#lady lubov

[black-ak9]

Es lindo consentir a tu pareja 🖤

Creo que podría seguir poniendo cosas en Tumblr, aunque tengo más actividad en Instagram

[rosetyler42]

Oh lord yes!!! Not only does it beautifully capture his feelings for Martha and how even though she's gone and he's moved on that he hasn't forgotten her, but DRAC PLAYING FOR ERICKA AND HER LOVING IT, I FLIPPIN LOVE THIS TROPE!!!

Sleepless Nights (a Hotel Transylvania fanfic)

Summary: Drac has some difficulty sleeping, as memories of a certain night exactly 124 years ago haunts his thoughts

__________________________________________

It was a beautiful day.

The sun was brilliantly shining above. Not a cloud dotted the sky. Birds were chirping from their perch in the trees. And, being nocturnal, such a beautiful day was utilized by monsters all around Hotel Transylvania, who were dozing contently about.

Well, except for a certain vampire.

Unlike his beloved, Drac could not succumb to the call of sleep, no matter how drowsy he felt, or how much his eyelids were drooping. There was that niggling thought - a memory, a reminder – that persisted to keep him awake. One that he had not been able to erase ever since that one, singular, terrible night. A night that had happened exactly 124 years ago.

It was incredulous to Drac, how it felt as though not a day had passed since then. And yet, so much did, with a lot of it leading to the actions he had taken and events that had occurred. But, as his mind so cruelly reminded him, it had all stemmed from that one sole event. If that hadn’t happened, who knew how things would have turned out for him, for Mavis… for his wife…

As if the universe had been cued to his internal thoughts, the form cuddled next to him suddenly shifted, soft, drowsy hands flitting lightly over his bare chest accompanied by a light sigh-like moan. The Count felt some of the dark thoughts lift from him in a relieving wave, leaving Drac with only fondness towards the woman resting upon his body. The warmth she radiated from her human self seeped into him like warm honey, relaxing some of the tension that had begun to overtake his muscles. He peered down at Ericka now and sighed, somewhat envious, marveling at how easily she slept and how peaceful she looked in that moment, comforted both by the blanket draped across them as well as the gentle contact of their skins, untroubled.

Well, a part of him did remind himself that Ericka was not without her own troubles, namely, her struggle with the ordeal on the cruise and family name. Sure, the woman had proven her worth in the heroic act of saving Drac from the Kraken’s clutches and standing up against the legacy that her great-grandfather had brainwashed her to believe in for so long. But the victory did not entirely satisfy Ericka. She was plagued with the horror of what she was about to let happen, to lose a love… a zing… It was a thing that monsters wouldn’t dare to imagine. But Drac didn’t have to.

With a sigh, he detached himself from Ericka, gently moving her away so not to disturb her slumber and draping the sheets over her form when he rose from the bed. Slipping on his pajama pants for some decency, he padded over to the window in the other room, drawing back the curtains to get a view of the outdoors. Drac had to admit that most of his son-in-law’s ideas were rather nonsensical, but he actually could appreciate the idea for repaneling the hotel’s windows with UV protective glass. In that way, the Count could now stand before the sun’s rays indoors without burning and take a look out at the perfect day that he should have been asleep to. This day that was as bright and cheery and as opposite as it could get from Drac’s current mood.

When he had thought of his wife, it had not been the slumbering beauty that still remained dozing as peacefully content as ever upon their bed. True, they were wed, with the golden bands around each other ring fingers to prove it, but Drac instead had the first woman who had stolen his heart and made him feel that giddy, euphoric sensation, so ideal it felt almost unreal.

Martha.

Her name alone still brought such a pang of sadness to his heart, a tightness that squeezed him, a stinging that pricked his skin, a dryness that parched his throat… and a shudder that went down his spine as he recalled those last, horrible moments he had seen her. The despair in her eyes. The fear…

Drac suddenly wished he was back in the bed, gliding his fingers over the smooth, rosy expanse that was Ericka’s skin. Caressing her soothed his mind, allowing him to focus on something other than his past trauma. But despite this effort, his mind kept wandering back to the memories, bringing them right back into his consciousness, and so much more than ever today.

The Count instead settled for rubbing his hands up and down his arms, the motion working not quite in the same way but still providing the comfort that he sought nonetheless. It's not that he didn't want to forget. It was the last thing he wanted to do. How could he forget his zing? She had meant the world to him, and still did, even in her absence. But it was that said absence that filled him with dread, made him uneasy and reminded him that this was the truth he was living. And nothing could be done to change it.

Drac shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and willing himself to remember that he still had Martha in his life. Not her in her physical, living form, but in the family around him. Being her daughter, Mavis was a constant reminder of that fact, inheriting her mother’s grace and beauty, as well as her everlasting kindness. Little Dennis also shared some characteristics as his grandmother. Drac could smile to himself recalling certain expressions the boy made that were a spitting image of the woman, or the way his blue eyes sparkled up at him with admiration.

Aside from his family, Drac also had material reminders of his late wife. The portrait that he’d managed to salvage from the fire had captured them both in their prime, at a time where their love was young and hardships were still ages away. For years he had kept it in his room, approaching it and gazing upon her still, painted figure, recalling the wonderful memories he’d shared with her and held dear to his heart. His old ring was another material reminder of her, a wedding band with a beautiful red gemstone on top that sparkled elegantly in the light. She had had one just like it, and his had found residence on the finger of his left hand for over a century before he was able to remove it and finally move on. And then, he thought, there was also the gorgeous little ukulele that was sitting upon his desk now, looking as fresh out of the box as it was so long ago when he received it as a gift from Martha, a memento of their time spent in paradise (or Hawaii as one may better know it as) after they first met and began dating.

