave them teeth, claws, and a fierce hunger for the children of El-ahrairah. When El-ahrairah learned of this, he was afraid, and he set about digging a hole to hide. At the same time, Lord Frith went out searching for the rabbit prince.
Frith came across El-ahrairah, steadfast in digging his shelter. Only his butt was sticking out of the hole. Frith said, “Dear friend, have you seen El-ahrairah? I need to give him his blessing.”
“No, I have not seen him,” El-ahrairah stammered nervously from the hole.
“Then come out, and I shall bless you instead.”
“No, I am busy. The fox and weasel are coming. If you wish to bless me, you will have to bless my bottom, for it is sticking out of the hole.”
At that moment, Frith felt kinship with El-ahrairah. He admired him for his resourcefulness and because he would not give up, even when he thought the fox and weasel were coming. So he said, “Very well. I will bless your bottom as it sticks out of the hole. Bottom, be strength, warning, and speed forever and save the life of your master. Be it so!” As he spoke, El-ahrairah’s tail grew shining white and flashed like a star. His back legs grew long and powerful, and he thumped the hillside until beetles fell off their stems. El-ahrairah shot out of the hole and tore across the field faster than any creature in the world.
As he ran, Frith called after him, “All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.”
What was your creative process for this character?
I had just gotten back into reading after a two-year break, and the first book I reread was my favorite, Watership Down. This was in late January, early February. I thought, “Wow, I would love it if my favorite book made it into my favorite game!” because I knew that many of Deadlock’s characters were references for classic stories and historical figures. To me, Watership Down making it into Deadlock wasn’t entirely farfetched. I told this to my boyfriend, and he pointed out that I could just make a fan character for the fun of it. So I did! To be clear, I knew from the beginning that my character would never make it into the game, and even getting acknowledgement for it was unlikely because I had admired fan character posts before, but I rarely saw anyone else doing the same. I made my character wholly for the love of the game.
Elara’s name is derived from the rabbit folkhero of Watership Down, El-ahrairah, whose name, in Lapine, translates to “Prince with a Thousand Enemies.” Her name’s pronunciation came from the 90s television series, where the rabbits pronounce the name as ella-rah. It is an incorrect pronunciation, but I thought it would make a fine name for a Deadlock fan character. In fact, a lot of Elara was inspired by El-ahrairah. You can see that she has the same fur color and white markings as El-ahrairah’s depiction in the 1976 film. She also has star motifs because, in a rabbit folktale, El-ahrairah receives a new set of divine ears with starlight in them, and when he first gains his power, his tail “flashed like a star.” In the same way McGinnis is Rosie the Riveter and Victor is Frankenstein, Elara is El-ahrairah. I made her female because Watership Down is severely lacking female protagonists, and because I am female myself. What can I say? I’m a girl’s girl.
I came up with Elara’s lore and character interactions first because I’m good at that stuff. Admittedly, I just had to give her special interactions with my favorite characters because why not? I know she doesn’t have interactions with everybody, but I would like her to. I’m always thinking of new ideas for that.
It is very important to remember that rabbits are not fighters. Their tools of survival are their speed and wit, so I wanted Elara’s abilities to reflect that. For this reason, I decided that Elara should be (at the time of creation) the only melee character in Deadlock. She does not have a gun, but she still benefits from weapon items like Crushing Fists, Shadow Weave, and Fleetfoot. Theoretically, Elara is like Drifter in the sense that most, if not all of her attacks and offensive abilities are only efficient at close range. This makes her vulnerable, and her damage mitigation comes from her high mobility. I also wanted her to be entirely melee because my boyfriend had been hoping Apollo would be that way; “You can’t just hide and shoot behind cover. You need to be active. You need to man up and get in people’s faces.” I think a character without a gun would be very cool and provide new, interesting ways to play. However, I’m not really good with numbers and stuff like that, so I asked my boyfriend and some friends to help me come up with abilities.
Name: Elara (ella-rah)
Title: Lord of Rabbits
Gender: Cisgender Female
Voice: Black British (Estelle maybe?)
Inspiration: El-ahrairah from Watership Down
Health: Average
Mobility: High
Melee Damage: High
Weapon Damage: Nonexistent
Ability #1: Elara launches herself at an enemy and bounces between enemy units up to three times, dealing melee and spirit damage which steadily increases with each hop. On the third time, she pushes herself away (similar to Rem detaching himself from an ally). The player can control the direction of her jumps with the movement keys and camera movement, but a miscalculation will have Elara attack a minion or farm critter instead. Upgrades allow more hops and damage. This ability can be interrupted with crowd control abilities. Can be compared to Celeste ult and Jhin’s Dancing Grenade from League of Legends, except Elara is the ball. Can be used as a farm and wave-clearing ability.
