From Captain to Commander

Hei og velkommen! Jeg heter Arild! Welcome to my humble little blog. Being the commander of an army is surprisingly boring. Well, at least, Claus' army is. I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I hope this tumblr can be a good time waister. Feel free to ask anything (within reason, of course), and I will answer to the best of my ability!!! (Still open!!!!!)

[ask-commander-arild]

OOC Post:

Hi, there! I'm @jnix-2006 and welcome to my ask blog, ask-commander-arild!! I made this blog for @pkmoth's @motherbound-askapalooza, which took place August 2024!!! After the event ended, I haven't really gotten attention, but it is still very much alive in case any stray Mother fans happen to stumble into this!! But, bear with me, because I don't use tumblr much, so this is all very new to me, haha. Before we start, I feel I should give a little bit of introduction to what exactly this is. So, firstly, what exactly is an Arild? Well, Arild is an OC I created for the game Mother 3 (Heavy spoilers btw)! He can be seen below!

Art done by @pinkalliums!!! Go check them out!!

Say hello to Arild Eskildsen! A young Norwegian lad of 15 years old who, through a series of unfortunate events, ended up in the ranks of the pigmask army. Now, as much as I'd love to go into detail about his backstory, I wanna save most of it for asks. I guess the most basic gist is that he was taken from our time, currently in the 2010's but may change later, from a very young age, and made to be a pigmask. Someone call the Geneva Convention. He goes on to be promoted to captain (seen below). But after yet another series of unfortunate events, he ends up being chimera-ified and he gets promoted to commander, but not of the pigmasks (technically). We'll get there.

Art also by @pinkalliums!! Seriously, go check them out! >:)

Few things to keep in mind for this blog:

1. I don't have many artistic abilities, unfortunately, so this will be a text only blog. Some friends have kindly made a few pieces for Arild, and I will show them off, but for the most part, there won't be much in the way of visuals, unfortunately.

2. Quite a lot of the stuff here is going to involve my own headcanons for the Mother series, especially post-game Mother 3. For example, in my headcanon, Claus survives and becomes the leader of the army, rebranding it in the name of peace, with Arild being the new commander. Everyone has their own unique headcanons for the series, and I don't wanna step on that or nothin. So, for the sake of it, you can just consider this an AU instead :)

3. There will be mention of a couple real life places that will have Mother-ified names. With any mention of Norway, the name will changed to Fjordland, on account of its many... fjords (I might actually change this cuz it's kinda dumb lmao). Canada is also an important place within the story, and that I have decided to call Mapleland. Creative, I know.

4. Feel free to ask whatever! Silly questions are easy to answer and will usually be answered quickest! Lore relevant questions are a little trickier and may take me just a bit longer to respond to, but I will be happy to get to them!! Also, RP is okay with me, if you want to!!

5. Please don't be weird or anything. For instance being a former pigmask, Arild is a plus-sized character, so a comment about his weight would not be great. More importantly, NO NSFW. This character is a minor, and that stuff is not okay to ask. I highly doubt it'll be an issue, but it's good to mention just in case

6. I do not speak Norwegian, but I want to sprinkle it in a little bit, I have only on option. Google Translate. I know, I know... it's not the best, but I will try my best to avoid mistranslations or misuse of phrases. I wouldn't want to be the new version of that one post about the Norwegian Butter Crisis, haha.

If you're still here, thank you for reading until the end!! As said, I've never done something like this before, so this intro is probably super chaotic in comparison to other blogs, haha. I am really excited to get started here! I've always wanted to do an ask blog, and I really needed an excuse to flesh out my OC, so I'd say this is perfect! I'd like to give thanks to all the friends, and my bf, who helped me out on this!! Thank you to Moth for setting this event up! Thank you to Hal and a few others for the art! And also thank you so much to my friend Red who helped me create this character in the first place! He didn't tell me what his tumblr was, but he is @/Doc_Glowstick on Twitter!! Alright, I think I've rambled enough now. I'll probably go through this and change it later, but for now, let the blog begin!!!

