What’s a Vignette?
A vignette is a short, self-contained scene...a slice of night that favors mood, character, and principle over big plot reveals. Think of it as a focused snapshot from the Ashen world.

Why I’m Posting Them
I’ll share these semi-regularly to keep the world breathing and to invite new readers into the larger stories in development. My hope is that these pieces land with you...that you see the values, principles, and morals I’m trying to carry forward. They’re not built for flash...they’re built to show these volunteers, the Ashen, as the heroes they are meant to be.

A Quick Ashen Primer
The Ashen Program is a near-future public-safety experiment built on service. Volunteers accept the scars and downsides of the work to stand the worst posts and endure a little longer…where quiet restraint beats spectacle. They move on rails both procedural and moral, with body-cams and calm reports, receipts for their actions, and a Brakes Committee that audits intent and outcome after each call. Public trust is fragile…applause is rare…the Ashen show up anyway.

Becoming Ashen means a long, arduous training that leaves bodies mapped in scar tissue...an unmistakable look that can make them a spectacle the public can’t bear to face for long. Their very visage too often stirs fear, distaste, even dislike among the people they’re sworn to protect…and still, they take the post.