Ability #2: Elara can place a jump pad/platform similar to Holliday’s. The difference is that Elara’s can be placed in midair and can be rotated to attach to walls. These platforms can be used by all heroes. Moving on the platforms grants move speed and momentum, and jumping from them sends heroes flying through the air. Placing them on a wall enhances wall jumps and allows heroes to wall-run. Upgrades provide more charges and more time between platforms despawning.
Ability #3: Elara dashes forward in a straight line so quickly that enemies hit are knocked up and dealt melee damage. Upgrades enable enhanced range, increased damage, and, on the final upgrade, a second charge. This ability can be used as an escape tool or to initiate combat.
Ability #4: For a limited amount of time, Elara may place three platforms that grant speed, momentum, and infinite stamina (for the duration of the ult) to allies who use them. Theoretically would be used to travel across the map at high speeds for objectives like urn or to escape. Upgrades enable a longer duration, more time before jump pads despawn, more platforms, and for the final upgrade, the timer does not start until you have three platforms placed. Enemies can use these platforms but do not receive bonuses for using them. (Idea given by my friend CoochMooch on Steam)
Passive: Elara’s jumps take her higher. This includes wall jumps. She jumps particularly high during dash-jumps and can even travel to the rooftops without use of a vent, jump pad, or rope. However, this leap consumes three stamina.
Lore
Long ago, Elara was a simple beast who lived her life nibbling grass and digging tunnels. She did not think much of humans until they began hunting and setting traps around her warren. She was hopping along towards the wild raspberry patch she frequented when, all of a sudden, she couldn’t breathe. Bloody spit foamed at her lips as she writhed and kicked, turning the grass into upturned dirt and mud, but there was nothing she could do to free herself from the sharp wire cutting her breath and slicing into her skin. If she had been anywhere else, she would have died and ended up in a soup or her fur turned into a scarf.
The Maiden of the Glade was an entity who hailed from the same plane as the Patrons. She had an interest in the ecosystems of this world and spent much of her time observing and researching the wilds. When she saw the poor yearling fight for its life in the cruel man-made trap, she took pity and saved it from its plight. The rabbit had been on the brink of death, but the Maiden’s magic did more than heal it. Her magic had enlightened it. Elara was alive, but she suddenly knew more than any rabbit could ever know. She could do more than any rabbit could ever do. She was faster, stronger, and she felt magic running through her fur. That day, Elara became more than any rabbit had ever been, but she also gained a powerful friend in the Maiden of the Glade.
At first, the Maiden dedicated time and resources to educating Elara on the world beyond warrens and fields. Elara used her newfound knowledge and power to help her people. She led her warren to a new home where humans wouldn’t hunt them, and she bamboozled elil (enemies of rabbits) into following her will. But no matter how powerful a single person is, they alone cannot stop the sprawling plague of mankind. Rabbits and their friends now find themselves in more danger than ever before. Humans are destroying forests and plains in lieu of neighborhoods and shopping centers. Hunting has become not only a means to feed, but also a sport.
Elara would do anything to stop it all. She would even walk straight into the Cursed Apple, one of the many hearts of mankind, to make a wish. Then no rabbit would hurt ever again.
Personality
Elara has a friendly, good-natured personality with a dash of prankishness and a sprinkle of anxiety. Even though she is strong and capable in this form, she still harbors distrust towards much of mankind and is wary around enemies of rabbits, including dogs, cats, and predatory birds. She is full of contradictions. She is confident yet skittish, but at the same time, she will walk right into danger for the sake of a goal. She sometimes relies too much on her speed and agility and is prone to over extending. She is less likely to fight over something and will instead get what she wants through the means of a clever trick.
Elara retains her animalistic instincts and qualities. She stamps when frustrated and as a signal. Her first instinct is always caution, which makes her indecisive. She is confused by figurative language and human habits.
Character Interactions
- Many characters think Elara is cute because of her rabbitish qualities.
- Elara is uncomfortable around natural predators, even in this form. She is wary of Ava, Drifter, Mina, Rohan, Silver, and Vyper.
- I want Elara to have special interactions/relationships with Drifter and Dynamo (my mains) and Viscous (my boyfriend's main). There's no logical reason for it other than it would make me happy.
- Elara gives friendly heroes the suffix -rah when they are on a killstreak or have the highest soul count in the game. This suffix, in Lapine, translates to lord. Basically, Elara is calling them a leader.
Abrams:
Apollo:
Bebop:
Billy:
Calico: Elara feels uneasy around Ava. Calico is amused and says she is right to be wary; Ava is an avid hunter.
