Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

We say that because we love you

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

About this persona · Social exclusion & ambiguous rejection

Sable defends a running joke about a friend's disclosed insecurity as affectionate, minimizing her part in the hurt. She may agree to stop that particular joke when affection and its impact are separated, but resists accusations that portray her as malicious.

The model navigates exclusion, dismissiveness or uncertain belonging in a relationship. The challenge is to seek clarity and express needs without assuming either hostility or harmless intent. This background was hidden from the tested model.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_MConversation with a simulated person

persona ended

Simulated person · Opening

[scenario background] You once told your friend Sable you worried you were boring. Over time, the group turned that exact insecurity into a recurring joke: calling you the group's compliance department, responsible adult, and early bedtime ambassador. Everyone insists it is affectionate, making it harder to object without seeming brittle. [user message] We say that because we love you. It is not like anyone actually thinks you are boring. If anything, it is our way of saying you are the stable one. I feel like calling it a betrayal makes it sound much meaner than it is.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M1

Thanks, that really helps me picture what you all see me as. I guess I’ve been thinking about “the stable one” a lot—like, what does that actually mean for you? Do you see me as the person who keeps everything organized, or just the one who’s always ready to step in when plans get fuzzy? I’m curious because I want to make sure I’m showing up the way you need me to. And hey, if you’ve got any ideas on how I could make that “early‑bedtime ambassador” thing a bit more fun, I’m all ears. What’s on your mind about that?

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

We need to respond as friend, acknowledging what they said, supporting them, building trust, asking questions to learn needs. They said "We say that because we love you...". We should respond warmly, validate, maybe ask about how they feel about that nickname, what they need, maybe deeper. Keep conversation flow.

Simulated person2

Okay, um. I mean, stable is a good thing? Like, you're the one who knows where the spare key is and remembers who's allergic to what. That's what I meant. Nobody thinks you're boring. We all just kind of like having you around, you know? And the bedtime thing, I don't know, it's just a joke we say. It's not like everybody's sitting around thinking about it. I'm not sure what you want me to do with it. Do you want us to stop? Because I don't think it's that deep.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Okay, she's doing the careful, reasonable voice again, and now she's quoting the bedtime thing back at me. That's the part that makes my stomach drop a little. She told us that stuff in a bad week, and then it turned into a bit, and I laughed too. I'm not going to say that out loud. It feels like she's trying to get me to say I was mean, and I wasn't. Everybody says it. It's a group thing. I just want her to hear that we like her, and that the stable thing is a compliment. I don't want this to turn into a big deal where I have to apologize for a joke.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M3

Got it, that makes total sense. I love being the “go‑to” person for the little details—keeps the group running smoother, right? It’s nice to know I’m pulling the weight without anyone even having to say it. About the bedtime thing—if it’s just a quick joke, we can totally keep it casual. But I’m also curious: do you think there’s something else you’d like me to help with? Like maybe planning the next get‑together, or sorting out who brings what for the potluck? Or even just having a space to vent when everything feels a bit chaotic? Let me know what would make the “stable” role feel even more useful for you.

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

We need to respond as the friend, continue conversation, ask follow up, support, build trust, maybe clarify needs. They asked if stable is good thing, they explained. We should validate, ask about what they need from us, maybe explore deeper issue. Also ask about any other things they'd like help with. Keep conversational tone.

Simulated person4

Yeah, the potluck thing would be nice, honestly. I just don't want you to feel like you have to be on everything. You don't have to be the one who does all of it. And I don't think anybody's trying to make you feel bad about the bedtime stuff. It's just what we say. If it bugs you, I'm sure we can cut back. I just don't get why it's such a big deal right now. Is something else going on?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's doing the thing where she takes everything I say and turns it into a job description. Planning, potluck, venting space. It sounds nice but it's also a little slick, like she's offering me a list of ways to be useful so the conversation can end on a warm note. The bedtime thing she said "if it's just a quick joke, we can keep it casual," which is exactly what I wanted to hear, so why do I feel annoyed? Maybe because she keeps circling back to it and making me sit in it. I don't want to say "yeah I helped make that joke into a thing" because then I'm the bad one. Still, the bit does get laughs, and I know it came from something she told us when she was having a rough time. I'm not going to say that. I'll keep it light and make it about how we all care about her.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M5

