It makes me laugh a little that Lauren and I both finally got around to answering this on the same day.  XD Sorry we took so long - we’re noth notoriously bad at answering asks in a timely fashion!

I’ve realized that it took me so long to answer this question because it’s required a lot of thinking for me - and I still don’t really have an answer for you.  It’s actually a really difficult question, and I think the reason for that is just how fundamentally Tyrion’s life experiences and relationships - and by extension, his person - have been shaped by his dwarfism.  A number of times I’ve gotten the question: “What do you think Tyrion would be like had he not been born a dwarf?”  And like, that’s kind impossible to answer.

A lot of who a person is - I’d argue most of who a person is - is the result of the collective of their life experiences.  Of course we all have inborn traits, but the way those traits are expressed relies on the ways we learn to express them.  (I guess you could say I fall more on the ‘nurture’ than on the ‘nature’ side of the whole argument.) And for Tyrion in particular, his set of life experiences is colored at very turn by his disability - his is a disability narrative in the truest sense.

What if Tyrion had not been born a dwarf?  Would he still appreciate learning the way he does?  Would he still armor himself in his words and wit if physical strength did not fail him?  I’m of the opinion that a Tyrion of any universe would have a thirst for knowledge, but would he have clung to that thirst so fiercely had he had any other course through which he might have garnered acceptance and respect?  How would we know?  The best we can do is guess.

The same goes for Tyrion’s affinity for “cripples, bastards, and broken things.”  Could any Lannister have been so sympathetic to the downtrodden had they not experienced what it is to be downtrodden themselves?  Certainly Tyrion’s empathy is one of the characteristics that draws me to him most strongly, but could a man with all the privilege afforded the Lannisters and none of the oppression tied to being disabled ever have developed such a keen sense of empathy?  (And knowing what we know of Tyrion’s inability to sympathize with those whose plights are unfamiliar to him - see: the poor - perhaps the answer is no.)

What would a Tyrion not quite so desperate for love and affection look like? (One thing I’m quite certain of is the fact that an able-bodied!Tyrion, even one whose birth caused the death of his mother, would not have been nearly as universally despised as canon!Tyrion.) That life-long deprivation - and subsequent desperation - is just so crucial to the Tyrion we know that I would argue there’s no way we can accurately imagine a Tyrion who had the things ours lacked.

I think that’s partially what makes Tyrion so tragic - there’s no telling who he could have been had abuse, both societal and familial, not figured in his life so prominently.

TYWIN LANNISTER SEXUALLY ABUSED HIS SON AS WELL AS TYSHA. THAT IS IT. THE END OF THIS DISCUSSION.

I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand?

What Tywin forced Tyrion to do to Tysha was meant as a lesson - as a punishment - for the both of them.  Tyrion was never supposed to get anything out of it (other than the knowledge that he is incapable of being truly desired/his father will not hesitate to destroy in the worst possible way any happiness he hasn’t explicitly sanctioned).

The fact that you cite Tyrion’s “getting hard” as evidence of his consent - that you seem to believe Tyrion had control over not only his body’s physical reaction, but the situation in its entirety - speaks to the reason we’re never going to get anywhere in this discussion.

I’m glad this isn’t going to stop you from following me - open discussion is good - I just wish there was something I could say to make you believe this isn’t about excusing Tyrion for me, it’s about the nature of consent at its core and what that means for what can be dubbed “sexual abuse.”

I’m sorry, but I can’t have this discussion tonight because I’ve had it too many times already.  Force isn’t always physical.  A body’s physical reactions do not equal consent.  Some situations take away the possibility of meaningful consent altogether.

And I guess if we disagree on these basic concepts, there’s really nowhere for us to go from here.

Um Tyrion was a physically disabled 13 year old boy surrounded by not only father (who already had a history of emotionally abusing him/reminding Tyrion that he was only allowed to live because he felt “generous”), but his father’s entire guard.

I’d love it if someone could please explain to me which part of that sounds like a situation in which informed consent could possibly take place.

omg hi! I know you pal around with Iman so I’m sure you’re very quality! XD

I could talk about Tyrion all day - and I sort of do! In order to keep from overwhelming you, let me direct you to a list of some of my more popular meta posts.  Be warned that all of these include spoilers specific to the books.  

If you have any particular questions, let me know okay?  And thanks for following!  <3

Game of Thrones Sex Tip 150

annalisa-nicole:

thegoodlannister:

agameofsextips:

It’s important to be especially creative when your partner is…ahem…vertically challenged.

#I keep having nightmares that I’m married to Tyrion #character I most want to dropkick

WOW THIS FANDOM IS SO GR8 AND NOT AT ALL GROSS ABOUT TYRION

NOT

AT

ALL

People are allowed to not like certain characters…

Of course they are, I’d never argue otherwise.

Qualifying that dislike with comments about how a physical disability makes them less sexually desirable, however, is decidedly less okay.

Game of Thrones Sex Tip 150

agameofsextips:

It’s important to be especially creative when your partner is…ahem…vertically challenged.

#I keep having nightmares that I’m married to Tyrion #character I most want to dropkick

WOW THIS FANDOM IS SO GR8 AND NOT AT ALL GROSS ABOUT TYRION

NOT

AT

ALL

So I’ve lost a number of followers over the past couple of days and I understand why - my blog has been a mess and I’ve probably sounded really bitter. I wouldn’t really want to follow me either.

But like, the fact that Tyrion hate isn’t as visible now as it once was in fandom is the product of a lot of hard work and tens of thousands of words of meta and arguments that I (and others) have made more times than I can count, just to have them shot down as “Tyrion apologism.” I’ve seen a lot of decent people get treated like shit for caring about/identifying with Tyrion and… just yeah. If you aren’t pretty much bombarded with hate for Tyrion and his fans daily that’s because there have been people really dedicated to the importance of his character and his narrative who have probably gotten a lot of shit for that dedication.

Just something to think about.