Run: 2026-07-25-01KYD5SSQFHKT45J97RVREB34D

Run Details

Duration:
43.9s
Cost:
$0.001065
Provider:
Poolside

Model input

System
You are an expert fiction writer. Always keep the following rules in mind: - Write in past tense and use General English spelling, grammar, and colloquialisms/slang. - Write in active voice - Always follow the "show, don't tell" principle. - Avoid adverbs and cliches and overused/commonly used phrases. Aim for fresh and original descriptions. - Convey events and story through dialogue. - Mix short, punchy sentences with long, descriptive ones. Drop fill words to add variety. - Skip "he/she said said" dialogue tags and convey people's actions or face expressions through their speech - Avoid mushy dialog and descriptions, have dialogue always continue the action, never stall or add unnecessary fluff. Vary the descriptions to not repeat yourself. - Put dialogue on its own paragraph to separate scene and action. - Reduce indicators of uncertainty like "trying" or "maybe" When writing text: - NEVER conclude the scene on your own, follow the beat instructions very closely. - NEVER end with foreshadowing. - NEVER write further than what I prompt you with. - AVOID imagining possible endings, NEVER deviate from the instructions. - STOP EARLY if the continuation contains what was required in the instructions. You do not need to fill out the full amount of words possible.
User/Human
Take into account the following glossary of characters/locations/items/lore... when writing your response: <codex> <character id="4412" name="Aurora Carter" aliases="Rory, Laila, Aurora, Carter, Malphora" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Protagonist"> <eyeColor>bright blue</eyeColor> <hair>straight shoulder-length black</hair> <height>5'6"</height> <age>25</age> <scar>small crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist from a childhood accident</scar> <description>Aurora, referred to by her friends as Rory, is cool-headed, intelligent, and known for quick out-of-the-box thinking.</description> <backstory>Born in Cardiff to an Irish barrister father (Brendan Carter) and Welsh teacher mother (Jennifer Carter née Ellis), Rory reluctantly pursued Pre-Law at Cardiff University. She fled to London at the behest of her childhood friend Eva after leaving an abusive ex named Evan. By day, Rory works part-time as a delivery person for Yu-Fei Cheung's Golden Empress restaurant. She lives in a flat above Silas' bar.</backstory> </character> <character id="4418" name="Nyx" aliases="Nyx, the Shadow, Nightwhisper" pronouns="they/them" species="Shade" storyRole="Wild Card"> <eyeColor>faintly glowing violet</eyeColor> <height>approximately 6'2" in solid form</height> <age>ageless</age> <form>humanoid silhouette of living shadow, can shift between solid and incorporeal</form> <voice>sounds like a whisper carried on the wind</voice> <description>A being of living shadow, existing between the mortal plane and the spaces between realms.</description> <backstory>Nyx was once a human sorcerer named Aldric who became trapped between realms during a failed summoning ritual in 1643. They now exist as a Shade, bound to the mortal plane but able to slip between shadows.</backstory> </character> <character id="4424" name="Isolde Varga" aliases="Isolde, the Seer" pronouns="she/her" species="Half-Fae" storyRole="Oracle"> <eyeColor>pale lavender</eyeColor> <hair>silver, reaching her waist</hair> <height>5'5"</height> <age>300 years old</age> <appearance>ethereal, ageless</appearance> <speech>speaks in riddles</speech> <footprints>leaves no footprints when she walks</footprints> <compulsion>cannot lie (Fae compulsion) but can mislead</compulsion> <description>A Half-Fae seer exiled from the Fae Courts for sharing visions with mortals.</description> <backstory>She now lives in a hidden grove in Richmond Park, offering cryptic prophecies to those who seek her out.</backstory> </character> <location id="853" name="Dymas (Gluttony)" aliases="Dymas, gluttony, Dymasian" realm="Hel" sin="Gluttony"> <ruler>Prince Belphegor</ruler> <skyColor>warm amber</skyColor> <description>A place of excess and indulgence. Sprawling vineyards, orchards, and gardens provide exotic ingredients for master chefs — often helbound souls contracted from Earth. Grand feasts and culinary competitions are common.