Once upon a time, I thought anyone could make a difference and change the world for the better. I felt that it was the responsibility of each individual to make the world a livable place, a place where anyone can belong. And most importantly, a place that upholds justice above all else. I thought that I could help mold a world where everyone is equal under the eye of the law and the hand of justice.

How foolish I was to believe that the world could ever truly be anything but an “every man for himself” kinda game.

People commit crimes for all kinds of reasons. Some people have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So they steal, kill, and lie their way to a better life. And many do get caught and pay the price for their crimes. Whether it’s 20 years jail time for sellin’ drugs or robbin’ from a convenience store to pay for their family.

Others are born into privilege and still manage to fuck up and commit horrendous crimes. But do they suffer the consequences? If you think they do, I almost wish I were as blissfully ignorant as you.

Almost.

So this Stockton graduate came under fire in 2017 for some pretty serious allegations. What did he “allegedly” do, you ask?

Mr. Zachary Madle sexually assaulted this young lady in her dorm room. While she was drifting in and out of consciousness. And he recorded it.

And he posted it.

And refused to take any of the posts down even after the young lady demanded he do so.

As ugly as it sounds, it’s what happened. It seems like a clear cut, solid case. The accused man recorded the very evidence to be used against him in court, so it seems like there’s absolutely no way this guy could get away with this.

But on Thursday, he ended up pleading guilty to charges that won’t even subject him to major punishment compared to the charges that would definitely give him jail time and land him on a sex offender’s registry. And as it turns out, in spite of the explicit victim testimony and concrete video evidence proving his guilt, he ended up getting no jail time, and he escaped the sex offender label at that.

Why? Apparently ’cause he’s “immature” and clearly “remorseful” for whatever the hell he did to that girl.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that remorse isn’t really the best defense you could go with in court, when your ass is on the line. If a man who robbed a bank defended himself playing the “I’m sorry” card in court, you know he wouldn’t get away without some form of serious punishment. If a murder plays the “I regret what I did” card in court, it’s obvious it doesn’t mean shit. The punishment’s likely gonna be the same. Regret won’t undo history, remorse won’t bring her back.

…Remorse won’t bring them back. There are just some things you do that no matter how you feel or what you do afterwards, you can’t repair the damage that’s already been done. Not in the slightest. This man took this lady’s body, her peace of mind, sense of safety, her sense of belonging in the world. And she’s gonna fight through hell to get it all back. Not him.

So why should this poor, immature 26 year old graduate get away without jail time? Why should he escape a label that defines the damage he did to a young lady, the damage he’s capable of inflicting upon others? Why protect him in risk of him hurting someone innocent, someone who could have been protected had the law done its job by treating everyone equally?

Money. Social stature. Connections. Charisma. Those with any of the aforementioned can easily escape the “poor treatment”. Don’t got money? Into the slammer with you. Don’t mean anything to society? Time to slap a double-digit year sentence on your back. Don’t know anyone? No one will care to fight for you, so it’s best to just get rid of you while we can. Don’t have top notch genes? You’re ugly, good riddance.

Mr. Madle can afford a lawyer. Mr. Madle’s educated (as much as someone who records and posts their acts of sexual assault can be, I guess). Mr. Madle can grace society with his mere presence. Hell, I’d be more surprised if he ended up serving some sort of jail time than not.

It’s a story as old as time itself. Even with concrete rules tellin’ ya what you can and can’t do, people will always find a way to bend the rules, make exceptions, run through loopholes.

There’s no point gettin’ angry about it. You’re wasting your time if you ever thought justice could ever be achieved. There’s always someone one step ahead of ya, and that someone has power. It’s money that makes the world go round, and if you don’t have it, the world won’t stop for you. They’ll cast you aside and make sure to protect those who do.

As fucked up as it is, I don’t blame Mr. Madle for usin’ his godsent gifts to get outta trouble. I mean, you gotta be an idiot to not do whatever you can to protect yourself, especially when you have access to so many resources and connections. It may be wrong, but I learned a long time ago there’s no point in fighting for a system that doesn’t fight for you. I learned that, especially if you live a life full of darkness, when you see a glimmer of light in solvin’ your problems, you gotta take it.

