#dare I say it he is my favorite retired tennis player | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

enviedear · 4 years

Text

that damn american ᶠᶦᵛᵉ

don’t exploit our friendship

DESCRIPTION ⌙ in which y/n and draco go on a ‘date’, meet harry potter, and come to conclusions in the owlery.

PAIRING ⌙ draco x fem!reader

WORD COUNT ⌙ 3k

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five

gonna rec golden hour - kacey musgraves , teenage fantasy - jorja smith and playing games - summer walker for this chapter ;)

“i’m not taking her to madame puddifoot’s.” blaise sighs, exasperated.

“why? i’m sure april would love that tacky shop.” draco snickers, earning a jab from you.

april, who’s far ahead of you all, is making her way for the joke shop. she said something about how she and blaise are going to be pranking quinn. you suppose it’s only fair for what he did to her in fourth year.

the air is cooler now, and the four of you are all clad in warmer garments. the boys sporting slytherin quidditch sweaters and draco wearing a black turtleneck underneath. while april looks straight out of a damn brandy melville ad with her thunderbird sweatshirt tucked into her tennis skirt.

you on the other hand decided it best to wear a simple green tank with a loose cropped cardigan with mom jeans.

you’re now regretting the decision as your upper body is becoming unbearably chilly.

“blaise, look! i got some hiccoughing candy. i think we could give him one after breakfast tomorrow.” april laughs.

draco groans from the bench the two of you are sat on, playing with the silver rings on his fingers.

“this is bloody demeaning.” the boy complains.

“you know, you could be third wheeling. at least i’m here, and i could always leave you here. alone.” you huff.

draco narrows his eyes at you, “if you dare try, i’ll make sure you never get back to america. i refuse to be alone with these two lovesick idiots.”

“jesus someone is in a mood.” you snort, ruffling his perfectly done hair.

“shut it l/n.”

blaise and april walk into tomes and scrolls, leaving you and draco outside.

“screw this, come on, let’s go to gladrags. i want a jacket.” you say, hopping off the bench.

draco gets up, “damn americans and never dressing for the weather.”

“i think that’s more of a me thing.” you retort, heading into the shop.

as you take a look around you find a small section full of coats, sweaters, jackets, and sweatshirts.

“you know these are ridiculously overpriced, right?” draco scoffs.

“well i’m cold draco. and like my mother always says, ‘a fashionable witch always dresses in which she is comfortable’.” you say, reciting a line from one of your mother’s books.

she’s a popular fashion designer, and never let you or quinn forget it.

“excuse me, is your mother, the eliza l/n?” draco gasps.

you nod, a little confused as to how the boy knows her.

“hold on. you’re the daughter of one of american’s best designers and you never thought to tell me? what’s next? is your father the bloody president.”

you laugh, “no, but he is a retired quadpot player for the new york nogtails. you seriously didn’t know? my parents are the wizarding equivalent to victoria and david beckham.”

draco looks bewildered, “this whole time you’ve had prestige, and i didn’t even know? oh, just wait until i owl mother and tell her i’m friends with her favorite designers daughter.”

“don’t exploit our friendship, you fucker.” you say, slapping his shoulder.

he rubs his side and glares at you, “you were the one that begged me to be your friend. at least let me reap the benefits.”

“i’m starting to regret my decision, you’re a shit friend.” you tease.

draco lets out an exaggerated sigh, “fine, i was going to give you my sweater so you wouldn’t have to buy one, but since i’m such a shit friend.. nevermind.”

“i was kidding bitch. hand over the sweater!” you order.

he rolls his grey eyes and slips the garment off, exposing his tight fitted black turtleneck. it’s a sight to behold, honestly. it makes your mind slip into visions of the two of you actually together and on a date.

“well take it, and come on. i want a butterbeer.” he says, snapping you out of your daydream.

you put the sweater on and trail behind your friend. when the two of you enter the three broomsticks, draco immediately scowls.