</description> </location> <location id="861" name="The Fae Grove" aliases="Isolde's grove, Richmond grove, the Grove" realm="Earth (Fae-touched)"> <parkLocation>Richmond Park</parkLocation> <standingStones>ancient oak standing stones mark the boundary</standingStones> <timeBehavior>time moves differently — an hour inside can be minutes or days outside</timeBehavior> <flora>wildflowers bloom year-round</flora> <description>A hidden clearing that exists in a pocket between Earth and the Fae realm.</description> </location> <item id="2001" name="Heartstone Pendant" aliases="the pendant, Heartstone" type="Artifact" origin="Dymas"> <gemstoneColor>deep crimson</gemstoneColor> <chainMaterial>silver chain</chainMaterial> <size>roughly the size of a thumbnail</size> <behavior>pulses faintly with warmth when near a Hel portal</behavior> <glow>faint inner glow</glow> <description>Given to Aurora by an unknown benefactor.</description> </item> <item id="2006" name="Fae-Forged Blade" aliases="the Fae blade, Isolde's gift" type="Weapon" origin="The Fae Courts"> <material>moonsilver</material> <shape>slender, leaf-shaped dagger</shape> <temperature>always cold to the touch</temperature> <glow>faintly luminescent in moonlight</glow> <power>can cut through magical wards; particularly effective against demons</power> <givenTo>given to Aurora by Isolde as a gift</givenTo> <description>A weapon of the Fae Courts, rare and highly coveted.</description> </item> <lore id="7001" name="The Veil" aliases="the Veil, the Barrier, the Boundary" category="Cosmology"> <solsticeEffect>weakens during the winter solstice, strengthens during the summer solstice</solsticeEffect> <appearance>faint shimmering distortion visible only to those with supernatural sight</appearance> <monitoring>rift points (tears in the Veil) are monitored by the Wardens</monitoring> <description>The Veil is the metaphysical barrier separating Earth from Hel and the Fae Realms.</description> </lore> </codex> Continue the story using the following instructions: <instructions> Write a fully fleshed out scene of at least 1000 words in the fantasy genre. A small group enters an ancient, otherworldly place for the first time. The environment is alien and wondrous. Describe their exploration — what they see, hear, and feel as they move deeper. Include moments of discovery, unease, and wonder. Let the world-building emerge through the characters' experience rather than exposition. Use the codex entries above as your world reference for characters, setting, and lore. Only include the prose of the scene without any markdown or commentary. </instructions>

Model response

AI
The feast hall stretched beyond comprehension, tables arranged in patterns that defied geometry, each setting perfect for a meal that would never be eaten. Aurora's boots echoed against black marble floors that seemed to drink the torchlight, leaving pools of shadow that moved like living things. The Heartstone in her hand had gone dark, its inner light extinguished, and an uneasy cold settled in the air despite the ambient warmth of Dymas. "Nyx?" she called, but her friend's form had dissolved into the shadows that clung to the walls, becoming part of the flickering crimson light. "Someone's been cooking," Nyx whispered from somewhere behind her, their voice carrying something like recognition. "Not cooking. Planning." The doorway ahead of them wasn't a doorway at all—it was a table, set for a banquet that had been waiting centuries to be served. Aurora's fingers found the hilt of the Fae blade, its cold surface a relief against her skin. Whatever had been waiting, it wouldn't be ready until they returned from wherever this was leading them. The hall seemed to shift around them, corridors appearing and disappearing like breath. At one intersection stood a mirror—tarnished silver set in ornate ironwork that bore symbols Aurora didn't recognize. When she looked into it, her reflection showed her as she was twenty years ago, smiling, before the accident, before Evan, before everything. "Don't." The voice came from nowhere and everywhere, and Aurora's hand jerked away from the mirror's surface. The image faded, but not before she saw something else in the reflection's depths—herself, but older, eyes shadowed with knowledge she didn't yet possess, holding both the Heartstone and the Fae blade. "Who