With sluggish steps, he approached the desk, running his hands longingly over the taut strings and wooden surface of the instrument. Many a time he had used it as a one-man ‘concert’ to sing various songs for Martha, Mavis, and Dennis. Why, just the other night his grandson had asked him how exactly it was that it was played, and Drac had gladly begun the process of carefully teaching Dennis how to pluck out melodious chords, in hopes that the boy would one day become as skilled as he was. The thought putting a smirk onto his face, Drac picked the instrument up and went back to sit at the window, cradling the ukulele in his lap. He very well remembered the first time he had played the instrument. It was for Martha, right at the one-week anniversary of their relationship. On automatic, his fingers resumed the position that they had taken upon the ukulele strings for that simple little song he’d tuned out for her, and began to play it out again. What resulted was a soft, sweet melody, etching itself into his mind and heart. The melody brought with it a wave of nostalgia, cheery but melancholic at the same time, bringing forth a pool of fresh tears that began to brim at the corners of his eyes. As his mind wandered, his fingers continued their caressing dance on the strings, and soon they brought the sweet little song to an end in a soft, tender crescendo.

A satisfied sigh escaped his lips in that moment, the soft sound accompanied by an identical sigh from somewhere behind him. Turning towards the source in sudden bewilderment, he came face-to-face with Ericka. She stood shyly a few paces away, having seemingly just awakened. Neither said anything for a moment, allowing Drac the time to let his gaze roam over her, down from the petite bare feet to the tussled platinum-blonde curls on her bed-head. Rather than a robe, the woman had vouched for donning his satin pajama top, the article of clothing fitting her just about as well as a short dress, given Drac’s difference in height that allowed its hems to extend enough so that it hung above her knees. The sleeves dangled a bit loosely, the buttons having been fastened in a haste, as evident by how the top few had remained undone in favor of ensuring the ones in the middle were properly hooked so to cover her figure. The twinkle in her blue eyes was indicative to him that she was much more alert than what her tired appearance may have been giving off.

Conscious of his gaze, Ericka shifted her weight upon her feet, interpreting it as scrutiny for interrupting him at what appeared to be a private moment. She bit her lip, and began to speak ever so timidly.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you…” She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

But it turned out she didn’t need to search for any more words. Gathering his senses, Drac smiled kindly at her, setting down the ukulele and approaching the woman to give her an appropriate greeting kiss.

“Don’t worry about it, honeybat,” he assured when they parted, tenderly caressing her cheek. “I should be the one apologizing. I did not mean to awaken you.”

Ericka shook her head. “You didn’t, Drac,” she whispered. “Have you just… ever had one of those sleepless nights?”

Drac nodded, averting his eyes as he felt his mood going back to that cloud of melancholic sorrow that seemed to want to engulf him once more. “Yes,” he finally muttered. “I have." He dared a glance up to gage her reaction, and could see that same look of despondency reflected back in her eyes. But along with it was a look of knowing that made Drac feel vulnerable under her gaze. She was aware why it was that he was having difficulty drifting off tonight. Ericka had been informed early on in their relationship of the tragedy that had occurred so long ago, scarring her husband’s soul permanently as the memory of it all still weighed down heavily upon him. The blame and regret, and the hand of time that kept ticking on, unfazed, and unable to reverse. Yet even with such an emotional wound, Drac never failed to show Ericka every sign of how he was still able to live fully and find happiness. The wound would not heal entirely, but taking life one day at a time with the friends and family he loved would in no doubt help dull that pain. Cherishing his experiences with Mavis, Dennis, Ericka, the Pack, even the boisterous Johnny acted as a balm to his spirits, uplifting them from the shadows and keeping the dark thoughts at bay.

It was all this and more that was communicated between she and the vampire in that one flit of an instance that their gazes locked together; the expression in Ericka’s eyes showing just how deeply she empathized with the man and how willing she was to offer her support and love without hesitation if needed. And he was incredibly grateful, honored even, to be able to call the Van Helsing woman his zing. No matter if he was his second, she was his zing all the same, and would always be.

Unbeknownst to the man, a small smile had begun to tug at the corner of his lips, Drac not having felt it until his cheeks began to ache slightly in response with how widely it had grown. Ericka reciprocated the smile with one of her own.

“And besides,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes, “It was beautiful. You have a real talent.”

Drac chuckled bashfully at the compliment. "I appreciate it, my love." Then, a thought entered the Count’s mind, and he smirked as he picked up the ukulele again. “I could teach you someday, you know.”

Ericka grinned, looking down at the instrument in his hands and seeming to give the idea some good consideration before she spoke again. “That really would be pretty cool,” she said, her fingers grazing the top of the strings, “but I think that I’d rather just listen for now.”

The vampire nodded understandingly.  “As you wish, my love." Seating himself back down at the desk, he cradled the ukulele back into his lap and had his fingers resume the position anew. Strumming lightly, he began playing the same tune yet again, this time feeling much more at ease in doing so. Ericka sighed in contentment once more, coming up behind Drac and snaking her arms around his neck. She rested her chin atop his head, a slight sway in her stance as the music lulled the both of them into a peaceful state of serenity.

