#i had a voice recorder app before! i used it! wtf happened
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
flamagenitus · 1 month ago
Text
Does anyone else remember the android default voice notes app? I remember it. I used it to record myself shitty songs when I should have been studying. I was about to use it to record then listen to an interior monologue, primarily to seeing I sound insane. Except my phone no longer has a voice memo app, so I feel even more insane without any release and/or bulistening to myself from an outside perspective for. Perspective
My phone's 'Default Apps' folder only has 4 apps in it now. I was sure it had more when I made it, 3 years ago
0 notes
lonespektr · 1 year ago
Text
OCTOBER 22 & 23 HORROR WATCH
Make ups
Red Rose 1x1, 1x2, 1x3
Tumblr media
Smart House dependent can't turn on her own lights by hand
As soon as her mom comes home she jumps???
Apparently they sign shirts over there
One brown person nobody likes ... Alright
Everyone got an invite to Beckys except this one
Whop turns out becks is being nice she didn't invite her because there's a cover charge and she knows she po
Lol where is the music coming from???
Our protag has wandered away from the party and been linked - via becks
A vid/game!!!
Of red rose
Masquerading as a beauty filter app
This guy old enough to play a dad now??
The other one they all hate is south asian
And apparently the gonnies aren't cool
This is what's wrong with children these days
It's targeting lonely people that's pretty foul
Hanging out in the graveyard ...with???
Those meter things in the UK for electricity are predatory as shit as soon as the power goes out the phone bugs her this like big data
And boom three wishes the power comes back on
Do they like a drain on society???? 🧐🧐
Do they look like they want to speak to the manager???
Not climate change 🤣🤣
Lol wtf
It told her build a fire
It's recording and accessing her apps
Here it is again they keep showing the kids of ghost of themselves
The kids appear to be fighting about literally nothing
Oh that's her mom
Figured that was her dad because the other dad was also mid thirties
All them little friends is broke but i guess shes food stamp pantry broke
The other one was rich so why target her
She's not wondering why the phone knows ger friends name
OH SHIT
She declined to do a thing the phone told her to do it hacked the tv and put up shame video standing in the food pantry line
And it's been texting her friends and sending her fake texts
Wild
Phone to her to kiss the guy her friend was seeing and that's on the tv now??
Ohhh now it's sending live vids of her little sisters she left at home
She told each twin they are in charge of the other one , which if they are both responsible girls is smart 🤣🤣
1x2
The lights are out at the house again what happened to that 100$ credit??
Can't believe Americans don't have that shit system
The girls are safe but they were hiding in the cubbord
They said someone was in the garden
The electronics are going in and out but she doesn't have a smart house so the phone can't do that
The phone keeps showing her her dead mom in partial silhouette haunting the house
She deletes the app
Mental illness/suicide
The app obvs did not delete
Gross now the phone is using her dead moms voice
Absolutely foul
This is just abject cruelty
She used her common sense and didn't message her she wrote a letter
They may but they are so shit at communicating thru didn't resolve anything
Literally no reason to carry the phone though
Okay well she wanted to show her the thing but before and afterwards you should have taken the battery out
Twins and dad are off to visit family
Unclear why dark black hair hates new guy
It's just random children stuff as soon as the two indian kids made a decent joke they are now legit
Apparently
Mam are you googling exorcisms on the posessed phone?
Church got bose blue tooth surround sound
Phone does not want to be exercised and something is sneaking up behind her (in the camera)
Keep throwing holy water at it
It stopped.
The kids have crowd sourced that the phone is the common denominator and new south adian kid says it doesn't really matter if it's not real because she's having a shit go
Dude they saw the phone deconstructed on the floor right???
Then they are saying she posted something
The phone is on the floor ??? The windows open
One kick
It's a flimsy lock
You could say it's cause their house is shitty but it could also be cause they already had to break that door down once
folks remember that suicides and family deaths is an increased high risk for suicide of their loved ones
That is a cheap ass casket they are dirt poor or the UK regular folk do not bury dead like the US
That was short of a pine box by two gold handles and some laquer
Sis don't download it baby
Bro you hiding behind the closet
AI hacker stalker
How he not see it, it was right there???
Panopticon see 👀👀👀
Now other apps are doing stuff WTF???
The overarching thing is poverty and not great parents or unavailable parents due to poverty
They all jumped to ghosts instead of just a hacker
She's
1 note · View note
asherlockstudy · 3 years ago
Text
Reviewing all my phones simply because I wanna
*including the family phones because I have always been the poor soul that managed all of them regardless of age
Nokia 5110 (1998)
Tumblr media
Ah the memories... When the phones were that. Phones. I was probably around 6 when we got that and I was still the one handling it because my parents aren't the most tech savvy people. It was a thick phone, which I actually like, it had 6 but good ringtones and of course it had Snake. That's all we cared about back then. Not as tough as its reputation because we had to change it after 2-3 years.
BTW: my mom insists we also had the famous NOKIA 3310 but I have no memory of it whatsoever. Well, it's not like my mom can tell models apart.
Motorola 120e (2002)
Tumblr media
I wonder, what were we thinking as a family when we bought this object? The funny thing is that I am sure we bought it because we (mom) thought it looked pretty. It was slim, silver and UGLY AS HELL. The buttons were super dysfunctional, the screen was tiny and everyday the phone had one new bug. At some point after months? weeks? it simply died. Quietly, on its own. Nobody was sorry.
Sharp GX20 (2003)
Tumblr media
Back when Sharp was trendy, this was one pretty phone and certainly the prettiest of the Sharp GXXX line. The design was simply beautiful, the main screen was huge, the main camera was way ahead of its time and you could take a selfie by looking at yourself in the external screen. The small screen would also show notifications, the time, pictures etc. The only nonsensical thing about this phone was that the maximum video and voice recording session was only 10 seconds or something. WTF
Sony Ericsson K750i (2005)
Tumblr media
So if you didn't know it yet, here's the fact: K750i is the best phone ever created. The unsung hero. I saw an advertisement for it in a magazine and that was the first time I was fully manipulated by an ad. I wanted it so bad it was the only thing I was thinking about. I wasn't wrong. This phone proved the ultimate GOAT for its time. It was the direct predecessor of the walkman phones and it was in my opinion better because it specialized both in camera and music. The design was simply wonderful, with the silver back opening to reveal the lens. It was also as tough as any classic NOKIA and more. I bought it before 8th grade and kept it till my second year in university (8 years). It was still working fine but it was basically dissolving in my hands. My parents begged me to buy me a smartphone and my friends thought I was ridiculous. They couldn't understand. I am seriously considering buying a 3D model of this phone (it exists) just for the memories.
Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 3 (2015)
Tumblr media
See this? This is the worst idiotphone someone had the audacity to create. Bought the gold one for mom because she only cares for looks and she wanted a "smart"phone to feel relevant (even though she can't even use the basic phones). Anyway, even I can't use that phone. Everything about it is bad. Bad responsiveness, bad interface, bad camera, bad screen, bad memory, bad battery, bad CPU EVERYTHING IS BAD There is literally not one good thing I can think about this phone. It's obviously a low-end device but what I mean is it is bad by low-end standards. Utterly horrible. I was tempted to throw it from the balcony quite a few times. If you want to kill time, go read reviews of this monstrosity.