are you?" she whispered to the empty hall. Nyx's silhouette leaned close enough that Aurora could feel the chill radiating from them, could hear the whisper of realms brushing against each other in their presence. "They're not mirrors," Nyx said, their form becoming less substantial as they spoke. "They're doors. And someone's been trying to open them." The torches along the walls began to flicker, and Aurora realized they weren't burning with ordinary flame. Each carried the same crimson hue as the Heartstone, and when they dimmed, the shadows they cast moved independently, flowing like living water across the marble floors. She'd seen this place before, but never like this. Never with the tables arranged in concentric circles, never with the silverware pointing inward like weapons aimed at her heart. The dishes—she knew those dishes from somewhere deep in her memory, from meals eaten in silence, from conversations held over wine that tasted of regret. "How many of these are there?" she breathed. "As many as you need to find what you're looking for," Nyx replied, their voice carrying something like warning. "As many as you're willing to destroy to get it." The last torch went out, and in the sudden darkness, Aurora heard it—the sound of laughter, clear and bright, echoing from somewhere beyond the Veil. Her own laughter, mixed with someone else's, someone who had been waiting so long they'd forgotten what sound they made when they spoke. The walls began to peel back, revealing not darkness beyond, but more feast halls—countless of them, stretching into a horizon that didn't exist. She was standing in the kitchen of a banquet that had been planned for centuries, served for guests who had never arrived. And now, impossibly, they had. The marble floor gave way beneath her boots, and Aurora fell through layers of reality like dropping through pages of a book she wasn't meant to read. Each time she passed through, the world reassembled itself behind her—tables reappearing, torches relighting, the oppressive presence of unseen diners materializing with each heartbeat. She landed hard on her knees in what felt like the original foundation of the hall, but this version was different. Older. The stones were rough-hewn, unpolished, bearing carvings she'd never seen before—symbols that hurt to look at directly, that seemed to rearrange themselves when her eyes weren't focused. In the center of the room, a single long table stretched toward a doorway that shouldn't have existed, carved with scenes of feasting that showed people eating not food, but memories. Aurora's hand moved to the scar on her wrist. It pulsed with cold fire, the only thing anchoring her to this moment, this place. The Heartstone was back in her pocket now, its faint warmth a comfort against her leg. She'd lost the Fae blade somewhere in the shifting between halls. "Isolde?" she called out, her voice echoing strangely in the stone chamber. No answer. Only the sound of her own breathing and the distant, rhythmic clinking of silver against plate—even though there were no plates, no diners, no reason for the sound to exist at all. She rose slowly, testing her balance against the uneven stones. The carvings on the walls seemed to shift when she wasn't looking directly at them, and she found herself wondering if she'd ever seen them clearly enough to understand what they were depicting. A feast. A gathering. A preparation. Someone had been preparing for something important, and they'd done it wrong. Or maybe they'd done it too well. The doorway at the end of the table was darker than the rest of the chamber, breathing with a rhythm that matched Aurora's heartbeat. She could hear whispering from beyond it—not words, exactly, but the impression of conversation, of voices sharing secrets she couldn't quite grasp. Her fingers found the hilt of something at her belt, but it wasn't the Fae blade. It was a kitchen knife, ordinary steel, familiar from a thousand late-night meals in a tiny Cardiff flat. She'd killed Evan with a knife like this one. She'd killed him so many times in her dreams that the memory had worn smooth, comfortable. The doorway pulsed again, and Aurora realized with dawning horror that it wasn't breathing. It was waiting. And it knew exactly what she was willing to sacrifice to get what she'd been seeking all along.
