History Main / WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief

* AssPull: THE biggest way you can break Willing Suspension Of Disbelief, as mentioned above. Some subtropes of it will do it almost 100 percent of the time, specifically the DeusExMachina and DiabolusExMachina.

* ScienceFictionWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale

** TheTreacheryOfImages

* The AnthropicPrinciple - Pretty much every story has some fundamental elements which, unrealistic or improbable they may be, are vital for the story to function in the first place, so like them or not you don't really have a choice but to suck them up if you want to enjoy the story. Sure, it might be unlikely that the GreatDetective would just happen to be around to solve the incredibly byzantine murder that someone's committed close by, but if he or she wasn't there you wouldn't be able to enjoy watching him or her solve the mystery in the first place.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think. The AnthropicPrinciple is also of relevance here; some genres may simply have a NecessaryWeasel which, while unlikely or unrealistic, is vital for the story to actually take place, or AcceptableBreaksFromReality which the audience is willing to overlook for the story to function. For example: [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim why doesn't the villain just shoot]] Film/JamesBond? Because if he did, there wouldn't be a James Bond movie for you to watch in the first place.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think. The AnthropicPrinciple is also of relevance here; some genres may simply have NecessaryWeasels which, while unlikely or unrealistic, are vital for the story to actually take place or AcceptableBreaksFromReality which the audience is willing to overlook for the story to function. For example: [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim why doesn't the villain just shoot]] Film/JamesBond? Because if he did, there wouldn't be a James Bond movie for you to watch in the first place.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent (see MagicAIsMagicA). When the author pushes an audience beyond what they're willing to accept, the work fails in the eyes of that particular audience. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] which is why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]], but even in the more fantastical genres, suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their WSoD by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think.

As always, the various [[RuleOfIndex Rules]] override nearly all other considerations. When the audience's disbelief, which was suspended during the show, gets reinstated some time afterward, what you get is FridgeLogic. When the means of "fixing" the PlotHole just end up making it worse, that's a phenomenon known as the VoodooShark.

As always, the various [[RuleOfIndex Rules]] override nearly all other considerations. When the audience's disbelief, which was suspended during the show, gets reinstated some time afterward, what you get is FridgeLogic.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show".

-> ''An eagle-eyed viewer might be able to see the wires. A pedant might be able to see the wires. But I think if you're looking at the wires you're ignoring the story. If you go to a puppet show you can see the wires. But it's about the puppets, it's not about the string. If you go to a Theatre/PunchAndJudy show and you're only watching the wires, you're a freak.''

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show".

* AssPull: THE biggest way you can break WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief, as mentioned above. Some subtropes of it will do it almost 100 percent of the time, specifically the DeusExMachina and DiabolusExMachina.

* ContrivedCoincidence: If the coincidence couldn't believably happen in RealLife for some reason, try to figure out why and how it could, OR try to figure out an InUniverse explanation for it happening that makes consistent sense. Otherwise, this is right up next to the AssPull as a way to immediately break WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief.

-->-- '''Dean Learner''', ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'' [[note]]Said about a scene where the wires are '''''glaringly obvious''''', to the point that if you ignore them you're probably legally blind.[[/note]]

-->-- '''Dean Learner''', ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace''

* DeusExMachina

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality
* ArtisticLicense

Any creative endeavor, certainly any written creative endeavor, is only successful to the extent that the audience offers this willing suspension as they read, listen, or watch. It's part of an unspoken contract: The writer provides the reader/viewer/player with a good story, and in return, they a) accept the reality of the story as presented and accepted that characters in the fictional universe act on their own accord.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent (see MagicAIsMagicA). When the author pushes the audience too far, the work fails. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] which is why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]], but even in the more fantastical genres, suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived.

A common way of putting this is "You can ask an audience to believe the impossible, but not the improbable." For example, people will accept that [[AWizardDidIt the Grand Mage can teleport across the world]], or that [[StealthInSpace the spaceship has technology that makes it completely invisible]] without rendering its own sensors blind, but they won't accept that the ferocious carnivore [[AssPull just happened to have a heart attack and die]] right before it attacked the main character, or that [[HollywoodHacking the hacker guessed his enemy's password on the first try just by typing random letters]], at least without [[ChekhovsGun some prior detail]] [[JustifiedTrope justifying]] it or one of the Rules listed below coming into play. What is in RealLife impossible just has to be made the norm in the setting and kept consistent.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent (see MagicAIsMagicA). When the author pushes the audience too far, the work fails. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] which is why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]], but even in the more fantastical genres suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent (see MagicAIsMagicA). When the author pushes the audience too far, the work fails. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] unless the show tries to use real science, at which point it's fair game, though this is because Science Fiction is just that: Science [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin FICTION]]. Attempting to use actual science to explain something you made up removes the story from its own fantasy universe and places it in the context of reality. That's why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]]. Suspension of disbelief can be broken even in science fiction when a show breaks its own established laws or places said laws outside of fiction.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and internally consistent (see MagicAIsMagicA). When the author pushes the audience too far, the work fails. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] unless the show tries to use real science, at which point it's fair game, though this is because Science Fiction is just that: Science [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin FICTION]]. Attempting to use actual science to explain something you made up removes the story from it's own fantasy universe and places it in the context of reality. That's why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]]. Suspension of disbelief can be broken even in science fiction when a show breaks its own established laws or places said laws outside of fiction.

Any creative endeavor, certainly any written creative endeavor, is only successful to the extent that the audience offers this willing suspension as they read, listen, or watch.

-> ''An eagle-eyed viewer might be able to see the wires. A pedant might be able to see the wires. But I think if you're looking at the wires you're ignoring the story. If you go to a puppet show you can see the wires. But it's about the puppets, it's not about the string. If you go to a PunchAndJudy show and you're only watching the wires, you're a freak.''

As always, the RuleOfCool, RuleOfCute, RuleOfDrama, RuleOfFunny, and RuleOfScary override nearly all other considerations. When the audience's disbelief, which was suspended during the show, gets reinstated some time afterward, what you get is FridgeLogic.