reasons to be happy:1. we are here.2. you are with us.3. and we are so alive.  Foreworda partial history  [of exo]  prompt by s.abuleil (thanks for the inspiration!) In light of the general fandom atmosphere this past year, Ive decided to write an ot12 story. I know some people may not have considered this year EXOs best, whether in terms of Lays absence or the awards theyve 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. Its 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 weve invested so much time into arguing whenever we dont 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 dont define or prioritize anyone over another.The country of the origin of your fame doesnt 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 lets all cheer on our unicorn, Lay, more! Hes working hard in China and Im just so proud of everything hes managed to accomplish this year!]   Apologies for that depressing-as-shit 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, exos anniversary, or when an MV is released (you probably wont 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]     Thats all.Enjoy reading and pray tell what you think of it.