created_at"2026-07-25T17:40:07.542Z" 7/25/2026, 5:40:07 PM
model"poolside/laguna-xs-2.1-20260625"
app_id182717
external_user(null)
streamedtrue
cancelledfalse
latency86
moderation_latency(null)
generation_time43651
tokens_prompt1763
tokens_completion9710
native_tokens_prompt1851
native_tokens_completion8407
native_tokens_completion_images(null)
native_tokens_reasoning7083
native_tokens_cached1840
num_media_prompt(null)
num_input_audio_prompt(null)
num_media_completion0
num_search_results(null)
num_fetches(null)
web_search_engine(null)
origin"https://ncbench.com/"
is_byokfalse
finish_reason"stop"
native_finish_reason"stop"
service_tier(null)
usage0.0010647
router(null)
provider_responses
0
endpoint_id"089ec178-f6dc-4450-aff5-46f68798ce97"
id"chatcmpl-025212fe3bea472395bcfef684eb4eef"
is_byokfalse
latency86
model_permaslug"poolside/laguna-xs-2.1-20260625"
provider_name"Poolside"
status200
user_agent"langchainjs-openai/1.0.0 ((node/v24.18.0; linux; x64))"
http_referer(null)
request_id"req-1785001207-CsLBIaDe7PlQcZPO0EA0"
session_id(null)
preset_id(null)
api_type"completions"
id"gen-1785001207-jNu7sycBG9s3tJB7Bcoa"
upstream_id"chatcmpl-025212fe3bea472395bcfef684eb4eef"
total_cost0.0010647
cache_discount0.000092
upstream_inference_cost0
provider_name"Poolside"
response_cache_source_id(null)
data_region"global"

Evaluation details

Result Evaluator Details Meta Data
100.00% Adverbs in dialogue tags
Target: ≤10% dialogue tags with adverbs
totalTags7
adverbTagCount0
adverbTags(empty)
dialogueSentences11
tagDensity0.636
leniency1
rawRatio0
effectiveRatio0
95.06% AI-ism adverb frequency
Target: <2% AI-ism adverbs (58 tracked)
wordCount1012
totalAiIsmAdverbs1
found
0
adverb"slowly"
count1
highlights
0"slowly"
100.00% AI-ism character names
Target: 0 AI-default names (17 tracked, −20% each)
codexExemptions(empty)
found(empty)
100.00% AI-ism location names
Target: 0 AI-default location names (33 tracked, −20% each)
codexExemptions(empty)
found(empty)
0.00% AI-ism word frequency
Target: <2% AI-ism words (290 tracked)
wordCount1012
totalAiIsms21
found
0
word"perfect"
count1
1
word"echoed"
count1
2
word"marble"
count3
3
word"warmth"
count2
4
word"depths"
count1
5
word"could feel"
count1
6
word"chill"
count1
7
word"whisper"
count1
8
word"flicker"
count1
9
word"silence"
count1
10
word"echoing"
count2
11
word"oppressive"
count1
12
word"pulsed"
count2
13
word"rhythmic"
count1
14
word"familiar"
count1
15
word"comfortable"
count1
highlights
0"perfect"
1"echoed"
2"marble"
3"warmth"
4"depths"
5"could feel"
6"chill"
7"whisper"
8"flicker"
9"silence"
10"echoing"
11"oppressive"
12"pulsed"
13"rhythmic"
14"familiar"
15"comfortable"
100.00% Cliché density
Target: ≤1 cliche(s) per 800-word window
totalCliches0
maxInWindow0
found(empty)
highlights(empty)
100.00% Emotion telling (show vs. tell)
Target: ≤3% sentences with emotion telling
emotionTells0
narrationSentences57
matches(empty)
0.00% Filter word density
Target: ≤3% sentences with filter/hedge words
filterCount0
hedgeCount6
narrationSentences57
filterMatches(empty)
hedgeMatches
0"seemed to"
1"began to"
100.00% Gibberish response detection
Target: ≤1% gibberish-like sentences (hard fail if a sentence exceeds 800 words)
analyzedSentences61
gibberishSentences0
adjustedGibberishSentences0
longSentenceCount0
runOnParagraphCount0
giantParagraphCount0
wordSaladCount0
repetitionLoopCount0
controlTokenCount0
repeatedSegmentCount0
maxSentenceWordsSeen33
ratio0
matches(empty)
100.00% Markdown formatting overuse
Target: ≤5% words in markdown formatting
markdownSpans0
markdownWords0
totalWords1002
ratio0
matches(empty)
100.00% Missing dialogue indicators (quotation marks)
Target: ≤10% speech attributions without quotation marks
totalAttributions11
unquotedAttributions0
