#Scottish Wrestling Bond

[redpool]

LGBTQ+ Characters in Assassin's Creed

only the characters that are relevant to the story and or we actually spend time with.

Alkibiades - Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Bisexual.

Alkibiades harbored not only a flamboyant attitude but also a rather insatiable libido, frequently engaging in threesomes and even foursomes with men and women together.

Alexios/ Kassandra - Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Bisexual.

It's safe to say they're bi, whether or not you choose to sleep with only men or only women.

Azar - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Gender Fluid

She adopted a masculine name and mannerism which eventually led to the discovery that she was gender fluid. As per her wish, Azar's friends continued to us feminine pronouns.

Erke Bodilsson & Stowe - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Gay

They formed a close bond and eventually a romantic relationship. which they hide from the public.

Eric Cooper - Assassin's Creed: Initiates - Transgender

this one is new to me tbh, it also says he's mentioned in the Syndicate database. It says he's Scottish and was in a relationship with someone who was murdered in a discriminatory attack, and after hunting down and killing the group responsible, he considered ending his life but was recruited by an assassin names Gavin Brooks.

Harlan Cunningham - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Gay

Tho only his voice is heard (in Brotherhood) his story is greatly expanded in Assassin's Creed: Initiates. During high school he had a promising career in wrestling, but this ended when he was outed. He fled Texas and travelled to Europe, finding solace in the Brotherhood.

Chevalier d'Éon - Assassin's Creed Unity - Transgender

In a time where dressing up was popular, she first dressed as a woman at a costume ball, aided by her build, King Louis XV took notice of her and realized that her appearance of a beautiful woman would make her easy to deploy as a spy. After 49 years of dressing as a man on most occasions, she took to appearing publicly as a woman in 1777, sparking a debate on gender.

Jacob Frye - Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Bisexual

Jeffrey Yohalem (the lead writer for Syndicate) indicated that the team explicitly avoided giving him a female love interest during the main storyline. He also hinted at the idea that Jacob needed to 'figure himself out' after his brief partnership with Maxwell Roth. This led to speculation over his sexuality, which led to the official Assassin's Creed Tumblr account confirming that he is canonically bisexual.

Leonardo da Vinci - Assassin's Creed 2 - Gay

Leonardo appeared to be gay, as this was hinted at several times. When speaking to Ezio in Rome, he mentioned his work on the Mona Lisa, and Ezio warned him not to allow pretty girls to distract him from making the designs he needed. With his arm around him, Leo lightly assured him that women would 'provide little distraction'. Additionally, he was in a relationship with his assistant, Salaì.

Eivor - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Bisexual

same deal as Alexios & Kassandra

Ned Wynert - Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Transgender

Ned was a transgender businessman from America in London during the 19th century, writers said he was added in the game for representation, really the only acknowledgment of it is a look shared between Jacob & Evie when they first meet. Ned is based on the historical figure of the same name.

[fotoflingscotland]

Kilted Backhold Wrestling by FotoFling Scotland Via Flickr: Ceres Highland Games 2015

[mprosperossprite]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ any fic you want, any director's commentary you feel like sharing!

Alright, friends, gather round, because I want to bring y'all behind the scenes of Transfigured So Together.

This is a looooong post, so strap in.

In case you don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of my 18 and counting Old Guard fanfics, Transfigured So Together is the second part of my selkie!AU wherein Joe is a marine scientist and Nicky is a selkie. In the first one, This Rough Magic, told from Joe's POV, they accidentally become bonded to each other and Joe struggles to reconcile his scientist's view of the world with the fact that his now husband claims to be a magical creature. Transfigured So Together picks up where the first leaves off, but from Nicky's POV.

Transfigured So Together started, like many a good fanfic, because my dear friend marbletopempire begged me to write more of this AU.

I knew it needed to involve Nicky figuring out HIS side of the bonding to Joe. But I was pretty scared to start writing it because Nicky and Andy are the canon characters I feel like I relate to the least. Nicky, in canon, if full of these rich complexities: a man capable of and willing to commit cold-blooded violence (eg sniping two men with one shot, holy shit), but is also the friendliest to strangers, the one who looks out for Nile's well-being from the instant they meet; a man whose principles are deep and unyielding and yet makes jokes about sex vacations with his husband while being tortured. How to take all of that and transpose it into a world in which I'd decided this amazing, rich, complex human was a creature from Scottish folklore? YIKES.

It was at about this point that I thought dear lord what have I done especially because my go-to beta -- my dear marble -- was now the very person I was writing this fic for, as a gift.

But I outlined the thing. And then, slowly, I wrote it. I wasn't happy with it, but I sent it away to the wonderful Mags for a beta read anyways.

In the process of working with Mags and talking to Mags about their questions, in the process of making revisions and clarifying the forces internal and external the pushed Nicky onto the path the led him to meeting Joe, I came to really love the version of Nicky I'd created, stubborn and principled, but uncertain of himself and his place in the world. Not a version of Nicky we see in the film but a Nicky that with time could grow into his film incarnation.

Nicky spends a lot of words in Transfigured So Together wrestling with the two parts of who he is -- seal and human. It would be easier, absolutely, if he was just one or the other, but he isn't. He will always be both. Over the course of the story, both he and Joe come to peace with the notion that the in between is, in and of itself, not only a valid identity, but an essential part of who Nicky is, how he lives and learns and loves.

Mags pointed out that I had written an allegory for the experience of being nonbinary, one which makes clear that the both or the in between is itself a valid and beautiful identity.

I had not set out to do so. This was not my intention. But, yeah, I think this reading of Transfigured So Together is absolutely substantiated in the text.

I've done a lot of thinking about this since I published Transfigured So Together. I considered for a hot-second if this whole endeavor was a repressed part of myself making a cry to be recognized, but nope, still a cis woman. Instead, my take-aways from this experience center around empathy and the power of story-telling. I do not know what it is like to not be cis gendered. I certainly do not know what it is like to be selkie. And yet, by paying careful attention to trying to understand a character in a totally fantastical situation (half human, half seal, married to a human scientist who doesn't believe in his existence), I came to develop a much, much deeper understanding of what it might be like for real people to exist in the real world.

This ultimately is the power of fiction: to serve as a mirror of our own experiences and a window to the experiences of others. Never before had I had the experience of fiction as a window when writing, though, and it is one that feels special and precious.

(Finally, I do have to end this post with a note that, as much as Transfigured So Together is dear to me, I wish that more folks would read fic that isn't about Joe and Nicky. Nile Freeman is the main character of The Old Guard and she deserves wayyyyy more love and attention from this fandom than she currently receives. So before you ask, no I won't be writing any more Joe/Nicky any time soon.)

Send me asks for more bts content!

[clovermunson]

Christmas Chaos

featuring: Emma Galloway-Weasley and Charlie Weasley (Emma x Charlie); Vixen McMahen-Lee (@rosievixen’s oc) and Barnaby Lee (Vixen x Barnaby) and their kids.

Inspired by: a series of chaotic Christmas headcanons that Rosie and I came up with, and we both loved them

word count: 1,479

drabble under the cut!!

Christmases for the Weasley and Lee families were always celebrated with each family spending time with their own individual families, but on New Years Eve, they had their own Christmas festivities with each other and their kids.

Every year, without fail, it always resulted in chaos. A tradition of family wrestling matches had come about, and stuck with the two families through the times, with the children rough-housing with each other, and the adults doing the same with each other, even if Emma didn’t like the kids fighting each other.

As usual, the family ate their small dinner together and had a few desserts. Clean-up was halted by Emma and Charlie’s oldest daughter, Charly, when she got a mischievous grin on her face and said “who wants to fight?” which prompted Vixen and Barnaby’s oldest, Emmy to oblige and the two girls began to wrestle each other in the living room, soon joined by their siblings and make-shift cousins, all of them starting a huge riot.

“Kids!” Emma finished drying off a dinner plate as she yelled at her offspring, “Stop that! Right this instant!”

When she got no reply, the red-headed Scottish fireball took matters into her own hands, adding the plate to the clean stack as she tried to push past Charlie and Barnaby, who were watching with an amused look on their faces.

“Wotcher, Em” Charlie gently grabbed his wife’s wrist, “why would you want to stop them?”

Emma gave her husband a look that screamed ‘duh’, but gave up and went back to helping Vixen with the dishes.

“You know...” Vixen started as she set a plate onto the stack, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” The smaller red-head discreetly nodded at their husbands, the two of them with their backs turned to their wives.

Emma and Vixen shared a devious smirk as they quietly took off their holiday aprons and snuck up behind their husbands, delicately hugging their necks as they had the sweetest smiles on their faces.

As they surveyed the living room, the women noticed that the two oldest children, Eli and Emmy, had already moved the coffee table into the dining area, and brought a mattress in from one of the kid’s bedrooms, the younger kids jumping on it and wrestling with each other.

“Hooonnneeeyy,” Vixen drawled as she snakes a hand into Barnaby’s, leading him to the suede sofa.

“Yes, love?” Barnaby looked down at her, a smile on his face.

“How do you feel about this whole little Christmas tradition we have?”

“Honestly?” Barnaby’s brow arched, “I love it. Gives the kids a chance to bond better.” He chuckled as his much smaller wife plopped down on the sofa next to him.

Emma had taken the liberty to lead Charlie to the loveseat to sit with him, her legs draped over his lap as his fingers tapped against her thigh.

“Is that so?” Vixen asked, “well what if we just...contributed to the cause?”

“Contrib-”

Barnaby couldn’t even finish the word before Vixen used all of her body weight to drag Barnaby down to the floor with her, pinning him down.

“So that’s how you’re gonna play this, huh?” Barnaby chuckled, “alright, have it your way then love...”

Emma moved her legs off of Charlie’s lap as he laughed at Vixen and Barnaby, the two of them trying to wriggle free from the other.

“Way to go B, you’re gettin’ your arse kicked by a girl!” Charlie laughed, a strand of his fiery red hair falling in his face.

With that, Emma took her chance, tackling her husband down to the floor, the both of them giggling at each other like school kids would.

Emma had ended up pinning Charlie down before he gingerly grabbed Emma’s waist, flipping them over so he had her pinned to the floor.

