Frontiers New and Old
These narratives are deliberately fragmented, presented as unfinished tales that capture a specific mood or conflict without offering a resolution. They stand as open invitations to the imagination, functioning like scenes cut from a film that was never fully assembled. The reader is tasked with deciphering the context, piecing together the world based on the clues embedded within the text.
This collection serves as an experimental program at the intersection of human creativity, interdisciplinary arts, and applied artificial intelligence research. It is an exploration of how digital tools can act as a partner in the writing process, influencing the structure and tone of fiction. The project seeks to shape new forms of storytelling and scriptwriting while enhancing essential digital literacy skills and workflows.
From the dusty trails of a Western to the bleak outlook of a Dystopian Thriller, this post covers a wide range of stylistic territories. It also weaves in elements of Satire and Cozy Mystery, creating an eclectic mix of tones. The stories are brought to you by Eva Suluk, Leaf Richards, and Jamie F. Bell, whose combined efforts populate these diverse fictional landscapes.
Step into these worlds and take ownership of the narrative voids. Read beyond the final period of each excerpt and construct the ending that feels most true to the characters and settings introduced here.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Whether navigating the rugged terrain of a Western, the intrigue of Hardboiled Noir, or the whimsy of a Comedic Misadventure, this post bridges the gap between Cozy Mystery and Dystopian Thriller. We are redefining the landscape of publishing by integrating creative technology into the creation of Surreal and Absurdist short stories. Through our focus on AI-assisted narrative and digital literacy, we aim to illuminate how diverse categories like Crime Noir and Action-Adventure are evolving in the digital age.
Wet Socks and Cold Beans
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Comedic Misadventure | Genre: Western
Deep in a damp aspen grove, Shawn finds himself unable to continue the pursuit, trapped by the crushing weight of his own indifference while his companion tries to salvage the mission.
The Dandelion Accord
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Romance | Genre: Satire
The spring air carried the scent of damp earth and the sweet, cloying perfume of budding lilacs. Mud, a stubborn, tenacious kind, clung to everything, especially the edges of Peggy’s wellington boots. The municipal park, usually a cheerful riot of colour, felt strangely hushed in the early afternoon, the kind of quiet that meant adults were either busy elsewhere or plotting something important, like the precise placement of annual bedding plants. Peggy knelt near a weathered bench, her gaze fixed on a cluster of green that, to her, held monumental significance.
The Empty Shop
Author: Leaf Richards | Category: Hardboiled Noir | Genre: Cozy Mystery
A biting winter wind whipped through the village of Oakhaven, carrying fine, crystalline snow that settled on every surface like a fresh coat of quiet. The afternoon light, a weak, bruised violet, was already fading. Three small figures, bundled in more layers than seemed possible, stood before the dark, silent front of Mrs. Johnston’s Secondhand Books. The air smelled of woodsmoke and crisp, wet cold, with the faint, sharper tang of salt from the gritted pathways.
The Glacial Hand of Directive 7
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Surreal / Absurdist | Genre: Dystopian Thriller
The wind, a razor-thin blade off Lake Huron, cut through Julie’s scavenged parka. Each gust kicked up miniature blizzards from the packed snow, stinging her exposed cheeks until they felt like raw meat. The city’s silhouette, usually a comforting cluster of lights even in its current state, was a suffocating mass tonight, punctuated only by the piercing white beams of the Sector Towers and the occasional sweep of a surveillance drone’s searchlight. Streetlights, rationed and flickering, barely pushed back the encroaching indigo gloom that swallowed the cobbled lanes of what used to be the Distillery District. Now, it was just District Seven, a designated zone for ‘permitted enterprise’ – mostly government-sanctioned fabrication workshops and and a few heavily monitored communal kitchens. The air tasted of burnt oil and frozen exhaust, a constant reminder of the regime’s efficiency and the cold, unyielding grip it held on every breath.
The Laptop Screen
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Crime Noir | Genre: Action-Adventure
The air conditioning in the old Exchange District building barely cut through the August humidity. Nathan, perched on a plastic chair in the back row, watched the projector flicker. Another ‘innovative methodology’ was being unveiled, another attempt to make good on promises the city would inevitably break. He was twenty, almost twenty-one, and already tired.
About the Project
By design, these stories have no beginning and no end. Many stories are fictional, but many others are not. They are snapshots from worlds that never fully exist, inviting you to imagine what comes before and what happens next. We had fun exploring this project, and hope you will too.
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection is part of an experimental, creative arts and research program by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. Each chapter is an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment focused on two key areas: AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, where researchers explore using AI to generate story ideas, plot structures, and alternative story arcs to enhance creative development; and Talent Development and Training, where the project studies the necessary skills for creative professionals to manage AI and immersive technologies in production, helping to inform future training curricula. The project was made possible with funding and support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation research and innovation in Ontario.
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