[ozziescribbler]

Can you tell me your opinion on the "dead mom" trope in Hotel Transylvania with Martha Dracula, and explain why "love at first sight" is a harmful trope?

I don't mind "dead mom" in writing all that much... Execution is what makes or breaks that trope. Hotel Transylvania, very much like Finding Nemo, at least has enough dignity to show how the widower dad's grief and trauma influences his approach to single parenting. Which is more than can be said about Disney princesses having dead mothers. Disney dead mom became a pattern to such a degree that Moana's mom allegedly got resurrected during late writing stages (it's quite obvious when you notice how small her role is compared to dad and grandma). Seems like unless widowed dad is a (co-)protagonist, there will be a lot less thought put into making his kid a half-orphan. So yeah, Martha Dracula/Lady Lubov being dead was never the problem.

The problem is Hotel Transylvania's entire philosophy around love, and how in the climax of the first movie Martha is used to legitimize the entire fucking "zing" idea. In one single scene, the script's ENTIRE PHILOSOPHY turns out to be "For a Zing only happens once in your life." The Dead Mom has spoketh and she can not possibly be wrong because moms who are dead are always good and right about everything and only their widowed husbands errr! See: Deceased Parents Are the Best, The Lost Lenore and Too Good for This Sinful Earth on TV Tropes.

It should really go without saying, but let's say it anyway. It's wrong. It's fucked up. It's amatonormative. This movie says that love at first sight is real and that you should blindly follow it because you won't get another chance at it. Imprinting is real and good and fuck you if you think otherwise, I guess. Because it's not like tons of people, in real life AND fiction, happily fall in love more than once or end up in toxic relationships just because there was initial attraction (dare I say, a zing), right? /s

And, as @wormwoodworms commented under my last post about HT, it's just a bad, lazy trope to play straight:

What's the point of love story if it says that true, undying love starts at eye contact? If the movie's central subplot is Jonathan/Mavis romance then WHY can't they just naturally grow attracted to each other? WHY their first impression ("Zing") is given so much significance over the scenes them getting to know one another?

Ironically, as I said before, it's a good thing this flashback to Dracula couple meet cute was left on cutting room floor:

It's sentimental for its own sake and adds nothing. This romance is sufficiently established in other scenes of the final movie. If they left that in, Mavis' dead mom would basically have better established romantic plotline than Mavis herself.

Also, as much as I appreciate third movie letting Dracula move the fuck on and retconning the "once in a lifetime" part for him, BY THE FIRST MOVIE'S LOGIC his second love is illegitimate and he should not marry Ericka. Fuck you, Drac, be lonely and miserable for the rest of your unlife because your one and only zing is dead!

[rosetyler42]

Hi! I want to ask what you like about Martha Dracula.

Personally, I hate how she had no purpose other than die to make Drac sad. We didnt see any of her personality so her death feels far less impactful than say, Bambis mom, and I hate the concept of zing/love at first sight trope" because the idea you will immediately know who you are supposed to be with forever based on immediate attraction sends a harmful message to kids and erases aromatic and polyamorous people and ppl who break off romantic relationships but are happier off that way.

I do wish we got to know more about Martha beyond the tragedy of her death and her book about Mavis finding her own zing, but I can kinda understand it as...the story's more about Drac, Johnny and Mavis and there were alot of other things to focus on. We do have SOME window into her personality and relationship with Drac: Mavis is implied to be similar to her and be the peice of Martha he has left, part of the reason he's so protective of her (With all the talk of Ericka being Martha's reincarnation - basically this universe's Mina to compare to other Dracula adaptations, I kind of think MAVIS is actually closer to that role. At least symbolically, although there are other similarities after having read Dracula Daily.) We hear that Martha is clearly the more bold of the two (similarly to Johnny and Mavis.) There's the legend of her and Drac's love story and family in the "Lady Lubov" legend, Drac's been clearly sitting Shiva for over a century, Her book about zings and how they met when she was Mavis' age, And it's implied Drac and Martha loved making music together as Drac mentions he hasn't sung in public since Martha passed. But as much as I do love the things we got, I wish we'd gotten to see more of Martha, seen her and Drac together and their (Less amorous) Gomez and Morticia type dynamic. Now, there IS a deleted scene on the HT bluray that shows Drac and Martha meeting, their courtship, and them having Mavis which gives more of a glimpse at Drac and Martha together which you may be interested in seeing if you haven't already. Matter of fact, Martha's reveal of her pregnant belly as a bat CLEARLY got reused in HT2 in Mavis' reveal of her own pregnancy.

As for the whole zing business...Yes, like all "Love at first sight" and Soulmate stuff, it does spread some harmful ideas, particularly for aro and ace people (like myself!) My mother had similar issues with it herself when we first watched it (though I don't think she knew about aro identities) Though I can kind of understand why it exists. Social interaction, particularly dating, can be a confusing, difficult, and potentially painful process. And I guess it's nice to imagine that you COULD just know the person you're meant to be with without having to go through all the mess. In the case of the HT films, it's also supposed to be a gothic fairytale Romeo and Juliet kind of story, which Love at first sight and soulmates are common tropes in that. Not to mention the trying to juggle a love story plot, a buddy film, family antics, gags, worldbuilding, (and in HT3, the whole "Monster Genocide" business) doesn't exactly lend itself to slow burns. The zing is a sweet idea, even if it doesn't necessarily work that way in real life.

