NOVEL NEXT Chapter 236: Episode 9
It all started when Pink Puma got home.
Feeling a little salty after being nagged by her manager for her boyfriend's actions, Martin for losing her cat, and then being scratched by the cat once again, she wanted to cause a bit of trouble for the person who was to blame, so she impulsively decided to follow his account.
But since she was someone who followed fewer than 50 people, her fan pages, which kept tabs on her social media activity, blew up again as people began speculating about the relationship and what was really going on, especially after the original leaked videos.
When the paparazzi videos of her boyfriend trying to match up to Ari and her argument appeared, with only parts of the conversation being posted, it heightened the misunderstanding and caused people to begin speculating about what was going on with the three of them.
By the time she posted a clarifying message explaining the situation, along with the entire video of the paparazzi interaction due to her manager's nagging, it had already blown up and spread to the Pop Star Academy community.
[Pop Star Academy Bulletin Board]
[I think I found Ariel's social media account.]
└ How?
└└ Pink Puma just tagged him on her story, thanking him for rescuing a friend's cat and wishing him good luck on the show. She follows him. Her boyfriend, too.
└└└??????
└└└ How does he know Pink Puma?
└└└└ Apparently, they've been dating since he won her hand in a fight with her current boyfriend at a vet clinic.
└└└└└ Post the link, or you're lying.
└└└└└ Stop spreading lies! They met by accident when he found a friend's cat. He specifically said he's not interested in dating. Especially not her. And she's not interested in dating him!
The link to Ari's account was posted, and although some people initially thought it was fake, his growing follower list, which included Pink Puma and her boyfriend, served as proof that it was really him.
And although there were clips of him covering songs in his distinct voice, what really sold it was the only picture posted, which was a collage of his birthday photos, causing quite a few people to be shocked.
└ Awwww, a secret birthday party? cute.
└ No, when did he become such good friends with Benjamin?
└ awww, the cake on his face
└└ awwww the murder in his eyes
└└└ awww murder successfully accomplished. Everyone now has cake on their face.
└ What restaurant is this?
└└ It looks like a Korean restaurant!
└ How come nobody found it before this?
└ how could we find it? Everything on his page is in French, including the hashtags and location. Someone tell him to please remove the accents when typing T_T
└└ Or to add an English caption!
The Pink Puma fan accounts then discovered who Ari was, and things came to a head when the fandoms collided.
Pink Puma (and Jacob)'s fans were in an uproar because they couldn't understand why Ari would say he didn't want to date her, especially since he was an ugly, untalented nobody on an irrelevant show that didn't matter.
Pop star academy fans, especially those who weren't exclusively Ari fans, were angry because they didn't understand why Pink Puma fans dared to disparage their show when one of the largest record labels was behind it and the contestants were all super talented.
Ari's Angels ignored the mess because, while you could say many things about Ari, you couldn't call him ugly or untalented. And as for the dating accusations?
└ No way he likes her, look at his face
└└ the judgment
└└ The disgust
└ ngl I would feel embarrassed if someone looked at me like that
└└ I would cry
└ He was more gentle with the cat than with the human.
└ He avoided touching her as if she had the plague lol
└ My baby. Look at his eye! Royal family fans, you'll pay for this!!!
└└ now is not the time for division. Focus on the Pink enemies
The accusations were not believed at all.
The person they supported was someone whose eyes and facial expressions always showed exactly how he felt, which was clearly neutral at best and dislike at worst.
Although the Pink Puma fans felt disrespected, the internal unity of Ari's Angels, who had been fighting against all odds since the beginning, could not be shaken.
They focused on their mission and continued to spread awareness about Ari's positive actions, particularly the news clip highlighting the extensive volunteering Ari had done that day, and pushed people to watch the episode that would prove Ari's talent and skill.
So with a lot of fanfare, those who regularly watched the show, those who only found out about the show due to the news segment, and those who came to hate-watch and bash Ari all sat in front of their TVs or computer monitors with their phones out.
The episode began with a completely black screen that began showing text along with image graphics.
[To Show Love To The Fans Who Support Us, We Shared An Extensive Survey, And Here Are Some Of The Results.]
[What concepts would you, the fans, like the contestants to do the most?]
[Survey Says:]
1. Sexy
2. Bad Boy
3. Military
4. Cute
5. Athletic
6. Sci-fi
7. Summer
[If you could take a single thing from a previous performance and force all the teams to use it as part of their performance, what would it be?]
[Survey Says:]
[Water.]
[Specifically, Warrior Water Performance.]
