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Trending Now in Sports:
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Sports: Figure Skating:
BREAKING NEWS: Promising Junior Worlds Champion, Daniel Masters, shocks the world with Senior programs after three-year break from competition
FSNews: “Better than ever before”, Vlad Masters touts protégé’s new and improved programs for first Senior league competitions
Winter Olympics 20XX: Figure Skating: Top Singles Men’s Figure Skaters to Look Out for This Year
1. Daniel Masters
…Despite a three-year break since last competing, critics and experts all firmly believe that Daniel Masters is the one to look out for at this Winter Olympics. Masters took gold at Russian Nationals in a sweeping four point lead against experienced singles World Champion Igor Sokolov…
2. Jason Todd
…Widely known as the Dark Horse of the Figure Skating world, Jason Todd has a lot to live up to, including the reputations of his predecessor, Richard Grayson, and esteemed coach, Bruce Wayne. Although considered a late-comer in Junior competitions, Todd quickly entered the scene and swept the competition off their skates…
On Thin Ice?: Viral Video Shows Daniel Masters Fumbling During Private Ice Time
Video Attached:
[The video’s footage opens depicting the great expanse of bleachers of an indoor skating rink. The camera is angled facing down from the top of the bleachers, showing the floor under benches. Bits and pieces of trash left over from a recent event still litter the floor. There is no sound other than the distant scratching of metal blades stroking against ice and the occasional fumbling of the camera. Once steadied, the camera pans up to show a wide shot of the ice. The image is blurry at first, but as the camera zooms in, the fuzziness clears to depict a lone figure out on the ice.
The young man shown is none other than Daniel Masters.
He moves gracefully across the expanse of the ice, as if floating. His footwork is immaculate as he twizzles out of an Ina Bauer. Daniel mohawks into a backward one foot glide, setting up for a flying camel spin. He executes the element easily, landing gracefully on his right foot, left leg extended to the side of his body creating a beautiful silhouette. He leans back, opening his arms and chest to the heavens above as he spins effortlessly.
Daniel transitions seamlessly into a donut spin, leaning behind his body to hold the toe of his blade to the back of his head as he spins sideways. He holds the position steadily as he raises one arm high above his head. He continues to spin until suddenly, and quite violently, his back begins to experience a violent twinge.
Daniel drops his raised foot as his other knee buckles under his body’s weight. He crumples backwards, slamming down against the ice until his body is splayed out in clear agony.
There is a shout of “Daniel!” just off screen, urging the videographer to shift the camera in its direction.
The video is barely able to pick up a pained cry from Daniel before the videographer gasps. The gasp behind the camera seems to alert Daniel’s coach, Vladimir Masters, to the stranger’s presence. From where he stands in the penalty box on the edge of the rink, both hands gripping the rink’s edge firmly, Vladimir looks distressed. He looks directly at the camera and the person behind the lens, yelling “This is a closed practice! Get out!” according to the subtitles provided at the bottom of the screen. The video shakes as if the videographer has begun running and cuts off abruptly.]
Jason soaked up every article title, every picture caption, every little minute detail as he scrolled further and further down into the abyss that was the internet. Tim would call it ‘doom-scrolling’, but Jason preferred to call it ‘checking up on the competition’. It’s not like Tim had nearly as much to worry about; he and Steph were the leading competitors for Pairs.
“He’s so pretentious,” Jason scoffed with a roll of his eyes. “He’s been gone for what? Three years and suddenly acts like he owns the place? Did you see this video? I’ve seen newborn fawns with more elegance than this bast- hey!” Bruce plucked the phone right out of his hands, holding it high over his head as he walked away.
“And that’s enough internet for you today,” Bruce muttered under his breath, tucking the phone away, where Jason couldn’t easily snatch it right back.
Jason pushed on, plowing through the blatantly tired look resting in Bruce’s posture. “The dude can’t even finish a spin combination, Bruce. A spin.”
“Less whining, more skating,” Bruce blinked.
