There’s still some confusion about this, so I’m gonna explain it once more. I’ll be borrowing some text from Paper and Brandon.
The Omniverse is every universe or multiverse. Now, there is something bigger than the Omniverse, but humanity just haven’t been able to fully understand what’s beyond the Omniverse. The Omniverse has multiverses for literally every fictional idea or story that has ever existed. So, there is a TEE Multiverse, where the universes there are based off of the shows on TEE. There is a Doctor Who Multiverse, where The Doctor is a real living being. There is a Transformers Multiverse, a Romeo and Juliet Multiverse, every single possibility of story or fiction has a Multiverse. And even sometimes, there are multiple multiverses for these topics. I’ll explain more later.
The multiverse is the group of universes that are similar because they may have the same characters, dimensions, or some unique quality. I like to think that the thing that connects the multiverses is that there is always a hero (or heroine) that is established as per say, the Ben Tennyson counterpart of the universe. Now, Ben may exist in your universe, but he may not be this “special hero”. Without this “special hero”, the universe would go haywire.
There are currently two multiverses on BTFF. Multiverse 71 (whose name is flawed since this would imply that there are at least 71 Multiverses when really Shades just really really wants to have 71 on everything) and the BTFF Multiverse, an official multiverse in which currently there are currently 70 universes with numbers, 63/70 are in the Main 100. I’m going to be talking about the BTFF Multiverse, but I can also how it also applies to Multiverse 71. Universes are created constantly, whenever a new franchise or series is created. On BTFF, the universes in the BTFF Multiverse are known as Earth-#. Every Earth-# is a universe. Earth-3 is the universe of the Forever Knights (Franchise). Earth-19 is the universe of Young Plumbers and Young Plumbers: Generations. Earth-10 is the universe of the canon franchise that Ben 10 Planet records. Earth-10 is usually the first universe created in the Multiverse, since all other universes are based off of Earth-10.
The timeline is the order of events of the universe, and each branch is known as a continuity. Continuities can also be retroactive, which means that they do not exist in the main timeline. - Paper
Timelines are, in my way of thinking, realities that exist based on the decisions you make. For example, I have an apple and a banana in front of me. Depending on what I do next to either fruit, determines the outcome of the future so if I were to eat the apple instead of the banana, the timeline is set while infinite timelines are made for an infinite amount of decisions I could have made. Okay good example, bad explanation. Obviously, you can't make an infinite amount of decisions but the decision you make triggers sereveal others and then those trigger even more and then it goes on infinitely. The fact that Gwen decided to go check on the forest instead of Ben was a decision that she could have made but didn't which created an alternate timeline known as Gwen 10. - Brandon 10
A timeline has three main properties: it can be part of the main timeline or an alternate continuity, it can be divergent or retroactive (retcon), and it can be sequential or simultaneous. Let's use a flow chart and some fictional examples:*The main timeline or main sequence is the original order of events before any alterations occur. The basis of each timeline is called its discipline, and it can be either sequential or simultaneous. Sequential means that time is linear; only the past affects the future. In a simultaneous timeline, the events of the future are independent, and changing the past will not erase events that have already happened, albeit those in the future. Alternate continuities can be formed in one of two ways: time travel into the past, or time travel into the future.
- If you travel into the past and the timeline is sequential, then the new events created by the split will take over the main sequence, and the old sequence will become a retroactive continuity (retcon).
- If you travel into the past and your timeline is simultaneous, then the new events will form a new, divergent continuity.
- If you travel into the future and your timeline is sequential, then the new events will also form a divergent continuity.
- If you travel into the future and your timeline is simultaneous, then the new events will once again form a divergent continuity.
Now, this part, while unrelated to what has sparked the controversy is crucial in fully understanding why there is a controversy. I believe that each universe may only have one timeline, and in order to prove that timelines are connected, there must be specific events that put the two timelines together. The best way to explain crosstime is to travel into either a retroactive continuity or something that I have not yet explained called a void continuity.'Void continuities are theoretical. They technically exist, but the actions that need to happen in order for them to cause a split in the timeline have not actually happened yet. For example, Gwen 10 may be considered a void continuity from the main Ben 10 timeline or it may be considered a separate universe. There is no proof either way, so the scientific assumption is that it is a different world. - Paper
Now that we’ve broken it down from Omniverse > Multiverse > Universe > Timelines, I’d like to go back to some topics. I explained that Earth-10 is the universe of the canon franchise that Ben 10 Planet records. Earth-10 is usually the first universe created in the Multiverse, since all other universes are based off of Earth-10. Here’s the thing though: Earth-10 is in the Ben 10 Fan Fiction Multiverse. It isn’t though in Multiverse 71. So there is no copy of Earth-10 in Multiverse 71. Multiverse 71 has its own universes, with its own rules and content. This being said, its universes would be called something else instead of Earth-#’s, since Earth-#’s are used only for the BTFF Multiverse.
And now back to how Omniverses and Multiverses are created. It’s simple really. Words are stronger then the sword. In fact, when we type words and create characters, just imagine that you are creating a new universe… and that you are in fact creating life. Because you are, because the Omniverse has multiverses for literally every fictional idea or story that has ever existed. If you come up with a new series, there already is a universe made where the story is reality. The characters are real.
I’d like to end this blog with a statement. Reflecting on what I have said, I have stated “Reality is an illusion; the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye”. Maybe that’s true. Maybe reality is what we’re supposed to believe is real, when its not. Maybe Life is a story, we are the characters, and this universe… is all the product of a mysterious omnipotent writer. Just think about that. ;)
Also the Multiverse Trackers won't be appearing for a while, I'm kind of taking this month off for the whole 2014 - Year of Change thing.