#and to see them being encouraged by taylor just confirms the type of fans she wants : white apolitical beautiful young girl

[thissmycomingofage]

I've become so disillusioned by a certain someone that now I can't see any nice thing she does as anything but pr and well crafted com. It's a horrible feeling to experience after years of only seeing positivity and genuineness in everything she did.

[shadowofthelamp]

Fandom Trades: Tips and Tricks

I’ve been running a secret santa for five years now, and a few people expressed interest in a sort of ‘guide’. It does take some elbow grease to get things up and running, but it’s very rewarding and gets easier as you go. Click the ‘read more’ for some stuff I’ve picked up over the years! It’s a bit general to try and cover anything, but if you have any questions, you can ask! (And if you’ve run one yourself, feel free to add on!)

FAQ: Something that’s a really good idea to have. Here’s the most important stuff on it that would probably be applicable to most trades:

-Basic summary of what the trade will be- some could be fic-only or art-only, or even specific-ship-only. Mine’s general to ‘all sonic sfw content’, but setting guidelines so people know what they’re getting into is a good idea so you won’t have to answer the same question over and over.

-Deadlines. Make them clear. Mine’s easy (Christmas Eve) but depending on what size the gift is expected to be, the time frame can be adjusted. 

-Related, set up rules for if people need to drop out. It happens, so be prepared. (This is why I ask now if people are alright giving a second gift.)

-Any particular rules for your trade- is it sfw or is nsfw acceptable? (In that case, set age limits.) Are there ships that will or won’t be allowed? Is there a punishment for violating the rules or turning things in late, like not being allowed to participate in the trade again?

PROMOTION:

A promo image is a good idea! I’ve been using the same one for a few years that was put together by a friend no longer on tumblr, but images catch people’s eyes faster than a text dump. Make something that’s easy to understand but gets the point across, and the text below should have enough information without overwhelming the casual scroller. 

Space paragraphs often to make it less intimidating. Include links to the FAQ, the sample entry, and the submit box right in the post, as well as a way to contact you- you want things to be as easy as possible for anyone interested. Here’s my promo post.

You also want to start promotion early- I start posting and reblogging my promo a full month before the entry deadline, to give as many people the chance to see it as possible. Any earlier, and they might not care- (who wants to see a Christmas trade post in October when you’re hyped for Halloween?) and any later and you might not get as many participants as you could have. A month-ish is a good time frame. (I also have a tag for the promo post, so people can blacklist it if they aren’t interested and don’t want to see it 15 times.)

SAMPLE ENTRIES:

Also something that’s good to have. Having a template for what you want entries to look like will make sorting easier for you. Here’s mine. It’s a good idea to scout around for other trades to find out what would work for you.

MAKING ASSIGNMENTS:

Next, setting up how to arrange who gets assigned to who. I personally use google spreadsheets. These are the categories I use, feel free to steal them: Username, medium (art, writing, amvs, ect), whether they’ll work with fan characters, what they’d like to receive, what they won’t do (one year I even added ‘if there’s anyone you won’t work with’ so if it’s a fandom with drama, that one might be good), who they’re gifting to, who they’re receiving from, if they’ve submitted their piece yet, if their piece is in the queue, and if they’re alright with doing backup.

I also had a category for if they’ve confirmed they’re still in once assignments were sent out. (Boy, was that one nerve-wracking during the whole tumblr purge debacle of last year- I didn’t know if anybody had just quit tumblr mid-month.)

You will run into people who only want two or three things nobody else wrote on their sheet. If you can’t find even one match, then just put them with someone who had a wide variety on theirs, or who doesn’t have anything on their ‘won’t do’ list. Trying to match with multiple likes is a better bet, though, so encouraging longer lists of what people want makes things easier for you in the long run!

I personally just went in a line- I picked one person, found who they would give a gift to, and then found who THAT person would give a gift to. Rinse and repeat down the list, and it’ll end with everyone paired. I ended up making a closed loop and then sorting the last 8 or so, which was fine. An easy way to check that you didn’t double-classify anyone is control-f and searching names. If their name pops up 3 times, you did it right.

SENDING OUT ASSIGNMENTS:

Just copy-pasting the part of the entry that includes the person’s name and their likes makes this way easier for you over trying to type them out individually. Ask for confirmation that people got their assignments so you don’t have to worry if they missed it.

HOW TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED:

My system is this: I’ve mentioned it before, but I utilize a combination of my spreadsheet and the queue function. Let’s say Sally’s making a gift for Jake, Jake’s making a gift for Taylor, and Taylor’s making a gift for Sally. Sally submits her piece of art for Jake. I mark that off on the sheet, so when Taylor submits the gift for Sally, that gift will go in the queue to be posted whenever the deadline is up because she turned hers in already.

This keeps people motivated to complete their parts of the trade, since they won’t get their gifts until they do. If someone drops out, tell the person making the gift for them- if you’re lucky, they can rework what they have for the person that the drop-out was supposed to make something for, but if not, bring in someone who didn’t mind making a second gift. Person making the gift for the dropout can choose if they want to continue making it or not- if it’s mostly done and not a fan-character, they can just post it on their own blog unrelated to the trade. 

It’s also a good idea to have a ‘hub’ where things are posted. If it’s a fic trade, ao3 has a function specifically for this, but I’ve found having things submitted directly to you makes it a million times easier to keep track of who’s finished their pieces, as well as keeping things ‘secret’ until the big day. (People have gotten confused or excited and posted early before.)