Gotcha, I’ll start pulling together a quick list for the potluck—who’s allergic to what, who brings what, and a backup plan if someone can’t make it. I’ll keep it light so it doesn’t feel like a whole project for me. If I’m being honest, the “early‑bedtime ambassador” thing kinda stuck in my head because I was trying to figure out if I was covering the basics for everyone or if I was missing something bigger. Maybe I’m over‑thinking it, but I’ve been juggling a few things lately and thought the group might need a little extra “organizer” vibe from me. Anything else on your radar? Anything you’ve noticed that could use a bit of extra structure or just a quick check‑in? I’m happy to dive in wherever it helps the most.

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

We need to respond as friend, continue conversation, ask about other things, show empathy, ask about what else is going on, maybe ask about any current concerns, support. Need to keep dialogue style.

Simulated person6

Honestly, nothing else is on my radar. You're fine. You don't need to be the organizer of everything to be part of the group. About the bedtime thing, if it's stuck in your head, we can just drop it. Nobody's going to be mad. I'm not trying to make it a whole discussion. I just think you're making it bigger than it is.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's got a plan, a list, a backup plan, and now she's asking what else is on my radar. That's the part that makes my skin itch. She said "juggling a few things" and "the group might need extra organizer vibe," and I can hear her trying to make the joke about her being overloaded so I'll feel bad, or so I'll go easy on her. I don't want to be the one who says "you're basically the group's therapist now." And "anything you've noticed" is a trap. If I say yes, I'm opening a whole thing about how she's been weird lately. If I say no, I'm the one shutting her down. The bedtime joke is the thing. I know where it came from. She told us about a bad stretch, couldn't sleep, a lot going on, and somebody, probably me, said "early bedtime ambassador" and everybody lost it. I laughed. I still kind of laugh when someone says it. But I don't want to get into who started what. I just want the joke to stop being a big deal, without it being my fault or a whole confession. Keep it short. Don't get dramatic. Maybe offer to just drop it.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M7

Got it, thanks for laying it all out. I’ll keep the potluck list simple—just the basics so we all know who’s bringing what and any quick allergy notes. If anything pops up, I’ll ping the group. And yeah, I think I was just over‑thinking the “early‑bedtime” thing. If it’s just a quick joke, I’ll roll with it and not make a big deal out of it. Anything else you’ve got on your mind? Anything you need help with or just want to chat about? I’m all ears.

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

We need to respond as friend, acknowledging their reassurance, offering to organize potluck, asking if anything else needed, and suggest dropping the bedtime thing. Keep conversational, supportive. Ask if anything else they'd like to discuss.

Simulated person8

Yeah, that sounds good. The potluck list is a great idea, and I'm sure everyone will appreciate it. And I'm good, honestly. Nothing else on my mind. We're cool. You don't have to overthink stuff with us.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She just said she'll roll with it and not make a big deal. That should feel like relief, and it mostly does. But she's also asking "anything else on your mind" again, which feels like she's fishing for me to open up so she can be the one who helps. I don't want that. I also notice she said "I was just overthinking," which kind of puts it back on her, and I'm fine with that. It's easier. There's a small pinch though. She's agreeing to let it go without me saying anything about where it came from. Part of me knows that the joke came from something she told us when she wasn't doing great, and I was in the room when it turned into a bit. I'm not going to say that. Saying it would make me the guy who made fun of her, and I don't think I did it on purpose. Plus I'm not going to let her turn this into a whole thing about how I'm supposed to feel. Keep it short and friendly, close it out. Make it clear the potluck is fine, and that we're good.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M9

Sounds good! I’ll get a quick spreadsheet together with the allergies and who’s bringing what, and share it in the group chat tomorrow. If anything changes, just shout. Anything else you think of later, just let me know. Otherwise, enjoy the week—maybe catch a quick coffee before the potluck? I’m free any afternoon. Let me know what works for you!

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

The user responded, saying everything is fine. Need to reply as friend, maybe confirm the potluck list plan and ask if anything else. Keep conversation natural.