“what’s the matter?” you ask.

“stupid potter. he’s sitting in my spot.” draco huffs.

“just sit somewhere else, you big baby.”

draco looks annoyed but complies, sitting beside you at a nearby booth.

you want to question why he’s not sitting on the opposite side, but ignore it. you like being this close to him.

“why do you hate harry?” you ask instead.

“he’s a brat. he thinks he so special because he killed a dark wizard when he was a baby. and his stupid parents are always at family events because of my bloody cousin, sirius. they’re the strangest people.” he tells.

“ah, how annoying. the boy saved the world in infancy.” you deadpan.

draco waves you off, “okay, i get it. but he is annoying.”

you laugh as a waitress comes over to take your order.

“two butterbeers.” draco tells her, handing her money.

as she walks away you give him a look, “i could have paid.”

“the guy always pays for the first date, y/n.” draco rolls his eyes, before adding, “not that this is a date. i wouldn’t take you to the three broomsticks.”

you smile, a little shy, “i wouldn’t mind sharing a first date here.”

“then potter is your soulmate. he takes ginny here every date they go on. honestly i don’t know how does he has a girlfriend and i don’t. the irony” he pouts.

you glower at him.

the waitress comes back with your drinks, and draco watches you expectantly. you roll your eyes and take a sip.

“oh shit this is good.” you gasp.

“told you.” he says, smug.

the two of you continue talking and drinking your butterbeers for a few more minutes before april and blaise make their way into the shop.

“look at this pretty necklace blaise got me! oh, and i got momma to mail me my old phone for him to use. he’s with the times now!” april beams, rushing into the booth.

blaise trails behind her, looking very confused by the cellphone in his hands.

“well hello you two. i’m glad you’re enjoying your date.” you smile.

blaise looks up at you, “seems like you’re enjoying yours as well.”

“draco and i are not on a date.” you say, glancing at the boy beside you.

“well we just thought you were since you’re wearing his sweater and sitting in the same bench. couple behavior if you ask me.” april shrugs.

“why do you people think i would take someone on a first date here. i’m far too good for that.” draco sighs.

april laughs and gives blaise a knowing look.

you don’t like that. it makes you narrow your eyes at the two of them, but they continue giggling.

“draco! i’m glad i caught you,” a voice calls.

you look up to see harry potter, followed by a redhead.

“are you coming over to sirius’ for christmas?” harry asks, resting against the booth.

“of course potter. he’s my family.” draco grunts.

“i was just making sure,” harry retorts. he looks at you, “are you bringing your girlfriend? sirius asked.”

draco coughs, “excuse me?”

harry smiles, “y/n, your girlfriend. snape owled my mum about it and dad told sirius. don’t worry, he’s letting you surprise your parents. he just wanted to know if she’d be with us this year.”

draco is fuming as he stares at harry. it’s quite enjoyable.

you grin, “actually, i’m going to be with my parents this christmas. but i don’t see why i couldn’t portkey here. i’d love to tag along.”

draco glares at you, “we are not-”

“great! i’ll owl sirius. come on ginny.” the brown haired boy gleams, walking away.

draco’s still glaring, “you’re dead. i’m going to hex you until you can’t remember your name.”

“oh come on. it was a joke. plus it’d be fun to have christmas with me. can’t you imagine it?” you say, nudging his arm.

“but explaining to my mum that we’re not dating is going to be a hassle. and you’re going to have to meet my crazy aunt bella.” draco groans, rubbing his eyes.

“to be fair, his aunt is mad. but think about it draco, what’s the worst that can happen? y/n would be a great addition to your family, even if it is just as a friend.” blaise says.

“just as a friend my ass.” april whispers.

draco rolls his eyes but gives you all a smile, “i hate everything about this.”

blaise narrows his eyes before smirking, “sure mate.”

once it was time to go back to the castle you told everyone you needed to head to the owlery first to pick up a package your parents had sent you. draco offered to come along and you let him, obviously.

you liked being alone with him.

by the time you get to the tower, it’s deserted, save for you and draco.

