Earlier in February, I read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. Mostly because it’s an early piece of literature containing dinosaurs/paleontology as a focus. Also because it sounded fun. Despite the degree of time separation between now and then, the book was entertaining to read. Honestly some books published in the last twenty years were harder to parse than The Lost World. As paleontological fiction, it is vastly outdated. The story takes place in the eponymous lost world, an enormous tepui in the Amazon. In it are a variety of mostly European fauna (Iguanodon, Pterodactylus, Megaloceras) and some contemporary animals that may have been unintentionally airlifted from other parts of the world. Doyle described “a scaly anteater” which I was at first willing to give the benefit of the doubt that it was a way of describing a gylptodont, but is more likely to be him not knowing South America doesn’t have pangolins. It’s also really racist. Challenger is apparently able to tell Malone is Irish by the shape of his skull (which… like… there’s flesh in the way dude…), the black character is happily subservient to the British protagonists, and at one point they commit a near genocide of ape-people. More subtly there are a bunch of references to the inherent superiority of the British to the rest of the world which is really hard to take seriously some times. Also I’m like 75% sure at the end of the book Roxton and Malone return to the lost world to start a diamond mining company. Which is, to put it lightly, an enterprise that is consistently exploitative of their workers.
So why did I draw the main characters? I’ve done this with a few books. Especially ones with characters who are described in specific terms. To get a picture of what they look like, because when I read I imagine the events visually, I, er, make a picture. An, unlike the monstrosity that is A Song of Ice and Fire, the story had only a few characters I thought necessary to sketch as I read.
Roxton is an archetypal British safari adventurer with red hair and a mustache, Challenger is described with drooping eyelids and a big beard like an Assyrian statue, Malone is described the least but is also the youngest, freshest faced, and a big simp, and Summerlee is older with a goatee and a drone, sarcastic wit. They are fun to read divorced from reality. Challenger and Summerlee get into petty scientific debates constantly. Roxton is the most practical but also really wants to shoot dinosaurs. And there is a lot of fun poking at the seriousness with which 19th century scientists take themselves.
Ikévamp Headcanons: MC gets a serious injury doing chores
⚠️TW: mentions of blood and injuries
Le Comte:
- When refilling the freshly laundered towels in La Thermae, you underestimate just how slippery the floor is and take a fall, smacking your head hard on a corner
- It only takes a few moments for you to come to, but the incredible pain in your head stops you from sitting up, all you can do is clutch your head in dizzying agony and wait for someone to find you
- Comte gets a funny feeling and decides to go looking for you and panics when you don’t respond to him calling your name for that long. He’s beside himself with worry when he finally finds you on the floor with a bloody head, groaning
- “Chérie?! What’s happened here- Can you hear me?” He’s cradling your head in his lap and applying some pressure to your wound with his napkin. Thankfully the bump is bigger than the gash and you’re still conscious
- When the bleeding has seemingly stopped, he picks you up and hurries to get you to your room while calling for Sebastian to fetch a doctor. He’s gentle and careful as he lays you on your bed
- Comte will check on you all the time and asks the other residents to keep their eyes on you to make sure you’re feeling okay and you’re not working yourself hard
- He takes it upon himself to change your bandages and give your head a gentle kiss in apology for what happened to you even though you reassure him that it was just an accident
♡
♡
Leonardo:
- You’re dusting the shelves in the library on ladder that stretches nearly to the ceiling when you lose your footing and end up hurtling towards the ground, landing with a sickening snap
- An ungodly scream escapes you as you see bone sticking out of your leg and the pain starts to flood in, blood staining your frock
- It doesn’t take long for Leonardo to burst through the double doors and run to your aid, followed by Le Comte, both of them fraught with worry
- “Cara mia?! What’s the- Oh no. I see, you had a little fall, yeah? Stay there, dolcezza-” He tries to calm you down while you cry, gently lifting you onto the nearby sofa as Comte props up a cushion for you to elevate your leg on
- “Scusa, let me just adjust your pillow. Can you take some deep breaths for me, cara mia? Brava, just like that. You’re doing great.”
