I've connected with the emotions in a way I never have in any media before, discovering more about myself along the way. Seeing I'm not alone, I'm not broken...it's life changing. And I will greedily devour every chapter of this cheerleader story for as long as Alyson has more to tell.

Alyson has written the characters and the story so well, that this power is woven throughout.
I'm over 30 years older than Maxine. I don't know her friends or her family or her music choices. But I know her feelings. Her doubts. Her fears. Her hopes and her What If wishes.

Society spends a lot of energy promoting normal as the ideal, and having different questions can make us feel isolated or broken. It's fine to be told that's okay, but what really breaks the negativity down is finding you're not alone. Others have these feelings. That's power.

Everyone probably plays the What If game, but there is a unique flavour to 'What If I was able to grow up the gender I was meant to be?' This is probably by definition a Trans specific version. Same with 'What If I could just be me and not be defined by what's in my pants?'

I've been telling myself for the past few years that everyone has their own unique gender journey, and while I still think that's true, I think there are some experiences, thoughts, or feelings that we all have in one way or another and seeing Maxine work through them hits hard.

There's so many examples of this, whether it's appreciation of a forgotten game, or food, or a shared opinion about the Goofy Movie. There's a validation coming from connection. I'm pretty sure it's human nature to crave this. Otherwise there wouldn't be 75k people freezing in a stadium together.

One of my happiest places in the world was the back row of Muppetvision 3D (until Disney tore it down) Sitting there hearing people laughing and appreciating these characters I grew up loving made me feel so warm and cozy. It was as if it was my own creation they were enjoying.

Music doesn't hook me as much as others, but there are times. On Depeche Mode's 101 there's a track of Everything Counts from a concert. The crowd sings the chorus over and over. A few years ago I saw Depeche Mode do this live in person and it was so powerful to be part of.

The power of sports doesn't come from what happens on the field/court/ice/whatever. It's the combined energy of tens of thousands of people sharing an emotion- joy of victory, agony of defeat. Those in the stadium or the millions watching on TV. Think of the Canadian ratings from the World Series.

There's something about the power of representation. Seeing someone that looks like you in entertainment can be impactful. But I think what is happening is deeper. It's not about relating to the characters, although that is excellently done. It's about resonating with the feelings.

People focus on the straw and pay no attention to all the other shit on the camel's back. Just surviving day to day is an accomplishment these days and even small curveballs can derail that. Ultimately it doesn't matter what knocks you down, as long as you eventually get back up. Enough pep talk?

This is so good. The first scene at Patty's brought tears. I'm having so many thoughts, feelings, and epiphanies.

Not sure i believe you

I thought i saw headlines today about them ramming cars to push them at red lights. 🤷🏼‍♀️

🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

You did keep up on the holiday drinking night...