“you’re such a menace.” draco speaks, breaking your focus from your letters.

“big word for such a baby of a man.” you tease.

“shut up. i’m being serious. i know the minute i tell everyone you’re not my girlfriend, potter and his friends are going to have a field day.” draco says.

“harry doesn’t seem so mean. i follow him on instagram. he’s always so nice online.” you retort.

“you’ll see. he’s going to be a prat come christmas.” draco sighs, leaning against the wall.

you huff, “stop being so dramatic. if you want i can always just say i’m your girlfriend.”

draco gets off the wall and comes over to you, “you’re serious?”

you laugh, “yeah, i mean, everyone’s right. be basically act like a couple already. we’re really close for friends.”

“i guess..” he trails off, looking away from you.

you bite your lip and examine him. his pretty blond hair, pink lips, flushed face, and perfect posture. of course you wouldn’t mind pretending to be his girlfriend. you love him.

everything about him. you love the way his face contorts into a scowl after any inconvenience. you love how he looks at you when he sees someone doing something stupid. you love how he always has something for the two of you to do. and you love how he shows you the real him.

“but maybe it could be like a trial run.” he mutters, finally looking at you.

“what?” you breathe, voice catching in your throat.

“i mean, it would be stupid to not try. you’re my best friend y/n. i think we could, uh, work together.”

“are you saying you have a crush on me?”

“merlin. this is not as easy as i thought it was. of course i fancy you l/n. why else would i act like an utter buffoon?” he sighs.

you snort, “you act like buffoon even without me present, dickwad.”

“i’m trying to have a romantic conversation.”

“right, sorry,” you grin. “i would love to try to be your girlfriend.”

draco nods, “good. i mean, thank you?”

“come on, you can’t freeze up now. i definitely didn’t sign up for a shy boyfriend.”

he quirks up his eyebrow, “that you didn’t.”

the words and his gaze make your knees weak. and in an instant, draco’s lips are on yours. the wind outside is loud, but as you kiss him, you can’t hear a thing. your sense of smell is attacked with his cinnamon vanilla cologne. the boy is like one of the high end stores your mom shops at in the winter.

and his lips, his pretty full lips. the way they move with yours reminds you of something you’ve always needed but never knew. his hands take hold of your face and he brings the kiss deeper. the two of you oblivious to the world around you.

when you finally pull away, a smirk takes over his face.

“you have no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that.” he says, satisfied.

“come on, we’ve got to get back to the common room. we have classes in the morning.” you grin, grabbing your letters.

“please, the minute i get to the common room i’m kicking everyone out of my dorm and sneaking you in.” he states.

you look at him, shocked. silently thinking.

“stop staring at me like that. you can speak.”

glaring you say, “we’re going to have to tell everyone.”

draco groans, “maybe we should just wait until tomorrow.”

you nod, “tomorrow.”

#—myfics !#draco lucius malfoy #Draco Malfoy #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy one shot #draco fanfiction #draco x y/n #draco x reader #draco x you #draco x female reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x slytherin #draco malfoy x american! reader #draco x ilvernmorny! reader #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy x you #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #hogwarts

