“Pretty Boy Crossover” by Pat Cadigan was first published in the January 1986 edition of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I read it in the collection The Legend Book of Science Fiction, edited by Gardner Dozois and published in 1991.
A wonderful story. This is about a party goer, a Pretty Boy, who is only interested in being noticed while he is still young. He wants to dance and be with Bobby, who is also a Pretty Boy but one who has transitioned to bits and bytes and is now preserved as a Pretty Boy.
The style was a little difficult to get into at first, but a lot of science fiction can be like that. But once you adjust to the style it doesn’t get in the way any longer. It was interesting in how it was constructed. We started in a club with dancing, then moved to a discussion in an office of the process and the opportunity for the protagonist to transition to this new form of existence, then back to the club. The style changes between the club and the office.
In a novel, you might feel a little cheated if you got used to one style and the style changed half way through, but I think this can work a lot better in short form fiction.