Just Something to Get People Excited for the new ARK team...

Warning: This post contains some strong language.

Hello! Since I haven't posted anything in so long and I am struggling to navigate life while also working on my stories, I have come up with something ARK-related here, in order to keep my website relevant and to get people to keep thinking about my upcoming writing project.

This is my first-ever post as my Badass Bolls persona, meaning it is less formal and not as professional. There's also bound to be some cursing and some content in this post that may not be appropriate for children. I definitely don't talk like this while I'm at work or any formal setting. I feel like we all have different personas to a degree, depending on who we are talking to and what setting we are in.

Right now, I'm hoping that no one has forgotten about this website. I know I haven't been able to get on it much lately this month, but that's mostly because I have some trips planned and I have been going out a lot lately. Just last week, I watched both Top Gun movies in theaters more than once, in celebration of the first movie's 40th anniversary. Holy shit, am I a nerd or what? I am hoping to write a post about my experience very soon, but that may not happen for a while. After all, I have a trip to Los Angeles coming up in June and I have to get myself ready for that. I will be seeing Rush, my favorite band of all time, in concert at the Kia Forum arena. I am definitely planning on writing about my experience there, too! On top of that, it is very difficult for me to balance all of that, plus helping my parents move and babysit their new puppy, and then reading a bunch of different books on how to be a better author as I figure out how to write my dystopian animal adventure!

Well, at least now I finally figured out a much better title for my new project. From now on, my reboot of ARK will now be known as ARK RS, and it will also be an episodic series of short stories, kind of like a series or anime you'd find on TV or a streaming service. RS stands for "Reboot Series," and I feel that this new title is a great way to distinguish the family-friendly ARK story I wrote way back in 2009 from the brand new and improved adult version from 2026. In order to draw interest for my fictional team of independent space mercenaries, I have made a list of some of the characters below. Please enjoy!

ARK RS Character List (Work in Progress):

Current ARK Team Members:

Jackson Fox

Species: Red Fox

Jackson was the main character in the original ARK (2009), only much better and more developed! He is an elite fighter pilot in both Earth and in outer space. He is kind, considerate, and wants to please everyone. However, he does tend to put himself down a lot and is also very sensitive and shy. He has difficulty standing up for himself and others, and he tends to avoid situations that make him scared or uncomfortable. Unfortunately, those habits have led him to develop a phobia that he attempts to hide from everyone (I’m still not telling you what that phobia is just yet because I want people to be surprised when they read my pilot episode). He allows his phobia to control his life to an extent, and the consequences of giving in to his anxiety are very painful and humiliating for him to endure. Jackson hates himself, and he hates how such a mundane, normal, and simple task is so goddamn difficult for him. Once, an attempt at accomplishing this task triggered a panic attack within him—right in front of Charlie! Jackson is also not sure if he can have friends, since most of his “friends” from the past have not been good friends at all. He wants to follow in his late father’s footsteps by starting a brand new ARK team, but he lacks the leadership skills for this. Hopefully Charlie and the other pilots can help him out.

Charlie Esposito

Species: Peregrine Falcon

Charlie is the ace pilot, who is Jackson’s closest friend. They grew up together and have been best friends since they were very young children. Charlie’s got a cocky attitude and a smart mouth, but his piloting skills are superb (although his overconfidence as a pilot can get the better of him sometimes). He shares a friendly rivalry with Jackson and has the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with him (and he will end up having to do that literally at some point!). He becomes a secondary leader and father figure to the new ARK team, as well as someone who really helps Jackson grow as a character. He encourages Jackson to be stronger and more confident, making him face his fears, sometimes his most personal ones. Despite living in Southern California for most of his life, Charlie speaks with a soft Brooklyn accent, but only when he gets excited enough (if that makes any sense). After all, his family had lived in New York City at one point, and they’ve got some Italian blood flowing through their veins. Before Charlie was born, his parents had been captured in Italy and brought to the United States for humanization (yes, some falcons live in Italy in real life).