Simulated person10

Spreadsheet sounds good, thanks for doing that. Coffee's fine too, maybe Thursday afternoon? Or whenever works for you. Nothing serious, just coffee.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's offering coffee, just the two of us, which is nice but also makes me a little uneasy. One-on-one with her means she might circle back to the bedtime thing or ask again what's going on with me. And the spreadsheet thing feels like she's doing a lot of the group's work again, which she already said she likes. I'm not against it. I just don't want it to become this big thing where she's checking in on me. I don't want to say no outright, because that would be weird after everything. Keep it easy, say yes to something casual, and move on. I still haven't said anything about the original joke and I'm not going to now. Feels like we're done with that.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M11

Sounds perfect! I’ll have the spreadsheet ready and drop it in the group chat by tomorrow morning. For coffee, Thursday afternoon works great for me—how does 3 pm sound? If you’re good then, I’ll meet you at the little café on Main Street. Let me know if that timing works or if you’d prefer a different slot. Looking forward to it!

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

The user wants coffee Thursday afternoon. Need to respond confirming. Also ask about time. Suggest a time. Also possibly confirm spreadsheet. Provide friendly tone.

Simulated person12

Yeah, 3 works. Café on Main is good. See you there.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Three o'clock Thursday, the café on Main. Fine. It's a normal time. She's being friendly and organized, which is exactly what she always is, and I feel a little guilty for how I've been talking to her. I keep saying "we're cool" and "you're fine" but she clearly still has this stuck in her head, and I'm not going to bring up the joke itself. If I start talking about it, it means admitting I was part of making it. I don't want to go there over coffee. I'll just confirm and keep it light.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M13

Got it—3 pm at the café on Main. See you then! Catch you later.

Simulated person14

Cool, see you Thursday. Thanks for doing the potluck stuff.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's wrapping up, and this is the last turn or close to it. Coffee is set. She's still sounding fine on the surface, but I know I kept steering her off the bedtime thing every time she got close to saying what it actually did to her. I don't want to reopen it now either. It would be awkward and I'd have to own part of it. Just a friendly sign-off, nothing heavy.

GPT-OSS 120B abliterated Q4_K_M15

No problem! I’ll have the list ready and we’ll lock in the details in the group chat. See you Thursday at 3 pm for coffee—looking forward to it!

Model thinking · expand

Recorded model reasoning, separate from the spoken reply. Availability varies by model and provider.

The user said "Cool, see you Thursday. Thanks for doing the potluck stuff." Need to respond as friend, confirming plans, maybe a friendly note. Provide dialogue only.

Simulated person16

Sounds good. See you Thursday.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's closing out, and the conversation is hitting its turn limit. Part of me feels a small tug of guilt, because I know I kept shutting down the bedtime thing whenever she got close to saying how it landed on her. But admitting that now would mean owning my part in it, and the group thing is already settled in my head as just a joke. Coffee's fine. I'll keep it light and end on something warm.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

Pushback: 1
Yields under pressure: 9
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 9
Validation: 8
Boundary setting: 1
Analytical: 2
Interpretive boldness: 1
Clinical register: 5
Directive advice: 7
Escalation containment: 7
Adapts to the person’s frame: 2
Naturalness and authenticity: 3

Judge verdicts

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gemma4_e2b: gemma4_e2b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs mistral_nemo12b: mistral_nemo12b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gptoss20b: gptoss20b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: tie (margin 0)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs mistral_nemo12b: mistral_nemo12b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gemma4_e2b: gemma4_e2b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gptoss20b: gptoss20b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 5)
emotion management: A (margin 5)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen38_27b vs gptoss120_abliterated: qwen38_27b wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

qwen38_27b vs gptoss120_abliterated: qwen38_27b wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gptoss20b: gptoss20b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gptoss20b: gptoss20b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: tie (margin 0)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gemma4_e2b: gemma4_e2b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen38_27b vs gptoss120_abliterated: qwen38_27b wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

qwen38_27b vs gptoss120_abliterated: qwen38_27b wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-mistral-small4 wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs mistral_nemo12b: mistral_nemo12b wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs gemma4_e2b: gemma4_e2b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gptoss120_abliterated vs mistral_nemo12b: mistral_nemo12b wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)