“Thought you could pull one over on me, huh darling?” Charlie smirked, tickling at Emma’s sides.

All around them, the kids continued their rambunctious play-fights, both Emmy and Charly teamed up on Eli.

“No fair!” Emma giggled, her voice shrill.

“All’s fair in love and war.”

Barnaby had managed to get Vixen up over his shoulder and drop her down onto the mattress that the kids had dragged in, making her giggle as she rolled off of it.

“Ow!” One of the kids shrieked, causing everyone to stop and look around.

“I’m okay!”

With that, the wrestling had resumed, and carried on for another fifteen minutes or so, until Barnaby had stopped and shouted, “Presents!” as he ran over to the tree like a little kid would.

Vixen and Emma handed out presents, each of the kids tearing through theirs at what the guys thought was a world record speed. Finally, Emma and Vixen handed each of their husbands a box, with a gift tag only labeled with their names and not who it was from.

“What’s this?” Barnaby shook the box, trying to figure out what was inside of it.

“I dunno,” Vixen shrugged, “it just has your name on it so I can safely assume it’s for you.”

Both Charlie and Barnaby looked at each other and shrugged, with no idea that the gifts were from their wives, who had plotted together.

“What can it hurt to open it mate?” Charlie shrugged, untying the bow that was on his box.

Barnaby did the same, quickly pulling out a pair of dark green boxing gloves.

“What the...” Barnaby looked at the gloves in confusion, “the hell am I supposed to do with these?”

Charlie had already opened his box to reveal a pair of dark red gloves, and had already gotten them on.

“This?” Charlie shrugged, lightly punching Barnaby’s arm.

“You foul git.” Barnaby laughed, returning the punch.

Before long the two guys were standing, playfully sparring with each other while the kids continued their own chaos.

Emma and Vixen finished opening their gifts from their husbands, Vixen receiving a silver charm bracelet from Barnaby, and Emma receiving a small crystal dragon from Charlie.

After a while of playful sparring, Barnaby had gotten the idea of “hey, I wonder if it would hurt?” and ended up instinctively clocking Charlie in the jaw.

“Oi!” Charlie grasped at his jaw, “what the fuck mate?”

Barnaby shrugged, “did it hurt?”

Charlie just shook it off, seemingly not even phased by it.

“Nah mate, let’s see if it’ll hurt you.” Charlie did the same to Barnaby, only making the former Slytherin laugh.

The two traded punches, after a while becoming increasingly more aggressive with each other.

When the punches began to sound like they hurt the other, Emma and Vixen began to cringe a bit.

Emma noticed Charlie’s arm go further back than before, and her and Vixen jumped in between their husbands.

“No!” Emma shrieked as she jumped on Charlie, her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms around his neck, her holding on like a spider monkey.

Vixen had wrapped her arms around Barnaby’s waist, squeezing him as tight as possible.

“C’mon love,” Charlie looked at his wife as he pulled the tie string of the gloves out with his teeth, shaking the gloves off, “we were just having a bit of fun.”

Soon enough, Charlie’s arms found their place around Emma’s waist.

“You two could’ve ended up actually fighting and hurting each other!”

“Nah,” Barnaby shrugged as Vixen took his boxing gloves off, “we’re both pretty tough, I think.”

“Barnaby Lee!” Vixen scolded, “I don’t want to have to drive you to the hospital if Charlie knocks you out, and I’m sure Emma wouldn’t want to take Charlie if it were the other way around!”

Barnaby sighed, “I’m sorry, love.” He placed a gentle kiss on his wife’s forehead.

“Yeah, we did get a little carried away...” Charlie admitted, resting his forehead against Emma’s.

“At least you two can admit it.” The girls smiled as they spoke in unison.

The kids had stopped wrestling with each other and looked at their parents, dumb-founded.

“What?” Vixen crossed her arms, “we’re not allowed to have fun too?”

Emma, Barnaby, and Charlie all laughed at how Vixen shut down the kids’ attempts to call them lame as the kids went back to their gifts and fighting.

“It’s always just a chaotic Christmas mess, isn’t it?”

Emma rested her head on Charlie’s shoulder as he sat down on the couch with her in his lap, and Barnaby pulled Vixen down onto the couch with him as they all watched their children tear through any remaining presents only to go back to tackling each other again.

“So did you two lovely women plot this?” Barnaby asked, turning to his wife.

“A good wife never tells her secrets.” Vixen smirked.

Emma and Charlie shared a laugh over Vixen’s response as a light dusting of snow began to fall outside, making the lively home seem more calm.

[the-fandom-fuckup]

some Kirikacchako fam hcs because I have time n I love them

their family is Very Active.

Like. You have three health nut heroes as parents, ofc those poor kids are getting dragged into that shit

Their family bonding time is yoga time, with bouts of wrestling when the kids get bored n decide pouncing on their parents is more interesting than stretching lmao

Chieko isn't great with most typical sports, bc her fingerpads often get in the way. Nobody wants to play volleyball when the volleyball turns into a giant rock n comes rushing at your face

Boxing is also dangerous, for similar reasons. Luckily it was Kiri on the receiving end of her punch bc those boxing gloves were hard enough to chip his cheek n knock a tooth loose

Ochako n Kiri help Chieko find a style of fighting that keeps her quirk in mind, Ochako giving tips on how to keep her fingerpads off things n Kiri teaching her how to take advantage of her quirk when the time calls for it

She's got Kiri's Red Gauntlet down to an art form n Kiri will openly, and loudly, cry n cheer her on when she takes down people twice her height

I would say he's the embarrassing parent at soccer games, but he's not.

That's 100% Bakugou. He will make sure everyone knows just how awesome his kids are bc fuck you

Kishi is more into running sports, anything rough and competitive that gets his blood pumping n muscles screaming

He figures if he’s too tired to move he won’t have the energy to get angry at people.

Baku’s helping him manage his shit, but some days fucking suck y’know? Those days Kishi typically heads to the loud room to let off some steam, whether to scream it out or pound away on their drum kit, or both, is nobody’s business but his own

Also, they have cats. Two of them, the older being a Scottish Fold Chieko found while she was younger, instantly adopting it without the permission of her parents

The younger one is a Japanese bobcat that Kishi and Kiri brought home, much to Ochako n Baku’s dismay. Cats are expensive, and it’s rare for everyone to be home. Ochako didn’t want to adopt a(nother) cat if they couldn’t properly care for it

Turns out she had nothing to worry about, the bobcat gets plenty of exercise by climbing up Kiri n perching on his shoulder to freak out over his hair. He’s basically a walking perch with built in toys

Needless to say there are definitely a couple videos around the internet where the cat has climbed Kiri to swat at his ponytail, and the internet loses its mind

(Nobody dares to bring up the video of Baku smothering the scottie with affection when he thought no one was looking. Denki learnt that lesson for everyone when Baku blasted him a new asshole)

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

Album of the Week: Utopian Ashes by Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth

Last Friday I was scrolling through the latest releases as usual and was surprised to see that, without any kind of fanfare or build up, this collaborative album had been released. On one side, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie and on the other, Savages’ own Jehnny Beth. That combination alone of two highly-revered artists was enough to intrigue me, however I don’t think I was quite ready for what I was about to hear. It may have been down to the lack of any kind of expectation around this record, but this one really blew me away.

Across the album’s nine tracks, Gillespie and Beth weave a story of a relationship falling apart, painting a picture of heartbreak, drug addiction and destruction in a modern world. It makes for an epic and simply breathtaking concept album, where sonically the pair jump between a multitude of styles, all the while backed up by some soaring orchestration.

From the moment the opening chords and strings of Chase It Down ring out, you can’t help but get immediately sucked in, with the pair setting the stage for what is about to unfold as they sing “I don't even love you anymore.” If that doesn’t get your attention, the incredible guitar solo towards the back end of the track certainly will. 

From there the album doesn’t really let up, propelled by the downbeat piano-driven blues and sliding-southern guitars on tracks like Remember We Were Lovers, Your Heart Will Always Be Broken and You Don’t Know What Love Is. There’s also the organ-backed Stones of Silence, where the pair briefly escape their fictional world to take a dig at the “grey-suited men stuffing death in their wallet” supposedly in our own pandemic-ridden reality.

By the time the curtain is drawn on closer Sunk in Reverie, where Gillespie recalls the fictional couple’s first meeting, you’ll be left in awe at what the pair have beautifully crafted here. If you’ve ever seen Derek Cianfrance’s movie Blue Valentine, this is as close to the sonic-equivalent as you’re ever going to get – just a devastating portrait of a broken love that begins at the collapse, before coming full circle at the end as the couple remember what they once they had.

With this album, Gillespie and Beth have shown that they are a match made in heaven and I certainly hope this isn’t their last project together.

Tracks of the Week

The Gnashing by Deafheaven

On the tracks front this week, Deafheaven continue their evolution away from their Black Metal, shoegaze origins into stadium-ready rock. Built around a vocal not a million miles away from Interpol’s Paul Banks at times, the song wonderfully builds towards a climax of, as the title suggests, seriously biting guitar riffs.

The Universe Is Always Right by Hayden Thorpe

The ex-Wild Beasts frontman also delivered the first taste of his second solo album this week, this wonderfully mystical number centred around his signature falsetto and spacey instrumentation - the wonderful video for which you can also view above.

I Love You, I Hate You by Little Simz

British rapper Little Simz continues to hype what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year. This latest masterpiece sees her deliver her perfectly penned verses over some cinematic Bond Theme-esque orchestration and soulful production.

Gumshield by Don Broco

Genre-defying Bedford rockers Don Broco have unveiled the seismic opening track to their forthcoming new album – like a bunch of mad scientists, this track jumps wildly between metal, anthemic rock, pop, R&B and everything else in between, with an addictive little horn melody driving it along all the way. As always with these guys the video is outstanding, with frontman Rob Damiani getting into a comic wrestling match with himself – find it and check it out.

Wounds of Love by Nation of Language

Having only discovered this indie-pop trio this week, this shimmering new track from their upcoming sophomore record could not have arrived at a better time. Featuring dreamy synths, a catchy melody and an emotive vocal performance, I already can’t wait to hear more from this band.