[ask-commander-arild]

OOC Update:

Hey, guys, Jinx here. I just wanted to let you guys know a couple things. The main thing is, I've got a job now!!! It will definitely be taking up quite a bit of my time, however, that doesn't mean this is the end of Arild!! The @motherbound-askapalooza may be over, but I plan on keeping this blog up and running as long as I can, because I love this character and I love writing for him!! So as long as you keep sending in asks, Arild will continue to reply to them!!! Anywho, I don't wanna make this too long, so I'll go ahead and end it off here, just wanted to update you guys on that. Jinx out for now!!!

[ask-commander-arild]

Arild, dear summer baby boy, what is norway like

(ooc: Thanks for the ask! I was hoping someone would ask this! But, just remember, country names have been Motherified, Norway will be referred to as Fjordland!!)

Oh? Well... I haven't visited since I was 10, and I have not lived there since I was around 6. But, from what I do remember, it's... very very beautiful. There are many forests and mountains and plateaus of lush green, as well many lakes and rivers. Before we moved away, my family owned a small farm in a very pretty area, and I always loved getting to run and play outside. Though, not always, because it's also pretty cold there. I think on average, it would get up to around 18-25°C in the summer, and down to about -6° in the winter (that's around 64-77 and 21 Fahrenheit respectively for all you Eaglelandians out there). It probably doesn't help that it rains there quite a lot, haha. I think that's actually part of the reason we ended up moving, though I can talk about that later.

As for the culture... I really could not tell you as much. Like I said, I was very young when we moved, but I do remember the people being very nice and very kindhearted. Hmmm... I do remember fishing being a pretty big thing, what with all the water I mentioned, heh. And to this day, it's still one of my favorite things to do. My pappa even built a shack we would go to when he'd take me on fishing trips! Outdoor activities like that seem to be a favorite among the people from my homeland. In fact, a lot of our traditional food comes from farming and fishing. Lots of fish and cheese/dairy and bread and livestock animals and such. Doesn't sound much different from anywhere else in the world, I know, but just trust me on this.

I really miss being there... As much as I would love to talk more about it, it just gets harder and harder to remember details about it as the days go by. I wish I go back there again and everything could be the same. It was always my dream to move back when I grew up, but I really don't see that happening anymore. Oh, well...

[ask-commander-arild]

do you have a favorite chimera?

Claus. He is my best friend, after all!

Well, maybe it's not fair to include him, haha. If we aren't including him... I'd say... probably the Whatever? Basic answer, I know, but how could you not love those things? They're adorable! I never got stationed at Thunder Tower very often, so I never got to see them much, but they were always my favorite part whenever I did.

Second favorite is probably the einswine. They had a lot of them around the lab, which I definitely got stationed at much more often, so I saw them a lot more. They definitely aren't as cute, but I would still say they're pretty adorable. So, yeah! Thanks for the question!

[ask-commander-arild]

do you still have your old captain uniform?

I do, actually! I keep it in my closet for safe keeping, though, technically I don't really need it anymore, since I'm no longer a captain. After the rebrand of the army, the decision was made to remove the pig themed hjelmer, errrr... helmets, as part of the official uniform, opting to go with hats that match your service dress based on your rank instead. And thus, we all turned our helmets in, so I don't have that anymore, but I do have the rest of it! They even gave me a hat too! Though, not to my captain outfit. I do wear it often, though I don't think I have any pictures of it. Being a commander, the hat itself is a neutral grey, with a darker brim, and a few details of silver colored decoration throughout! A very fancy hat, haha. Thank you for the ask, venn!

[ask-commander-arild]

Hello commander!! I was wondering, how do you get along with claus? Are you friends or is he only your boss?

... Huh? Oh... Claus? Yeah, I would say we get along pretty well. I'd met him at least a few times while he was still the commander, back everyone just kind of thought he was a robot, but, well... while it is true that he was and is my boss, I think we have this special bond that you can't really find anywhere else.

