Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
Welcome to our weekly collection of narrative experiments from the “Unfinished Tales and Short Stories” dataset. This selection represents a cross-section of our ongoing creative arts and research program, an interdisciplinary storytelling venture that explores the intersection of technology and narrative. Born from a spirit of collaborative curiosity, the project was undertaken simply for the fun of it, and to learn what we can do when we combine diverse creative prompts with emerging digital tools to see what stories might emerge.
These narrative fragments serve our project’s core research goals in two distinct ways. For our work in AI-Assisted Storytelling, they function as raw material—testing grounds for generating novel ideas, exploring how a single framework can manifest across genres from cyberpunk to urban fantasy, and developing alternative story arcs. Concurrently, these experiments inform our study of Talent Development, providing valuable insight into the evolving skills required for creative professionals. They highlight the growing need for digital literacy, interdisciplinary approaches, and the unique human ability to curate and find meaning within technologically-assisted creative processes.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Northern Protocols
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Cyberpunk Dystopia | Genre: Cyberpunk Dystopia
The reluctant, sluggish thaw of a Northern spring clutched at the city’s periphery, its tendrils of grey slush clinging to the cracked pavements and the bases of skeletal, frost-nipped birches. A perpetual, muted light, filtered through layers of industrial haze and low cloud, softened the sharp angles of the distant Arcology, making it appear less a monument to control and more a smudged charcoal drawing against the pallid sky. Inside the collective’s workshop, a repurposed maintenance bay within a forgotten utility complex, the chill still bit at exposed skin, a constant reminder of the season’s hesitant promise and the pervasive reach of the Authority’s distant hum.
A Circuit of Thin Air
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Psychological Thriller | Genre: Sci-Fi
The control room hummed with a low, electrical thrum, a sound that always managed to settle deep in Lucie’s bones. Outside, a late autumn snow had begun to fall, muffling the city into a soft grey, but inside, the light was harsh and unforgiving, reflecting off polished chrome and the cool sheen of holographic displays. The air smelled faintly of ozone and stale coffee, a scent as familiar as her own breath after weeks spent within these four walls. Every flicker of the monitors felt like a personal challenge, every soft whir of the cooling fans a judgement.
The First Sprout
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Urban Fantasy | Genre: Urban Fantasy
The old Assembly Hall, usually echoing with the boisterous laughter of weekly bingo nights, now held a different, more subdued resonance. Early spring light, pale and hesitant, filtered through tall, arched windows, illuminating the motes of dust dancing in the air, a silent ballet against the deep patina of the aged wooden floorboards. Outside, a reluctant thaw had begun; the scent of wet earth and lingering ice, mingled with the faint, hopeful perfume of awakening balsam poplars, seeped through the ever-so-slightly-ajar ventilation grates. A faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through the very foundations of the building, a geological sigh that most would dismiss as the city’s ceaseless hum, but which, to those gathered, felt more like a pulse, slow and deep.
A Northern Canvas, Unfurling
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Popular Culture | Genre: Contemporary
The community hall hummed with the dry, artificial warmth of forced air, a stark contrast to the biting winter outside. Dust motes danced in the anemic light filtering through the high, arched windows, each pane etched with a delicate lacework of frost. A faint, almost imperceptible scent of old coffee and fresh marker ink hung in the air, a familiar blend of earnest intention and lingering exhaustion.
A Grid of Sunbaked Irony
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Popular Culture | Genre: Urban Fiction
The air shimmered above the downtown asphalt, distorting the already Block-style architecture into something even more absurd. Mid-afternoon in Winnipeg, and the sun beat down with the unapologetic intensity of a prairie summer, pressing against the concrete and glass, making every breath feel thick with humidity and the ghosts of forgotten civic planning. A city humming with a strange, enduring humour, oblivious to the heat.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This collection’s focus on Cyberpunk Dystopia, Sci-Fi, and Urban Fantasy provides a direct lens for examining the digital transformation of the arts. These narratives critically explore the integration of technology into society, questioning its impact on human identity and creative expression. Engaging with these speculative and contemporary frameworks allowed our participants to develop distinct world-building and narrative skills relevant to modern technological shifts.
The fusion of speculative fiction with psychological and urban elements proved to be a valuable experiment in narrative scope. This approach generated a dynamic range of stories, highlighting the versatility of our cohort in tackling complex, culturally relevant subjects. Ultimately, this collection serves as a compelling demonstration of how contemporary storytelling adapts to and reflects our ongoing digital evolution.
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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