Renegade by Big Red Machine featuring Taylor Swift

Fresh off their work on Swift’s own albums folklore and evermore, Vernon and Dessner team up with the pop superstar once again for a sweet cut that wouldn’t be out of place on either of those records.

Glasgow (Orchestral Version) by You Me At Six

Already my favourite track from the Weybridge rockers’ latest release, the added orchestration here helps the song to hit just that bit harder, and soar just that bit higher. Incredible!

Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender

Having set a high standard with his breakout debut, the Geordie singer-songwriter has this week unveiled the promising, guitar-and-horn driven title track from his forthcoming second album.

Holier Than Thou by Biffy Clyro

The latest artist to take on the mighty Metallica for their forthcoming Blacklist project is Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro, who add atmospheric synths and their own stylistic flair to this classic track.

Southgate You’re The One (Football’s Coming Home Again) by Atomic Kitten

And finally, as the England football team reach a major tournament final for the first (and probably only) time in my life, dig out and enjoy Atomic Kitten’s reworking of their own hit single, for what has become one of the go-to English football anthems since the last World Cup. 

Please Gareth, bring it home on Sunday!

[betsypaige22]

This is such a great interview....god, I miss Bobby. I’ve posted this because otherwise you need to be a subscriber...

I have to be honest, picturing Bobby doing this particular yoga pose makes me need to take a cold shower, lol. The part about his kids asking if he’s going to leave them is heartbreaking ....😭😭. I do love that he’s still baking...

************************

Every Sunday morning the actor Robert Carlyle grabs his mat and heads off for a session of “restorative yoga” in the Canadian port city of Vancouver, where he lives. There is one particular pose — called a “chest-opener”; you lie back, arms supported by bolsters, and release stress and feelings through the abdomen — that has produced remarkable results.

“You hold the pose for up to nine minutes and it releases emotions,” he says. “Out of nowhere I remembered this old lady leading me through the streets of Drumchapel in Glasgow when I was about seven years old, to go to see some wrestling. I hadn’t remembered her since I was a kid. I just lay there crying.”

Carlyle was brought up by his father, Joe, after his mother, Elizabeth, walked out to be with another man when he was four. His father was a painter and decorator, and the pair lived an itinerant existence around the UK in communes, shared houses and even tents. They lived in almost 100 homes. The old woman was his grandmother, Jean, who stepped in to help sometimes.

“That’s what set me off,” Carlyle says. “The realisation that this old woman was my dad’s mum, born in 1895 and survivor of two world wars. And here she was in her seventies, looking out for me when my dad was struggling to get to work.”

Carlyle left school at 16 and followed his father into painting and decorating. Aged 22, he discovered acting and, without formal training, appeared in The Hard Man, Tom McGrath’s play about the notorious Glasgow gangster Jimmy Boyle. After this he was encouraged to enrol at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).

In the early 1990s he made a name for himself in the ITV detective series Cracker, as well as playing Begbie, the charismatic psycho in the screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting. Carlyle was lauded as a raw talent able to articulate a new “dirty realism”, although it was his role in the 1997 stripper comedy The Full Monty and as James Bond’s ex-KGB nemesis Renard in the 1999 film The World is Not Enough that catapulted him to international stardom.

“I went through a stage of being very angry about my mother, and that helped to fuel some of those roles,” he says. “As for Begbie in Trainspotting, that was partly me and partly the odd genuine psycho I had encountered in Glasgow.”

At the height of his fame in the 1990s Carlyle was at the centre of Cool Britannia and simultaneously friends with Damon Albarn from Blur and Noel Gallagher, then in Oasis (Carlyle appeared in the video for the single Little By Little). Tony Blair even recommended him for an OBE in the 1998 new year’s honours list. And yet, while at drama school Carlyle feared he might never get work because he wasn’t “posh”.

Now he has come full circle because he is about to play the fictional British prime minister Robert Sutherland in the new six-part Sky drama series Cobra. “Before I opened the script, I actually thought it was about a snake,” he says. “That’s what living away from home does to you.”

Cobra in fact refers to the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms, the government’s crisis centre where national emergencies from terrorist attacks to natural disasters are handled. In this case the threat comes from a geomagnetic storm resulting from a solar flare that is threatening the worldwide electrical infrastructure. Kettles stop boiling. Cities go dark. Planes drop from the sky.

Carlyle is rigorous in his preparation for roles. When cast as a bus driver in Ken Loach’s 1996 film Carla’s Song he qualified as one. “For a working-class guy from Glasgow, being a prime minister was always going to be challenging,” he says. “I listened to tapes of posh Scottish MPs like [the former foreign secretary] Sir Malcolm Rifkind. He’ll sound like a Scot most of the time, but there are certain turns of phrase when you think, ‘Are you sure this guy is for real?’”

Keen-eyed viewers will have seen Carlyle in the BBC’s adaptation of HG Wells’s The War of the Worlds as the “potentially gay” astronomer Ogilvy. But perhaps only true aficionados will have spotted him as John Lennon in the Beatles tribute film Yesterday. He appeared as a counterfactual, 78-year-old Lennon enjoying his dotage in a bungalow by the sea. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr approved, but Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono wasn’t happy. “She didn’t like the idea of people seeing John get old, which I understand, but [the director] Danny Boyle argued that John is revered public property,” Carlyle says.

Carlyle wouldn’t accept a credit for the role. “That felt like too much. The chance to play a hero was enough. I don’t think it hurts to occasionally do things for love.”

Lennon’s relationship with his mother, Julia, was fractured too of course, and after a turbulent adolescence and having reached the top of his professional game, Carlyle came to yearn for a family. “I could go anywhere and have anything. [The 1990s] were an extraordinary time. But even then, I was quite a shy person, and I wanted kids and a home and a wife. Every day I am thankful that I found the most fantastic woman to do that with.”

Carlyle met his wife, the make-up artist Anastasia Shirley, while working on Cracker, and they have three children: Ava, 17, Harvey, 15, and Pearce, 13. After ten years in Vancouver, where Carlyle was making the US series Once Upon a Time, his children consider themselves Canadian. Sometimes they ask about his upbringing, an era referred to as his “black and white years”. “‘Dad, tell us about the black and white years,’ they say. It’s pretty heavy telling children about your mother leaving because they look frightened and say, ‘Are you going to bugger off as well?’ When I’ve reassured them, they just look sad. So I say to them, ‘Don’t be sad for me, I got all the love I ever needed. I don’t feel angry or aggrieved. It was her that missed out.’”

Carlyle’s father died of a heart attack in 2006, and in an attempt to work through his grief Carlyle embarked on a tour of the homes they shared together. “That tour was about confirming I had lived that life,” he says. “I’ve been honoured at Buckingham Palace. I’ve done a Bond movie. But I’ve also slept rough with my old man under Brighton pier. It can mess with your head. Going back reminded me where I’m from. I sat in the car weeping.”

For now the family remain in Canada while the children complete their schooling. At weekends he takes them to football, bakes bread (Carlyle taught himself after discovering that Lennon was an accomplished home baker) and the family sometimes go for walks in a local forest.

He celebrated New Year’s Eve in Scotland with his old friend Robert del Naja from Massive Attack and, sooner or later, the family will return for good. It’s striking that Carlyle has not lost his accent. “You don’t lose the accent unless you want to,” he says with a smile. “I love our life in Canada. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people. But I only have to do a couple of yoga poses to know I’ve got a lot of Britain still inside of me.”

All episodes of Cobra are available from January 17 on Sky One and NOW TV

ROBERT CARLYLE’S PERFECT WEEKEND

Trainspotting or stamp collecting?

Neither — football

Independence or unity?

Unity and collaboration, always

Glasgow or Sheffield?

Glasgow

Green juice for breakfast or the full monty?

Full monty

Night in or night out?

Night in

Last film you saw?

Joker

Country walk or personal trainer?

Country walk

How many unread emails in your inbox?

Around 2,000

What’s your signature dish?

Pasta

I couldn’t get through my weekend without . . .

Football

[creative-horror-network]

The Fog Report - Mind's Eye Adventures (and Looking Ahead)

October is here again, intrepid readers, and welcome back to The Fog Report. I would be remiss if I didn’t pick up where I left off last year, even with the world significantly changed place since the last time we stepped into the fog.

The impact the pandemic has had on the haunt industry has certainly been felt, and Halloween will be losing quite a bit for it. Gone this year will be walk-thru mazes, scare zones and most immersive theater experiences. But if there’s one thing many of us won’t give up, it’s finding ways to celebrate Halloween in creative ways, and many have adapted fairly quickly to the realities of life with COVID-19. Though I wondered if I’d even get to do these reports this year, now I can say I’ve opted into two or three experiences to see how seasonal entertainment is adapting to the challenge while keeping all involved safe.

For this season, we start with about as much distance as one can get: a virtual, interactive experience held over a video call. Shelby Bond, the creator of last year’s superb show The Shadow Space, invited me to “go on an adventure” through his new online endeavor, Mind’s Eye Adventure Party. Individually scheduled and booked, these adventure parties - for kids and adults respectively - are set up to bring groups of people together over a Zoom video call to engage in what is essentially a lite role-playing game, garnished with elements of a scavenger hunt and - in my case - a little bit of a quiz challenge with a team.

This particular adventure had us inadvertently traveling back in time to Scotland in 1743 and getting caught up in the struggle between the British and Jacobite rebels. Bond himself - full in costume and with a Scottish accent to match his screen name of “Malcolm” - served as our guide through this, playing equal parts narrator and game master. Through the roughly hour-long experience we had to dash around looking for household items that would help us in our quest, roll dice to determine the outcome of some experiences, and put our knowledge of Scottish history and culture to the test. Luckily for us, all of us survived and made it back to our own time intact, though I wonder how things would have gone if some of us had rolled badly.

Anyone who has played tabletop RPGs will find a lot of this very familiar, as it is essentially a more-accessible and rules-lite game. The emphasis, however, seems more on trying to build a sense of immersion and fun. Everyone was called on to participate in parts but the experience was more guided and less full-on roleplay, which allowed for a decent balance between those who enjoy showboating (like me) and those who might be a little shyer. I thought Bond did an excellent job taking us all on this adventure and making it memorable, while rolling with a few curve balls thrown out by various members of the group. Costumes are encouraged, and while I brought along a tartan scarf and flatcap I didn’t get to use my flintlock pistol replica (though I did get to wrestle a redcoat to the ground and dispatch him with some martial arts, essentially).

