What does Theopolis like to be called? Baron North? Mr. North, or maybe his middle name? I suppose the diminutive - Theo is only for his closest, eee… "friends?" Sure, if I'd called him like that, he probably would have me executed, right?
And how does he address other poeople typically? Does he use first names, surnames, or nothig?
It varies! A safe bet for your average acquaintance would be his last name and an honorific - Mr. North, Lord North or Baron North.
He wouldn’t care for most people calling him by his first name - though he might accept someone he’s on friendly terms with doing so. His mother called him “Theopolis” (as well as a catalogue of pet names), so it’s not like he dislikes it, just considers it very presumptuous for someone not in his close circle. For example, Hyden calls him “North,” but Theo wouldn’t mind if Hyden addressed him on a first-name basis.
Despite his obsession with decorum and his nobility, he isn’t as much of a stickler for being called “Baron” or “Lord” as one might imagine. He only inherited the title after his mother’s passing, and he went into years of isolation and mourning immediately after. Because of his hermitage, he hasn’t been able to exercise the right to be called Lord North or Baron North much with other people; the words feel strange and unfamiliar to him to hear referring to him compared to “Mister” or “Master.” He feels that his mother is the one with the real right to the title, even after her death. That said, he WILL insist upon being called “his lordship” if he wants to exercise what limited authority he has. (It’s another matter whether or not someone actually complies.)
Funnily enough, none of the current cast of characters refers to Theo as just “Theo.” He’s never used the nickname before. Nobody’s liked him enough to give him one. (Well, his mother liked him, but she wasn’t one for butchering her beloved son’s perfect name by shortening it.)
In previous incarnations of his character, he’s first called Theo by one of my other characters, Jack - a guy who doesn’t respect fancy titles but likes Theo anyway. Theo grouses about the diminutive but grows to accept it. I have vague plans for an incarnation of Jack to exist in Amaranthine’s universe, but nothing solid yet - but when he does appear, he’ll probably be the one to call Theo “Theo.” :)
When it comes to referring to others, Theo tends to use an honorific and their last name - “Mr. So-and-So,” “Mrs. Smith,” so on. He will respect noble titles if they have them - so he calls Hyden “His Grace” and “Duke,” even though no one is enforcing it. He very rarely addresses people with their first names; it feels too informal for him. If he really wants to show displeasure, he will often drop the honorific and just use their last name. If he’s really pissed, he breaks out the nouns, and people become their occupation - Soldier, Ambassador, Butler - instead of a name, more of a role or object than a person.
