#sam o'connelly

[crxwes]

@collegetennisoriginstory my beloved

Yes I'm flirting with everyone, no I won't have problems why do you ask- 💥

[r100461]

Inzoi character studio is out and I tried to make RO (male version) from one of my favorite interactive fiction @collegetennisoriginstory

[collegetennisoriginstory]

SERIOUSLY, THE DOUBLES MATCH WAS JUST CHEF'S KISS!!! IT'S LITERALLY 4AM, I WAS JUST GOING TO REACH THE UPDATE AND THE KEEP PLAYING TOMORROW BUT IT WAS SOO GOOD I COULDN'T STOP.

I love that you added the option to wear Sam's jacket, specially since Finley's tiny so it just swallows her.

Also for some reason I made her extra salty towards her mom every time she's mentioned. And even though she's forgiven her father their relationship will never be the same because at some point she stopped expecting his presence.

AHHH!!!

Glad you liked the Sam jacket shenanigans, ever since I wrote that bit about Sam stealing MC's jacket, I knew there had to be a chance for a real swaparoo (with the team teasing MC about it).

Also salty MC re: their mom is absolutely 1000% valid and I can't wait to write mom scenes, though disclaimer that's at least 2398472 updates away, there's just so much ground to cover T.T

Loved the song, I feel like it really captures the mood of sleeplessly tossing and turning in bed (oh, Rayyan'd be so damned mad their losing their PRECIOUS ATHLETE'S SLEEP over something as stupid as L O V E. *makes strangled sound of frustration*) .

[allieebobo]

College Tennis: Origin Story

Demo | Characters | Dev log | Ko-fi

Tennis/Sports x Slice-of-life x College x Found-family x Coming-of-age x Coz

Experience the ups-and-downs of life as a freshman on the Cargill University varsity tennis team amongst a colorful cast of characters.

Compete in nail-biting singles and doubles matches, forge lifelong friendships, pursue budding romances and make a name for yourself, both on and off the tennis court.

Will the once-great Cargill Coyotes succeed in reclaiming the NCAA Div I championship title for the first time since the 90s? Will you come into your own as a promising young tennis star, primed for the professional leagues? Most importantly, how much are you willing to sacrifice in pursuit of these dreams?

Full character customisation

Customise your gender, height, build, personality, physical appearance, languages spoken, tennis style, dominant hand, and more!

Strike a balance between: tennis, keeping up a rich social life, and maintaining your grades

Nail-biting tennis matches

Every match is different! Play matches throughout the fall and spring seasons, leading up to the NCAO championships—that is, if you make the Cargill team.

Intricate tennis game mechanics: Factors such as your condition/energy, preparation for the match, opponent's play style, doubles partner chemistry, as well as your choices at key junctures of the match etc. will affect the outcome of the match!

Craft your own distinctive playing style and make a name for yourself on the tennis court

Hone your strength, agility, finesse, serve-and-volley skill, and endurance over the course of the game!

Romance four possible characters

Rayyan Afiq, the gruff, hot-headed no. 1 seed

Guillaume/Geneviève Lavigne, the sardonic international student on your floor

Tobin Harris, the warm, unflappable team captain

Sam O'Connelly, your nerdy and spirited high-school best friend

And forge lifelong friendships with many more...

Rayyan Afiq The rival

Gender: Follows the gender of your team Age: 20 Nationality/Ethnicity: Egyptian-American

Student information: Junior, Anthropology major Player information: Vice-captain, No. 1 position, Aggressive Baseliner

Appearance: 5′6 (f) or 5′10 (m). Lean, athletic build. Dark, wavy curls, and thick sweeping eyebrows over piercing dark-olive eyes. Tawny, honey-brown skin.

Description: Surly, intense, and proud. Ambitious and driven to excellence in everything they do. Willing to give up almost anything for their tennis career. Has a soft-spot for cats. Loves organising things, has a plan for everything, and dislikes surprises.

Tobin Harris The captain

Gender: Follows the gender of your team Age: 20 Nationality/Ethnicity: African-American

Student information: Junior, History major Player information: Captain, No. 2 position, All-court player

Appearance: 5′9 (f) or 6′1 (m). Tall, solid build. Short black hair, warm, brown eyes and a calm, assured demeanour. Dark bronze skin. A smile that lights up the room.