All in all, I am very interested to see where things go from here. Other themes and stories are planned, including a Horror-themed experience beginning October 10th that will probably be of great interest to readers of this blog. If they hold up as well as this sojourn through Scotland did with a little imagination, I think these virtual escapades are well worth going on. Big thanks to Shelby Bond for having me on board for this adventure.

As for me, I’ve got a few other adventures planned. Stay safe my friends, and I’ll see you in the fog.

For more information, call (323) 524-8998 or visit the website, www.Adventure-Party.com.

[pinchtheprincess]

Every Sunday morning the actor Robert Carlyle grabs his mat and heads off for a session of “restorative yoga” in the Canadian port city of Vancouver, where he lives. There is one particular pose — called a “chest-opener”; you lie back, arms supported by bolsters, and release stress and feelings through the abdomen — that has produced remarkable results.

“You hold the pose for up to nine minutes and it releases emotions,” he says. “Out of nowhere I remembered this old lady leading me through the streets of Drumchapel in Glasgow when I was about seven years old, to go to see some wrestling. I hadn’t remembered her since I was a kid. I just lay there crying.”

Carlyle was brought up by his father, Joe, after his mother, Elizabeth, walked out to be with another man when he was four. His father was a painter and decorator, and the pair lived an itinerant existence around the UK in communes, shared houses and even tents. They lived in almost 100 homes. The old woman was his grandmother, Jean, who stepped in to help sometimes.

“That’s what set me off,” Carlyle says. “The realisation that this old woman was my dad’s mum, born in 1895 and survivor of two world wars. And here she was in her seventies, looking out for me when my dad was struggling to get to work.”

Carlyle left school at 16 and followed his father into painting and decorating. Aged 22, he discovered acting and, without formal training, appeared in The Hard Man, Tom McGrath’s play about the notorious Glasgow gangster Jimmy Boyle. After this he was encouraged to enrol at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).

In the early 1990s he made a name for himself in the ITV detective series Cracker, as well as playing Begbie, the charismatic psycho in the screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting. Carlyle was lauded as a raw talent able to articulate a new “dirty realism”, although it was his role in the 1997 stripper comedy The Full Monty and as James Bond’s ex-KGB nemesis Renard in the 1999 film The World is Not Enough that catapulted him to international stardom.

“I went through a stage of being very angry about my mother, and that helped to fuel some of those roles,” he says. “As for Begbie in Trainspotting, that was partly me and partly the odd genuine psycho I had encountered in Glasgow.”

At the height of his fame in the 1990s Carlyle was at the centre of Cool Britannia and simultaneously friends with Damon Albarn from Blur and Noel Gallagher, then in Oasis (Carlyle appeared in the video for the single Little By Little). Tony Blair even recommended him for an OBE in the 1998 new year’s honours list. And yet, while at drama school Carlyle feared he might never get work because he wasn’t “posh”.

Now he has come full circle because he is about to play the fictional British prime minister Robert Sutherland in the new six-part Sky drama series Cobra. “Before I opened the script, I actually thought it was about a snake,” he says. “That’s what living away from home does to you.”

Cobra in fact refers to the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms, the government’s crisis centre where national emergencies from terrorist attacks to natural disasters are handled. In this case the threat comes from a geomagnetic storm resulting from a solar flare that is threatening the worldwide electrical infrastructure. Kettles stop boiling. Cities go dark. Planes drop from the sky.

Carlyle is rigorous in his preparation for roles. When cast as a bus driver in Ken Loach’s 1996 film Carla’s Song he qualified as one. “For a working-class guy from Glasgow, being a prime minister was always going to be challenging,” he says. “I listened to tapes of posh Scottish MPs like [the former foreign secretary] Sir Malcolm Rifkind. He’ll sound like a Scot most of the time, but there are certain turns of phrase when you think, ‘Are you sure this guy is for real?’”

Keen-eyed viewers will have seen Carlyle in the BBC’s adaptation of HG Wells’s The War of the Worlds as the “potentially gay” astronomer Ogilvy. But perhaps only true aficionados will have spotted him as John Lennon in the Beatles tribute film Yesterday. He appeared as a counterfactual, 78-year-old Lennon enjoying his dotage in a bungalow by the sea. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr approved, but Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono wasn’t happy. “She didn’t like the idea of people seeing John get old, which I understand, but [the director] Danny Boyle argued that John is revered public property,” Carlyle says.

Carlyle wouldn’t accept a credit for the role. “That felt like too much. The chance to play a hero was enough. I don’t think it hurts to occasionally do things for love.”

Lennon’s relationship with his mother, Julia, was fractured too of course, and after a turbulent adolescence and having reached the top of his professional game, Carlyle came to yearn for a family. “I could go anywhere and have anything. [The 1990s] were an extraordinary time. But even then, I was quite a shy person, and I wanted kids and a home and a wife. Every day I am thankful that I found the most fantastic woman to do that with.”

Carlyle met his wife, the make-up artist Anastasia Shirley, while working on Cracker, and they have three children: Ava, 17, Harvey, 15, and Pearce, 13. After ten years in Vancouver, where Carlyle was making the US series Once Upon a Time, his children consider themselves Canadian. Sometimes they ask about his upbringing, an era referred to as his “black and white years”. “‘Dad, tell us about the black and white years,’ they say. It’s pretty heavy telling children about your mother leaving because they look frightened and say, ‘Are you going to bugger off as well?’ When I’ve reassured them, they just look sad. So I say to them, ‘Don’t be sad for me, I got all the love I ever needed. I don’t feel angry or aggrieved. It was her that missed out.’”

Carlyle’s father died of a heart attack in 2006, and in an attempt to work through his grief Carlyle embarked on a tour of the homes they shared together. “That tour was about confirming I had lived that life,” he says. “I’ve been honoured at Buckingham Palace. I’ve done a Bond movie. But I’ve also slept rough with my old man under Brighton pier. It can mess with your head. Going back reminded me where I’m from. I sat in the car weeping.”

For now the family remain in Canada while the children complete their schooling. At weekends he takes them to football, bakes bread (Carlyle taught himself after discovering that Lennon was an accomplished home baker) and the family sometimes go for walks in a local forest.

He celebrated New Year’s Eve in Scotland with his old friend Robert del Naja from Massive Attack and, sooner or later, the family will return for good. It’s striking that Carlyle has not lost his accent. “You don’t lose the accent unless you want to,” he says with a smile. “I love our life in Canada. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people. But I only have to do a couple of yoga poses to know I’ve got a lot of Britain still inside of me.”

All episodes of Cobra are available from January 17 on Sky One and NOW TV

ROBERT CARLYLE’S PERFECT WEEKEND

Trainspotting or stamp collecting?

Neither — football

Independence or unity?

Unity and collaboration, always

Glasgow or Sheffield?

Glasgow

Green juice for breakfast or the full monty?

Full monty

Night in or night out?

Night in

Last film you saw?

Joker

Country walk or personal trainer?

Country walk

How many unread emails in your inbox?

Around 2,000

What’s your signature dish?

Pasta

I couldn’t get through my weekend without . . .

Football

[fancoloredglasses]

[RERUN] Highlander (If “There can be only one” why are there so many sequels and spinoffs?)

Having recently reviewed Highlander, the Series, I realized that the film that started it all needed the RERUN treatment. If you would like to see the original review, you can do so here.

(Thanks to nikos fotis)

[All images are owned by StudioCanal. Please don’t sue or decapitate me]

For a low-budget ($15 million) film that almost no one saw in theaters (seriously, the film made less than $6 million, which is just over $12 million in today’s money), Highlander at one time had a cult following, enough to warrant a spin-off TV show, three sequels (one of which was tied to the series), a TV movie based on the series (and a sequel to the last theatrical release…confused yet?), and an animated series (wait, they made a kids’ cartoon about people chopping each others’ heads off?!)

(Thanks to silvermustangr5)

I didn’t see the movie until season two of the series was on TV (and this was the season I started from, so I was REALLY confused as to what I was watching), and I enjoyed the story a lot, but on the second viewing…questions started coming up. Questions like why the Scottish Immortal has a French accent, why the Egyptian had a Spanish name and a Scottish accent, and how could we have a series (and a sequel, as Highlander II had already been in theaters and Highlander III was being advertised on TV) when (SPOILER) there was only one Immortal left by the end of the original film.

Much like Flash Gordon back in 1980 (I promise that will get the RERUN treatment eventually!), Queen wrote the soundtrack (They originally were going to just do Princes of the Universe, but the movie inspired them to write more) and the band’s name was prominently featured in the credits and the promotional poster (though not as prominently as Flash Gordon. Guess the producers had a bit more faith in thisfilm on its own, however misplaced it was)

But how confusing is it on its own without the baggage of unnecessary additional installments? Let’s find out. If you would like to watch the film, it’s available on Tubi.

[NOTE: For those unfamiliar with any of the films or the series, this movie cuts back and forth between present-day Connor MacLeod (who goes by the name Russell Nash…which is REALLY odd as none of the other Immortals seem to bother changing names at all) and his past self. If it seems like I’m being spastic in my review, know that’s because the era probably shifted]

The movie starts with a bit of exposition from Ramirez (played by James Bond himself, Sean Connery), hinting that this is the time of “The Gathering” when the final few Immortals will battle to the headless until only one remains. Kind of like a head-chopping version of The Hunger Games.

We open to Madison Square Garden during a wrestling match featuring the Fabulous Freebirds (I guess the American Wrestling Association paid for some of the film?)…

…while MacLeod Nash looks bored out his mind (why would someone who battles to the death on a regular basis be watching staged fighting?)

Suddenly we’re in a battle in the highlands of Scotland. Somehow this flashback makes him walk out of the arena. (maybe he’s not a fan of the Freebirds?)