This got long as I have some feelings about anatonormativity + HT , so here's a read more:

To a certain extent, that's part of what I like about HT3: It challenges the "A Zing only happens once in your life" idea by having Drac find love again. And having him DEAL WITH the "You only zing once" being wrong. Alot of people hated that. Some seek to think him falling for Ericka lessens what he had with Martha or means that he's forgotten about her. That he's cheating on Martha somehow. Some dunked on Ericka saying she was "weird" and "ugly", saying Martha was prettier. Some tried to find explanations like Ericka being Martha's reincarnation. But to me...I mean, we tend to think of love as being "The One," yet people fall in love again and remarry all the time. There doesn't HAVE to be a reason Drac zinged twice. And it resolves an issue the first movie had ABOUT "If a zing only happens once, what about people who fall in love and remarry?" Making it at least a BIT less amatonormative in my opinion. Of course, I'm something of an expert at bending rules and finding less amatonormative interpretations, and they never explicitly state EVERYONE has a zing.

Honestly in some ways the HT films are both amatonormative and anti-amatonormative. You have the whole zing/soulmate business, Drac teasing Dennis about Winnie, the guys setting Drac up on dates despite him saying he's not interested, and the whole "late bloomer" conversion therapy business. Most characters in the show have a partner except the mummy (who's shown dating), Vlad (who's showing off for the witches and talks about Nefrititi) and Blobby (who's more comic relief.)

On the OTHER hand, You not only have a 3 generational Non-nuclear family (with a stepmom, yet!) Living together in the same building in close proximity to eachother, but also a bunch of friends that are basically considered family, and at no point in the franchise does the romantic relationship get put higher than the familial or platonic ones. Heck, half the franchise I'd about the familial relationships. And even in the ones about romance, the familial relationships are a big part of those too. (There's also quite a bit if gray-rose coding with Drac himself looking back at the series - including the fact the man only experienced confirmed romantic attraction TWICE that we know of despite how much of a charmer he's shown to be. He can flirt until he's actually interested, then he can't function around them. There's also possible internalized aphobia that does get touched on, particularly in HT2 with him trying to make Dennis a vampire but then turning around and saving him from Vlad's "scare the fangs" plan and ultimately coming to accept Dennis as he is - which there's parallels between Dennis and his younger self drawn there.) I'll also point out that despite the "love and family over racism, we're all basically the same" message, love isn't treated as what makes one "human" in the series. If ANYTHING, it's bravery and willingness to take risk. Particularly to have fun OR protect others.

So yeah, kind of mixed feelings there as an aroace fan.

PS: I'll warn you about the HT3 junior novelization, there's a scene of VH dismissing Love as if it means nothing to him which...more aphobic than the scene in the film was. Particularly since Van Helsing gives off aroace vibes himself.

[then-be-a-warrior]

"Two lonely bats crashed in the night."

"They felt a zing! Love at first sight."

"They knew right then they would be husband and wife."

"For a zing only happens once in your life."

"Your zing will come, my love. Cherish it."

-Martha 'Lady' Lubov Dracula (Hotel Transylvania)

[rosetyler42]

Martha is a bible name and generally considered today to be an old lady name. Mom always joked "How do you think THEY got it?" But yeah, while I have met a couple real life people with that name and some fictional characters (Including Martha LuBov and Martha Jones) And of course I often got compared to Martha Stewart (which I hated.) I've very rarely been able to find my name on things in stores.

Funny thing is, Ariel was supposedly the most popular name the year I was born due to the Little Mermaid release. I've met a couple Marthas. I have met 1 Ariel and I'm not even sure that was her real name.

[leociinta]

okay but I love them too okay

[macaroni-rascal]

this is the good place

[eggplantgifs]

pairs ladies + short hair

[rosetyler42]

For Simon and Lucy, probably either Martha LuBov or Ericka's parents. They never got to know either of them as they died or left the picture (ha ha) LONG before they were born. Given a choice, probably Martha since they know more about her. Drac's talked about her and told them the story of how he met her, what kind of person she was, and how she died protecting Mavis. Hell, Even Johnny's told them the Lady LuBov story. Do they probably have more a relationship and admiration for HER than the monsterhunting grandparents neither they or their mother ever knew.

@black-ak9 @hotelt-resurrection ((Might find this one interesting.))

If your OC could have dinner with any one person (alive, dead, non-existent, etc.), who would it be and why?

[noramoya]

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE DANCER OF THE DREAM •••

“Michael Jackson was a gifted, unique and outstanding dancer.His contribution to the Art of Dance is analyzed in this fascinating article by the professional Flamenco dancer and choreographer, Amor (Lubov Fadeeva)”…

“Let’s go back to the roots of Michael’s dance once again. When people speak of his dancing, they often recall the legendary Fred Astaire and his dancing pieces. Here we can see a lot of what Michael “inherited”– that whole gangster style with the shoes and the hat, the costumes, the color and lighting effects, and the direct use of tap dance elements. But the amazing thing is that he borrowed only external stylistic means (like motives from the pop classics) and mixed them with his spontaneous African passion – and not as much in the manner of tap dance performed by black dancers, but in the improvised and passionate nature of folk dances of Africa and the Caribbean basin. This is where the merriment, stage glitter, and elegance suddenly transform into a spontaneous shaman dance to the sound of drums. Notice how Michael looks extremely at ease and organic in the crowd of Brazilian drummers in his They Don’t Care About Us short film. They have a common nature.

