So. First things first, Zi Tao is leaving EXO. What we see is that SM once again, is being inhumane and cruel. Zi Tao carried on with his activities despite having multiple injuries. And it goes on for so long to the point that Mr Huang asks to pull Zi Tao out from EXO. But let us all ask ourselves something: was SM truly abusing Zi Tao, or did he insist on going through with his activities despite his injuries? Some may not know, but there are still people out there who still carry on with performances despite going through a rough time. That is what being a performer is about. Working on something and showcasing it, all while enjoying the entire process. Even when I have the flu, I still make it for choir practices, even if it means sounding horrible and not in top condition. A meagre comparison, but enough to show that the true spirit of a performer is to always make sure that "the show goes on".

  Should Zi Tao decide to leave EXO because his father wants him to, don't blame anybody. Zi Tao chose to overwork himself, despite his father telling him to take care. And now after everything, Zi Tao finally decides to leave and adhere to his father's wishes. His father is just doing what a father should do, looking out for his child. Despite crushing his child's heart and spirit, he's happy so long as he gets to see his child safe and healthy. Both did nothing wrong. An admirable father and son pair, rather.

  Zi Tao doesn't strike me as the kind of person to just drop something that he really likes. Hardly anybody does. He really loves EXO and performing, which is why he carries on with his schedule. I think that even if SM had wanted to make him rest, he wouldn't hear of it. His dad had to literally drag him back to China, and after talking it through with him did Zi Tao then decide to rest. If by now I have people saying "It's all SM's fault for being a slave driver! They should've made them rest instead of continuing!" Well like I said, what if Zi Tao's the one who wanted to continue? Would you blame him for being senseless? 

  So that was rant part one. All about the recent departure.

  There's something else that has been irritating me for a few months now. Fandoms. I don't understand why some people must purposely diss another. Does it make you feel good? Superior? Justified? I really don't get it.

  I really didn't want to bring in names, but after thinking about it I decided to. Only then will you understand the scale of hate.

  When I first officially got into Kpop, I was into Super Junior. Suju was my life for the next three months. Only now do I realize that it's not exactly Suju. Rather, Suju KRY. I watched and listened to only the KRY members, or anything related to them like M and H. I liked everyone in Suju, but it was only KRY getting me into it the entire time. But at the time I thought I liked the entire group. I listened to their songs, loved them, and proclaimed myself an ELF.

  Three months later, I met EXO. I never liked EXO to begin with. I thought Growl was annoying and EXO was winning lots of awards. But then I watched M's Happy Camp and EXO Showtime. By the end of the holidays, I found myself liking EXO more and more. EXO then became my life.

  I never forgot Suju. I still listened to their music and liked them. But my initial passion slowly dwindled because I had EXO. I admit, I may not be the most pleasant person to talk to at times because all I could talk about was EXO. But if there's anyone out there who has never suffered from overexcessive feels before, trust me you'll understand how we all felt when you go through it.

  Soon, I found myself totally liking EXO. All their songs, dances, videos, shows, whatever. Then I had this friend who came into the Kpop world from Epop. Suju wasn't her first group, but she soon found Suju and loved them from there onwards.

  Here's when it all starts.

  For some reason, she really disliked EXO. Dislike is actually too mild a word, more like hatred times a hundred. She would make snide and sarcastic comments about them, and sneered whenever I gushed about them or when she saw their faces anywhere. I admit, I was hurt. Really really hurt. But that was only the beginning.

  The big hoohah came during MAMA 2014. As we all know, Super Junior and EXO were both shortlisted for a bunch of awards. Yet at the end of the day, EXO was the one walking away with all the awards. Of course, this caused the entire ELF fandom to explode with complaints about unfairness. Especially since from what I heard, Suju actually had the highest votes for the category which they were supposed to win and it was actually impossible for EXO to override that huge amount of votes. I still remember, my friend and I were texting each other throughout the entire event. And at one point, EXO won an award and they were going up to receive it. Jongdae had been thoroughly shocked by the announcement and had covered his mouth from the surprise. And get this. My friend actually said: "He's so rude -_-" ". When I asked her how he was being rude, she replied: "It's so obvious that they're going to win due to their popularity. He shouldn't pretend to be shocked."