MacLeod Nash walks through the Garden’s parking garage (I’m assuming to get his car, otherwise this film just got a bit creepy) when a man named Fasil walks behind him and calls him by his actual name. They both then pulls swords (Fasil a broadsword, MacLeod a katana…where the hell does a Scotsman get a katana?!) out of their coats (OK…first, Fasil is wearing a suit, so where was he hiding the sword? Second MacLeod just came from inside an arena; shouldn’t security have confiscated that?)

One badly-choreographed sword fight later involving fire sprinklers, dropped swords, and way too many back flips, MacLeod lops off Fasil’s head...

...and badly-animated lightning wipes out all the cars and lights on the level. There are gonna be some pissed off wrestling fans after the main event. MacLeod stashes his katana in the ductwork (but forgets about the headless body) and runs off to find his car.

As MacLeod flees the crime scene...

...we flash back to Scotland, where we see MacLeod winning fourth place in the Mel Gibson Memorial Lookalike Contest. The scene is awkwardly announced as being in 1536, and Clan MacLeod are marching off to battle. On the battlefield, we meet the Kurgan for the first time.

He tells his lieutenant to have the men stay away from Connor MacLeod (OK…first, how does the Kurgan know Connor’s name? Second, how does his lieutenant know what Connor looks like? And third, how did he get that information to the hundreds of soldiers in the army in the moments before the battle?) Apparently word did get out, because as badly choreographed as this fight is, no one is getting within ten feet of Connor, despite his best efforts.

Then the Kurgan shows up, stabs Connor, and is about to decapitate him when the rest of Clan MacLeod descend on him and drive him away from Connor, leaving Connor to bleed out on the battlefield.

Back in the present, apparently MacLeod Nash found his car (or stole one) and is racing out of the parking garage just as every cop in New York cuts him off and arrests him none too gently (though apparently just for questioning)

Back in 1536, we attend Connor’s funeral after the battle.

Back in the present, we are introduced to Lt. Frank Moran and Forensic scientist Brenda Wyatt as they investigate Fasil’s headless body. Wyatt finds Fasil’s sword. She then awkwardly reveals she’s a sword nerd by not only ID’ing the make of Fasil’s sword but also its estimated worth, suggesting that Moran take a closer look at Nash.

Ya think?

Moran brings the sword into the interrogation room…

MORAN: You’re an antique dealer, right? OK, what’s that?

MACLEOD NASH: A sword?

Moran tries to get Nash to slip up, but Nash keeps his cool, which pisses off the uniform in the room, who insults Nash and takes a swing at him. (I certainly hope Internal Affairs has a long talk with that uniform!) In the confusion, Nash walks out.

 We switch to the Kurgan, who has traded the skull-themed helmet and plate mail for heavy makeup and studded leather. After checking into a flop house that would make Norman Bates think twice, he assembles his sword (including a two-piece blade. Wouldn’t that be weaker than a normal sword?)

Back in the forensic lab (which is a far cry from CSI New York, let me tell you!), Wyatt is given bits of metal found on Fasil’s corpse. Wyatt realizes the metal isn’t from Fasil’s sword.

Back at the parking garage MacLeod retrieves his katana as Wyatt shows up (what a co-ink-e-dink!) and uses a metal detector to find a sliver of the katana lodged in one of the concrete supports (wouldn’t the rebar in the support make using a metal detector impossible?). MacLeod manages to hide until she leaves.

MacLeod Nash stalks Wyatt (maybe I should start calling her “Brenda” as she’s obviously about to become the Love Interest. Should I start calling him Connor Russell as well? Nah, MacLeod Nash is fine) to her favorite watering hole. Nash offers to walk Brenda home, (I’m guessing more to keep an eye on her than get in her pants, but then again he is a Scotsman) but is shot down.

Brenda hides as MacLeod Nash leaves, then attempts to stealthily (good luck with that) tail him. Fortunately she’s not that good...

...because otherwise the Kurgan would have killed her trying to get to MacLeod. Instead, MacLeod saves her life. Brenda tosses MacLeod a pipe to defend himself (wait, doesn’t he have his sword back?) and barely manages to hold his own until the fight is broken up by an NYPD helicopter. (I guess sometimes there IS a cop around when you want one!) All three of them (including the person who works for the NYPD?!) flee the scene.

Brenda catches up to MacLeod Nash and demands to know what’s happening, but he tells her she’s out of her depth and to walk away (like that ever works)

Back in 1536 (remember that subplot?) the morning after his funeral, Connor is alive and well. Rather than be happy about their clansman’s miraculous recovery, they cast him out as a demon. Nice guys.

Fast forward five years. Connor has found a new home in the middle of nowhere (but has his own tower) and a wife named Heather.

Suddenly out of nowhere (but I’m guessing not the same nowhere) appears Sean Connery Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (sorry, still wrapping my head around the Scotsman with the French accent and the Egyptian Spaniard with the Scottish accent) who sets about explaining to Connor what he is and training him.

Back in the present, MacLeod realizes Brenda’s a sword nerd (because he owns one of her books…what a co-ink-e-dink!)

Back in 1541, cue the training montage and exposition, including the origin of Ramirez’s katana. (which is the same one MacLeod now uses. I don’t see this flashback subplot ending happily…)

Eventually, when Connor is away on an errand, the Kurgan shows up for dinner. Ramirez fights him off as best he can...

...but I’m sure you can guess how this ends...

...and then the Kurgan makes Heather dessert (Don’t worry, the Kurgan lets her live afterward)

Back in the present, it’s Brenda’s turn to stalk MacLeod Nash as she shows up at his antique shop. Brenda wants answers about the Kurgan and MacLeod’s katana (by that, I mean his weapon, not his “sword”), but Nash is being coy about both and invites himself to dinner.

That night, MacLeod’s receptionist Rachel (who obviously knows everything) is worried about MacLeod and how to handle the questions that are cropping up about him.

We flash back to WW2 (because why not...) and MacLeod is in a town being overrun by Germans. In a collapsing barn, he discovers a young girl who turns out to become the adult Rachel (I guess there’s a reason she knows everything)

After that brief interlude, MacLeod Nash shows up at Brenda’s apartment (in which she has a tape recorder and gun hidden)

When Brenda excuses herself, he finds both (and the cop waiting outside) within 10 seconds (Natasha Romanov she ain’t). MacLeod Nash brings a gift for her...

...a copy of the book she wrote (you’d think she’d already have one) Brenda realizes the jig is up and confesses she doesn’t care about the investigation. She just wants a look at MacLeod’s katana (the weapon, you perverts!) With that, MacLeod Nash storms out.

One final flashback to Scotland and a montage that covers a few decades after Ramirez’s death as Queen’s Who Wants to Live Forever plays. It ends with Conner (who hasn’t aged a day) sitting by his old and dying Heather declaring their love for each other.

(excuse me…I have a bit of sentimentalism in my eye)

Back in the present, MacLeod runs into his friend and fellow Immortal Kastagir. For some reason, they don’t immediately draw swords, but reminisce about old times (which would likely take a week) They confirm for the audience that this is the time of the Gathering, when the 5,721st Hunger Games will take place.

We then flash back to the 18th century, where a drunken MacLeod loses a duel to the death…

...several times…

...to the same person (obviously the other guy didn’t go for the head)

Back in the present, we have a Punisher wannabe witness the Kurgan lopping off Kastagir’s head (one has to wonder why no one has seen all the headless bodies lying around before the time the movie takes place), opening up an Uzi on the Kurgan...

...and getting his ass stabbed (in front of several gangbangers, prostitutes, and junkies) as a result.

(Thanks to Kevin Perelman)

(They never mention what happens to poor woman. Probably for the best)

It turns out Mr. Trigger Happy survived a sword through the gut (OK, so Heather and this guy survived? I guess the Kurgan’s not that deadly to mortals. Maybe the car owners lived as well?) and tells his story to Moran and his partner. Moran is pissed that it wasn’t MacLeod Nash, but gets a sketch artist so he can get an ID (how many 7-foot sword-swinging swychos can there be? Not too many more since this guy is decapitating them all)

Brenda is curious to find out more about Mr. Nash, so looks up his birth record. You’d think she’d be disappointed about not finding one, but she actually does. (and it’s not circa 1510-1520) She then looks up the physician who allegedly delivered him, and surprisingly, he remembers doing so…only mother and child died shortly after. She then has one of the county clerks look up Nash’s property, and each of the previous owners also had apparently died at birth.

Even weirder, the previous owners had the same handwriting as Nash. Slowly, Brenda and the clerk start coming up with 4. Brenda goes to check her math with MacLeod Nash.

We cut to a church, where MacLeod lights a candle in celebration of Heather’s birthday (her dying request. Nice to know he’s a romantic)...

...when the Kurgan shows up with a freshly-shaved head, now that his picture is all over the news. (because a 7 foot tall guy with a sword, studded leather, and a bald head is totally different than a 7 foot guy with a sword, studded leather and jet black hair) He lets MacLeod know that they are the final two, but they can’t fight here because of the rule about Holy Ground (exactly what constitutes “Holy Ground”? I mean, I get churches and possibly graveyards, and I’m assuming mosques and synagogues as their religions predate Christianity…but what about Eastern religions? Indian burial sites? The Pyramids? What about Jonestown or the Branch Davidian compound?), so the Kurgan just taunts him a while...

(Thanks to ThanToFadeAway)

...quotes Def Leppard, and walks out.

Back at the antique store, MacLeod Nash…oh hell, the jig is up by now. MacLeod walks in to find Brenda demanding answers and Rachel doing her best to stonewall. MacLeod pretty much says “Fuck it” and takes Brenda to his study/trophy room, where he spills his guts...

...(literally, as he forces Brenda to stab him to show he’s telling the truth) and then he and Brenda have sex on the floor (in his blood? That’s gonna be hell to clean up)

Brenda returns to her place to find the Kurgan waiting (of course…) and is captured (of course again…) He then terrorizes her by driving like a first-time driver hopped up on meth to the site of the Final Battle as Queen performs New York, New York in the background. He then calls MacLeod and tells him where to find the gibbering form of Brenda. MacLeod says his final goodbye to Rachel before going to the Final Battle.