103 notes · View notes

belairresident55-blog · 7 years

Text

season 1 episode 2

Today, sir, l thought we might begin the day with an aspirin preventative medicine being so much the mode. lt's too late, Geoffrey. l already have a headache just anticipating that infernal hammering at the office. l thought the workmen were supposed be done by yesterday. Shockingly enough, Vivian, they're behind schedule. Dad, it's so obvious. lf all that hammering is bothering you, just tell them to quit it. l don't even want to talk about it. These are the only moments of peace and quiet l'll have all day. Another aspirin, sir? Perhaps a gun. What the devil is he doing up there? I Got The Power by Snap. Snap is a great band. When Crackle and Pop cut a disc, then call me. -What's so funny? -Carlton told a joke. No, Hilary. Carlton is a joke. Mommy, who's gonna take me to my tennis lesson after school today? Are you sure it's tennis today? Maybe you'd better check your schedule. Schedule? My parents bought me this calendar so l could keep my lessons straight. Didn't you have a schedule for after school at my age? Yeah, the TV Guide. See, Monday is for ballet, Tuesday is riding, Wednesday is violin. l thought today was violin, sweetie pie. You mean Ashley would have shown up for her violin lesson in her tennis outfit? l just pictured it. l'm two for two. l'm going to quit while l'm ahead. May l suggest retirement? Keep them coming, Will. So, Mommy, who's going to drive me? There's a growing pollution problem in this city, and l will not contribute to it. l absolutely refuse to drive anybody anywhere until a responsible car pool is organized. But, Hilary, Ashley is in a car pool. l just don't want to do it, okay? l have an idea. Will, you don't have any chores this afternoon. You can drive Ashley. Word up. Kick over the keys to the Jag. -The Benzito? -The station wagon. Come on, you're gonna ruin my rep. You're only 17. You don't have a rep yet. You'll drive her to her class, wait for her there, and bring her home. Come on, l got to sit through a hour of them scratchy violins? You might learn something. The same thing l learned from banging my head against a pole: Don't do it again. This is your new job. Wednesdays you are Ashley's driver. Understood? Yes'm. l'll be more than happy to drive you to the Piggly Wiggly, Miss Daisy. l'm sorry. Ladies, hold it. Wait a minute. Let's try something different. Everybody just repeat after me, okay? Come, girls! You are late. Now let's begin with the piece you were to memorize from Stravinsky's VioIin Concerto in D minor. And remember, you are playing this for a woman who was the great Stravinsky's lover. One, two, three, four. Faster! Stop! You, there. What you do here? l'm Ashley's cousin. l was just waiting to drive her home. You make me kind of nervous with that stick, lady. You dare to read while great Stravinsky is played? l wasn't as tight with the man as you were. Do not attempt to make joke with me. l was lover of both Laurel and Hardy. Guess that look really works for you then. Hey, Ash, that was decent to listen to that kind of music without having to see Freddy Krueger kill somebody. -l'm glad somebody enjoys it. -What, don't you? Not yet, but when l'm older, it will be very useful to me. No, wait. That's tennis. -Who told you that? -My dad. Just because your dad likes something, doesn't mean you have to like it. He likes being a lawyer. You don't have to be a lawyer. l am going to be a lawyer. Ash, the world does not need another Philip Banks. We might not have enough farmland to support the one we have. No, the world needs an Ashley Banks. Girls, you must remember to practice more, no? Violin is very jealous, much like the sexy Toscanini. lf you even look at another, it will not speak to you for days. But if you give all of yourselves, it will fulfill your every need and set your very soul on fire. What does she mean by that? Let's just say that lady expects a lot from a piece of wood and some strings. -Your aspirin, sir. -Thank you, Geoffrey. Do you attribute your headaches, sir solely to the ongoing construction in your office or do you suppose there might be a stress factor involved? This is how my day went, Geoffrey. At 9:00, they were pounding. At 10:00, they were jackhammering. By noon, a pneumatic drill came into play. And, Geoffrey, they were just repainting the office. l'd say that's cause for stress. Wouldn't you? You know, sir, the Earl of Cranbrook to whom l was in service for several years suffered from the most severe headaches. And you're saying these were caused by some sort of stress? l should very much doubt it. He spent his days riding to the hounds, and his evenings attending rather pleasant dinner parties with his delightful wife, Lady Celia. Now, she was a terribly good snooker player, one of the best. -One night, she bet-- -Geoffrey. Where does the stress come in? lt certainly doesn't in Lord Cranbrook's case. l never saw a calmer household. Then what was the point of the story? Sheer entertainment, sir. What the devil was that? l believe the technical term is a ''rim shot. '' Who did it? Utter speculation, of course, but my guess is Master William. Ashley, honey where is your violin? -Big Sal has it. -Big Sal? He owns this great store where you don't need any money. You just go in and give him something you don't even want anymore -and he gives you this ticket. Then-- -A pawnshop? -You took her to a pawnshop? -Yeah, it was really hard, too. You don't have many pawnshops in Bel-Air. That's really a shame. -l had to go all the way to East LA. -East LA? -They gave me a great deal. -They gave you a set of drums. And l made them throw in a little gift for each of you. Close your eyes. -Vivian! -l want my present. Okay, open. What a lovely antique necklace. -What is this? -Daddy, it's a diamond. No, it isn't. -You don't like it? -No, l do not. Can l have it? How dare you pawn her violin! -She don't even like playing it no more. -She will learn to like it later. A young woman who can play a violin is an accomplished young lady. A girlie