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini (2014)
Tumblr media
My personal initiation to the smartphone world was traumatic in the beginning as I had to buy this phone twice, because I lost the first one after a few months. However, the fact that I paid again for the exact same model is a hint about how much I liked that phone. Small, beautiful with changing skins, simple and so bloody functional. I have no complains whatsoever except the memory proved small for me after 5 years of filling it up. I bought a memory card and then Samsung fucked something up with the compatibility. My phone was broken. I spent a month trying to fix the software myself. I did it eventually. I still have it now but the battery drains in a few hours without touching it. I am heartbroken. I don't know if I should change the battery or it is because of the "touched" software I put in there. And it has become unbearably slow. I knew I had to swallow it and buy a new phone. But I knew, any phone I chose would always be an Android and preferably Samsung.
iPhone 12 mini (2020)
Tumblr media
This... didn't go as planned. Let me explain myself. I am an Android fan, I love its interface and customization freedom. I hate everything about Apple. I don't like iphones either. BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT THERE ISN'T ONE SINGLE NORMAL SIZED ANDROID PHONE IN THE MARKET. IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR APPARENTLY USING YOUR PHONES WITH YOUR FEET OR WHAT. I need a phone, not a freaking ear laptop. This was the only phone that could fit in my hand, only slightly larger than the S5 mini. I mean, it's not my ideal choice to sell a kidney for a phone, trust me. It's been several months and I dare say I am... okay with the iphone. I still prefer Android but I admit iOS is clean cut, so to speak. I hate how limited it is in customization and I hate that it literally burns like lava while charging or running a heavy app. But more than anything else, I hate how much Apple exploits its customers. An app that is free on Google Play can cost 10 bucks per month in Playstore. Let's not forget that I had to go buy chargers and cables separately to make my phone functional. Go fuck yourself Apple, honestly. It's a pretty phone but you don't deserve the hype. Camera is very good though. And the one thing that made me bond a little with this phone was that a friend pointed out it is a very "me" phone - it's admittedly a phone that when you see it, you will pick me out of a group of people as its likeliest owner. And so... I don't hate it that much. My concern is what will happen when I will have to buy a phone in the (hopefully distant) future... they don't make phones for my hands anymore. Actually, they don't make phones anymore period
22 notes · View notes
captainillogical · 5 years ago
Text
Devil’s Ballroom ch.2
Tumblr media
A year after the events from the earth’s final attack, Little Homeworld is finally complete, and there’s a new jazz bar where gems and humans mingle and drink. - As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.
Spinel/Reader
collab with wife @firstofficertightpants
The place actually happened to be like, right on the edge of Little Homeworld. Outside had full glass windows, tall, that reached the ceiling. Inside the lighting was dim, and a bit smokey. You figured it looked alright enough to head in, and gave the bouncer your ID. He nodded and you walked in. It smelt of cigars, and of cinnamon, and it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. A pretty woman in a low-cut red dress was playing the piano on the stage, and it was some contemporary jazz piece. The low murmur of people talking filled the air in between the swells of music, and the place actually seemed busy with people and even gems enjoying themselves. You liked the vibe. It was.. comfortable. At ease. You looked over at the bar, rather than any of the tables, and saw a spot near the end. Perfect. Right by the bathroom. You headed over and plopped down on the stool. There were three empty at the end, so you took the one in the middle, which had the best view of the stage from back here.
While waiting for the bartender to come back down this side, you took the chance to look  at the people around you. A couple familiar faces.. small town you know? And some new ones. New gems too. You can see Mr. Fryman sitting at a table with Kofi and Nanefua, and they look like they’re playing poker. You try not to snicker since Kofi looks absolutely blasted, and Mr. Fryman is cursing up a storm because Nanefua is clearly winning. You see her wink at Mr. Fryman. You suspect a rigged game.
Your phone chimes a couple times. You pull it out of your bag, and check to see who’s bothering you. Ah. The group chat.
    Alex: ughhh you guys my gmas killing me
    Alex: no seriously mexico fucking blows rn 
    Alex: i cant step outside without feeling like my balls are melting off my body
    Alex: and my brother won’t stop listening to the book of mormon soundtrack
    Alex: im going insane
Your friends are so melodramatic. You type out a couple of replies.
    Y/N: You should be used to mexican summers by now, you go every year.
    Y/N: And for the record, your brother is valid. Book of Mormon slaps.
    Alex: what the fuck youre supposed to be on my side u ass
    Alex: i thought our special thing was wicked. OUR SPECIAL THING, Y/N
    Y/N: I’m allowed to like multiple things. Including musicals. 
    Alex: never. fuck you. also what are you even doing rn come play minecraft with me
    Y/N: Yeah as much as I’d like to, I can’t.
“Y/N! So you finally came to see what this place is all about! What can I get ya?” you hear a familiar voice ask. Turning around to face the voice, you see Bismuth wearing her usual overalls and a rather nice looking bow tie. 
“Hey Bis, how’s it going? I like what you’ve done with the place. It’s nice. And uh, I’ll just take a hard cider for now.” You smile at her and set your phone down for a minute.
“Thank you! After we finished Little Homeworld, I had to find something else to focus on in my down time.” She explains while grabbing your drink from the fridge under her side of the bar, and opens it. “So tell me,” She sits the drink in front of you and leans on the counter. “What brings you out here today?”
You take a rather long sip from your drink before meeting the large gems eyes. On the stage, a tall, beardy man replaces the woman that just finished her piece. He immediately starts this jaunty, irish tune. He’s singing loudly, and it’s not bad. A couple of people are clapping to the tune.
“I just really needed to get out.” You replied, taking another sip from your drink. “I was kinda hoping I’d meet someone new, maybe get another friend to hang out with, since my friends wanted to ditch me this summer.” As you’re saying this, more people join the clapping. It’s getting a bit rowdy. “Or maybe at least get drunk enough to forget how lonely I feel.” You add, shrugging. 
“Well, I can supply the drinks, and at least a bit of company.” Bismuth winks, and turns to the patron 6 seats up waving her over. 
You check your phone again, and there’s more from Alex. AND Harper? She must still have phone service wherever she’s at.     Alex: what are u fuckin doin that so important that u cant play minecraft with ur best friend
    Harper: yeah, Y/N. the heck. Also alex, get lost, she’s MY best friend bitch
    Alex: u had ur chances but u left us so we’re a duo now. u can go
    Harper: excuse me!? I WILL end you.
    Y/N: Oh my god, chill. I’m just out right now, so I can’t okay? 
    Y/N: And nice of you to join us, Harper.
    Harper: fuck you I miss you okay. And I miss constant wifi :(
    Alex: OUT!? What do you mean OUT. its night. u play games with ME during this time
    Alex: for real what the fuck are you doing
    Harper: yeah, you don’t go out without us. Wtf are you doing?
    Y/N: I’m at a bar!!     Alex: WHAT
    Alex: dont tell me its the one place that just opened
    Alex: Y/N do NOT betray me you TOLD ME you were gonna go with me!!
    Y/N: I was. But I was also bored and you’re both gone, soooo. 
