Which Main Character Club experience is right for you?
So you’ve stumbled across the MCC realm and have been overwhelmed with excitement on where to start. Between fantasy photoshoots across Scotland, five day retreats in the Highlands, an adult summer camp and a Halloween takeover, there’s a lot to choose from here at the MCC and it can be hard to know which one is right for you.
We thought we’d take a moment to explain what’s what and what may be the best fit for you as you embark on your Main Character journey.
Main Character photoshoots, where it all started…
MCC began with photoshoots, so it feels right to talk about them early. What started with our founder Gabby as the sole photographer has grown into a team of seven, facilitating magical, immersive photoshoots all across Scotland on a daily basis.
Whether you wish to suit up in full armour or bring your favorite ball gown to frolic through the hills on a misty moody day, there are no bounds to your fantasy wishes and desires and we LOVE making your dreams come true.
These aren't your standard stock photoshoots. Once your deposit lands, you get a detailed prep guide and a pre shoot Zoom call to talk through your ideas and chat logistics. Our team are always happy to suggest things to do in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, and we stay in touch right up until your shoot.
On the day you're handed a hot drink to put you at ease, then expertly guided with prompts and poses. Within about five minutes most people have forgotten to be self-conscious and will have the most magical day with their photographer. You'll get a sneak peek gallery within 48 hours and your full gallery within three weeks so you can forever remember your magical day with us.
Our team knows how awkward and uncomfortable having your photograph taken can be. As a team of women, we also know photos can bring up feelings that aren't always kind ones and will ensure your experience is bespoke and tailored perfectly to you and how you’re feeling. Leaning into the fantasy vibe really helps you step out of that comfort zone and into a version of yourself that you may have never met before, but that was there the whole time. You don't need to arrive feeling confident. That's rather the point.
The Armoury, our online community
The Armoury is over 1,000 members strong and our answer to the overwhelming shit-show that is social media. It's been called "the fun corner of the internet" more times than we can count, with a feed that doesn't need to be endlessly scrolled and posts from members all over the world that are uplifting, encouraging and sometimes a little vulnerable too.
Each month we set a theme to guide our side questing. In July we ran a video game inspired ‘Check Point’ theme, a chance to look at how we're feeling mid year and what we want to focus on for the rest of it. September brings Home and Hearth, all about cosifying your environment for the 'ber months ahead. Then October is a full Halloween extravaganza with more side quests and workshops than you can poke a stick at.
We host workshops with the MCC team and with creators our community adores, including WeaponUp, Taylor J from the Assassins Academy and That Glasgow Witch. There's also a monthly book club where the author of that month's pick joins us live. In the past we’ve welcomed Jaysea Lynn, Sangu Mandanna, Hannah Kaner and Hazel McBride.
The Armoury is our entry point into the realm, a chance to dip your toes, meet members and start working on your MCC journey in your own time. Side quests are set to challenge you, but the community is there to support you. We’ve often had members say they could never have anticipated the positive impact of our realm, thinking it was just a little digital community, but find themselves thriving in real life because of the impact of the Armoury.
The Armoury doors are shut at the moment but if you want in, get your name down. You'll hear from us before anyone else does, and you'll get a proper heads up rather than a scramble.
Summer Camp, our OG event
Summer Camp came out of a month where we ran 30 events in 30 days and realised our magic lives in three to five day experiences rather than one hour get togethers.
Forty women joined us from across the globe to partake in a classic summer camp vibe with bunk beds, campfires, singalongs, watersports, with all the joys of adulthood. Good food, whisky tastings, staying up ‘til the wee hours, and those bunk beds actually being comfortable.
Summer Camp is our left of field event as it doesn’t have any fantasy elements, but as we’ve continued to grow this OG event has a special place in our heart and really is the experience for letting go, forgetting your adult responsibilities back at home, forgetting that you even have a phone and just having FUN!
Summer Camp is a great option for women wanting a less “aesthetic experience”, a chance to build real life skills like starting fires, tying knots and more and enjoying the summer season in Scotland. Ticking off swimming in a Scottish loch, drinking whisky by the fire and finishing it all off with a ceilidh!
Camp Spooky, our newest event
It’s surprising it’s taken us this long to release an autumnal themed camp given it’s our favorite season. If the MCC could be a season, it’d be autumn.
This year we're hosting our first ever Camp Spooky. It's on the same site as Summer Camp with a completely different schedule. Spooky storytelling, late night hide and seek, Halloween-y films under the stars, and a costume party on the final night. No jump scares and no horror, just the joys of one of the most whimsical seasons of the year that we’re so excited to bring to life this year.
A good chunk of the room will be returning faces, which we love, and it's worth saying what that actually means in practice. There are no cliques here. Brand new attendees are welcomed with open arms, dragged into our realm whether they like it or not and feel immediately at ease in the presence of our returning main characters. They know exactly what MCC is meant to feel like and they're brilliant at passing it on.
Main Character University, our flagship
There's a decent chance this is how you found us. We had a few videos go viral before and after last year's MCU, and a lot of new MCs came into the realm because of it. Which we are SO thrilled about!
MCU is a five day transformative and immersive retreat deep in the Scottish Highlands, where you learn everything the leading lady in your favourite fantasy novel would learn. Swordfighting, herbology, the art of chainmail, holding birds of prey. Every second drops you into the middle of your wildest fantasy realm dreams. There are side quests to complete in your downtime, stamps to collect as you finish classes, and access to our wardrobe and armoury of swords, helmets and armour so you can dress up and frolic around the estate whenever you like.
In the evenings we gather in the drawing room by a roaring fire to listen to our storytellers, or to learn worldbuilding from bestselling authors. On the final night there's a graduation ball in the halls of the house, with live musicians and a dance caller to help you frolic to your hearts content, and rest assured you receive your graduation certificate on our final night together too!
Beyond all the fun, which we have a lot, the thing people remember is the deep sense of community and connection you are pulled into immediately. You're surrounded by forty women who love the same things you do, most of whom are in the middle of some kind of change or yearning for a plot twist. A lot of them spent years struggling to make genuine connections because they were hiding a part of themselves. There is some life changing magic in the air at the MCU and at the MCC.
MCU is our flagship and most popular experience. We're excited to be running three semesters between November 2026 and March 2027, and every one of them sold out in under a minute. We have huge plans for the MCU events as we continue to grow and can’t wait to unveil more soon.
So where does that leave you?
Hopefully itching to dive into anything and everything here at the MCC!
Whether you wish to dip your toes in and get a sense of our community in the Armoury, or having your own Main Character moment photoshoot to immortalise a special moment in your life or perhaps going all in and joining us for an event, we hope this gave you a taste of what our realm is all about and we cannot wait to welcome you into our world whenever you’re ready!
Not sure which one? Drop us a message and we'll help you pick.
If you’re still wondering…
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No. Most people arrive on their own. Our returning members are usually the first to make new arrivals feel at home.
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All across Scotland, with a lot of shoots in and around Edinburgh and the Highlands. We'll talk through locations on your pre shoot call.
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Not remotely. Most people arrive nervous. Leaning into the fantasy is what makes it easier, and our photographers guide you the whole way.
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Summer Camp is a classic adult summer camp with no fantasy element. MCU is a fully immersive five day fantasy retreat in the Highlands.
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No jump scares and no horror. It's a cosy, whimsical autumn camp with costumes.
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Join the waitlist. New semesters are released regularly and waitlist members hear first.
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Not right now. We open the doors in waves rather than leaving them permanently open, so the way in is the waitlist. We work through it in order and waitlist members always hear first.
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It varies depending on when we next open. Put your name down and we'll be in touch with plenty of notice.