In truth, Michael looks like a stage dandy in patent leather shoes only from afar. It’s just a theatrical show he puts on to create a certain effect. He has not gangster spats on, but black loafers and white socks; the black jacket hides a tee and a shirt he would rip from top to bottom at any moment; and the elegant fedora covers tousled hair that has nothing in common with the brilliantine of well-groomed dancers of the past. He needs the look just to appear in the spotlight. The spotlight is a theatrical tool as old as the world, we all use it – and Michael was not the first to create it. He borrowed it from the classics. The light and shadow of high-contrast lighting, accenting a white glove or white tape on his fingertips – and you have the first intriguing chord of mystery. A cavalier dressed in black, walking out of darkness, an archetype so seductive for the ladies since the times of cloak-and-dagger comedies. A woman cannot see his face, but already dreams of him as her romantic secret lover visiting her in the dead of the night and climbing through her window. Hence the hat pushed down to shade his eyes.

The most eloquent parts of the body when dancing are the hands and feet. Especially the hands. The hands are the third tool after words and facial expression to help us express our thoughts and feelings. They make gestures; they talk; they can even sing. I often tell my students that, to be truly expressive when dancing, the hands have to continue the impulse coming out of you, your gaze and your feelings. The palm and fingertips are the source of outpouring energy. They have to be visible. The hands are the most delicate instrument in movement.

Michael enhanced the visual effect with the help of white tape and a glove. They acted like fireballs of energy flashing against the darkness of the mysterious image. The same was true of the white socks – they accentuated his feet. And all this elegant magic of a cavalier in black suddenly opened up in a wild African ecstasy concealed under the covers of the theatrical props. Tap dance movements turned into sensual arching of the body, the famous daring crotch grabbing and crazy shirt ripping.

This works better than a striptease. It’s seduction at the level of subconscious associations and emotions, the level of beauty and not plain physiology. This is how Michael gripped the attention of even the most demanding women and young ladies who don’t fall for demonstrations of rude masculinity. Did Michael realize what he was doing? I think, intuitively he did, and he also realized that he was drawing a lot of attention – but he never thought too much about it. And this allowed him to dance naturally, chastely and ingenuously, like a wild man. His dancing body became seductive and desirable, while his soul remained filled with pure energy. It is sensuality of a higher level, where the body is subject to the spirit.” — Amor (Lubov Fadeeva).

[comrade-meow]

Pandora Papers: The secret owners of UK property worth billions

The secret owners of more than 1,500 UK properties bought using offshore firms have been uncovered by a BBC investigation.

The details are featured in the Pandora Papers leak of offshore financial documents and list property with an estimated value in excess of £4bn.

The owners include high-profile foreign politicians, individuals accused of corruption and UK political donors.

Ministers say they will bring in a new law when they have parliamentary time.

Successive Conservative governments have pledged to introduce legislation making it compulsory to name those owning property via foreign companies in a bid to stamp out money-laundering.

Among the revelations:

Retail magnate Sir Philip Green and his wife went on a buying spree of London property while the couple's recently sold High Street empire teetered on the verge of collapse

The Qatari ruling family purchased two of London's most expensive homes through offshore companies, saving millions of pounds in tax

Ukrainian billionaire Gennadiy Bogolyubov, who is under investigation by the FBI and had hundreds of millions in assets frozen in a fraud case, owns more than £400m of UK property

A £40m London office block is owned by the son of sanctioned Russian oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev

The BBC worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the Guardian, Finance Uncovered and other media outlets to identify in the leaked files the individuals behind overseas companies that owned property in England and Wales.

Owning real estate through an offshore firm is legal, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing in simply using a foreign company to purchase property.

However, the UK government recently raised its own assessment of the money laundering risk for the property market from "medium" to "high".

The greatest level of risk is where there are "difficulties in determining the ultimate beneficial owners", according to a Home Office report in December 2020.

It comes as a number of world leaders - including the King of Jordan and the ruling family of Azerbaijan - have featured in the Pandora Papers leak after buying property in the UK using offshore companies.

The Greens

Sir Philip and Tina Green

The wife of retail tycoon Sir Philip Green purchased multi-million-pound prime London real estate as BHS, the department store chain they had owned, headed for collapse.

Her identity as the buyer of properties in London was hidden because they were bought through anonymous companies based in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven.

The purchases included a £15m apartment in Mayfair and a new home for their daughter near Buckingham Palace, bought for £10.6m in 2016.

The buying spree took place in the months after the Greens sold BHS for a token sum to a one-time bankrupt who had no retail experience. The chain collapsed, leading to the loss of 11,000 jobs and vacant sites in town centres.

The downfall also led to an outcry when it emerged the business had left a black hole of up to £571m in its pension fund.

Through their lawyers, both Sir Philip and Lady Green declined to answer detailed questions, suggesting that these were private matters.

Qatari Ruling Family

The ruling family of Qatar

The Pandora Papers leak also reveals the property portfolio of the Qatari ruling family owned through another cross-border network of companies.

The royal Al-Thani family purchased two properties on one of the world's most expensive terraces, overlooking Regent's Park in London. They were bought through offshore companies, saving millions of pounds in tax.

BBC analysis found numerous other properties owned by members of the family through these structures, estimated to be worth over £650m.

The Qatari government did not respond to questions about the BBC's findings.