    Alex: wow
    Alex: i cant believe youve done this to me
    Harper: hmmm. ;)
    Harper: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ;)
    Y/N: What.
    Harper: you tryin to find girls again? 
    Harper: like that one time you went to empire city just to peruse the mall?
    Alex: LMAOOOOO
    Y/N: No.
    Alex: LMAOOOO Y/N GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND A GF LOLL
    Y/N: I’m not trying to find a girlfriend you fucks. Christ.
    Y/N: Also Alex, you’re one to talk. You can’t KEEP a girlfriend.
    Alex: ur just mad i have a passionate and intimate relationship w/ my hand
    Y/N: And it will probably stay that way. 
    Y/N: Besides, so far, no one cute here. So it’s a bust.
    Harper: a bust. Lmfao u just outed yourself :)
    Y/N: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
You put your phone down before seeing whatever Alex attempts to reply back with. It sounds like the current boisterous song is coming to a close, and really, most of the people here are clapping along with this guy. It’s fun. And despite the playful ribbing from your shit-talking friends, you’re starting to have a nice time. You finish your drink, and nod over to Bismuth who catches your eye and nods back. You look over onto the stage, the man having cleared the piano, and see Lapis wiping down the piano and seat. Guess he spilled his drink while playing. Lapis, unlike Bismuth, actually dressed up a bit for the job. Her hair was pulled in a cute, small bun, and she was wearing what looks like a tailored tux with no jacket. The vest fit her quite well. She seemed.. happy. Good for her.
No one had taken up the stage again yet, but the place was still lively with chatter. You see someone out of the corner of your eye move towards the stage, but Bismuth comes over again so you tear your gaze away. 
“Another cider? Or do you want something else this time, Y/N? She asks, cleaning a glass with a rag, and moves on to the next one. 
“Ehh, yeah, give me another cider.” You say as you pull out your phone again. Bismuth sets down the drink in front of you.
    Harper: what a goddamn disaster. she got that from me i think
    Alex: no, youre both disasters separately
    Y/N: Fuck you guys. Give me a break.
You hear the piano start to play again, and someone pulling the mic forward. You look up to see pink hair.. And someone kind of familiar. She’s wearing black slacks, a white collared shirt, and suspenders. The shirt is partially open, and you see part of a pink gem showing through on her chest. It looks like she’s got mascara running down her face. 
And then.. she starts to sing. 
It’s lovely. It’s slow and a bit sad, but she seems to be enjoying herself. She’s definitely done this before. Quite a few of the people around quiet down some, so you can hear her pretty clearly. You drink some, and text your friends.
    Y/N: Guys, I lied. There’s a cute gem here who can sing.
    Alex: holy fuk
    Alex: what
    Y/N: She looks kind of familiar though? I can’t quite place it though.
    Harper: dude theres like near 100 gems now in little homeworld lol
    Harper: you’ve probs seen most in passing? :P
    Alex: are you serious Y/N? cant flirt with human women so u turn to aliens? lmfao
    Y/N: Ohhhhh my god. Die.
The gem on stage sings the chorus with gusto - man she’s really getting into this. You’re kind of taken a bit with her performance. It just pulls you. But also.. She really seems familiar now and it’s bothering you.
    Y/N: No I’m serious she seems really familiar and not in that In Passing kind of way.
    Harper: what does she look like?
    Alex: yeah a description would be nice 
    Harper: TAKE A PIC
    Alex: holy shit YES 
    Y/N: I can’t take a pic. She’s too far away, it’ll be blurry.
    Alex: literally just zoom in lord almighty
    Y/N: Okay. Hold on a sec.
You turn on your camera app, and face the stage. Looks like the gem is actually finishing up her song. Perfect, you’ll snap a pic once she stands up. She finishes, and most of the people are clapping for her. You zoom in, and it’s grainy, but decent enough to make out most of her. You snap the pic.
The flash was on.
A couple people turn to look at you, and you try turning away quickly, horrified, and see the gem looking in your direction before walking off into the crowd of people. You cannot imagine a worse scenario. 
    Y/N: FUCK FUCCCCKKKKKK.
    Y/N: (image sent)
    Y/N: I GOT YOUR FUCKING PIC BUT THE FLASH IS ON.
    Y/N: I’M PRETTY SURE SHE SAW THAT IT WAS ME THAT TOOK THE PIC.
With shaking hands, you take another sip of your drink and wait for a reply. Why is life like this.
    Harper: uh.
    Harper: ummm.
    Alex: wait
    Alex: one fucking second
    Y/N: WHY ARE NONE OF YOU CARING ABOUT MY PLIGHT. 
    Y/N: I’M TRYING NOT TO COMBUST ON THE SPOT HERE.
    Alex: shut up for one second
    Alex: harper isnt that
    Harper: uhh. yeah i think so.
    Y/N: WHAT!? WHO IS IT. WHY DOES THAT MATTER AT THIS POINT.
    Alex: lmao i cant believe i have to tell u this
    Alex: bitch do u remember that shit that happened last summer
    Alex: where half the town almost died from that gem shit
    Alex: that’s her     Alex: that’s the bitch who almost killed like, the entire planet
    Harper: you know that night your dad almost died??
As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now. 
116 notes · View notes
taeguboi · 6 years ago
Text
BTS as... Punks
So hahahahaha idk why it posted my extremely incomplete draft earlier (bug with the app?) So consider that now deleted post as a preview hahaha
Requested: “BTS as Punks please!”
RM
activist
anything that's for a good cause
he's behind it
probably makes his own charity
for something close to his heart
and puts on punk events a few times a week
music
poetry
all kinds of food stalls
suitable for everyone’s dietary needs
the occasional street protest
quite laid back though
but the things he has done have had a huge impact on people’s lives
he feeds the poor at his music events
he takes in donations from people to aid the homeless
basically against those unfair imbalances you get in society
he wants to be in a punk band 
but at the same time it isn’t really for him
so sometimes he just grabs a guitar 
and busks with improvised lyrics 
things that are on his mind
things about the world at present
and the things the talks and posts about to people inspire writers of bands
kind of like a journalist
he knows everyone on the local punk scne
he’s been involved ever since he was a kid
smokes a fair amount like
“cool mate, cool beans... right, I’m just off out for a fag”
not many piercings as you might expect
like mostly his ears
and a few intimate areas...