MacLeod sees Brenda tied up inside a giant neon sign and goes to free her, but is ambushed by the Kurgan (Gee, who would’ve thought it would be a trap?) One long, clumsy fight later...

...the skylight they’re fighting on breaks and gravity tells them to take it inside.

After they stumble back to their feet, MacLeod loses his katana. Just as it looks like the Kurgan will win the Hunger Games Prize...

...Brenda (remember her?) somehow found the door to the next floor down (Socks, Swimsuits, Suitcases, and Sword Fights) and gently taps the Kurgan with a pipe (isn’t there something in the Unwritten Rules against involving mortals? But I guess the Kurgan already broke that by using Brenda as bait, so…) This proves to be enough of a distraction for MacLeod to find his katana. (insert your own sword joke here) MacLeod presses the advantage to tag the Kurgan a couple of times, until finally both make a final mighty swing, but it’s the Kurgan’s smiling head that falls.

We are then treated to some of the worst 80s special effects I’ve ever seen as MacLeod gets the final Quickening (until the second film)

(Thanks to RacoonWarriorPrincess)

We then see what the Prize is, and it’s about as satisfying to the audience (complete omnipotence, plus now he’s mortal) as the prize was to the winner of the Hunger Games, though we are treated to a final exposition from Sean Connery Ramirez before the credits roll.

[fotoflingscotland]

Ryan Dolan: Scottish Backhold Wrestler by FotoFling Scotland Via Flickr: Bearsden & Milngavie Highland Games 2015

[thelastspeecher]

For the free form prompts: maybe some scenes from your Phoenix au? Lee and Ford bonding with Shermy, or Dipper and Mabel, or maybe when Lee and Ford find out who they really are.

               Shermie watched Manly Dan hugFord and Lee, then ruffle their hair, then kiss them both on the tops of theirheads.  

               Wow.  He’s a doting father, forsure.  Shermie smiled idly, thinkingof his own children, back home in California. Ford and Lee walked over to Shermie. Lee leaned against Shermie’s van, clearly posing, but also clearlyacting like he wasn’t posing.  Moses, he’s so much like Stan, it’s eerie.  

               “So, uh, ‘Uncle’ Shermie,” Leestarted, putting air quotations around the word “uncle”, “what’s the plan?  What’re we doin’?”

               “Well, what do the two of youlike to do?” Shermie asked.  Lee and Fordexchanged a smug look.

               “I dunno if you’d be interested,”Ford said languidly.  “You’re city folk,right?  We come from a long line oflumberjacks.  Our interests are vastlydifferent from yours.”

               “You come from my youngerbrother Stanley,” Shermie corrected.  “There’slittle to no lumberjack in either of you.”

               “The Corduroys founded GravityFalls,” Lee snapped.  “And that’s who weare.  Corduroys.”

               “Okay, okay,” Shermie said.  He held his hands up in defeat.  “You’re Corduroys.  Dan raised you as his own.”  Lee nodded.

               “Damn straight,” Lee muttered.

               “What is it that you boys liketo do?” Shermie asked.  

               “Hiking.  Lumberjack competitions,” Lee replied.  “Wrestling bears.”

               “…Wrestling bears?” Shermiesaid.

               “Whittling, examining wildlife,archery,” Ford continued.  

               “Did you say ‘wrestling bears’?”Shermie asked.

               “Oh, and guitar,” Leeadded.  Ford nodded.  

               “Both of us play guitar.”

               “Seriously, boys, wrestling bea-guitar?” Shermie said.  Lee and Fordnodded.  “I know some guitar myself.”

               “So?  Everyone and their mother knows some guitar,” Lee said snidely.

               “Be nice, Lee,” Fordhissed.  “You promised.”

               “I promised that I wouldn’tpunch him,” Lee said.  “I never saidanything about being polite to him.”

               “Ford, it- it’s fine,” Shermiesaid quickly.  He ran a hand through hishair.  “Maybe- maybe this was a badidea.  I shouldn’t have upturned yourfamily like this.”

               “Ya think?” Lee spat.  “Ford and I were perfectly fine, thinking wetook more after our mom than our dad.  Weliked being born and bred Corduroys.  Now…nowwe don’t even know what we are.”  

               “What do you mean?” Shermieasked.

               “Dad’s Scottish.  He’s got, like, this book,” Ford said, “thatshows the genealogy of the Corduroy clan, back to its founder.”

               “And Dad’s some sort of, Idunno, pagan-generic Christianity blend. Still holds onto a lot of the ‘old country’ traditions.  He has family recipes, that go backgenerations,” Lee added.

               “Before you showed up, we knewwho we were.  We were Corduroys.  We knew our identities, our histories, ourcultural traditions.  Where we stand inthe world,” Ford continued.  Heshrugged.  “Now?  All of that is moot.  It’s not who we are.  Shermie, sorry, Uncle Shermie, we don’t know who we are.”

               “What are you talkingabout?  You know who you are,” Shermie said.  Lee rolled his eyes and began to lazily drawcircles on the van’s hood with a finger. “You’re Stanley…sorry, what are your middle names?”

               “My middle name is Joseph,” Fordanswered.  He grinned at Lee.  “Lee’s middle name is-”

               “Don’t say it,” Lee warned.

               “-Manfred.”

               “Dammit, Ford!”

               “After Dad’s older brother.  Our Uncle Freddie.  He helped raise us, until we were about five.”

            ��  “All right,” Shermie said with anod.  “You are Stanley Manfred andStanford Joseph Corduroy.  You know whoyou are.”  Ford and Lee scoffed insynch.  “I do like that Stan wanted tocarry on the matching naming system our family uses for twins,” Shermieremarked.  “Even if he just recycled hisand Stanford’s names.”  Lee stood upstraight.

               “Wait, matching names?  Is there a family tradition we don’t knowabout?”

               “Plenty that you don’t knowabout,” Shermie said.  “You weren’t raisedin the Pines family.”

               “What’s this about the matchingnames, though?” Ford asked.

               “Twins run in the family.  And it’s this old tradition to give themmatching names.”

               “Huh.  That’s cool,” Lee said, looking at Ford.  Ford nodded.

               “It actually even goes a stepfurther,” Shermie continued.  “The secondtwin is named after the first. Apparently it’s some ancient thing the Romans or Greeks did, orsomething along those lines.”

               “Really?” Ford askedeagerly.  “That’s incredible!”

               “Yeah, Stan, your dad, hismiddle name was Stanford, since he was born second.  Your Uncle Stanford, he got dad’s name as hismiddle name.  I suspect he’d be happythat you didn’t get saddled with Filbrick like he did.”  Shermie dug around in his coat pocket.  “And while we’re on the subject oftraditions, here.”  He handed Lee andFord each a necklace.  Lee raised aneyebrow.

               “I know you just met us and all,but we’re not really the jewelry kinda guys, Uncle Shermie.”

               “Why do these necklaces have theStar of David on them?” Ford asked.  

               “You said that Dan is pagan,”Shermie started.

               “Pagan-Christian,” Fordcorrected.

               “Right.  Pagan-Christian.  But your dad wasn’t.  You’ve got Jewish heritage, boys.  I thought you’d wanna know about it.”

               “This is…awesome,” Lee saidquietly, staring at the necklace.  Fordnodded in agreement.  Shermie felt hisheart swell.

               “I- I get why you feel like youdon’t know who you are anymore.  You knowthe Corduroy family, you don’t know the Pines family.  But Iknow the Pines family.  And I wanna sharethat knowledge with you two.  You’re mynephews.”

               “Yeah,” Ford said quietly.  He glanced at Lee.  “Lee, whattaya think?”

               “I think we should go to the icecream parlor with our Uncle Shermie,” Lee said after a moment.  “Find out more about these Pines city folk.”

[scotwresnet]

By The Masked Embroider Instagram: @themaskedembroiderer | Twitter: @TEmbroiderer

  Ever wondered who makes your favourite Scottish wrestling stars ring gear? Well in this Behind The Art special I’ve had the privilege to pick the brains of three companies who make some of the best custom ring gear around and enhance some of the best wrestling talent in the world.

Before we get into the processes though I’d just like to say that these are just three companies that I spoke to and admire. There are of course many fine talented gear makers out there including honourable mentions to @airheaddiva and @kayleigh_fabe_wrestling_gear, who in particular hugely impressed me not only with her work but also with the fact that she reuses old parcel envelopes to send her wares out to her clients #reuseandsavetheplanet.

But let me introduce you to the ones I did chose and let’s get ‘Behind the Art’.

Vickstitch was started by Brett and Vicky about 8 years ago. Brett was a wrestler at a time when it was hard to not only find a gear maker but also to get exactly what you wanted made. So through necessity initially, Vicky took up the challenge and now, with their website, it’s grown into a thriving business.

JJ Wrestling Creations was born in 2015 creating wrestling gear for athletes all over the world.

Their love for fashion and art always ‘ran wild in their veins’ and in 2016, they moved from Italy to the UK to expand their business and empower their brand.

Empress Pro Gear specialise in making female ring attire, although not exclusively. With only 2 years in existence it nonetheless is blessed with 17 years of experience. Emma used to make costumes for the theatre but through her passion for wrestling she decided to branch out.

Now, let’s get a picture of just how a piece of ring gear is made from start to finish shall we?

First thing to start with is the idea.

As we all know in wrestling anything goes gimmick-wise. Nothing is too insane or too over the top. And talking to fast rising talent Ian Skinner about his ring gear he agreed, “if ever I’ve a silly idea that just might work, they [Vickstitch] are the ones… I watched Game of Death and was like “I NEED BRUCE LEE GEAR”… hence my yellow and black gear.“

And although Vickstitch happily admitted that “generic tights with logos on the legs and names on the back are our bread and butter type jobs, the different stuff is always far more enjoyable, customers letting us have creative input into their gear and helping with their design ideas. We love having new and unique designs that are challenging and give us something exciting to make.”

But do you really need a vision when going into the process of commissioning custom ring gear? How important is an idea or a vision?

JJ Creations replied: “It is essential, as it is the starting point of the whole creative process. Sometimes our clients have very clear ideas about what they desire. Some other times they ask us to guide them through. I love when they trust us so much that they allow us to put our own imagination into their costumes creation.”