Description: Kind, laid-back, selfless, and sociable. Goes out of their way to make everyone feel welcome, but has a tendency to stuff down their own emotions in the process. Surprisingly private and cautious when it comes to their own desires/wishes. Gentle to a fault, steadfast and unflappable. If not playing tennis, probably can be found cooking, hanging out with friends, or going to the library.

Geneviève/Guillaume Lavigne The exchange student

Gender: Gender selectable (f/m) Age: 20 Nationality/Ethnicity: Half French (father's side), half French-Canadian (mother's side)

Student information: Third year exchange student, Political science bachelor’s degree. Hall-mate.

Appearance: 5′6 (f) or 5′11 (m). Toned, supple build. Dark, tousled hair with fair skin. Smoky grey eyes, with a smattering of freckles. Permanent half-smile.

Description: Rarely excited or enthusiastic, always armed with a dry remark. Slightly cynical, but softer than they look. Very intelligent, though they don't often let on what they're actually thinking or feeling. Rich (and intensely private) inner world.

Sam O'Connelly The childhood best friend

Gender: Gender selectable (f/m) Age: 18, Freshman Nationality/ethnicity: American

Student information: Freshman, Undecided major. Player information: No. 6 position for the UCLA Bruins

Appearance: 5′4 (f) or 5′8 (m). Trim build, with a small frame. Curly russet hair that often sticks out in all directions. Mischievous light blue eyes and an infectious smile.

Description: Excitable, with a chaotic positivity that radiates from them like sunshine. Fun-loving and scattered, and nerdy. Competent tennis player, but too often distracted by other hobbies and interests. Somehow manages to survive on a diet of Cheetos and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

More character descriptions here, face-claims here.

[collegetennisoriginstory]

SAM BROS WE’RE SO BACK

WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE BACK

ONE BED TROPE LETS GOOOO

HAHAHA this is adorable. I can imagine you screaming this while waving an O'Connelly banner.

But yeah I feel like the one bed problem is so real in college dorm life! I remember most of freshman/sophomore year was characterised by the dilemma of either being sleep deprived (squeezing into a twin bed) and happy or awake and... less happy.

Can totally imagine Sam saying something derpy like "I'd choose you over sleep any day".

Rayyan would absolutely not sacrifice athlete sleep for cuddles but the moment they do, it'd be a real declaration of love.

Tobin would logically know its a terrible idea and that they need their sleep, but the temptation of snuggles would be too strong.

G would initially have issues with staying the night for other reasons and eventually their issue would be: "you sleep too damn early!"

[collegetennisoriginstory]

OSHSUSH HELP IVE BEEN THINKING SAM WAS BLONDE FOR MONTHS AND GOT IMMEDIATELY WHIPLASH WHEN I READ "RED-HEAD" IN THE NEW UPDATE KSBSJDHD!!?! MY LIFE IS A LIEEEEEE

Ooohhh I think it's because Sam (very early on into the game) was blonde, so you might be remembering that!!

I decided redhead kinda fit better and O'Connelly has been a redhead since! :)))

[collegetennisoriginstory]

actually had a dream about sam last night... like it felt so real... allie what have you done to me? like i need you to tell me what kind of magic did you put on o'connelly bc this is getting serious now

this is feral sam anon again btw but I think you already know hehehe

HAHAHA ~~it's in the water~~

Honestly that's so funny and I'm so honored that Sam O'Connelly made it to your dreams.

Feral Sam anon, you'll forever be in my thoughts when I write Sam scenes.

[collegetennisoriginstory]

hi???? um?? can i just say that i am so in love with sam o'connelly???? why are they so... SO...!!! their pov scene and literally every call scene with them got me giggling and kicking my feet in the air!! i've always been weak to childhood friends to lovers and i'm just...!!! literally daydreaming about them

HEHEHEHE. THATS SO GOOD TO HEAR. I have more POV scenes to show off in the next update!! (Sam, Rayyan and Tobin are in the works)

[collegetennisoriginstory]

i love all of the characters names. how do u go about naming them?

