Trans sci-fi, 91k words. A mind-bending quantum thriller about simulated realities, brainscanners, a digital apocalypse, trans awakenings, and tabletop gaming at a cozy queer cafe.
Depressed programmer Ren's world turns out to be a creepy post-apocalyptic dating simulation controlled by his real-world counterpart. But as the simulated Ren spends more time with his transfemme punk coworker Jeanne outside of the workplace, he's not quite sure whether he wants to date her, or wants to be like her. Ren pulls at this thread of doubt, aided by Ren's use of an illegal brainscanner and the quantum supercomputer AI assistant TASA, and ultimately ends up knocking the entire simulation off the rails. This forces the controller directly intervene in Ren's reality, leading to a conflict between sim and controller that snowballs into a reality-bending confrontation and uncomputable truths.
