\u201cMan, what a YEAR!\u201d I griped as I recalled 2020. COVID-19, civil unrest, the election, it was quite a year. So much so, it made me forget what I held dear. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to hold on for so long. A mechanical spider bumped against my foot as I thought. I looked down at the spider and arched an eyebrow. \u201cSomething on your mind, Anansi?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust making sure you were okay,\u201d replied the spider, the African Story Keeper, Anansi. He then shifted into a more flesh-and-blood form of an elder man in traditional Ghana dress with six arms. \u201cThis year has been rough on everyone, even me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow so?\u201d I asked. \u201cYou can\u2019t possibly be affected by COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven gods and their kin can get sick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, you couldn\u2019t go overseas to see your wife and kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNope, and it tore me apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat just seems un\u2026\u201d My sentence was stopped by music. \u201c\u2026The heck?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s coming from your closet,\u201d muttered Anansi. We entered the closet and shuffled through my clothes and came out of another door instead of running into the back wall. It opened to a room with a large bookcase. We went closer to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Music\u2019s louder here,\u201d I reported. We then got the same idea and felt around for some sort of trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Dammit, my eyesight\u2019s going bad!\u201d grumbled Anansi. \u201cHey, pass me that candle, would you?\u201d He pointed to a candle flickering on the wall. I grabbed it\u2026and the bookcase wall rotated, taking Anansi with it! It soon became a bare wall. \u201c\u2026Put! The candle! Back!\u201d I did so and the wall made a complete circle. \u201c\u2026All right! I have it figured out now! Take the candle out and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see where this is going! I\u2019ve watched Young Frankenstein <\/em>enough times!\u201d I argued. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna have a cracked exoskeleton if you do that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrust me!\u201d I rolled my eyes at his insistence. I took the candle out and Anansi blocked the bookcase with his body. I then set the candle down on a table and shoved against the other side of the bookcase, making it rotate and freeing Anansi. I then dusted my hands and smirked before I realized what just happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Put! The candle! Back!\u201d I called. The bookcase then rotated before Anansi webbed it and halted its progress. We then looked through the opening to see a passageway. \u201cWell, well, well, what have we here?\u201d I mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe music\u2019s coming from down there,\u201d remarked Anansi. \u201cCome on!\u201d We went down the passageway and came to an open door to a music room. A band was playing something similar to Dare<\/em> from the 80\u2019s Transformers <\/em>movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sitting in a basement and always writing,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And he\u2019s got no real friends,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You wonder how he keeps going! (going)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of all the things that really matter,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And the chances he\u2019s missed!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n His visible paunch is growing! (growing)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Can\u2019t even fly if he tried, sitting on his behind!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heaven only knows what\u2019s on his mind!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to believe he\u2019s got a life!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He buries his head in the sand!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to think he\u2019s got any strife!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He never even stands,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He doesn\u2019t even want to dare!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He keeps on typing at his keyboard,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In his dwelling underground.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Seems like it’s been forever! (ever), oh!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Apply the right kind of needed pressure,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he lose his last round!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looks like it’s now or never! (never)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He never wants to ever come out into the light,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He always thinks his silly words are right!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to believe he\u2019s got a life!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He buries his head in the sand!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to think he\u2019s got any strife!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He never even stands,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He doesn\u2019t even want to dare!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to believe he\u2019s got a life!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He buries his head in the sand!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to think he\u2019s got any strife!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He barely has any form of command, oh!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dares to keep all his rambles alive!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dares to be lazy as he can be!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, there is a place where he survives,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He thinks it gives him victory!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dare, dare!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the song played, I noticed the band members were people I knew! The lead singer was my evil double from a universe where I conquered Earth, the guitarist was Megumi Hishikawa in her blue dress, the drummer was the holo-form of Megatron from my Transformers\/Sonic the Hedgehog crossover, and the keyboardist was my dad, Green Dalek! \u201c\u2026Is he for real?!\u201d asked Anansi as we watched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna get an explanation from all of them,\u201d I muttered. The song ended and Evil Me saw me. \u201cYou\u2019re actually serious about this?