( WOLFGANG NOVOGRATZ, 24, HE / HIM ) i heard the trees whispering about NICO ASHWOOD the other day. they said the bison falls NATIVE has lived here THEIR ENTIRE LIFE, and that while they might only be a NHL GOALIE, they also COMMUNICATE & HAVE MEMORY TOUCH WITH BUILDINGS. if you saw them, they would remind you of FROST ON LEAVES JUST CHANGING COLOR, 6 AM RUNS, THE SMELL OF HOMEBREWED COFFEE, & ICE SHAVINGS ON FRESHLY ZAMBONIED ICE. ( ollie, 21, est, they/them )
CHILDHOOD : nico was born and raised in bison falls to a comfortable life --- two working middle class parents who never struggled to make ends meet but also never lived in the great opulence of some of the mansioned bison falls streets. his childhood was honestly quite uneventful ; his relationship with his parents positive with the usual bumps that come with growing up. his mom is a high school teacher and his father is a mechanical engineer who works locally for like some car tech company. he went to a well-known private catholic all boys school.
COLLEGE : nico went to quinnipiac on an athletic scholarship to play hockey. he, to the surprise of his peers, studied civil engineering with a structural concentration while he was there. he was uncertain as to his future in pro-hockey --- goalies take a notably long time to develop and he’d wanted the insurance just in case. he finished out his degree. part of him still harbors a dream to have a hand in designing for an nhl arena. he was also in a fraternity for his final three years.
HOCKEY : hockey is a huge part of nico’s life ( obviously ) and always had been. he gravitated towards being a goalie at a pretty young age because of the responsibility that comes with the position and the control it affords him. he did a brief one-season stint when he was eleven at forward, and maintains that the different perspective made him a better goalie despite the fact he remembers little from it now. he was the starting goalie for quinnipiac his junior and senior years ( practically dragging them through playoffs his final year ), and allegedly considered for co-captaincy his senior year though it was ultimately given to someone else due to his position.
DEVELOPMENT : after quinnipiac, nico realized a dream and signed a contract with his childhood team, the bison falls griffins. he’d attended development camp there the summer before, but had assumed it was little more than a cup of coffee for a longtime fan. but the organization obviously saw more in him in his senior year. he spent two years with the griffins’ ahl affiliate the rennington ravens. his third season with the ravens, he was called up unexpectedly when injuries plagued the griffins’ goalies. he then played so well that he remained with the big club the rest of the season ( this past one ). there was an unexpected jump in his development, and he hopes with work he can make the team out of training camp in september.
QUIRKS : he definitely lives up to the whole “goalies are weird” thing. his nickname is still up for debate, but he’s “ashwall” on pretty much all social media. he thinks he’s being clever and funny. he’s the type to kiss the net posts after pucks go off them in game, and likes to spray water from his waterbottle and watch the droplets fall -- it calms him down. he uses bauer and only bauer. his number is #35 for no particular reason.
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS : though nico spent a few weeks in the team hotel on his call up, he is no longer there. he also didn’t want to sign a lease in case that jinxed his chances in september with the team ( #Superstition ). though technically he could move back into his parents’ home, he has no desire to. luckily, an old friend in robin holt offered him her spare room. he has gladly taken it for at least the rest of the summer -- after that, who knows.
PERSONALITY : nico is extremely laidback and it takes a lot to phase him. it helps him keep cool in games and bounce back quickly when he does let in goals. he likes to have fun a lot, on and off the ice. it’s like he has a switch in his brain that has him going from goofy to serious in a snap. however, he is also EXTREMELY superstitious and one thing he does not fuck around with is his pre-game routine – it remains the same every single game. do not mess it up ; you’ll regret it.
MISC PERSONALITY REFERENCES : nico goaltending as a kid ; definitely nico at some point probably not that long ago...
APPEARANCE: 6′3″ with a solid athletic build. surprisingly flexible and is capable of doing a full split ( comes in handy in the crease… ). he typically wears t-shirts ( from various hockey tournaments, running races, any event with a free t-shirt tbh ), athletic shorts or sweatpants, and sliders. he doesn’t wear a hoodie or jacket until it’s at least below 40 and maybe not even then.
HABITS: he is very much a morning person and enjoys going for early morning runs to start his day -- after sun salutations. he’s almost always the first person up wherever he’s staying ( though robin is rivaling that rn ), and will make coffee for anyone who may be headed out. he does love a good party though and can & will stay up all night. that was moreso in college than now, but hey... he naps A LOT. he can and will sleep pretty much anywhere. at quinnipiac one of this brothers probably started an instagram of him knocked out in random ass places. for all his height and lanky limbs, nico takes up as little space as possible when he sleeps ; typically curled up in a ball on his side. it’s RARE that he sprawls out completely. there’s no real reason for this, but maybe it makes him feel safer. he has a hard time paying attention if he’s just sitting somewhere, so he’s very prone to doodling. he keeps a notebook on him at all times for this purpose, and often can be found sketching something in it before games as part of his pregame ritual.
HIS ABILITY : nico has the ability to communicate with buildings and in some cases, glean snatches of memory from them with touch. it was something his grandmother in his mother’s side had, but not his mother. it’s hard for him to explain, because buildings are not quite SENTIENT in the way humans are, but they have thoughts and observations. it’s like a VIBE he gets. ( if this is confusing... which fair... pls just read this that i wrote which was lowkey the inspo for bison falls lmaooo )
CONNECTIONS :
since he’s from bison falls... like anything ?? i like working off chem and vibes so i’ll be reaching out to you guys personally after i read ur intros. i’ll be starting a connections page soon to keep track of everything.
OOC :
heyo, my dudes. i’ll ollie && i am also your admin !!! sorry this wasn’t ready to go right from the drop, but i’m super excited to get things going. bison falls has been in the works for over a year now and i can’t wait to see where it goes !!