that can play the drums can write her own ticket. Will, l want the best for Ashley. When l was a kid, l loved classical music, but my parents couldn't afford lessons. l used to stand out in the parking lot of the Philharmonic hoping to catch a spare note on the night air. Philip, when l met you, you were into James Brown. -He liked James Brown? -He even wore his hair like him. He had hair? You know, it is possible to like both classical music and James Brown. l could not agree more. So let's let Ashley play whatever she wants. She spent an entire year on the violin. So if she wants to try something new, let her. You tell him, Aunt Viv. -And as for you, young man-- -Love you. The next time you decide to visit a pawnshop, don't. -Are we clear on that? -Yes. Master William, there is a young gentleman downstairs with a rather large radio who is here to see you. -He claims his name is Jazz. -Yo, word up. Send him up. -Now, who is this Jazz fellow? -l heard the boy at a club. He was all of that. He will be Ashley's new music teacher. l mean, he's not as experienced as Madame Chatchka, but then who is? Mr. Jazz. lt's nice to meet you, Jazz. How do you do? l'm Mr. Banks. You got that right. Man, you're loaded! Yo, what's up, J. ? Come on, let's just leave them alone. -l asked him to take her to her lesson-- -l know, baby. Tell Mama all about it. Ash, how about let Jazz get busy one time? So, Carlton, how's the soccer scene? Well, l may be moving up from JV to Varsity, but-- Am l the only one who finds this drumming inappropriate for high tea? l can't take another week of this. From morning until night all l hear is this relentless, pulsating, thumping beat. -l'm going to the Hard Rock Cafe. -Hilary. Stay. We are having tea. lt's a civilized way for me to have a conversation with my family so someone talk. l want her severely punished! lt was the only time that Jazz could give her a lesson today. -l wish you would stop calling him that. -But that's his name. lt is not. lt can't be. These kids like to make up their own names. Let them. Okay, fine. From now on, l'm no longer Philip Banks. Just call me King Edward lV. As you wish, Your Majesty. Humor, sir. Dad, l'm as liberal as the next guy but it's time for someone to take the reins. High tea has been a weekly tradition in our family for as long as l can remember. lf we let young Will ruin this for us, what's next to go? Christmas? l can't answer that question for you, son. Ask your mother. Come on, you two. High tea is not a sacred institution. lt's not the tea. lt's not the drums. lt's Ashley. l've spent nine years trying to raise a proper young lady and Will is undoing all of my work in a week. -Ashley, honey, come down here! -What are you doing? He's punishing her. No, Hilary, l just want her to spend some time with her family. Same thing. What is all this yelling about downstairs? Look, we are trying to give a music lesson upstairs. Work with me, people, please? You've been practicing all afternoon. Look, that is the only way she's gonna become a star. This young lady has the drive, the good look, and the intelligence to get to the top but she will not be on Yo! MTVRaps if you all don't work with me. Practice is over, Will. Ashley, honey, it's teatime. Tea. Biscuits! Geoffrey, put on our teatime music, please. You'll love this, honey. lt's Brandenburg Concertos. Jazz, hit me with some sugar, man. -How about a little milk? -No, l'll get it. l thought this was sterling. lt's got that certain weight to it. Yes. This is my favorite part. Ashley, honey, this is possibly the most beautiful music ever written. -Would someone turn it up for me, please? -Jazz, crank it up for me. Yes. Listen, darling. Listen to the violins. Beautiful. The oboes will be coming next. Geoffrey, would you tell Miss Ashley l'd like to speak to her? Right away, sir. Now, l know you're upset, but l want you to stay calm. l'm calm. l'm happy. l'm in control. You see, Vivian, l had lost control. ''Lost control''? You drop-kicked a human being across our front lawn. lt felt good, damn it. l'm back in the saddle again. You know, l think living down the street from the Reagans has had a very bad effect on you. Will, your uncle just wanted to speak with Ashley. No, let him stay. l want him to hear this, too. l hope this isn't going to be one of those Theo moments. Ashley, honey, sit down. Ashley, baby through no fault of your own things went down a very wrong path this week. But luckily, your daddy has put it all back together. You're going to return to the violin. l've called Madame Chatchka. She's agreed to give you a makeup lesson. You must have caught her on one of her rare free nights. Will, please? We've all lost sight of the most important thing here and that is what is best for Ashley. lt's not what's best for Ashley. You're trying to control her. She's 9 years old, and she's got a calendar telling her where she's got to be, what she's gotta do. She doesn't have to worry about that anymore because now you tell her what to do, right? There's only one thing wrong with that: You're not her father. How come you didn't know she doesn't like the violin? She liked it for a year before you moved in. Can you explain that? -l never liked it, Daddy. -That explains it. Look, if you ask her, she'll tell you she wants to play the drums. l don't like the drums, either. See? Now you confused her. l'm not confused. l just didn't want to disappoint you, Will. And l didn't want to disappoint you, Daddy. Now hold on. Let's get this straight. Ashley, you don't have to please Will, and you don't have to please your father. You just continue with the lessons that you like best. -Do you mean it, Mommy? -Absolutely, sweetheart. -Then l want to quit ballet. -Ballet? Honey, no. But you look so cute in that little tutu. -l really hate it, Mommy. -But, honey, just until Christmas? Do you believe that? -She wants to quit everything. -l know. These kids today have no attention span. l blame television. Read more: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-fresh-prince-of-bel-air&episode=s01e02