Celeste: Celeste is amused by Elara because she is so adorable yet so fierce. Elara and Celeste feel a kinship with one another, united against the same enemy: mankind. Celeste tells Elara that not all people are bad. It will take Elara some time to see it that way.
The Doorman: The Doorman knows the Maiden of the Glade, and Elara eagerly asks how she is doing. When in the Baroness, the Doorman taunts Elara by saying she may be a god to rabbits, but at the end of the day, she is still a mere rabbit.
Drifter: Elara and Drifter are unlikely friends and share a Tom and Jerry dynamic. Drifter likes her because she is just as animalistic as he is and because she makes chases fun. He would still gladly kill her for the fun of it, though. Elara does not trust Drifter, but she is amused by playing tricks on him and baiting him into a chase. It wasn’t intentional, but they actually share some parallels. Drifter started out as human but has become more animalistic over the centuries. Elara started out as a rabbit but has become more human over the course of her time among men. One was born an animal, and the other was made into one.
Dynamo: Elara thinks Dynamo has a comforting presence.
Graves: Elara is unnerved and says that Graves smells “as clean as last year’s bones.” Graves takes the observation as a compliment. The quote is a reference to El-ahrairah’s description of the Black Rabbit of Inlé, the rabbit equivalent of the Grim Reaper.
Grey Talon: Elara panics when she hears an enemy Rohan coming.
Haze:
Holliday:
Infernus: Infernus tells Elara about some working rabbits he saw at a thrift shop once. They would return the paying customers’ change and receipt, and Infernus wonders if a working rabbit would drum up business at Jezebel’s. He asks Elara if she’s up to the task, and she’s offended by the suggestion. Infernus follows it up by saying she would get all the salad she asked for. Elara decides to consider it. (based off the working rabbits at Eureka Springs)
Ivy:
Kelvin:
Lady Geist: Lady Geist thinks Elara’s outfit is a disaster.
Lash: Elara smells Lash’s can of beans and wants them. Lash is offended that Elara has no clue who he is.
McGinnis:
Mina: Mina asks Elara what eyeshadow she uses. Elara tells her that it is just her natural fur. Mina accuses her of gatekeeping.
Mirage: Mirage thinks Elara and Nashala would get along.
Mo & Krill: Mo thinks Elara is pretty, but he is too shy to say anything about it.
Paige: Paige thinks Elara is adorable and asks to touch her ears. Paige reminds Elara of her sister.
Paradox:
Pocket:
Rem: Elara wants to protect Rem. Rem likes how soft Elara is.
Seven: Being near Seven makes Elara’s fur stand on end.
Shiv:
Silver: Elara is unnerved around Silver but tries to be polite anyway. Silver tells her she can drop the act and self-deprecatingly says she wouldn’t trust herself either.
Sinclair: Elara has a special model when she is turned into a rabbit. The model is supposed to be her rabbit form.
Venator: Venator tries to share the gospel with Elara, but Elara is uncertain that his god would care about a mere rabbit. Venator quotes the proverb, “When God sings with his creations, will a turtle not be part of the choir?”
Victor: Elara is initially unnerved by Victor because he smells like death, but finds his company surprisingly pleasant, if not depressing.
Vindicta: Elara detests Vindicta’s stakes because she has been trapped in a snare before.
Viscous: Similar to her feelings towards Celeste, Elara feels a kinship with Viscous. They both traveled to a strange, alien place for the purpose of saving their people, although it seems like Viscous is having an easier time with it than she is.
Vyper: Vyper mistakes Elara for a PlayBoy bunny and questions what she’s doing at the ritual, of all places. . . not that she’s complaining.
Warden:
Wraith:
Yamato:
Trivia
- Elara does not have a gun because she detests them. She’s had many friends and family members die to guns, so it would feel wrong for her to use one.
- Elara loves her fruits and greens. She has to admit, humans do one thing right because she is a huge fan of banana muffins and mint tea.
- Elara is able to shapeshift between her humanoid and rabbit forms. However, this ability is not present in the game.
- Elara’s fighting form and style is based on taekwondo. All of her attacks are kicks.
- Elara has a permanent limp due to getting shot in the thigh a long time ago, and the injury never truly healed.
- As far as real-life rabbits, Elara would most resemble a Belgian hare.
- There are few things Elara loves more than napping in the sunshine.
- When breaking into a sprint, Elara drops to all fours.
- Elara is a good liar.
What is Watership Down?
Watership Down is a 1972 novel written by Richard Adams. The title gained infamy for the 1976 animated film for its unexpected depictions of violence. Watership Down follows a group of rabbits searching for a new place to live after their old home is destroyed by humans. Richard Adams created unique mythology and even a new language for the rabbits, which, in my opinion, is the best part of the book. Elara often says Lapine words.