always has colourful punk hair
probably a low key mohawk
several meaningful tattoos
because his family is everything
so is this one person in his life
some drunken tattoos also hahaha
couple of face tatts
always a gentleman to girls
if there’s a creep on the scene 
just tell him
that guy will be exposed 
and gone for good from this local punk scene
and beyond as far as his contacts can take him
he just wants a safe scene
will fend for anyone though really
has a local watering hole
go down to that pub on any afternoon 
and there’s 90% chance he is there
mostly just for the people
maybe buys only 2 drinks the whole time usually
but if he gets drunk
get your notepad and pen
he’s gonna throw 196489 contacts your way
so if your band are ever in need of a gig
you know who to call
Tumblr media
Jin
at first, doing punk music is merely a hobby
but then it turns into something more
his pleasure in busking turns into a passion
a dream to make it with a band
so he gets together the best people he knows
and they fucking rock
no one can say a bad thing about Jin’s punk band
they rehearsed diligently for so long
so they sound so tight
he rocks the denim jacket
with all the patches
some badges too
a ton of badges are on his bag though instead
and stickers on his guitar case
a fan of every band he performs with
his guitar case is choc a bloc with local band stickers
so he doesn’t have a mohawk
but his bangs progressively get messier
occasionally he dyes them [example, like V’s green bangs in hyyh era]
he changes loads in little ways
like you leave school and he’s this ‘ordinary’ lad
but then you bump into him like 7 years later 
and wtf he’s stunning
like his aura changed
you thought maybe he’d go into like a business job
but he’s rocking the stage most nights a week
you can’t help but go support him more
and maybe something happens from there but that can be a story for another time
and so maybe he doesn’t get BIG with this band
but he earns a sustainable income
and that’s more than good enough
life is good
music, booze and girls
no drugs tho
wise in that sense, contrary to some punk stereotypes
kind of fluffy actually
some say he’s a poser
but he just likes to look good
and is aware how certain rougher looks just really don’t suit him
so that’s all there is to that 
actually that’s all there is to this
the end :P
Tumblr media
Suga
probably a performer too
maybe more into the dub / ska kind of genre
full of stage presence and hype
when he has a message
he fucking gets it across
because he’s so assertive
as well as those catchy melodies
just messy af hair
doesn’t care for it to be any particular length or style
just keep it natural
in fact, fuck visuals
no dress sense whatsoever
like he has a green shirt on with pink jeans and yellow converse
sound is all that matters
so what else?
solitary
like he could be backed up by a band
but fuck that
if he has the equipment that can do it all then why not?
it’s easier to work alone
so he supports like 876 charity events
and has a big share of festivals
headline material
especially at the proper hippie festivals
great for people high af
great for drunkards
great for sober peeps too
you get it, great for everyone
apart from perhaps kids 
cos swearing
sometimes you need that bit of aggression in lyrics, right?
he’s not as aggressive as he might seem on stage
but something is pent up in there
and he is one rough boy
actually, a lot like badboy!suga
can handle anything
but can you handle him?
Tumblr media
J-Hope
idk why I always imagine him as a skater
but here we go
in a skate punk band
bass player
can also do drums tho
backwards caps for life
that one band member you think is shy af
cos he seems so quiet
but the moment you say ‘hey’ and congratulate him on a good show
he can talk your ear off for hours
again no drugs
but plenty of beer
cos getting drunk is funnier
the world is a more enjoyable place with skate punk and alcohol
seriously it really is, take that from me hahah
graffiti projects
either for promotion
or to help like restless kids as a distraction or something
let’s just say that’s something he can relate to
may or may not be how he got into this whole skate punk stuff
so yeah will take any charity gig
doesn’t mind if venues pay him in beer
he would have spent the dollar on that anyways
all about living it up with his mates
bros before hoes
has a side band that’s like party punk
any excuse to get bros together
for a good old knees up
only bands of his close friends get played in the car
girls are quite interested in him
but lmao he’s having none of it
he just wants to embrace life
don’t need anything more than mates and family
but he writes really cool songs on the topic of love
you know without being too soppy with it being punk and all
but it’s fucking amazing
but no one knows where he gets the ideas from
no one knows where he gets his energy from either 
will jump off everything and anything
on certain days, he’ll climb everything and anything too
just a fun loving cool punk
Tumblr media
Jimin
more or less that one guy you see everywhere on the scene
he’s not in a band
doesn’t really do his own music
but he’s a fan of his scene
every weekend, he’s somewhere to see punk music
be it the local pub for one of his faves
or a town centre for a punk charity thing
or even miles away to see someone he knows getting bigger
leather
with a few patches
piercings
all the ear piercings you could imagine
lips and tongue
used to have an eyebrow one
but decided he looked too generic
or like a chav
something or other
he knows he doesn’t have the most original look
but he can’t stand being too similar to someone else
if anyone in this room tonight is wearing a leather jacket and completely black clothing
he might just tear it off himself and / or burn it
abs and tatts are a good look anyone so doesn’t matter
probably works out to punk music
high school drop out
because he started to realize how useless it is
so he’s generally clever where it’s more relevant in life
saves money well
good paying job
can fund his love for punk basically
and each and every band he supports fully appreciates it
Tumblr media
I’m sorry guys I swear there isn’t a not fluffy Jimin gif for me to use hahaha
V
so yeah I’m sorry if this turns out too similar to
badboy!V
because I literally made him a punk in that hc
I’m thinking he’s a lead singer of a punk band
that raspy voice works to his advantage
capable of hardcore punk genres
but prefers and sticks to a more rock n roll kind of punk
long hair
whatever colour he feels like this month
piercings galore
tatts galore
will put a needle anywhere on his body
lives on the edge
lives in the moment
yolo
arrests
protests
he’s done it all
cos fuck the law man
if something about society bothers him
he will speak up
fearless boy
will get his band a gig anywhere in the country
he has things he needs to say
thoughts to spread
only uses social media for punk
his profile is just of gig pictures of his own and sharing events
not your typical singer
kind of writes everything
the band just copy / pick up what he shows them
busks alone sometimes too
may or may not make extra dollar from sneaky acoustic gigs
but it’s not out of selfishness, no
he will always have a goal in mind
and good intentions
like he wants to band to afford professional recordings
or he wants to set up and event
that kind of thing
pay attention
to the things he talks about in his music
you’ll learn a lot
Tumblr media
Jungkook
drummer
just needs to hit something
so as long as it isn’t people then great
basically the world screwed him over in some way at some point
and it made him rethink his views about the world
for ages it was restless frustration about it all
but then he discovered punk
the day he discovered his local scene
he wrote random poetry for days
the words had flow to them
but they were unconventional
and then a mate sees it
and he’s like “dude this is sick”
and a band is formed
likes a bit of everything
has friends he can go to the skate park with
has mates to mosh with at hardcore gigs
has friends he can chill with for ska
quite a late learner with the drums
but he must have a natural talent for it
because he becomes amazing in just under 2 years
can do any genre of punk
everyone wants him in their new projects
he’s the guy everyone needs if their guy quits
you know, the demand for Jungkook’s drumming is insance
fortunately he’s wise enough to just stick with the first 3 bands
cos like I say not only does he drum for them
but his creative input for lyrics is huge
just sit him down, give him a topic and bam
he’s just written you a verse and chorus
what else?
50% backwards caps
25% forwards cap
25% lost his cap
somewhat forgetful in areas other than drumming
maybe a bit of a stoner like
“oh yeah man! I forgot about that!
the way his cap is on does often depend on level of alcohol in his blood
forwards for business
backwards for sloshed party animal
breaks a lot of drum sticks by accident
breaks a few hearts by accident welp
I guess girls and guys just notice the muscle 
which he never hides well
cos of course as a drummer, you’re gonna wear a vest really
yeah, that’s pretty much it
Tumblr media
51 notes · View notes
chocolate-brownies · 7 years ago
Text
WTF Just Happened with Alo, Cody App, Kino and the Instagram Yoga Community
WTF Just Happened with Alo, Cody App, Kino and the Instagram Yoga Community:
In this Instagram blowout between Alo, Cody App, and teachers Dana Falsetti and Kino MacGregor, the yoga community revealed—in both supportive and damning comments—how complicated yoga business and social media can be.