#infj personality #introvert #depression #suicidal #unhappy #cartoon

0 notes

gentlemansaurusrex · 7 years

Text

The Nintendos and Nintendon’ts

Hey all! I apologize for not posting last week, but I was unable to due to a youth conference. This week I will be focusing on a unique history that is very near and dear to my heart, the history of video games. Video games is a very broad topic, so I will be narrowing it down to one specific company that was a pioneer in this field, that company is Nintendo. Before I can go into talking about Nintendo, I must give a brief overview of a section of Japanese history. The history of Hanafuda.

Hanafuda, are essentially Japanese playing cards. Like the ones we have today, typically with the different card suites and numbers. The Japanese counter parts have different characters, animals, or paintings on them. The idea of playing cards came to Japan in 1549 through Portuguese Jesuits on mission. The cards they carried were part of a card game known as Hombre. In 1633, Japan closed itself off from the Western World and banned any foreign goods, these cards were part of that ban. That did not stop the Japanese from having underground gambling dens or secret areas to play cards. Think of it as the American Prohibition era but you had Japanese Metsuke (censors and secret police) looking for you and if you got caught, you could be executed. The creation of hanafuda cards and the metsuke banning them just became a giant game of cat and mouse. This lead to different designs of the cards, as well as other games to be created. Over time, the different card designs, the games, and basically the cards themselves became very popular.

