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In my series, I vary it by the way the character is perceived. Characters in more of an authority position are referred to by their last name, and younger or less powerful characters by their first. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but for example, my MC (a professor and a mage) is always called by his last name in the narrative, as is his friend/rival, another powerful mage. But his apprentice (late teens) and her brother (mid 20s) are both called by their first name.
I see it sort of like in Harry Potter, where we had Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Snape, Dumbledore and Lupin.
Draco refers to the Golden Trio as Potter, Weasley and Granger.
and the teachers are teachers. I think it's a british thing to refer to others by their last names unless you know them as friends. Lupin referred to Snape as Severus while he taught (I think it's been a long time since I read the books, and it may be fan fic is giving me that idea) while Snape always called Remus by his last name.
But that goes for the rest of the characters too. It's mostly last names unless Harry knows them very well and he conceders them friends. I think that the only teacher who doesn't have a last name used is the centaur.
And while we're on that, lets talk LOTR as well.
Out of everyone it seems like the Hobbits have last names. Everyone else is referred to by their first names or their pen name. Like no one knows Strider is really Aragorn and what have you. I think out of fear of Gandalf a Mister is thrown in. Or respect, like Sam always says Mister Frodo. So he's kinda mixing it up. He's friend with Frodo but Frodo is still his boss and so he shows that respect by saying Frodo. And not because Frodo is older than him or anything.
Thats what some teach kids to do these days, if there's someone older they're taught to say Miss or Mister and then that person's first name just out of respect that they're younger. At least, that's what my mom did with us and it seems to be a Southern thing. I've since stopped doing that but it was kind of awkward when people gave me weird looks at my job. *shrugs*
But yeah. There's a lot of stuff you can do with this to show characterization.
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