Even I took that chance when Mr. Wilson bailed me outta jail under the table to work on his imperative case. It may not have been playing the game fair, but it was playing the game smart.

Where you start is a game of luck, but where you end is a game of wit.

Ranch.

Ranch.

His name wasn’t always Ranch. He wasn’t always a detective fighting for answers and self-discovery at any and all costs.

Jump to the synopsis if you want the basic facts.

The Setting

His world is on Earth- an earth where humans and humanoids live alongside each other. The story mainly focuses on the United States, where there is a noteworthy divide between the North and the South. The North is industrialized, booming and bustling. The South has more wilderness, but in the hearts of the south, deserts, ranches, and small towns decorate the area. Most people in the North regard those in the South as “uneducated” and “savage. While most in the South have respect for those in the North and can admire the lifestyle they have. Regardless of the divide, crime and corruption runs rampant all across the States. There is a constant battle between the corrupt upper classes and the impoverished/struggling lower classes. Which leaves the middle class to amend the political and social issues faced in the States. Some work in favor of the corrupt for self-benefit, and others work in favor of the people for the greater good. No matter what side you fight for, the corrupt always seem to have the upper hand, and they appear to be shielded from many consequences/laws in society.

His Backstory

Youth

He was once named Raymond Tibleski, born to August and Margarita Tibleski in Bandera, Texas. Margarita was a baker, August was a cowboy who tended to the ranch with his daughters’ assistance. Ranch had a lot of pressure growing up- for one, he’s the youngest and only boy in the family, so it’s obvious his parents kept trying for one and stopped when he was born. August had dreams of his own growing up- he had dreams of being in the big city, of being a successful businessman. But it all stopped when Margarita got pregnant, and they were compelled to marry at 16. He had to give up his dreams of living in the expensive city to work for his family. And when his son was born, he saw this as an opportunity to raise his son to rise above Bandera- the county he so desperately hates for tying him down. He notes that his son has a good head on his shoulders, a keen eye for detail, and snappy remarks. He decides to push him to become a lawyer to realize his forgone dreams. Raymond resists, though, as he wishes to join his father and sisters in tending to the ranch, he wants to enjoy the scenery and what nature has to offer. But his mother goes along with what his father says and makes him stay in the bakery to study. He only passes his free time watching a collection of his father’s favorite detective movies, falling in love with the novelty, excitement, and danger of the city life. To them, Raymond is their one way ticket out of Bandera, or their way of succeeding in someway.

Raymond grows to resent his father for ignoring his dreams, for pressuring him to become somebody he really doesn’t want to become. As a result, Raymond feels disconnected from Bandera, not enjoying what it has to offer.

But in elementary school he got a taste of what it had to offer. No one took much interest in him, and peers even made fun of him for not belonging. But a young girl named Rosemary found him interesting, and made friends with him. She was shocked to know he hasn’t even ridden a horse before, given that his father’s ranch is successful in breeding and getting horses out to the people. They sneak out of class one day so he can meet the horses in the stables at her home. As he’s about to get on one, the sheriff arrives and barks at the kids, scaring the horse and causing Ranch to fall off and break his arm.

He goes to an infirmary to get treated, and his parents scold him to say the least. To keep him from getting into any trouble and to keep him on track, they send him to a boarding school in the Bronx. August thinks this will punish his son yet help him at the same time. He thinks that Raymond is completely invested in Bandera, and leaving will help him focus on his studies in the city. But Raymond is secretly excited to see what the city has to offer him.

