#Henry and Peter's parents are fuckin stupid

[phoebe-the-autism-fairy]

Perfect Peter was abused too

TW for themes of abuse for this rant

So for context of this title, I grew up watching Horrid Henry, and as I grew older, I realised that Henry's parents were pretty damn toxic and neglectful towards him, such as punishing him at the drop of a hat, constantly taking things away from him, blaming him for everything, etc. It's fair to say that Henry is a victim of neglectful and somewhat abusive parents.

And I used to think it was Peter who was the true "villain" because he's generally portrayed that way through Henry's perspective. But over time, I realised that Peter was also facing abuse from his parents, but on the other end of the parental abuse spectrum (if that's even a thing).

While Henry is the scapegoat, Peter is the golden child; the kid who can do no wrong, who always is put on a pedestal and has to be perfect and well behaved, otherwise he is made to feel shame and disappointment. And because of this, he is a constant people pleaser and always tries to please his parents otherwise he feels like a disappointment. However, even when he is misbehaving, he never gets in trouble for it, like in the episode Perfect Peter's horrid day, he wants to push the boundaries and try and get in trouble, but no matter what, Henry is ALWAYS blamed while Peter is doted over.

Anyways I headcanon that Henry and Peter grow closer when they grow up and they both go no-contact with their parents. For Henry he has no issue cutting them off immediately, but for Peter it takes him a little bit longer because of how he was raised, and even has second thoughts about it but realises that it's not a healthy dynamic that he was raised with.

[muppetmolly]

There is such SHIT I wish I could tell Johnny Depp.

So I saw my first of his films when I was 10. It was 2003, and my parents took my two siblings and myself to see Pirates of the Caribbean.

Many of you shared in the absolute enchantment I felt watching Captain Jack Sparrow on screen. My siblings and I had been raised on movies, all sorts from all points in film history, and I had never seen anything like Johnny Depp.

Then in 2005, I saw my second ever Depp film (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). How was THAT Willy Wonka the same guy who played Captain Jack Sparrow!?

Not his best film, I grant you. But I was 12 years old and I decided to become an actor after that.

I was utterly fascinated. All through middle school and high school I watched and studied his films, all of them. I don't remember the order I did it in, there were so many and fuck it was a bit ago, but I paid attention and watched everything of his I could find (aside from Private Resort). I took theater classes and went all in, taking cues from what I'd seen him do with his characters.

I mean, it didn't hurt that he was beautiful. It wasn't until years later that I figured that I was a lesbian, but that honestly makes my fondness for his looks make all the more sense.

I mean shit, he's PRETTY.

But that's kinda always been beside the point with him. No matter the role, he was always something different and new. Even if the movie wasn't any good, he was GREAT in it. I was a huge fan of his acting method.

And I've learned so much from his films as well. Both of The Libertine and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas introduced me to so many hilarious/provocative writings. Secret Window got me reading Stephen King, who has become on of my favorite authors (not all of his writings, but some). Benny & Joon lead me to an enduring love for so very many silent films and just films from that era (Keaton, Astaire, Groucho, Chaplin, and Fairbanks are my fucking boys). Finding Neverland made me revisit Peter Pan, and it's now my favorite book and informs so much of my personal philosophy on life. Ed Wood got me into SO MANY films, terrible or otherwise!

And he took me to so many other creators! Johnny Depp to Tim Burton to Henry Selick to Danny Elfman to Neil Gaiman to Stephen King to Colleen Attwood to Roald Dahl to Edward Gorey to Alice Cooper to Hunter S. Thompson DUDE I COULD GO ON.

And then there were the performances that just.... Damn. I'll never be the same after Edward Scissorhands.

But as I watched, and as I grew older and paid attention to how he conducted his personal life, something became painfully clear.

Johnny Depp was a fuckin weirdo, and so were most of his characters.

It took me a while to figure this out, because as goddamn puberty hit, it was becoming painfully obvious that I was a weirdo too.

I hated it.

I didn't understand people. I got in trouble all the time. I was confused and angry. People teased me and told me I was stupid, made fun of me for dressing like a boy. I said shit that didn't make sense. I didn't want to play or talk. I was loud and strange and I got in fights.

By my mom's admittion, she didn't know what to do with me. My siblings were sporty and academic and never caused her any worry, but she didn't know what to fucking do with me. They sorta put me in counseling and left it at that.

I figured it out on my own, when I was a sophomore in high school. After watching all of Johnny Depp's films over and over, paying attention to his way of life, a certain message had begun to resonate with me;

Be EXACTLY who you are with no filter, be kind, and absolutely FUCK what the world thinks about you.

After figuring that out, everything changed. I was happy. People teased me and I decided I didn't care. I dressed how I wanted to dress (GIANT custom t-shirts, jeans, a jacket, and tennis shoes every fucking day in high school. In the seven years since I graduated? Nothing but black and white stripes). I read the books I wanted, pursued the hobbies I loved, said what I felt. I learned instruments and wrote crappy songs. I behaved how my fucking heart wanted me to.

I was gloomy and dark and REVELED in it! I was the peppiest goth bitch you'd ever seen.

When I figured out that I was gay I didnt hesitate to come out. When I wanted to drop out of college I fucking did. When I want to audition for local theatre, I do (and I get them parts, Ive even won an award and shit, it was awesome). When I decided NOT to become an actor or musician and focus on my children's books, I didn't hesitate in that either! And I didnt hesitate in falling in love with the wonderful girl who is now my wife!

Man, I'm rambling. What I mean to say is,

Johnny Depp gave me the courage to be the person I am.

And man I wish I could tell him, and thank him.