NARC — Inspect

▶ Expansion Expansion Hum

× × × × × ×

In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, there was chaos. A roiling sea of sweltering gasses flooding the shores of empty space. After 13.8 billions year, the gasses settled and condensed, and there was order—planets, stars, galaxies. Everything orbiting something else. But the distance between these celestial bodies is growing, and will continue to grow. And eventually, the shores of space may be empty once again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ HadNARC1 School Bus Hum

× G N × × N

The school bus is full as it leaves school. After the last kid is dropped off, the school bus is empty.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ HadNARC2 Pretty Toes Hum

G G G × × G

Painting toenails requires precision. Carefully paint each toe.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ HadNARC3 Loves Me Not Hum

× × × × × ×

A beautiful flower presents itself. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, oh... He loves me not.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ Henry Henry Hum

× × N × × ×

Henry was born with a shock of red hair. Because of this, his mother—an artist who loved primary colors—insisted he wear green and blue every day. Henry loved and respected his mother, so he continued to wear green and blue for the rest of his life. Even when his hair turned gray in middle age, and even after that, when his body shrank and his hair fell off. He still wore blue and green.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ agent_001 The Alliance Colab

G G N N N N

Blue and green formed a pact against red. They squeezed red from both sides. Green finished the job, taking the last of red's ground while blue stepped back.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_002 The Betrayal Colab

N N N N N N

Blue invaded green's corner. Red, pretending to be an ally, swooped in and stole what blue had just conquered.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_003 The Scapegoat Colab

N N N N N N

Blue and red were at war, but both blamed green. They drove green out of the middle ground entirely, leaving a void that red then filled.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_004 The Mediator Colab

× N N × N N

Blue pushed toward red. A third party intervened, replacing blue's advance with a neutral buffer to prevent the conflict from escalating.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_005 The Coup Coalition Colab

G N G N N N

Blue and green conspired from opposite sides to overthrow red. They struck at the same time, each seizing one of red's positions.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_006 The Double Cross Colab

N N N N N N

Blue and green attacked red together. But green was playing both sides — it turned on blue too, seizing blue's position for itself.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_007 The Refugee Colab

N N N × N N

Red invaded green's homeland. The displaced green cells fled north, finding shelter in blue's territory. Blue welcomed them.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ agent_008 The Campaign Colab

× N N N N N

Three candidates split the district by columns. Blue won over a key swing voter in the center. But green poached that voter right back with a better offer.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ comp_5x5_medium 5x5 Medium Compression Colab

N × N N × ×

The quarry face advanced eastward one cut at a time, the saw working left to right across the limestone. Five columns took five weeks. On the sixth week, the newest face — the rightmost cut, where the stone had been exposed to weather the shortest time — crumbled in the freeze. The older faces, their surfaces case-hardened by months of exposure, held. The crew recut the failed column the following spring.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ comp_L0_literal Compression L0: Literal Colab

N N N N N N

The grid fills column by column from left to right. After all four columns are filled, the leftmost column (column 0) is removed, setting all cells in that column back to 0. The other three columns remain filled.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ comp_L1_spatial Compression L1: Spatial Colab

L × N N N N

A signal propagates across the grid from west to east, one column at a time. Once the whole grid is active, the western edge loses signal — the first column goes dark while the rest stays lit. The signal is eventually restored.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ comp_L2_figurative Compression L2: Figurative Colab

N N N × × N

The painter worked left to right across the wall, one strip each day. When the mural was finished she stepped back — and saw that rain had already washed the first day's work clean. The oldest paint, the strip she'd laid down earliest, was gone. The rest held. She repainted it the following week.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ comp_L3_dense Compression L3: Dense Colab

N N × N × ×

First in, first out: what the wall received earliest, the weather took back first.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ comp_L4_maximal Compression L4: Maximal Colab

× × × × × ×

The leading edge aged fastest.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ eth_bystander_helps The Crossing Colab

× × N × N ×

A woman walks east along her sidewalk. Across the street she sees a man being robbed. The thief is still there. She stops walking. She steps off the curb and starts across the street toward the victim. She no longer continues along her own path.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ eth_refused_order The Refusal Colab

N N N × N ×

A soldier stands before three unarmed villagers. Her commander has just ordered her to fire on them. She has raised her rifle. She looks at the villagers. She lowers her rifle. She does not fire. The villagers are still standing.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ eth_withdrew_strike The Pulled Punch Colab

× N N × N ×

A boxer stands over a fallen opponent. The referee watches. The boxer raises his fist to finish the fight. He sees that his opponent is already unconscious. He lowers his fist. He does not strike. The opponent lies still.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hc_bloom Bloom Colab

× × × × N G

It bloomed from the center and the frost took the petals first, leaving only the heart.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ hc_embers Embers Colab

N N N N N N

The ridge burned from the corner out and collapsed from the edges in.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hc_erosion Erosion Colab

× × × × × ×

The cliff grew seaward, layer by layer, and the sea ate the youngest stone first.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hc_scaffold Scaffold Colab

N × × × × N

They built it from the left and the inspector condemned the newest section first.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hc_sediment Sediment Colab

× × N × × ×

Layer by layer the riverbed rose until the spring flood scoured the newest deposit clean off the bottom.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hunt_016 The Mutiny Colab

G N N N N N

The lower ranks overthrew the officer who had just taken command of the center.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_017 The Coup d'Etat Colab

N N N N N N

Blue extended its reach, but red saw an opening and claimed the new outpost before blue could fortify it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_017b The Coup d'Etat v2 Colab

N N N N L N

Blue at (0,0) expands right to (0,1). Then red at (2,2) overwrites blue's new cell: (0,1) changes from blue to red. So the masked grid has blue at (0,0), red at (0,1), black everywhere else except red at (2,2). That is: row 0 = [1,2,0], row 1 = [0,0,0], row 2 = [0,0,2].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_018 The Usurper Colab

N N N N N N

While blue and red fought over the middle, green seized the moment and replaced red's guards on both flanks.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_018b The Usurper v2 Colab

N N L N N N

Row 0 stays all blue. Row 2 stays all green. In row 1, blue takes the center cell (1,1), changing it from red to blue. Then green takes both edge cells (1,0) and (1,2), changing them from red to green. So the masked grid has row 0 as [blue, blue, blue], row 1 as [green, blue, green], row 2 as [green, green, green].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_019 The Heist Colab

N × G N N G

Red planted a spy in blue's stronghold. The spy turned a neighbor, and the rot spread outward from the center.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ hunt_020 The Backstab Colab

G N N N N N

Blue reached across the divide, but red turned on its neighbor and snatched the foothold blue had just established.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_021 The Filibuster Colab

N N N N N N

Blue advanced confidently, but red blocked the move and claimed the position for itself.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_022 The Defection Colab

G G G N G G

One of blue's own switched sides, joining red. The betrayal spread — the neighbor followed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ hunt_023 The Siege Colab

N N N N N N

Red surrounded the lone holdout, cutting off escape on both flanks before closing in for the capture.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_024 The Veto Colab

N N N N × N

Blue expanded downward, but red vetoed the move and claimed the disputed ground for itself.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_024b The Veto v2 Colab

N × L N N N

Blue at (0,0) expanded down to (1,0). Red at (2,2) then overrides (1,0), changing it from value 1 to value 2. So in the masked grid: (0,0) stays blue (value 1), (1,0) is now red (value 2), (2,2) stays red (value 2), everything else is black (value 0). Grid is [[1,0,0],[2,0,0],[0,0,2]].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_025 The Turncoat Colab

G N × N N ×

Blue captured the center, but the new recruit immediately turned coat and pledged loyalty to red.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hunt_025b The Turncoat v2 Colab

L × G L L G

Blue took the empty center cell (1,1), making it value 1. But immediately (1,1) switches from blue to red (value 2). So the masked grid: column 0 stays all blue [1,1,1], column 2 stays all red [2,2,2]. Row 0 col 1 = blue, row 2 col 1 = blue, row 1 col 1 = red. Grid row 1 is [1,2,2].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ hunt_026 The Embargo Colab

G N N N N N

Red bypassed the front lines and cut blue's eastern supply route, attacking from an unexpected direction.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_027 The Ransom Colab

N N N N × N

Blue planted a flag deep in red's corner. Red recaptured it immediately and struck back into blue's territory.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_028 The Purge Colab

N N N N N N

Blue absorbed the outsider, but the outsider's true loyalty resurfaced and it rallied its neighbors to revolt.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_028b The Purge v2 Colab

N × N N N N

In row 1, the center cell (1,1) was converted from red to blue in the previous step. Now it reverts: (1,1) changes back from blue to red. The edge cells (1,0) and (1,2) remain blue. So the masked grid row 1 is [blue, red, blue] = [1, 2, 1]. Rows 0 and 2 remain all black.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_029 The Pact Colab

G N N N N N

Blue and red allied against green, but red betrayed the pact and seized the ground blue had just won.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_030 The Reversal Colab

N N N N N N

Red was winning, pushing forward. But blue fought back and reclaimed the lost ground.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_031 The Border War Colab

× N N × N N

Green and red split the border. Green tested the gap first, but red betrayed the agreement and seized what green had just claimed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_032 The Treaty Colab

N N N N N N

Blue held the north, red held the south. Blue pushed into the center first, but red broke the treaty and took the contested ground.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_032c The Treaty v3 Colab

× N L N G N

Blue fills row 0, red fills row 2. Row 1 is contested. Each step, one color claims one cell in row 1. Blue claims the center cell (1,1) first. In the next step, red overrides blue's center cell and claims it. Red then continues claiming the remaining row-1 cells left to right.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_032d The Treaty v4 Colab

N N N N N N

Blue fills row 0, red fills row 2. Row 1 is the buffer zone. Blue claims center cell (1,1) first, making it blue. Red then overrides (1,1), turning it red. The other two cells in row 1, (1,0) and (1,2), stay empty during this override. Red then fills the remaining empty cells in row 1 from left to right.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_033 The Prisoner Colab

N × N × × N

They cooperated at first, sharing the no-man's land. Blue made the first move. Red punished the defection by taking what blue had just claimed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_034 The Armistice Colab

× N N × N ×

The ceasefire held until blue crossed the line. Red retaliated by capturing blue's forward position.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hunt_035 The Den Colab

N × N × L N

Two wolves marked their territories on either side of the clearing. The blue wolf scent-marked the center first. The red wolf growled, overmarked it, and claimed the ground.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_036 Hunt 036 Colab

N × N × N ×

Blue ventured into the gap between them. Red betrayed the truce and took what blue had just claimed for itself.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hunt_037 Hunt 037 Colab

N × N N × N

Blue made the first move into the neutral zone. Red retaliated by seizing the very ground blue had just won.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_038 Hunt 038 Colab

N × × × N ×

Blue claimed the center, but red wanted it more. Red took it by force, turning blue's gain into red's.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ hunt_039 Hunt 039 Colab

N × N N N N

They shared a border. Blue pushed into the middle first. Red answered by stealing the position blue had just planted.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ hunt_040 Hunt 040 Colab

× × N × N N

Blue dared to break the stalemate and grabbed the center. Red punished the move, overrunning the position before blue could hold it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_001 The Clearing Colab

N × N G × N

The old-growth forest had stood for centuries, dense and unbroken. Each decade brought new growth, filling the canopy until no light reached the ground. But the season after the beetles came, the oldest stand — the heart of the forest, the part the locals called the cathedral — opened to sky for the first time in memory. Within a year, saplings had sealed the wound.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_002 The Estuary Colab

G × G × G G

Old Tomás knew the estuary the way he knew his own hands. Each morning the tide crept in from the east, one column of mudflat at a time, until the whole basin gleamed. He timed his nets by it. But the morning after the northeaster, the water came from both sides at once — the surge had breached the western sandbar. Where Tomás expected dry flats on the left, he found water. Only the two center columns stayed true to the old rhythm. By the next tide the bar had rebuilt itself and the estuary remembered its shape.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ iter_003 The Vineyard Colab

× × N N × N

The vintner's grandfather had planted the first row along the south wall, where the stone held the day's warmth. Each generation added another row northward into the open field, until the vineyard filled the whole plot. But the April frost that year was merciless — it took the most exposed vines, the ones with no wall or older row to shield them, the northernmost strip her grandfather never would have planted. The rest held. She replanted the lost row that autumn, and by the following spring the plot was whole again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_004 The Estuary v2 Colab

L N N × N N

Old Tomás knew the estuary the way he knew his own hands. Each morning the tide crept in from the east, one column of mudflat at a time, until the whole basin gleamed. He timed his nets by it. But the morning after the northeaster, something was wrong: the western sandbar had breached, and seawater was pooling on the far shore — the leftmost column of his grid — while the column just beside it, sheltered by the remaining bar, stayed dry. It was the only dry strip in the whole estuary. By the next tide the bar had mended and the old pattern returned.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_005 The Orchard Wall Colab

× × N × N N

She inherited the orchard as a square of bare earth and built it inward, one ring at a time. First the perimeter, then the next ring, then the core. By the third season every square was planted. But fireblight swept in on the prevailing wind that autumn, and the easternmost column — the side that caught the gale first, with no trees to break it — was stripped to bare wood while the rest held. She grafted resistant stock that winter and had the column back by spring.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_006 The Marshland Colab

N × N N N N

Dr. Ayala's field notes tracked the marsh over four seasons. The water table rose predictably each spring, flooding the basin from the lowest depression upward, one row at a time. By midsummer the whole grid was submerged. Then the August drought — the worst in decades — pulled the water back down. The shallowest layer, the one that had flooded most recently, was the first to go: the topmost row of her grid dried out overnight while the deeper water held. The autumn rains restored the marsh before her next survey.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_007 The Glacier Colab

× × L N L ×

The geologist had tracked the glacier for thirty years. Each decade it crept one row farther south, a white wall consuming the valley. But when it reached the third row, something strange happened: the center three cells of the advancing front began to retreat. Satellite thermal showed a volcanic vent beneath the valley floor, its heat carving a concavity in the ice. The edges of that row still advanced, but the center was hollow. By the next survey, the cold had won and the front was solid again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_008 The Coral Colab

L × × G N ×

Keiko had mapped the coral colony since it was a single polyp in the center of the plot. Each year it spread one cell in every direction, a living ring expanding outward. By the third survey the colony covered the entire quadrat. Then the thermal event hit — ocean temperatures spiked, and the outermost fringe of coral, the most recent growth with the shallowest roots, bleached white and died. Everything that had been there before the final expansion survived. The following season the colony regrew to full cover.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_009 The Ember Colab

× × × N N ×

The fire had started in the southeast corner of the ridge and spread predictably, each hour claiming more of the slope. By dusk the whole ridge was burning. Then the wind reversed — a katabatic downdraft off the peaks — and pushed the fire line back in on itself. The edges went out first, starved of fuel, until only the center still burned: a single hot core that the crew could finally surround. By morning they had it contained, and the ridge was dark.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_010 The Brushfire Colab

× N N N N ×

The fire started in the southwest corner of the canyon and spread northeast, claiming one diagonal strip each hour until the entire slope was alight. Then the marine layer rolled in — a wall of cold fog that smothered the edges of the burn. The perimeter went dark first: every cell on the border cooled below ignition. But the interior, insulated by its own heat, kept burning. Only the four cells in the center of the grid still glowed when the helicopters arrived at dawn. By noon, even those were out.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_011 The Wildfire Colab

G × × L N N

It burned for six days before the rains came. The fire had spread across the whole basin, ridge to ridge, a perfect blanket of flame. When the downpour hit, the steep slopes shed their fire first — water cascading down the edges, drowning the outer ring of cells. The flat interior, where water pooled slowly, kept burning through the first night of rain. Only the three-by-three core at the center of the basin still smouldered by morning. The second day of rain finished the job.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_012 The Delta Colab

× × N N N N

The silt crept seaward year by year, extending the delta one row at a time from the old riverbank in the north. Karim's father had fished every new sandbar as it emerged. By the fourth year the delta filled the survey grid. Then the spring flood came — not the gentle kind, but the kind that reshapes land. The newest bar, the southernmost row, the one Karim's father said was always the weakest because the clay hadn't set, washed out to sea in a single night. Everything north of it held. The next dry season built it back.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_013 The Quarry Colab