\u201d I asked as I pointed in the general direction of the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBehold, my weaker self! My Future Villain Band!\u201d cheered Evil Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, for the love of\u2026!\u201d I groaned. \u201cIt\u2019s been about almost two years since our first meeting and you\u2019re just as derivative as I thought!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDerivative?! What do you mean derivative?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Future Villain Band\u2019? One, you\u2019re a villain from my past! Two, Megumi and Dad aren\u2019t villains! Three, the only reason I get the reference at all is because I watched Linkara review a comic adaptation of Sergeant Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band<\/em>! Couldn\u2019t you have called it the \u2018Author Parody Band\u2019 or something?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOoh, there\u2019s an idea!\u201d mused Megatron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMegatron, what are YOU doing here?!\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m a villain in my story!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, but you haven\u2019t even faced me! And\u2026you play drums?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI DO have other interests outside of barking orders, berating the Decepticons for their failures, and beating on Eggman twice a week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMegumi,\u201d called Anansi, \u201cwhat ARE you doing here anyways?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got bored after winning my 3V2R,\u201d explained Megumi. \u201cI figured this parody song would be okay since I\u2019m not gonna have my contract with the Author renewed for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2026guess it\u2019s okay,\u201d I muttered. I then turned to Green Dalek. \u201cDad, what\u2019s the idea?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo be fair, you DO have a tendency to be lazy,\u201d replied Green Dalek. \u201cIn any case, it doesn\u2019t matter. Your Evil Twin needed to do some introspection anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow JUST a minute!\u201d protested Evil Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd how are you even here at all, Evil Me?!\u201d I called. \u201cYou were banished back to your universe when Vegeta took you back!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t destroy the technology I used to make my first trip!\u201d answered Evil Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, you couldn\u2019t let go of the beatdown Anansi and I gave you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, of course not! I won\u2019t let myself feel defeat again!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd THIS is your big revenge scheme?! You form a band and play a parody song about how I\u2019m so lazy?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI also kidnapped Anansi\u2019s family.\u201d Evil Me pointed to a group of people lashed to chairs. They were like Anansi\u2019s human form in that they were in traditional Ghana dress and had six arms. The group consisted of one plump elderly woman and seven young men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello, Anansi,\u201d greeted the woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAso, you and our boys are spider deities like me!\u201d protested Anansi. \u201cHow did you get roped up?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe DO have other interests outside of putting up with your antics, Dad,\u201d remarked Toto Abuo, the Stone Thrower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis day refuses to make sense,\u201d I grumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour sanity is hanging by a thread, loser!\u201d taunted Evil Me. \u201cAll it takes is one little push!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan\u2019t argue that,\u201d I conceded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThink about it! All that time writing, all that time sitting in your basement, hoping your words will change someone\u2019s mind on a certain topic and the world just ignores you! Face it, your quest to change someone\u2019s mind will NEVER be over! This is why DeviantArt Eclipse was your downfall! You\u2019ll be forever building up your fanbase and what will happen when your sites take a turn like Eclipse?! You will have to start all over again! You are a loser and a failure who will never be as popular as Peter Cullen!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s enough!\u201d snarled Green Dalek as he stood up. \u201cYou can\u2019t call him a failure, you pale imitation!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Pale imitation?!\u201d hissed Evil Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d I mused. \u201cThere\u2019s a risk that people will just scoff at my writing and I\u2019m probably not going to be as popular as Peter Cullen\u2026but, a failure? A loser?\u201d I then laughed. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t be more wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d affirmed Anansi. \u201cNow, my former \u2018Master\u2019, what say we get on with it?\u201d He turned into his more mechanical self, then formed a belt strap and fastened himself to my waist. I then pulled out the gimmick I needed, the Base Elementrigger. \u201cWhat\u2019s the word?!\u201d called Anansi as I put the thing near my mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHENSHIN!\u201d I announced. The Elementrigger then split into two and I inserted them under Anansi\u2019s legs. Anansi then leapt away from the belt and wove a cocoon around me while I made a spider impression with my hands. I then swung my arms outwards and broke the cocoon while Anansi returned to my belt. My suit had already formed by then and I became Kamen Rider Weaver once again. Green Dalek then pulled out a belt that he won in a 3V2R. He fastened it and it spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFANDOM SHIELDRIVER!\u201d He made a pained expression as it was kind of loud. After his ears recovered, he pulled out the gimmick (a shield-shaped device with the Autobot and Decepticon logos on each side) and pressed a button on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTRANSFORM!\u201d it announced. He then set it into the belt and struck a pose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHenshin!\u201d he called. He pressed a button on the right side of the buckle and the device opened up, revealing a mural of the Transformers fighting, with Optimus and Megatron at the forefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTHE TRANSFORMERS!