The Structure of the Multiverse

Due to it's infinite and cosmic nature, breaking down the Multiverse and how it operates can be a daunting task. While there is no one agreed upon manner in which reality is classified, this article attempts to order the cosmos into a consistent structure that is used throughout the Edenverse. Our journey will begin focusing on the small scale of individual universes, and work it's way upwards and outwards.
== A Metaphorical Model ==
Understanding and visualizing the Multiverse is difficult, so it sometimes helps to think of everything as a tree. In this model, reality is defined as follows: every Universe is a leaf, every Megaverse is a branch, every Multiverse is a tree, and the Omniverse is the forest they all sit within. These terms will be described in detail soon, but keeping this model in mind will help.
== Level 1: Universe ==
A Universe is the most basic place in the cosmos. Defined by a finite "bubble" of empty space filled with mass, energy, and other forms of matter, a Universe may contain galaxies, stars, planets, and often, life. Each Universe was created at some point in the past due to an event known as a "Big Bang"; it is unknown whether this is the birth of the Universe in proper, or a response to a "Big Crunch" which forced some older universe into a single point during it's past. Other theories hold that every Universe has an "Eye" that must be observed by sentient life forms in order for it to "Bang" after it dies of heat death; failure to observe the Eye will lead to the universe ending permanently after it's natural death. It is also known that universes can be created artificially by advanced races such as the Contumelia. 
Regardless of how it may come or leave from existence, a Universe will always be bound laws of physics, and is contained within a set of several dimensions. Most, if not all universes within the Edenverse are 4D bound, though this is due to higher dimensions being essentially impossible to comprehend by Humans. This will be elaborated on in later sections, though for most of this article, assume 4D unless otherwise specified. 
Each Universe is divided into several "realms" or "planes"; while there is no rule as to what planes a universe must have (if any), all universes must have at least one, known as the Spacetime Plane.
=== Planes ===
There are no hard and fast rules defining the qualities of any plane besides the Spacetime Plane. The Spacetime Plane MUST be the main area of existence in it's Universe; each and every additional "plane" in a universe is simply a variation on the Spacetime Plane's qualities and attributes. This can range from simple changes in inhabitants and cultures to different physical laws. Alternate planes can range in size from small, "Pocket Dimensions" to massive realms like the Warp, Hyperspace, or Slipspace. Alternate Planes can be created through both real and artificial means. Planes are often refereed to as "realms", "dimensions", and in some cases, "alternate universes"; in an effort to streamline terminology, these names will be avoided in this wiki.
A common type of Plane is the Negative Polarity Plane; this is a plane where good is evil and evil is good, and is often visited by denizens of the main Spacetime Plane in a "Mirror Mirror" type adventure. Mirror Universes are very, very weird, as the subjective nature of good and evil beg the question of how, exactly, there can be an "Evil Version" of anything. Nevertheless, Negative Planes are inherently connected to Negative versions of the main plane's other planes, essentially doubling the size of the universe. One example is the "Infinite Empire", an "evil" version of the Nexus and the MVSF that is connected to "evil" versions of every single universe the "good" MVSF has every interacted with. These planes make my head hurt, ok? Try not to think about them.
=== Timelines ===
Due to the nature of 4D universes, time flows from point A to point B, and cannot be truly reversed or stopped in anything more than a local scale. However, as time travel can often be frustratingly commonplace, aspiring time travelers might oftentimes find themselves in "Alternate Timelines." This term can be confusing, as time travel does not always function in the same manner. When one time travels, several things can happen:
* They travel one way into the future, resulting in the Universe remaining unchanged; this is what we are all doing right now.
* They were always meant to travel into the past/future. This also results in the Universe remaining unchanged, as anything they did in the past was always meant to happen in that way. Multiple concerns about the nature of Free Will are raised.
* They alter the past, and create an alternate plane. These planes can be permanent, existing and remaining accessible forever even after time travel has ceased. In other occasions, these planes are only temporary, and the alternate timeline folds back into the "true" timeline after some time. This is the most consequence free time travel, as any changes are fixed by the Universe's laws, or shunted into a neighboring plane, local to that Universe.
* They alter the past, and create a new Universe entirely. This is a fairly big deal, as new universes are not simply offshoots of a timeline: they take with them their own planes, rules, timelines and more. In rare cases, the two Universes remained connected, forming a sort of permanently forked Universe. This scenario has an additional set of implications that will be discussed later.
== Level 1.5: The Void ==
Referred to by a literal infinite number of names, The Void is the space below and between universes. Massless, formless, and primordial, most mortal travelers can only pass through the Void temporarily, though beings of a higher power can live here permanently if they so desire. It does not have a set size, as when in the void, one is simultaneously everywhere at once. The Void does not really exist per se, rather, it is just a term used to describe the nothingness in between Universes. 