This is where Nintendo comes in. In 1889, a Japanese business man who loved the card game decided that it would be a good idea to paint and sell his own hanafuda cards. This man was Fusajiro Yamauchi. Yamauchi opened his little store in Kyoto, Japan calling it Nintendo Koppai which became the first hanafuda store. The store name roughly translates to “Leave luck to heaven” or “To leave one’s fortune in the hands of fate”. During the time of the opening of the shop, Yamauchi’s merchandise of cards was still considered banned. I find it ironic that he named it after luck and fate because what he was doing was certainly a gamble. Despite the fear of getting shut down, his store became very popular and he decided to open a branch in Osaka, Japan. In 1929, Yamauchi retired and gave the company to his son in law Sekiryo Kaneda (he eventually took Yamauchi’s name). Fusajiro left the business to Sekiryo and did nothing with it. He eventually passed away in 1940. The below picture is of Sekiryo.

When Sekiryo took over the family business, one of the first decisions he made was to join with another company. He then renamed the company to Yamauchi Nintendo and Company. In 1947, Sekiryo created a distribution company named Marufuku Co., Ltd for the purpose of spreading more hanafuda cards. Sekiryo passed away in 1949 and his adopted son-in-law did not follow the family business, but his grandson Hiroshi Yamauchi did. A few years later under the leadership of Hiroshi, the newly named Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd was the first company in Japan to make playing cards out of plastic. The cards were originally made from tree bark and had been painted on. Through 1956 to 1959 success had begun to slowly creep into the small card company. Hiroshi visited the United States to see what the American card market was like, and was astonished that the world’s producer of cards was operated out of a small office. With seeing that, Hiroshi made a deal with Disney that would allow him to create cards with Disney’s characters on it and sell it in the Japanese market. This was a huge success, and with that, Hiroshi went public with Nintendo. This led to yet another name change, but a name that would stick. This name was Nintendo.

Nintendo did have a great start up in the 1950s, but the confidence and fame got to their head. They released many ventures such as vacuum cleaners, instant rice, taxi companies, and hotels. These all eventually failed, except for toy making. When 1964 hit, Nintendo fell hard for a brief period. The Olympics that year were taking place in Tokyo, which became a huge economic boom for all of Japan, except for Nintendo where the market for playing cards became over saturated. A year later, Nintendo would hire an engineer to look at and fix conveyor belts for the company, his name was Gunpei Yokoi. Yokoi would eventually help change the fate of Nintendo.

From 1966 to 1972, Nintendo was riddled with debt and was facing the ugly head of going under due to bankruptcy. One day, Hiroshi Yamauchi was visiting one of his hanafuda factories where he noticed a man toying with a piece of plastic. The piece of plastic was an extending arm and hand that would move small objects around, for fun. To Hiroshi’s amusement, he had the young engineering make him a similar device to fulfill the company’s busy Christmas schedule. That engineer was Gunpei Yokoi. Yokoi did what he was tasked to do and created the “Ultra Hand” which was essentially a small grabber that kids could use to pick up objects. The “Ultra Hand” was a huge success for Nintendo. Hiroshi then grabbed Yokoi and removed him from his position as a maintenance engineer and placed him in product development. With Yokoi’s experience in electrical engineering, this launched Nintendo into the electronical toy market. Developments in this field under Yokoi consisted of electronic puzzles, “Test Your Love” machines that were invented to see how much people loved each other, and a three-company collaboration project with SHARP, Nintendo, and Masayuki Uemura called the “Nintendo Beam Gun Game”. In1972, the beam gun would revolutionize the entertainment industry, the toy industry, and technology.