Empress Pro Gear talked me through their ideas process:

“For the majority of my clients I just bring their designs to life. I’m supplied with a design and I offer them the choice of fabrics from my preferred suppliers. I help guide in the sense of practicalities and any concerns they have, but I just enjoy being a part of helping them represent their personalities, I don’t interfere with their vision. For others I will help put all their design inspirations into sketches and work from those alongside them, however this isn’t something I tend to do until we’ve created a comfortable collaborative relationship over time.

I find it takes one or two projects to get a real feel for someone’s style, I want my work to be authentic and reflective of them. I have certain clients who’s aesthetic mesh more so with my design style than others but I also enjoy the challenge of going outside my comfort zone. I’ve spent most of my career designing for characters in musicals etc. so I find it more natural now to have to design for a character rather than represent my personal style. I find this concept translates nicely into the world of gear making as the characters are so important; just like in the theatre you want the audience to get a feel for the character immediately from their entrance and appearance. In my eyes It’s not for me to define that character, I’m merely here to make the Wrestlers vision into something tangible.”

So an idea should have an aim of establishing a character. But just how important is an image? And does a strong image give a performer more confidence? Flamboyant Scottish luchador Lucha DS told me “you can see by my in ring look I need to have a look that sets me apart from my opponents but still have a theme that works across all the various sets I have. They [Vickstitch] are pivotal in helping me project the vibe I am going for.”

Ian Skinner also confirmed this too: “Vickstitch made my first set of gear and what they made gave me the confidence to go out in front of a crowd in trunks.”

JJ Creations as we told you in the introductions came across from the famous fashion capital of the world, Italy and have made Scotland their second home. They’ve worked with WWE stars like Nikki Cross, ‘Viper’ Piper Niven, Candyfloss, Jazzy Gabert and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. Their garments are just as high end quality as they are fashionable and they rise to the challenge of breeding confidence into a performer with their creations: “…the crazier the idea the better it is. We love our job because it’s exciting, challenging and very rewarding. The best part of it is to make people happy and confident.

So what have we learned so far. A vision is important but can be worked out through some brainstorming. And a good design and image can instill confidence in a performer.

It made me wonder though. What were the major differences and difficulties between making gear for male performers opposed to female performers?  Was there any?

JJ Creations: “They differ in proportions. We need a deep knowledge of both male and female body shapes.”

Empress Pro Gear specialise in female ring attire but not exclusively as we mentioned. She can count Sammii Jayne, Ashley Vega, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Zoe Lucas and Xia Brookside among her clientele.

Empress Pro Gear: “I personally find women’s wear comes more naturally to me, I’ve worked in both fields and I’ve always had an easier bond with making clothing for the female form. I’ve suffered from body dysmorphia growing up so I feel more of an organic connection with women’s bodies and trying to enhance what makes them feel confident. That’s the main reason I decided to focus mainly on Women’s wear however I do currently work with several men and regardless of how anyone identifies I’m excited for working on their ideas and creating their vision, I love being part of that collaboration. I’m just grateful any time anyone chooses to reach out to me; it’s a huge compliment when there’s so many incredibly talented makers out there.“

All three companies attested to the importance of choosing the right materials and learning about new processes when making their gear.

Vickstitch: “We both work full time at this and are continually growing and evolving as new methods and materials become available. Also the trends in the industry continue to evolve so we try to keep ahead of that curve too.”

I asked JJ Creations about this also and what pieces challenge them the most.

JJ Creations: “We mainly work with stretch fabrics, as we are wrestling gears makers. Our customers need comfortable and durable costumes, because they fight in them. Depending on their gimmicks, their ideas and desires we always suggest the best options and designs. Our goal is to make everyone feel unique and special…The most challenging are definitely the coats and the long jackets, they take a lot of time and care, but because of that they are also very rewarding pieces to create.”

Empress Pro Gear: “Each set has its own learning experience especially as for each individual I create a garment pattern from scratch for their measurements and design. Every persons body is different so I don’t treat them as a cookie cutter when it comes to making clothing. I find when I’ve worked with someone more I get to build up a collection of tried and tested garment patterns which takes a lot of the guess work away. I particularly enjoy working with Nina Samuels as her style really blends well with my background in theatre and dance wear, she has such a star quality about her and her presence. I love layering up the lace and Rhinestones and she allows me a lot of creative freedom with the detail. I really enjoy working on any sets where there’s lots of detail and I have a weakness for rhinestones I blame the dancer in me.“

Through wear and tear and what these clothes are being asked to perform it’s no wonder that every now and again they fail in some way or another.

But how do gear makers prevent and minimise these faults happening?

Empress Pro Gear: “I’m quite particular about what materials I use and in what locations on the garment, sometimes someone may request no stretch materials in areas that you need maximum stretch so I will offer more practical alternatives. I prefer to use suppliers who’s materials I know are high quality and are tried and tested by myself but I am flexible and love to learn more from others ideas. All my garments are fully lined and I use drawstrings as well as elastic where necessary. I’ve learnt over time from being around dancer’s wardrobe malfunctions and through developing my gear making little techniques of how to make fastenings a bit more secure. I’m still learning more with each set I tackle, it’s an ever moving learning curve.“

So we’ve learnt about the processes and careful choice of materials. The next big question and one that probably gets asked a lot is ‘How long from start to finish does it take to make a piece of custom made clothing?’ Just how long is a piece of ‘thread’?

JJ Creations: “It depends on the type of creations. It could take hours or even a few days.”

Empress Pro Gear: “The time to make the gear varies depending on how complicated it is. I’ve had sets take several days and some items several hours. If there’s rhinestones involved they’re very time consuming as they have to be individually glued to the garment, same with the rivet studs and eyelets that have to be marked out and hammered in.“

What happens after a piece is made, delivered and the customer is happy. What’s it like to be an ‘incredibly talented gear maker’ and see your work out there on the scene and in some cases on TV?

Vickstitch: “We always get asked what our favourite gear is and we really don’t know there has been so many made.“

JJ Creations: “Even though we are proud of all our gears, we felt a particular sense of satisfaction towards the ones we made for WWE, NXT and NXT UK. Watching the tv and seeing our baby gears is something indescribable.“

Empress Pro Gear: “It blows my mind each and every time, the little girl in me cannot believe it. I won’t lie I may have shed a couple of tears seeing them live in person and on TV. I’m so grateful to anyone who’s contacted me, ordered gear and supported me.“

So there you have it. From start to finish. The birth of an idea made into fully functioning wrestling gear.

Please remember during these tough times that these people are highly skilled self employed artisans and have been affected badly by the recent crisis. Please don’t forget them. Keep them busy with new commissions. The world won’t always be locked down. Shows will return soon hopefully and a bright shiny newly improved wrestling scene will commence once again and will require their services to keep it, and our favourite characters, colourful.

You can find all three gear makers at the following contacts and I highly recommend you check them out.

Vickstitch:

Instagram: @vickstitch

Facebook: Vickstitch Customs

Twitter: @vickstitch

Email: vickstitch@outlook.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

JJ Creations:

Instagram: @j_jwrestlingcreations

Facebook: JJ Wrestling Creations

Twitter: @J_Jcreations

Email: infojjcreations@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Empress Pro Gear:

Instagram: @empressprogear

Facebook: Empress Pro Gear

Twitter: @EmpressGear

Email: empressprogear@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

[scottish-wrestling-network]

By The Masked Embroider Instagram: @themaskedembroiderer | Twitter: @TEmbroiderer

  Ever wondered who makes your favourite Scottish wrestling stars ring gear? Well in this Behind The Art special I’ve had the privilege to pick the brains of three companies who make some of the best custom ring gear around and enhance some of the best wrestling talent in the world.

Before we get into the processes though I’d just like to say that these are just three companies that I spoke to and admire. There are of course many fine talented gear makers out there including honourable mentions to @airheaddiva and @kayleigh_fabe_wrestling_gear, who in particular hugely impressed me not only with her work but also with the fact that she reuses old parcel envelopes to send her wares out to her clients #reuseandsavetheplanet.

But let me introduce you to the ones I did chose and let’s get ‘Behind the Art’.

Vickstitch was started by Brett and Vicky about 8 years ago. Brett was a wrestler at a time when it was hard to not only find a gear maker but also to get exactly what you wanted made. So through necessity initially, Vicky took up the challenge and now, with their website, it’s grown into a thriving business.

JJ Wrestling Creations was born in 2015 creating wrestling gear for athletes all over the world.

Their love for fashion and art always ‘ran wild in their veins’ and in 2016, they moved from Italy to the UK to expand their business and empower their brand.

Empress Pro Gear specialise in making female ring attire, although not exclusively. With only 2 years in existence it nonetheless is blessed with 17 years of experience. Emma used to make costumes for the theatre but through her passion for wrestling she decided to branch out.

Now, let’s get a picture of just how a piece of ring gear is made from start to finish shall we?

First thing to start with is the idea.

As we all know in wrestling anything goes gimmick-wise. Nothing is too insane or too over the top. And talking to fast rising talent Ian Skinner about his ring gear he agreed, “if ever I’ve a silly idea that just might work, they [Vickstitch] are the ones… I watched Game of Death and was like “I NEED BRUCE LEE GEAR”… hence my yellow and black gear.“

And although Vickstitch happily admitted that “generic tights with logos on the legs and names on the back are our bread and butter type jobs, the different stuff is always far more enjoyable, customers letting us have creative input into their gear and helping with their design ideas. We love having new and unique designs that are challenging and give us something exciting to make.”

But do you really need a vision when going into the process of commissioning custom ring gear? How important is an idea or a vision?

JJ Creations replied: “It is essential, as it is the starting point of the whole creative process. Sometimes our clients have very clear ideas about what they desire. Some other times they ask us to guide them through. I love when they trust us so much that they allow us to put our own imagination into their costumes creation.”

Empress Pro Gear talked me through their ideas process:

“For the majority of my clients I just bring their designs to life. I’m supplied with a design and I offer them the choice of fabrics from my preferred suppliers. I help guide in the sense of practicalities and any concerns they have, but I just enjoy being a part of helping them represent their personalities, I don’t interfere with their vision. For others I will help put all their design inspirations into sketches and work from those alongside them, however this isn’t something I tend to do until we’ve created a comfortable collaborative relationship over time.