........
[Drama or Peace]
[Survey Says:]
[Drama]
[You asked and the production team delivered.]
[Enjoy the Fan Show Case Preparation and Performances!]
Skrrrt
The screen glitched before transitioning to a split-screen view showing several contestants grabbing an envelope with their names on it from the door and walking into a practice room.
Some of them froze before forcing a smile and entering, while others barged in with a straight face.
Ari, the person who was the topic of conversation, had a full-screen moment of him staring at each person in his team's practice room before turning to look at a blurred-out staff member with an expression of despair.
Seeing it, those who were watching it with the live chat open began posting.
└ Oh, his face is so expressive.
└ looooool, he looks like he's about to cry
└ ? I don't go here and only know the Ariel guy from the news. Are his team members bad or something? Why does he look like that?
└└ No, they're all pretty great. He's actually the lowest-ranked person.
└└└ Then what's the issue?
└└└└ cursed team project
└└└└ They all don't like each other.
└└└└└ Benjamin doesn't hate anybody! Don't make false accusations!
└└└└└└ He literally can't stand William and never talks to him anymore.
The scene transitioned to each team trying to figure out their concepts, with both real and serious arguments being highlighted, especially in Ari's team, which argued about everything from the concept to the team leader.
└ Who's the blonde with the sharp eyes
└└ Levi! Don't be deceived by his looks, he's really nice on the inside!
└ Why is Ariel so bossy?
└ I hate working with people who think they're always right.
└└ What makes it crazy is he's literally the youngest in that room. He just turned 18.
└ └└me personally I wouldn't take that. Is that why someone punched him in the eye?
└└ └ └ Reported!
From song choice to deciding positions, although a few arguments were shown here and there, it was nothing too egregious and just focused on the different teams' excitement about the fan showcase.
Even during the mid-term review, which only featured a tiny clip of their practice performance, the feedback toward Ari's team was edited, with only the more helpful advice being shown and the criticism against certain members being cut out completely.
And of course, Ari's fans noticed this change compared to previous episodes.
└ No. Wait. What did the production team lost their minds? Ari's actually getting a good edit?
└└ We prayed for times like this (a single thug tear drips down)
└ What's going on?
└ Why are they so happy?
└ They said he can't dance and needs to do better. Is this a good edit?
└└└ This is nothing, young Padawan, let me tell you about….the dark days filled with chopped sentences, harsh words, and terrible makeup.
└ Is this the person you're trying to convince us is good enough for Pink Puma? He's trash!
└└ Please stop trying to tie your singer to Ari! You're going to ruin his career!
└└└ What career? I checked, and he's not even in debut rank?
While the fans continued arguing, the episode continued.
The clips of planning, preparing, and practicing were displayed with the teams that had the most popular members getting the most screen time.
Which meant that it was very noticeable that on Team Avengers, William barely appeared on the screen after the positions were decided, which, of course, made his fans get upset.
└ Why is the production team bullying William by not giving him scenes? He's a part of the team, too!
└ He's being ostracized!
└ Jerome too! It's not fair!
└└ Production is definitely pushing an agenda. It's clear that they're picking sides!
└└└ What sides?
└└└└ Ariel vs Prince William. Their vocal tones are similar, so they're always being compared.
└└└└└ It's not a competition. Prince William clears! That's why he's ranked 2nd, and your dozen is ranked 20th.
└└└└ Also, Jamal vs Benjamin. It's clear that they've chosen their favorite black person!
└└└└└ Is Benjamin even black? He's lighter than me and not even American.
└└└└└└ He's African-Caribbean! Stop erasing his blackness just because he's light-skinned and has a British accent.
└ at least his team is being shown! I've only seen my favorite once! T_T
└└ Who's your fave?
└└└ Tony!
└└└└ wtf is that?
All the teams finished their preparation, and a mid-episode advertisement was made to promote the extra content that would display the fan showcase interactions before the episode switched to show the individual interviews with the production team.
Production: [After the midterm evaluation, which team do you think is going to win the best performance?]
- Team Rainbow Sprinkles Will Win.
- They call us the Avengers, innit? Me and the mandem are taking it.
- Probably the Avengers, to be honest. The two concept idea gods are over there.
- The Avengers. They stacked all the good people on one team, sigh.
- Ahaha, I'd like to say us, but realistically, it's probably Team Avengers. Ari's brain is something else when it comes to concept creation and arranging, and I've seen him make a team comeback from worse.
