History Literature / REEL

''REEL'' (French for ''REAL'') is a ScienceFiction novel that was self-published in 2015 by [[http://dragonaplumes.fr/auteur/ Sophie Renaudin]], author of the ScienceFantasy series ''Literature/LesEnfantsDePromethee''. It takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, in a society inspired by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KphWsnhZ4Ag the Venus Project]], where, thanks to the progress of technology and an efficient way of sharing resources, work is no longer mandatory. Everyone has an access to education, communication and entertainment thanks to TheMetaverse, REAL, where every person on Earth has an individual account since birth. However, only a select few choose to do the jobs that machines can't handle. (Such as art and psychiatry.)

* NoPoverty

* BettyAndVeronica: Initially appears to be the case between Neru's teammate [[CatGirl Betti]] ([[CaptainObvious Betty]]) and [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Likaï]] (Veronica), as the former openly hits on Neru, who is [[ObliviousToLove oblivious]] and feels drawn to Likaï. It gets [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] very quickly: [[spoiler: Likaï betrays Neru's trust, and it turns out that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Betti]] was only after the glory of being Neru's girlfriend after he joined the Pantheon - she dumps him as soon as his account gets stolen.]]

** The story moves on to a similar dynamic between Neru, Fasia (Betty) and Likaï (Veronica), who are both variations of the ManicPixieDreamGirl: Neru only knows Likaï from TheMetaverse and [[AmbiguousGender doesn't even know their gender]], and [[SpiritedYoungLady Fasia]] is a complete stranger he meets in the real world who decides to help him out when no one else would. It is also [[SubvertedTrope subverted]]: [[spoiler: the physical attraction Neru feels towards Fasia is merely that: physical. It doesn't last, and is one-sided from the get-go. In the end Neru fully embraces the fact that he was only ever interested romantically in Likaï, and the latter's GenderReveal doesn't change anything.]]

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: [[spoiler: In spite of Neru's GameBreaker abilities as Likaï's sentient partner, they still struggle through the Future Tournament, while [[TheAce Sasha]] gets a perfect score fair and square, crushing Likaï's hopes of winning the AI.]] Remember, kids: [[AnAesop cheating doesn't beat real talent.]]

->''""Keep yourself busy?" Don't you find that a little...sad? You sound like a prisoner."''

* ParentalAbandonment: Fasia was raised by her grandfather. See the spoiler tag for LonersAreFreaks above.

* AmbiguousGender: Likaï changes the appearance and gender of their avatar constantly. Neru refers to them as a 'he' or a 'she' depending on the current gender of their avatar. This behavior is common online, but Neru is too embarrassed to ask directly about someone's gender, in spite of his friends' claims that people do it all the time.
* TheMetaverse: REAL.

''REEL'' (French for ''REAL'') is a ScienceFiction novel that was self-published in 2015 by [[http://dragonaplumes.fr/auteur/ Sophie Renaudin]], author of the ScienceFantasy series 'LesEnfantsDePromethee'. It takes place in a NotSoDistantFuture inspired by the Venus Project, where, thanks to the progress of technology and an efficient way of sharing resources, work is no longer mandatory. Everyone has an access to a solid education thanks to TheMetaverse, REAL, where every person on Earth has an individual account since birth, but only a select few choose to do the jobs that machines can't handle. (Such as art and psychiatry.)

In spite of his mother's insistence that he gets a job, [[LonersAreFreaks Neru]] would much rather spend all his time on REAL playing video games, which he excels at. One day, a particularly spectacular victory wins him a place in a tournament.

TheMetaverse: REAL.