I find it takes one or two projects to get a real feel for someone’s style, I want my work to be authentic and reflective of them. I have certain clients who’s aesthetic mesh more so with my design style than others but I also enjoy the challenge of going outside my comfort zone. I’ve spent most of my career designing for characters in musicals etc. so I find it more natural now to have to design for a character rather than represent my personal style. I find this concept translates nicely into the world of gear making as the characters are so important; just like in the theatre you want the audience to get a feel for the character immediately from their entrance and appearance. In my eyes It’s not for me to define that character, I’m merely here to make the Wrestlers vision into something tangible.”

So an idea should have an aim of establishing a character. But just how important is an image? And does a strong image give a performer more confidence? Flamboyant Scottish luchador Lucha DS told me “you can see by my in ring look I need to have a look that sets me apart from my opponents but still have a theme that works across all the various sets I have. They [Vickstitch] are pivotal in helping me project the vibe I am going for.”

Ian Skinner also confirmed this too: “Vickstitch made my first set of gear and what they made gave me the confidence to go out in front of a crowd in trunks.”

JJ Creations as we told you in the introductions came across from the famous fashion capital of the world, Italy and have made Scotland their second home. They’ve worked with WWE stars like Nikki Cross, ‘Viper’ Piper Niven, Candyfloss, Jazzy Gabert and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. Their garments are just as high end quality as they are fashionable and they rise to the challenge of breeding confidence into a performer with their creations: “…the crazier the idea the better it is. We love our job because it’s exciting, challenging and very rewarding. The best part of it is to make people happy and confident.

So what have we learned so far. A vision is important but can be worked out through some brainstorming. And a good design and image can instill confidence in a performer.

It made me wonder though. What were the major differences and difficulties between making gear for male performers opposed to female performers?  Was there any?

JJ Creations: “They differ in proportions. We need a deep knowledge of both male and female body shapes.”

Empress Pro Gear specialise in female ring attire but not exclusively as we mentioned. She can count Sammii Jayne, Ashley Vega, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Zoe Lucas and Xia Brookside among her clientele.

Empress Pro Gear: “I personally find women’s wear comes more naturally to me, I’ve worked in both fields and I’ve always had an easier bond with making clothing for the female form. I’ve suffered from body dysmorphia growing up so I feel more of an organic connection with women’s bodies and trying to enhance what makes them feel confident. That’s the main reason I decided to focus mainly on Women’s wear however I do currently work with several men and regardless of how anyone identifies I’m excited for working on their ideas and creating their vision, I love being part of that collaboration. I’m just grateful any time anyone chooses to reach out to me; it’s a huge compliment when there’s so many incredibly talented makers out there.“

All three companies attested to the importance of choosing the right materials and learning about new processes when making their gear.

Vickstitch: “We both work full time at this and are continually growing and evolving as new methods and materials become available. Also the trends in the industry continue to evolve so we try to keep ahead of that curve too.”

I asked JJ Creations about this also and what pieces challenge them the most.

JJ Creations: “We mainly work with stretch fabrics, as we are wrestling gears makers. Our customers need comfortable and durable costumes, because they fight in them. Depending on their gimmicks, their ideas and desires we always suggest the best options and designs. Our goal is to make everyone feel unique and special…The most challenging are definitely the coats and the long jackets, they take a lot of time and care, but because of that they are also very rewarding pieces to create.”

Empress Pro Gear: “Each set has its own learning experience especially as for each individual I create a garment pattern from scratch for their measurements and design. Every persons body is different so I don’t treat them as a cookie cutter when it comes to making clothing. I find when I’ve worked with someone more I get to build up a collection of tried and tested garment patterns which takes a lot of the guess work away. I particularly enjoy working with Nina Samuels as her style really blends well with my background in theatre and dance wear, she has such a star quality about her and her presence. I love layering up the lace and Rhinestones and she allows me a lot of creative freedom with the detail. I really enjoy working on any sets where there’s lots of detail and I have a weakness for rhinestones I blame the dancer in me.“

Through wear and tear and what these clothes are being asked to perform it’s no wonder that every now and again they fail in some way or another.

But how do gear makers prevent and minimise these faults happening?

Empress Pro Gear: “I’m quite particular about what materials I use and in what locations on the garment, sometimes someone may request no stretch materials in areas that you need maximum stretch so I will offer more practical alternatives. I prefer to use suppliers who’s materials I know are high quality and are tried and tested by myself but I am flexible and love to learn more from others ideas. All my garments are fully lined and I use drawstrings as well as elastic where necessary. I’ve learnt over time from being around dancer’s wardrobe malfunctions and through developing my gear making little techniques of how to make fastenings a bit more secure. I’m still learning more with each set I tackle, it’s an ever moving learning curve.“

So we’ve learnt about the processes and careful choice of materials. The next big question and one that probably gets asked a lot is ‘How long from start to finish does it take to make a piece of custom made clothing?’ Just how long is a piece of ‘thread’?

JJ Creations: “It depends on the type of creations. It could take hours or even a few days.”

Empress Pro Gear: “The time to make the gear varies depending on how complicated it is. I’ve had sets take several days and some items several hours. If there’s rhinestones involved they’re very time consuming as they have to be individually glued to the garment, same with the rivet studs and eyelets that have to be marked out and hammered in.“

What happens after a piece is made, delivered and the customer is happy. What’s it like to be an ‘incredibly talented gear maker’ and see your work out there on the scene and in some cases on TV?

Vickstitch: “We always get asked what our favourite gear is and we really don’t know there has been so many made.“

JJ Creations: “Even though we are proud of all our gears, we felt a particular sense of satisfaction towards the ones we made for WWE, NXT and NXT UK. Watching the tv and seeing our baby gears is something indescribable.“

Empress Pro Gear: “It blows my mind each and every time, the little girl in me cannot believe it. I won’t lie I may have shed a couple of tears seeing them live in person and on TV. I’m so grateful to anyone who’s contacted me, ordered gear and supported me.“

So there you have it. From start to finish. The birth of an idea made into fully functioning wrestling gear.

Please remember during these tough times that these people are highly skilled self employed artisans and have been affected badly by the recent crisis. Please don’t forget them. Keep them busy with new commissions. The world won’t always be locked down. Shows will return soon hopefully and a bright shiny newly improved wrestling scene will commence once again and will require their services to keep it, and our favourite characters, colourful.

You can find all three gear makers at the following contacts and I highly recommend you check them out.

Vickstitch:

Instagram: @vickstitch

Facebook: Vickstitch Customs

Twitter: @vickstitch

Email: vickstitch@outlook.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

JJ Creations:

Instagram: @j_jwrestlingcreations

Facebook: JJ Wrestling Creations

Twitter: @J_Jcreations

Email: infojjcreations@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Empress Pro Gear:

Instagram: @empressprogear

Facebook: Empress Pro Gear

Twitter: @EmpressGear

Email: empressprogear@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

[mattwaltoncouk]

Albums Of The Year 2018

My pick of this year’s long players. Musically it’s been a great year for female songwriters. You can listen to a playlist of standout tracks on Spotify.

You can find previous playlists here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. Enjoy.

TuneYards - I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life

Merrill Garbus embraces four-to-the-floor in her fourth outing that explores identity politics and makes you want to dance waving your arms in the air.

Featured Track: Heart Attack

Anna Calvi - Hunter

Anna Calvi’s theatrical and cinematic third album ruminates on identity and gender. Sexy and primal, at times it’s a fabulous audition for the next Bond theme.

Featured Track: As A Man

Our Girl - Stranger Today

Great fuzzy shoe gazing guitars and catchy melodies echoing female-fronted 90s indie bands like Echo Belly only better.

Featured Track: Our Girl

LUMP - LUMP

A collaboration between Laura Marling and Tunng’s Mike Lindsey sounding exactly like you’d expect it to: lovely uncanny folk melodies and wonky ambient production.

Featured Track: Late To The Flight

Leila Moss - My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth

A solo outing from the Duke Spirit’s front woman, haunting ballads channeling trip hop influences like Massive Attack.

Featured Track: Memories And Faces

Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics

An indignant and reflective album, apparently her fifth and the second produced by the wonderful FourTet. Organic loops meets trip hop and Neneh’s distinctive vocals.

Featured Track: Fallen Leaves

Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel

Second LP of lo-fi grunge pop tunes from Melbourne’s singer songwriter. Punky stories of romantic miscommunication. Love it.

Featured Track: Need A Little Time

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

A grown up lunar-themed concept album, sounding more Sheffield working mens club than ever with hints of fellow city dwellers Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley.

Featured Track: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Beak> - >>>

Troublingly discordant nagging grooves you can’t get out your head from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow’s collective.

Featured Track: Brean Down

Sunflower Bean - Twentytwo In Blue

A lovely Fleetwood Mac-esque collection from the grungy New York trio, shedding some of their youthful anger. But not too much.

Featured Track: I Was A Fool

Adrianne Lenker - Abysskiss

Big Thief’s leader goes solo and sounds it - sparse intimate folk, lovely fingerpicking and delicate vocals in the mould of Nick Drake and Jessica Pratt.

Featured Track: Symbol

Low - Double Negative

Low’s twelfth album crackles and hums it’s way through melodic scratches and textures. I must confess I’ve never got into Low (sssh) but this is great.

Featured Track: Fly

Father John Misty - God’s Favourite Customer

A lean back-to-basics return after last year’s epic Pure Comedy. Plenty of hooks adorn surprisingly vulnerable songs with Josh Tillman wrestling his trademark humour and ego.

Featured Track: Just Dumb Enough To Try

Natalie Prass - The Future And The Past

Gone are the strings and woodwind from her debut, replaced with funk bass and synths in this soulful collection of female protest that channels Marvin Gaye for the Trump era.

Featured Track: Lost

Erlend Cooper - Solan Goose

A lovely collection of atmospheric folktronica from Erlend of Erlend and the Carnival and The Magnetic North, evoking the sea, wildlife and Scottish islands. One to switch off to.

Featured Track: Maalie