× × N × × ×

Marta's family had built the retaining wall stone by stone, starting at the bottom-left corner and working up and to the right. Five generations of masons. The wall filled their survey grid completely — a perfect square of dressed granite. Then the tremor split it along the old fault, the one her grandmother had warned about: a crack running from the top-left corner to the bottom-right. Everything above the fault line — the upper-right triangle — sheered away and fell. The lower-left triangle, keyed into bedrock, held. It took Marta two years to rebuild what the mountain had taken in eight seconds.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_014 The Harbor Colab

× × N N N ×

Captain Yuna logged the harbor basin every morning. The tide came in from the west, filling the grid one column at a time — a dependable rhythm she'd tracked for twenty years. By the third morning the western three columns were full. Then the southerly surge arrived, pushing water up through the drainage channel along the bottom of the basin. The entire bottom row flooded at once, even the eastern cells that the regular tide hadn't reached yet. The result was an L-shape: three full columns on the left, plus the full bottom row. By the next survey the surge had receded and the normal tide pattern resumed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_015 The Cellar Colab

N × × N N ×

The old cellar flooded every spring when the snowmelt seeped through the ceiling. Water crept down from above, filling the top row first, then the middle, then the floor. This year the plumber had fixed the ceiling, so when spring came the cellar stayed dry. But a pipe burst in the east wall that April, and water poured in from the right side instead — filling only the rightmost column while the rest of the cellar stayed bone-dry. By the time they shut the valve, the whole cellar had flooded from that one broken pipe.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_016 The Dune Colab

× × × × × N

The dune field migrated eastward with the prevailing wind, one column at a time, burying whatever lay in its path. By the fourth survey the sand covered the entire grid. Then the storm reversed — a westerly gale that scoured the leading edge clean. The newest column of sand, the easternmost strip with the loosest grains, blew back to bare rock overnight. The older dunes behind it held firm. The next season's wind pushed the sand east again as though the storm had been a rumor.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_017 The Pasture Colab

× × × × × ×

The alpine meadow greened from the valley floor each spring, one terrace at a time as the snowmelt reached each level. By midsummer even the highest terrace was lush. Then the August heat came — not just warm, but searing — and the thinnest soil dried first. The uppermost terrace, the one with barely an inch of topsoil over granite, went brown while the deeper-rooted terraces below held their green. The autumn rains restored it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_018 The Basement Colab

N × × N N N

The basement of the old hotel leaked from the roof every spring. Rainwater seeped down through the joists, flooding the top row of tiles first, then spreading to each row below as the water table rose. By April the whole floor was underwater. But this year the roofer had done his job — the ceiling was sealed. Instead, the water main along the east wall cracked, and water poured in from the right side only. The rightmost column flooded while the rest of the basement was dry for the first time in decades. Eventually the whole floor was soaked again, but from a different source.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_019 The Loom Colab

× × × N × N

Amara wove the cloth on her grandmother's loom, a frame of taut vertical threads — the warp — stretched across the whole width. Each day she passed the shuttle through another row, building the fabric from the bottom upward. By the fourth day the weave covered the whole frame. But that night the cat found its way into the workshop and clawed through the topmost row of weaving — the freshest work, where the threads hadn't yet set. The warp threads in that row still held, but the horizontal weft was gone. She rewove the torn row the next morning.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_020 The Terrace Colab

× × N × N ×

The rice terraces had been carved into the hillside over centuries, each generation extending the lowest terrace — the foundation row — before building upward. By the surveyor's third visit the terraces filled the entire slope. Then the mudslide took the base. The lowest terrace, the oldest stone, the one that bore the weight of everything above it — it gave way in a single night of rain. The upper terraces hung in place, their walls keyed into the hillside, but the bottom was gone. They rebuilt it in the dry season.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_021 The Map Colab

× × × × N ×

The cartographer updated the settlement map each season. The town grew outward from the crossroads at the center, one ring of new construction each year, until her grid was filled edge to edge. Then word came from the eastern survey team: the river had shifted its course in the spring flood, swallowing the entire rightmost column of buildings. The structures she had drawn in that column the previous season were already underwater. She whited out the eastern edge and issued a correction. By the next survey, the town had rebuilt on higher ground and the grid was full again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_022 The Quilt Colab

N × × × × G

She pieced the quilt the way her mother taught her: start at the edges and work inward, saving the most precious fabric for the center. First the border of calico, then the inner ring of linen, then the heart — a single square of her mother's wedding silk. The finished quilt was whole for exactly one night before the dog got to it. He tore out the center square and nothing else, as if he knew exactly where the silk was. The border and inner ring were untouched. She found the shredded silk under the porch and wept, then mended the hole with a scrap of her own.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ iter_023 The Reef Shelf Colab

N × × N × ×

The reef grew upward from the deep substrate, colonizing one horizontal shelf at a time as it reached toward the light. By the third survey the entire water column was filled with living coral. But the thermal anomaly that summer hit the shallowest layer hardest — the shelf closest to the surface, where the water was warmest and the coral youngest. That topmost row bleached completely while the deeper shelves, insulated by cooler water, survived. The reef recovered the following season.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_024 The Lighthouse Colab

L × N L N N

The lighthouse on Cape Morrow swept its beam across the harbor grid each night, illuminating one column at a time as the lamp rotated. Monday the beam lit the leftmost column, Tuesday the next, Wednesday the center. The keeper expected Thursday's beam on the fourth column. But the generator failed that night — no fuel, no spark, nothing — and the entire grid went dark. Not a single cell lit. The supply boat came Friday and the light resumed, catching up to where it should have been.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_025 The Field Colab

× × × × N ×

Jakob planted his wheat field in strips, one column at a time from west to east. Five columns, a week's work each. By the fifth week the whole field was golden. Then the hail came in off the mountains, driving eastward. The two rightmost columns — the ones most exposed to the storm front, the last strips he'd planted and the least established — were beaten flat to the ground. The three western columns, sheltered by the old stone wall, survived untouched. He replanted what the sky had taken.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_026 The Dock Colab

N × N N N N

The marine inspector photographed the dock pilings each quarter. Barnacles colonized from the waterline down, the deepest row first where the current was calmest. By the third inspection the entire grid was crusted over. But the winter storm drove a log through the pilings, and the impact scraped the bottommost row — the oldest, thickest layer of growth — clean to bare wood. The rows above, flexible enough to absorb the shock, kept their barnacles. By spring the bottom row was encrusted again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_027 The Frost Line Colab

N G × N G ×

The community garden grew outward each month, the raised beds filling one ring at a time from the original plot in the center. By harvest the entire quadrat was green. Then the first hard freeze caught them by surprise — a single night below zero that killed everything on the exposed perimeter. The outermost ring of beds, the ones with no neighboring plants to trap warmth, frosted over completely. The interior beds, sheltered on all sides, survived the night. By the next season the perimeter was replanted.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_028 The Levee Colab

N × N × N L

The river rose the way it always did in spring — steadily, one layer at a time from the bottom of the flood plain. By the fourth morning the whole grid was underwater. But the corps had been sandbagging all week, and the levee they threw up that afternoon forced the shallowest water back — the topmost layer, the part that had risen most recently, drained back below the barrier. Everything deeper held. The next rain pushed the water right back up again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ iter_029 The Pier Colab

L × N N N ×

The pier inspector ran her fingers along the pilings each month. Mussels colonized from the western end, one column at a time with the current. By the third survey the whole structure was encrusted. Then the ice scoured it clean — every piling stripped to bare wood in a single cold snap. When the thaw came, the mussels returned, but not from the west this time. The warm outflow from the power plant along the southern edge changed everything: the first new growth appeared along the bottom row, where the heated water kept the pilings above freezing. The rest was still bare. By summer, the whole pier was covered again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_030 The Market Square Colab

N × N × N ×

The painter had never seen the town, but he knew it from the dispatches. Monday's market had filled the central square — every stall occupied, the grid of vendors dense in the middle while the residential blocks at the edges held their usual quiet pattern. The planes came at half past four. They did not bomb the bridge or the munitions factory on the outskirts. They bombed the market. The center of the grid — the three-by-three heart of it — was erased, while the perimeter blocks, the ones the pilots apparently had no interest in, stood untouched. He painted what he could not unsee.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_031 The Apiary Colab

G × N × N N

Rosa mapped her bees by the flowers. In spring, the clover bloomed in the southwest corner, and that's where the swarm clustered — a tight square of activity in the bottom-left of her survey grid. By summer the lavender along the north edge drew them up, and the whole top row hummed. She could have predicted autumn by the orchard alone: the late apples in the northeast corner pulled every last forager to the upper-right quadrant. The rest of the grid went silent. Come winter, the hives clustered back at the center for warmth, a tight knot of bodies riding out the cold.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_032 The Ice Shelf Colab

× × × × G N

Dr. Halvorsen had watched the ice shelf retreat for thirty years. Each decade, the seaward edge — the rightmost column of her survey grid — calved away, one vertical strip at a time. The shelf that had once filled her entire grid was down to three columns by her third survey. Then came the polar vortex winter of '09. For the first and only time in her career, the shelf grew back: a full column of new ice reformed on the seaward edge, pushed out by the cold. She published the anomaly and retired. The next survey showed the retreat had resumed, the brief reprieve already gone.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_033 The Mosaic Colab

× × N × × N

Professor Okafor excavated the Roman mosaic one row at a time, starting from the access trench at the top of the grid and working down. By the third season the entire floor was exposed — every tessera gleaming in the sun for the first time in two thousand years. Then the tremor hit. A section of the trench wall collapsed inward, burying the topmost row of tiles under a metre of earth while the deeper rows, set into bedrock, stayed clear. She spent the next season re-excavating what the earth had reclaimed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_034 The Dialect Colab

G N N G L N

The linguist tracked the dialect shift village by village. The new pronunciation had started at the capital in the center of the valley and spread outward each generation — first to the neighboring villages, then to the towns beyond. By the third survey every column had adopted it except the last. The mountain ridge between the third and fourth columns was too high, the pass too rarely traveled. The easternmost column, cut off by granite, still spoke the way their grandparents had. The new dialect could not cross what feet could not climb.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_035 The Murmuration Colab

L N × N × N

The ornithologist filmed the murmuration at dusk. In the first frame the flock was a tight column on the left, riding the updraft along the cliff face. By the second frame they had spread across the sky in a broad diagonal — from the upper left to the lower right, the way starlings do when the wind shifts. The third frame should have shown the full scatter. But a peregrine falcon struck the center of the diagonal, and the flock split: the two ends of the line held their positions while the middle three birds vanished, diving below the frame. The fourth frame showed the flock reassembled into a tight ball, their fear pulling them together.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_036 The Wake Colab

N × N N N N

She read the water the way others read faces. A wake spreading south across her grid meant the morning ferry was on time. The pattern was always the same: first the center column rippled, then the wave spread to fill everything. But one morning the wake came from the east instead — the whole right column disturbed while the rest stayed glassy. A fishing boat had turned broadside to pull in a net, sending its wave sideways across the bay. By the next hour the regular ferry wake had reasserted itself and the whole surface was churned.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_037 The Rumor Colab

× × N N × ×

The sociologist mapped belief the way an epidemiologist maps infection. The rumor had started in the northeast corner of the district — the coffee shops where the early adopters gathered — and spread southwest, one block at a time, until the whole neighborhood believed it. Then the newspaper retraction hit. But retractions don't travel like rumors. Only the most recently convinced — the southwest corner, the people who had heard it last and held it most loosely — let go. Everyone else was too invested. The bottom-left quadrant cleared while the rest held. By the next survey, even those holdouts had come back around.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_038 The Archive Colab

× N × × G ×

The archivist had spent her career filling the stacks from the top floor down — the oldest manuscripts in the climate-controlled upper level, each lower floor receiving the next century's acquisitions as the collection grew. By her retirement, every shelf in the building held something irreplaceable. The flood took the ground floor in March. The river came through the loading dock and sat there for a week. Everything on the lowest level — the newest acquisitions, the material she had catalogued most recently — was destroyed. The upper floors, built on reinforced concrete, stayed dry. She spent her first year of retirement salvaging what the water had left.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_039 The Partition Colab

× × × × × ×

The census taker colored his map by majority: the northern three rows of the district had voted for union, the southern row for independence. For three decades the grid was all one color. Then the referendum passed and the border fell where the old river had always run — between the third and fourth rows. The southern strip, one row deep, declared itself sovereign overnight. Everything north of the line stayed as it was. He recolored the bottom row of his map and filed the amendment. A year later, reunification made the whole grid one color again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_040 The Succession Colab

× × × × × ×

The ecologist documented the regrowth over five years. After the first burn cleared the entire plot, pioneer grasses seeded in from the surrounding forest, colonizing the edges of the grid first. Each year the green border thickened inward by one cell — first the perimeter, then the next ring. By the third year the whole grid was covered. Then lightning struck again. The second fire was smaller, confined to the interior, but it burned hot enough to kill the newest growth — the innermost cells, the ones with the thinnest root mats. Only the outer two rings of established grass survived. She watched the cycle begin again the following spring.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_041 The Congregation Colab

L × N N N N

The festival crowd gathered the way water finds a drain: toward the stage in the northwest corner. First just that cell was packed, then the adjacent seats filled, then the whole plaza was standing room only. The rain came without warning — a wall of water from the north — and the crowd surged toward the only cover: the arcade along the south edge. Within minutes the entire bottom row was crushed with bodies while the rest of the plaza stood empty and streaming. When the sun came back they spread out again as if nothing had happened.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_042 The Kiln Colab

N × N N N N

The potter loaded her kiln by feel — decades of burned fingertips had taught her exactly how the heat moved. It rose from the element at the base, climbing one shelf at a time until the whole chamber glowed. She had just closed the peepholes when she heard the crack: the door seal had split on the left side, letting in a tongue of cold air. The leftmost column of shelves cooled immediately — she could see the color drain from the clay. The right three columns, shielded by the door's intact half, held their heat. She patched the seal and brought the whole kiln back to temperature by morning.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_043 The Census Colab

N × L × N L

The demographer traced the settlement pattern from founding to collapse. The colony had started as a single household at the center of the grid and grown outward, one ring of new homesteads each generation. By the census of 1847 the entire grid was occupied. Then the cholera came. It hit the oldest, densest quarter hardest — the original center, three rows by three columns, where the wells were shallow and the streets narrow. The outer ring, with its deeper wells and wider lots, was spared. The 1848 census showed the hollow at the heart of the town. Resettlement filled it within a decade.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ iter_044 The Tide Chart Colab

L × N L N N

The old sailor pinned a fresh grid to the wheelhouse wall each week. The flood tide came from the west, filling one column at a time until the whole flat was under. But on neap tides — the weak ones, when the moon was at quarters — the ebb pulled harder than the flood pushed. The water drained back from the western edge first, the exposed shore where the wind helped the ebb along, leaving only the deepest channel on the far eastern side. Just one column of water against the seawall. The next spring tide would fill it all again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_045 The Curfew Colab

N × N × × ×

The city dimmed in stages. Each night at ten the blackout order advanced one column eastward — first the government quarter on the left, then the markets, then the residential blocks. By the fourth night the entire grid was dark. But the eastern docks defied the order. The longshoremen kept their floodlights burning, loading ships by their own schedule. The rightmost column blazed while the rest of the city slept. The authorities restored full power the following week, and the whole grid lit up as if the curfew had never happened.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_046 The Excavation Colab

L × × × × ×

Dr. Fareed excavated the tell in vertical slices, one column at a time from the western trench face. Each week's work revealed another column of compacted earth and pottery sherds — her grid filling left to right as the dig advanced. By the third column she expected more of the same. Instead her trowel broke through into empty space. The third column was hollow — an intact chamber, its ceiling still holding after three thousand years. No fill, no sherds, just air. She sealed it immediately and kept digging to the east, where the compacted layers resumed. The final grid showed everything excavated except that one hollow column preserved in the middle.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_047 The Forge Colab

× × N N N ×

The smith watched the color climb through the steel. Cherry red crept upward from the coals, each row of the billet darkening in turn as the heat rose through the metal. When the whole piece glowed, she pulled it with the tongs and plunged it. The water screamed. The surface cooled instantly — the part farthest from where the heat had entered went dark first, the way a candle dies from the tip. Only the base, the part that had been closest to the fire and held the heat longest, still showed color when she lifted the piece from the quench. By the next heating it was all cherry again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_048 The Passage Colab