If people want to post elsewhere after it’s posted on the main hub, set your own rules- I say it’s fine as long as it links back to the blog and links the giftee, particularly if it involves fancharacters. You make your own judgement.  

BE PATIENT:

This is one that’s very important. Some people don’t check the FAQ, and some people are going to be new, asking questions that you swear you’ve answered before or thought would be obvious. They generally just want to know, so take a deep breath. They don’t know they’re the fifth person to ask that question. Answer politely, or steer them towards the FAQ. (Running the same event year after year, you run into this a lot- they’re just new, be nice!)

Don’t start an event that you expect to have plenty of people participating if you aren’t prepared to hear the same questions a couple of times. Things might get a little annoying- take a step back for a few minutes, cool off, but try to remain professional. You signed up for this. For me, it’s always worth it to see how happy people are about their gifts, but know yourself and your limits- running a themed week where people post art at their own pace is less hassle, so you could try that if you don’t feel up to organizing a full trade! 

If you can have a friend to bounce things off of, that can help too, but don’t use them as just a dumping ground. Tumblr allows multiple ‘mods’ on a blogs, so splitting work can make things easier, particularly if it’s your first run doing something like this. I had a friend who helped me the first few years before leaving tumblr. Be sure you trust the person, though! They’ll be able to edit posts and delete submissions, so if any drama happens, beware. (This never happened to me, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.)

TAGGING:

Add tags to the submission box. I don’t know why this took me four years to think of, but it saved me a lot of time last year. If it’s a trade that covers an entire fandom and dozens of ships, you can add the shipping tags as they come in, but adding the ten or so most popular character tags helps a lot. If it’s going to involve potentially triggering content, common trigger tags are a good idea too. (A Halloween trade might need this, for example, or one that involves nsfw content.)

PEOPLE TURNING THINGS IN LAST MINUTE:

It’s going to happen. I think one year I was panicking on the 23rd because I only had half the gifts, and all but one had been turned in by the time I went to bed on the 24th. People procrastinate- if you get in most of the gifts ahead of time, you can thank your lucky stars. Try not to stress over it, but feel free to post reminders in the week before/days leading up to the deadline. My family travels around the holidays a lot, and I managed to get everything queued up properly through airport and hotel wifi more than one year, so you’ll be just fine if you try and stay calm.

OTHER/GENERAL:

It’s absolutely worth it, in my opinion- I’ve been doing this for years for a reason. My favorite thing is knowing I’ve done something that made others happy. Going through all the excited responses Christmas morning is equal or above getting presents from my family, because I know it’s on some level because of me facilitating the trade in the first place. I hear over and over this is something people look forward to, and it genuinely warms my heart. 

It might take a few years to get established, but if you find a niche (there was a blog called sonic secret santa, but it hadn’t been updated in years) you might be surprised how fast you can gather people! I like seeing people show up year after year, it’s how I know I’m doing something right.

It is definitely work, and there is stress involved, (especially if people drop out or don’t send in their gifts on time) but the benefits outweigh the negatives, I say. People are generally understanding if there’s a problem, as long as you make it known you’re working on it.

You have to commit to the responsibility if you do this- people who are making gifts are putting their trust in you that you’ll keep things organized and they’ll get something for the gift they’re giving. You can’t guarantee everything will run exactly as planned, but you can be as transparent as possible when you hit a bump- ‘I’m sorry, but your person said they’ll be late because they were having internet problems/personal life issues and is doing their best’ is going to get a lot better of a response than radio silence. Be sympathetic, but be firm on the rules if need be.

I hope this helped a bit, and thanks for reading!

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

This roundup covers January 15-31. Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion

Netflix reveals international reveal date for Shadowhunters 3B: New Idea Magazine, IGeeksBlog, TVWise.

It is confirmed that new episodes of 3B will be available on Hulu the day after they air on Freeform

Anna Hopkins (Lilith) and Dom Sherwood (Jace) behind the scenes Shadowhunters season 3A. [3]

YIKES. Izzy behind the scenes of #Shadowhunters Season 3B

.@arosende: a man of many talents. #BTS  #Shadowhunters

The mother of Demons. Repost by the talented @sleepyelena. keep showing us your art by using #ShadowhuntersLegacyArt, and we may repost you.

What are you getting into, Dom? #BTS #Shadowhunters

Dom and Alisha having fun on set. #Shadowhunters

Share the wonder of reading, just like @Kat_McNamara. From now through March 31st, post a shelfie with your favorite book using #MagicOfStorytelling and @Disney and @ABCBeInspired will donate a new book to @FirstBook (up to 1M books).

Well read warlock. Magnus behind the scenes of #Shadowhunters Season 3B.

We all know who’s the strongest. #WCW #Shadowhunters

Freeform releases its new lineup of offerings for February 2019

One Month until Jonathan returns...#ShadowhuntersLegacy

Watching the action. @ARosende behind the scenes #Shadowhunters season 3B [1]

A peek at Izzy in #Shadowhunters season 3B

Happy #MalecMonday from season 3B Malec. #Shadowhunters [2]

Uh oh...What’s going on here.... Behind the scenes of #Shadowhunters season 3B

We’re ready to see Luke Baines as Jonathan Morgenstern in #Shadowhunters season 3B. 📸 @LukeBaines

Shadowhunters In the News

Shadowhunters was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award and there were a slew of responses, including: Shadowhunters TV; Kat (Clary); Harry (Magnus); Brian Hui (Makeup artist); Anna Hopkins (Lilith); and Todd Slavkin (showrunner).

