Universe

## The Universe

The **Universe** is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, all forms of matter and energy. Due to the unknown spatial size of the universe, we use the size of the observable universe as a baseline for universal feats. The observable universe is currently estimated to be 93 billion light-years in diameter. In certain cosmologies, there can be many universes (usually causally disconnected) that form a greater whole called a multiverse - which similarly comprises all of space and time and its contents; as a consequence, "The Universe" and "multiverse" are often synonymous terms in such settings. The term "verse" is used to simply say "the universe of a fictional series", for example the "Zelda verse" is referring to the "Universe of the Legend of Zelda" series.

### Universe-sized Realms Guidelines

It is common for fictional characters to be scaled based on creating one or multiple "Worlds", "Dimensions", or "Realms". However, many users may often be confused on whether those are synonyms of universes or simply pocket realities. They may have indications of being quite large, but they still require some more in depth or specific evidence to truly be universes. Otherwise, they will simply be pocket realities judged by their known size.

* These are notes that the worlds are indeed universes; while they don't need all of these, at least one of them should indicate this.
	+ If they are outright called universes or stated to be the size of universes by a reliable source, they should be considered universes.
	+ If the size of the realms described has having infinite sizes or other synonyms, that should strongly indicate them being universes.
	+ If they are outright stated to be completely separated by the barriers of time and space **and** either stated or shown to be reasonable in size, such as having countless galaxies, then they should indeed be universes.
	+ If they're flat out stated to be entire timelines, then they are indeed alternate universes.
	+ Being labeled as "Entire Alternate Realities" generally indicates them being called universes, but the context and semantics should preferably be specified.
	+ If they're stated to mirror "The Universe" or "Our Universe" or "The Real World", they would refer to being universes.
	+ If there is shown to be a collection of multiple alternate worlds/dimensions that are either stated to be parallel and/or there are visual depictions resembling each of those worlds/dimensions to be metaphorically similar to each other (Such as bubbles or other structures that appear similar in size), and most importantly, at least one of those individual worlds/dimensions has shown enough evidence to consider them a **Universe level+** sized spacetime continuum, then the conclusion is to consider all of those individual worlds/dimensions universes and that the entire collection is a multiverse.
* These statements are not enough to call them universes; they may support the ideas when backed up by examples above, but none of them individually or altogether may be enough.
	+ Having a starry sky may qualify as being a **Multi-Solar System** sized pocket reality, but not enough to be a universe without more evidence.
	+ Having multiple galaxies within it should qualify as a **Multi-Galaxy** sized pocket reality, but not enough to be a universe without more context or evidence.
	+ A realm having time that works somewhat differently is not enough to be considered a Universe as nonlinear time within a single universe exists. And the realm should still have a confirmed appropriate size to back it up.
	+ The Worlds being different bodies of space is not enough to consider them universes, as that does not quite prove they have different timelines. Especially if they are afterlives. Afterlives often are different bodies of space, but are generally condensed in the same timeline unless there's more proof otherwise.
	+ Being "Different Worlds, Realms, or Dimensions" requires more elaborate context and even "Dreams, Imaginations and Ideas becoming reality" is not enough to say the "Worlds" are entire universes. "Becoming Reality" often simply refers more to "Becoming a piece of reality" as opposed to each and every Dream becoming an "Entire Reality".
	+ Saying that it "Mirrors your world" does not automatically equate to mirroring the entire universe you came from as World can also mean planet. And it can even refer to locations in between planet and Universe. And even if the realms are larger than planet sized, the "Your World" aspect often refers to specific sceneries rather than the entire Space-Time Continuum. And just because world frequently refers to universe doesn't mean everything larger than a planet that is called a world is a universe.

### Regarding the Separation of Universes

It should be recognized that travel between universes is not feasible unless through the use of a portal or similar unusual mechanisms. This is because it should be impossible for two distinct universes to be connected by a path that only goes through regular 3 dimensional space. Universes must be separated by something other than 3 dimensional distance or physical barriers, otherwise they would be considered to both be part of one large universe for our tiering purposes.

The most typical example is the presence of a higher dimensional space serving as a separator. In other words, two separate universes coexist in a four dimensional or even higher dimensional space, occupying different position along some additional dimensional axis. Therefore, in order to travel between such universes, the movement must be through the higher dimensional space between them. To summarize, two realms are separated through a higher dimension space if

1. A larger space encompasses all the universes or space-times
2. This space is of a higher dimensional nature.

While a common higher dimensional space is the most frequent way of separation, many other ways exist and are also valid.

In fiction there are cases where a wall or some non-physical analog separates two realms. However, while such a barrier might serve to separate the realms within the cosmology of said fiction, note that the spaces are not necessarily separate universes by our standards. That is because, while the wall may make it difficult in practice, one could in theory still move from one realm to the other with just regular three dimensional movement. That means that the realms are still part of one common three dimensional space, which by our standards constitutes only one universe.

Note that this criteria of separation is only an argument against two realms being separate universes, if a feat of travel between the realms by regular 3D means occurs or it is otherwise known for certain that they are not separated in the above sense. If the realms fulfill the requirements laid out in the prior section and no such travel occurs, then the realms can be considered proper separate universes even if the means by which they are separated is not explored.