Education and the Boring Early Twenties

He spends his youth in the Bronx, going back to visit Bandera for holidays. To pass the time in his room, he watches detective movies, reads detective books, and gets invested in the thrill of a good mystery. He wishes for something exciting to happen to him, to not be subjected to a life of “boring lawyer-ism”. He’s still under pressure from his family to pursue a career in law, and although he seems to be a natural at it, he doesn’t feel the passion for it. So to add some spice in his life, he signs up for police training academy while he still works at his studies AND works as a paralegal. He basically gets no sleep. After phenomenal academic and physical performance, he’s offered a paid internship to be a popular detective’s apprentice. After a challenging yet fruitful investigation, he realizes he doesn’t want to persecute people- he wants to be involved in the action. He graduates law school at 22 and leaves the internship, but his mentor makes it known that he has a natural talent and passion for the work. “There are always more bad guys to catch.”

He works as a lawyer for a year with nothing but successful cases, won with his keen eye for detail. But he grows tired of this and constantly looks to his detective days and can’t believe his glory days are already behind him at 23. After he gets a call from his mentor to take a look at a cold case that’s been driving him nuts, he helps him crack it. And he realizes what he needs to do.

Raymond drives down to Bandera and feels a sinking feeling seeing the pride in his parents’ eyes- pride and shining that’s about to be shot down with his confession.

He quit to kick up his own detective agency. He and his father have an ugly fight, ending with them estranged.

Love and Regression

Raymond is extremely torn, but his college friends take him out for guy’s night to take his mind off the pain, and to celebrate him “growing a spine”. Raymond barely makes time for fun, so they spend half the night coaxing him to relax and have fun. His friends realize after multiple attempts that he just can’t allow himself to have fun so they resort to the thing that always works for them- weed and liquor. They end the night crossed, going to a strip club and having the time of their lives. When Raymond spots the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. He makes his move, flirts with her, and spends a night with her in the “private room”. Her name’s Laura, a young woman trying to make end’s meet, who escaped from an abusive relationship that caused her to drop out of college and lose everything. Raymond invites her on a date, something he would never have the courage to do sober, and she agrees.

After a year of dating, Raymond knows how important stability is to Laura, so he proposes to her and they have an extravagant wedding. Raymond invites his family to the wedding, per Laura’s suggestion, but only his mother and 2 of his sisters arrive. Everyone else is Laura’s family and friends, and Raymond’s college friends.

Eventually, Laura expresses to Raymond how important “them” time is, to the point where Raymond stops dedicating time to his friends and starts focusing on Laura and his career instead. She becomes unhappy with Raymond’s scrappy apartment, and wants to move somewhere nicer, but the city being expensive, it’s all he can afford for them. Laura emphasizes that they need to start settling down and having a serious, lovely life together, and she suggests him becoming a lawyer again. Raymond hesitates, but after coming home one night to her packing her things, he breaks and accepts.

Throughout their time together, Laura constantly mentions kids and hints at it but Raymond makes it clear he’s happy with it just being the two of them. He doesn’t want more responsibilities to be tied down to, he just wants to be his own man, with his woman. Laura hesitates but is sure she can convince him down the line.

Decay

He works as a lawyer for a prestigious law firm for 6 years, and he gradually feels his life becoming gray as they’re surrounded by materialism. Nothing is exciting to him anymore- not even sex. He and Laura scarcely have it, as Raymond can never get in the mood. But Laura is impatient because her “biological clock is ticking” and she wants to become a mother. Even though Raymond has always been firm on not having any children.

Except one day, Laura reveals that she’s pregnant.

They both fight for days as to what to do with the baby. Laura insists it’s a miracle and an opportunity they have to take, Raymond says otherwise. After Laura threatens to leave him once again, he gives up and angrily accepts that he’s just lost control of his life and become a slave to this fate.

Tensions rise in the marriage as they fight every day, but Laura’s hopeful the baby will amend the relationship. After it’s born a healthy baby girl, the spitting image of her mother, they name her Cassidy. And things seem to be mellowing out for the couple. Until Raymond’s birthday comes up, and he’s invited out to a couple of drinks to catch up with his college friend, Frank Wilson, who he bumped into. Against Laura’s protests, he goes, and by talking to Wilson and hearing about his business endeavors and how he’s “living the high life”, Raymond realizes just how much he screwed himself over by jumping into these decisions letting someone else take the reins of his life.

