#love how he completely doesnt answer the question about cole not being by his side lol

[croszukis]

doing some suzufield archiving work

nick's media after cole's season ending injury announcement — january 21, 2023

transcript:

Probably not a big surprise for you all guys here, but for us and the fans it is a shock. What did you know about Cole's situation?

Obviously knew quite a bit. It's been kind of an ongoing injury that he's been battling through trying to play and just decided that it was best to shut him down and get him ready for next year. Obviously it's tough for Cole, feel for him, he wants to be here and play. He's a bit upset, but I think it'll be best for his future and the next year for sure.

Why is it today that his season is over, why not a few days ago?

It's been in the works. I know he's been talking with Kent [Hughes] and his agent, stuff like that. It's been an ongoing discussion, when to do it, when not to do it. It was decided, I think, yesterday or this morning.

How do you view your own end of season not having Cole by your side?

Everyone's just gotta keep going. Obviously he's an important player for us and a big piece in the locker room and on the ice. Everyone's gonna have to step up and try to add some of Cole's enthusiasm and energy and what he brings to the rink every day. Try to do business as usual, also try to keep Cole's spirits high. He's got a bright future ahead of him and just a bump in the road for him right now.

Nick, in your time you've seen tough injuries to players like Price and Weber, where they played and admitted afterwards that playing was not necessarily the best thing for their future, whatever it is. Do you guys have to consider that more as players now when you have an injury, to kind of listen to the voice in your head that's saying maybe it's not the best thing to be playing through this?

Yeah, I think hockey players are known for playing through injuries, we're pretty tough when it comes to playing the game banged up. Cole's been dealing with it for a while now so he's been playing through it and showing how tough he is. I think definitely at some point, focusing on his future, he's so young. Carey and Webby were probably in a bit different situation, but for Cole he's got many years ahead of him. So I think better to take care of it now.

How would you handle that, if you suffered an injury that you think you could play though, but that could be something that requires surgery? Would you have what it takes to pull yourself in that situation?

Yeah, it's a tough call. I was talking to Cole already about it, he wants to be here, he wants to play. It's just, there's a bigger picture from a lot of different sides that are pulling him in a different direction. Obviously, everybody wants to be able to play and compete with their guys. Just, tough situation for everybody, losing Cole for the season.

Especially for the type of player he is, his shot is his bread and butter, his hands are his bread and butter too. Was it more important because of that, to have him at 100% because of what kind of player he is?

Obviously his shoulders are pretty important. For him to come back next year and be fully healthy, I know a few of my friends have done the surgery and it's a bit of a process to go through recovery, so just doing it now will give him a lot more time and don't have to rush it near the end of the season to try to get ready for the next season.

Are you conflicted between being a supportive, good friend, the captain, and losing your main right winger?

It's definitely a tough question, but you know, I wanna take— everything that I've given to Cole for advice is just as a friend. I think honestly this will probably be the best decision for him and his future and our future as a team.

I feel like everyone knows the kind of position we're in right now, with all these guys out, low in the standings, it's kinda almost like last year we had a bunch of fluke injuries. It's just important for our future and the team's success in the future, to have Cole ready to go for next year.

Nick, you've been saying it's going to be business as usual, it might be a cliche but is he the type of player that you simply cannot replace?

Yeah, I mean there's not many guys like Cole in the league. His energy that he brings every morning his love of the game kind of rubs off on everybody in the room. Just us, to lose a guy like that, it's tough for me and the guys, but I know he'll want us to keep going out there and competing every night and try to win as many games as we can.

[lavellane]

DRAGON AGE QUESTIONS

tagged by: @nordxz​ thanks so much !!! *heart emoji* 

favourite game of the series?

origins! although inquisition is very close as well.  inquisition was my favourite for a very time, but like midway through last year i replayed origins and it just felt.....so good. i really struggled with enjoying dao because of the clunky fighting system but an amazing mutual introduced me to a mod that lets u skip fights basically lol, so i was just able to focus on the story/characters/exploration of the game, which just....made me realize how immensely beautiful the game actually is, and i fell in love all over again aaaaa

how did you discover dragon age?

i was a huge mass effect fan ! mass effect was the game that motivated me to make this blog, actually, and obviously through following people i saw a lot of posts from the da community as well. so i bought origins and inquisition (i had NO idea there was a da2 until half way through awakening lmao) and tried to play origins but HATED it gtrhutgrhugtr and then eventually gave it another try like a month later and completely loved it and now here we are

how many times you’ve played the games?

not as many times as some people on here have - i would say origins maybe four times, da2 maybe twice, inquisition three times. but that also doesnt count all the timesw ive created new games and then abandoned them lol bc theres too many to count 

favourite race to play as?

love me some elf booty ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

favourite class?

at first it was rogue dual wielder ! i played as a rogue in every single first-time playthrough and idk i felt that class has always been the easiest/most op. but in the last maybe 2 years it’s changed to mage. ive always been super intimidated by magic classes in every game i play but i LOVE inquisition’s mage classes/specializations and i can never go back now

do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

im so so so bad and i usually end up making very similar choices, but usually bc i just......replay the same characters every time hgtuhgtruhgtrui. i REALLY need to make more da ocs to explore more choices but....i dont want to lol i already have to many. i still havent sided with the templars in a playthrough like i just cant do it 

go-to adventuring group?