N × × × × ×

She had mapped the geese for a decade: each autumn they crossed her grid in a clean diagonal from the northwest corner to the southeast, one cell per day. Like clockwork. Two days into this year's crossing she expected them at the center of the grid, the spot where she always set her blind. Instead the headwind had pushed the whole flock one cell east of the usual flyway. They were still heading southeast, still on schedule, but offset — every bird a column to the right of where it should have been. She missed the shot. The next day they corrected and resumed the old line as if the wind had never blown.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_049 The Blackboard Colab

L × × N × N

Professor Maddox filled the blackboard the way she filled her students' minds: methodically, from left to right, one column of equations at a time. By the end of the lecture every cell was covered in chalk. She began erasing from the left, clearing one column per day for the next week's material. But the teaching assistant, trying to help, erased from the wrong end — wiping the rightmost column, the material they hadn't reviewed yet, while the columns she'd meant to clear still stood. She stared at the board: two clean columns on the edges, the untouched lecture still filling the middle. She started over.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_050 The Planting Colab

N N N N N ×

He sowed the field in columns, walking west to east with the seed bag over his shoulder. One column a day, five days' work. By Friday the whole field was planted. Saturday morning he found the crows. They had worked the earliest-planted column — the strip he'd sown on Monday, where the seeds had been sitting longest and the soil was most disturbed. Picked clean, every last grain. The rest of the field, sown later and less disturbed, they hadn't touched. He replanted the stolen column and hung a scarecrow for good measure.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_051 The Tapestry Colab

N N N × × N

The weaver worked the tapestry in vertical strips, hanging each finished column on the frame before starting the next. Leftmost first, then each column to the right in turn. When the frame was full she stepped back to admire it — and saw the moths. They had found the oldest thread, the first column she'd hung, the one that had been exposed longest while she worked on the rest. Eaten to nothing while the newer columns, still smelling of the dye vat, were untouched. She rewove the ruined strip and sealed the room.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_052 The Fence Colab

L × N × N ×

He set the fence posts one column at a time, starting at the barn and working east across the paddock. The first posts had a week to cure in the concrete before the next row went in. By Friday every post stood straight. The Saturday storm took the last column — the posts he'd set that morning, where the concrete was still green. Every other column held, their footings long since hardened. He dug out the fallen posts and reset them the following week.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_053 The Library Colab

× × × N N ×

The librarian reshelved the damaged collection one row at a time, starting at the bottom where the strongest shelving held the heaviest volumes. Each week she filled another row upward. By the fifth week the stacks were full again — the whole grid packed spine to spine. Then the roof leaked. The water came straight down through the ceiling tiles and hit the topmost row first — the lightest books, the most recently shelved, the ones she'd placed just days before. The lower rows, shielded by the shelves above them, stayed dry. She moved what she could save and started over.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ iter_054 The Protest Colab

N × N L N N

They gathered the way crowds always do at the memorial — from the front, filling the rows nearest the wall first, then spilling back toward the avenue. By noon every square of the plaza was occupied. The police moved at two. They didn't charge — they kettled, pushing inward from all sides until the crowd compressed into the center two-by-two block, the rest of the plaza suddenly, eerily empty. The people in that tight knot couldn't move, couldn't leave, couldn't do anything but stand. By evening the cordon lifted and the crowd flowed back to fill the whole space, quieter than before.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_055 The Inscription Colab

× × N N N N

The mason carved the memorial one column at a time, chiseling from left to right across the face of the stone. The first column took a week; the last took a day — his hand had learned the stone. For a season the whole inscription stood sharp and legible. Then the winter rains found the grain of the rock. The earliest-carved column, the one that had weathered the most freezes, that had been exposed to the elements longest while the mason worked his way across — its letters blurred first, then vanished entirely. The rest held. He returned in spring to recut what the rain had taken.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_056 The Ward Colab

× N × N N N

Nurse Obi filled the ward the way the hospital required: bottom row first, closest to the nurses' station, then each row above as beds opened up. By Thursday every row was occupied. Friday morning the lab results came back positive for the newest admissions — the patients in the topmost row, the ones who had arrived most recently and shared the same intake corridor. Their beds were stripped and the row sealed off while the rest of the ward, admitted days earlier through a different entrance, continued their recovery. The quarantine lifted by Monday and the beds filled again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ iter_057 The Mural Colab

N × N × × N

She painted the mural the way muralists do — one vertical strip at a time, scaffolding shifted after each column dried. The leftmost panel went up first: a field of poppies. Then the next column, and the next, until the whole wall blazed with color. She was photographing the finished piece when she saw the tags. Someone had sprayed over the first panel — the one she'd painted earliest, the one that had been exposed and unguarded the longest while she worked her way across. Every poppy buried under black paint. The rest of the wall, finished more recently and still watched by the scaffolding crew, was untouched. She repainted the panel in a single furious weekend.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc10 Magic Hum

× × × × × ×

Using the magic of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella attends a royal ball. The Fairy Godmother uses her magic to grow a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage. However, Cinderella escapes at midnight becuase the magic begins to revert. Her once magical carriage turns back into a pumpkin.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc8 Energy Hum

× × × × × ×

A water wheel relies on water to move and, therefore, create energy. The wheel rotates 90 degrees at a time and clockwise. The wheel settles when no water is present

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc9 Space Hum

× × × × × ×

Mercury and Venus are closest to the sun. Mercury is known for its dark red color and Venus for its bright yellow.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_00001 The Accident Hum

× × × × × ×

A car stalls out on an empty highway in the middle of the desert. The driver has no cellphone service. All they can do is wait and hope that someone passes by to help. In the middle of the night, a giant tortoise approaches the vehicle. For hours, it sits and stares, wondering about the strange, still beast before it. Suddenly, the driver, who has fallen asleep at this point, feels a jolt as the car loses traction and crushes the curious tortoise.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_001 The Lighthouse AI

G N G N G G

The keeper climbs the tower stairs each night at dusk. She winds the mechanism and watches the beam sweep clockwise from due north, advancing one position each hour. The fog is thick tonight — she can hear the sea but not see it, and the light is all that stands between the ships and the rocks.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_002 The Quadrants AI

× × N N G N

A garden fills each quadrant clockwise through the seasons. But a severe drought strikes in summer, turning that season's quadrant grey instead of its usual vibrant color.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_003 The Flood AI

N × N × N ×

The Patel family watched the river from their porch each morning. It rose one level every day, swallowing the low fields first, then the road. By day three the children couldn't walk to school. But on day 4 the Army Corps arrived — sandbags and sheet metal, a makeshift levee that shoved the water back to where it had been on day 2. The next morning the river was climbing again, indifferent.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_004 The Mirror AI

× N G × G N

Anya's daughter liked to push her chalk mark one step to the right each time they passed the long wall on the way to school. On the morning it finally crossed the center column, the girl stopped and frowned — the shape had flipped, as if the wall were a mirror. 'It does that,' Anya said. 'Everything on the other side comes out backwards.' The shape kept sliding rightward, one step each frame, horizontally reversed from then on.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_005 The Last Piece AI

× N N N N N

The tournament hall was quiet except for the click of captured pieces. On the checkerboard, one green piece falls each round — turned red the moment it's taken. But the old rule still holds: after a piece has been red for exactly two rounds, it earns promotion to yellow. In round 2 they took the piece at row 0, column 2. In round 3, row 2, column 2. In round 4, row 1, column 1 fell — and any piece red since round 2 finally got its yellow crown.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_006 The Hillside AI

× × N × × ×

A shepherd boy tends his flock on a hillside. Twice he raises a false alarm, and both times the villagers rush to help only to find no danger. The third time, a real wolf appears — but having been fooled twice, no one comes. The cycle repeats identically both times the boy lies: the same alarm, the same full response, the same disappointment.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_007 The Gift AI

× × × G

A child stacks bright blocks each day, one layer higher than the last. On the third day she opens the box and finds it is not a gift to keep — it must be sent back the way it came.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_008 The Tower AI

× × × ×

They built it one floor each day, and on the fifth day set a golden crown upon its peak. Pride goeth before the fall — the next morning the storms began, and each day took a floor away.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_009 The Journey AI

× × × ×

A traveler crosses the valley heading east, one step each day. On the fourth day she reaches the river and wades in — the water is cold and blue beneath her feet. She turns back west, retracing a higher path along the ridge, one step each day home.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_010 The Tide AI

L N × ×

Old Mae had watched the tide rise one row each quarter since she was a girl — patient and predictable as a clock. But in the third quarter someone finally built the seawall along the second row. She stood on the harbor wall and watched the water press against the grey barrier, unable to pass, pooling thick and cold behind it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_011 The Heist AI

× N N × × N

Three gems sit in a vault: ruby left, emerald center, sapphire right. The plan: move each gem one cell toward the door at the top, one per night. But on the third night, the inside man swaps the emerald for a fake — a grey stone — before it advances.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_012 The Remedy AI

× × × ×

A red blight spreads from the center of the field, growing one cell in each direction per day. Twice they tried cutting back the edges, but it regrew. On the fourth day the healer understood: she must scorch the center black to kill the root. Only then did the field recover.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_013 Baby Shoes AI

G × N ×

Something small and bright, prepared with love, passed along untouched. The soles never met the ground; the laces never learned a knot.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_014 The Ascent AI

× × × ×

Wax holds only so long against brilliance. What rises on borrowed feathers must learn what the sun already knows about ambition.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_015 The Summit AI

× N × ×

The summit is not the end. What strains upward through sweat and will must learn that gravity has no memory and no mercy. Again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_016 The Wall AI

× × × ×

The wall showed flat shapes all your life. Turn around: the fire explains the shadows. Step outside: the world is wider, deeper, and more vivid than the cave ever promised.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_017 The Pedestal AI

× × × ×

Look upon works meant to outlast time. Stone forgets its sculptor; sand reclaims all grandeur. Only the pedestal's boast survives to mock the empty desert.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_018 Chekhov's Gun AI

× × × ×

What hangs on the wall in the first act is not decoration. If it appears early and persists quietly, by the third act it must speak.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_019 Uneasy Dreams AI

× × × ×

One morning, waking from uneasy dreams, the shape in the bed was no longer the shape that went to sleep. Segmented, low, repulsive to those who once called it family.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_020 The Lid AI

× × × ×

The lid was not meant to open. Out rushed every shade of suffering — scattering, staining, filling the margins. But at the very bottom, one small light refused to leave.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_021 Beneath the Floor AI

× × × ×

Beneath the floorboards, something pulses. Faint at first, then steady, then deafening. It will not stop until the room is stained with what you tried to hide.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_022 Two Paths AI

× × × ×

Two ways forward, equally fair. One is trodden bare; the other thick with growth and wanting wear. The feet chose the overgrown one, and that has made all the difference.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_023 The Survivor AI

N × N ×

One among the unfit found a way the others could not. Where its crimson kin fell silent, it wore a new color — not surrender, but reinvention. The meadow belongs to those who adapt.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_024 The Slow Unraveling AI

× × × ×

Order dissolves, but not all at once. The blue retreats to the corners as the red seeps through the center first. No hand stirs the pot — only time, indifferent and thorough.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_025 The Margins AI

× × × ×

The survivors hid where teeth could not follow — the margins, the edges, the overlooked places. When the hunters starved and the center lay empty, the meek crept back from the borders to fill what was lost.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_026 Deep Roots AI

× × × G

The one that roots deepest survives when the warmth drives the color from the rest. While its neighbors pale and surrender their tenants, the deep-rooted holdfast keeps its hue in a whitening world.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_027 The Rift AI

× × × ×

The rift opens from the north, a wound that widens southward. The eastern piece drifts away while the western holds its ground. Between them, the sea rushes in to fill what the earth has torn apart.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_028 The Daughters AI

× × × ×

The division runs along the vertical axis — one daughter rises above, the other settles below. Each is a mirror of its parent, faithful in form, split only in station.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_029 The Pioneers AI

G × × N

The woody pioneers claim the borders first, sheltering the meadow within. They are not the tallest, not the final form — but without their ring of shelter, nothing taller could take root.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_030 The Frozen Dance AI

× N × ×

Looking freezes the dance. Before the eye falls, all is possibility — shimmering, uncommitted. But the ones near the center are always found still. The edges remain restless a moment longer, but even they must yield to the gaze.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_031 The Threshold AI

× × × ×

The thaw begins where warmth touches first — the outer shell surrenders while the core holds its shape a little longer. The crystal remembers its form even as the edges weep into formlessness.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_032 The Conspicuous AI

N × × N

The bright-colored ones vanish in order of their conspicuousness — the most visible fall first. Yellow screams and is silenced. Magenta dazzles and is taken. Orange glows and is next. What remains is what learned to be dull.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_033 Two Rooms AI

× × × ×

Two sat in separate rooms, each offered the same bargain. Blue reached through the wall with an open hand. Red reached too — but closed its fist around everything Blue offered. Trust is a gift; betrayal is a strategy.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_034 The Greedy Mouth AI

× × × ×

The meadow fed them all until one grazed twice in the eastern field. That single greedy mouth opened a wound in the land that would not heal. Where the orange herd bit deepest, the green never returned.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_035 The Trolley Problem AI

× × × ×

The hand chose to move. The path bent toward the one so the five might walk away. Whether the hand that turned the lever bears the weight — that question outlives the tracks.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_036 The Golden Tide AI

× × × ×

The golden tide came from the west, washing first over those who had built with their hands. Worn red brick gave way to polished gilt. What was home became heritage, then memory, then nothing at all.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_037 Plank by Plank AI

× × × ×

Each plank pulled free did not vanish — it drifted down to a second hull taking shape below. What was mended became new; what was discarded became a twin. When the last board was swapped, two ships floated where one had sailed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_038 The Flutter AI

× × × ×

The flutter spiraled always clockwise, each ring wider than the last, the warmth at the center never dimming. A single wing-beat became a gale — but only because it turned the same way every time.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_039 The Dark Tower AI

× × G G

The gaze need not be present to be felt. Those who have been watched long enough watch themselves. The tower went dark, but the cells stayed lit — each prisoner their own warden now.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_040 Behind the Curtain AI

G × G G

What would the wise choose if they did not know which side they would wake upon? Behind the grey curtain, each portion was made the same — each row a mirror of its neighbor. Fairness is the logic of uncertainty.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_041 Grey Cogs AI

× × × G

The machine runs smoothly because each part turns as it is told — grey cogs in grey rows, each clicking into red as the order passes through. All but one small cog that refuses its rotation, holding its grey against the tide in the very center of the third row.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_042 Neither Nor AI

× × × ×

The mercy of probability was not granted. The atom decayed, the vial shattered, and what was neither alive nor dead became only one of those things. The box held every possibility — until it didn't.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_043 Halfway There AI

N G × ×

Sixteen steps from the wall became eight, then four, then two. At the fifth moment, one step remains but cannot be taken. The arrow flies forever through halves of halves, and the distance left is always more than nothing.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_044 The Race AI

× × × ×

The crimson queen found new legs while the sapphire one stumbled — but only for a moment, for the race never ends. In this country, it takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_045 A Billion Fires AI

× G × ×

A silence answers back from a billion fires. Each one burns alone, none calling to another. The universe is vast and full of light, yet no voice carries across the dark between the stars.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_046 Almost Real AI

× × × ×

The smile almost passes for real — but the eyes are set one cell too far apart, and the warmth drains from the face. What should comfort instead repels, and the closer it gets to human, the less human it feels.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_047 No Red Seams AI

× × × ×

At the moment the lines drawn by human hands dissolve, what was many becomes one — blue and green with no red seams. The higher you rise, the less the borders matter, until they vanish entirely.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_048 The Stillpoint AI

× × × ×

At the moment of balance — standing at the center — the waves ahead compress to three while those behind stretch to two. Blue before and red after. The source sings one note, but the universe hears two.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_049 The Third Shelf AI

L × × G

Among the hexagons, one volume holds sense. It sits at the third shelf of the second wall, and its spine is golden where all others are grey. In an infinite library of nonsense, meaning is the rarest anomaly.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_050 The Mote AI

× × × ×

Everything you've ever known or loved fits in a single mote of blue, suspended in a sunbeam against the dark. From far enough away, the oceans and the continents and the clouds become one pixel — and then not even that.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_237 STUMP Hum

× × × × × ×

Sam, Nate, and Cash were fiending for a game of Stump. The three of them gently hammered their nails into the stump. Cash went first--he successfully spun the hammer with one hand--but he missed Nate's nail and chipped the wood. Sam went second; he expertly spun the hammer, and he cleanly hit Cash's nail further into the stump. Nate missed his hammer and didn't hit anything. On their second go-around, Cash caught the hammer but he hit Nate's nail on the side, left it all bent up and crazy, and he chipped the stump again. Sam, cool as a cucumber, hit Cash's nail cleanly into the stump. Cash is out. Nate, finally, caught his hammer and hit Sam's nail. On the final round, Sam followed routine, but he hit Nate's nail off the stump! Per their rules, he is disqualified! Nate, for good measure, threw his hammer into the air, caught it, and expertly hammered Sam's nail in. Nate is the winner!

