Let it be hereby known that our society is founded upon the following principles:
1. The knowledge that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr. John H. Watson, men of science and truth, did produce a reliable chronicle in that standard and absolute reference known as "the Canon," and that where other historical observers disagree, other historical observers must certainly be wrong.
2. The acceptance and encouragement of those vibrant spirits from the Canon who cross the great distances between centuries with the help of one’s powers of research, extrapolation, and imagination. These citizens of the Canon can be observed in their native Victorian settings via the written word and other mediums, and in their occasional physical manifestations in the modern world.
3. The gentle treatment of such creatures, endeavoring to bring out their full period personas without the stumble-causing footnote or the abrupt and wounding citation. Stark details of even the most glorious of researches are properly kept behind closed doors and discussed in private, as ladies and gentlemen do with all intimate matters.
4. The friendly interaction of these residents of the Canon in their own society, the Dark Lantern League, where the usual Victorian barriers of class, gender, and criminal nature are lowered to explore the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson to the fullest extent possible.
Membership Guidelines of the Dark Lantern League
Members of the Dark Lantern League can aspire to the following levels of membership, of which tokens, certificates, and other awards might later be assigned as whims and wishes allow:
AC – Anonymous Canonical
Someone who would like to join, yet is still picking a character. (By checking with Mr. Moulton at darklantern@sherlockpeoria.net .)
BC – Beseeched Canonical
Someone who has picked a character, yet still has to fulfill the basic membership requirement. There will be a time limit on this level, though, so anyone trying to obtain worldwide rights to a "nom" with no real interest in the society can be dropped. (This level is attained by checking with Mr. Moulton to see that no one else is using or has requested your character.)
CC – Character Canonical
A full member who has completed their required introductory letter.
The entry letter is a full introduction from Dr. Watson or Sherlock Holmes that traditionally begins with words to the effect, "Dear members of the Dark Lantern League. Allow me to introduce CHARACTER NAME HERE." The letter then goes on to summarize the Canonical facts surrounding the character involved, in appropriate detail, and is sent to Mr. Moulton. The letter will then be quickly reviewed by the Administrative Committee Doyle for accuracy and completeness (approval of two of the three Committee members is all that’s required). Having satisfied the committee (even if revisions have to be made), the letter will be posted on the mantelpiece and the person introduced becomes a full member, allowed to post their own communiques upon the mantel and attend club functions. Introductory letters will be the only communications the club shall receive directly from Holmes or Watson outside of the Canon, as they trust that all members of the society shall be capable of using their own words once properly introduced.
DC – Distinguished Canonical
A full member whose works on behalf of their character have risen to notable levels with a scholarly paper or other special effort, and is suggested to the Committee Doyle for this title of still-unknown worth or reward.
EC – Emeritus Canonical
A rare honour given to a member who has obtained all other levels and developed his or her character over time to the point that the character is retired with the member. As it means shutting a character down, this would have to be reserved only for those rare folk who managed to do a character in a way that makes their act near-impossible to follow.
FC — We don’t really want to get into the "F" Canonical, as that level is probably only reachable by someone who has to be institutionalized. Once you have been institutionalized and are safely locked away, we’ll send you a postcard to let you know what "FC" stands for.
Character Guidelines
A Canonical character who, though they could have lived and surely did live in the Victorian world, was somehow completely missed by history. While one Sherlockian school of thought is to take Irene Adler and try to prove she was really Lillie Langtry or Sarah Bernhardt, our contention is that Irene Adler was Irene Adler. In the case of those stories where Watson states from the outset that he has disguised details, characters should still be developed under the name that we Sherlockians have come to know and love. Look to historical peers for colors to use on your palette when painting a character’s life and makeup, not as pre-fabricated personas ready to move into. As stated earlier, we’re looking to develop backgrounds and personalities of characters who were active in the sixty stories and otherwise ignored by history.
How Canonically faithful must a character be? Very – but consider that a challenge rather than a limitation. As we only tend to see one side to the men and women of the Canon (the Holmes/Watson side), there is room for interpretation, as well as entire parts of their lives that could have been hidden. While a stock-broker’s clerk might have loved the markets, a weakness for going to amateur boxing matches in what spare time he had (remember, not all Victorians had as much spare time as we enjoy today) would not be out of character. Slow character growth is encouraged over startling revelations that leave no room for a follow-up or completely destroy a character as we know them today. A good guideline would probably be this: If any Sherlockian familiar with the Canon cannot recognize your character as the same familiar friend they’ve known for years, you’ve probably mutated them too far.
Remember too that we’re going to be speaking as the characters themselves. If you’re taking on a villain that you want to prove innocent, for example, that proof must be very convincing, especially as all proofs will be coming from the character’s own mouth. Failure to convince might mean that the other members of the society simply brand your character a liar, as well as a villain. (Remember, though, character flaws can be fun – you might want to choose a liar or scoundrel of some sort.)
Try to pick a character who stayed alive from 1881 until 1914, or at least one for whom no body was ever found, or you will find yourself doing a lot of explaining. Holmes was fairly clear on that point: "The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." If you really, really have bonded with Enoch Drebber or some other corpse of the Canon, perhaps something can be worked out ("Oh, yes, funny story about that – I got the non-poisonous pill while Hope took the one that causes aneurisms."), but a great effort must be made so that your walking corpse does not stink (literally or literarily). Personally, I’d look for an easier character.
To the Dark Lantern League main page. . .