#human!calamo

[lele5429]

I love Calamo so much I made a humansona for him, complete with some backstories and lore. Took me a few tries to arrive at a decent costume that balances the established Antiquity aesthetic and Korok-inspired elements. This is my first LOZ OC. I love him. See all the past versions here.

(Edit: Updated the markings diagram for his forearm)

Some basic headcanons (independent of the OOT Kokiri lore)

Koroks are born in the forest from the life force of the Deku Tree (which does not refer to one singular magical being, but to the current elder of the Koroks. It’s more like a title than an individual’s name.)

All Koroks are blessed with eternal youth. They will not die of old age, but mature ones often decide to “put down roots.” In this case, they will give up earthly life in the hope of achieving something greater one day—sacred power and spiritual enlightenment, the ability to become a life-giving Deku Tree themselves.

To put down roots, the Korok goes into a deep meditation and eventually transforms into a literal tree. Once a tree, they are like every other plant and no longer immune to the elements (also not immune to becoming firewood should Link show up with an axe). This inherent vulnerability in the first few hundred years after transformation is what prompts Koroks to travel the continent in search of a “proper place.” Without prior knowledge, even a Korok cannot tell if a young tree was once their brother, not until a few hundred years have passed and the Korok-tree starts to emanate sacred energy.

Koroks find unique objects to identify themselves in preparation for the transformation. Calamo has chosen a broken Gerudo spear. These markers help younger Koroks spot their brothers and take care of them through the dangerous initial phase.

Koroks are pacifists and generally do not engage in conflicts.

All Koroks are Hylian-passing in appearance. Koroks almost never reveal their true identity to outsiders to prevent others from taking advantage of their longevity and magic. After joining Rauru’s army, Calamo reveals his Korok identity, which is unprecedented. Most people have only heard of Koroks in folklore and never seen a real one.

Koroks can heal themselves by going into healthy nature and meditate. Unlike the Zoras, they cannot heal others. They cannot heal during battle because it’s no place to meditate (duh.) They cannot heal or grow in polluted places, and that’s why Ganondorf’s grip on Hyrule eventually forced the Koroks to aid Rauru’s cause.

Character and Costume Notes:

Due to their self-healing abilities, Koroks generally don’t get scars. The fact that Calamo has a few significant scars suggests that he has recovered from serious injuries. Similar to the canonical design, Human!Calamo has a X-shaped scar on the left side of his neck. He also has a deep cut wound on his left shoulder, which is a nod to his broken-off branch-horn in the canonical design.

Calamo may look like a 16-year-old, but he is actually past middle age by Korok standards. He has grown out of waving a branch and saying Yahaha. His original Korok Stick™️ from his more youthful days is now part of the decorative program he has curated for his hat.

He wears a LOT of layers because he hates the cold. Has anyone ever told him that pants also exist? Anyways, no Hylians from this era wear pants. So his way to compensate is to wear one scarf over another.

He can’t find kid-sized tactical gear, so he has to use ties and straps to alter his gloves and harnesses.

He stores all of his ammunition elemental fruits in his magical Korok pouch. He has an unknowable number of acorns on his person at any given moment.

His weapon is a forest dweller sword. It is so small and lightweight that it seems more like a side weapon to an average Hylian knight. Still, he’s able to swing it very fast in incredibly broad strokes.

His earrings are like little red berries ❤️

It appears that he can never get the drink he wants from the bar because of the way he looks.

(That’s the first batch of lore from the story perspective! More from the art/design perspective to come.)

[lele5429]

Human!Calamo joins Figure Skating AU!

My contribution to the LU Figure Skating AU by @winedimples , featuring an original humansona design for Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment’s brave Korok fighter Calamo.

He’s developed in conjunction with Figure Skater Knight by @maareyas. Reya, thank you. Thank you for being my creative partner in crime (/eyelashes)

Some character lore for this AU…

Calamo is the only known Korok to have ever competed in the Games. The Koroks are mysterious and carefree, having literally no presence or interest in world politics or the like.