Raymond leaves the bar and comes back home to Cassidy crying, but Laura gone. Enraged, he takes the baby into the car and forfeits her to a local fire station. He takes a sleeping pill and feels a little distressed but more at ease. His wife comes back home, obviously drunk, and he sits her down to have a talk with her. But she declines and wants to look for the baby. He follows her into the nursery, and she sees that the baby is gone. She becomes extremely angry and in a drunken rage, starts to press him for details. She follows him into the living room and Raymond admits he doesn’t feel ready for a baby. He doesn’t think either of them are fit to be parents. He just was never interested, and she isn’t fit to be a mother with how often she leaves the baby to party and have fun. She slaps him and they fight for a long time, but then she begins to pack her things. Raymond panics as she says she’s going to leave him and raise the baby herself then. After feeling dizzy and nauseous, like he’s going to throw up, he knocks out and wakes up lying on top of her. He gets up and realizes he’s covered in her blood. In shock, he hears the sirens since the neighbors called the police on them, and he’s taken away.

Raymond defends himself in court and manages to get away with 15 years for murder, but he legitimately doesn’t know what happened that night, and it tears him apart from the inside. While incarcerated, he changes his name to Ranch to escape from his old identity as a pushover. He wants to be strong, and most importantly, independent. He hurts deeply and feels betrayed and guilty, although he tries to repress the guilt, as he’s adamant he didn’t kill her.

Revival

On his 6^th year in prison, he gets a visit from Frank Wilson. In the time that has passed, Wilson became CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. He asks Ranch if he can investigate a case for him. He suspects a drug cartel is behind the disappearance of many prescription drugs in the warehouses scattered across the west. He offers to buy Ranch’s way out of prison. Ranch considers this, and rejects this at first, storming out of the visitor center. Although that night, he gets jumped by a good number of criminals, which is just enough to push him over the edge and accept Wilson’s offer.

After being released from prison, he vows to find the truth about what exactly happened that night while still working towards his deal with Wilson.

While the paperwork is being filled out for his release, a receptionist is strangely infatuated by Ranch, and secretly passes him a card if he’s looking for work involving “good doing”. He scoffs at this, and just wants to focus on finding the truth instead of maintaining a job about a cause he doesn’t believe in anymore.

Ranch is trapped in his own mind- being aware of every minute detail in his day to day life. He doesn’t trust people or the good in man in general. He doesn’t want to trust or love again, for he fears losing control of himself and his own life by letting others influence his life decisions again. He decides that instead of being the pawn in other people’s games, he’s going to start playing too, without regard for anyone but himself at any cost.

Even outside of prison, he’s “haunted” by Laura’s ghost- an entity that criticizes and second guesses every decision Ranch makes. This prevents him from being absolutely free from his past, and he makes brash decisions to spite the ghost that follows him.

After being released, he misses the taxi that was supposed to take him to see Mr. Wilson, and he wanders the streets of Bronx hungry, cold, haunted, and lost. The receptionist he met before finds him, and treats him to dinner at a diner.

There they talk, and after Ranch resists a considerable amount, he realizes that by taking the job, he could be in the heart of the west where it’s likely that a great amount of drug cartel work is being done. So he accepts but wonders why she’s insistent on him taking on the job. And she reveals that she wants him to go for it and trusts him because she knew him before, and knew of his accomplishments in his detective days. The receptionist is Rosemary. And the man hiring people to work is her father- the mayor of Bandera. And the job concerns major detective work in the capital.

Currently, Ranch is the head detective in Bandera. He works alongside the mayor’s 32 year old mildly retarded son who has big dreams of being a detective, and he works with Rosemary, who becomes his receptionist on the side. Together, they’re uncovering mysteries concerning suspicious murders, drug abuse, and kidnappings that are scattered across the once secure Bandera.

Who is Ranch? (How he Views the World)

Ranch started his life with a plan already laid out for him. He wasn’t given any choice, and was sheltered from the wild nature of the west, of which he was so curious about. He grew to feel almost afraid of what was out there, and never even considered that he could go against his parents’ word. Once he hit law school, he found learning law to be easy, but boring, and he dared to try something new by taking the steps to become a detective, to seek danger and action, when most of his life was dull and secure.