- “Keep her calm and her leg high, Leonardo. Chérie I’ll be back with a doctor soon, please be still.” He leaves as quickly as he entered and now its just you and Leonardo, letting you squeeze his hand as hard as you can to distract yourself from the pain
- He’s angry at himself for not telling you to be careful on the ladder and you can guarantee you won’t be allowed back up it any time soon
- Once you’re bandaged up and have a cast on, Leonardo doesn’t let your feet touch the ground once. You’re on bedrest for a while and in that time he reads to you and has the other residents visit you with various ways to keep you entertained
- If you need to leave for anything, he’s carrying you like a featherweight bride and checking on your leg all the time, he knows you’ll take a lot longer to heal than he would and he hates to see his little compagna in pain
- “Don’t forget to ask for help every now and then, yeah? I can only stand to see you hurt so many times before I roll you up in sheets and stick you in my room so you don’t get hurt again.”
- There is now a sign permanently stuck on the ladder that reads “No Lambs Allowed Beyond This Point”, courtesy of Leonardo
♡
♡
Arthur:
- You’re cleaning in the kitchen, standing on an old battered chair when one of the legs gives way and you tumble down, the counter top colliding with your ribcage as you let out a yelp of pain
- The injury feels severe as the slightest movement puts you in agony, and you call out for Arthur to help you. He’s there in moments, rushing to your side and helping you to sit up and spotting the broken chair
- “What happened, luv? Was it this blasted chair? I’ll smash this thing to splinters! Oh, sweetheart-” His past medical experience comes in handy with how to deal with the injury but you still need proper treatment, so he’s delicately and slowly carrying you to your room until another doctor can be called in
- He fetches as many pillows and cushions as he can, even pinching them from his own bed to build you a complete pillow fort so you don’t have to move a muscle, not that there’s room to move amongst your plush castle
- “Forget writing, my talents clearly lie in construction! Wouldn’t you say? Who needs Sherlock Holmes when I can *build* Sherlock *homes*?”
- “If it didn’t cause me physical pain I would throw every single one of these pillows at you, dork.” You groan, trying to suppress any laughter that might cause you pain again
- It takes a while for you to heal up completely but Arthur is there every step of the way helping you wash and dress and he’ll watch over you in the night so you don’t move around too much and hurt yourself more
- “No more standing on chairs now, alright? You had me worried sick, if anything’s going to stop you from walking I want it to be me~ Haha, I’m just playing, luv. But I’m serious about you being careful.”
♡
♡
Theodorus:
- You’re pruning the tall hedges around the mansion when you try to reach just a little too high and the ladder slips from under you and you fall, hard
- Fortunately, Theo was just coming back home from a deal and saw you fall, and he’s already running to help you as fast as he physically can
- You’re on the ground in tears, clutching your limp and oddly angled wrist as Theo wraps an arm around you and takes hold of your injured wrist in his other hand
- “Your hurt your paw didn’t you, Hondje? Do me a favour and tell me how many clouds you see over there, okay?” He tries to keep you distracted while he scoops you up and takes you inside gruffly shouting for Arthur
- It takes a little while to get you fixed up but eventually your wrist is straightened and bandaged tightly and Theo is very strict about you resting it
- “What were you thinking, knabbeltje? Next time call your master when you need something up high, when I saw you fall, I was terrified.”
- He forbids you to do any chores no matter how much you insist you can do it one handed and every now and then he pulls you close and gives you little kisses on your wrist
- After that you find that your high up chores are all mysteriously done for you and Theo suspiciously denies all knowledge
Requestedbyanon: “Hello glorious author-chan! I have a request for you. I have a fun little imagine for you. Can you make an Ikemen Vampire imagine of what their reactions would be like in modern times?”
A/N: I honestly don’t know what this is, like it ended up as the child of a drabble and a headcanon.
Warning: implied smut and nudity (come on Arthur is here)
Napoleon Bonaparte:
He’d be shocked and in awe at the same time.
Wanting to know EVERYTHING about how people live in the 21st century.
Is it a better, easier life? Is everyone treated equally and safe?
He’s astonished by the night lights as well, so bright and beautiful.
It’s absolutely unforgettable and he stays up at night a little longer to watch the busy city below, drinking the beautiful view until he falls asleep.
Also more content with the clothing fashion.
Yes it’s very unusual to him since he’s not used to it but clothes used to be so uncomfortable, especially for women.
Though he really didn’t feel comfortable with such revealing clothes.
He’s very cute about it around you though, hiding in your neck with flushed, embarrassed cheeks.
Leonardo Da Vinci:
Doesn’t show his amazement as much except through his tone of voice.
Wants to know how a phone works.
Surprisingly – or unsurprisingly – not having to explain it regularly, he picks up on it very quickly.
He’s very impressed.
Your days were divided into visiting shops, showing him technologies, public transport, probably every single thing about the city and cuddling in bed and showing him how the TV works because “the mattress is so comfortable”.