Calamo, on the other hand, loves travelling the world and meeting people from different cultures. The competitions are the perfect way to meet new people!

Calamo was a very competitive skater until he suddenly decided to retire from the sport. He seems to be quite young, so this rather sudden decision shocked everyone. He claims that he is “too old” for this sport now, and that he’s had his good days. Well, no one knows exactly how old he is, and no one had the courage or audacity to ask…

Media and paparazzi have different theories about his sudden retirement. Some say that “he hates the food from the Athletes’ village.” Rumour has it that “he’s just had a kid and is swamped with Dad duties.” Well, it’s not completely wrong. Turns out he has legally adopted a Zonai-related boy, Knight!

The public is very concerned about his recent off-screen injuries. It has been announced that something terrible happened to him, leaving a visible X-shaped scar on his neck. Some speculate that the cause of injury is not even sports-related, as the shape of the scar is very peculiar and unnatural. Paparazzi has been analyzing his appearance in other celebrities’s social media reels since his recovery, and they also noted that his left arm appears stiff. Perhaps the injuries were more serious than he lets on and are the true reasons behind his retirement.

Currently, he primarily works as a coach. His priority seems to be his adoptive son and prodigy, the Knight. He is also working to bring the sport to the Lost Woods community and hopefully found Team Korok for the next competition season.

Costume concept and colour test;

[lele5429]

Did you say someone was mean to his Bud!?

Face the consequences.

Human!Calamo design here.

[lele5429]

Left unchecked, my Human!Calamo & Human!Knight (concept by @maareyas) Age of Imprisonment AU is going to developed into a full on story…

Have a few concepts for some important scenes…

These two scenes are for “Trial of the Lost Woods”…

In this AU, all Koroks take the form of Hylian children/teens, and they don’t reveal their identities to strangers. They are magical and mysterious little creatures.

(Something terrible happened before this scene… there’s more angst than shown, as always.)

💕Bonus ✨

Returning readers… if this kid looks familiar, don’t doubt yourself. Retired Assets Ravio is here for a cameo appearance. He stares into my soul with the full anguish of someone laid off from work.

[lele5429]

Here, a piece of commissioned art of my Korok blorbo in his humansona and canonical forms.

Art by 叮七 on Mihuashi.

I am officially naming this AU « Evergreen »

Set in the Era of the Wild (BOTW/TOTK/HW:AOI), this AU features humanoid Koroks in the guise of Hylian kids! These Koroks are different from the OOT Kokiri and have unique lore on culture, society, life cycles, and much more!

Please ask me about Evergreen Calamo and his siblings! 📫 🌱

I want to yap 🗣️✨

[lele5429]

A small encounter with the wonders of nature 🌱🪲

A bonding moment featuring the Knight Construct and Calamo in human form.

Knight’s design concept by @maareyas , who also suggested the beetle idea!

[lele5429]

Human!Calamo is back on the ice doing some cool tricks with his bud

Art collab with @maareyas , see the finished version here, featuring STELLAR rendering by Reya!

Technically not a LU character, but since Calamo is in Age of Imprisonment he is technically distantly related to Wild’s world/stories? Hope you all are okay with him tagging along! Figure skater costume and lore here.

Post by @maareyas · 6 images

💬 2  🔁 4  ❤️ 12 · A special exhibition performance by "retired" skating legend Calamo, and the mysterious Knight (who is.... very focused. Y

[lele5429]

Some art from the past few weeks featuring Human Calamo and Knight Construct, developed in collaboration with @maareyas. I started drawing before Reya finalized her design for Knight. I think my interpretation of Knight is slightly older, as his age is quite important to the plot/lore/tension.

There was… a lot of self indulgent art (after a long debate with myself, I’m posting some passable ones)🙂‍↕️. And then there is little artistic output.

When stress is at 50-75%, I sketch as a defence mechanism to delay the inevitable. When stress is at 75%+, my survival instinct kicks in and I actually get back to work as a measure of self preservation.

Before I go back into the blender that is work and study and adult life stuff, here are some moments of vulnerability shared by the two. I guess in this AU they are more like (adoptive) father and son.