A section of the Void is known to the MVSF as "The Shiver." Often described as glowing a golden hue, this coloration is actually the glow of the infinite universes that a person is surrounded by when they travel from Universe to Universe, and even then, this phenomenon has only been observed by a relatively small number of Multiversal travelers, all within the Edenverse. To access the Shiver, one must eject themselves from reality, somehow. This can be done by generating negative mass (in which case, one is ejected downwards beneath reality), as is the case for the MVSF. The Shiver traveled through here is only the space "beneath" reality; MVSF ships cannot travel straight "between" Universes, into the Void.
Another area of the Void is known as "The Never." A realm of pure, limitless energy ruled by powerful beings referred to as "Archons", beings and worlds that "touch" the Never due to partial phasing or quantum entanglement gain the ability to harness the power for themselves. It is often described with a glowing purple hue, though the magic gained from the Never does not appear in the same manner. 
In our tree metaphor, the Void is the air surrounding the tree.
== Level 2: Megaverse ==
As previously mentioned, it is possible for universes to "split off" from each other due to time travel, and create slightly different yet overall similar universes. It is also possible for Universes to connect into each other temporarily, or mirror each other despite being created independently. These similar, often linked, Universes are clustered together in what is known as a Megaverse. 
This grouping of Universes is fairly informal, and is a point of contention within multiversal academic circles. Many people believe that this designation is unhelpful and meaningless, while others argue that it helps add some form of identification to reality. As a general rule of thumb, Megaverses are Universes that are similar to each other; the Star Wars Canon Universe and the Star Wars Legends Universe are distinct Universes, though they are part of the same megaverse, that being "Star Wars." In MVSF universal designations, a "Megaverse title" is the first part of a universe's name: Lukaas 1:2 and Lukaas 1:1 for SW Canon and SW legends, respectively. The digits after a Universe's name refer to it's separation from what is considered the "Baseline Megaverse": the Universe that other universe's in it's Megaverse are measured relative to.
Note that Universes in a Megaverse are not clustered together in terms of distance, as at this scale, distance does not have any real meaning. Every universe is the same distance from each other, and that distance is zero and infinity. 
I think I have officially typed out the word "Universe" too many times. Let's continue onward.
== Level 3: Multiverse ==
A Multiverse is the sum total of all Universes and Megaverses, branching off of a single, original "Prime Universe." According to the leading theory, the Multiverse began as a single Universe. Over time but also instantly, it splintered off, reset itself, and branched out into several universes, which in turn splintered into several other universes, so on and so forth, until a Multiverse was born. While within a Multiverse, one can travel from Universe to Universe, and can even journey into multiple megaverses, but at no point can one leave their Multiverse, nor can they enter the Prime Universe. By it's very nature, the Prime Universe must remain constant and unchanging; any attempts to alter it or affect it only create more universes. The Prime Universe is our world as we know it, "The Real World" from which all other Universes are merely alterations. No matter how advanced one is, they cannot leave their Multiverse: as in our metaphor, all sentient creatures are still merely bugs crawling up and down a tree. Since our Prime Universe is 4D, so too is every single universe branched off from it, and since our Universe contains an Earth, most Universes within our multiverse do as well. Everything in this multiverse is relative to what denizens of this universe can perceive, otherwise it could not exist as a branch.
== Level 4: The Omniverse ==
The Omniverse is every possible Multiverse, that could ever exist, ever. It is best thought of in the metaphorical form of a giant Forest, as to describe it in any other way would be difficult. Much contention exists regarding the "trees" in this forest; is every Multiverse unique, or like clonal colonies, can there be multiple multiverses for the same type of Core Universe? Are there groups of similar multiverses, and beyond them truly unique and alien multiverses? It seems that this will forever remain unanswered. 
== Level 0: The Floor ==
Much more concrete than the above concepts, the Floor is merely the ground below all of reality. Known as the Mattress Realm in our multiverse, it is a physical place where one can walk around and live, if they don't mind being below all of reality ever. Many strange beings call this place home in our Multiverse, such as the simian Dimenshee, and the illusive Alex Trebeck. Not every multiverse, or even region of our multiverse, has access to the Mattress Realm, as it stretches for infinity and likely changes form and nature as it goes on. Regardless, it is almost impossible to breach, though there are exceptions, such as the Last Land, an unconventional universe trapped below the Mattress Realm during an event called the "Meme Singularity."Category:MVSF
Category:Last King of New Eden
Category:Hiram Continuities
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