After everything happened with the needles or whatever, Claus gave a big speech outside the chimera lab, in which he revealed he was now the last person left in command and that he was, in fact, not a robot, but a human boy with a family and a whole life story, and how we're all humans with stories to tell and how we should all work together to tell our own stories and uplift each other for peace or something inspirational like that. It really was a nice speech, and while I was at the lab, I actually just had to watch the broadcast from inside while I was recovering from my... injuries and adjusting to my enhancements, so I wasn't really listening fully.

Anyway, I was just lying there, when I heard the door open and some doctors. They wheeled something in right next to me, said a few words, and then left. I pulled back the privacy curtain to see Claus laying on a table next to me!! Surprisingly, we both recognized each other and we got to talking. Apparently, he was there because a bolt of lightning fried his bionics and he needed repairs. We ended up bonding over a lot of things we had in common. Such as suffering tragedies that ended up getting us separated from our parents and being turned into chimeras for the army. You know, normal stuff.

Uhhhhh... all this to say, I think I'd say we have a pretty good relationship! As said, we have a lot in common, so it's never a dull moment when we're around. Well, when we aren't at work, that is. Even though he may be younger, he can be pretty scary as my boss, haha. But, outside of work stuff, we get along great! Even if he doesn't really appreciate me making fun of him, heheh...

(Art by @pkmoth! Go check them out!!!)

[ask-commander-arild]

what was it like for you when you were first taken from your home and forced to work for the pigmasks? did they threaten you to join? im sorry, either way it must have been a hard time for you.

It... was very hard. It still is. I don't like to talk about it very much, but... I feel like if I don't get it out at some point, I might just explode. So, well... where do I even start..?

When I was 11 years old, just weeks before my 12th birthday, I... hmmm... I got up one morning, got dressed, got my backpack, got breakfast, and watched some tv. It was the same as every morning. The only difference... before I left, I... got into an argument, with my mamma. It's been so long now, I don't even remember why, but I can imagine I probably did something stupid. We both said some pretty... not great things to each other, and then I slammed the door and left in a huff. I didn't care what the consequences would be once I got home, that was a problem for future me, I was just going to go to school and worry about it later. But, then...

I was on my way to the bus stop... and I... it happened so fast, I didn't even have any time to react. There were three of them, they grabbed me and... it was a blur after that. Next thing I remember, I was in a place surrounded by men in lab coats and strange uniforms, and they explained who they were (which, you already know, evidently), and I... may have punched a few people out of fear. After that, I... don't know... I remember being approached by a caped soldier in a white uniform. He seemed to be pretty mad that they had taken me, just a kid. Without an adult to watch over me, I had nowhere to go. I guess he just felt bad for me. He said that if I joined, it would at least give me a place, a purpose.

I didn't really want to join them, I didn't even want to be there. I just wanted to go home to my family. But, what choice did I have? Thus, I've spent the past few years right here, in the army, and as much as I wish I could say I've hated it, I really don't know if I'd have it any other way. Overall, the army has done some terrible things, and I have always hated that, but on the other hand, getting to know my brothers in arms and making such a deep connection with them has been one of the best experiences in my life. Even still....

From the moment I was taken, I have missed my family desperately. Letting my lillesøster play with my toys, even if I found her annoying. Playing games with my storebror, even if he found me annoying. Going fishing and camping with my pappa, even if I was a little afraid of him, haha. And my mamma... jeg savner henne så mye... As much as I've enjoyed the past few years, there's nothing I want more than to be in her arms again. But, even if I can go back now, would she... even want to see me? After the things I said to her? Does she even care that I'm gone now? What if she's happier now that she never has to see me again? I don't think I could ever go back and face her again. Especially now, being a chimera. What would she say if she saw me? She'd probably see me as some kind of monster. I can't go back...

Thanks for the question, friend...

(ooc: Ooooo, boy, this one was tough to write, in more ways than one. I teared up more than a couple times writing, tbh. I did have a lot of fun writing it, though. Even still, I'm not the most proud of it. I def think I could do better, but oh well. Also, this post has a lot of Norwegian, and thus a lot of google translate. I have no idea if it's grammatically correct, but I just hope it gets the point across. If anyone who's Norwegian somehow finds this blog, HELPPPP. Anywho, sorry for the long read, y'all. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the ask, Hal Pinkalliums!!)