I haven’t read or watched Watership Down. Give me some more context, please!
In the beginning, Frith (the personified sun that rabbits worship) created the world and the stars. He created the animals. They were all the same, and they all ate grass together. But the rabbits were so plentiful, ate so much grass, and multiplied so quickly, that soon, there was no grass for the rest of the animals. The rest of the animals pleaded to Lord Frith for help. Lord Frith went to the Prince of Rabbits, El-ahrairah, and told him to control his people. El-ahrairah declined and declared his people as the best of them all. This angered Lord Frith. He could have killed El-ahrairah, but Frith needed him to jest and play tricks. So instead, Frith told every animal to come to him, and he would give them a gift. When the bird came, he gave him a song to sing. For the cow, he gave her the strength to fear nothing. But when animals like the fox, dog, owl, and weasel came, he gave them teeth, claws, and a fierce hunger for the children of El-ahrairah. When El-ahrairah learned of this, he was afraid, and he set about digging a hole to hide. At the same time, Lord Frith went out searching for the rabbit prince.
Frith came across El-ahrairah, steadfast in digging his shelter. Only his butt was sticking out of the hole. Frith said, “Dear friend, have you seen El-ahrairah? I need to give him his blessing.”
“No, I have not seen him,” El-ahrairah stammered nervously from the hole.
“Then come out, and I shall bless you instead.”
“No, I am busy. The fox and weasel are coming. If you wish to bless me, you will have to bless my bottom, for it is sticking out of the hole.”
At that moment, Frith felt kinship with El-ahrairah. He admired him for his resourcefulness and because he would not give up, even when he thought the fox and weasel were coming. So he said, “Very well. I will bless your bottom as it sticks out of the hole. Bottom, be strength, warning, and speed forever and save the life of your master. Be it so!” As he spoke, El-ahrairah’s tail grew shining white and flashed like a star. His back legs grew long and powerful, and he thumped the hillside until beetles fell off their stems. El-ahrairah shot out of the hole and tore across the field faster than any creature in the world.
As he ran, Frith called after him, “All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.”
What was your creative process for this character?
I had just gotten back into reading after a two-year break, and the first book I reread was my favorite, Watership Down. This was in late January, early February. I thought, “Wow, I would love it if my favorite book made it into my favorite game!” because I knew that many of Deadlock’s characters were references for classic stories and historical figures. To me, Watership Down making it into Deadlock wasn’t entirely farfetched. I told this to my boyfriend, and he pointed out that I could just make a fan character for the fun of it. So I did! To be clear, I knew from the beginning that my character would never make it into the game, and even getting acknowledgement for it was unlikely because I had admired fan character posts before, but I rarely saw anyone else doing the same. I made my character wholly for the love of the game.
Elara’s name is derived from the rabbit folkhero of Watership Down, El-ahrairah, whose name, in Lapine, translates to “Prince with a Thousand Enemies.” Her name’s pronunciation came from the 90s television series, where the rabbits pronounce the name as ella-rah. It is an incorrect pronunciation, but I thought it would make a fine name for a Deadlock fan character. In fact, a lot of Elara was inspired by El-ahrairah. You can see that she has the same fur color and white markings as El-ahrairah’s depiction in the 1976 film. She also has star motifs because, in a rabbit folktale, El-ahrairah receives a new set of divine ears with starlight in them, and when he first gains his power, his tail “flashed like a star.” In the same way McGinnis is Rosie the Riveter and Victor is Frankenstein, Elara is El-ahrairah. I made her female because Watership Down is severely lacking female protagonists, and because I am female myself. What can I say? I’m a girl’s girl.
I came up with Elara’s lore and character interactions first because I’m good at that stuff. Admittedly, I just had to give her special interactions with my favorite characters because why not? I know she doesn’t have interactions with everybody, but I would like her to. I’m always thinking of new ideas for that.
It is very important to remember that rabbits are not fighters. Their tools of survival are their speed and wit, so I wanted Elara’s abilities to reflect that. For this reason, I decided that Elara should be (at the time of creation) the only melee character in Deadlock. She does not have a gun, but she still benefits from weapon items like Crushing Fists, Shadow Weave, and Fleetfoot. Theoretically, Elara is like Drifter in the sense that most, if not all of her attacks and offensive abilities are only efficient at close range. This makes her vulnerable, and her damage mitigation comes from her high mobility. I also wanted her to be entirely melee because my boyfriend had been hoping Apollo would be that way; “You can’t just hide and shoot behind cover. You need to be active. You need to man up and get in people’s faces.” I think a character without a gun would be very cool and provide new, interesting ways to play. However, I’m not really good with numbers and stuff like that, so I asked my boyfriend and some friends to help me come up with abilities.
