#Lmao yes I remember this —irmo

[cilil]

forgive me because i love to ramble about characters i love so i'm genuinely curious about your hall of fame of “look a real man” because i 1000000% agree about manwe but since im obsessed with eonwe x gothmog because of your wonderful fics, is gothmog also there? because eonwe can be his babygirl lmao idk

Never apologize because omg this is the single best thing to pop up in my inbox after fleeing the crime scene of my (for now) last exam - if Tumblr had decided to notify me, which it hasn't because it's still glitched, but now I found it anyway. Thank you so much🤍

(Since I don't remember if I listed my current "look a real man" hall of fame in the tags/not everyone's seen those, the men I've currently accepted into this prestigious category are Manwë, Eönwë and Beren. Cases for new nominees may be made freely at any time.)

Anyway... Gothmog. Let me think. I'm gonna say: Old canon Gothmog (son of Melkor) definitely not, new canon Gothmog maybe not, my Gothmog (as in based on my headcanons) potentially yes.

Moral alignment is not really a factor here, now that I think about it. The "real man" criteria is more that the character in question is secure in his masculinity, no matter if he chooses to express it in a more traditionally masculine way - for example Beren and Eönwë being your typical "hero" characters - or if he goes against traditional or toxic masculinity - for example Manwë being unafraid to cry in public. The latter gives bonus points in fact. The other big thing is being a supportive lover regardless of said lover's gender, treating them respectfully and not acting creepy.

My Gothmog may be a slayer of blorbos, but aside from that he's a weirdly chill guy for a Balrog who likes bickering with his siblings, play-fighting and bathing in lava and also sleeps a lot. While he may participate in some taunting to keep up appearances, he has always known and acknowledged that Eönwë is just as much of a warrior as he is, even if his fána is just half his size and way cuter. He would even admit that Eönwë is the better warrior in a heartbeat. Of course he wouldn't back down from a fight, either because it's a fun sparring session or because they have to do their duty in a war - something both of them understand - but he knows what's up.

He's the classic big, strong, tough guy who doesn't talk much and appears "simple", though that doesn't mean he lacks intelligence. In fact, I do think Gothmog possesses the amount of emotional intelligence he needs to stay out of the drama Melkor and Mairon are causing all the time and to deal with Eönwë's particular brand of "weird bird man". It sounds so strange to say considering what a nightmare it is to face just any Balrog, let alone Gothmog himself, in battle, but I do think on a personal level he's awesome for anxious people. He'll be your literal rock and take care of everything.

So yeah, I actually do think Gothmog might make it into the "real man" hall of fame on the evil side as the reliable and weirdly sweet tough guy. Good thinking, bestie!

Some more nominees from me: Dior and fanon Irmo