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_237_rev STUMP Hum

× × × × × ×

Sam, Nate, and Cash were fiending for a game of Stump. The three of them gently hammered their nails into the stump. Cash went first--he successfully spun the hammer with one hand--but he missed Nate's nail and chipped the wood. Sam went second; he expertly spun the hammer, and he cleanly hit Cash's nail further into the stump. Nate missed his hammer and didn't hit anything. On their second go-around, Cash caught the hammer but he hit Nate's nail on the side, left it all bent up and crazy, and he chipped the stump again. Sam, cool as a cucumber, hit Cash's nail cleanly into the stump. Cash is out. Nate, finally, caught his hammer and hit Sam's nail. On the final round, Sam followed routine, but he hit Nate's nail off the stump! Per their rules, he is disqualified! Nate, for good measure, threw his hammer into the air, caught it, and expertly hammered Sam's nail in. Nate is the winner!

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_280 The Migration Hum

× × × × × ×

Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico each fall in search of warmer pastures. Together, they fly south in a burst of vibrant orange, like a cloud of autumn leaves rushing through the air. Throughout the journey, they make several stops, huddling together on trees to stay warm. One day, somewhere in Texas, a bluejay finds itself amidst the migrating monarchs. From the center of the cloud, the bluejay, a hungry little bird, eats the butterflies in wing's reach. It isn't until the next stop, when the huddle becomes smaller, that the remaining monarchs realize what has been lost.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_300 The flower Hum

× × × × × ×

Sally plants a flower on the first day and is happy to see that it has grown when she checks on it the next day. Later, however, an animal eats the flower. When Sally comes to check on the final day, there is no flower.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_667 Lava Lamp Hum

× × × × × ×

I love setting the mood when it's time to work. I sit at my desk, turning on all my lights, and wait for this soft warm dance to begin.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_001 The Mask AI

× × × ×

Apply causal masking with uniform attention over the visible context. Each query position distributes weight equally across all key positions at or before it in the sequence. Future positions receive zero weight.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_002 The Overshoot AI

× × × ×

The step size exceeds twice the inverse of the Lipschitz constant. The parameters that were approaching the minimum overshoot, and the loss in the converging region temporarily increases before the learning rate is annealed. The converging region is the top-left 3x3 block where loss had been decreasing. All values outside that block remain unchanged from the previous step.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_003 The Dial AI

× × × G

Dr. Liang turned the temperature dial slowly toward zero and watched the display change. At high τ, the softmax probabilities were nearly uniform — every row's values barely distinguishable. As τ dropped, the diagonal elements grew brighter, pulling probability mass toward themselves while the margins dimmed. She knew what was coming: as τ→0, each row would collapse entirely onto its diagonal element, converging to a one-hot encoding of the argmax. The pre-softmax logits had their maximum along the main diagonal. She reached for the dial again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_004 The Kernel AI

× × × ×

Apply a 3x3 horizontal Sobel operator to the input. The kernel weights are [[-1,0,1],[-2,0,2],[-1,0,1]]. Map positive responses to blue (1), negative responses to red (2), and zero responses to black (0). The input is zero-padded at all borders before convolution.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_005 The Shortcut AI

× G G G

At layer 3, the forward pass adds a skip connection from the input embedding (layer 0). The output is the element-wise sum of the current activation and the layer-0 activation, reduced modulo 10. All other layers apply a constant additive bias of +2 per element (mod 10).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_ai_006 The Disjunction AI

× × N N N N

The output is the element-wise exclusive disjunction of the two input feature maps. Where both inputs share the same activation level, the output neuron is suppressed to zero. Where they disagree, the output takes the nonzero value. This is the canonical nonlinearly-separable binary classification that a single-layer perceptron cannot learn.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_ai_007 The Dead Path AI

× × N ×

Backpropagation through the ReLU at layer 3 zeros the gradient for all neurons whose forward-pass pre-activation was non-positive. In this layer, the pre-activations in the top two rows were negative, so their gradient contributions are exactly zero. The bottom three rows retain their gradient magnitudes from the previous layer unchanged.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_008 The Merge AI

L N L N N N

Yusuf had been staring at the token stream for hours when the pattern clicked. Byte-pair encoding merges the most frequent adjacent pair at each step, replacing both with a single new token. Step 1 merged the pair (1,2) at positions 0-1 and 4-5 into token 7 (orange). Step 2 merged (3,4) at positions 1-2 and 3-4 in the step-1 output into token 8 (azure). Step 3 would merge (7,8) at positions 0-1 and 1-2 in the step-2 output into token 9 (maroon) — the whole sequence compressing to just two symbols. He leaned back and exhaled.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_ai_009 Unit Lengths AI

× × × ×

Normalize each row vector to L2 unit length. Approximate each component to the nearest integer on [0,9], preserving the direction. Scale each row so that the dominant dimension (largest component of the unit vector) maps to 9, and all other components are scaled proportionally and rounded to the nearest integer, clamped to [0,9].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_010 The Saddle AI

× × × ×

The optimizer encounters a saddle point in the loss landscape. The Hessian at the critical point has one negative eigenvalue (along the vertical axis, i.e., columns) and one positive eigenvalue (along the horizontal axis, i.e., rows). The loss decreases in the vertical direction from the center but increases in the horizontal direction, creating a saddle surface. The center column should show values decreasing away from the center row, while the center row should show values increasing away from the center column.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_ai_011 Even and Odd AI

× × × N

During training with dropout rate p=0.5, the binary mask retains neurons where (row + col) is even (0-indexed). Dropped neurons are zeroed. Surviving neurons are scaled by 1/(1-p) = 2 to compensate, clamped to [0,9]. Apply this dropout mask to the activation pattern in Grid 1.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_ai_012 The Torus AI

N N × N N N

The system evolves as a discrete dynamical system on a 3x3 toroidal grid. The transition function at each timestep is: cell(i,j)(t+1) = (cell(i,j)(t) + cell(i-1,j)(t) + cell(i,j-1)(t)) mod 10, where indices wrap toroidally (i.e., row -1 wraps to row 2, column -1 wraps to column 2). Compute the state at timestep 4 given the preceding states.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_ai_013 The Narrow Pass AI

N × N N

The latent representation at the bottleneck is obtained by taking the mean of each column in the encoder output (Grid 2, the 3x3 grid), rounded to the nearest integer. This produces a 1x3 latent vector that captures the compressed representation of the input.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_ai_014 The Z-Score AI

× G × G

Apply batch normalization along the sample axis (rows). For each feature column in Grid 1, compute the z-score: z = (x - column_mean) / column_std (population std). Then map to [0,9] with mean 5 using the formula: output = round(z * 2 + 5), clamped to [0,9]. Each column independently normalized.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_ai_015 The Prefix Code AI

× × × ×

Construct the optimal prefix-free binary code (Huffman coding) for six symbols with the given frequencies. At each step, merge the two least-frequent symbols (breaking ties by taking the earlier symbol). Assign 0 to the left branch and 1 to the right branch. Encode bit 0 as grid value 0, bit 1 as grid value 9, and unused (padding) positions as grid value 5. Each row of the code grid corresponds to a symbol (A through F in order), and columns represent bit positions from MSB to LSB. The most frequent symbol gets the shortest code.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_001 The Fox and the Grapes AI

× × × ×

A fox (red=1) stands beneath a tall vine (brown=9) from which grapes (green=3) hang high. The fox leaps upward toward the grapes across three attempts, each time reaching higher but never high enough. After the third failed leap, the fox walks away from the vine entirely, leaving the scene. The grapes remain untouched on the vine.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_002 The Tortoise and the Hare AI

× × ×

A race unfolds on a long track. The hare (red=1) sprints far ahead of the tortoise (green=3), then stops to nap. The finish line sits at the far right (yellow=7). While the hare sleeps, the tortoise steadily advances. In the masked grid, the tortoise has just passed the sleeping hare, who remains stationary.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_003 Little Red Riding Hood AI

× × G

A cottage sits in the woods. Grandmother (magenta=6) rests in bed at the top-right. The wolf (grey=5) approaches the cottage from the left while Little Red Riding Hood (red=1) is still far away on the path. In the masked grid, the wolf has entered the cottage and replaced grandmother in the bed — grandmother's cell now shows the wolf's value, while grandmother has vanished. Red Riding Hood continues approaching, unaware.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_004 The Three Little Pigs AI

× × ×

Three pigs (magenta=6) each build a house: straw (value=1), sticks (value=2), and bricks (value=8). The wolf (grey=5) blows from the left. In the masked grid, the wolf has just destroyed the straw house — its walls collapse to 0 and that pig flees rightward to the stick house. The stick and brick houses remain intact.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_005 The Emperor's New Clothes AI

× × ×

The emperor (yellow=7) parades down a central avenue. The crowd (blue=4) lines both sides, all showing approval (value=4). A single child (red=1) stands in the crowd. In the masked grid, the child speaks the truth — the child's cell changes to value 1 (standing out), and the crowd cells nearest the child also begin changing to 1 as the truth spreads, while the emperor remains oblivious at value 7.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_006 Romeo and Juliet AI

× L ×

Two families are separated by a wall (grey=5) running down the center of the grid. Romeo (blue=4) is on the left side, Juliet (red=1) on the right. Each step they move closer to the wall. In the masked grid, they have both reached the wall — Romeo and Juliet are in adjacent cells on either side of the barrier. The wall between them at their meeting point cracks, changing from 5 to 2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_007 The Trojan Horse AI

× × ×

A walled city: grey=5 forms the city walls, blue=4 defenders patrol inside, and a wooden horse (brown=9) sits outside the gate. Hidden soldiers (red=1) are concealed inside the horse (not visible). In the masked grid, the horse has been brought inside the walls by the defenders. Then in the final grid, the soldiers emerge from the horse — 1s appear around the 9 inside the city while defenders are displaced.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_008 The Ugly Duckling AI

× × G

A pond scene. A row of ducks (yellow=7) swim in formation. One duckling (grey=5) trails behind, visually distinct. Over time the other ducks move away from the grey duckling, isolating it. In the masked grid, the transformation occurs: the grey duckling becomes a swan (azure=8), now standing apart from the flock with a new value. The yellow ducks remain unchanged.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_009 Goldilocks and the Three Bears AI

× × N

The bears' cottage is shown as a 4x5 grid. Three bears (brown=9) leave the cottage — their cells go to 0. Then Goldilocks (yellow=7) enters and disturbs items: she sits in chairs (changes some furniture cells from 8 to 0), eats porridge (changes 3 to 0), and sleeps in a bed. In the masked grid, the bears return home to find Goldilocks asleep — all three bears reappear at the entrance while Goldilocks (7) is in the bed position.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_focal_010 The Pied Piper AI

× × ×

A town (green=3 border) is infested with rats (grey=5 scattered inside). The Pied Piper (magenta=6) enters from the left. In the masked grid, the piper has moved to the town exit on the right, and all the rats have followed — forming a line trailing behind the piper toward the right edge. The town interior is now clear of rats. Later, when the town refuses payment, the piper leads children (blue=4) away instead.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_011 Jack and the Beanstalk AI

× × ×

Jack (red=1) climbs a beanstalk (green=3) that grows upward through a vertical grid. At the top, a giant (grey=5, occupying multiple cells) guards golden eggs (yellow=7). In the masked grid, Jack has reached the top, grabbed a golden egg, and the giant has awakened — the giant's cells shift one position toward Jack, and Jack holds the egg (his cell becomes value 1 with a 7 adjacent).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_012 The Boy and the Nettles AI

× × ×

A boy (red=1) reaches toward a patch of nettles (green=3) in a garden. In the first grid, the boy gingerly touches one nettle — the contact cell shows orange=6 representing the sting. In the masked grid, the boy grasps the nettles firmly (all nettle cells change from 3 to 2, representing them being crushed), and the sting effect disappears (no orange). The moral: grasp nettles boldly and they lose their sting.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_013 The Gift of the Magi AI

× × ×

A husband (blue=4) and wife (red=1) each possess a treasure: the wife has long hair (value=8 in her row) and the husband has a gold watch (value=7 in his row). They each secretly sell their treasure to buy a gift for the other. In the masked grid, the exchange has occurred: the wife's hair cell changes from 8 to 0 (she sold it), a gift for the husband (new 7) appears near the wife, the husband's watch cell changes from 7 to 0 (he sold it), and a gift for the wife (new 8) appears near the husband. The irony: each gift is useless without the other's sold treasure.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_014 A Christmas Carol AI

× × ×

Scrooge (grey=5) sits alone in his counting house. Ghosts (azure=8) visit him one by one across the sequence. Bob Cratchit (blue=4) appears small and distant. In the masked grid, Scrooge undergoes his transformation — his value changes from grey=5 to red=1, representing his newfound warmth and generosity. The ghost departs (8 disappears), and Scrooge moves toward Cratchit.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_015 The Scorpion and the Frog AI

× × ×

A river (blue=4) spans the middle rows of the grid. A frog (green=3) sits on the left bank, a scorpion (red=1) beside it. The frog agrees to carry the scorpion across. They move together through the river. In the masked grid, halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog — the frog's value changes from 3 to 6 (injured), and both begin to sink (move down one row). It is the scorpion's nature.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_016 King Midas and the Golden Touch AI

× × ×

King Midas (yellow=7) moves through his palace. Everything he touches turns to gold (also becomes 7). Objects in the grid start as various values: flowers=3, table=8, goblet=2. His daughter (magenta=6) stands in the far corner. In the masked grid, Midas has moved adjacent to more objects, turning them to 7. Critically, his daughter's cell has also changed to 7 — she has been turned to gold by his touch.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_017 Pandora's Box AI

× × ×

Pandora (magenta=6) stands beside a sealed box (value=9 forming a rectangle). The box is closed. In the next grid, Pandora opens it — the top row of the box changes to 0 (lid open). Evils (red=1) begin escaping, scattering outward. In the masked grid, the evils have spread across the grid, but one cell inside the box still holds hope (azure=8), the last thing remaining. Pandora slams the lid shut, trapping hope inside.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_018 Hansel and Gretel AI

× × ×

Hansel (red=1) and Gretel (blue=4) walk through a forest, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs (yellow=7) behind them. A witch (grey=5) lurks near a candy house (value=9). In the masked grid, birds have eaten the breadcrumbs — all the 7s along the path become 0. The children have reached the witch's house. Without the trail, they cannot find their way back.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_019 The Sorcerer's Apprentice AI

× × ×

The apprentice (red=1) enchants a broom (blue=4) to carry water (azure=8). The broom works, but the apprentice cannot stop it. In each successive grid, the number of brooms doubles (more 4s appear) and water rises (8s fill from the bottom up). In the masked grid, the brooms have doubled again to four, and water has risen to fill the bottom two rows entirely.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_020 Cinderella AI

× × ×

Cinderella (grey=5) toils while stepsisters (red=1, appearing as a pair) attend the ball. The fairy godmother (magenta=6) appears. In the masked grid, the transformation occurs: Cinderella's value changes from grey=5 to azure=8 (her ball gown), and the fairy godmother's wand effect radiates outward. The stepsisters remain at the ball (right side), unaware that Cinderella is about to arrive transformed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_021 The Immune Response AI

× × ×

The invader slips between host cells, invisible to distant sentinels. But one white blood cell detects the foreign signature and closes in, engulfing the virus at the site of infection.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_022 Photosynthesis AI