On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company for defamation and trade libel. 
You’re probably familiar with this story by now: On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company. Cody was suing the 24-year-old yoga teacher, body positive advocate, and (now former) Cody instructor for breach of contract and trade libel, which they claimed Falsetti committed in a short-lived Instagram Story about the then-confidential Cody-Alo merger. On December 8, Alo also filed a lawsuit against Falsetti for defamation and trade libel. 
In Falsetti’s Insta Story, she harshly criticized Alo, saying that the brand “lies,” “perpetuates body shame,” and that an Alo executive faced “sexual harassment/assault allegations". The contentious post was triggered by an email Cody had sent its subscription-based customers advertising Alo apparel, which Falsetti claimed “led her students and followers to ‘reasonably’ believe she was affiliated with Alo,” causing them to express “concern and disappointment” about her new relationship with a company that they viewed as “antagonistic to her advocacy for the health and wellness of large-bodied persons.” Falsetti countersued for breach of contract and equitable indemnity, stating that the acquisition violated her Talent License and Release Agreement because it harmed her reputation.
Her counterclaim was dismissed by the court on March 8, 2018 and the Cody/Alo lawsuits were settled out of court on April 12, but what ensued on social—in both supportive and damning posts and comments—continues to ripple through the community and reveal how complicated the marriage of yoga business and social media can be.
Social (Media) Justice? 
A few months after Cody and Alo sued Falsetti, Ashtanga yogi, Cody instructor, and Instagram celebrity Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga)—with 1+ million followers—stepped in to defend Falsetti, and the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. MacGregor posted on her Insta that “If yogis enter business, or even seek to make money off of yoga, the yoga should always come first. Any brand or brand owner that seeks to capture the hearts of yogis would be held up to the moral and ethical standards of the practice itself.” She linked to an opinion piece on Elephant Journal in support of her fellow Cody teacher, and launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $50,000 to assist with Falsetti’s legal fees. While this post received almost 24k likes and some commented that they unfollowed and planned to boycott Alo in response to her message, others said that it’s not Kino’s place to criticize others for not behaving yogically, especially since she, too, has an apparel line and her own business, OMstars—a video platform similar to Cody’s. At the same time, Falsetti (@nolatrees, 330k followers) who had kept lawsuit details and references off social media received thousands of messages supporting her outspokenness and lauding her as an inspiration.
Kino MacGregor spoke up on Instagram siding with Falsetti, which ignited a myriad of responses—both positive and negative—revealing just how delicate yoga business and social media relationships can be.
MacGregor’s siding with Falsetti stemmed, in part, from her own negotiations with Alo. “For me, personally, it was reaching a stalemate,” Kino told YJ. “The line was drawn when they filed the lawsuit against Dana.” According to Alo, acquisition of Omstars was part of that negotiation. “Kino MacGregor was negotiating the sale of her yoga platform to Alo in late October for more than a million dollars,” an Alo spokesperson told YJ. MacGregor, however, denies any intention to sell her company. “I never exchanged my company records. OMstars was never on the table,” she tells YJ. “They were interested in me as an individual and not my company. I wanted to keep an open mind and hear what Alo and Cody were creating. They made me a multi-million dollar offer and told me they would glorify me and make me their ‘special voice.’ I told Paul [Javid, co-founder of Cody] and Marco [deGeorge, co-founder of Alo] thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I didn’t like the direction they were going and how they think about yoga, and didn’t want to be affiliated with them. I told them that I am running OMstars and their offer didn’t take my channel into account.”
Tension between Alo and MacGregor may have been the catalyst for a blog post she wrote on her own site in December that discussed subliminal marketing and brand transparency. In the post, MacGregor encouraged consumers to “vote with your dollars and boycott their products” if they see big companies “monopolizing the message of yoga.” The post also mentioned the Instagram accounts @YogaInspiration, @YogaGoals, and @YogaChannel—all of which include images of yogis wearing Alo apparel. Alo does own all three accounts, but only @YogaInspiration’s profile mentioned Alo, and while @YogaGoals had an Apple app store link to the Alo Yoga Poses app, it did not mention Alo explicitly. After MacGregor posted the blog, Alo sent her a cease and desist letter. According to the Alo spokesperson, Kino had violated the terms of her contract with Cody.
Shortly before Falsetti announced that the lawsuits were settled out of court, MacGregor received a subpoena—served to her after class in Birmingham, Alabama, as she was talking to students—on the grounds of “discoverable information,” or evidence that could be used in the Alo, LLC v. Dana Falsetti case. On our publishing date, MacGregor was still in negotiations with Cody and Alo regarding her contract and content use.
After the lawsuits, the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. 
Yogic Values Scrutinized: The Yoga Community Backlash On Social Media
The dialogues that originated with the lawsuits took a sharp turn when Instagram commentary among yogis started to heat up to dramatic levels—challenging one of the most sacred yogic principles, ahimsa (non-violence, non-harming). People, many of whom are yogis themselves, condemned those with an opposing point of view. It wasn’t just Falsetti and MacGregor who receive insensitive feedback; several prominent Alo ambassadors (who were listed in the Elephant Journal piece) were shamed for their partnerships with the clothing company. Even more troubling was the competitive back-and-forth among strangers. “People are encouraged by social media and are soapboxing each other on comment platforms and stories,” says Waylon Lewis, editor-in-chief of Elephant Journal who published MacGregor’s opinion piece. “They split into sides and no longer view the opposing side as a good human being. Everything gets rancorous. It’s the fake news-isation of yoga.”
While this type of behavior may be surprising given that it’s happening in the yoga community, it shouldn’t be. Social media thrives on extreme behaviors, amplifying conversations with incredible speed. The juxtaposition between spiritual agendas and commodification—after all, we spend time and money on yoga mats, teachers, malas—can breed strong feelings if a conflict questions one’s investment in a yoga practice. “Yoga is many things to many people,” says Andrea Jain, associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. “One of the upsides [of social media] is that yoga can be tailored to fit the needs of individual audiences so they can see themselves in the yoga world. The downside is that it provides a forum for people to claim authenticity and ownership [of yoga] and to verbally abuse those who they think are straying from the right path.”
Briohny Smyth (@yogawithbriohny), an Alo ambassador with over 100k Instagram followers and one of Cody’s top coaches, felt the effects of the community split first-hand. Days after MacGregor’s Elephant Journal article, the numerous DM requests for her opinion prompted Smyth to address the story. She wrote: “I have no personal issue with anyone in this drama, in fact, I have a lot of love for them all…Business is business. After reviewing the facts, I believe that an amicable settlement could’ve been reached if people were being sensible and not reactive.” This unleashed a flood of commentary—many applauded her thoughts, and just as many threw out insults, calling her “stupid,” and “money-hungry.” “It’s time for us to reexamine what yoga has become instead of sit there and hate it,” Smyth tells YJ in response to reactions on her posts. “We want to cultivate community, not create community through hate.”
