a partial history  [of exo]

prompt by s.abuleil (thanks for the inspiration!)

In light of the general fandom atmosphere this past year, I've decided to write an ot12 story. I know some people may not have considered this year EXO's best, whether in terms of Lay's absence or the awards they've been receiving relative to previous years. And I also know that a lot of people (me included) have felt disheartened at least once throughout this comeback season, only to feel guilty for being so incredibly selfish for prioritizing an award so high above EXO themselves.

Awards matter. Daesangs matter. Fame matters. These are all undeniable, especially for a kpop group. However, most kpop stans have yet to realize that a daesang is nothing without their idols. It's just a temporary title that will most definitely change its owner from show to show, from year to year.

But EXO, EXO is permanent. EXO is forever.

And I think that we've invested so much time into arguing whenever we don't win an award we think we deserve, into leaving spiteful comments on other fandoms' pages, into being overly sad when we perhaps ¨lose¨ a trophy to another group that deserves it just as much as we do, that we forget the most important things. We forget that the people we stan are nine (really twelve) clumsy, adorable idiots, and not a cold, sharp chunk of metal with one word engraved on it.

Awards don't define or prioritize anyone over another.

The country of the origin of your fame doesn't define or prioritize anyone over another.

We have EXO by our sides, and that alone should be enough.

We are one.

[Also as a side note let's all cheer on our unicorn, Lay, more! He's working hard in China and I'm just so proud of everything he's managed to accomplish this year!]

Apologies for that depressing-as- foreword.

I promise the actual story will be better than that rant^ (hopefully).

Note:

When reading this story you will have to pay attention to:

- the dates [yes, most of the dates mean something, for example, exo's anniversary, or when an MV is released (you probably won't know these but you will be able to infer because most likely the members will be screaming the song lyrics when that happens XD), or when an awards show typically is (like MAMA is around December 1st)]

- the allkpop articles [they are there to help you recognize the flow of major events, is all]

That's all.

Enjoy reading and pray tell what you think of it.