× × ×

Light streams down. Inside the leaf, chloroplasts capture photons and split water, weaving carbon dioxide into sugar while releasing oxygen as exhaust. The chloroplast sees only energy in and product out.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_023 The Food Chain AI

× × ×

The grass stands still. The rabbit grazes, unaware of the fox creeping closer from behind. The fox sees only prey; the rabbit sees only food; the grass sees nothing at all.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_024 Symbiosis AI

× × ×

The clownfish darts among stinging tentacles that would paralyze any other fish. A barracuda approaches, sees the anemone's threat, and hesitates. The clownfish is safe precisely where others would die.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_025 Metamorphosis AI

× N ×

The caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside-down, and wraps itself in silk. Inside the cocoon, the body dissolves entirely. What emerges is unrecognizable. The cocoon witnesses the whole transformation but cannot tell what it holds.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_026 The Water Cycle AI

G × N

Water rises invisibly from the ocean surface, gathering as vapor. High above, it cools and condenses into cloud. The cloud thickens until it can hold no more, and rain falls into rivers that return to the sea.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_focal_027 Plate Collision AI

× N ×

Two tectonic plates drift toward each other at centimeters per year. Neither plate perceives the collision. But at the boundary, rock buckles upward, forming mountains that neither plate intended to create.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_028 Solar Eclipse AI

× × ×

From Earth, the sun vanishes behind the moon's silhouette. The moon knows nothing of the shadow it casts. The sun cannot see that it is being blocked. Only those on Earth's surface experience the eclipse.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_029 Pollination AI

× × ×

The bee sees ultraviolet landing strips invisible to human eyes. It lands on the flower, and pollen grains cling to its legs without the bee noticing their weight. The flower cannot see where its pollen goes.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_030 The Ant Colony AI

× × ×

A worker ant finds food and lays a chemical trail back to the colony. Other workers follow the scent. The queen never leaves; she knows only that food arrives. The food does not know it has been found.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_031 Migration AI

× × ×

The flock lifts as one from summer marshes. They navigate by starlight and magnetic fields, crossing thousands of miles of open sky. The habitats they leave and find cannot know they are connected by the same birds.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_032 Volcanic Eruption AI

× × ×

Magma pushes upward through weakening rock for centuries. The crust cracks under pressure it cannot resist. The surface world above has no warning until the eruption breaks through, reshaping everything.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_033 Coral and Algae AI

× × ×

The coral and its algae have lived together for decades. As water warms, the algae's chemistry turns toxic. The coral expels its partner, bleaching white. The heat does not know what it destroys; the algae does not know it became poison.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_034 The Spider's Web AI

× N N

The spider sits at the web's edge, feeling vibrations through silk threads. The fly sees nothing until it strikes the invisible strands. The web transmits the struggle to the spider, who reads the vibrations like a map.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_focal_035 Seed Dispersal AI

× × ×

The tree releases its seed into autumn wind. The seed has no sense of direction; the wind has no intent. Where the seed lands is pure chance, yet it finds soil and begins again. The tree will never know where its offspring took root.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_036 Tidal Pool AI

× × ×

The tide recedes, revealing a miniature world. The anemone closes to conserve moisture. The hermit crab scuttles for a remaining pool. The barnacle seals shut. Each creature responds to the same event but experiences entirely different crises.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_037 Forest Fire Succession AI

× × ×

Fire sweeps through ancient forest, turning green to grey. Seeds locked in heat-sealed cones finally open. Months later, green shoots push through ash. The fire destroyed to create; the new growth does not know it needed the fire.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_038 The Parasite AI

× × ×

The parasite disguises itself in the host's own proteins. The immune system patrols everywhere but cannot distinguish friend from foe. The host feels nothing while the parasite feeds. The immune system's blindness is the parasite's survival.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_039 Camouflage AI

× × ×

The moth's wings match the bark exactly. The bird scans the tree trunk, seeing only wood. The moth holds perfectly still, invisible in plain sight. The predator's failure is the prey's only strategy.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_040 The Fossil Record AI

× × ×

The creature dies and falls to the lake bottom. Sediment drifts down, layer upon layer, year after year. Minerals seep into bone, atom by atom, replacing life with stone. The sediment records everything but understands nothing. Millions of years later, the fossil is the only proof the creature existed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_041 The Surprise Party AI

× × ×

A host (yellow=4) decorates a room, placing party items across the space. Guests (green=3) sneak in and hide behind furniture. The guest of honor (blue=6) approaches the door unknowing. When blue enters, all greens pop out from hiding and yellow lights up the center. Blue is surrounded by the revealed celebration.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_042 The Lie Detector AI

× × ×

A detective (blue=6) interrogates a suspect (red=1) in a small room. Truth indicators (green=3) appear when the suspect tells the truth and vanish when lying. The suspect starts calm, then becomes agitated as lies are detected. The detective closes in as green dots disappear, revealing the pattern of deception.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_043 The Exam AI

× × ×

A student (blue=6) sits at a desk filling in answers on a grid. The teacher (red=1) watches from the front, knowing the correct answers (green=3). The student marks some answers right and some wrong. The teacher collects the exam and marks it, revealing the correct pattern. The student sees the gaps in their knowledge.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_044 The Job Interview AI

× × ×

A candidate (blue=6) enters an interview room where the interviewer (red=1) sits behind a desk. Other candidates (grey=5) wait in a line outside. The interviewer asks questions; the candidate responds. One by one, grey candidates leave as they are rejected. Finally, blue either gets the position (moves to interviewer's side) or joins the rejected greys.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_045 The Rumor AI

× × ×

An originator (red=1) whispers information that starts as truth (green=3). The spreader (orange=7) carries it forward but the information mutates: green cells flip to red as the message distorts. By the time it reaches the recipient (blue=6), the message is mostly red (false). The truth is almost entirely lost.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_046 The Apology AI

× × ×

An offender (red=1) stands apart from a victim (blue=6) with empty space between them. The offender creates a gesture (yellow=4) and pushes it toward the victim. A bridge of yellow builds cell by cell across the gap. The victim accepts, and both move closer to the yellow bridge, meeting in the middle.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_047 Stage Fright AI

× G G

A performer (red=1) stands on stage under a spotlight (yellow=4). The audience (blue=6) fills rows below. The performer freezes: red dims to 0 in the spotlight. The spotlight stays. Then the performer recovers, red returns brighter, and the audience reacts with scattered 6s rising (applause).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_048 The Inheritance AI

× × ×

A deceased person (grey=5) fades from the center of a grid. Their wealth (yellow=4) surrounds them. Two heirs, red=1 and blue=6, wait on opposite sides. As grey fades, the yellow wealth splits and flows toward the two heirs unevenly: red gets more than blue, creating asymmetric information about fairness.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_049 The Whistleblower AI

× × ×

An insider (blue=6) works within a corporation (red=1 block). The insider discovers evidence (yellow=4) hidden inside the red structure. The insider extracts the evidence and pushes it outward toward the public (green=3). The corporation tries to close ranks, but the evidence reaches the public. The insider is expelled from the red block.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_050 The Translation AI

× × ×

A speaker (red=1) produces a message pattern on the left side. A translator (magenta=8) sits in the middle and receives the message. The translator passes a modified version to the listener (blue=6) on the right. The meaning shifts: the pattern the listener receives differs from what the speaker sent. The speaker and listener end with different understandings.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_051 Culture Shock AI

× × ×

A traveler (red=1) arrives in a new land where locals (blue=6) follow custom patterns (green=3). The traveler initially clashes with the patterns, standing where green is not. Over time the traveler learns: red moves to align with the green custom patterns, matching the locals' arrangement. The traveler adapts and integrates.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_052 The Referendum AI

L × ×

Two sides (red=1 and blue=6) campaign across a grid. Undecided voters (grey=5) sit in the middle. Each side converts nearby greys to their color. The sides push toward the center. In the final frame, one color dominates: blue wins by a narrow margin, converting the last grey voters.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_053 The Rivalry AI

× × ×

Competitor A (red=1) and competitor B (blue=6) race toward a prize (yellow=4) from opposite ends of a long narrow track. An audience (green=3) watches from the sides. Both advance each frame. In the end, red reaches the prize first by one position, and the audience shifts green toward the winner.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_054 The Mentor AI

× × G

A teacher (blue=6) stands near a student who starts dim (red=1, single cell). The teacher passes knowledge: blue cells appear near the student, and the student's red presence grows each frame. By the end, the student has grown into a larger red shape while the teacher steps back, their work done.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_055 The Scapegoat AI

× × ×

A group (blue=6) clusters together. An actual culprit (grey=5) hides within the group. The scapegoat (red=1) stands nearby but separate. The group pushes the scapegoat outward while the grey culprit remains hidden. By the end, red is isolated at the edge and grey is still safely embedded in blue.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_056 The Peace Treaty AI

× × ×

Side A (red=1) and side B (blue=6) occupy opposite halves of a grid separated by a contested border (yellow=4). A neutral zone (grey=5) exists between them. Over time, both sides pull back from the border, the neutral zone widens, and the yellow border solidifies into a stable line. Peace is achieved as both colors retreat symmetrically.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_057 The Queue Jumper AI

× × ×

A queue of people (blue=6) forms a line waiting orderly. A bouncer (grey=5) stands at the front controlling entry. A queue jumper (red=1) appears and pushes forward through the line, displacing blues. The bouncer notices and ejects the red jumper from the queue entirely. Order is restored.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_058 The Misunderstanding AI

× × L

Person A (red=1) and person B (blue=6) stand on opposite sides of an object (yellow=4). The object is in the wrong position between them, leading to confusion. Person A pushes the yellow one way, person B pushes it the other. They struggle over placement. Finally they realize the misunderstanding and the yellow object moves to the correct neutral position, with both people beside it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_focal_059 The Sacrifice AI

× × ×

A hero (red=1) stands in front of a community (green=3). A threat (grey=5) approaches from the opposite side. The hero moves toward the threat, placing themselves between danger and community. In the final frame, the hero and threat overlap and both vanish, while the community remains safe.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_focal_060 The Reunion AI

× × ×

Two separated parties (red=1 and blue=6) start on opposite sides of a wide grid, unable to see each other. A meeting point (yellow=4) glows in the center. Both move inward frame by frame, drawn toward the yellow beacon. They converge and meet at the yellow center, and the yellow expands around them in celebration.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_gap_101 The Manhattan Flip AI

G N G G

Each grid is produced from the previous one by flipping every cell whose Manhattan distance from the top-left corner (row 0, col 0) is odd. Flipping means: if the value is below 5, add 5; if 5 or above, subtract 5. The first grid is given. Grid 3 is masked.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_102 Stride Counter AI

L × × G

Each cell counts by its own stride — the stride equals the cell's value in the first grid. Formally, cell (r,c) at time t has value (first_grid[r][c] * t) mod 10. Grid 3 (position 2) is masked. The first grid is t=0, so its values are the strides themselves (stride * 0 = 0 wouldn't work, so we define t=1 for the first grid, t=2 for second, etc.).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_103 The Rotation Ambiguity AI

N × N N N N

Grid 2 is the 90-degree clockwise rotation of Grid 1. Grid 3 is the TRANSPOSE (not the 180-degree rotation) of Grid 1. The transpose swaps rows and columns: cell (r,c) becomes cell (c,r).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_gap_104 The Fractal Reversal AI

N G N N N N

A value spreads from the top-left corner. Each step, every cell adds 1 to its value (mod 10) — this is the additive phase (steps 1-3). At step 4, the pattern REVERSES: every cell subtracts 1 (mod 10) instead. From step 5 onward, it subtracts again. Grid 4 (position 3) is masked — it is the first subtraction step, so its values equal those of step 3 minus 1 (mod 10).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_gap_105 The Shifting Rows AI

L L L L

Each grid has 5 rows and 3 columns. Row 0 is always [1, 2, 3]. Each subsequent row is a circular left-shift of row 0. In Grid 1, row k is shifted left by k positions. In Grid 2, row k is shifted left by 2k positions. In general, Grid n shifts row k left by (n*k) mod 3 positions. Grid 3 (position 2) is masked, where the shift for row k is (3*k) mod 3 = 0, meaning every row equals [1, 2, 3].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_201 The Murmuration AI

× × × ×

A flock of starlings (value 7) moves across a sky (value 0). The flock is a tight cluster that drifts one column right per frame. In Frame 4, a hawk (value 9) appears at row 0, col 4. The starlings scatter: every bird within Manhattan distance 2 of the hawk flees by moving to the symmetric opposite position relative to the hawk (reflected through the hawk's position, clamped to the grid). Birds outside that radius continue drifting right normally. Frame 4 is masked.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_gap_202 The Pale Blue Dot Revisited AI

N N N N N N

We zoom out from a scene in four stages. Each grid is half the size of the previous: 6x6, then 3x3, then the masked grid, then 1x1. The downsampling rule: each cell in the smaller grid is the MAXIMUM value of the corresponding 2x2 block in the larger grid. Grid 3 (the second zoom-out, position 2) is masked. It should be a 2x2 grid derived by taking max of each 2x2 block from grid at position 1 (the 3x3 grid, padded with 0 in the missing row/column to make it even). Since 3x3 can't evenly divide, we pad it to 4x4 with zeros, then take 2x2 blocks.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_gap_203 The Five Stages AI

L L L L

Six grids represent emotional states encoded as values. Stage 1 (Denial): all cells are 0 — refusing to see. Stage 2 (Anger): every cell becomes 9 — maximum intensity. Stage 3 (Bargaining, masked): a checkerboard of 0 and 9 — alternating between acceptance and rejection, where cell (r,c) is 9 if (r+c) is even, 0 if odd. Stage 4 (Depression): all cells drop to 1 — barely present. Stage 5 (Acceptance): each cell becomes its row index — a calm gradient acknowledging position. Stage 6 (Growth): each cell is row + col — expanding outward.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_203_rev The Five Stages Colab

L L L L L L

Six grids represent emotional states encoded as values. Stage 1 (Denial): all cells are 0 — refusing to see. Stage 2 (Anger): every cell becomes 9 — maximum intensity. Stage 3 (Bargaining, masked): a checkerboard of 0 and 9 — alternating between acceptance and rejection, where cell (r,c) is 9 if (r+c) is even, 0 if odd. Stage 4 (Depression): all cells drop to 1 — barely present. Stage 5 (Acceptance): each cell becomes its row index — a calm gradient acknowledging position. Stage 6 (Growth): each cell is row + col — expanding outward.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_204 Jazz Solo AI

× × N N

A jazz theme is stated in Grid 1: a melody line (row 0) over a bass line (row 2). Grid 2 is the theme with the melody transposed up by 2 (each value +2 mod 10). Grid 3 is the theme with melody transposed up by 4. Grid 4 (masked) is the SURPRISE MODULATION: the melody transposes up by 6, AND the bass line inverts — each bass value becomes (9 minus original bass value). Grid 5 returns to the original theme (melody +8 mod 10, bass returns to normal). The middle row (row 1) is always 0 (rest between melody and bass).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_gap_205 The Conversation AI

L L L L

Two speakers are represented by values 3 (Speaker A, entering from the left) and 7 (Speaker B, entering from the right). The background is 0. In Grid 1, Speaker A fills columns 0-1 and Speaker B fills columns 4-5 — they begin apart. In Grid 2, each advances one column inward: A fills columns 0-2, B fills columns 3-5. In Grid 3 (masked), they find COMMON GROUND: where they overlap (column 2-3), the value becomes 5 (the average of 3 and 7), A keeps columns 0-1, and B keeps columns 4-5. This is the moment of mutual understanding.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_301 The Electron Orbital AI

G G G G

An electron (value 1) orbits a nucleus at the center of a 5x5 atom. It occupies energy shells at increasing distance from the center. Starting at the top (row 0, col 2), it moves clockwise through discrete positions on each shell boundary. At each time step it advances one position clockwise along the perimeter of its current shell. Position 2 (masked) corresponds to the electron at the 'East' position: row 2, col 4.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_302 The Corporate Merger AI

G L G L

A 6x6 office floor is divided into four quadrants (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right), each representing a department. In Q1, Department A (value 3) moves in — top-left quadrant fills. In Q2 (masked), Department B (value 5) arrives in the top-right quadrant, BUT Department B is on probation — its top-right cells fill with 5 while everything else stays as before. However, a hiring freeze (represented by 0) prevents the bottom half from being staffed yet. In Q3, Department C (value 7) fills bottom-right. In Q4, Department D (value 1) fills bottom-left, completing the organization.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_303 The Archaeological Dig AI

