Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
Welcome to our weekly collection of narrative fragments drawn from the ‘Unfinished Tales and Short Stories’ project, an ongoing creative arts and research program. This initiative was undertaken primarily as an interdisciplinary experiment, driven by a simple curiosity to explore the boundaries of storytelling and, quite frankly, for the fun of it. These pieces represent raw narrative data, snapshots of worlds and characters that emerged as we began to learn what we can do when art and technology intersect in unexpected ways.
Beyond their narrative value, these stories serve a dual purpose within our research framework. For our study in AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, they act as foundational seeds for generating novel ideas, testing plot structures, and exploring alternative story arcs with our machine learning models. Concurrently, they are instrumental in our Talent Development and Training focus, providing tangible case studies for creative professionals to develop the critical digital literacy and interdisciplinary skills needed to manage and collaborate with emerging AI and immersive technologies.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
A Grin in the Amber Leaves
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Horror | Genre: Horror
A biting wind, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant bonfires, whipped the last stubborn leaves into a chaotic dance across the asphalt. Pete, perched precariously atop a weathered bench, meticulously observed the disarray of the schoolyard, a place typically bustling but now eerily quiet after the bell. It was during these moments of solitude, between the cacophony of dismissal and the eventual arrival of his grandmother, that the world often revealed its most peculiar aspects.
Static on the Shield
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Slice of Life | Genre: Slice of Life
A sweltering afternoon in a converted garage in Northwestern Ontario, where the hum of computer fans competes with the buzzing of cicadas outside.
A Gust of Ochre and Concrete
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Adventure | Genre: Action-Adventure
The chill of an early October evening had settled over downtown Winnipeg, clinging to the brick and glass of its older buildings. Below, the Red River flowed like chilled iron, reflecting the bruised purple of the twilight sky. On a forgotten rooftop, amidst the rust-pocked vents and gravel, two figures moved with the nervous energy of impending mischief, the air sharp with the scent of damp concrete and fading leaves.
The Rusting Melody
Author: Leaf Richards | Category: Gritty Realism | Genre: Mystery
The alley breathed cold, damp air, a narrow cut between two hulking brick buildings that had seen better centuries. It was early autumn, the kind that smelled of wet asphalt and decomposing leaves, clinging to the dampness in the air. A bruised light, grey and thin, bled from the sky above, barely reaching the grimy cobbles below where rainwater pooled in oily slicks. Graffiti, faded and layered, ghosted the brick, like old wounds refusing to heal. The distant murmur of city traffic was a constant, low thrum, a heartbeat against the stillness of this forgotten corridor. A single, broken streetlight, its glass shattered, looked down like a blind eye, promising darkness before the night truly fell.
Resentment
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Boys Love (BL) | Genre: Political Thriller
The old truck sputtered its last breath and died, leaving Caleb in a sudden, profound quiet under a sky bleeding plum and apricot. The air tasted of distant woodsmoke and wet, decaying leaves, sharp and melancholic. Out here, where the paved road gave way to churned earth, every sound became magnified: the rustle of dry weeds against the tires, the faint, persistent thrum of a generator from somewhere on Owen’s property, and the unnerving, too-close caw of a crow. He felt less like a returning friend and more like an accidental witness to a quiet, ongoing excavation.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This curated selection demonstrates the creative breadth of our program, spanning genres from Slice of Life to Action-Adventure. The juxtaposition of disparate subjects, such as Gritty Realism and Boys Love (BL), highlights the adaptability and technical skill our participants are developing. The digital medium facilitates this rapid exploration across narrative forms, allowing creators to refine a versatile storytelling toolkit.
The assembly of this collection served as a dynamic and engaging exercise in narrative versatility. It stands as a successful exploration into how digital transformation empowers artists to challenge traditional genre boundaries and develop new creative workflows. The results affirm the value of this experimental approach in shaping the future of digital storytelling.
About the Project
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection was an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment in 2025. It was part of a creative arts and participatory research project by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. It focuses on two key areas: AI-Assisted Storytelling and Scriptwriting, exploring AI tools for generating ideas, plot structures, and story arcs; and Talent Development and Training, studying digital skills, literacy and training needs for creative professionals by experimenting with AI and immersive technologies to inform future projects. Funding and support were generously provided by the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation, and applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.
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