Even though you know how comfortable a surface is, never stopped him from falling asleep.
He really likes it in the modern day.
I think he would be one of the residents that would fit in rather quickly and easily.
Comte De Saint Germain:
It’s not that much of a shocker for him for obvious reasons but because you’d spent your life in modern day, he got to see your view and had a much positive outlook on it.
Not that it was negative to begin with, he just didn’t pay as much attention to it before and now that he has, it’s eye opening, in a way.
He loved the sparkle in your eyes as you rejoiced in the things you used to know before you travelled back in time.
It was a sight for sore eyes.
He enjoyed visiting with you, even though he spent more time seeing the twinkle in your eyes than being happy over the smaller things.
Comte is much more open about PDA for obvious reasons and he feels the modern day is something the both of you share as a precious memory now.
Arthur Conan Doyle:
His demeanour is one of someone who’s seen everything already but the huge smile and eyes just showed that he was a little boy excited about discovering everything.
Arthur dragged you around to tell him how things work if he couldn’t pick up on by himself.
You went to a mall and Victoria’s Secret caught his eye so fast it was S C A R Y.
“Try this sweetheart, and this and this-”
Yes, despite all your protests, you spent the whole day in the store trying on clothes for him.
He enjoyed it very much.
Arthur promised he would discover something new with you that didn’t involved being naked.
How nice of him *chokes*
It was a tiring day for you since you did all the standing, changing and displaying for him.
But the night provided to be very rewarding hehe
If you know what I mean
;)
You know what I mean, why am I saying this.
Theodorus Van Gogh:
He has a similar behaviour to Arthur at first, indifferent behaviour but very curious eyes.
You can tell he doesn’t want to ask questions but wants the answers.
So you just start talking and explaining things.
He’s a little flushed because he would have told you to stop talking by now but he doesn’t since you’re informing him on everything.
Theo would keep visiting until you got tired and wouldn’t hesitate to carry you back to your place and cuddle up on the couch.
Showing him how the TV works but he prefers sleeping in your bed because it’s so comfy and he can hug you.
Vincent Van Gogh:
“WOW!” *sparkly eyes*
Asks you about EVERYTHING
Holds your hand the whole time.
Also he apologises for always inquiring about everything.
Reassuring him that it’s alright.
Proceeds to go back to questioning everything.
Politely asks if you guys can go to an exhibition the next day to see paintings and saying yes.
Very gladly cuddling in your neck and saying how amazing everything is.
He’s too cute T-T
Vincent was smiling in his sleep because he got to discover so many new things with you and he couldn’t express how content he was.
Your heart is constantly melting as he acts like an overjoyed puppy.
He’s forever thankful to you and this will always be engraved in his memory.
Amadeus Mozart:
The pianist can’t physically hide his amazement.
“Can we go to an instrument store?”
Holds your hand tightly and keeps you close like he’s protecting you.
When in fact it should be the other way around given that you have lived your entire life in the modern day.
But you already knew that ♀️
His eyes light up more than they already did when you enter an empty store and there are three or four pianos.
Mozart let his fingers caress the smooth surface, taking in all the details of the instruments.
He’s relieved that they didn’t change as significantly as everything else in the world.
Lowkey wants to buy all the pianos because he wants to try them.
A very confused boy at attire.
And blushing at how more ‘revealing’ they are.
He could get used to this.
Jean D’Arc:
He would be in silent shock, staying close to you and looking around in amazement.
Jean would be pretty shy about asking too many questions, not wanting to bother you.
Reassuring him that it was fine, similar to Vincent.
Jean was somehow more considerate about it, not wanting to bother you with his inquiries.
Whispering questions and trying so hard to try and make sense of things himself, sometimes it works, kind of!!
Like Napoleon, he’s relieved the world is happier and fairer.
It was a huge shock for him at first, everything was different, but he was fortunate enough to be with you.
Now he reminisces of the experience as a magical moment that will forever be engraved in his memory.
Isaac Newton:
Absolutely astonished.
He has so many questions but he didn’t know where to start.
Similar to Jean, he was a little shy about asking questions and trying to solve things on his own.
Being surprised at how complex things turn out to be.
Isaac has mixed emotions about knowing that the foundation of physics are his three famous laws.
Because the world seemed overwhelmingly unknown and huge, he nearly clung onto you.
You locked your arm with his, seeing his unease but also not wanting to trouble you.
He felt better instantly and silently thanked you, blushing in embarrassment.
The first thing you taught him was what a phone was and about the kindergarden/school system.