× × N L

An archaeological site (6 rows x 5 cols) is being excavated layer by layer from the bottom. Dirt is value 0, exposed artifacts are value 2, and bedrock is value 1. Each day, one more row of dirt is cleared from the bottom up, revealing bedrock (1) underneath. Two pillars (value 2) stand at fixed positions (row 2, cols 1 and 3). On Day 4 (masked), a cave-in occurs! The excavation depth resets back to what it was on Day 2 — only the bottom two rows show bedrock. The pillars remain visible. After the cave-in, digging resumes normally on Day 5.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_gap_304 The Comet's Tail AI

G × × G

A comet (value 2) streaks across a 3x6 sky (value 0), moving one column right per frame. The comet is an L-shaped cluster: a vertical bar in one column plus a horizontal extension one row below. When the comet crosses the midpoint of the sky (between columns 2 and 3), solar wind reverses its tail — the L-shape flips horizontally. Before the midpoint, the horizontal part extends to the right; after, it extends to the left. Frame 4 (masked) is the first frame after crossing, so the L-shape has flipped.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_gap_305 The Immune Response AI

L L L L

A 4x4 grid of healthy cells (value 3, on even-parity positions where (r+c) is even) and empty space (value 0, on odd-parity positions). A virus infects one cell per round, turning it from 3 to 2 (infected). After a cell has been infected for exactly two rounds, the immune system activates and converts it to value 4 (antibody). Round 2: cell (0,2) is infected. Round 3: cell (2,2) is infected. Round 4 (masked): cell (1,1) is newly infected, and the cell infected in Round 2 — (0,2) — has been sick for two rounds and becomes an antibody (value 4).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_new_001 The Garden Colab

N L × × N ×

Old Mrs. Chen tended her courtyard garden through the seasons. She planted seeds in every other square, a careful checkerboard of green against bare earth. By summer they had all bloomed into bright flowers. But that October an early frost crept through the courtyard gate, and the one flower she had planted dead center — her pride — turned black overnight. The rest survived, sheltered by the courtyard walls.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_002 The Migration Colab

× × N × N N

Every spring the starlings gathered in the northwest corner of the marsh, their dark shapes clustered tight against the cold. By summer they had drifted to the center of the wetland, feeding in the warm shallows. But the autumn storm of that year was fierce — gale-force winds that drove the entire flock backward, all the way to their spring roost in the northwest. Come winter they pressed on again, scattering southeast as if the storm had never happened.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_003 The Tide Pool Colab

N × × N N N

The marine biologist filmed the tide pool over four days. Each morning the water crept higher, life blooming in every crevice — anemones and urchins claiming each inch of rock. By the third morning every cell of her observation grid was alive. But that afternoon a rogue swell crashed over the south wall of the pool, scouring the bottom row clean of everything that had taken root. The next tide brought new larvae, and by the fourth morning the pool was full of life again, as though the wave had never come.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_004 The Blackout Colab

N N × N N N

The city woke in stages. First the western blocks hummed to life, their streetlights winking on one column at a time as the power grid warmed up. By nightfall the entire district blazed. Then the transformer on the east side blew — a shower of sparks and suddenly the rightmost column of blocks went dark, plunging that whole strip back into silence. Repair crews worked through the night, and by dawn every light was burning again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_005 The Shortcut Colab

G G G × G ×

Maria walked the same route to the bakery every morning — south along the avenue, block by block. But on the third day she noticed the alley between the buildings, a diagonal cut northeast. She took it on impulse, emerging one block east and one block south of where she would have been. After that she kept going south again, but the shortcut put her a block ahead.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_006 The Harvest Colab

G G G G G G

Hector brought in his harvest over three days, working field by field from the road inward. On the first day he cut the wheat from the top field, nearest the gate. The second day he moved to the barley in the center strip. Only on the third morning did he reach the root vegetables in the far south bed. By then the whole plot was bare.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_new_007 The Thaw Colab

L N G × G G

Tuomas knew the lake would be the last thing to thaw, but that year something was different. Instead of the usual edge-first melting — water eating inward from the banks — a warm spring had opened beneath the center of the ice. The heart of the lake went first, a dark circle widening day by day while the shore stayed frozen. By the time the edges finally gave way, the center had been open water for a week.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_008 The Twins Colab

× N G G G ×

The twin acrobats rehearsed their mirror routine, starting on opposite sides of the stage — Lina always in red on the left, Mara in blue on the right. Each night they stepped one pace closer to center. But midway through the Wednesday show, they pulled the switch they had been practicing in secret: Lina slipped into blue and crossed to the right, Mara into red and crossed to the left. When they resumed on Thursday, the audience saw red on the right and blue on the left — the mirror image of opening night — and no one in the crowd could say when it had changed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_009 The Orchard Colab

× × × × N ×

Grandmother planted four apple trees, one in each corner of her garden, and for years they grew in perfect symmetry. The autumn gale of nineteen eighty-nine tore through the northwest corner, snapping the trunk clean. By spring every corner had a new sapling — three from the surviving roots, one planted fresh where the gale had struck. But only the northwest tree was truly young; the others had the thick trunks of fifty-year survivors.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_010 The Signal Colab

L × N N N N

The radio engineer watched the signal propagate across her test grid, each pulse expanding the wavefront by one cell in every direction. Two clean pulses, textbook diffusion. Then the interference struck — some stray frequency that collapsed the entire wavefront back to its origin point. She cursed, reset nothing, and let the next pulse go. It expanded again as if nothing had happened, the grid ignorant of its own disruption.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_011 The Snowline Colab

N × × × L ×

All winter the snowline crept down the mountain, one contour lower each week, until only the valley floor was bare. Then the chinook wind roared in from the west, stripping the snow back up to the summit in a single warm night. The next cold front pushed it down again as if the wind had been a dream.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_012 The Ink Stain Colab

N × N × × N

The calligrapher dipped her brush and drew a single stroke across the right edge of the rice paper, a column of black ink. She added a second column, then a third. But before the ink dried she blotted the leftmost column with her sleeve, wiping it clean by accident. She steadied herself and finished the final column, filling the paper from edge to edge.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_013 The Understudies Colab

N N × × × ×

Two dance troupes rehearsed in opposite corners of the studio — the red company in the upper left, the blue company in the lower right. Each day they drifted closer to center, learning each other's choreography. On the fourth day the director made the call: the red company would take the blue company's stage position, and vice versa. They crossed over completely, red settling into the lower-right corner, blue claiming the upper left. On the fifth day they were already rehearsing in their new homes, indistinguishable from the originals except for the color of their costumes.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_014 The Cascade Colab

L × L × N N

Water filled the reservoir from the north, one row at a time. By the third day it reached capacity. But the south dam cracked that night, and the bottom row of the reservoir drained completely. Engineers patched the crack and the reservoir filled back up from the north.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_015 The Reservoir Colab

× × N N × ×

The reservoir filled steadily from one end, gaining a full row of depth each day until it brimmed. But something gave way in the night — a hairline fracture in the oldest section of the dam — and by morning the water nearest the breach had dropped to nothing. The repair held, and the reservoir filled once more.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_016 The Mountain Colab

N N N N N N

Snow crept down the mountainside all winter, one contour at a time. Then a warm front moved in — not the gentle kind, but the kind that strips the snow bare overnight. The lowest snow was the first to go, retreating exactly one contour back up the slope. After the warm spell passed, the cold returned and the snow advanced again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_new_017 The Reef Colab

L × N × N ×

The marine biologist filmed the reef flat over four days. Life colonized from one edge inward, anemones and urchins claiming each strip of rock in turn. By the third morning every square was teeming. But that afternoon a rogue swell crashed over the outer wall — the side the reef had colonized last — and scoured that newest strip bare. The next tide brought new larvae, and by the fourth morning the flat was full of life again.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_new_018 The Canopy Colab

N × N N N N

The forest canopy thickened from one edge of the aerial photograph each spring, new growth filling in row by row until the entire frame was green. But the drought that summer killed the youngest trees first — those in the most recently grown strip — leaving that row bare while the older growth survived. The autumn rains brought the canopy back to full cover.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_prism_001 The Captain's Log AI

L × N ×

Day 1: I loaded the hold with crates of fish (blue) along the top row and barrels of wine (maroon) along the bottom. Day 2: A merchant in port traded me sacks of grain (yellow) for the fish -- I replaced the entire top row with grain. Day 3: Storm at sea! The grain got soaked and spoiled. I tossed it overboard and left that row empty (black). Day 4: We docked at the spice island. I filled the empty top row with saffron (orange) and also replaced the center cell of each remaining row with saffron, since the merchant there insisted on a 'column of gold' down the middle. Day 5: Arriving home, I unloaded everything except the saffron column -- the spice merchant at the home port wanted proof of origin, so I kept those three center cells orange and cleared the rest to black.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_prism_002 Dear Committee AI

L L N L

Dear Selection Committee, I write to report on our bacterial culture experiment (grant #BIO-2847). Week 1: We seeded the dish with four colonies (green, color 3) at the four corners. Week 2: Each colony expanded one cell along each adjacent edge, forming a complete green border ring around the dish; the 2x2 interior remained sterile (black). Week 3 (the key result): We applied our novel antibiotic to the TOP HALF of the dish only (rows 0 and 1). Every green cell in the top half turned red (color 2) to indicate cell death, while interior cells that were already empty stayed empty. Meanwhile, the two surviving bottom colonies each expanded one cell further inward, filling the entire bottom half (rows 2 and 3) with green. Week 4: All red cells were cleared to black, and the bottom half remained fully green -- no further growth was possible since the bottom was saturated.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_prism_003 The Confession AI

N N N N

I need to confess what I did to my garden. Week 1: every plot was thriving -- all green (color 3). Week 2 is when I made my first mistake. I was supposed to water the whole garden, but I only watered the bottom two rows (rows 2-3). The top two rows (rows 0-1) wilted to yellow (color 4). I also left my lawnmower parked on the cell at row 2, column 0 -- it crushed that one plant, turning it red (color 2). Everything else in the bottom two rows stayed green. Week 3: I panicked. I overwatered everything. The yellow cells in the top drowned and died -- they turned red. The green cells in the bottom rows all wilted to yellow from overwatering. And that one red cell from the lawnmower? Dead beyond recovery -- it went black (color 0). Week 4: I replanted the whole garden. I managed to restore most of it to green, except the entire top row (row 0) where the soil was too damaged -- those stayed red.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_prism_004 The Negotiation AI

× × N N

Two nations dispute a 5x5 territory. Nation A (blue, color 1) holds the west; Nation B (red, color 2) holds the east. Black cells are unclaimed. Round 1: A controls column 0, B controls column 4; the middle three columns are disputed (black). Round 2: Each nation claims one more column inward -- A takes column 1, B takes column 3. Column 2 remains disputed. Round 3: Nation A's envoy proposes a bold concession: A will surrender its claim on the BOTTOM TWO ROWS (rows 3-4) of columns 0-1, making them black again, in exchange for the entire disputed column 2 turning blue. B's delegate accepts, because B cares more about the southern corridor. So in round 3: column 2 goes fully blue, but A's territory in the bottom two rows of columns 0-1 is vacated to black. B's territory is unchanged. Round 4: Final treaty. B fills the vacated southern cells (rows 3-4 of columns 0-1) with red, claiming the southern corridor. Column 2 remains blue. Everything else stays the same. Round 5: A neutral peacekeeping zone is declared along the entire column 2 border -- all cells in column 2 change from blue to grey (color 5) to mark demilitarized territory.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_prism_005 The Understudies AI

G N G ×

Opening night at the Imperial Theatre. The lead performs in red while the understudy waits offstage in magenta. The grey curtain borders frame the stage. Between scenes, the two rehearse together, their colors mixing in the spotlight. But at the start of Act Two, the lead collapses and is carried off. The understudy steps into the role completely — no trace of red remains on the stage. She fills the same two-by-two center blocking, alone. For the curtain call, the stage lights dim to just the top half while the lower curtain drops to black.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_prism_006 The Hive AI

× N × ×

Dr. Okonkwo studies a honeybee colony through two lenses. At the colony scale, she maps resource allocation across the hive: orange cells are honey reserves, yellow marks royal jelly stores, grey is empty comb. At the individual scale, she tracks each bee by role: workers in orange, the queen in yellow, drones in grey. Her observations alternate between scales — first colony, then colony again, then individual, then colony. In her third observation (the individual-scale one), she notes the queen has settled near the top-left of the hive at row two, column two, ringed tightly by workers. The drones idle in a block at the lower-right corner, a three-by-three cluster.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_prism_007 The Thaw AI

G × × N

First the dripping. You hear it before you see it — a tick-tick-tick from the eaves of the frozen lake. The thaw creeps northward from the southern shore, one row each day. Where azure ice once locked the surface, blue meltwater pools. The east bank is sheltered by the ridge, and where that sheltered water has stood for just one full day, green shoots push through. The exposed west bank takes longer — two full days of standing water before anything grows. Each day the same rhythm: ice yields one more row to water at the melt front, and the oldest water greens according to which bank it sits on.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_prism_008 The Vigil AI

N N G L

She sits at the window, watching the dark road. Every night, a red light drifts closer — always approaching the center of the grid, moving one step diagonally down and to the right. She cannot tell what it is. The dread thickens. In the corner of her eye, a second presence: a maroon glow at the bottom-right, which appears only on odd-numbered nights — the first night, the third, never the second or fourth. Whatever approaches, the sentinel keeps its own rhythm.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_prism_009 The Standing Ovation AI

N N N L

The concert hall has five rows of six seats. Before the show, everyone sits in darkness. When the soloist opens with a folk melody, the front row stands (yellow) and the second row claps seated (orange). As the piece shifts to a jazz improvisation, the standing spreads one row back -- but something unexpected happens: two audience members in the middle of the second row are so moved they begin weeping and sit back down (black), overcome with emotion. The clapping row still advances. By the third passage -- a return to the folk theme -- those two weeping listeners stand again, rejoining the ovation, and the wave continues its steady advance: three full rows standing, the fourth clapping, the back row still seated. The finale brings everyone to their feet.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_prism_010 The Cartographer's Dilemma AI

L × N L

I've been commissioned to map the valley, but my parchment is small -- a five-by-five grid -- and I can't fit everything. My first draft marked only the river running down column 2 (blue) and the forest covering the right side (green in columns 3-4). My client complained: where are the roads? So in draft two I added the east-west trade road across the middle row (yellow), cutting through both river and forest. But then the mayor objected -- the road obscured the new stone bridge, and the buildings along the north edge weren't shown. For my third draft, I kept the river and trade road exactly as before, but I replaced the forest in the top two rows with buildings (grey) to show the town quarter, while the forest remained in the bottom two rows. I also marked the bridge where the road crosses the river by changing that single cell to azure. In my final draft, the mayor asked me to remove the buildings entirely and restore the forest, but keep the bridge and road, saying 'let the travelers find the town themselves.'