Gennadiy Bogolyubov

Gennadiy Bogolyubov

Gennadiy Bogolyubov is a Ukrainian billionaire who is under investigation by the FBI for money laundering.

He and his business partner are accused of defrauding the bank they founded of more than £1bn.

Court documents included in the Pandora Papers reveal him to be the ultimate owner of a collection of UK properties likely to be worth over £400m, including a building on Trafalgar Square.

They are held via a network of companies, some offshore, that hide the identity of the owners.

Mr Bogolyubov is the co-founder of PrivatBank, Ukraine's largest lender.

The bank was nationalised in 2016 after regulators found a £4bn hole in its balance sheets.

PrivatBank has been pursuing Mr Bogolyubov and his business partner Igor Kolomoisky through court action in England and the US, trying to reclaim more than £2bn relating to the money lost during their leadership.

In 2020 the US Department of Justice sought to seize commercial properties in Texas, Ohio and Kentucky from the pair, suspecting that they were "acquired using funds misappropriated from Privatbank". The court cases are ongoing.

Mr Bogolyubov's assets are currently subject to a worldwide freeze, secured in court by PrivatBank in 2017.

In 2016 he decided to leave the country and settle in Switzerland, partly for "tax reasons".

Lawyers for Mr Bogolyubov declined to comment as legal action is ongoing.

Mikhail Gutseriev

Mikhail Gutseriev is a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned by the UK in August for his close relationship with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. The Pandora Papers reveal that his son owns a multi-million pound office block through a secret offshore company, purchased for more than £40m.

Mr Gutseriev is the founder of Safmar Group, a Russian conglomerate with interests in oil, coal, property and retail.

Following the crackdown on human rights and democracy in Belarus in 2020, the UK and EU have recently brought in sanctions against President Lukashenko, along with Mr Gutseriev and other close associates.

The British government has accused the Belarusian regime of continuing to "crush democracy and violate human rights".

It described Mr Gutseriev as "a prominent Russian businessman who is one of the main private investors in Belarus and a longstanding associate of Alexander Lukashenko". It added that he had "provided support for the government of Belarus, including through use of his business interests".

Mr Gutseriev is no longer involved in Safmar, which is now part-owned by his son, Said, a British citizen.

Said Gutseriev's representatives told the BBC he did not have "any business links with his father".His lavish wedding made headlines in 2016 - it featured performances by Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias and was reported to have cost £1bn.

What is the UK government doing?

Plans for a register of foreign companies owning UK property were first announced in 2016 by then Prime Minister David Cameron, so that "corrupt individuals and countries will no longer be able to move, launder and hide illicit funds through London's property market, and will not benefit from our public funds".

Draft legislation was published two years later and "progress" on changing the law was promised in the 2019 Queen's Speech.

Earlier this year, following the G7 summit, the government reiterated its commitment to create a public register of overseas entities who own UK real estate.

However, the law has still not been introduced to Parliament and was not listed as one of the government's legislative priorities at this year's Queen's Speech.

Labour MP Margaret Hodge told the BBC that when in government David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osborne "promised us that they would create a public register of beneficial ownership here in the UK... but we've been waiting since 2016 for that promise to be enacted".

She added: "It's ready, it's sitting there, it's not complicated... but it has yet to emerge... so it's a scandal that that's not happened."

The government says it is cracking down on money laundering with tougher laws and enforcement, and that it will introduce a register of offshore companies owning UK property when parliamentary time allows.

World leaders

UK properties owned offshore by foreign leaders

The UK property holdings of the King of Jordan and the ruling family of Azerbaijan were exposed by BBC Panorama on Sunday.

Lawyers for King Abdullah said he used his personal wealth to buy the homes and there was nothing improper about him using offshore firms to do so.

Other revelations from the Pandora Papers highlight further links between foreign leaders and offshore ownership of UK property.

The family of Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, which has dominated the country's politics since independence, secretly owned offshore companies for decades.

One of these firms bought an apartment in central London, according to Land Registry records.

The company was set up by Ngina Kenyatta, the president's mother, and her two daughters Kristina and Anna.

In 2018, Mr Kenyatta told the BBC Hardtalk programme that his family's wealth was known to the public, and as president he had declared his assets as required by law.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky participated in a network of offshore companies, co-owned with his long-time friends and TV business partners, the Guardian revealed on Sunday.

These firms held assets including apartments near London's Regent's Park.

A number of world leaders have released statements denying wrongdoing after featuring in the leak.

Tory donors

Closer to home, major political donors to the Conservatives have invested in properties through offshore companies.

Conservative donors

Mohammed Amersi, bought two properties using offshore companies: a Mayfair townhouse and a country home in Gloucestershire. He was revealed by Panorama to have been involved in one of Europe's biggest corruption scandals. He denies any wrongdoing.

Lubov Chernukhin has given more than £1.8m to the party since 2012. The Pandora Papers leak revealed the scale of the secret offshore wealth she shares with her husband, a former Russian minister. It includes a house near Regent's Park in London now worth about £38m, and a mansion in Oxfordshire bought for £10m. The properties were secretly acquired through a network of offshore companies. Mrs Chernukhin's lawyers say she is a British citizen and is entitled to do as she wishes with her money

Russian businessman Victor Fedotov's companies have given £900,000 to MPs. He purchased a Hampshire manor house through a network of offshore companies. Files in the Pandora Papers suggest he made millions from a project that became mired in allegations of corruption. Mr Fedotov's lawyers said "there is no evidence whatsoever" he behaved improperly.