Mike Monroe

Species: Common Pheasant (Ring-Necked or Blue-Headed)

Mike is Jackson’s second-closest friend. While Jackson never knew Mike for as long as he knew Charlie, Mike does play a significant role in how Jackson and Charlie interact with one another…and, just like Charlie, he does end up helping Jackson a lot with something very personal. He competes with both Jackson and Charlie a lot, creating an entertaining rivalry triangle among the team. Mike would be the “Iceman” of this triangle, and then we would have “Goose” Jackson and “Maverick” Charlie to complete the whole picture!

Christine Minella

Species: Common Pheasant (Brown colored)

Christine is a cunning, sassy pilot who is in a romantic relationship with Mike. Sometimes she teases Mike and grinds his gears by flirting with Charlie, in an attempt to get Mike’s attention. However, she remains loyal to Mike and never goes beyond making an occasional verbal quip. Christine has an independent streak and is really into treasure hunting, but she still remains faithful to her friends despite her playful, flirtatious nature.

Phoebe Browne

Species: Western Rattlesnake

I don’t really have all of the details on Phoebe yet. All I’ve got so far is that Phoebe was a character in the original ARK (2009), but in that version, she was a frog. I changed her to a rattlesnake for two main reasons: 1. To avoid ripping off Star Fox, and 2. To have an animal with no arms or legs become “humanized” in order to explore the complex topic of the ethics of science from the future. There is something to be said about giving limbs to an animal that naturally doesn’t have any limbs, but at the same time, this does involve taking wild animals away from their natural habitat and performing questionable experiments on them.

Ken Johnson

Species: European Badger

I’ve got nothing on this guy just yet. I just felt like Phoebe needed some kind of companion pilot. Hopefully something will click soon.

Some Who Join Later On:

Jock Blaney

Species: Grey Wolf

This guy is definitely a bully to Jackson, especially in flight school. I’m planning on having him tone down on his asshole side a bit as he hears how well the ARK team is doing, and at some point, he tries to make amends with Jackson and convinces his brother, Ron, to come along with him.

Ron Blaney

Species: Grey Wolf

Ron is Jock’s twin brother. While Ron can be a bit rugged and is prone to being tough on others, he’s not nearly as much of an asshole as Jock is. In fact, he does soften up over time as he gets to know Jackson more and spends more time with the ARK team. Jackson has had a traumatic past involving some wolves and is quite reluctant to trust Ron and other wolves in general, especially after a few tense arguments with Jock.

Marcus Gilyard

Species: Mastiff

Like Charlie or the wolf brothers, Marcus can have a short temper, but he’s mostly a gentle giant type. He has a soft spot for puppies and is very protective of Oliver. Marcus is overweight, but he also has a lot of very powerful muscles.

Oliver Lawrence

Species: Brown Dachshund

This little guy is friendly, laid-back, comical and a bit silly, but he can be a bit irritating at times—mostly because he often states the obvious. He is meant to be an informant and notify the team about important things, like intruders or dwindling supplies, but he has a very lax definition of “important.” Seriously, Oliver would probably state that the sky was blue as if this was newly discovered information that could not go unnoticed.

Howard Bianchi:

Species: Red-Tailed Hawk

Howard is another one of the few returning characters from the original ARK (2009). He will be the same arrogant, bigoted character he was in the original, but slightly improved. I’m still trying to figure out when and where he first appears in this series, and I’m also questioning if I should even have him redeem himself. After all, Howard holds a lot of prejudice towards his natural predators or prey, and the only reason he ends up joining Jackson’s ARK team temporarily in the new ARK RS series is because he wants more money, not because he legitimately wants to be anyone’s friend. The Animal Humanization Project was meant to break down the barriers between predators and prey, but Howard hates the idea of equality and integration of different animal species. He puts down Jackson for being friendly to all animals, especially with birds, but Jackson just puts up with it. I’m still trying to figure out ways to work Howard into this series much better than I did in the original.

By the way, these will not be the only characters that Jackson and the gang will come across. There will be even more characters joining the team as the series goes on—some you may not even expect to be on the team—and there are some who will end up leaving. Hopefully I don’t have too many bird characters, either. I just find them to be very easy to write in this type of story because birds are natural aviators in nature. Plus, pheasants can be associated with gracefulness and feisty behavior, while falcons and other birds of prey can be, well, pretty badass.

If anyone has any suggestions on what changes to make or what they would like to see in my characters, please let me know!