Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
Welcome to our daily collection of narrative experiments, drawn from the archives of our ongoing creative arts and research program, ‘Unfinished Tales and Short Stories.’ This interdisciplinary project was undertaken primarily for the joy of exploration and to discover what new narrative forms we could create! Each piece represents a unique snapshot from our dataset, offering a glimpse into the diverse worlds and emotional landscapes we’ve charted.
These stories serve a dual purpose within our research framework. For our study into AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, they act as foundational narrative seeds, allowing us to generate and test alternative plot structures and character arcs with our creative AI tools. Concurrently, they are vital for our Talent Development and Training initiatives, providing tangible case studies for creative professionals to analyze as they develop the interdisciplinary skills required to manage emerging narrative technologies and digital literacy in the arts.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Frost on Memory’s Pane
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Grimdark Fantasy | Genre: Contemporary Drama
The city outside was a muted watercolour, grey and white bleeding into one another as the first serious snow of the year fell. Inside Leo’s cramped, overheated flat, the air hung heavy, thick with the smell of stale coffee and something metallic from the space heater. He stood by the window, hands shoved deep into his pockets, watching the flakes accumulate on the ledge, each one a tiny, perfect star destined to melt into the grimy slush below. It was almost Christmas, a fact his bones remembered more acutely than his mind cared to acknowledge.
Silver-Frost Burden
Author: Leaf Richards | Category: Historical Fiction | Genre: Western Style BL
The world was a study in whites and greys, a canvas of unbroken snow stretching into the blurred horizon of a Northwestern Ontario winter. The air, sharp and unyielding, promised no warmth, only the ceaseless, gnawing cold. Under a sky the colour of tarnished pewter, two figures moved with deliberate, heavy steps, small dark smudges against the overwhelming expanse of the frozen landscape, their breath pluming in frosty bursts that vanished almost instantly.
Ghost Lights
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Grimdark Fantasy | Genre: Contemporary Drama
The kitchen was always the coldest room, even with the oven on, a lingering chill that sank into the marrow. Outside, the early December sky was a bruised plum colour, already fading into a thick, starless night. Inside, the only sounds were the low thrum of the ancient refrigerator and the soft, almost apologetic drip from the tap. A half-eaten plate of toast sat abandoned on the counter, crumbs scattered like tiny, meaningless promises.
A Congealed Frost
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Grimdark Fantasy | Genre: Literary Fiction
The chill of December had seeped into the old house, clinging to the threadbare upholstery and the dust motes dancing in the faint light. Outside, a late afternoon snow began to fall, soft and insistent, muffling the already quiet street. Inside, the silence was a different kind of heavy, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic hum of the ancient refrigerator in the kitchen. It was Christmas Eve, a day that felt less like a celebration and more like a carefully maintained truce with sorrow.
The Tinsel
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Grimdark Fantasy | Genre: Contemporary Drama
The old house exhaled a sigh of perpetual cold, a thin layer of hoarfrost clinging to the inside of the kitchen windowpane. Dust motes, heavy and grey, danced reluctantly in the weak, early afternoon light that struggled through the overcast December sky. A large, battered cardboard box, taped shut with ancient, yellowed strips, sat accusingly by the hearth, its contents a silent, potent reminder of celebrations long past and wounds still unhealed.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This collection demonstrates a focused exploration of narrative skill, blending contemporary genres with historically and fantastically rooted subjects. The works required creators to merge the nuanced character dynamics of literary fiction and drama with the rigorous world-building demanded by grimdark fantasy and historical settings. This juxtaposition provided a framework for participants to develop a versatile command of tone, research, and intricate plotting.
As an inquiry into the digital transformation of storytelling, this project was a valuable and engaging experiment. The process revealed how digital platforms can facilitate the synthesis of disparate traditions, allowing forms like Boys Love (BL) to intersect with established literary and historical fiction. The resulting collection successfully showcases the dynamic creative possibilities that emerge when artists are encouraged to adapt and innovate within new structural contexts.
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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