When MacGregor started the conversation regarding the Falsetti lawsuits, her hope was that if people chose to speak out, her call to action would be handled with maturity and responsibility, she tells YJ. “Anger does not equal hate,” she adds. “I never ever, ever, directed anyone to hate or send hate messages to anyone. I am utterly heartbroken how it has all turned out.”
The lesson we can all learn here is that trying to align the message of yoga with a single entity is counterproductive. “I would encourage yoga practitioners to think of yoga as a large system,” says Jain. “We are driven to respond impulsively [on social media]. When you see something that angers you, sit back and reflect and think critically before forming an opinion or stance. It’s not necessarily about this figure or that corporation, it’s about the system in which they are functioning—capitalism.”
‘Amicable Resolution’ Between Alo, Cody App and Dana Falsetti 
After Falsetti reached her own resolution with Cody and Alo, she posted a public statement via her Instagram account, admitting that she made some mistakes. “If I could go back and do it all again, I would do more fact-checking and seek a non-reactive path to expressing my concerns…” she wrote. “I failed to completely understand a contract that I signed, and that is my own fault…I spoke out of a desire to be transparent to my community and true to my work.”
While the details of the resolution were not made public, the issue of Falsetti’s content has been addressed. “Members of Cody who paid for Dana’s content are still able to access it,” says the Alo spokesperson. “However, her content has been delisted from the Cody platform. We are pleased that we came to a resolution with Dana and wish her the very best.”
As for Falsetti, she feels that at least her lawsuits sparked dialogue about important issues (like body image and how stereotypes are reflected) relevant to the yoga community now. “The foundation of a yoga practice is that we need to be listening to the experiences other people are having,” she told YJ. “People are mad about the disconnect that exists between the yoga and wellness microcosms [on Instagram].” Her hope is that these comments are parlayed into actual in-person conversations that reach people on a deeper level, bringing awareness to stereotypes and biases, she said.
“For me, yoga is social justice,” says Falsetti. “My yoga practice is not just asana, but uplifting marginalized communities, having tough and often controversial conversations, and expanding awareness. If anything positive has come from the publicity of this situation, it seems to be the dynamic conversations communities are engaging in. The topics at hand: commodified yoga and wellness, diversity in marketing, transparent advertising, freedom of speech, ethical practices, the intersection of capitalism and spiritual practices, ableism, fat bias, and so many others, are important. They matter. Let’s not shut them down.”
0 notes
cedarrrun · 7 years ago
Link
In this Instagram blowout between Alo, Cody App, and teachers Dana Falsetti and Kino MacGregor, the yoga community revealed—in both supportive and damning comments—how complicated yoga business and social media can be.
On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company for defamation and trade libel. 
You’re probably familiar with this story by now: On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company. Cody was suing the 24-year-old yoga teacher, body positive advocate, and (now former) Cody instructor for breach of contract and trade libel, which they claimed Falsetti committed in a short-lived Instagram Story about the then-confidential Cody-Alo merger. On December 8, Alo also filed a lawsuit against Falsetti for defamation and trade libel. 
In Falsetti’s Insta Story, she harshly criticized Alo, saying that the brand “lies,” “perpetuates body shame,” and that an Alo executive faced “sexual harassment/assault allegations". The contentious post was triggered by an email Cody had sent its subscription-based customers advertising Alo apparel, which Falsetti claimed “led her students and followers to ‘reasonably’ believe she was affiliated with Alo,” causing them to express “concern and disappointment” about her new relationship with a company that they viewed as “antagonistic to her advocacy for the health and wellness of large-bodied persons.” Falsetti countersued for breach of contract and equitable indemnity, stating that the acquisition violated her Talent License and Release Agreement because it harmed her reputation.
Her counterclaim was dismissed by the court on March 8, 2018 and the Cody/Alo lawsuits were settled out of court on April 12, but what ensued on social—in both supportive and damning posts and comments—continues to ripple through the community and reveal how complicated the marriage of yoga business and social media can be.
Social (Media) Justice? 
A few months after Cody and Alo sued Falsetti, Ashtanga yogi, Cody instructor, and Instagram celebrity Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga)—with 1+ million followers—stepped in to defend Falsetti, and the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. MacGregor posted on her Insta that “If yogis enter business, or even seek to make money off of yoga, the yoga should always come first. Any brand or brand owner that seeks to capture the hearts of yogis would be held up to the moral and ethical standards of the practice itself.” She linked to an opinion piece on Elephant Journal in support of her fellow Cody teacher, and launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $50,000 to assist with Falsetti’s legal fees. While this post received almost 24k likes and some commented that they unfollowed and planned to boycott Alo in response to her message, others said that it’s not Kino’s place to criticize others for not behaving yogically, especially since she, too, has an apparel line and her own business, OMstars—a video platform similar to Cody’s. At the same time, Falsetti (@nolatrees, 330k followers) who had kept lawsuit details and references off social media received thousands of messages supporting her outspokenness and lauding her as an inspiration.
Kino MacGregor spoke up on Instagram siding with Falsetti, which ignited a myriad of responses—both positive and negative—revealing just how delicate yoga business and social media relationships can be.
MacGregor’s siding with Falsetti stemmed, in part, from her own negotiations with Alo. “For me, personally, it was reaching a stalemate,” Kino told YJ. “The line was drawn when they filed the lawsuit against Dana.” According to Alo, acquisition of Omstars was part of that negotiation. "Kino MacGregor was negotiating the sale of her yoga platform to Alo in late October for more than a million dollars," an Alo spokesperson told YJ. MacGregor, however, denies any intention to sell her company. “I never exchanged my company records. OMstars was never on the table,” she tells YJ. “They were interested in me as an individual and not my company. I wanted to keep an open mind and hear what Alo and Cody were creating. They made me a multi-million dollar offer and told me they would glorify me and make me their ‘special voice.’ I told Paul [Javid, co-founder of Cody] and Marco [deGeorge, co-founder of Alo] thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I didn’t like the direction they were going and how they think about yoga, and didn’t want to be affiliated with them. I told them that I am running OMstars and their offer didn’t take my channel into account.”
Tension between Alo and MacGregor may have been the catalyst for a blog post she wrote on her own site in December that discussed subliminal marketing and brand transparency. In the post, MacGregor encouraged consumers to “vote with your dollars and boycott their products” if they see big companies “monopolizing the message of yoga.” The post also mentioned the Instagram accounts @YogaInspiration, @YogaGoals, and @YogaChannel—all of which include images of yogis wearing Alo apparel. Alo does own all three accounts, but only @YogaInspiration’s profile mentioned Alo, and while @YogaGoals had an Apple app store link to the Alo Yoga Poses app, it did not mention Alo explicitly. After MacGregor posted the blog, Alo sent her a cease and desist letter. According to the Alo spokesperson, Kino had violated the terms of her contract with Cody.
Shortly before Falsetti announced that the lawsuits were settled out of court, MacGregor received a subpoena—served to her after class in Birmingham, Alabama, as she was talking to students—on the grounds of “discoverable information,” or evidence that could be used in the Alo, LLC v. Dana Falsetti case. On our publishing date, MacGregor was still in negotiations with Cody and Alo regarding her contract and content use.
After the lawsuits, the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. 