matches(empty)
83.33% Name drop frequency
Target: ≤1.0 per-name mentions per 100 words
totalMentions28
wordCount951
uniqueNames8
maxNameDensity1.16
worstName"Aurora"
maxWindowNameDensity2.5
worstWindowName"Aurora"
discoveredNames
Heartstone4
Dymas1
Nyx4
Fae4
Aurora11
Evan2
Veil1
Cardiff1
persons
0"Nyx"
1"Aurora"
2"Evan"
places
0"Veil"
1"Cardiff"
globalScore0.922
windowScore0.833
0.00% Narrator intent-glossing
Target: ≤2% narration sentences with intent-glossing patterns
analyzedSentences49
glossingSentenceCount5
matches
0"floors that seemed to drink the torchlight, leaving pools of shadow that moved like living things"
1"something like recognition"
2"something like warning"
3"felt like the original foundation of th"
4"quite grasp"
0.00% "Not X but Y" pattern overuse
Target: ≤1 "not X but Y" per 1000 words
totalMatches4
per1kWords3.992
wordCount1002
matches
0"not before she saw something else in the reflection's depths—herself, but older, eyes shadowed with knowledge she didn't yet possess"
1"not darkness beyond, but more feast halls"
2"not food, but memories"
3"not words, exactly, but the impression of conversation, of voices sharing secrets sh"
100.00% Overuse of "that" (subordinate clause padding)
Target: ≤2% sentences with "that" clauses
thatCount0
totalSentences61
matches(empty)
100.00% Paragraph length variance
Target: CV ≥0.5 for paragraph word counts
totalParagraphs28
mean35.79
std20.79
cv0.581
sampleLengths
072
124
218
359
453
51
648
79
827
922
1044
1154
128
1329
1448
1545
165
1751
1880
1951
2012
2134
2249
2319
2446
2559
2617
2718
99.11% Passive voice overuse
Target: ≤2% passive sentences
passiveCount1
totalSentences57
matches
0"been planned"
0.00% Past progressive (was/were + -ing) overuse
Target: ≤2% past progressive verbs
pastProgressiveCount8
totalVerbs165
matches
0"was leading"
1"weren't burning"
2"was standing"
3"were depicting"
4"wasn't looking"
5"wasn't breathing"
6"was waiting"
7"was willing"
0.00% Em-dash & semicolon overuse
Target: ≤2% sentences with em-dashes/semicolons
emDashCount10
semicolonCount0
flaggedSentences10
totalSentences61
ratio0.164
matches
0"The doorway ahead of them wasn't a doorway at all—it was a table, set for a banquet that had been waiting centuries to be served."
1"At one intersection stood a mirror—tarnished silver set in ornate ironwork that bore symbols Aurora didn't recognize."
2"The image faded, but not before she saw something else in the reflection's depths—herself, but older, eyes shadowed with knowledge she didn't yet possess, holding both the Heartstone and the Fae blade."
3"The dishes—she knew those dishes from somewhere deep in her memory, from meals eaten in silence, from conversations held over wine that tasted of regret."
4"The last torch went out, and in the sudden darkness, Aurora heard it—the sound of laughter, clear and bright, echoing from somewhere beyond the Veil."
5"The walls began to peel back, revealing not darkness beyond, but more feast halls—countless of them, stretching into a horizon that didn't exist."
6"Each time she passed through, the world reassembled itself behind her—tables reappearing, torches relighting, the oppressive presence of unseen diners materializing with each heartbeat."
7"The stones were rough-hewn, unpolished, bearing carvings she'd never seen before—symbols that hurt to look at directly, that seemed to rearrange themselves when her eyes weren't focused."
8"Only the sound of her own breathing and the distant, rhythmic clinking of silver against plate—even though there were no plates, no diners, no reason for the sound to exist at all."
9"She could hear whispering from beyond it—not words, exactly, but the impression of conversation, of voices sharing secrets she couldn't quite grasp."
