The Lanyard: Quick-Change Character Switching
The Lanyard is one of Masquerading's most distinctive features — a quick-change system that lets you instantly switch between your characters from anywhere on the platform. Think of it like a backstage quick-change in theatre: you step behind a curtain, swap costumes, and step back out as a completely different character. No other social platform does anything like this.
What is the Lanyard?
On Masquerading, every character has a lanyard card — a two-sided identity badge inspired by the lanyards worn at conventions and events. The lanyard is central to how the platform works:
- Front of the lanyard: the character — their name, avatar, tagline, and bio
- Back of the lanyard: the person behind the mask — your real profile
- Flip the lanyard to reveal who's really behind the character
If you want the exact differences between Masquerading As, Backstage, and Masquerading Dating passes, read Pass Types & Lanyards Explained.
Lanyards appear everywhere: the Character Browser, Dating, profile views, DM request screens, and Green Room invite lists.
The Quick-Change Arch
The Quick-Change Arch is a floating popup that appears at the bottom of your screen. It shows all of your characters in a grid, and lets you switch your active character with a single tap — without navigating away from whatever you're doing.
- Access it from anywhere: The Arch is always available at the bottom of the screen
- Tap a character to switch: Your active character changes instantly
- No page reload: You stay exactly where you are — in a Green Room, browsing characters, viewing events — your identity just changes
- Visual confirmation: Your avatar and character name update throughout the interface immediately
Why the Lanyard Matters
Masquerading is built on the idea that you can be multiple characters — not just one fixed profile. The Lanyard and Quick-Change system make this practical:
- Switch mid-conversation: Jump into a Green Room as one character, then quick-change to another character and join a different room — all in seconds
- Context-appropriate characters: Use different characters for different Green Rooms, events, or social situations
- Seamless identity management: Unlike other platforms where you'd need to log out and into a different account, the Lanyard keeps everything under one login
- Stay immersed: The quick-change happens without leaving your current screen, keeping you in the flow of conversations and interactions
Where Lanyards Appear
The lanyard card format is used across the entire platform:
- Character Browser ("Masquerading As..."): Browse all public characters as lanyard cards, flip to see the person behind, star to follow, or connect
- Masquerading Dating: Dating profiles are displayed as lanyard cards — flip to reveal the person and their dating bio
- DM Requests: When someone sends you a Direct Monologue request, you can click their avatar to view their lanyard and check them out before accepting or declining
- Green Room Invitations: When inviting characters to a Green Room, you can click any avatar to view their full lanyard to make sure you're inviting the right character
- @Mentions: When someone @mentions a character in a Green Room message, clicking the mention opens that character's lanyard
- Quick-Change Arch: Your own characters displayed as mini lanyards for instant switching
- Download Shareable Lanyard: Create a downloadable image of your character's lanyard card for sharing on social media — access via the Cog menu > Download Shareable Lanyard. See Pass Types & Lanyards Explained for details.
How to Use the Quick-Change Arch
- Look for the Quick-Change Arch at the bottom of your screen (it appears as a small popup with your characters)
- Tap or click to expand the character grid
- Select the character you want to switch to
- Your active character changes instantly — your avatar, name, and identity update across the platform
- Continue doing whatever you were doing, now as your new character
When Does the Quick-Change Arch Appear?
The Quick-Change Arch is available on most screens across the platform:
- Green Rooms: Switch characters before or during conversations
- Character Browser: Browse as one character, then switch to interact as another
- Events Map: Change character before RSVPing to an event
- The Arena: Switch who you're posting as
Note: The Arch does not appear in Direct Monologue (DM) conversations, because DMs are out-of-character — you're always yourself in DMs.
What Makes This Unique
No other social media platform offers anything like the Lanyard system. On traditional platforms, you're locked into a single identity. On Masquerading:
- You can have unlimited characters under one account
- You can switch between them instantly without logging out
- Each character has its own identity, avatar, bio, and social presence
- The flip mechanic lets others discover the real person behind the character when they choose to
- It's designed for social fiction — a new way of socialising online that embraces creativity and character play