- Hmmm, probably Ari's team? They're stacked vocally and rap-wise, so I'm sure it'll be a good performance once his Royal Seaness irons out the arrangement that [beeeep] did. This doesn't mean I'm giving up, though. Military Boys on top! Yee haw!
- It's almost summer, so I think the refreshing concept has a chance. If not us, then the sexy concept will definitely take it. Ari…he has his issues, but performance-wise, he can't be touched.
└ Why is everyone so scared of them? That team didn't even get praised at the midterm evaluation, just criticized.
└└ Why do they keep mentioning Ariel's name like a ghost?
└└└ He always has the best concepts. Look at all his past performances! Look at Justin's, too!
└ Who is his Royal Seaness?
└└ It's Ariel's nickname. Jamie also calls him Captain. They're besties!
└└└ Why is his nickname longer than his real name?
└└└└ That's just how it is. Hope this helps :)
└└└└└ It doesn't. Hope this helps :)
└ Wait? What do you mean he took a worse team and made them come back?
└└ Yes, he did! Please watch the Warrior Performance, then watch the corresponding episode.
The personal interview responses continued until Ari was sitting on the chair on screen, wearing his usual brown animal tracksuit and a headband, pushing his curls back, exposing the striking cat-like features and unique colored eyes.
└ Wow. This face is something else
└ He really looks like a cat that made a wish to be a human boy.
└└ It's make-up, obviously!
└└└ He has shadows under his eyes just like all the other contestants, and you're telling me it's makeup?
└└└└ Obviously! It's a makeup style. They're all a bit sweaty, and those wearing makeup have their makeup smudged, which means they've been practicing! His is smooth and freshly applied.
└└└└└ Lie again.
└└└└└└ Just because he changed his old makeup style doesn't mean he's not wearing it.
Production: [At the end of each performance, we always ask the audience to choose who they think is the best performer on the team. Who do you think it will be this time?]
The green-eyed boy on the screen lazily crossed his legs on the chair before resting his head on his hands and giving a mischievous smile.
- Who will be the best performer? Uhm…I don't really like to compare myself with anyone, and I don't know what the fans will say, but if I had to say, it would be myself.
[Even though you're clearly struggling with the concept and you're the lowest-ranked person on your team?]
- Even then. I will always bet on myself because I believe I'm smart and talented enough to excel at anything I put effort into. Whether or not the audience agrees with it or not is a different issue, but at least I know I did my best. No offense to anyone else.
└ Wow, he's super cocky for someone being carried by his team members
└└ I lowkey want to see him fail
└ From the evaluation clip, I saw two people mog him already; all he has going for him is that pretty face
└ It's my first time watching. Are they going to show the performance this time, or do I have to come back next time?
└└ They'll probably show it next time because this team has the most popular members!
└└└ And 1 sneak being forced on us by production.
└└└└ gtfo, he's literally the most talked about person?
As the episode drew to a close, many people expected the team's performance to be one of the less popular ones.
But to the surprise of those watching, a cinematic style performance was displayed, and the person who tore up the stage the most was Ari.
From dancing blind folded for over half the song, the insane vocal runs and adlibs that made it seem that he didn't need to breathe, to frenzied energy that seemed to infect the rest of his teammates while he danced.
Even through the screen, their eyes couldn't look away from him until their screen turned dark after Ari took a bow and disappeared into a cloud of red and white mist.
The performance was so impressive that it captivated casual viewers, fans, and anti-fans alike, and naturally, the chat blew up.
└ Yo! Wtf?
└ bruh
└ Ain't no way
└ He's my pirate king for real!
└ This is the team that got a bad midterm evaluation?
└ Who said he can't dance?
└ Who said his team is carrying him? Basically, nobody else stood out except for Benjamin
└ You're telling me this is the same person who was on the news doing community service and has good grades? Screw him!
A surprising amount of praise came from the new casual viewers who were impressed, and always ready to take advantage, Ari's Angels began sharing clips and promoting their agenda.
└ Everyone! The ranking evaluation is tomorrow! Please vote for Ari at least once so we can get him to dye his hair red!
└ Please spare a vote so we can see a red-haired Ariel!
While Ari's votes were on the rise in the public eye, another person was fuming while reading a text from his uncle, and a certain PD was happy due to the unexpected influx of new viewers, but was frustrated in having to explain why a certain person was cut from most of his scenes.
Time continued to pass until a particular green-eyed boy, surrounded by boys shoving a disgusting amount of food into their mouths as if they had never eaten before, sighed before forcing himself to take another bite.
Eating enough to add weight was hard.