You reminisce about how he went along into town with Napoleon to attempt to teach children.
It wasn’t a particular detail he would have inquired about but he feels strangely relieved about it.
He was touched by the small details you remember about him and he keeps it in mind.
It was an unforgettable experience for him to have with you.
But something he does not want to let go is the bed, it’s shockingly comfortable for him.
Osamu Dazai:
“Wow, are you seeing this (Not Y/N)-chan?”
“That’s not my name-”
“What is this?”
No shame about asking whatsoever.
“Miraculous!”
A lot of him grinning and praising everything and anything, including you.
“You’re delightful (Y/N)-chan, such an interesting answer!”
“D-did you just call me by my nam-”
“Are you coming (Not Y/N)-chan?”
“Nevermind,” you grumble, pouting as you follow behind him.
He chuckled, finding you so cute before cupping your cheeks and openly kissing you in public.
Dazai finds even more amusement with how flushed you are for a while as you clung onto his arm, answering questions with a breathy tone.
Despite his second degree humour throughout everything, he’s actually thoroughly enjoyed spending time doing this with you and becoming a treasured memory.
William Shakespeare:
He was actually rendered speechless for a long while.
Which was unusual for him obviously.
But it was a little disconcerting for him since he always had something to say.
You couldn’t help but eye him admiring everything.
Despite his unnerving silence, the way his eyes lit up was something that you didn’t know you needed to witness.
It looked like he found something to look forward to in life. (can’t relate lol)
That thought alone made you hopeful and sad at the same time.
He was always very polite and considerate about inquiring about things.
As in, he always read the ‘room’ before asking, wanting to stay in your good graces, even though he is already in them.
Finding the bed in your place being painfully heaven-like.
If he wasn’t as invested in learning about the modern world, he would totally examine and savour the beauty that is a bed.
Without you knowing, however, he would spend a lot of time studying you as well.
It was fascinating to him, seeing you enjoying yourself in your natural habitat.
Sebastian:
I mean he lived there before so there isn’t much to say.
He does reminisce a lot though, all previous memories rushing back.
Just as if the residents were a long dream.
One thing that surprised him a little was that he enjoyed spending time with you in the modern day so much that it’s in a smal, different compartment in his brain altogether.
Basically nostalgia but also happy new memories.
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when arthur conan doyle said “of all ghosts, the ghosts of our old loves are the worst” and when harry styles said “we’re just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me” and when mother mother said “i’m just a ghost out of his grave / and i can’t make love in my grave” and when lord huron said “yes i know that love is like ghosts / oh, few have seen it but everybody talks” and when sylvia plath said “how can i go, meeting and exorcising my own ghosts here! i’ve made some new ones now” and when mumford & sons said “but the ghosts we knew will flicker from view / we’ll live a long life” and wh
How do they act when they realize they’re in love/have a crush?
Honestly, Arthur is terrified - and the giddiness he feels when looking at you does not make it any better! Listen, he tries to be nice and just the normal kind of polite, he tries to hold back with habitual flirting, he r e a l l y attempts to pretend before himself that you’re just that amazing and that anybody would feel the same if they got to know you just as well as he does!
However, he doesn’t lie to himself for long. After all,he knows that deep down, he’s just scared. For once, he actually feels something deeper towards somebody, and he truly believes for it to be genuine. Yet… People are fragile things. He knows that better than anybody, and him being a vampire hardly helps. He is not ready for another parting.
He… He hesitates a little. He tries to prove to you that the world is much more dangerous than you assume it is, that he is not this kind… Yet, the same way the rainfall cannot last forevermore, his anxiety eases too. With time, and some patience from your side.
(…) “Hmm? What is it? You have something you want to ask me about? I’m all ears then.” (…) “Haha, about that…” “Well, I am glad we made that bet.” (…) “What? Me? Sappy? Oh luv, how dare!”
How far will they go to take care of their sick s/o?
My, my, sickness came over you? You can bet Arthur is going to employ all of his knowledge - and mind you, he has a medical degree - to aid you. Rest assured, however, unless your condition is really dire, he will not panic. He will just… Make sure you can come back to health under optimal resting conditions.
Arthur has seen enough people suffer. He is more than aware that overexertion is not going to help you - as such, he will make sure you can focus on yourself without worrying about your work. If running some errands is what it takes for you to be able to relax? He doesn’t mind (and for that matter, neither do the other residents of the mansion).