He was a studious, yet goofy man who cared deeply about making his parents proud, but he soon realized that he loved helping people and uncovering hidden truths more. He finally grew courageous enough to stand up for himself and pursue the career of his dreams. He saw the good in humanity and felt warm seeing how he helped people gain peace of mind with his work and with knowing the truth.

When he dated Laura, he wanted to do anything to make her happy- which caused him to become a pushover and allow her to be the main deciding factor in different aspects of his life. He began to slowly lose himself without even realizing it, and completely gave up who he was by the time he married. He felt dull once more, paying bills, going home to his party-girl wife, not being anything but the provider for the two of them.

He lost all control when they finally had a child together. Ranch at this point just wanted to get his life over with, and so young too. He had no passions, no hopes, no dreams. He felt great internal conflict and scorn within himself for working as a lawyer. Not uncovering truths, not helping people- just screwing people over, coming up with white lies for cases, and even worse, covering up the truth. He began to slowly detest people, and saw the evil more than the good.

In a last ditch effort to gain control of his life, he forfeited their child, and ended up with a dead wife. He experienced great turmoil- he still loved Laura, above all else. Even with their issues, she was the one thing he still loved. And with her gone, and not knowing how she died, being accused of murdering her, he lost it all. He lost control, as he became haunted by the ghost of her memory, he lost faith in himself, and in humanity completely.

Now, he’s Ranch. A lost soul, searching for answers, searching for the truth not for justice, but for self preservation and gain. Ranch sees the world in a “kill or be killed” perspective. And no matter what it takes, he believes in reaching goals and being in control. He struggles to see how people, how the world can be kind at all, and sees any act as a way to benefit the self (he doesn’t believe in selflessness or justice anymore). He isn’t surprised by corruption, and has a melancholic perspective on the world. He pays attention to great detail, and he can likely make a long, poetic statement about anything he notes, due to his time in his studies. He’s seen as dramatic to those around him, but he’s so wrapped up in his own mind, he fails to see anyone else’s perspective or how they can live life so “ignorantly”.

Synopsis of his Story

Ranch has had a lot of bumps in his life to say the least. To sum up the word vomit that is Ranch’s life…

• He was born as Raymond in Bandera, Texas to a cowboy and a baker with 6 older sisters.
• His father pressured him to become a big shot lawyer in the city, so Raymond could live the life his father always longed for but sacrificed for family.
• Raymond ended up going to law school, and partaking in police academy while juggling a paralegal internship and a detective agency internship- he had no life for a while. But he fell in love with detective work.
• He gives being a lawyer a shot for a year before growing bored, and he gives detective work a shot again. He shares this with his parents but his father is outraged and disowns him.
• Raymond’s friends take him out on guy’s night to celebrate taking control of his life, and they head to a strip club where he meets Laura, who he dates for a year before proposing to her.
• After getting married, Raymond’s wife pressures him to buckle down to work as a lawyer instead of a detective so they can rack up more income.
• Raymond is dead set on not becoming a father- it’s the one thing he will not compromise on.
• After 6 years of being a lawyer and in a sort of sexless marriage, Laura becomes pregnant, and they argue but end up having the kid anyways.
• After meeting with a college friend (Wilson) and realizing that he’s missing out on life, and coming home to the baby and Laura out partying, he gives the baby up at the fire station without her knowing. And when she comes back, they argue, and Ranch wakes up on her dead bleeding body.
• Raymond is sentenced to 15 years in prison. He renames himself Ranch to say goodbye to the old “pushover Raymond”. But after 6 years, Wilson offers him detective work to take down a drug cartel that’s threatening his pharmaceutical business, and bails him out of prison.
• Ranch meets a woman (childhood friend) who offers him work to do “good deeds” in Bandera, the heart of the west and his childhood home. He accepts, as he thinks that Bandera is a good lead on his case with Wilson.