\u201d called the belt. A bit of the first G1 opening then played. \u201cAutobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!\u201d His armor then flew out of the device and formed onto him, evoking Optimus Prime and gaining a shield-shaped shoulder pad on his left shoulder. His weapon appeared, a giant shield with a blaster near the wrist. The shield was shaped like the Autobot symbol. Megatron rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKamen Rider Prime?\u201d he asked. Green Dalek simply turned to my evil twin and pointed at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll the world\u2019s a stage,\u201d he proclaimed, \u201cbut I\u2019M editing this script! Kamen Rider Daiku!\u201d His name literally translates to \u2018carpenter\u2019, but it DOES work as \u2018editor\u2019. I followed suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKamen Rider Weaver, I shall be the author of your defeat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, wait for me!\u201d called Megumi. \u201cI haven\u2019t had a good Henshin sequence in a long time!\u201d She inserted her i.d. tag into her Vortex Driver \u201cHenshin!\u201d She spun the wheel, and a giant version of the wheel then surrounded her feet and opened parts of itself to attach her armor while the belt strap changed her clothes into the undersuit. The armor then completed itself and she struck her pose. \u201cKamen Rider Royal! Evil shall ultimately bow to me!\u201d Megatron then shrugged and extended his concealed blade from beneath his fusion cannon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am Megatron! Peace through tyranny!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026We\u2019ll work on that,\u201d I muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, we won\u2019t.\u201d Megatron was then slugged in the chest. My double had long shifted into his tarantula-monster form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we\u2019re all done talking,\u201d he hissed, \u201cwhy don\u2019t we proceed with the fight?\u201d I swung a punch, but he caught in and managed to burn my hand! I pulled back and held my hand in pain. Daiku then slammed his fist onto our enemy\u2019s back, only to get the same result as me. Evil me then started shooting fireballs. We all took cover and fired our ranged weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I guess it\u2019s that time!\u201d Daiku then pulled out a new device and pressed the button on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cELEMENTAL MASTER!\u201d it called. He then replaced the device in his belt with the new one and opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER\/LEGEND OF KORRA!\u201d called the Fandom ShielDriver. His armor then took on the appearance of Aang. Like the Avatar, he used a variety of elements to aid him in the fight. Megatron continued firing that BFG of his and Megumi pulled out an i.d. tag, swapped hers out with it, and spun the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUncle Iroh Steel!\u201d it called. She then gained armor based off of Iroh and attacked. I felt left out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me!\u201d called the youngest of Anansi\u2019s boys, Intikuma. \u201cI got something that might help you!\u201d He handed me four sets of Elementriggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you!\u201d I bid. I then took out my base Elementriggers and pressed a button on my new orange set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the word?!\u201d asked Anansi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBurn!\u201d I replied. I then put them in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBurning Justice! Weaver: Fire Form!\u201d announced Anansi. My armor then gained a fiery appearance. I struck my double and, this time, he was the only one feeling pain. \u201cWait, that doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d muttered Anansi. \u201cYou\u2019re using fire like him and yet, YOU\u2019RE causing him damage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess like repels like,\u201d I theorized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat only works on\u2026you know what, I won\u2019t question it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUse the blaster!\u201d called Intikuma. I took his suggestion and turned the dial on Anansi\u2019s rear to the desired weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMMOBORO BLASTER!\u201d The gun appeared in my hand, and I fired. My evil twin doubled over in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNOT AGAIN! GAGH! IT\u2019S WORSE THAN LAST TIME!\u201d Daiku then swapped out his current armor for his usual one and Royal began her power-up sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDAI SUPER CHARGE!\u201d she called. The old armor turned gold and white, then bulked up before exploding off of her to reveal new armor with tiger stripes. Now, she was Kamen Rider Vortex. She spun the wheel again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFinal Attack!\u201d announced her belt. Daiku then closed and opened the mural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFINISHING EDIT!\u201d called his belt. I then pressed the triggers on the Elementriggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFINAL STRIKE!\u201d cheered Anansi. \u201cBURNING SPIDER STRIKE!\u201d We all performed a Rider Kick and struck true. Megatron then gave a parting shot, causing our enemy to explode. He fell to his human state and went unconscious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, that was fun,\u201d sighed Vortex as she took off her belt and became Megumi Hishikawa once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIntense, you mean,\u201d replied Daiku as he became Green Dalek again. Anansi leapt off my waist and checked on his family. Once everyone was okay, Megumi called a ride home for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, everyone!\u201d I called as I left with Anansi. We returned to my usual dwelling, and I began writing again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMan, what a YEAR!\u201d I griped as I recalled 2020. COVID-19, civil unrest, the election, it was quite a year. So much so, it made me forget what I held dear. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to hold on for so long. A mechanical spider bumped against my foot as I thought. I looked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[615,617,9],"class_list":["post-4217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weavers-journey","tag-anansi","tag-author","tag-kamen-rider"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4218,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217\/revisions\/4218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}