Yogic Values Scrutinized: The Yoga Community Backlash On Social Media
The dialogues that originated with the lawsuits took a sharp turn when Instagram commentary among yogis started to heat up to dramatic levels—challenging one of the most sacred yogic principles, ahimsa (non-violence, non-harming). People, many of whom are yogis themselves, condemned those with an opposing point of view. It wasn’t just Falsetti and MacGregor who receive insensitive feedback; several prominent Alo ambassadors (who were listed in the Elephant Journal piece) were shamed for their partnerships with the clothing company. Even more troubling was the competitive back-and-forth among strangers. “People are encouraged by social media and are soapboxing each other on comment platforms and stories,” says Waylon Lewis, editor-in-chief of Elephant Journal who published MacGregor’s opinion piece. “They split into sides and no longer view the opposing side as a good human being. Everything gets rancorous. It’s the fake news-isation of yoga.”
While this type of behavior may be surprising given that it’s happening in the yoga community, it shouldn’t be. Social media thrives on extreme behaviors, amplifying conversations with incredible speed. The juxtaposition between spiritual agendas and commodification—after all, we spend time and money on yoga mats, teachers, malas—can breed strong feelings if a conflict questions one’s investment in a yoga practice. “Yoga is many things to many people,” says Andrea Jain, associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. “One of the upsides [of social media] is that yoga can be tailored to fit the needs of individual audiences so they can see themselves in the yoga world. The downside is that it provides a forum for people to claim authenticity and ownership [of yoga] and to verbally abuse those who they think are straying from the right path.”
Briohny Smyth (@yogawithbriohny), an Alo ambassador with over 100k Instagram followers and one of Cody’s top coaches, felt the effects of the community split first-hand. Days after MacGregor’s Elephant Journal article, the numerous DM requests for her opinion prompted Smyth to address the story. She wrote: “I have no personal issue with anyone in this drama, in fact, I have a lot of love for them all…Business is business. After reviewing the facts, I believe that an amicable settlement could’ve been reached if people were being sensible and not reactive.” This unleashed a flood of commentary—many applauded her thoughts, and just as many threw out insults, calling her “stupid,” and “money-hungry.” “It’s time for us to reexamine what yoga has become instead of sit there and hate it,” Smyth tells YJ in response to reactions on her posts. “We want to cultivate community, not create community through hate.”
When MacGregor started the conversation regarding the Falsetti lawsuits, her hope was that if people chose to speak out, her call to action would be handled with maturity and responsibility, she tells YJ. “Anger does not equal hate,” she adds. “I never ever, ever, directed anyone to hate or send hate messages to anyone. I am utterly heartbroken how it has all turned out.”
The lesson we can all learn here is that trying to align the message of yoga with a single entity is counterproductive. “I would encourage yoga practitioners to think of yoga as a large system,” says Jain. “We are driven to respond impulsively [on social media]. When you see something that angers you, sit back and reflect and think critically before forming an opinion or stance. It’s not necessarily about this figure or that corporation, it’s about the system in which they are functioning—capitalism.”
‘Amicable Resolution’ Between Alo, Cody App and Dana Falsetti 
After Falsetti reached her own resolution with Cody and Alo, she posted a public statement via her Instagram account, admitting that she made some mistakes. “If I could go back and do it all again, I would do more fact-checking and seek a non-reactive path to expressing my concerns…” she wrote. “I failed to completely understand a contract that I signed, and that is my own fault…I spoke out of a desire to be transparent to my community and true to my work.”
While the details of the resolution were not made public, the issue of Falsetti’s content has been addressed. "Members of Cody who paid for Dana's content are still able to access it,” says the Alo spokesperson. “However, her content has been delisted from the Cody platform. We are pleased that we came to a resolution with Dana and wish her the very best.”
As for Falsetti, she feels that at least her lawsuits sparked dialogue about important issues (like body image and how stereotypes are reflected) relevant to the yoga community now. “The foundation of a yoga practice is that we need to be listening to the experiences other people are having,” she told YJ. “People are mad about the disconnect that exists between the yoga and wellness microcosms [on Instagram].” Her hope is that these comments are parlayed into actual in-person conversations that reach people on a deeper level, bringing awareness to stereotypes and biases, she said.
“For me, yoga is social justice,” says Falsetti. “My yoga practice is not just asana, but uplifting marginalized communities, having tough and often controversial conversations, and expanding awareness. If anything positive has come from the publicity of this situation, it seems to be the dynamic conversations communities are engaging in. The topics at hand: commodified yoga and wellness, diversity in marketing, transparent advertising, freedom of speech, ethical practices, the intersection of capitalism and spiritual practices, ableism, fat bias, and so many others, are important. They matter. Let's not shut them down.”
0 notes
krisiunicornio · 7 years ago
Link
In this Instagram blowout between Alo, Cody App, and teachers Dana Falsetti and Kino MacGregor, the yoga community revealed—in both supportive and damning comments—how complicated yoga business and social media can be.
On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company for defamation and trade libel. 
You’re probably familiar with this story by now: On December 6, 2017, Dana Falsetti was at home when she was served legal papers by Cody Inc., an online platform that sells video training programs and had just been acquired by Alo, LLC, a yoga apparel company. Cody was suing the 24-year-old yoga teacher, body positive advocate, and (now former) Cody instructor for breach of contract and trade libel, which they claimed Falsetti committed in a short-lived Instagram Story about the then-confidential Cody-Alo merger. On December 8, Alo also filed a lawsuit against Falsetti for defamation and trade libel. 
In Falsetti’s Insta Story, she harshly criticized Alo, saying that the brand “lies,” “perpetuates body shame,” and that an Alo executive faced “sexual harassment/assault allegations". The contentious post was triggered by an email Cody had sent its subscription-based customers advertising Alo apparel, which Falsetti claimed “led her students and followers to ‘reasonably’ believe she was affiliated with Alo,” causing them to express “concern and disappointment” about her new relationship with a company that they viewed as “antagonistic to her advocacy for the health and wellness of large-bodied persons.” Falsetti countersued for breach of contract and equitable indemnity, stating that the acquisition violated her Talent License and Release Agreement because it harmed her reputation.
Her counterclaim was dismissed by the court on March 8, 2018 and the Cody/Alo lawsuits were settled out of court on April 12, but what ensued on social—in both supportive and damning posts and comments—continues to ripple through the community and reveal how complicated the marriage of yoga business and social media can be.
Social (Media) Justice? 
A few months after Cody and Alo sued Falsetti, Ashtanga yogi, Cody instructor, and Instagram celebrity Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga)—with 1+ million followers—stepped in to defend Falsetti, and the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. MacGregor posted on her Insta that “If yogis enter business, or even seek to make money off of yoga, the yoga should always come first. Any brand or brand owner that seeks to capture the hearts of yogis would be held up to the moral and ethical standards of the practice itself.” She linked to an opinion piece on Elephant Journal in support of her fellow Cody teacher, and launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $50,000 to assist with Falsetti’s legal fees. While this post received almost 24k likes and some commented that they unfollowed and planned to boycott Alo in response to her message, others said that it’s not Kino’s place to criticize others for not behaving yogically, especially since she, too, has an apparel line and her own business, OMstars—a video platform similar to Cody’s. At the same time, Falsetti (@nolatrees, 330k followers) who had kept lawsuit details and references off social media received thousands of messages supporting her outspokenness and lauding her as an inspiration.