## The Space-Time Continuum

The **Space-time continuum** refers to the concept of physics that refers to all the time of a certain space, i.e. the past, present and future of a space . It posits that space and time are not separate and distinct entities, but rather they are interwoven and form a single fabric of reality, called spacetime. In this view, events in the universe are not just located in space, they also occur at a specific point in time. Additionally, the presence of matter and energy can cause curvatures in spacetime, leading to the phenomenon of gravity. This concept is crucial to our understanding of the universe and is used in theories like Einstein's theory of general relativity to explain various physical phenomena like black holes, gravitational waves, and the behavior of massive objects in the cosmos.

It is important to note that, for tiering purposes, destruction or creation of a universe is not assumed to automatically equal destruction or creation a space-time continuum. In order to be considered a space-time continuum, additional conditions and characteristics must be shown.

In the absence of contradictory evidence, timelines are assumed to share the same time axis i.e. the same dimension of time. Note that sharing the same temporal axis does not mean that they would be connected in any way, as it only means that their time flows in the same direction. It's like how two people can both move in the same direction without their paths ever meeting, as long as they started in different places.

### Guidelines

* *When is the destruction or creation of a universe or timeline ranked as low 2-C?*

In accordance with the established Tiering System, an event that results in the destruction or creation of a universe or timeline is ranked as Low 2-C *(Universe level+)*. This designation requires that the affected area encompasses a substantial four-dimensional space, exhibits qualitative superiority over three-dimensional spaces, or comprises the entire space-time continuum. To meet these criteria, the entire timeline must be **destroyed** or **created**, taking into account all moments in time.

It is essential to note that only direct destruction or creation is considered qualifying for this ranking, and the mere disappearance of a universe as a result of a causality paradox following its destruction at the beginning of time would only be ranked as 3-A (Universe level). Further information regarding the tiering of creating the Big Bang can be found here, and it is advised to consider additional factors when evaluating creation feats.

* *What is the Tier for destroying or creating several timelines?*

According to the Tiering System, the destruction or creation of multiple timelines or space-time continuums is typically ranked between 2-C and 2-A, depending on the quantity of timelines involved. There are, however, two exceptional scenarios that require specific evaluation:

— **Firstly**, it is significant to understand that a universe, including space-time continuums and timelines, encompasses all three-dimensional space that can be accessed through regular movement within the universe. This means that any location that can be theoretically reached through conventional means of travel, such as spaceflight, would be considered part of the same universe and timeline, regardless of how the fiction portrays it. Movement between universes should only be feasible through extraordinary modes of transportation, such as portals, higher-dimensional movement, or teleportation. By default, it is assumed that universes have separate three-dimensional spaces, but if a piece of fiction demonstrates otherwise, destruction of several connected timelines would be rated as Low 2-C (Universe level+).

— **Secondly,** there is the case of timelines that are connected at certain points in time. Unlike the scenario in which travel between universes is always possible through three-dimensional movement, connection between these timelines only occurs at specific times. At these moments, the timelines may be considered as the same universe. For instance, if a timeline splits into two, the timelines were once the same universe before the split occurred. Conversely, if two timelines merge into one, they become the same universe only after they have been fused. In such cases, destruction of a timeline is only accounted for if it was not connected to any other timeline for an infinite amount of time. Conversely, if numerous timelines were never separate for an infinite amount of time, they would be considered as one timeline for the purpose of tiering their destruction or creation.

It should be noted that timelines are assumed to be infinite in length, unless evidence to the contrary is provided. Hence, unless otherwise indicated, the destruction of timelines that branch off from one another and never merge would still be ranked between 2-C and 2-A (depending on the number).

The overarching principle behind this is that each counted timeline must still be a substantial four-dimensional object, as this is the fundamental criterion for qualification in these tiers.

### Qualifications

In order for something to qualify as a proper space-time continuum in regard to some feat usually one of two following two criteria should be met:

1. It is explicitly stated to be a "Space-time continuum" or something equivalent.
2. It fulfills the standards for being a universe-sized realm (see the first section of this page) and all of its time is also involved in its feat. I.e. the structure involved in the feat is the timeline of an entire universe.

When considering "dimensions" or "universes", one should keep in mind that time travel should not be possible between universes which we factually know are not branching timelines off each other. If this happens it could be used to show that they are actually part of the same universe.

### Notes

* Only acts of direct destruction, creation or significantly affecting (in the sense explained in the Tiering System) are considered valid for tiering purposes. Destroying the universe at the beginning of time, resulting in the subsequent fading away of timelines due to causality paradoxes, does not meet the criteria for classification. In such cases, it is important to determine that the destruction of multiple branching timelines is not achieved simply by destroying one timeline, leading to the others being erased as a consequence of their interrelated past being destroyed. This evaluation is done on an individual basis and depends on factors such as the nature and representation of the destructive actions.

* It should be noted that variations in the flow of time, such as faster or slower rates, do not necessarily indicate the existence of separate universes or space-time continuums. This phenomenon can occur within a single universe or pocket dimension, and therefore does not serve as sufficient evidence for the existence of multiple universes or space-time continuums.