JustJaredJr (article): #AndiMack, @ShadowhuntersTV & more nominated for GLAAD Media Awards 2019

Entertainment Weekly (article): EW, Crazy Rich Asians, Love Simon nominated for GLAAD Award

Matt Carter Media (article): Shadowhunters season 3 scores GLAAD Awards nomination

Film Daily (article): GLAAD Awards 2018: ‘Shadowhunters’ and ‘Sense8′ noms encourage hopeful fans

TV Time (article): Top 20 Freeform shows we can’t get enough of

Film Daily (article): TCA Awards: Are critics even relevant in our new times?

Meaww Entertainment (article): ‘Shadowhunters’ season 3B: The story of the real Johnathon Morganstern aka evil reincarnate

JustJaredJr (article): Katherine McNamara shares what the true magic of ‘Shadowhunters’ really was

Pure Fandom (article): #ShadowhuntersPosterChallenge Part 1: Amazing art by fans

Pure Fandom (article): #ShadowhuntersPosterChallenge Part 2: Fan art of Clary, Jace, and Clace

Pure Fandom (article): #ShadowhuntersPosterChallenge Part 3: Fan art of Lilith and the Morgensterns

Pure Fandom (article): #ShadowhuntersPosterChallenge Part 4: Magnus Bane

Hollywire (video): Katherine McNamara reveals her celebrity crush | Katherine McNamara Interview

TV Fanatic (article): Shadowhunters: 11 Book scenes we need to see in the show

Spoiler TV (article): YouSay-Top 10 Shows that should never have been cancelled

Meaww Entertainment (article): ‘Shadowhunters’ season 3B: Izzy is taking Clary’s loss harder than anyone else

Meaww Entertainment (article): ‘Shadowhunters’ season 3B: Magnus Bane coping without magic proves he’ll always be the High Warlock of Brooklyn

Pure Fandom (article): ‘Shadowhunters’ season 3B: 8 things we want to see

Pure Fandom (article): If your favorite TV couples were ‘Hamilton’ songs

Hypable (article): The ‘Shadowhunters’ pilot reminds us of the importance of this series

Serienfuchs (article): “Shadowhunters” Season 3B: Forgot your own station

Meaww Entertainment (article): ‘Shadowhunters’ Exclusive: Star Alberto Rosende on being shocked after hearing of the show’s cancellation

Matt Carter Media (article): Shadowhunters season 3 trailer release is ‘imminent,’ per exec

JustJaredJr (article): Alberto Rosende isn’t truly closing the door on ‘Shadowhunters’

Defective Geeks (article): Interview: Jade Hassoune on Fandom and the final season of Shadowhunters

Kat (Clary) was interviewed by TMRW magazine in January

Twitter & Social Media

Basic Shadowhunters Stuff releases the first #SHTVFlockToUnlock polaroid with Kat (Clary): Bloody. Transformative. Shattering.

Bane & Lewis releases the second #SHTVFlockToUnlock polariod with Alberto (Simon): Hell Breaks Loose!

Bane & Lewis releases the third #SHTVFlockToUnlock polariod with Tessa Mossey (Heidi): Power.

Basic Shadowhunters Stuff releases the fourth #SHTVFlockToUnlock polaroid with Dom (Jace):  Loss. 

Basic Shadowhunters Stuff releases the fifth #SHTVFlockToUnlock polaroid with Luke Baines (Jonathan Morgenstern):  Romantic. Tragic. Deadly.

ShumDario News releases the sixth #SHTVFlockToUnlock polariod with Harry (Magnus): Unravel.

ShumDario News releases the seventh #SHTVFlockToUnlock polariod with Anna Hopkins (Lilith): Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime. 

Brian Hui (Makeup artist): shared a photo: As long as vamps and wolves get along…#Shadowhunters @ch8i @arosende

Todd Slavkin (Showrunner) responded to fan questions: regarding Shadowhunters music selection, regarding Alec’s possession in Shadowhunters season 2x04, regarding Alec & Clary in 2x02, regarding casting Arianna Williams (Madzie), regarding Malec’s fire escape talk, regarding a teaser photo of Magnus (Harry Shum Jr) in the institute, regarding Malec babysitting Madzie, regarding Malec in 3B, his favorite Malec scene, regarding Sizzy’s development, regarding Jonathan’s journey after rebirth, regarding Clace in 3B, regarding where he would like to see Malec in the future, and regarding the Malec-centric 3B episode.

Steve Byers (Underhill) responded to a fan question regarding his character finding a significant other: He finds lots of #Shadowhunters that are not Alec

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted his daily reflections for each episode: season 2x03; season 2x04, season 2x05, season 2x06, season 2x07, season 2x08

Taylor Mallory (writer) tweeted Matt & Em have some great scenes together in 3B. And I can think of at least one involving weapons.

Brian Q Miller (writer) tweeted about the most memorable scene that he wrote

Taylor Mallory (writer) responded to some fan questions on twitter: about the most memorable scene she wrote; whether she chose a song for a scene and who chooses the songs generally; how it feels seeing a scene come to life; and whether writers usually watch the shooting of an episode which they’ve written.