“Fine, I still need to warm up,” Jason grumbled and checked his skates’ laces one more time. After ensuring they were tied securely, tight on his feet, he hobbled over to the rink entrance, stopping long enough to remove his guards, and glided out onto the ice. He needed to get a couple more laps in before he really tried to do any sequences, but he had far too much on his mind right now anyways. Some laps around the ring would do his mind some good.
Bruce crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Jason start his warm-up. He shook his head and let out a little sigh when he saw the frustrated look on the teenager’s face. He had to wonder how much of Jason’s anger towards Masters was thanks to the other teen’s notoriety or Jason’s own insecurities around his Senior entry. Jason was doing well, beautifully even, but he knew the press constantly comparing him to Dick was starting to get to Jason.
Jason shouldn’t keep comparing his success and skills to other skaters. Dick, Masters, anyone. That would kill the boy’s drive soon enough, if not kill his love for the sport altogether.
With a sigh, Bruce looked on with a pensive expression of his own, wondering what he could do to help the teen.
“You’re getting that look on your face again,” Dick teased him, from wherever he sat in the stands. Bruce shot him a brief, dry look and then returned his attention to his student. “C’mon, Bruce, at this rate you’re going to get gray hairs before you’re fifty-”
“I already have gray hairs, and I’m not fifty yet,” Bruce drawled boredly, giving Dick no further attention. But Dick had never really asked for attention. More often than not, he demanded it.
“You need to give Jason a little time, Bruce,” Dick reminded him gently as he came up to the edge of the rink. He leaned against the barrier while they silently watched Jason make a long round along the opposite edge. His crossovers were looking rushed.
Dick felt his heart soften at the sight. It was a shame to see Jason stuck in his own head; Dick would do anything to be on the ice again, body permitting. But that was the exact problem, wasn’t it? His body couldn’t handle the strain and pressure any longer. It had been heartbreak, once upon a time, but he had made his peace with it and moved on as best he could. He could still come back here too, to help out with the juniors and the students. It made the blow a little softer.
“I was angry too, remember?” Dick pointed out quietly, even though there was no way Jason could overhear him. “My parents were the best Pairs skaters in their generation, and when they retired it was like they hadn’t meant a thing. And then when I started skating, that’s all people could talk about. How I had my mom’s speed and my dad’s flair and-” Dick shook those thoughts away. “Jason will learn, just like I did. But you gotta give him the time to do that.”
“I know that,” Bruce huffed at the younger man. “Believe me, I know that. Who do you think dealt with you for so long before Kate stepped up, and Barbara stepped in… I was the one watching out for all you chaos children.”
“That’s not true, Alfred was there,” Dick teased, grinning widely.
“And I pity him for it,” Bruce muttered, shaking his head. Dick rolled his eyes. And Bruce wondered where they had all gotten their dramatics from.
“Don’t stress too much, is all I’m saying,” Dick told the man. He reached out to slap the older man on the shoulder lightly. “You’re his coach, he needs you to keep a clear head too. That way you can drag him out of his ruts.”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” Bruce admitted with a pinched expression. Jason skated right past them, not offering a single glance as he went by. His forward power pulls were looking extra strong today. “Is he really that upset over Masters returning? I feel like he’d be more worried over Roberts-”
“Daniel Masters left Juniors a year before Jason entered, he had a big reputation to live up to,” Dick pointed out with a nod. Masters’ and Dick’s both.
Masters certainly hadn’t been kind in the legacy he left behind; many of the records Dick had created during his Juniors career were broken by Masters. Records that the press had expected Jason to beat too. He had beat one, the free skate, but the rest had been left untouched. People had blabbered about it for weeks. Jason was still pretty salty about it, last Dick heard.
“I doubt that’s the whole story,” Bruce murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as Jason slowed down and started to do some sequences at the far end of the rink. That was one thing he’d always appreciated about teaching Jason- he never had to tell the boy to do his warm-up and stretches. Dick would always complain about it, even when he should have known better with his parents’ examples.
“Well there’s only one way to find out, right?” Dick remarked. When Bruce glanced back at him, Dick nodded towards Jason. “You ask him.”
