Plots Without Resolutions
A story without an ending is a question waiting to be answered. This collection highlights unfinished tales that establish unique worlds and dynamic relationships but stop short of the finale. These interrupted scenes serve as prompts, encouraging the reader to visualize the missing pieces of the puzzle.
The project operates at the intersection of human creativity, interdisciplinary arts, and applied artificial intelligence research. It is an exploration of how digital tools can act as partners in the writing process, assisting in the evolution of storytelling and scriptwriting and enhancing digital literacy workflows.
This post features an eclectic mix of genres, including Dark Comedy, Contemporary Fiction, Boys Love (BL), Action-Adventure, and Historical Conspiracy. The authors bringing these distinct voices to the project are Jamie F. Bell and Eva Suluk.
We invite you to step into the void left by the unfinished text. Use your imagination to resolve the conspiracies and relationships introduced here, completing the work in your own way.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
From fast-paced historical conspiracy and action-adventure to the unique tones of dark comedy and Boys Love (BL), this post highlights a diverse range of voices. By analyzing these journalistic and domestic thriller short stories, we aim to broaden the scope of digital literacy. Our project focuses on the evolution of publishing, leveraging creative technology to develop sophisticated AI-assisted narrative frameworks.
The Unwinding Ascent
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Journalistic | Genre: Dark Comedy
The smell of stale cinnamon and pine-scented air freshener hung thick, then was abruptly replaced by the sharp tang of fear and something metallic grinding. One moment, the escalator was dutifully carrying its human cargo upwards, a slow, gentle procession towards the electronics department. The next, with a shudder that vibrated through George’s very molars, it violently lurched, then began to unwind, hurtling its bewildered passengers downwards against their will, a sudden, chaotic reverse of fortune.
A Filament Glows in the Gloom
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Domestic Thriller | Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The wind howled a low, mournful tune against the brick and glass of downtown Winnipeg, a prelude to the deeper cold. November had bled into December with a swift, brutal elegance, coating the branches of elm trees in a thin, crystalline glaze that sparkled briefly under the weak afternoon sun before dulling to grey. Storefronts, for weeks now, had begun their annual, almost aggressive, adornment – strings of LED lights, plastic holly, and frosted window decals promising discounts and cheer. It was the first true breath of the Christmas season, an invisible pressure settling over the city, touching everyone differently, like a cold hand on a warm window pane.
The Gospel of Ordnance Survey
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Journalistic | Genre: Boys Love (BL)
The fog wasn’t just fog; it was a presence. A cold, damp entity that swallowed sound and shrunk the vastness of the Highlands down to a fifty-metre bubble of visibility. Inside this bubble were Ewan, Rhys, and a disagreement. The air, already heavy with moisture, was now thick with the tension of two competing navigational philosophies.
A Chill in the Circuit
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Adventure | Genre: Action-Adventure
The wind bit, a raw, indifferent thing that scraped along the frozen glass of the abandoned warehouse district. Snow, dry and fine as icing sugar, skittered across the concrete, finding purchase in the deep cracks of the pavement. Winnipeg in January wasn’t just cold; it was a state of being, a constant negotiation with the bite of the air and the treacherous sheen of black ice. Thom pulled his toque lower, the wool scratchy against his forehead, and felt the familiar ache in his fingertips despite the thick, worn gloves. Beside him, Jamey huddled deeper into her oversized parka, the fur trim tickling her chin. Her breath plumed out in ragged bursts, dissolving instantly into the frigid air. The streetlights, sporadic and haloed by the swirling snow, cast long, distorted shadows that danced with the wind-whipped detritus. A discarded Tim Hortons cup tumbled end over end, rattling against a frozen puddle. The silence here was vast, broken only by the howl of the wind and the crunch of their boots on the packed snow. This wasn’t the kind of silence that settled; it vibrated with a predatory edge, like something holding its breath.
The Weight of Paper Dust
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Fast-Paced / Pulpy | Genre: Historical Conspiracy
The smell of old paper and dust motes suspended in the weak, autumn light that filtered through the high, arched windows of the National Archives in downtown Winnipeg. It wasn’t the heroic scent of ancient scrolls or forgotten treaties, but something more mundane: stale air, cheap adhesive, and the faint, persistent metallic tang of filing cabinets. Leah sat hunched over a heavy, brittle binder, its corners worn smooth from decades of neglect, her finger tracing the yellowed lines of government policy drafts from the late 1980s.
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.
About the Author
