#cloud is complicated

Formality in Cloud is determined mostly by your position relative to the speaker. Given that Cloud is majority-fae which can’t tell direct lies, the devil is in the details, and one of the ways that this comes up is in formality and how someone is addressed. Most beings in Cloud don’t have fixed genders either so that just makes how they’re addressed even more important.

So there’s 2 main ways that work together to talk about relationships: honorifics and names.

Honorifics are used by everyone for everyone and they’re the most basic part of speaking Cloudian and living in Cloud. They go something like this:

-kiso (younger than the speaker (mostly used for children, sometimes used for juniors who are a lot younger than you))

-tira (peer at acquaintance level, most often used when you’re not sure of the other being’s status relative to you, but also used to convey a sense of equality)

-tiro (friend around peer level (for example if -tira is the formal you, -tiro would be used where you would use the informal you))

-tera (friend who’s older or more senior than you or an acquaintance who you’re dealing with in a professional capacity)

-sikhe (Magistae level, usually used the same way Dr or Prof would be to humans, also a gesture of respect)

So for example within Grandparents of the Revolution, if we use Chrisl as a reference point,  Soren and their siblings would technically be -kiso (so, Carrow-kiso for Soren, Iri-kiso (Yin), Auri-kiso (Jin), Hibou-kiso (Fei), Vrati-kiso (Castore), and when they’re younger, they would address Vic and Adri as Ygwitz-tiro (close friend but not family quite yet) and Cyne-tira (friendly acquaintance)) That’s why it’s such a great insult when like Soren is doing their presentation of ideas back before they know Chrisl and when asking questions, a faerie younger than Soren addresses them as ‘Carrow-kiso’, and why it’s significant later that Chrisl (sikhe level to most of the assembled) stands up and addresses Soren as ‘Carrow-tira’.

Then the other important thing to take note of is names.

So there’s three different types of names: your Tokia, your Koa and lastly your Sikaa

Your Tokia is the way most beings will address you in Cloud, and it’s the name you’re called when you first come. It’s still an actual name, and that’s the extent to which most beings will know of your name.

Your Koa is one step closer. It’s basically your name, but not your True Name, but it’s the name that you choose and the name that the beings you select as your family will address you by.

Your Sikaa is the most personal and thus the most dangerous. This is basically your True Name, and it’s given to you by your Sikaa, which is basically your chosen soulmate. It’s the deepest and most intimate bond and Name that anyone can give, and if you want something really really dangerous, that’s the Name that you need to give to tie magic to. No one except you and your Sikaa will know what your Sikaa (Name) is, unless you so choose to give it to someone you would trust with your very soul.

How it normally goes in Cloud is you start with -tira and then you go -tiro and then if they care about you and consider you family, they will give you their Koa.