[ask-commander-arild]

(ooc: aaaxtygyt this is genuinely so sick i used to have a pigmask oc myself and theyre so fun i get it [i also lost it at fjordland] ok ok enough of my rambl-)

Oh! Oh, another little commander! Hi! This place actually looks lovely. And you're...Arild! That's how you say it, right? Okay. Hi. As you can tell, I'm not from here. Be not afraid, or whatever the kids say. I'm from another universe! And I'm here in yours to ask you some questions. We noticed immediately in your area that there's a much lovelier vibe around. But something crossed my mind. How are the Chimera?

-Unnamed Reporter (@tanejineri)

<s>insert fisheye perspective drawing of microphone placed in front of arild's face here</s>

Ohhh, ummm, hallo? That's right, I'm Arild. If you need to know the pronunciation, well, then... it kind of sounds like the word "air" but with an "ild" as in "filled" at the end. Well, that may be an oversimplification, but...

Anyway, what was the question? Oh, right, the chimeras. Well, now that the army has changed its mission, the chimera project has been more or less shut down. Well, moreso been redirected toward helping and rehabilitating the remaining chimeras, which, funny as it sounds, does include Claus and I. Our biomechanics, while very handy and interesting, do need semi-regular upkeep to stay working properly. The last thing I'd want is, say, my arm giving out while I'm trying to carry something, haha. The other chimeras are definitely a lot happier when they aren't being experimented on constantly.

And, uhhhh, also, I would say the vibes around here are definitely much better than they used to be. As I said before, it is a little more boring, but I do really like how peaceful and easygoing everything is now, and I definitely think I'm a lot happier now than I was then. I think the only thing now that would make it even better would be if I got to see... ummm... Anyway... Thank you for the question, min venn!

(ooc: AAAAAAA THANKS!!! I really appreciate it! I've seen your blog and I love your artstyle, dude!! And, yeah, I agree! Pigmask OCs are really fun!!! Would you believe if I told you that his chimera design, and thus the character himself, was quite literally revealed to me in a dream, lmaooo??? Also, fjordland was cuz I wanted to make a Mother version of Norway, and I just had to think about what Norway was known for! I'm glad you found it amusing!! Anyway, now I'm rambling, so I'm just gonna end this off by saying thanks again, dude!!!!)

[ask-commander-arild]

what's it like being the commander? a lot of responsibility, i'd assume

Well... being a commander is definitely a lot of responsibility, much more so than being only a captain for sure. Though... with the army having changed its goals to that of peace, there isn't near as much for me than there was before. Even still, that isn't to say I have nothing now. There is still no shortage of things for me to do. I usually have all types of official business I have to take care of, which is almost always the boring type. Sometimes I get to go out on missions, but they aren't usually super action packed unless we are dealing with a legitimate threat, such as a rogue chimera. Being the second highest in the chain of command, I am normally the one people come to give reports and whatnot. Most of the time, it's actually quite calm and peaceful, which I do actually appreciate quite a bit, it's just that it can get so boring here sometimes, hence why I decided to make this blog. At least I get to spend time with me friends, like Claus, his brother, and some of the friends I made as a captain. So, to give a shorter answer, boring and a little stressful sometimes, but overall, it's a life I'm happy with.

[ask-commander-arild]

Good day, Commander! A question about military life... How's the chow? I'd hope it's good stuff, considering morale and what not into play...

Hmmm, well... Say what you will about the army, especially from beforehand, but the food is very nice, actually. Because of how we operate, there isn't much of a need for MRE or precooked rations. Most of our food is cooked and served in mess halls around the island. Much of it isn't exactly... the most healthy... there's quite a lot of junk food actually... However! They do make sure that a lot of it has the necessary vitamins and protein to keep us physically able and active!! Though... maybe not exactly fit, I'd say, hahah. They have also recently been offering healthier options, and those are pretty good too. Even still, as good as the food can be, nothing will ever compare to the traditional home cooking my mamma and pappa used to make.

[ask-commander-arild]

Making a test post. Can anyone see this? If so, then asks are officially open for business! Feel free to ask anything!