Bruce pursed and looked back to Jason, watching the teen’s expression loosen, some of the tension fading from his shoulders. Finally, Jason was starting to get out of his own head and feel the ice, and connect with the skates on his feet. Bruce could already picture a song running through Jason’s head as the boy started doing the simpler parts of his short program. It was the same energy and passion that Bruce had first seen in Jason, all those years ago.
It’d been the whole reason Bruce had sponsored and coached the boy in the first place.
He just hoped it would last.
Danny slipped up. Again. This time he purposefully twisted his body to the side so that he’d land on his hip instead of his back. He still hit the ice hard, teeth gnashing together on impact, but at least his tailbone hadn’t been injured. Again.
“Again,” Vlad barked from the side of the rink. God, if Danny heard that word one more time he might actually lose it. He pushed himself into a sitting position, right on the cold, unforgiving ice, and tried not to flinch when his tailbone brushed against the ground. Gritting his teeth, Danny ripped his gloves off his hands, his frustration getting the better of him. “I said-”
“I heard you the first time,” Danny growled with a sneer as he pushed himself to his feet, carefully balancing his weight on the razor thin blades. “And it’s not happening today, alright?”
“And will it happen tomorrow? Or the day after that? Oh, or how about the day of your actual competition?” Vlad snapped right back at him. Danny rolled his eyes with a frustrated sigh as he skated up to the edge. Despite his yapping, Vlad had a pair of skate guards on hand and tossed them over without complaint. If only that were true about everything. Then again, Vlad would never talk if that was the case.
“I’m just tired, I’ll feel better once I get some sleep,” Danny insisted as he plopped himself down onto the penalty box’s waiting bench. He practically clawed at his laces, tugging them off his feet with little regard as Vlad loomed over him, hands on his hips like always. Standing like this he looked more like a disappointed mother and not the seething coach he truly was.
“You said that the other day which, need I remind you, a little rat managed to get a recording of,” Vlad reminded him for what felt like the millionth time. Danny sighed and let his head hang forward for once. Vlad already hadn’t been happy about the video being uploaded, much less going viral, but Danny’s continued failures and aborted attempts of that very same move definitely wasn’t improving relations between them.
Dropping his tone to a dangerously low level, Vlad began religiously drilling into him every single mistake he’d made up until that fall. “Your twizzles looked more like tornados, your edges were sloppy, doing nothing but tear up the ice, and if you under rotate one more time on your Axel, I’ll have no choice but to replace it with a Lutz, God forbid,” he sneered.
“I’m sorry, alright? I just can’t get out of my head. I’m terrified that if I mess up one more time, I’ll wrench my back for good.” Danny sighed exasperatedly, digging his fingers into his scalp, all while brushing back the sweat from his forehead in the process.
No matter what he did, no matter what he tried, in order to pull himself from that place in his mind where all he could do was watch himself hit the ice that day in practice, the thoughts and fears wouldn’t abate. They wouldn’t let him get through a full run of his program without at least one bailout.
Vlad chewed him out for nearly an hour last week after he bailed from his triple axel, turning it into a mere waltz jump.
“The physical therapist says you're in good health. They signed the paperwork and everything, clearing you for competition. Whatever this is Daniel, you need to figure it out.” Vlad grit through his teeth, likely trying his hardest not to chew into Danny literally this time. Danny didn’t need to look up to know Vlad was staring daggers into him at that very moment. “You’ve been off the ice for what, three minutes? That’s three minutes too long, get back out there and prove you deserve to be here.”
He really did wish he could be the perfect little skating machine he once was for Vlad, but after the accident it felt like nothing he did would ever live up to his expectations. Nothing he did would meet Russia’s expectations.
“Just give me a minute.” Danny breathed past the growing lump in his throat. Lifting his head and throwing his hair back in the process, he took a deep and steadying breath before opening his eyes and turning his head over his shoulder to finally meet Vlad’s searing gaze. He looked like the tomato from Veggie Tales. It would've been enough to make him laugh on a good day.
Too bad he hadn’t been having enough of those lately.
The red in Vlad’s face drained, if by a mere fraction, but it was enough for Danny to appreciate the minor respite. Pushing past the frustration and self doubt he felt within, Danny managed to stand and remove his guards without making a single snarky comment. Honestly, Vlad should be thankful. It took more self control than one would think.