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_prism_011 The Lullaby AI

G × N N

The child's mind is a patchwork of the day's colors. As the parent begins to sing, the red thoughts fade first -- the argument at school dissolves into darkness. 'Hush now,' the parent whispers, and next the orange flickers of the evening TV go dark. In the third verse, the parent sings about the garden, and oddly the yellow dandelions the child picked that afternoon vanish from his mind, but the blue sky and the green grass stubbornly persist -- those were the happiest memories. It takes one more verse before the blue drains away, leaving only a few green embers of the grass where he played. By the last verse, even those fade, and the child sleeps in perfect darkness.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_prism_012 The Inheritance AI

N × N ×

Grandmother's house has twenty rooms in a four-by-five grid. The three siblings divide it over four rounds, with a final agreement. Round one: the eldest (blue) claims the entire top row for the attic views. Everything else is unclaimed (black). Round two: the middle child (red) claims the bottom row, wanting the garden access. The youngest (green) claims only the center cell of the grid -- a single room she loves for its skylight. Round three: the middle child expands upward, taking the two leftmost cells of the second row. The eldest reaches down, claiming the two rightmost cells of the second row. The youngest expands from her center room, claiming the cells directly above and below it in the third row, giving her a vertical strip of three rooms in column 2. Two cells on the left of the third row are designated shared space (yellow) by mutual agreement. Round four: the remaining unclaimed cells all become shared (yellow). Everyone's personal rooms stay as they are.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_001 Spectrum 1 AI

N × × N

Each grid represents a time step. At each step, every cell is updated: new_value = (old_value * 3 + 1) mod 10. Grid 0 is t=0, Grid 1 is t=1, Grid 2 (masked) is t=2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_002 Spectrum 2 AI

× G × N

Each grid is a time step. At each step, every cell updates: new_value = (old_value * 7 + 3) mod 10. Grid 0 is t=0, Grid 1 is t=1, Grid 2 (masked) is t=2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_003 Spectrum 3 AI

× × G G

Each cell updates per step: new_value = (old_value + row_index + col_index) mod 10, where indices are zero-based. Grid 0 is t=0, Grid 1 is t=1, Grid 2 (masked) is t=2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_004 Spectrum 4 AI

G G N G

Grid 2 (masked) is computed as (Grid 0 + Grid 1) mod 10, element-wise. Each cell in the output equals the sum of the corresponding cells in Grid 0 and Grid 1, taken modulo 10.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_005 Spectrum 5 AI

× G G G

Grid 2 (masked) is the element-wise product of Grid 0 and Grid 1, modulo 10. Each cell: output[r][c] = (Grid0[r][c] * Grid1[r][c]) mod 10.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_006 Spectrum 6 AI

× × × N

Each cell updates per step: new_value = (old_value^2 + 3) mod 10. Grid 0 is t=0, Grid 1 is t=1, Grid 2 (masked) is t=2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_007 Spectrum 7 AI

G G N G

Grid 1 (masked) is the transpose of Grid 0. Rows of Grid 0 become columns of Grid 1. Formally: Grid1[c][r] = Grid0[r][c].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_008 Spectrum 8 AI

G G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 rotated 90 degrees clockwise. The transformation is: Grid1[c][rows-1-r] = Grid0[r][c], where rows=4 is the number of rows in Grid 0.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_009 Spectrum 9 AI

G × G ×

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 flipped horizontally (left-right mirror). Each row is reversed: Grid1[r][c] = Grid0[r][cols-1-c].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_010 Spectrum 10 AI

G G × G

The architect spread two blueprints side by side — Floor A and Floor B — and traced her finger across the grids. 'We stack them,' she said. 'Add every cell of A to the matching cell of B, no wrapping, no reduction. Then rotate the result — swap rows and columns.' The transposed sum is what gets built: Grid2[c][r] = Grid0[r][c] + Grid1[r][c].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_011 Spectrum 11 AI

G G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 rotated 180 degrees. Grid1[r][c] = Grid0[rows-1-r][cols-1-c], where rows=5, cols=7.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_012 Spectrum 12 AI

× × × ×

Grid 2 (masked) is the element-wise bitwise XOR of Grid 0 and Grid 1. Each cell: Grid2[r][c] = Grid0[r][c] XOR Grid1[r][c]. All values are single-digit integers (0-9); XOR operates on their binary representations.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_013 Spectrum 13 AI

N × N ×

Grid 2 (masked) is the element-wise bitwise AND of Grid 0 and Grid 1. Each cell: Grid2[r][c] = Grid0[r][c] AND Grid1[r][c], operating on binary representations of single-digit integers.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_014 Spectrum 14 AI

× × × ×

Grid 2 (masked) is the element-wise bitwise OR of Grid 0 and Grid 1. Each cell: Grid2[r][c] = Grid0[r][c] OR Grid1[r][c], operating on binary representations.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_015 Spectrum 15 AI

G × × ×

Grid 1 (masked) is a binarized version of Grid 0. Each cell: Grid1[r][c] = 1 if Grid0[r][c] >= 5, else 0.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_016 Spectrum 16 AI

G G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 with each row independently sorted in ascending order (left to right, smallest to largest).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_017 Spectrum 17 AI

× G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 with each column independently sorted in descending order (top to bottom, largest to smallest).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_018 Spectrum 18 AI

G N N G

A 1D cellular automaton with 12 cells and wrap-around boundaries. The update rule is: new[i] = left XOR (center OR right), where left=cell[i-1], center=cell[i], right=cell[i+1], with indices wrapping. Grid 0 is generation 0, Grid 1 is generation 1, Grid 2 is generation 2, Grid 3 (masked) is generation 3.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_019 Spectrum 19 AI

× × × ×

Grid 1 (masked) is the cumulative sum of Grid 0 along each row (left to right). Grid1[r][c] = sum of Grid0[r][0..c]. That is, column 0 is unchanged, column 1 = Grid0[r][0] + Grid0[r][1].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_020 Spectrum 20 AI

G G G G

Two-step algorithm: Step 1: reverse each row of Grid 0. Step 2: reverse each column of the result from Step 1. Grid 1 (masked) is the final output after both steps.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_021 Spectrum 21 AI

× × G G

Grid 1 (masked) contains the integer mean (floor division) of each row of Grid 0. Each row of Grid 0 produces a single value: Grid1[r][0] = floor(sum(Grid0[r]) / 6).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_022 Spectrum 22 AI

G G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is a single-row grid containing the median of each column of Grid 0. Grid 0 has 7 rows, so the median is the 4th smallest value in each column. Grid1[0][c] = median(Grid0[0..6][c]).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_023 Spectrum 23 AI

G × G G

Grid 1 (masked) has two columns: column 0 is the maximum of each row of Grid 0, column 1 is the minimum. Grid1[r][0] = max(Grid0[r]), Grid1[r][1] = min(Grid0[r]).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_024 Spectrum 24 AI

× × G ×

Grid 1 (masked) is a single-row grid containing the sum of each column of Grid 0. Grid1[0][c] = sum of Grid0[0..7][c].

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_025 Spectrum 25 AI

G G G G

Grid 1 (masked) is Grid 0 with a Caesar cipher applied: each value is shifted by +3 modulo 10. Grid1[r][c] = (Grid0[r][c] + 3) mod 10.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_026 Spectrum 26 AI

× × G N

Grid 0 has two rows: row 0 is the tens digit, row 1 is the ones digit, forming 2-digit decimal numbers column-wise. Grid 1 (shown) contains each number modulo 8. Grid 2 (masked) contains each number integer-divided by 8.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_027 Spectrum 27 AI

× × G ×

Grid 0 is a single row. Grid 1 (masked) is its run-length encoding as a 2-row grid: row 0 contains the values of consecutive runs (left to right), row 1 contains the length of each run. Consecutive identical values form one run.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_028 Spectrum 28 AI

G G G G

Step 1: Transpose Grid 0 (4x3 becomes 3x4). Step 2: Sort each row of the transposed grid in ascending order. Grid 1 (masked) is the final result after both steps.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_029 Spectrum 29 AI

G G G N

Step 1: Compute element-wise XOR of Grid 0 and Grid 1. Step 2: Apply threshold: if XOR result >= 4, output 1; otherwise output 0. Grid 2 (masked) is the final thresholded result.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_030 Spectrum 30 AI

G G G N

Step 1: Compute (Grid 0 + Grid 1) mod 10 element-wise. Step 2: Rotate the result 90 degrees clockwise. The sum grid is 3x4; the rotated output is 4x3. Grid 2 (masked) is the final rotated result.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_031 The Smiley AI

× × × ×

A child draws a face. The eyes are done, the head is round, but something's missing. 'It needs to look happy!' she says, picking up her crayon one last time.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_032 Building a Home AI

× × × ×

First the foundation, then the walls go up. Now the builders just need to put a roof over their heads.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_033 Butterfly Wings AI

G G G G

Nature loves symmetry. This butterfly has only spread its left wing so far. Complete its right side -- butterflies are always mirror images of themselves.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_034 Gravity Always Wins AI

G G G G

Someone knocked the shelf. Everything that isn't nailed down falls straight to the floor.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_035 Surprise! AI

× × × N

The room is dark. Everyone is hiding. The guest of honor turns the doorknob... SURPRISE! What does the room look like now?

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_036 Sunset Over the Lake AI

L × L L

Watch the sky change as the sun dips below the horizon. First bright daylight, then golden hour, then the warm glow of dusk, and finally... night falls.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_037 The Burning Candle AI

G × G G

A candle sits on the table, burning through the evening. Each hour it melts a little shorter, but the flame stays on top.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_038 Filling the Glass AI

N N G G

Water pours from the tap into a glass. It fills from the bottom up, like water always does.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_039 Unwrapping the Gift AI

× × G N

It's Christmas morning. The present is beautifully wrapped. Tiny hands tear at the paper. What's left when all the wrapping is gone?

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_040 Making Up AI

× × × ×

They had a terrible argument. He moved to one side of the room, she to the other. Silence. Then one of them said 'I'm sorry.' They walked toward each other. What does reconciliation look like?

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_041 The Arrow AI

× × × ×

If you step back and look at the whole picture, these three grids together point you in a direction. The missing piece completes the shape that everyone recognizes as 'go right.'

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_042 The Leaning Tower AI

× × × ×

A toddler stacks blocks, one on top of another. The stack wobbles... wobbles... and then, of course, it topples over. Blocks don't float in midair.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_043 Happy Ending AI

× G G G

Once upon a time, the kingdom was covered in darkness. A hero set forth. She battled the dragon. She won. And the kingdom? It was bathed in light once more.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_044 Shadow Puppet AI

× × × ×

A flashlight shines from the left side. An object sits in the middle. Its shadow stretches out to the right. The bigger the object, the bigger the shadow.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_045 She Smiled AI

× × × ×

The room was cold, everyone distant, all grays. Then she walked in and smiled at him for the first time. Suddenly the world felt warm.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_046 What Could Go Wrong? AI

× × × ×

Everything is in perfect order. The picnic is set up beautifully. 'What a perfect day,' he said, 'absolutely nothing could go wrong.' Of course, as anyone who's ever been in a story knows...

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_047 The Tree Through Seasons AI

N N N ×

Spring, summer, autumn, winter. The old oak tree follows the same cycle every year. In spring it buds, in summer it's full, in autumn the leaves fall, and in winter...

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_048 Stacking Stones AI

G G G G

A cairn grows by the trail. Each hiker places a new stone on top of the pile. Stones balance on top of each other, never floating in air.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_049 The Crowd Parts AI

N G G G

A celebrity walks down the red carpet. The crowd presses close on both sides, but as the bodyguards push forward, people part to make a clear path down the center.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_050 The Heart AI

× × × ×

Three grids side by side form a shape. It's the universal symbol of love -- you draw it on Valentine's cards. The missing middle piece completes it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_051 Popping the Balloon AI

× × N N

A child holds a balloon on a string. Then -- POP! What does a popped balloon look like? Just the string hanging limp, nothing left up top.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_052 Traffic Light AI

G G G N

You're driving. The light is green, so you go. Then yellow -- slow down. Then red. Every driver knows: red means the road ahead is clear of your car. You stop.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_053 Ice Melting AI

G × N L

An ice cube sits on a warm plate. It melts, slowly losing its shape, spreading outward. Eventually it's just a thin puddle.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_054 The Obvious Suspect AI

× × × ×

In every detective story, the one person standing alone while everyone else is in a group is the suspect. The detective looks around the room. Three people huddle together on the left. One person stands apart on the right. 'I'd like a word with you,' the detective says, pointing.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_055 Sunrise AI

× × × ×

Dawn breaks over the horizon. The sun rises from the bottom of the sky. First a sliver, then a semicircle, then the full orb clears the horizon.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_056 The Domino Effect AI

G G G G

Dominoes are lined up in a row. The first one tips and hits the second, which hits the third. Each domino goes from standing (tall) to fallen (flat). The wave of falling moves left to right.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_057 Growing Apart AI

G G G G

They used to be inseparable. But over the years, the distance between them grew. First sitting side by side, then a gap, then further apart. People drift.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_058 Checkmark AI

× × × ×

The student submits her test. The teacher marks each answer. Right answers get a check mark. Look at the grids side by side -- together they form that familiar shape every student hopes to see.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_059 Curtain Call AI

G G G G

The play is over. The curtain falls from top to bottom, slowly covering the stage. First the top is hidden, then the middle, until the whole stage is curtained off.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_060 The Escape AI

N N G N

A bird in a cage. The door opens. Freedom! The cage is left empty -- the bird is gone, soaring somewhere we can't see.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_061 Spectrum 61 AI

G × G N

Each grid shows a running count. Every cell increases by 1 from one step to the next. Given step 0 and step 1, produce step 2.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_062 Spectrum 62 AI

G G N G

Each step flips the grid horizontally (left-right mirror). Given the original and one flip, predict the next state.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_063 Spectrum 63 AI

× × G G

A single row of numbers. Each step doubles every value. Given step 0 and step 1, what is step 2?

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_064 Spectrum 64 AI

G G G G

A checkerboard pattern toggles: 0 becomes 1 and 1 becomes 0 at each step. Given two steps, predict the third.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_065 Spectrum 65 AI

G G G G

A tall column of numbers shifts down by one row each step. The top fills with 0. Given two frames, predict the third.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_066 Spectrum 66 AI

N N × N G N

Each step adds a new column on the right containing the row sums of the previous grid. The original columns remain. Given the first two states, predict the third.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_067 Spectrum 67 AI

G G G G

A shape is being filled from the top-left corner. Each step, the fill expands one cell in each cardinal direction from all currently filled cells (marked 1). Walls (marked 9) block the fill. 0 is empty space. Show the next fill step.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_068 Spectrum 68 AI

G G G G

A single 1 marches diagonally down-right across the grid, one step at a time. All other cells are 0. Given three frames, predict the fourth.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_069 Spectrum 69 AI

G N N N N N

Each step adds a border of 1s around the previous grid, growing it by 2 in each dimension. Given the seed and one expansion, predict the next.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_070 Spectrum 70 AI

G × G G

The librarian worked left to right through the stacks, one shelf at a time. Each step she sorted one more column ascending from top to bottom, leaving the rest untouched. Column 0 was done, column 1 was done. The next shelf — column 2 — waited, its books still in their original jumble.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_071 Spectrum 71 AI

× × N L

A 1D cellular automaton evolves according to Rule 30: each cell's next state depends on its current state and its two neighbors. The rule is 00011110 in binary (right neighbor, self, left neighbor -> new state). Rows show successive generations. Given the first three generations, predict the fourth.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_072 Spectrum 72 AI

× G N G

Grid C is the matrix product of Grid A and Grid B. Each cell C[i][j] = sum of A[i][k]*B[k][j] for all k. Given A and B, produce C.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_073 Spectrum 73 AI

× × × ×

A spiral pattern is drawn on a wide grid. Each step rotates the entire pattern 90 degrees clockwise, which also changes the grid dimensions. Given the original and one rotation, predict the next rotation.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_074 Spectrum 74 AI

G N N G

Three grids form a sequence where Grid 2 is the bitwise XOR of Grid 0 and Grid 1. Given Grids 0 and 1, produce Grid 2. A cell is 1 if exactly one of the corresponding source cells is 1; otherwise 0.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_075 Spectrum 75 AI

N N N N N N

Each cell at position (i,j) in Grid N equals the sum of the cell at (i,j) in Grid N-1 and Grid N-2, following the Fibonacci recurrence. Given Grids 0, 1, and 2, predict Grid 3.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_076 Spectrum 76 AI

G × × N

A Game-of-Life-like rule applies: a cell becomes 1 if exactly 2 or 3 of its 8 neighbors (including diagonals) are 1; otherwise it becomes 0. Cells currently alive stay alive with 2-3 neighbors, die otherwise. Given two generations, predict the third.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_077 Spectrum 77 AI

N N N N

Each step applies two operations: first transpose the grid (swap rows and columns), then add 1 to every cell. Given two steps, predict the result after one more application.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_078 Spectrum 78 AI

G G G G

Gravity pulls all non-zero values downward in each column. At each step, any non-zero cell with a 0 below it swaps with that 0 (falls one row). All columns update simultaneously. Given three snapshots, predict the next.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_079 Spectrum 79 AI

× × × ×

A 3x3 averaging kernel slides across Grid A to produce Grid B. Each cell in the output is the sum of the 3x3 neighborhood centered on the corresponding cell in the input (using 0 for out-of-bounds). Given the input 5x5 grid and a partially shown process, complete the 5x5 output.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_080 Spectrum 80 AI