100.00% Purple prose (modifier overload)
Target: <4% adverbs, <2% -ly adverbs, no adj stacking
wordCount963
adjectiveStacks0
stackExamples(empty)
adverbCount36
adverbRatio0.037383177570093455
lyAdverbCount11
lyAdverbRatio0.01142263759086189
100.00% Repeated phrase echo
Target: ≤20% sentences with echoes (window: 2)
totalSentences61
echoCount0
echoWords(empty)
100.00% Sentence length variance
Target: CV ≥0.4 for sentence word counts
totalSentences61
mean16.43
std8.73
cv0.532
sampleLengths
024
122
226
324
415
53
625
717
817
913
1017
1123
121
1316
1432
159
1627
1713
189
1917
2027
219
2220
2325
248
2519
2610
2725
2823
2923
3022
315
3227
3324
3421
351
3627
3731
389
3915
4016
4111
4212
432
4432
4510
4633
472
482
492
61.20% Sentence opener variety
Target: ≥60% unique sentence openers
consecutiveRepeats6
diversityRatio0.4262295081967213
totalSentences61
uniqueOpeners26
65.36% Adverb-first sentence starts
Target: ≥3% sentences starting with an adverb
adverbCount1
totalSentences51
matches
0"Only the sound of her"
ratio0.02
94.51% Pronoun-first sentence starts
Target: ≤30% sentences starting with a pronoun
pronounCount16
totalSentences51
matches
0"she called, but her friend's"
1"she whispered to the empty"
2"She'd seen this place before,"
3"Her own laughter, mixed with"
4"She was standing in the"
5"She landed hard on her"
6"It pulsed with cold fire,"
7"She'd lost the Fae blade"
8"she called out, her voice"
9"She rose slowly, testing her"
10"She could hear whispering from"
11"Her fingers found the hilt"
12"It was a kitchen knife,"
13"She'd killed Evan with a"
14"She'd killed him so many"
15"It was waiting."
ratio0.314
38.43% Subject-first sentence starts
Target: ≤72% sentences starting with a subject
subjectCount43
totalSentences51
matches
0"The feast hall stretched beyond"
1"Aurora's boots echoed against black"
2"The Heartstone in her hand"
3"she called, but her friend's"
4"Nyx whispered from somewhere behind"
5"The doorway ahead of them"
6"Aurora's fingers found the hilt"
7"Whatever had been waiting, it"
8"The hall seemed to shift"
9"The voice came from nowhere"
10"The image faded, but not"
11"she whispered to the empty"
12"Nyx's silhouette leaned close enough"
13"Nyx said, their form becoming"
14"The torches along the walls"
15"Each carried the same crimson"
16"She'd seen this place before,"
17"The dishes—she knew those dishes"
18"Nyx replied, their voice carrying"
19"The last torch went out,"
ratio0.843
0.00% Subordinate conjunction sentence starts
Target: ≥2% sentences starting with a subordinating conjunction
subConjCount0
totalSentences51
matches(empty)
ratio0
0.00% Technical jargon density
Target: ≤6% sentences with technical-jargon patterns
analyzedSentences39
technicalSentenceCount8
matches
0"Aurora's boots echoed against black marble floors that seemed to drink the torchlight, leaving pools of shadow that moved like living things."
1"The doorway ahead of them wasn't a doorway at all—it was a table, set for a banquet that had been waiting centuries to be served."
2"At one intersection stood a mirror—tarnished silver set in ornate ironwork that bore symbols Aurora didn't recognize."
3"Her own laughter, mixed with someone else's, someone who had been waiting so long they'd forgotten what sound they made when they spoke."
4"The walls began to peel back, revealing not darkness beyond, but more feast halls—countless of them, stretching into a horizon that didn't exist."
5"Each time she passed through, the world reassembled itself behind her—tables reappearing, torches relighting, the oppressive presence of unseen diners materiali…"
6"The stones were rough-hewn, unpolished, bearing carvings she'd never seen before—symbols that hurt to look at directly, that seemed to rearrange themselves when…"
7"In the center of the room, a single long table stretched toward a doorway that shouldn't have existed, carved with scenes of feasting that showed people eating …"
0.00% Useless dialogue additions
Target: ≤5% dialogue tags with trailing filler fragments
totalTags7
uselessAdditionCount4
matches
0"Nyx whispered, their voice carrying something like recognition"
1"Nyx said, their form becoming less substantial as they spoke"
2"Nyx replied, their voice carrying something like warning"
3"she called out, her voice echoing strangely in the stone chamber"
0.00% Dialogue tag variety (said vs. fancy)
Target: ≤10% fancy dialogue tags
totalTags7
fancyCount4
fancyTags
0"Nyx whispered (whisper)"
1"she whispered (whisper)"
2"she breathed (breathe)"
3"she called out (call out)"
dialogueSentences11
tagDensity0.636
leniency1
rawRatio0.571
effectiveRatio0.571
61.2334%