Ah! I love this question. Haha I actually have a pretty long name-selection process (I guess 'cause I feel like names are such a big part of a character) so—definitely happy to share it.

I start with gender-neutral names (because as y'all know I like the idea of gender-selectable ROs), and I search specifically for names based on language/culture.

Then I just went with... mouth-feel/vibes.

Like, Tobin Harris felt strong, solid (thanks to the hard T and N beginning and end) and yet a little soft too, with the rounded "O" and similarity to Robin (reminiscent of a small bird). So yeah, it felt perfect for a character that I imagined to be a bit like an oak tree—calm and assured but also gentle. "Harris" because I really felt like the "A" sound and "S" sound were delightful and balanced 'Tobin' out.

Rayyan Afiq felt strong in a "hard", fiery, 'defined edges' sort of way, maybe it's the double "A" vowels in Rayyan, and the finality of the Q in Afiq? I also liked the symmetry of the double Y's because somehow it kinda adds a kind of willow-y, enigmatic, lingering/echoey dimension to the hardness of the name too. And I thought Afiq went well 'cause it's punchy.

Sam O'Connelly—I thought Sam was just... so fitting in that it's cute and simple and idk, my mental image for Sams (both male and female) match my idea of the character perfectly. I know Sams of both genders (in real life) and they're both funny and silly and big-hearted and goofy. O'Connelly because I thought the name needed musical/lyrical/lilting component too, and also I definitely imagine Sam being of Irish American descent.

Guillaume/Geneviève Lavigne—For G, I just had to go with different names for the f! and m! version because European/romance languages are so gendered that it just felt weird to try to find a gender-neutral name. Geneviève came first, because it just felt perfect—flowy and just rolls off the tongue with a bit of mystique? So then I tried to find a m! name that gave the same vibes. Guillaume had good mouth-feels. As for Lavigne, I looked through a long list of French last names, waffled a lot, and eventually settled on something that I felt matched well and sounded good.

[collegetennisoriginstory]

Spoilery ask #2 pt. 2. (Contains big spoilers for the early release chapter).

HAHAHA if you did go ahead pursue Tobin this update you might see that it's not all comfort and sunshine hehe 😅

And yes, the thought that Sam HAS seen MC play Rayyan in that extremely charged match years ago is a thought I can't get outta my head. The things that come back and bite Sam O'Connelly in the butt, man. Pining bestie gets no lucky breaks💀💀

Soo pumped you enjoyed the update!! Hope you get some good sleep!!! 😴

[collegetennisoriginstory]

Hey Allie! The update was AMAZING you nailed it again!

I'm doing a Rayyan main playthrough first this time around, but I have been flirting with the other ROs too and reading Sam's POV when they were about to leave to visit MC, all determined to tell them how they feel kinda made me go 'OH NO' for the eventual inevitable car crash that is pining!Sam meeting romanced&kissed!Rayyan 🙈 like just imagining Sam watching MC being head over heels in love with their new rival-turned-teammate/partner hurts!!! But also imagining Rayyan watching MC being all touchy and lingering glances and inside jokes with Sam is also.... exciting???

Tobin is definitely gonna be there I wonder how they'll interact. Will G attend the game too??? This is gonna be so messy!

Anyways so, on a scale of 1 to 10 how awkward or how messy is it gonna be in the long run for MCs who romanced all of them lmao 🙃 how hurt is sam gonna be???

Ahhh thank you!! 😊 😊 Glad you enjoyed the update!!

Many ROs gonna be suspicious at that match on Friday 🤨 haha yes G will attend the game.

I think Tobin is actually a pretty chill person, and more likely to step back than step on the gas pedal and ramp things up the moment they see they have competitors. I mighttt do small POV scenes for ROs next update but... not sure if that would spoil the fun! We shall see :) But yeah, juicy!

And as for the messy question: the longer you keep flirting with each RO, the more messy it's gonna get with each of them. If you exit some routes earlier, might help subtract some of the mess.

Finally, how hurt is Sam gonna be? Well, not hurt. But hella sad. Sad O'Connelly. (But more kicking themselves for not acting sooner).

Aight, I'll leave it at that to avoid any more spoilers :) Thanks for the ask and for playing :)