i always bring my characters love interest with them no matter what, just bc its cute, but usually i try to evenly cycle the other characters around that. i always try to have a warrior/rogue/mage in every party. but sometimes i’ll go warrior/warrior/mage/mage especially if i need to focus on straight damage and a LOT of healing lol

my favourite parties would probably be:

dao - alistair + zevran + wynne (wholesome and also funny)

da2 - anders + fenris + merrill (SO much chaotic energy)

dai - solas + cassandra + cole (i just love them ok)

which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

ashara lavellan, my canon inquisitor who was never supposed to be canon tghtgurhtrg. my original canon inq was a trevelyan rogue, who was super nice and good. i made ashara so that i could actually play as an evil/mean character without feeling bad lol, oh and i also wanted to see what the deal with solas was bc i had heard his romance was good ;;;;) anyway that backfired and i ended up completely falling in love with her, and i STILL couldnt make the tough choices with her so i was like ok maybe she isnt THAT evil and now shes just..... the way she is now i guess lmao

favourite romance?

trhhtruih okay u guys KNOW its solas. u know. i dont even have to say anythiing about it bc...u fucking know

(alistair’s is very close tho)

have you read any of the comics/books?

i havent :(((( im such a bad fan but i cannot deal with ordering online and thats the only place ive been able to find them. im planning on reading asunder and the masked empire as soon as i get the chance (and the money) tho !!

if you read them, which was your favourite book?

nope

favourite DLCs?

trespasser ! its pretty simple and very plot-driven like u didnt have to worry about side missions as much as u would with other dlcs so idk that was... refreshing. but obviously i loved it just bc it was so beautiful and intense and sad (since my chara romanced solas obviously) and that music score????? unbelievable i’ll never be over it

things that annoy you.

can i say the fandom trghuitgrhutrhui

mostly the thing that pisses me off the most is the grey morality. writers trying to make everything deep and Thought Provoking like..... no jerry, slavery IS bad theres no alternative viewpoint lol??????? also the fucking whitewashing makes me see red. 

orlais or ferelden?

ferelden!!!!! (*blows a kiss* for highever)

templars or mages?

mages <3 

if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

i only have like 3 protag da characters and they’re all canon, although emeraude is an au. so ella is my canon warden and ashara is my canon inquisitor, but emeraude does exist in that universe, bc i hc she befriended the warden and alistair when they visited the alienage, and she was very outspokenly angry and didn’t really give a shit that alistair was going to be heir. which alistair really,,, appreciated i guess? so emeraude is made his official elven adviser after his coronation but she also kinda helps out as a royal protector because she’s one of the only people in court they both trust completely lol. also she is....stronk. 

and the only other characters i have for da are obviously side characters who are related to my canon protags so. they’re all canon as well lol

what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

ella named her dog ser bark gthutgrhutghruihtr she thought it was cute ok

emeraude just went with barkspawn since alistair came up with the idea as a joke but she thought the joke was so bad she made them keep it as punishment vjhuightui

i dont really have a hawke oc but.....he named his dog shepard in my playthrough ! like from mass effect ;;;;)))

have you installed any mods?

origins is modded to hell and back and i genuinely couldn’t play the game without mods at this point. inquisition is slightly modded but im in the process of removing them all, and only keeping a few because my game runs pretty terribly with them installed 

did your warden want to become a grey warden?

ella did ! but it was kind of,, a naive childhood dream, she had a really romanticized view of the wardens and she wanted a life of excitement and bravery and adventure, not really taking into consider all the bad things about it (and obviously not knowing the full truth about what it means to be a warden)

emeraude did NOT want to be a warden. she basically had to be dragged out of the alienage because she wanted to stay and protect her community. she never really enjoyed being a warden, although her friendship with alistair was its one redeeming quality 

hawke’s personality?

uh i cant remember the colour/personality thing but he was a combo of funny/ethical. mostly there for memes tho. 

did you make matching armor for your companions in inquisition?

for origins i do ! i always make sure alistair and ella wear the grey warden armour, as well as every warden in awakening. thats like, all theyre allowed to wear lmao.

if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

ella would obviously change her family’s murder lol, and emeraude would at least try and change what happened at her wedding, to prevent shianni and the others from being hurt. 

ashara would change romancing solas :((( she was so angry at herself after discovering who he was, and she felt weak and foolish which she HATES more than any other feeling, so she definitely wishes she had never met him for a long time. after she kind of processes it though, and learns to deal with her anger, her answer would be that she wishes she had saved the chargers. it’s the one move she made that actually keeps her up at night sometimes. 

do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

ghuitrhuigtrhugtr so many. canon? dont know her. 

the biggest example would be that i hc king!alistair was at the winter palace during the wicked hearts level. because uh..... celene and the fereldan monarchs had been corrosponding for over 10 years, trying to build up rapport, of COURSE the king would be there to see who the potential ruler/s of orlais would be and whether or not he ought to be worried. like. im sorry but alistair was there lol you can’t change my mind. i also hc he helps ashara with information about the grey wardens during this chapter, because ???? it just makes sense??? im so angry i wish this was canon

are any of your characters based on someone?

ok it was unintentional but ashara reminds me of an english teacher i had in highschool who was very scary but also....really cool and i loved her. it was an accident but,, still counts. 

who did you leave in the fade?

gtiturghtugh okay at the risk of pissing off EVERYBODY who reads this, i left hawke in the fade, even though it was a toss up between hawke and stroud. it was ashara’s fault tho !!! she would have 100% prioritzed an alliance with the grey wardens over like,, some guy. it broke my heart but yeah That happened. 

favourite mount?

i like all the elk mounts mostly ! but i never use them bc they sound ugly af

tagging : @trvelyans​ @f3nharel​ @allisondraste​ @ensevens​ @tethraas​ @talizorah​ @fereldun​ if u are up to it <3 and whoever else wants to do this !