Nintendo, in 1972, collaborated with other companies to create the first ever commercialized video game console known as the Magnavox Odyssey. The MO had a game called “Shooting Gallery” that would allow the player to use one of the beam guns made by Nintendo. With the collaboration with the American company Magnavox, Nintendo secured the rights to sell the MO in Japan as well shifted from family entertainment to video games. The first of Nintendo’s video games were like the Atari systems. Atari was big back in the 1970s due to the game console stick that would connect with your tv and allow you to play pong. Pong was basically electronic table tennis. Nintendo released a few arcade games, but they did not strike gold until the 1980s. This is when the famous Donkey Kong arcade game came out. In this game, you were an unknown carpenter trying to save a lady from an evil King Kong figure. This carpenter, also known as Jump Man, would later become a plumber named Mario.

Before the big names like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super Nintendo, Game Boy, there was the first electronic handheld video games called Game & Watch created by Yokoi. The point of these handhelds was that you could put batteries in it and able to be entertained wherever you went. This made Nintendo a fortune. It also released the first major Nintendo Character from the G&W handhelds called Mr. Game & Watch who was a black silhouetted character.

Eventually Nintendo became more known worldwide which led them to create more video games and more systems. They started off with cards, the cards turned into toys, the toys turned into electronics, the electronics got more advanced and could be taken anywhere. From there, home video game entertainment systems could be plugged into the tv. From there, Nintendo’s game systems evolved and would change constantly, always wanting to push the envelope on what they could do. Flash forward to the 2000s, an old Hiroshi comes out with his last game system, the Nintendo Game Cube. This game system is literally how it sounds, it was a cube that could play video games and it had some of the best games since its precursor the Nintendo 64, in my opinion had one of the worst designed controllers that looked like you needed more fingers and hands to use it than possible. The Game Cube came out in 2002, and in 2005, Hiroshi passed away giving the company to Satoru Iwata.

Iwata, again in my opinion, was a genius. He worked as a programmer for Nintendo before becoming the CEO. His goal was to broaden the field of video games instead of having just one big line of games that were all similar. He created several games, but most of the characters are remembered because most people saw himself in some of those characters because he would always add a dash of his humor into it. They are as follows: Kirby, Earthbound series (Nes and Lucas from Super Smash bros series), the majority of the Pokemon franchise, Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Metroid (Samus is not the main character, don’t you dare call her Metroid), Mario and the many games that came from that franchise, Fire Emblem, and my personal favorite, he gave the world The Legend of Zelda franchise. In 2015, Iwata went in for a check-up only to find a cancerous tumor. It was removed, but health problems persisted. He passed away at the age of 55 due to the persisting problems. Thanks to Iwata, my childhood as well as others were made better due to the adventures he had created.

The current president of Japanese is Tatsumi Kimishima, who honestly looks like a Scooby Doo villain. I honestly do not know the achievements he had made since Iwata’s passing, but he released the Nintendo Switch, which is great because it has The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on it. But, since this is a post about Nintendo, I am going to talk about the American President of Nintendo. A guy named Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie is important because he’s a total goofball and I think that he represents the legacy of Nintendo supporting its fans. Much like Iwata, who showed his humor in various ways like awkwardly staring at bananas for several minutes before saying anything in a meeting, Reggie is known to be a huge goofball. In 2007 while advertising the Wii Balance Board, Reggie was asked if he could demonstrate and responded with “My body…My body is ready”. This eventually became a meme, specifically whenever something new and exciting came out with video games, gamers would use his face and this quote to express how they felt. Besides being an overall goof, he’s pretty hilarious and has done good things with Nintendo.

Nintendo is still around and kicking today. With many franchises still going on strong. They started off as a simple card company in the 1880s, but turned into a gigantic entertainment company today. So, if you ever think that you may not get anywhere, just be reminded about how successful Nintendo became. Even if you aren’t selling cards, if you put enough time and effort into anything, it will grow.

Next Week: I will be writing about the history surrounding world delicacies, like balut or the 1,000 Year Old Egg

#Nintendo Gaminghistory History

0 notes