Kino MacGregor spoke up on Instagram siding with Falsetti, which ignited a myriad of responses—both positive and negative—revealing just how delicate yoga business and social media relationships can be.
MacGregor’s siding with Falsetti stemmed, in part, from her own negotiations with Alo. “For me, personally, it was reaching a stalemate,” Kino told YJ. “The line was drawn when they filed the lawsuit against Dana.” According to Alo, acquisition of Omstars was part of that negotiation. "Kino MacGregor was negotiating the sale of her yoga platform to Alo in late October for more than a million dollars," an Alo spokesperson told YJ. MacGregor, however, denies any intention to sell her company. “I never exchanged my company records. OMstars was never on the table,” she tells YJ. “They were interested in me as an individual and not my company. I wanted to keep an open mind and hear what Alo and Cody were creating. They made me a multi-million dollar offer and told me they would glorify me and make me their ‘special voice.’ I told Paul [Javid, co-founder of Cody] and Marco [deGeorge, co-founder of Alo] thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I didn’t like the direction they were going and how they think about yoga, and didn’t want to be affiliated with them. I told them that I am running OMstars and their offer didn’t take my channel into account.”
Tension between Alo and MacGregor may have been the catalyst for a blog post she wrote on her own site in December that discussed subliminal marketing and brand transparency. In the post, MacGregor encouraged consumers to “vote with your dollars and boycott their products” if they see big companies “monopolizing the message of yoga.” The post also mentioned the Instagram accounts @YogaInspiration, @YogaGoals, and @YogaChannel—all of which include images of yogis wearing Alo apparel. Alo does own all three accounts, but only @YogaInspiration’s profile mentioned Alo, and while @YogaGoals had an Apple app store link to the Alo Yoga Poses app, it did not mention Alo explicitly. After MacGregor posted the blog, Alo sent her a cease and desist letter. According to the Alo spokesperson, Kino had violated the terms of her contract with Cody.
Shortly before Falsetti announced that the lawsuits were settled out of court, MacGregor received a subpoena—served to her after class in Birmingham, Alabama, as she was talking to students—on the grounds of “discoverable information,” or evidence that could be used in the Alo, LLC v. Dana Falsetti case. On our publishing date, MacGregor was still in negotiations with Cody and Alo regarding her contract and content use.
After the lawsuits, the yoga community broke into unprecedented, sometimes crude and aggressive commentary regarding the true nature of yoga and yoga business. 
Yogic Values Scrutinized: The Yoga Community Backlash On Social Media
The dialogues that originated with the lawsuits took a sharp turn when Instagram commentary among yogis started to heat up to dramatic levels—challenging one of the most sacred yogic principles, ahimsa (non-violence, non-harming). People, many of whom are yogis themselves, condemned those with an opposing point of view. It wasn’t just Falsetti and MacGregor who receive insensitive feedback; several prominent Alo ambassadors (who were listed in the Elephant Journal piece) were shamed for their partnerships with the clothing company. Even more troubling was the competitive back-and-forth among strangers. “People are encouraged by social media and are soapboxing each other on comment platforms and stories,” says Waylon Lewis, editor-in-chief of Elephant Journal who published MacGregor’s opinion piece. “They split into sides and no longer view the opposing side as a good human being. Everything gets rancorous. It’s the fake news-isation of yoga.”
While this type of behavior may be surprising given that it’s happening in the yoga community, it shouldn’t be. Social media thrives on extreme behaviors, amplifying conversations with incredible speed. The juxtaposition between spiritual agendas and commodification—after all, we spend time and money on yoga mats, teachers, malas—can breed strong feelings if a conflict questions one’s investment in a yoga practice. “Yoga is many things to many people,” says Andrea Jain, associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture. “One of the upsides [of social media] is that yoga can be tailored to fit the needs of individual audiences so they can see themselves in the yoga world. The downside is that it provides a forum for people to claim authenticity and ownership [of yoga] and to verbally abuse those who they think are straying from the right path.”
Briohny Smyth (@yogawithbriohny), an Alo ambassador with over 100k Instagram followers and one of Cody’s top coaches, felt the effects of the community split first-hand. Days after MacGregor’s Elephant Journal article, the numerous DM requests for her opinion prompted Smyth to address the story. She wrote: “I have no personal issue with anyone in this drama, in fact, I have a lot of love for them all…Business is business. After reviewing the facts, I believe that an amicable settlement could’ve been reached if people were being sensible and not reactive.” This unleashed a flood of commentary—many applauded her thoughts, and just as many threw out insults, calling her “stupid,” and “money-hungry.” “It’s time for us to reexamine what yoga has become instead of sit there and hate it,” Smyth tells YJ in response to reactions on her posts. “We want to cultivate community, not create community through hate.”
When MacGregor started the conversation regarding the Falsetti lawsuits, her hope was that if people chose to speak out, her call to action would be handled with maturity and responsibility, she tells YJ. “Anger does not equal hate,” she adds. “I never ever, ever, directed anyone to hate or send hate messages to anyone. I am utterly heartbroken how it has all turned out.”
The lesson we can all learn here is that trying to align the message of yoga with a single entity is counterproductive. “I would encourage yoga practitioners to think of yoga as a large system,” says Jain. “We are driven to respond impulsively [on social media]. When you see something that angers you, sit back and reflect and think critically before forming an opinion or stance. It’s not necessarily about this figure or that corporation, it’s about the system in which they are functioning—capitalism.”
‘Amicable Resolution’ Between Alo, Cody App and Dana Falsetti 
After Falsetti reached her own resolution with Cody and Alo, she posted a public statement via her Instagram account, admitting that she made some mistakes. “If I could go back and do it all again, I would do more fact-checking and seek a non-reactive path to expressing my concerns…” she wrote. “I failed to completely understand a contract that I signed, and that is my own fault…I spoke out of a desire to be transparent to my community and true to my work.”
While the details of the resolution were not made public, the issue of Falsetti’s content has been addressed. "Members of Cody who paid for Dana's content are still able to access it,” says the Alo spokesperson. “However, her content has been delisted from the Cody platform. We are pleased that we came to a resolution with Dana and wish her the very best.”
As for Falsetti, she feels that at least her lawsuits sparked dialogue about important issues (like body image and how stereotypes are reflected) relevant to the yoga community now. “The foundation of a yoga practice is that we need to be listening to the experiences other people are having,” she told YJ. “People are mad about the disconnect that exists between the yoga and wellness microcosms [on Instagram].” Her hope is that these comments are parlayed into actual in-person conversations that reach people on a deeper level, bringing awareness to stereotypes and biases, she said.
“For me, yoga is social justice,” says Falsetti. “My yoga practice is not just asana, but uplifting marginalized communities, having tough and often controversial conversations, and expanding awareness. If anything positive has come from the publicity of this situation, it seems to be the dynamic conversations communities are engaging in. The topics at hand: commodified yoga and wellness, diversity in marketing, transparent advertising, freedom of speech, ethical practices, the intersection of capitalism and spiritual practices, ableism, fat bias, and so many others, are important. They matter. Let's not shut them down.”
0 notes