The Masks

Fox · the Courtly Charmer
(f/m) ❥ RO: demiro/demisex

Suave, charming, devoted- the perfect lady or gentleman. It is evident they know who you are, and they seem intent on capturing your heart. Tread carefully, they will do their best to sweep you off your feet and into their arms.

Rabbit · the Flustered Ingenue
(f/m) ❥ RO: demiro/demisex

Gentle and kind, hoping and hesitant. All they’ve ever wanted is to love and be loved. Can they trust you to be their one and only?

Butterfly · the Mysterious Rake
(f/m) ❥ RO ⚑: grayro/omnisex

Darkly alluring and dangerously seductive. To you they are a closed tome. To them you are an open book. It is unwise to be reckless when you catch their interest, lest you succumb to their hunger.

??? · the Uninvited Guest
(?) ❥ RO ⚑: pansex

How refreshing you are to them.

Other Characters of Note

Main Character
(nb/f/m)

The youngest child of a well-respected- if not feared- merchant and a former viscountess. You’ve been allowed several freedoms thus far, owing only to neglect, but since your debut into society you’ve been stripped of these liberties and charged to attract an advantageous match- which until now you’ve managed to avoid.

Edith/Edward Egerton
(f/m) ❥ RO ⚑: part of the love triangle or square on any route

Your loathed and betrothed. You’ve never so much as spoken a word to them and yet they’ve asked for your hand- circuitously. They are the only tradesperson said to match your father’s ruthlessness and wealth.

They have tawny amber skin, chestnut eyes, and dark umber hair done up in a fashionably acceptable style. Their gently smiling eyes and upturned lips lend a softness to their otherwise angled face, but there is no mirth in them. Their body is lithe and, you get the feeling, deceptively powerful. They have the kind of ravenous beauty that flourishes with each view until you can’t imagine why you ever thought them plain.

James —
(m)

The enabler of your unhappy predicament: your father. Having ignored you and your siblings except when beneficial, he’s been known to arrange the marriages of his children to further his gains and influence. So why does this advantageous proposal seem to infuriate him?

Grace —
(f)

Your matrimonially devoted and maternally absent mother. There was never any room in her heart for anyone other than James, which could have been romantic except for the damage it wrought upon her parents and children. She was born to Viscounts who stripped her of her title after marrying your father, much to his resentment.

Francis Baker
(nb/f/m) ❥ gender based on MC

Your personal attendant, lady’s maid, or valet. They are the one true parental figure in your life, having also raised you from an infant as your nurse. Kind, loving, and no-nonsense in their care. They are the single parent of Tamsin/Thomas Baker and want nothing more than both your happiness.

Pink skin with light golden hair and blue eyes. Somewhat plump in their vigorous way. They have the kind of comeliness that grows with every line on their not-yet-old face, though you can tell they were also quite winsome in their youth.

Tamsin/Thomas Baker
(f/m) ❥ RO: can only be romanced on Fox and Butterfly’s routes

Your childhood- and only- friend, who’s been drifting away since your formative years. Who was once your treasured confidant is now a near stranger, and the distance between you can be measured by their once easy smile devoured by sad lonely eyes. They’ve worked in your family’s gardens since they were able to hold shears, and were promoted to head gardener when the last overseer perished.

They have clay sun-kissed skin with freckles dotting their refined nose and ruddy cheeks. Their (f: tied back / m: cropped) hair is an unruly mess the color of fresh honey, and their eyes are a bright hazel. They have a robust, healthy frame from toiling outside. They once had the most genuine, unbridled smile on their full lips, and an adorable hollow forming on their left cheek. Now their eyes are empty of mirth, and their mouth but a part of their angelic face.

Lairde Ellis Gainsborough, Marquion of Hamonshire
(nb) ❥ relationship to MC definable

Your direct elder sibling. Despite being married off to a landowning peer a couple years ago, they spend most of their time in your family’s residence due to their wife’s unyieldingly scandalous ways. They were always a serious child, but they’ve now fallen to utter despair at their match.

Lady Danielle Gainsborough, Marchioness of Hamonshire
(f)

Ellis’s reprobate wife, known for her… unrepenting luster for life. She comes from a long line of respectable forebearers and seems intent on sullying their name now that she has the money provided by Ellis to do so.

Skin the color of sand and small, dark, almond shaped eyes. Her hair is a midnight black invariably drawn up in expensive yet disheveled fashion, and her face is overly powdered and rouged. She looks to be in a perpetual stupor, with a stupid smile and clouded vision. She wears a star shaped beauty mark on the corner of her left eye.