Stepping back out onto the ice, Danny had one thought on his mind, waiting patiently in his starting position for Vlad to hit play on the music:
Danny realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed skating.
Ледяной принц [1] @Ледяной_принц1998
Ты можешь это сделать! [2]Just saw Daniel Masters leave the airport for Worlds in Montréal! He looked so serious 😳I am sure he will do very well this year!
Image Attached: [Still photo taken from afar. You can see the back of people’s heads on the bottom half of the photo, but they are blurred so that your eyes focus solely on the one person in the distance. It’s Daniel Masters, a face mask tugged beneath his chin. You can see the dark look in his eyes. He’s scowling ahead, and doesn’t bother looking at the crowd that’s cheering him on. You can barely see Vladimir Masters behind him, the one doesn’t look at the crowd either. He has a similarly angry expression on his face. They are surrounded by security officers. In the far distance, you can see more fans holding up signs, phones lifted to take pictures.]
фигурное катание на всю жизнь @Глаза_океана[3] replied to Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998
Он такой красивый, я никогда не видела такого красивого фигуриста, как он. Даже его хмурый взгляд такой привлекательный.[4] 😍
Screaming for Winter Olympics 20XX @счастье_на_льду[5] replied to Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998
Жаль, что он все еще американец. Он живет здесь так долго, что я думаю, мы заслуживаем того, чтобы поставить ему бабки.[6]
Jason glared down at his screen for what felt like the millionth time now, his blood boiling at the disregard and indifference to the crowds waving goodbye. Did Masters seriously not give a single shit? All those people had come just to see him off and he couldn’t even be bothered to wave at them? Maybe even offer a smile? But no, that would ruin his image as the perfect ‘Ice Prince’ of Russia.
What bullshit.
Jason scoffed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket before Bruce could confiscate it again. People had come to see him off too, fans that couldn’t attend the actual competition but still wanted to show their support. He wasn’t allowed to actually stop and talk to any of them, they were on a strict time table after all, but Jason appreciated each and every one of them. He tried to show that appreciation too, happily waving goodbye to everyone he managed to make eye contact with.
He had never been fond of the fanfare that such big competitions brought with them, but… the fans were a little different. After all, once upon a time, Jason had just been a fan too. Hopeful and bright-eyed and desperate to be a part of that world. But now he was here. He wanted to show a little support to all those other young boys and girls out there just looking for a chance, dreaming of standing right where Jason was now.
Jason wanted to prove that they could do it too.
Jason My Beloved <3 @fslifestyles retweeted Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998
I can’t believe people actually drool over this trash. He’s not even looking at the fans and people are practically falling head over heels for him. It’s disgusting. He doesn’t give a shit about any of you, why do you even bother to show up? He couldn’t bother for the past three years.
Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998 replied to Jason My Beloved <3 @fslifestyles
If you don’t like Masters, what are you even doing on my Twitter account? This place is not for you, you should have learned that from the moment you scrolled past my banner. I didn’t tag anything that would give you an excuse to be here. 1/?
Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998 replied to Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998
I have no interest in arguing with you over something so trivial when your nickname clearly states that you’ve made your choice and you don’t intend to change your mind. I know many of you ‘Jason Todd stans’ have always been very intimidated by Masters because these two skaters couldn’t compete together, but quite frankly that gives you no right to berate his behavior. 2/?
Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998 replied to Ледяной принц @Ледяной_принц1998
You are so stuck in your own little world you refuse to look outside of it and learn you are wrong. Well then, excuse my language, but I don’t give a fucking shit. 3/3
Video Attached: [A short, fourteen second clip taken from the airport. The camera follows Masters and the security guards walking through the airport, surrounded by crowds of cheering fans. There is a young mother on the other side of the barrier, holding up her toddler son who wears a child version of one of Masters’ old costumes. Daniel Masters steps away from his entourage to reach and hold the little boy’s outreached hand, smiling and saying something that is lost to the boisterous swell of noise that follows. His coach nudges him forward again, and Daniel Masters goes, but not before waving one last goodbye to the crowd before disappearing into the private waiting area.]