Howdy again, Kayse here.

So one thing that we hear about every so often is ”The Suspension of Disbelief”, but not everyone knows what that is or how it works- so I’m here to help you guys out!

What is the suspension of disbelief?

In short, the suspension of disbelief is based around the idea that no one is required to believe you when you involve things that aren’t already built into the server. It’s up to you/your character to ”prove” to others that something exists, or to convince others that it is in fact real/true.

There are quite a few things on Valence that often include the idea of the suspension of disbelief:

• CIT Packs
  • These are fancy resource packs that players make in order to make their own custom items/decorations. They usually come in the form of handmade models. CIT packs (like resource packs) are client-side only, which means that anyone who does not have them downloaded will just see a renamed item.
• Figura
  • The use of Figura is pretty wide-spread on Valence, but it is not required. Figura is a mod that allows players to have custom models for their characters, and it is often used to add horns, wings, tails, etc. Figura is also client-side, so anyone who doesn’t have the mod will not see other’s custom models. If you are interested in getting Figura (even if it’s just to see other’s models), check out this document that I made walking through the process step-by-step.
• Magic
  • We are obviously a fantasy server, so magic is a thing! While we do have some items that do physically cast spells, those are hard and expensive to come by- but that doesn’t mean that your character can’t be a mage! A lot of well-known mages on Valence started off their roleplay using ”theatre of the mind roleplay”, which is a fancy way of saying that we play pretend. Using the /do channel to describe your characters actions and their results is a great way to roleplay having magical abilities. Keep in mind though that other characters are not required to believe that you have abilities- and it’s up to you to prove that you do. If you’d like to know more about Valence’s canon magic systems, check out this post.
• Disguised Characters & Changelings
  • When it comes to characters that are wearing a disguise or changeling characters that are morphed as someone else- they are tricky things when it comes to others recognizing your character. Obviously it can be hard to change your own voice, but generally (and especially with changelings) people assume that the character in question is NOT using their real voice, and can’t be identified by it. Though- that is up to those you interact with. It’s also important to note that the name above your head in-game can be used to metagame, so if you suspect someone is metagaming the information- open a ticket.
• The Inability to Replicate
  • While we do have creative freedom when creating characters, not every aspect of a character can be replicated in game. Things like the ability to fly, immunities to certain effects, and others are all things that you cannot replicate. In cases like these, instead of trying to convince others that your character CAN do these things- it’s better to come up with a reason as to why your character CANNOT do them currently.

The suspension of disbelief also stretches to more modern ideas and character aspects. While we are a fantasy server, the time period can be equated to the medieval times or even early regency period. This means that we don’t have modern technology like medicine and robotics. If you want to include modern ideas in your character, try finding a way to explain it via magic. If you do try to push the idea that your character is a time traveller, knows of modern medicine, is a robot, or other things such as those- other characters on the server will not believe you.

So there you go, an overview on what the suspension of disbelief is. It’s a little hard to understand at times, but that’s okay. If you find you’re having trouble working ideas into your character that require the suspension of disbelief, try opening a writing ticket- and our writing team will help you work through your problems.

I hope this was helpful, and I’ll see you server side!

Love, Kayse