Anarchy, noun: 1. a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority. 2. absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal. 3. that ghost who keeps pranking Walker.

This is going to be another set of loosely connected oneshots, so below is a timeline for those of you who want to go in chronological order. And, because this series involves a rather . . . unique original character, below that is a bit of exposition. Feel free to read it - or don't. It shouldn't be necessary to understand the story, but if anyone's curious, it's there.

Table of Contents

1. Endless Possibilities

2. A Nice Place To Live

3. Bad Manners

Hello readers - my name is Anarchy.

I'm here today because the story you're about to read might be a bit confusing without background. Since Seras asked me nicely (and also 'cause it's fun), I'll be your guide to the amazing world(s) of Archetypes.

Now, I can guess what you're thinking - 9th grade English class, right? Something along the lines of this:

archetype

noun

a very typical example of a certain person or thing.

(in Jungian theory) a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious.

Those definitions are technically correct, but they're not quite what we need here. Let's try this:

Archetype

noun

a member of the Archetype race.

a spirit-like being portraying and endowed with the aspects of a set concept.

. . . Yeah, I wrote that entry myself. Cut me some slack - I'm not done explaining yet.

Anyway, as you may have guessed from my name, I am an Archetype. We're basically literal personifications of our concept. As I once told a dear friend, "we are what we personify, and we draw power from what we are." Take my brother Havoc, for example: he can disassemble objects by staring at them (with his scary eyes of intimidating DOOM).

What, me? Well, I have the ability to choose what laws apply to me at any given time. Say, for example, the laws of gravity and momentum. I could get all scientific about it, but I doubt anyone wants to hear that. The important part is, I fly!

So, back on track. Archetypes. Some of us are more powerful than others, but we have a few things in common. Call them racial characteristics, if you will.

One: Archetypes are immortal. We can be put out of commission, sometimes indefinitely, but we cannot truly die (except by Chuck Norris).

Two: Archetypes have two levels of invisibility. Level one makes us invisible to the average human, while level two will hide us from mystical beings and the spiritually perceptive. Neither level, however, does much against cameras or other surveillance devices.

Three: Archetypes have variable appearances. In other words, what we look like can shift depending on a culture's collective imagination. We have a base or true appearance, but we also have the option of locking into a culture's subconscious and using that image. (Don't get me started on Chaos and the ancient Egyptians . . . . *shudder*)

Four: Archetypes are linked to their concept. The stronger a concept is in the world, the stronger that Archetype is. Conversely, if an Archetype is injured, their concept will lose strength. (Chivalry isn't dead - he just lost a duel around the end of the Middle Ages.)

That's about it for Archetypes as a race; let's move on to what we do, or rather, where we go.

We do have our own dimension, but most of us like to be out and about with the mortals. (More fun, less bored, usually less trouble.) What makes it really awesome is that there's not just one world out there - there are thousands of worlds, thousands of parallel universes, and they've all got something that makes them different. Weird as these places may get, they all have the same foundational concepts, which means we can visit without our powers malfunctioning.

So, what does all of that mean for the story? Well, this is the tale of how I met the Master of Time and stole a ghost's hat . . . .