#really though I think VH has probably written a dad joke textbook in multiple languages

[see-arcane]

I wonder if Jonathan has dad-isms and dad jokes in him? Would he say things like "Don't stand near the fire, you'll get corned beef legs" "If the wind changes your face will stay like that" "It's not the heat that gets you it's the humidity!" Is that more of a Van Helsing territory to inflict on the boy?

While Van Helsing would take over the role of dad jokery with gusto, I think Jonathan is more prone to dropping jokes so rarely and so identical in tone to his ordinary speech that he's the type to set little Quincey and others up to 1) hear the joke, 2) have to pause to connect the dots, 3) "HA!" or "Augh." Mina, meanwhile, does not joke--she pranks. Little Quincey will be at once bombarded and primed for his own silliness in time to come.