  I was beyond hurt at such a statement. Jongdae? Rude? He may love to joke around and is a proud member of the Beagle Line, but calling him rude for "pretending to be shocked" really aggravated me. Jongdae is my third bias, and I have to admit, sometimes I pick Jongin over Jongdae (Kaisoo feels ahem). But to go as far as to call him rude, when Jongdae is one of the nicest members in EXO, and totally sincere with his actions. I was really really upset with my friend for that, for judging people who she didn't even know an inkling of. But that wasn't the last of it.

  MAMA carried on, and we were continuing to watch it. And then the results were announced, and EXO surprisingly triumphed over Suju. My friend at that point, screeched and went crazy. I guess that's when it started. I can't remember how it began, but pretty soon she was ranting at full blast while I was trying to do damage control. It carried on for a while until at one point she said "Suju worked hard for this. Leeteuk just came back from the army and they worked so hard for their comeback."

  At this point of time I was so done. That statement struck my nerves and I remember saying: "Are you saying that none of the other groups worked hard for their comeback?" Images of seeing Jongin stop and bend down in the middle of a live stage due to his waist came into my mind. And that wasn't the only one. Krystal just fainting on stage during their performance of Mr Boogie was another. Zi Tao doing his body flips and falling flat onto the surface was a third. They are the only ones who's injuries I mention because I don't really know much about groups outside of SM. And then I brought up those injuries and in defence, she actually replied: "KYUHYUN NEARLY DIED!"

  Great. She's totally lost her senses. I'm only going to bring this up once, because it's really insensitive (in my opinion) and I'm sure nobody wants to remember it, but then is she also implying that Ladies' Code should have won the entire thing then? Kyuhyun's my bias in Suju, but DON'T bring such an argument into fairness of votes in award shows. I swear, I always thought my friend was smart and sensible. That one line just destroyed that image of her. And when there was news of Zi Tao leaving EXO this year, when I met her in school the next day, she actually said something while smiling. i might be overimagining things, but I could've sworn I detected a faint eagerness to her next words; "So is Zi Tao really leaving EXO?"

  I don't know how her mind works, but sometimes I wonder: Does she churn out all this hate towards EXO simply because she thinks that they're "replacing" Suju? Or maybe because she thought they "stole" her friend away from being an ELF? These such incidents actually made me sick while talking about Kpop to her. I get it, the show was probably ripped off or something. It was really unfair to Suju, but in all honesty, I couldn't care less. Even if EXO hadn't won anything, I wouldn't have bothered. It's just a show. I was only there to watch the performances. I didn't even take part in the voting.

  But yes, to people out there. It doesn't matter if you're an EXO-L or an ELF, SONE or Blackjack, Pink Panda or Shawol, Baby or VIP, whatever. Just shut up with your insults. What you might hate doesn't necessarily apply to everyone. Example: I love Wolf, I love it more than Growl. But I know people say that it . Well too bad for you, I actually hear something that appeals me to it more than Growl. It's the same. I don't like Jonghyun's music, but that doesn't mean it or is a terrible song. It just so happens that his style of songs are not my taste.

  And hating on your friend's favourite group won't make your friend leave that group due to the million and one problems going on. It might actually make your friend hate YOUR favourite group because they were what influenced you to become like that.

  Music is an international language, and it knows no boundaries. It helps us form bonds and keeps us connected. Let's not use it to create war, music wasn't meant for that. Be open minded and just be NICE.

  I actually feel like I have more to say, but this post is way overdue and I'm late for my French class and I can't remember half the things I wanted to say anyway. So whoever reads this, please please PLEASE actually take some of my words into use. The world would be a much better place if you do that.

  And for my mentioned friend, I didn't want to give up such a good friendship over such a petty thing. That doesn't mean you can forever step on my opinions and thoughts easily just because I'm more giving. If you ever read this, congratulations. I hope you realize how much you've unknowingly hurt me.

  To readers, please don't let such a thing get in the way of your friendships. It's not worth it.

  Final note: Don't judge idol groups by their fans. Judge them for their attitude and character.