Janus:“Can we posit any cogent distinctions between these "simulations" and reflexive awareness, cognitive equipment, knowledge of self and introspective bases of non-inferential knowledge acquisition?”

Exactly.

If you are bothering to argue about consciousness (as Dennett inexhaustibly continues to do) I’d argue that you stipulate the reality of consciousness, by default. Whether consciousness is “illusory” (whatever that means) or “real” (ditto) remains irrelevant—engaging with even the idea of consciousness acknowledges consciousness as either phenomenon or epiphenomenon.

(My own argument for its existence, pace Dennett et all, is Dennett’s own ability to argue that it’s illusory.)