However, if even that fails him… He will write and read stories, just for you. He will brew you tea, he will bring you breakfast to bed, and if the condition turned out to be of the persistent and exhausting type, he’d find time for you both to sit in the gardens, to catch some sun. If it was winter, he’d insist on short walks - and he’d always make sure to wrap the scarf around you, so that no frost could bite your skin.
“Good morning! You’re up early today.” (…) “Hah, I see. How’s the fever? Did you have shivers at night?” (…) “Oh, don’t look at me like that, love. I just have to know… Heavens, your forehead still feels hot.” […] (…) “Huh? What was it?” “You don’t want for me to worry?” (…) “Please. It’s only natural I worry a little. But I trust you will be right as rain before I even know it.”
How do they impress their s/o?
The sweetest thing about Arthur is that he doesn’t need to try to impress, as he is most impressive when he isn’t even trying. The way he treats children, the thought he puts into his stories, the effort he makes to use his abilities to help others, the way he can use logical reasoning to solve the most cryptic of mysteries - it all seems to come so effortlessly to him.
Arthur may be flirting with you, he may be using honeyed words, he may take you on the walks and make sure you enjoy yourself… Yet in doing all of this, he fails to realise that the most impressive thing about him is the person he himself is. So little, and so much.
Literally had no idea that after ACD died there was a mass seance held in London to try to talk to him. I mean not surprised at all because grandpa believed in fairies, spiritualism but welp. Good for you old dad.
The way that most of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories’ most horrible villains are rich dudes that are abusive to women, in a time such as the 1880’s, compels me.
There’s a whole subset of Sherlock Holmes stories that could be labeled Asshole Guys Try to Control Women’s Money.
Yup, there’s a huge number of times where Sherlock Holmes is the ONLY person to take a young woman’s complaint or worry seriously and finds out someone is up to some serious evil. Holmes also shows a lot of compassion and empathy with the victims over and over again. (This is why I find “Secretly a woman” or “Trans” Holmes headcanons much more convincing than “sociopath” Holmes.)
I am never going to shut up about how much I specifically love The Adventure of The Copper Beechesbecause it is literally Sherlock Holmes listening to a young lady he does not know except as a potential client, agreeing with her that a potential job she has interviewed for that she thinks is SUPER SKETCHY is, indeed, sketchy as fuck and when she says she’s probably gonna take the job anyways because the money is good and she needs it going “OKAY I GUESS but for the love of god please write to us so we know you’re okay we will literally drop everything and jump on a train if you want us to”.
The job turns out to indeed be sketchy as fuck, she writes to them, Holmes and Watson drop everything and jump on a train when she asks them to. I read this story for the first time when I was twelve and it made a HUGE impression.
This is also the basis for a lot of speculation about Holmes’ family life. The idea that he has been a victim of abuse, or his mother was abused (or even murdered by his father.) There’s definitely SOMETHING that makes him very aware of how dangerous isolated families can be, and the dark things that can happen behind closed doors. Plus, of course, the motivation to devote himself to stopping crime. And yes, so much of it is of the personal type.
dude see this is one aspect of the original books i NEVER understand why modern remakes (cough cough) don’t go all in on. Like, in the 21th c we HAVE all the dumb forensic shit that made Victorian Holmes stand out, but we STILL DON’T HAVE uh….you know, compassion for women and minorities, or the willingness to believe them, adequate community support for domestic violence or hate crimes, etc. etc. which you’d think is exactly where a renegade consulting detective would come in handy. A good modern day Sherlock Holmes remake, instead of trying to convince us that Holmes is some super genius for being better than fingerprint analysis or whatever, could have him just be…a good person who helps out people the police can’t and won’t help. There you go. That’s how to write a relevant modern Holmes.
One thing that annoys me is how much the BBC version of Sherlock (and the fandom around it) focus on police cases or cold cases. In the stories, Holmes’ bread and butter cases had fuck-all to do with the police and in a few stories, he actively works around/against them, or outright lies to them. Of the many, many things I wish that show had done differently, this is one is particularly obnoxious since it’s such a gimme.
There were very few actual murder cases in the Canon, and Holmes handled them either one of two ways:
Option one: The murder victim was innocent while the killer was an abusive bastard, see Speckled Band. Conclusion, arrest and have the killer charged (Or in the case of Speckled Band, indirectly murder him yourself then shrug and go home)
Option two: The victim was murdered to protect someone that the victim was abusing, or for vengeance, see Boscombe Valley, Devil’s Foot, Abbey Grange. Conclusion, Oops, I don’t know who the killer is, I am suddenly incompetent, oh look a pheasant.
