More thought is needed in clarifying the exact difference between saying "consciousness arises from patterns of energy flow in the brain," and "consciousness arises from patterns of graphite on paper." I think there is definitely a big difference, but it's not crystal clear to me in what exactly it consists.

This may be a point of divergence. You're thinking of the brain as active, and the Graphite-Paper-Person simulator as passive.

If you talk about "patterns of energy flow in the brain" the analogous statement for the GPP is "patterns of marking creation/destruction on the paper"

If you talk about "patterns of graphite on paper" the analogous statement for brains is "patterns of electrochemical potential in cells"