Lady Henrietta, Countess/Lord Henry, Earl of Great Northrope
(f/m)

The host of the fabled Bacchanal, and the only child of the most influential peers of the ton: the Duke and Duchess of Thornwall, Earl and Countess of Great Northrope. Their austere and reserved manner is betrayed by their reputation for glutenous depravity. Despite this they are hunted by debutantes and widows alike for their status. They seem in no hurry to shed their singlehood.

Pallid bronze skin colors their taut, rigid frame. They wear powdered chestnut hair and a painted face utterly without blemish. Their cognac brown eyes are set in a deep glare, and their sculpted jaw is tense in a way that allows for no quarrel. Despite this they are a known beauty, and as capable of weakening hearts as they are frightening them.

Lady Lucia, Baroness/ Lord Laurence, Baron of Oxburn
(f/m)

The inextricable bosom friend of Henrietta/Henry. Where their friend is a pall upon the room they are a source of light. Their amiable company draws everyone to them like moths to a flame, and it’s easy to quit their company feeling quite blessed by their attentions.

They have olive skin, cheerful dark eyes, and near-black hair curled and powdered in a loose pomp. They wear just enough powder and paint to be fashionable while not concealing their graceful features, and a small beauty mark near their lip.

How will the romance routes work?
The four masked ROs are the main paths. After the Bacchanal you must choose one of them to get to know better.

What is the love triangle?
Edith and Edward are, by default, a love interest since they are betrothed to the MC. However, the story I really wanted to tell was about interacting with these masked figures, so you will need to choose a path to follow with one of them. This means every path will have Edith/Edward as a rival for your affection and part of a love triangle, though romancing them back is entirely optional.

What is the love square?
Tamsin and Thomas can also be romanced, making a love square, but only on Fox and Butterfly’s routes… 🤔

How can I romance Edith/Edward or Tamsin/Thomas?
Though you will be required to choose a path with a masked character this does not mean you will be forced to romance them. You may form platonic relationships or drift apart depending on your choices and the masked character.

Can I be locked out of any routes?
Yes, with two of them. Rabbit is demi and will not extend an invitation to meet again with a MC who does not respect their wish to take things slow. The Uninvited Guest will only show up as a romance option under certain conditions.

Are there any poly relationships?
No. The bottom line is these characters would never form a relationship with each other. The practical reason is I already have enough on my plate with the love triangles and squares.

How will the masked ROs be revealed?
There will be different checkpoints in each route where, depending on the choices you’ve made and the way the character feels, they may or may not choose to reveal themselves. At those checkpoints you may also choose to keep the identities a secret, which can last until just after the elopement or when the masked RO does not feel comfortable continuing to be hidden anymore.

I have also included the World-Wise and Sensitivity stats for the player to try and figure out their identities, though the way it factors into the story will be largely dependent on the scope of the project.
(This is all subject to change as the story is written)

What makes the red flags a red flag?
In short, I wouldn’t consider the relationships you can have with them to be healthy in the real world, but fine to explore in fiction. To be more specific, these routes are more akin to ruthless obsessions than equal partnerships. The red flags are marked on the Characters of Interest post.

Can the MC make it clear early on that they don’t want to marry Edith/Edward?
The MC can be very clear about it from the start, but Edith/Edward will take it as a challenge (at first). There is at least one “date” with them that the MC cannot get out of, which is early in the game, but past that you can choose who to spend time with. E’s levels of persistence will vary based on the masked route and the MC’s level of detachment. Despite E being the villain of the story, I do not want to make them as unrelenting as people I’ve had to deal with in real life when told a flat no, unless you are purposefully accruing points with them.

So, if I do my job well, players put off by E’s behavior won’t have to put up with the worst of it for very long as they can have their MC spend time with other people. But that isn’t to say E won’t make one last ditch effort, they just won’t be constantly hounding the MC.

I have the nsfw blog password, but it isn’t working?
For some reason, typing the password in won’t always work. I suggest copy and pasting the password, which works every time.

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After fielding information from other users, as well as my own testing, I have deduced that this is an issue with tumblr itself. If it doesn’t work on the mobile app, please try on your mobile device’s browser, or on a laptop/desktop. The last option has been the most reliable.

Why can’t I follow/like/reblog the nsfw blog?
The way tumblr keeps password protected blogs hidden is by removing those features from them.