The BBC searched for information about donors to all of the political parties among the Pandora Papers documents but the stories that emerged from the files were about Conservative donors.

The Pandora Papers is a leak of almost 12 million documents and files exposing the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires. The data was obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Washington DC and has led to one of the biggest ever global investigations. More than 600 journalists from 117 countries have looked at the hidden fortunes of some of the most powerful people on the planet. BBC Panorama and the Guardian have led the investigation in the UK.

[ivyprism]

🔥 Hotel Transylvania

The story had SO much potential! The first movie was amazing!!! The Legend of Lady Lubov was such a touching and sensitive scene.

The second movie could've been better, but it was way more tolerable than the third one and I am not looking forward to the fourth.

The story had SO much potential! But they wasted it.

-H

[rosetyler42]

Oooooooo, this'd be interesting. Not only do Dracula, Vlad, and Mavis not show up in film photographs as vampires, but Drac has a dead first wife, Martha LuBov, a vampire lady and Mavis' mother who was killed by an angry mob. I always thought it'd be interesting if her ghost was still around, though most likely Drac and Mavis, being undead themselves, would be able to sense it. Then again, with the twins being somewhat liminal, it would be interesting if they saw Martha show up in the family album and no one else does.

@hotelt-resurrection

Recommended prompts for an OC who is absolutely fascinated by the supernatural?

Your OC is looking through photos they took or an old family album when they notice one of their friends/family members looks ghostly and distorted in every image after a certain date.  Your OC doesn’t recognize this person but when they ask others to look at the picture, they don’t see anyone or anything there and have no idea who the person is when your OC describes their appearance.  How does your OC react to all of this?

[ohtheseskaters]

[sywtwfs]

2019 Summer Competitions

A list of some notable small competitions in the early 2019-2020 season. Although several of these competitions have already taken place, we’ve decided to compile a post for reference! Most of these competitions are domestic club competitions, though sometimes international skaters also participate. Withdrawals with no notice are very common. For more events and info, please check out Unseen Skaters or threads on Goldenskate.

JUNE

Lake Placid Figure Skating Championship (6/27 - 6/30) Skating Club of Lake Placid - Lake Placid, NY

Website & results

Notable entries:  Senior Ladies - Gabriella Izzo, Alina Soupian, Michelle Long. Junior Men - Mark Gorodnitsky, Ilya Kovler, Maxim Naumov

How to watch: Paid livestream by Snapshot Live.

Broadmoor Open (6/25 - 6/29) Broadmoor Skating Club - Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Website, Results

Notable entries: Senior - Karen Chen (SP only), Amber Glenn (SP only), Hanna Harrell, Pooja Kalyan (SP only), Alysa Liu, Yi Christy Leung, Young You,  Jimmy Ma

How to watch:  No paid Livestream this year.  Youtube videos

JULY

1st Interclub League Competition: North Division (7/11 - 7/14) Hailar, China

Website

Notable Competitors: Boyang Jin, Han Yan, Xuehan Wang/Lei Wang, Jiaxi (Chelsea) Liu/Xie Zhong Yi Christy Leung, Yi (Beverly) Zhu, Emily Zhang, Ashley Lin

How to watch: Fancams posted around the internet

Glacier Falls Summer Classic (7/18 - 7/21) Glacier Falls Figure Skating Club - Irvine, CA, USA

Website Schedule   

Notable Entries: Senior - Alysa Liu, Emmy Ma, Gabriella Izzo, Akari Nakahara, Audrey Shin, Megan Wessenberg, Yaroslav Paniot, Emmanuel Savary, Ryan Dunk, Joonsoo Kim, Sean Rabbitt. Junior - Stephen Gogolev

How to watch: Fancams 

Skate Detroit (7/23 - 7/27) Detroit Skating Club - Bloomfield Hill, MI, USA

Website/Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Amber Glenn, Alex Krasnozhon, Jimmy Ma, Ashley Cain-Gribble / Timothy DeLuc, Audrey Lu / Misha Mitrofanov, Jessica Calalang / Brian Johnson.

How to watch: Paid livestream by 828 Studios. Youtube videos

Minto Summer Skate (7/25 - 7/28) Gloucester, ON, Canada

Website, Entries/Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Nicolas Nadeau, Conrad Orzel, Michelle Long, Camille Ruest / Andrew Wolfe. Junior - Corey Circelli, Alec Guinzbourg, Iliya Kovler, Olivia McIsaac / Corey Circelli, Irina Galiyanova / Grayson Lochhead

How to watch: Free livestreams of each rink on Skate Ontario’s Dailymotion account

Ice Dance Summer Cup (July 26-27) Lyon, France

Entries/Results

Notable Entries: Junior - Loicia Demougeot / Theo Le Mercier, all French junior teams.

How to Watch: There are no current livestreams available 

South Korea JGP Selection Event (July 27-28) Taereung International Skating Rink - Seoul, South Korea

Website, Schedule

Notable Entries: Haein Lee, Jihun To, Seoyeong Wi, Hyun Soo Lee, Sihyeong Lee, Younghyun Cha, Sunghoon Park.

How to Watch: Fancam videos [1] [2]

Note: This competition determines assignments for the Junior Grand Prix.