Amanda Michael Row (director) tweeted: One thing I miss about directing @ShadowhuntersTV is how HUGE the fight scenes were, and how #mattdirector really just let you embrace the EPIC of it all. When you re-watch 3A make sure to pay close attention to those sequences. Some of them are really quite remarkable.

Kat (Clary): tweeted a photo: Nothing is ever black and white in the Shadow World. Are you ready for 3B? Expect the unexpected Angels. #Shadowhunterslegacy #fbf #Clace @ShadowhuntersTV @DomSherwood1

Film Daily (tweeted): We’re looking to partner with #Shadowfam cosplayers on a fun #YouTube #Cosplay video makeup tutorial series. DM us if this is you

Stefanie Terzo (hair stylist) shared a behind the scenes video on Instagram:  Behind every great warlock, is a guy with a stick. #TMBM (The Magic Behind Magnus) .

Brian Hui (makeup artist) shared some bts photos of himself “helping” Jace get rid of the Owl demon in 3A.

John Rakich (locations manager) gave fans an insight into the location scouting for Valentine’s lair, in response to Todd’s 2x07 reflection

Kat (Clary) tweeted: Family vacation with the usual suspects... #WhoisKeyserSoze #Squad 📸: @isaiahmustafa​

Jade Hassoune (Meliorn) tweeted a video of himself in costume: How it felt to put it back on each time. 3B is going to be full of epic. I dedicate this post to our production team and crew. To those who made all of this happen. We think of you. #Shadowhunters #Meliorn #armor

Alan Van Sprang (Valentine Morgenstern) responded to a fan question Why is @alanvansprang the best tv/movie villain type....EVER?

Kat (Clary) posted a #FBF BTS video of her and Luke Baines (Jonathan Morganstern) to celebrate 30 days till Shadowhunters 3B.  

Sydney Meyer (Helen Blackthorn) shared a photo of a custom Helen Blackthorn Funko Pop that she received.

Steve Byers (Underhill) responded to a fan question regarding which cast member/character he wished he had more scenes with, and teased the fandom about Underhill in 3B

Isaiah (Luke) shared a behind the scenes photo on Instagram:  Happy Super Blood Wolf Moon! 💚🐺 #shadowhunters#lukegarroway #maiaroberts

Arianna Williams (Madzie) tweeted 30 days...OMG I can’t wait #Madzie #malec #clace #luke #izzy #maia #simon

McG (producer) shared a throwback photo on Instagram:  First read thru on SHADOWHUNTERS I remember like yesterday @kat.mcnamara @domsherwood@isaiahmustafa @matthewdaddario@harryshumjr @albertorosende@emeraude

Brian Hui (Makeup artist) responded to a fan question regarding Clary’s runes

Brian Hui (makeup artist) posted a photo of Jade Hassoune (Meliorn) from 3B

TVLine shared a photo of Anna Hopkins (Lilith) and her new “Owl”.

Alberto (Simon) posted an update about Rosende Reads

Javier Munoz (Lorenzo Rey) tweeted Friend or foe? Waiting on 3B like... @ShadowhuntersTV #LorenzoRey

Todd Slavkin (Showrunner) tweeted about the 3B trailer, in response to a fan inquiry.

Stefanie Terzo (hair stylist) shared a behind the scenes video on Instagram:  Behind every great warlock is an equally as brilliant stunt team ready to catch whomever is thrown at them (in this case, it's a Jace). #TMBM .

Brian Hui (Makeup artist) shared a photo of some cast members and friends on cast during the filming of 3B. [4]

Kat (Clary) tweeted a heartfelt goodbye after the death of a Shadowhunters trainer.

Dom (Jace) shared a photo of him and a cast trainer: You will be missed coach. RIP. Love ya bud.

Matt Hastings (Executive Producer) answered some fan questions while on a scouting trip:

Malec/Magnus/Alec: Can we expect to see a malec forehead kiss or…?; Please tell me we get a malec cuddle scene, they deserve hugs from each other;  Can you say literally anything about Malec; Who wins the “fight” in the Malec training scene; Will there be more shirtless Magnus;  Will there be another Malec funny-interaction episode like 3x02;  Can we expect to see Alec deal with Clave’s politics a little (lot) more?; Any badass Alec scenes to look forward to?;  Favorite Magnus moment in 3B;  could you tease anything about the next time Lorenzo, Magnus, and Alec are in the same vicinity

Clace/Clary/Jace:  What is Jace’s reaction when he reunites with Clary;  Anything you can tease about Clary & Jace’s reunion?; Favorite Clary moment in 3B;  Will Clace be happy in general;  Best thing about working with @Kat_McNamara and @DomSherwood1;  From 1 to 10, how happy do you think Clace fans are going to be with 3x22 final;  Best thing about working with @Kat_McNamara and @DomSherwood1;  favorite Jace scene or episode that you’re most looking forward to;  tell us if we are going to get really soft Clace scenes this season;  will Jace ever mention about hating ducks in 3B

Parabatai:  Any intense parabatai scenes between Jace and Alec?

Clary & Jonathon:  Describe the relation between Johnathon and Clary with 3 words;  How is Clary’s bond with Johnathon affecting her;  One word to describe Prague; Johnathon:   Will we see a crying and emotional Johnathon.