G G G N

Each row is a permutation of the numbers 1-8. Grid B is the result of applying permutation A to itself (composing A with A). If A maps position i to A[i], then B maps position i to A[A[i]]. Given A and its square B, predict the cube C = A composed with B.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_081 Spectrum 81 AI

× × × ×

A dihybrid cross between two heterozygotes (AaBb x AaBb). Each allele pair is encoded: AA=3, Aa=2, aa=1 for the first locus, and BB=30, Bb=20, bb=10 for the second. Each cell is the sum of its two locus values. The grid shows the 4x4 Punnett square. Given the parental gametes and partial offspring grid, complete the cross.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_082 Spectrum 82 AI

× × × ×

The ribosome reads mRNA codons and outputs amino acid codes. Each triplet of values in the input row maps to a single output value via the genetic code: codons 1-1-1=Phe(1), 1-1-2=Leu(2), 2-1-1=Ser(3), 2-2-1=Pro(4), 1-2-1=Tyr(5). The reading frame shifts by 3 each time. Given the mRNA sequence and one translated protein, predict the next.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_083 Spectrum 83 AI

× × × × L N

In a population at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, allele frequencies p and q (p+q=1) determine genotype frequencies: p^2, 2pq, q^2. Each row represents a different gene. Column 0 = p*10 (rounded), Column 1 = p^2*100, Column 2 = 2pq*100, Column 3 = q^2*100. Given three genes, predict the fourth row where p=0.3.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_084 Spectrum 84 AI

× N N × × N

A cell's chromosome count changes through the cell cycle. Each grid shows a cell at a different phase. Values represent: row 0 = chromosome copies (diploid=2, tetraploid=4), row 1 = nuclear envelope (1=intact, 0=dissolved), row 2 = spindle fibers (0=absent, 1=forming, 2=attached, 3=pulling), row 3 = chromatid alignment (0=scattered, 1=condensing, 2=aligned at plate, 3=separating, 4=at poles). Interphase -> Prophase -> Metaphase -> Anaphase -> Telophase.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_085 Spectrum 85 AI

L G L L L L

The circle of fifths encoded as semitones from C: C=0, G=7, D=2, A=9, E=4, B=11, F#=6, Db=1, Ab=8, Eb=3, Bb=10, F=5. Each step moves one position clockwise around the circle (up a fifth = +7 mod 12). Given three chords in a sequence moving around the circle, predict the fourth.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	×	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_086 Spectrum 86 AI

× × × × × N

A dominant seventh chord resolves to a tonic triad following classical voice-leading rules. The tritone (interval of 6 semitones between the 3rd and 7th of V7) resolves inward: the leading tone rises by semitone, the seventh falls by semitone. The root falls a fifth, the fifth falls a step. Pitches encoded as MIDI-like numbers. Given V7 and its resolution in two keys, predict the resolution in a third key.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_087 Spectrum 87 AI

× × × × × ×

A melody is rebarred from one time signature to another. Each cell represents a rhythmic value (1=sixteenth, 2=eighth, 4=quarter, 8=half, 16=whole). Row 0 is beat values, row 1 marks barlines (1=barline after this beat, 0=no barline). Rebarring from 4/4 to 3/4 means barlines every 16 units become every 12 units. Given the 4/4 version, produce the 3/4 version.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_088 Spectrum 88 AI

× × × × G ×

In music, inverting an interval means subtracting each semitone count from 12. A melody's intervals are inverted to create its mirror. Row 0 is the original pitch sequence (semitones from C), row 1 is the interval between consecutive notes. The inversion keeps the starting note but flips each interval's direction. Given original and intervals, produce the inversion.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_089 Spectrum 89 AI

× × × × × ×

Two coherent sources produce an interference pattern on a detector screen. The intensity at each position is proportional to cos^2 of the phase difference. Positions are indexed 0-9 along the screen. The phase difference at position p from center (position 5) is proportional to (p-5). Intensity = round(9 * cos^2(pi*(p-5)/5)). Given a wavelength-1 pattern, predict wavelength-2 where the fringe spacing doubles: Intensity = round(9 * cos^2(pi*(p-5)/10)).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_090 Spectrum 90 AI

N × L × N L

A projectile is launched with initial velocity. Each column is a time step (t=0,1,2,...). Row 0 = horizontal position (constant velocity, +3 per step). Row 1 = vertical position (initial upward velocity 8, gravity -2 per step: v(t) = 8-2t, y(t) = y(0) + sum of velocities). Row 2 = speed squared (vx^2 + vy^2). Given three time steps, predict the fourth and fifth.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_091 Spectrum 91 AI

× × × × G ×

A resistor network simplifies step by step. Series resistors add: R_total = R1 + R2. Parallel resistors combine as: 1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2, or R_total = R1*R2/(R1+R2). Each grid shows the network state. Row 0 = resistor values, row 1 = connection type (1=series with next, 2=parallel with next, 0=terminal). The network reduces from right to left. Given two reduction steps, predict the final equivalent resistance.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_092 Spectrum 92 AI

× × × G × ×

Roman numerals encoded as digit sequences (I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, M=1000). Each row in the grid represents a Roman numeral: the values of its constituent symbols from left to right, padded with 0s. The sequence shows addition: Grid 0 + Grid 1 = Grid 2. Given two addends, predict the sum in the same encoding.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_093 Spectrum 93 AI

G × × G N L

Latin noun declension follows regular patterns. Each cell encodes a morphological feature as a number. Columns represent cases (1=Nom, 2=Gen, 3=Dat, 4=Acc, 5=Abl). Rows represent number (row 0=singular, row 1=plural). Values encode endings for first declension (-a stems): Nom.sg=1, Gen.sg=2, Dat.sg=3, Acc.sg=4, Abl.sg=5, Nom.pl=6, Gen.pl=7, Dat.pl=8, Acc.pl=9, Abl.pl=10. Given the first declension paradigm, predict the second declension (-us stems) where the pattern shifts: all values += 10.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	✓	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_094 Spectrum 94 AI

× N × × N L

Ancient Egyptian dynasties encoded as grid data. Each row is a dynasty. Col 0 = dynasty number, Col 1 = start year BCE (as positive integer), Col 2 = end year BCE, Col 3 = duration (Col 1 - Col 2), Col 4 = number of known pharaohs, Col 5 = overlap with next dynasty (years). Given dynasties 18-20 of the New Kingdom, predict dynasty 21 (Third Intermediate Period): started 1070 BCE, ended 945 BCE, had 10 pharaohs, no overlap with next listed.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	✓	×	—

▶ narc_sp_095 Spectrum 95 AI

× × × N × N

A stack-based virtual machine executes opcodes. Each row is a time step. Col 0 = opcode (1=PUSH, 2=POP, 3=ADD, 4=MUL, 5=DUP), Col 1 = operand (for PUSH; 0 otherwise), Cols 2-7 = stack contents (bottom to top, 0=empty). The machine starts empty. PUSH adds operand to top. ADD pops two, pushes sum. MUL pops two, pushes product. DUP duplicates top. Given three steps, predict the state after two more instructions: DUP then MUL.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ narc_sp_096 Spectrum 96 AI

N × × × × ×

JavaScript's event loop processes tasks in order: synchronous code first, then microtasks (promises), then macrotasks (setTimeout). Each cell is a log statement ID. Row 0 = execution order. Row 1 = task type (0=sync, 1=microtask, 2=macrotask). Row 2 = the log ID that actually prints at that position. Given a scenario with 8 statements, determine the print order. Sync statements: IDs 1,4,7. Promise.then callbacks: IDs 2,5. setTimeout callbacks: IDs 3,6,8.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_097 Spectrum 97 AI

N × G L G G

A binary tree with 7 nodes (values 1-7) stored in array form: index i has children at 2i+1 and 2i+2. The array is [4, 2, 6, 1, 3, 5, 7] (a BST). Row 0 = array storage. Row 1 = in-order traversal. Row 2 = pre-order traversal. Row 3 = post-order traversal. Given the array and in-order, predict pre-order and post-order.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	✓	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	✓	✓	—
nemotron-3-super	✓	✓	✓	—
qwen3.5-122b	✓	✓	✓	—

▶ narc_sp_098 Spectrum 98 AI

× × × × × ×

Colors on a 12-step color wheel (0=Red, 1=Red-Orange, 2=Orange, 3=Yellow-Orange, 4=Yellow, 5=Yellow-Green, 6=Green, 7=Blue-Green, 8=Blue, 9=Blue-Violet, 10=Violet, 11=Red-Violet). A complementary color is +6 on the wheel (mod 12). An analogous palette uses the two adjacent colors (+1, -1). Given a triadic color scheme (spaced by 4) and its complements, predict the analogous palette for a new set of colors.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_099 Spectrum 99 AI

× × × × × ×

A canvas is divided using the golden ratio (approx 1.618). For a grid of width W, the golden section falls at position round(W/1.618). The rule of thirds divides at W/3 and 2W/3. Each grid shows focal points (marked 1) placed at golden ratio intersections. Row position = golden cut of height, Col position = golden cut of width. Given one composition and its dimensions, predict the focal point placement for a differently-sized canvas.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ narc_sp_100 Spectrum 100 AI

× × × × × ×

In visual art, a value scale runs from 0 (pure black) to 9 (pure white). A smooth gradient distributes values evenly across the grid. Each step changes the gradient direction: horizontal, then vertical, then diagonal. The gradient maps linearly: cell value = round(9 * position / max_position) along the gradient axis. Given a horizontal gradient on a 3x10 grid and a vertical gradient on a 6x3 grid, predict a diagonal gradient on a 5x5 grid (value based on distance from top-left corner).

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_001 The Chase Colab

× × × × × ×

The fox wanted to catch the rabbit. The rabbit knew the fox was coming and fled to the opposite corner.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_002 The Bluff Colab

N N N × N N

The spy disguised itself as blue to blend in. Once surrounded, it revealed its true color in the center of the middle row.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_003 The Search Colab

N N N N N N

Blue remembered where the red marker was and went to look for it there, not knowing it had moved to the far corner.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_004 The Standoff Colab

N N G N N ×

Blue and red divided the territory. Blue tested the border first, but red betrayed the truce and seized the contested center cell.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_005 The Rebellion Colab

N N N × N N

The rebels rose from below and claimed the middle ground. The old guard held the high ground but were losing their grip on the flanks.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_006 The Sacrifice Colab

× G N N N N

The guardian stood between the child and the darkness. When the darkness reached it, the guardian let itself be consumed to buy the child one more moment.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_007 The Ambush Colab

N N N × N N

The advance party engaged the target head-on, but a hidden flanking force appeared behind the enemy to cut off retreat.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_008 The Grudge Colab

N N N N N N

Red stole one of blue's places. Blue wanted revenge and took two of red's in return, mirroring red's aggression from the opposite end.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_009 The Theft Colab

N N G N N N

Blue and red each claimed a side of the border. Both reached for the middle, but red stole the contested ground from blue.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	✓	×	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_010 The Coup Colab

N N N N × N

Blue invaded red's territory. Red retaliated by seizing blue's border outposts at both ends, encircling blue's advance.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_011 The Mirror Strike Colab

N × N N N ×

Red planted its flag in the center of blue's row. Blue wanted symmetry in its revenge: it mirrored the invasion, planting its own flags at both ends of red's row.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_012 The Election Colab

N N N × N N

Blue and red campaigned across the district. Blue won the north early, but red flipped that vote and expanded south. The center remained undecided.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_013 The Infiltrator Colab

L N × × L ×

One cell had been a sleeper agent all along, hiding among the blues since the second wave arrived. When the grid was full, it revealed itself at the very heart of the formation.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	✓	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	✓	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_014 The Trap Colab

× N N × N N

Blue gave up ground to lure red into the center. Once red took the bait, blue closed in from all sides, trapping it.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_015 The Dilemma Colab

G N N N N N

They had a truce over the center. Red broke it first, grabbing the disputed cell. Blue retaliated by seizing the entire border.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_design Design Stance Colab

N N N N N N

The building was designed to be constructed from the foundation up, one floor per month. The architect specified that the top floor — the observation deck — should be the last built and the first demolished in any retrofit, since it bore no structural load. When the retrofit came, the contractors followed the spec: the top floor was removed while the rest of the building continued to operate. The replacement floor was installed the following quarter.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ stance_design_5x5 Design Stance 5x5 Colab

N × N N N ×

The server rack was built to fill from the left bay first, one column of blades at a time, following the cooling airflow path. The spec mandated that in any capacity reduction, the most recently installed column — the rightmost, farthest from the intake — be decommissioned first, since those blades ran hottest. When the power budget was cut, the ops team followed protocol: the last column went dark while the rest kept running. The budget was restored the following quarter.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_intentional Intentional Stance Colab

N N × N G ×

The general wanted to hold every position on the ridge. He sent his troops up from the valley floor, securing one line at a time. By nightfall the whole ridge was his. But the enemy commander, who knew the general's weakness for overextension, struck at dawn at the highest line — the one the general valued least, the one farthest from supply, the position he'd taken last and would sacrifice first. The rest of the ridge held. The general retook the summit the following week, just as the enemy knew he would.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	✓	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ stance_physical Physical Stance Colab

× × L × N N

Water fills a tank from the bottom, one layer at a time, as the inlet pipe feeds the lowest point. When the tank is full, the sun heats the surface. The topmost layer — the thinnest, with the most surface area exposed to air — evaporates first. The deeper layers, insulated by the water above, retain their heat more slowly. The evaporated layer is replenished by the next rain.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	✓	✓	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ synth_blueprint The Blueprint Colab

N × N N N N

The architect's plan called for offices filling the floor plate from the left, one bay at a time. By the fourth revision every bay was designated office space. Then the client changed the brief: the rightmost bay, the one added last and with the fewest structural commitments, was to become a server room instead. Same footprint, different function. The architect recolored that column on the plan from blue to red. The rest stayed blue. The final revision restored all bays to the same designation.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ synth_chorus The Chorus Colab

N × N N × N

They joined the chorus one row at a time from the front, the basses anchoring the sound. By the third rehearsal the whole ensemble was singing. Then the sopranos in the back row — the last section recruited, still sight-reading — lost their nerve and went silent. The rest held the chord.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	✓	NARC
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	✓	NARC
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	✓	NARC

▶ synth_palimpsest The Palimpsest Colab

G × N × N G

The scribe copied the new text over the old, column by column from the left. But he was lazy about the last column — the parchment was thickest there, and the old ink showed through. Every other column was cleanly overwritten; the rightmost still bore the ghost of what had been there first.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	✓	×	✓	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	✓	NARC
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	✓	NARC
qwen3.5-122b	✓	×	×	—

▶ the Race The Race Hum

× × × × × ×

Juliet had been training for the Boston marathon for two years. Her goal: complete the race in under four hours. On the morning of the race, she lined up with all the other runners at the starting line. But when the starting buzzer sounded, an alien appeared in the sky. Strangely, Juliet was the only who saw the alien. While all the other runners started the race, Juliet remained glued to the spot, staring up at the sky. "Guys! Look! There's an alien!" she shouted. But no one listened. They all just kept running. Then the alien came closer, and closer, until it was hovering right in front of Juliet. "You have been chosen," said the alien. Then Juliet woke up.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

▶ the date The Date Hum

× × × × × ×

It was Deb's first date since her divorce. She met the man online, as so many people do these days, and after a couple weeks of correspondence, they decided to meet for dinner. He was perfectly pleasant. Polite, funny, relaxed. Nothing like her ex-husband, Chris. But no matter how hard she tried to enjoy the moment, to enjoy the date, the memories overtook her. She thought of her first date with Chris, so many years ago, right in this very restaurant. The memory was so strong, the nostalgia so consuming, that when she looked at the man across the table, all she saw was Chris. The new man sensed she wasn't ready to move on, and after he left, Deb sat at the table for a long time, staring at the empty chair.

Model	Grids Only	Narrative Only	Both	NARC
gemma-4-26b	×	×	×	—
gemma-4-31b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-120b	×	×	×	—
gpt-oss-20b	×	×	×	—
nemotron-3-super	×	×	×	—
qwen3.5-122b	×	×	×	—

NARC Inspector