Lake Place Ice Dance International/Championships (July 30 - August 2) Skating Club of Lake Placid - Lake Placid, NY

International Website, International Schedule, Championship Website, Championship Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - McNamara/Carpenter, Carreira/Ponomarenko, Soucisse/Firus, Smart/Diaz, Min/Eaton, Green/Parsons, Chen/Sun, Lanaghan/Razgulajevs. Junior - Brown/Brown, Bronsard/Bouaraguia, Makita/Gunara, Bashynska/Beaumont, Galiyanova/Lochhead.

How to watch: Paid livestream by Snapshot Sports Live

Philadelphia Summer International/Championship (July 30 - August 2) Iceworks Skating Club - Aston, PA, USA

Website, International Competition Results

Notable Entries: Young You, Karen Chen, Hanna Harrell, Starr Andrews, Pooja Kalyan, Donovan Carillo, Camden Pulkinen, Andrew Torgashev, Alexei Krasnozhon

How to watch: No livestream this year, the company they previously used went out of business. Fancam videos [1]

AUGUST

Russian Junior Test Skates (8/1 - 8/9) Novogorsk, Russia

Website 

How to watch: Livestreamed on Channel 1

Wild Rose Invitational (8/2 - 8/5) Leduc, AB, Canada

Website, Entries/Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Aurora Cotop. Junior - Aleksa Rakic, Eric Liu, Rinka Watanabe.

How to watch: Free livestreams of each rink on Skate Alberta/Nunavut Dailymotion account

57th Kitakyushu Open & Izuka Ice Palace Cup (8/2 - 8/4) Fukuoka, Japan

Website, Schedule

Notable entries (Full List) Senior - Mitsuki Sumoto, Ryuju Hino, Wakaba Higuchi

How to watch: News clips on Japanese TV

Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy (8/5 - 8/9) Dongguan, China 

Website, 

Notable Entries: TBA

How to watch: TBD

Quebec Summer Championship (8/8 - 8/11)

Entries/Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Véronik Mallet, Lubov Ilyushechkina / Charlie Bilodeau, Justine Brasseur / Mark Bardei, Camille Ruest / Drew Wolfe, Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus, Marie Jade Lauriault / Roman Le Gac, Oliva Smart / Adrian Diaz. Junior - Joseph Phan, Bronsard/Bouaraguia.

How to watch: Free livestreams of each rink on the Patinage Québec Dailymotion account

Gensan Summer Cup 2019 (8/8 - 8/12) Shiga, Japan

Website, Schedule

Notable entries: (Full list) Senior: Taichi Honda, Yuto Kishina, Kazuki Tomono, Sota Yamamoto, Yuhana Yokoi, Mako Yamashita, Yuna Shiraiwa, Mai Mihara, Kaori Sakamoto, Wakaba Higuchi. Junior - Sena Miyake, Mitsuki Sumoto, Nana Araki, Miyu Honda

How to watch: News clips on Japanese TV

Dance Pairs Chicago

Website, Schedule

Notable entries: Junior - Avonley Nguyen / Vadim Kolesnik, Katarina DelCamp / Ian Somerville

How to watch: There are no current livestreams available

NRW Summer Trophy (8/9 - 8/11) Dortmund, Germany

Entries, Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Egor Murashov, Konkina/Drozd, Popova/Byelikov. Junior - Kazakova/Reviya.

How to watch: There are no current livestreams available 

BC Summer Skate (8/15 - 8/18) Burnaby, BC, Canada

Website, Entries/Results, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Aurora Cotop. Junior - Emily Bausback, Emma Bulawka, Olivia Gran, Eric Liu, Beres Clements, Aleksa Rakic, Makita/Gunara

How to watch: Free livestreams of each rink on the Skate British Columbia Yukon Dailymotion account

Sectional Series North York  (8/15 - 8/19) North York, Ontario, Canada

Entries/Results, Website, Schedule

Notable Entries: Senior - Keegan Messing, Nam Nguyen, Conrad Orzel, Roman Sadovsky, Gabby Daleman, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Walsh/Michaud. Junior - Corey Circelli, Alec Guinzbourg, Iliya Kovler, Mark Gorodnitsky, Shingo Nishiyama, Alison Schumacher, Amelia Orzel, McIntosh/Toste, Andrew/Daleman, Leung/Fletcher, D’Alessandro/Waddell, McIsaac/Circelli, Galiyanova/Lochhead, Bashynska/Beaumont, Yoshida/Nishiyama

How to watch: Free livestreams of each rink on the Skate Ontario Dailymotion account

5th Interclub League Competition: NorthEast Division (8/15 - 8/18) Jilin, China

Website

Notable Competitors: Senior - Xiangyi An, Hongyi Chen, Xiangning Li, Ashley Lin, Yi (Beverly) Zhu, Xuehan Wang / Lei Wang, Xiaoyu Yu / Hao Zhang, Yuzhu Guo / Pengkun Zhao, Tong Liu / Quanshuo Ge, Wanqi Ning / Chao Wang.

How to watch: Fancams posted around the internet

2019 Rinspo Cup (8/24 - 9/1) Osaka, Japan

Website, Schedule 

Notable entries (Full list) Senior - Mitsuki Sumoto. Junior - Miyu Honda

How to watch: News clips on Japanese TV

1st MGC Ice Arena Cup (8/31 - 9/1) Niigata, Japan

Website, Schedule, Results

Notable entries: Senior - Hiroaki Sato

How to watch: News clips on Japanese TV