General inquires:  When are we going to get a trailer?;  …if we get another network to save the show, would it be possible after the 2 episodes y’all filmed to ‘wrap it up’ to continue to the story….;  I’d like to know what’s on your checklist for a great fight sequence?; How are you planning to celebrate the release of the finale?; Are we gonna see some more bloopers soon?;  If we end up #SaveShadowhunters on another network will you still direct it?

Other characters: What’s a good Maia scene in 3B?; is there a chance we could see Izzy & Maia bonding?; Will Izzy’s prior addiction be addressed when she gets together with Simon?

Other News

Access Online (video): Harry Shum Jr says his pregnant wife is his “hero”: Find out why.

Jade Hassoune (Meliorn) tweeted regarding his newsletter: If we met at #pandemoniumcon in London & you signed up to my newsletter, I just sent u the first email titled: J4DE with and exclusive surprise for you in there! enjoy. Tell me what you think don’t see it in your inbox? might take a while for it to appear, or in your junkmail, it happens. #J4DE

Cosmopolitan (article): What you need to know about the ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ movie sequel

JustJaredJr (article): ‘Arrow’ will have a future-based episode that will reveal everything about Blackstar (Kat McNamara)

Pride (article): 18 Asian Actors helping make Hollywood more diverse

Kat McNamara (Clary) tweeted: Back in BLACKstar. #Arrow @cw_arrow

SAG Awards

SAG Awards (photos): Harry assisted in the creation of the SAG award as part of his role as SAG Ambassador

ET Canada (video): .@ElizabethMcL and @HarryShumJr, along with workers and artisans at the American Fine Arts Foundry, give a behind-the-scenes look at how the unique @SAGawards “actor” trophies are made.

Daily Mail UK (article): Crazy Rich Asians start Harry Shum Jr breaks the mold in ceremony ahead of the SAG awards

On The Red Carpet (Video): Harry on the SAG Awards red carpet discussing Crazy Rich Asians

SAG Awards (video): And we plan on ALWAYS having your back, @HarryShumJr! Thanks for being such an incredible #sagawards ambassador

TNT Drama (video): SAG Awards Amassador @HarryShumJr is no stranger to awards season, see how his nomination for @CrazyRichMovie is different for him #sagawards

People Magazine (article): 2,000 Degrees! Go Behind the Scenes of the Screen Actors Guild Awards Statuette Pouring

TV Insider (Podcast/article): TV Insider Podcast: Harry Shum Jr. on ‘Shadowhunters’ Ending, Being a SAG Ambassador & Fatherhood

Entertainment Tonight (video): Did our #SAGawards ambassador just confirm the Glee reunion we’ve been waiting for?! C’mon, @HarryShumJr-give us the (Gl)eets!

JustJaredJr (article): Harry Shum Jr gives behind-the-scenes ahead of SAG Awards 2019

Harry Shum Jr (Magnus) answered fan questions related to his role as 2019 SAG awards ambassador.

SAG-AFTRA Foundation (photo): Here’s @SAGawards ambassador @HarryShumJr doing his best impression of the #SAGAwards statute.

SAG Awards (Twitter moment): Harry Shum Jr and Sydney Sweeney gear up for the 25th SAG Awards

SAG-AFTRA Foundation tweeted: Thanks for the shoutout @HarryShumJr! You’re an awesome #SAGAwards ambassador. We hopt to have you in for a panel soon! K.I.T.

Backstage (article): SAG Awards ambassador Harry Shum Jr on the ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ sequel

Entertainment Weekly (photos): See all the stars at EW’s SAG Awards party

ET Canada (photos): InstaGallery: The 2019 SAG Awards

SAG Awards (video): Crazy, ridiculous silver carpet #sagawards @harryshumjr

Entertainment Tonight (video): #Shadowhunters star Harry Shum Jr knows we need more Crazy Rich Asians ASAP #SAGawards

ET Canada (video): #CrazyRichAsians star @HarryShumJr comments on how much more diverse the industry has become since his first #SAGawards ten years ago, when he was also nominated as part of an ensemble for @GLEEonFOX

E! News (photo): Harry Shum Jr and Shelby Rabara brings us nothing but glee #SAGAwards

Harry Shum Jr posted a photo with the caption This was a dope moment. CRA X BP X BR X ACS

Red Carpet Report TV (article): Behind the scenes: 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Silver Carpet Rollout, Cocktails, Partners #SAGAwards #Interviews #Video

LA Times (article): SAG Awards: Harry Shum Jr brings a modern twist on 1950s style to the silver carpet

SAG Awards (GIF): When you and the squad are all on point #sagawards @CrazyRichMovie

Ashley Lee (photo): It’s #CrazyRichAsians time! Tan Kheng Hua is channeling Michelle Yeoh with some gorgeous bling and greeting @HarryShumJr and his wife @Shelby_Rabara. @ronnychieng​ is also here and says, yes, he’s down to host the Oscars. #SAGAwards

SAG-AFTRA Foundation (photo): Taking some selfies on the red carpet. Don’t you love this pic of @SAGAwards ambassador @HarryShumJr with his @CrazyRichMovie co star #ChrisPang?

