interactive fiction rec

[frausorge]

Rephrase? by CenozoicSynapsid

Fandom: Stet - Sarah Gailey
Additional Tags: Interactive Fiction, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Child Death, Animal Death, Artificial Intelligence, Workplace

Rephrase? is a response to the source story delivered in the form of a text game, and it makes brilliant use of the interactive format in a way that perfectly answers the source's own niche format of editorial comments. Here's the author's summary:

Your company's automated vehicle system has killed someone, your team has been working all week to figure out why, and now you're working late writing the summary for your boss. It's a tough job, the kind that might even lead someone to violate the rules of business etiquette. Luckily, corporate has installed a new style checker to make sure you keep things professional.

It's heavy going in many ways - do heed the content tags - but handled incredibly deftly and with great nuance, and all too chillingly plausible. Well worth exploring how each choice gets translated in the outcome.

Comments

[satsuma]

Oh that’s a really interesting game! Thanks for sharing

[frausorge]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it too!

[cahn]

I love this IF-story and I am so delighted to see the rec here! I'll also add that canon is very short, so it is well worth reading canon and then playing the game.

Also, I find Rephrase?, in addition to being thoughtful, deft, heartbreaking, and chilling, also extremely funny in places! I'm in awe of a story that manages to do that.

[frausorge]

After I got linked to it myself, I really wanted to help spread the word! Excellent point, with the canon story so short and free to read (and linked at the start of the game), the full combination should hopefully be very much within reach even for anyone who hasn't happened to read it before. And yeah, the humor is a wonderful grace note on top of all the darker aspects!

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Thanks for the rec! I enjoyed whatever that was. *shudders in corporate*

[frausorge]

Isn't it just perfectly chilling? Very glad you enjoyed it!