Metas are the big players of this universe, and it is they who must ultimately determine its fate or fates.
Flat: A person, object or organization that exists on a timeline and is bound by the consquences of that timeline. They must be logically consistent within their own timeline and thus can easily be defeated by manipulation their past.
While an individual flat is more or less at the mercy of a meta, flats on the whole have a strong influence on history and can often kill an unprepared meta. The only issue is that metas have a habit of not remaining dead.
Timeline: A timeline is a logically consistent, or at least somewhat plausible chain of events. Only one timeline can actually exist; everything is is simply possibilities and are not fully real. It should be noted though, that from the point of view of a meta, which timeline is “real” can seem to change, although from a flats perspective it was always that way.
Possible: A timeline that doesn't actually exist; sort of “possible alternate timeline.” A time traveler whose timeline can no longer exist at all is considered to be from a “possible.”
Meta Rating: A rough measure of how 'meta' an organization of individual.
- 0.0 Totally Flat: An object whose existence is completely logically consistent, and has no presence outside its own timeline. Are totally unaware that time travel is happening/will happen.
- 0.5 Aware Flat: Flats who are aware of time travelers, but lack the ability to use time travel themselves. Their interactions with higher-meta forces grants a measure of protection, but only a measure.
- 1.0 Time Travel Agencies: Largely flat groups that use time travel to accomplish flat goals. Have a rough ability to protect their own past, but very little in the way of passive protections and are only slightly more stable than flats.
- 2.0 Time Colonists: Organizations and people that exist in multiple multiple timelines and are not as vulnerable to retroactive countermeasures; many possible future lead to their existence, logically or not.
- 3.0 Time Civilization: Organizations that are almost acausal in existence, seeming springing out of nowhere from the perspective of flats and are thus largely immune to time travel shenanigans. Can access multiple possible timelines, even some of those that can't exist anymore.
- 4.0 Time Lords: Masters of space and time; can access not only the real timeline but potential timelines, essentially able to create their own pocket realities and scenarios. Despite this they are not invulnerable to flats within their own present timeline, but their advanced technology largely takes care of that problem.