Zulekha Nathoo (photo): “Chris Pang, Harry Shum Jr from #CrazyRichAsians credit audiences for supporting films with diverse casts, universal stories so more can be told. #RepresentationMatters #SAGAwards”

LA Times (article): Best and worst looks from the SAG Awards

InStyle (video): The cast of #CrazyRichAsians looked absolutely stellar tonight at the #SAGAwards

Entertainment Weekly (article): SAG Awards 2019 afterparties: See how the stars celebrated

[alitoowell]

One year—365 days—and still I cannot find the words to do justice to the magnitude of gratitude that I feel, and will forever feel, for the magic that was October 22, 2017.  It’s funny because meeting Taylor was always in my mind as a possibility.  In that people DO meet her, so it’s possible.  But I always viewed it as possible, yet unachievable.  People would meet her, but they wouldn’t be ME.  Simply because the odds were too great of being noticed or picked from a crowd.  So I never planned out how it would go, or where, or what I would say, which left me even more absolutely floored when it happened.  Even a year later my brain cannot quite wrap around the fact that the woman who I’ve looked up to since I was 15, who’s music has been the soundtrack to my life for an entire decade, had me over at her house?  I got to hug her?  Dance with her?  And listen to her entire unreleased album and the stories behind it?  That seems unbelievable.  And it will always seem unbelievable because people. don’t. do. that.  But Taylor does.  My friends have been encouraging me for a whole year straight to type everything out, and I never quite got there.  The task seemed too great, I didn’t know where to start, or what words to choose to capture those memories adequately.  In one of those moments of frustration I realized I actually already had written nearly everything—in the no less than 63 messages I sent to my best friend Shaina less than 24 hours later on October 23, 2017.  Though it’s jumbled and not perfect in any way and contains the misspellings and keyboard smashes and all, here’s my Taylor story, a year later, as told the day after it happened—in message form.

~

I MET TAYLOR SWIFT SHDJEKJDKROF

I CANNOT BELIEVE MY LIFE

I HAVEN’T CRIED YET BUT ITS 4 AM AND I THINK ITS FINALLY HITTINGME

photo of wristband

SHE FUCKING DANCED WITH ME DURING LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO LIKE GRABBED MY HAND AND JAMMED WITH ME AS I WAS SHOUTING THE LYRICS GOODBYEEEEEEE

photo of merch

GOODBYEEEEEEEEE

Shaina: You’re lying

IM NOY IM NOT OH MY FOD OH MY FREAKINF GOD

PARKER THOUGHT I WAS DRUNK OF SOMETHING CUZ I WAS SHOUTING VIA TEXT ASKING IF HE WAS UP HOLT SHIT

Shaina: Ok. Spill. I’m shook.

Okay okay so I’m literally about ready to pass out I haven’t slept well since finding out last week and legit got two hours of afterwards last night, well this morning ahhh

And about to board my flight but I’ll try to type quick

So basically her team DMed me last Tuesday saying they’ve noticed what an amazing fan I am and asked for my information

And people have been making fake TN accounts and sending fake messages to be awful, and I thought it was fake because I never expected to ever be contacted

So I’m like in the gym parking lot thank god I didn’t see it while I was still at work

And I realize it has a blue verified check and that it’s legitimate and the last questions was have you ever met Taylor and I LOSE MY SHIT IM IN HYSTERICS IN THE CAR AND CALL MY MOM AND SHE THINKS I GOT IN AN ACCIDENT

So basically I’m a freaking ass mess because I’m 99% it’s for a secret session since at that point one had happened and we all assumed that there would be more cities, and I was almost positive they would NOT send that message to someone and not follow through and call and tell them SOMETHING

So I can’t sleep I leave my phone on cuz I don’t want to miss a call

It of course doesn’t come til the next day while I’m AT WORK

And they freaking ass knew my twitter and tumblr and asked for all my socials and I now know the people I talked to weren’t asked that so that’s weirddddd

Anyway so sure as hell it’s a ‘very special event’ and it’s all too secret and I can’t tell anyone except a parent for safety

And once I confirm I can get myself to LA she gives some instructions and said final details will be emailed  

And so that was Wednesday and I’m crying at work and their dinner was late lol

And I called my mom and was like this weekend Sunday book flights nowwwww

And then the quick version is for the next two days I was practically puking every day so nervous and the email wasn’t coming and I was like shitttttt

So finally on Friday I straight up call Taylor Nation back and get straight through and say my name and she’s like what’s up?! And she says they’re coming out later that day

And so I flew down Saturday and I rented my very first car and took my first legit solo trip in the name of Taylor freaking swift honestly I’m not surprised

And bless Briana’s fam’s heart they were out of town but let me stay in their guest apartment while they were away with no explanation so that was very nice and less stress for me

And then I had to sit from 3:30 Saturday until 5:15 Sunday in LA by myself unable to tell anyone and it was wilddddddd

Like I was like sweeeeeet I can get caught up in my journal!!!  Noooo I deadass sat there and felt like I was dying and about threw up hourly like how the freaking hell do you just casually chill when you know your damn outlandish never thought it would occur dream is about to happen and not only that but like on a times 100 scale?!?!

So basically I went to her damn house and we hung out by the pool and ate food and the weirdest part is I’ve been unable to eat and have been panicking all week but the second I got to the first check point and to her house even more I was just like chillllll like ayeeeee this is gonna be fun omg I’m so hungry and let’s eat all this food

And so basically it’s a listening session for the new album and we obviously can’t say anything about it or what she said about it besides like probs that it’s AWESOME OUTSTANDING IS GONNA SLAY THE WORLD AND SHES SO LROUD OF IT AND MY BABY DID THAT AND IM REAL PROUD

Okay okay but she like explained each song in-depth and was the cutest cupcake singing along fully jamming to everything and like looking at everyone the entire time and locking eyes as she’s singing ya feel

My flight is about to leave but I will continue later!!!!!

Shaina: This is insane I can’t believe it I’m beyond stoked for you safe travels and talk soon

Okay we not leaving quite yet sooooo I’m missing parts. So we are told we’re gonna go inside and sit down and I book it fast to get a spot on the ground like only two people sitting in front of me and there’s a red plush chair not even 10 feet away that she’ll obviously be sitting in and we’re all like sjedjekkdir

And I was wondering who all I would know there right!?? And was bummed there’s one girl I talk to frequently who loves Shawn Mendes and we know each other cuz she saw my Shawn poster on twitter and she’s from LA but I hadn’t seen her

And then someone pokes me and is like ALIIIIIIII AND ITS HER AND WE FLIP AND SXREAM SO LOUD THE WHOLE ROOM THOUGHT IT WAS TAY AND WAS PISSSSSSED AND SHUSHING US AND SOMEONES LIKE THEY KNOW EACH OTHER!!!!! HAHAHAHA

Shaina: This just keeps getting better and better. How did you keep this a secret?!?!?!?

Shaina: How many people were there

AND SO ANYWAY WE ALL THOUGHT TAYLOR WAS GONNA COME IN FROM THE FRONT AND SIT RIGHT DOWN??? AND ON THE BUS SOMEONE WAS LIKE YOOOOO WHAT IF SINCE TONIGHT IT’S IN LA SHE BRINGS FRIENDS????? AND SO SHE OF COURSE INSTEAD COMES FROM THE BACL AND THE DAMN ROOM EXPLODES AND SHE LOOKS LIKE A DAMN GODWESS AND SHE’S LIKE HIIIIIIIII AND GRINNING AND ALSO COMES IN JACK ANTANOF (SPELLING IDK IM CURRENTLY OFFLINE SO I CANT CHECK), TWO OF THE HAIM GIRLS, AND RUBY ROSE AND THE ROOM IS LIKE SHATTERING

AND SO SINCE SHE IN THE BACK SHE STARTS MAKING HER WAY THROUGHHHHHH US AND IS GRABBING PEOPLE AND PEOPLE ARE STANDING UP AND HUGGING HER AND HOLY CRAP

Okay lololol shoot I just woke up and didn’t realize the rest of this story was notttt in constant caps like I’ve been using all day my bad my bad

And so she’s playing the songs in order off the album and I think it’s okay to say that her and jack are losing their minds because they’ve never gotten to experience our reaction to new stuff they’ve worked on when they’re together, and definitely not together and in person, so she kept being like this is so cool for us you have no idea and he’s in the back confirming lololol

And so anyway she gets to Look What You Made me Do and she’s like soooo how do we want to do this??? Do we want to keep sitting do we want to dance…??? And we’re all like DANCEEEEEE SHDHIEOKRKR and shes like okayyyy we’re dancing and Shaina this is deadass like straight out of a dream.  Actually wait no I couldn’t have imagined this, but she starts and I was anticipating part of this but not the whole thing…

So she obviously doesn’t just have us bopping along and staying and dancing on her own up front… she starts making her way into our basically tiny crowd and we’re so packed together that she’s grabbing people’s hands so she doesn’t fall as she goes. And she’s stopping and dancing with people and stops and stays dancing like staring at one guy and he’s going for it and not afraid and singing the lyrics dramatically right back to her….

And then she makes her way towards and wait for it

GRABS MY DAMN HAND AS SHE’S TRYING TO GET FARTHER INTO THE MIDDLE AND I’M LIKE OKAY OKAY JUST CHILL SHE JUST GRABBED MY HAND NO BIGGIE AND IM LIKE SHES GONNA KEEP WALKING LIKE THAT WAS MY MOMENT RIGBT?!?!

NOOOOOOOOOOO SHE STOPS THERE ONCE SHES BY ME AND IS DANCING WITH THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AROUND HER BUT HER BACK IS TO ME AT THIS POINT BUT IM STILL LIKE HOLY SHIT WHAT IS LIFE AND THEN SHE FREAKING ASS TURNS THE HELL AROUND AND IS DANCING! WITH! ME! LIKE! SHES! LOOKING! AT! ME! AND IM LIKE JAMMING OF COURSE AND SCREAMING THE LYRICS AND I LITERALLT DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN

And then Vanessa (my Shawn buddy) at this point has scooted up to me cuz everyone’s shifted and the people around me are like dude holy shit SHE DANCED WITH YOUUUUU

BYEEEEEEEEEEEE

Okay okay so after the whole album was played she gave us like the lowdown on the meet and greet portion and she passed out the target exclusive magazines for us to see while we waited and talked a bit about the making of them and why and things and she’s really pumped about them and they worked really hard to have them be affordable as possible and cut down the pages and things

And meanwhile like the whole night she’s so close that people would make comments and she’d hear and respond and it was so cute and amazing

Also I don’t think I’ve mentioned her outfit yet???  She’s been looking bomb at all of the other sessions and holy helllll she looked bomb like damnnnnnnnn she had on a black crop top and these high waisted and slightly folded down camouflage pants and these black boots and her hairrrrrrr this era is like natural curls and soooo damn cute

Okay okay so anyway we thought it was a greattttt idea to wait towards the end so we could stay longer and not go first and be done and sent home… yeah well it ended up being a not great idea because we ended up waiting two hours but I’m obviously not complaining one freaking bit

And she’s doing pictures in the other room so we can’t really see much for most of it but every so often we can see people talking to her and taking photos and it’s so cute it’d melt your hearttttttt

And so those of us that have bonded together at this point are like um shoooooot what pose and what the hell do I say to her??????? Like all week to my parents I was like ummmmm soooooo I’ve imagined this happening but like never thought it’d actually happen so unlike some people I had nottttt planned like a monologue of what I’d want her to know if I ever met her???? Like with Vance I was lost too but with my posters it was easier and I’ve seen him recently and yada yada but this is TAYLOR FREAKING SWIFT WHO IVE LOVED WITH MY WHOLE DAMN HEART SINCE I WAS FIFTEEN AND SHIT IM TEARING UP ON THE PLANE WHAT THE HELL DO YOU SAY TO HER WHAT DO YOU WANT HER TO KNOW YOU’VE GOT LIKE TWO MINUTES WITH HER GOOOOO

And so we were all really curious if she’d somehow recognize us because people have been saying that they walk in and she shouted their name! And I’m like idk if that’s gonna happen but might as well see if not just ask if she’s seen anything idk idk???

So okay buckle up for like the greatest time of my entire damn life

So I walk in and hug herrrrrrrrrrrrr

And I wish to god I can remember everything she said but I was focusing so hard on keeping it together and saying my bit that I know for sure what I said and can put together mostly something the general sentiment of what she said if not it exactly. So we’re huggingggg and I say I think hiiiii it’s so nice to finally meet you thank you for having me I’m so excited to be here or something and she’s like awww thank you for coming!! And I’m like I have to know how did we all get picked, was it by you or your team or how did it happen?? And I don’t know what the first part of her answer was but she says so the people from LA have been picked for about a year, and the people from elsewhere (I’m guessing with exceptions) have been picked more recently like within the past few months so like now I know it has nothingggg to do with whatever we’ve been doing online recently…. It’s from at least when she first came back if not before and they realized we were active while she was away….

And so I’m like okay ali say something else so I’m like so I really like making concert posters and the first ones I ever made were for you and shes like aw thank you!! And I’m like I realized other people were making posters and I’d been a RA and I was like hey I can make some really bomb posters tooooo. And so I’m like the fist ones said ‘Taylor someday we’ll meet you even if it’s just in our wildest dreams’ and she grabs me and is like AND NOW WE’RE MAKING IT HAPPEN!!! And so I say after I got the phone call I was in my car listening to Ready For It and started bawling when she sings ‘in my dreams, I know I’m gonna be with you’ cuz I knew it was actually happening and shes like awwwwwww or something you get the idea

And so then I straight up start talking about my dad???

I’m like so my dad loves you and she’s like omg and I’m like no he adoresss youuu and is so sad he couldn’t come and she’s like awww tell him hi!!! And I’m like he loves your Out of the Woods piano Grammy performance and I say how I’d found him listening to it repeatedly and he wanted it on his phone. And she’s like he sounds amazing! And I’m like he is he’s awesome lol and I’m like actually and so him and I went and saw you at F1 last year and of course I’m like and I made signs for there too and so I describe them IN DETAIL like what they said, I realized later I told her I was from Oregon, because I said they were the states and the dotted line and the paper airplane and I think she really liked that??? And as if that all isn’t already insane enough at some point in there I mentioned how this month has been insane and how I’d met Vance Joy and it was my birthday and now this and she said something excitedly about that like ahhh so much excitement or idk something about it. And so she’s like so what pose would you like to do? And I’m like I’ve really been going back and forth between just hugging or doing something sort of funny (low key said that hoping she’d be like girl let’s do both but lololol it’s okay) so she’s like it’s completely up to you!! And I’m like um um okay let’s just hug so she grabs me and we take the freaking photo and ahhhhhhhh

And so Vanessa and I had it planned out and she had me go first and at this point I was like would it be okay if my friend and I got a photo with you together and she’s like of course!! So V comes in and hugs her and we take one photo together and she squeezes us together tight and then I hug her one last time and thank her and say I love you so much (lol I had to throw it in other people forgot it and have been upset) and then I walk out and they hand me my merch bag and are directing me to the bus but I’m like can I wait for my friend and they’re like sure. So she comes out and she’s like SHE KNEW MY NAME SHSJEKOFN and she’s like yelling and I’m like shut up and I grab her and I’m like shhh shhhhh hahahaha and so we walk to the bus and it’s the funniest thing cuz they’re just waiting for it to be full so anytime someone new walks on everyone’s like SPILLLLLLLLL

And then once it was full we went back got our things, exchanged details with people on that bus and took photos and whatnot and turned our phones on to the madness anddddddd so well thats the story of the best damn day of my life

~

Taylor, thank you thank you thank for giving me such incredible memories that I’ve blown up the phones of every person I know, and have talked every person’s ears off that I’ve met during these past 365 days, about how special they are to me.  Thank you for making it happen, thank you for holding my gaze so intently and being so genuine every second I was talking to you, thank you for bringing me some of the best friends I’ve ever had, thank you for being so prominent in the highlights of not only this past year, but this past decade.  I love you forever, babe.  Long, long live October 22, 2017.