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moriarty_was_realCharacter name:James (Jim) Moriarty
Series: BBC Sherlock
CHARACTER HISTORY
The life and origins of Jim Moriarty are shrouded in obscurity. He is the iconic opponent of Sherlock Holmes and the one adversary capable of putting the detective's legendary observation and deduction skills to the test. It is implied that despite Sherlock's best efforts, Moriarty's true identity and history will always remain a mystery. Though Moriarty deliberately chooses to reveal several clues and some very incriminating evidence, this is ultimately the only knowledge Sherlock has to go on. Even that may have been misinformation. If Moriarty deliberately tried to deceive him then the detective never did manage to see through it.
Sherlock's avocation as a Consulting Detective pits him against the criminal elements of London. His demand for "interesting" cases drew him to the most creative and clever crimes. The evil mastermind who was ultimately behind many of them, a mysterious man named Moriarty, became increasingly fed up with Sherlock's interference even though he was impressed and fascinated by the detective's intellect. Instead of simply having him killed, Moriarty decided to approach the conflict in a manner worthy of their abilities.
Moriarty designed and implemented a fast-paced set of particularly difficult and engaging puzzles for Sherlock, which culminated in an unheard of face-to-face confrontation with the shadowy villain. Moriarty demanded that Sherlock stop interfering in his criminal activities, Sherlock refused. Both men came to the meeting thoroughly prepared for death and calmly discussed their imminent mutual annihilation. That outcome was narrowly averted when the meeting ended in an unforseen stalemate, both sides walking away unharmed.
It was simply unthinkable that Jim Moriarty would leave Sherlock in peace after that. He devised increasingly elaborate and preposterous strategies to monopolize the detective's attention. As part of his plans, Moriarty orchestrated simultaneous security disasters at the Bank of England, a maximum security prison, and the Tower of London. After scribbling "Get Sherlock" on the glass of the display case housing the Crown Jewels of England, Moriarty broke the glass. He proceeded to adorn himself with the priceless artifacts and seat himself on England's throne, calmly waiting to be taken into custody.
Sherlock Holmes, now famous for his brilliant detective work, testified at Moriarty's trial. Despite all logic and reason, the rigged jury unanimously declared him innocent and Jim Moriarty walked out of prison just as easily as he had walked into it. After a final, fateful, peaceful discussion with Sherlock over tea to hint at the horrors to come, Moriarty told the world that Sherlock Holmes had hired him to play the part of super-villain and was nothing more than a devious sham who orchestrated crimes just to pretend to solve them. Moriarty's plot was to take Sherlock's closest friends hostage with the stipulation that if Sherlock immediately and publicly committed suicide they would be spared, along with killing himself and framing Sherlock for his murder.
Though Sherlock had successfully managed to wriggle his way out of the trap, Moriarty would never find out that he had been outwitted. Unlike Sherlock, Jim Moriarty was actually dead.
No, really. Dead-dead. Not "mostly-dead," not bluffing. It's utterly impossible that he faked it.
Or maybe... just highly improbable?
CHARACTER PERSONALITY
Jim Moriarty is unspeakably brilliant. He is meticulously refined in speech, manner, and appearance, even by English standards. He is larger than life, unflappable, untouchable. He is able to manipulate just about anyone, anywhere, if not through his incredible skill with trickery then though his scalpel-precise use of threats. The massive criminal network that he controls, along with countless unfortunate innocents that happened to be in his path, puts so much power at his fingertips that it seems sometimes the world itself exists only to bow to his every whim.
He's also stark-raving mad. Moriarty is the ultimate sociopath, with the strength of will to shrug off weeks of imprisonment and interrogation by all the best talent Mycroft Holmes can beg, borrow, or steal. What makes him so invulnerable? The same thing that keeps him from taking over the world, or destroying it. The simple truth is that he just doesn't care.
His entire criminal empire exists to serve one purpose and one alone: his idle amusement. Theft, embezzlement, the odd murder, Moriarty only seems interested in orchestrating petty crimes. Perhaps he only takes on minor puzzles because he loses interest in them so quickly. Perhaps minor puzzles are the only kind abundant enough to keep him from dying of boredom. Perhaps he just enjoys metaphorically swatting mosquitoes with large trucks, who knows?
All that changed the moment Sherlock Holmes wandered into his path. Since then, the only thing Moriarty cared about, or ever will care about for the rest of his life, was the thrill of playing games with the only person who had ever provided him with any real entertainment. Moriarty dedicated himself to the arduous task of creating ever-greater feats of devious cleverness to goad Sherlock into doing the same.
Or is he really the mild-mannered actor Richard Brook with rumpled hair, playing at being a super-villain at night? Did the real Moriarty hire that man as his puppet, staying in the shadows to watch? Or was Moriarty showing his real face when he was "Jim from I.T.," shy and star-struck, who was willing to go on dates with someone he had no interest in just to get close to his crush? Had the madman in an expensive suit been newly created just for Sherlock, just to meet his expectations and draw him in?
At least there are some aspects of his personality that stay constant. He's fastidiously groomed, cold as dry ice, loathes physical contact, has a terrifying presence, a piercing reptilian gaze, and is uncompromisingly direct. Well okay, when he was "Richard Brook" he was a hot mess, completely dishevelled and slovenly, timid and terrified of Sherlock to the point of a nervous breakdown, a beloved actor who is famous for playing a soft-spoken heartthrob physician on a medical drama and warm and fuzzy enough to play "The Storyteller" on a television show for young children. But wait... what about when he was subtly but deliberately sexual and provocative, a devious and shallow amoral self-centred creature with a not-so-secret crush on Sherlock?
The Consulting Criminal had to have been human, born like anyone else, picked up his finely honed education somewhere, had his image captured on CCTV and face put in recognition software databases, left thousands of witnesses and untold scraps of evidence behind in his wake over the course of his life. Why couldn't Sherlock Holmes OR the British Government, Secret Service, OR the C.I.A. pick up the slightest hint of a paper trail? Did he simply appear out of thin air, conjured from the collective nightmares of all the Ordinary People? When the crackpot conspiracy theorists spray-paint the words "Moriarty Was Real" under bridges and wear T-shirts declaring "I Believe in Sherlock Holmes," it is really just a pathetic attempt to explain the facts away with fantasy because the truth is too horrible to comprehend?
Who was Jim Moriarty? Did Jim Moriarty himself even know?
JOURNEY ENTRY SAMPLE
[Video: From outside of a Community College building]
To whom it may concern, which just so happens to be way too many of you:
While I'm flattered that so many of you have nothing better to do than gawk at me while standing on the street impersonating dull-eyed, slack-jawed livestock, it's time to accept that the novelty has worn off. This message will serve as a permanent record of my current condition so that anyone may refer to any time they wish, there's no conceivable need for anyone to bother me in person now. Please save your cooing and baby-talk until you're out of my earshot.
[While Jim had managed not to raise his voice up to this point, his furry black cat ears lay back against his hair in annoyance and he spat out the next words.]
And if ANYONE ELSE attempts to pet me, I'll remove every one of your fingernails and feed them to you in Hollandaise sauce!
[The transmission cuts off abruptly.]
THIRD PERSON WRITING SAMPLE
WHO: Jim Moriarty and anyone else in the bunker with him
WHAT: Now that the explosions are over, those who were prudent enough to seek proper shelter discover that they are now locked in with no way to call for help.
WHEN: The night of February 18, fifteen minutes after the air raid sirens go off.
WHERE: The fallout shelter under the police station.
WARNINGS: None anticipated, will update if it becomes necessary.
So what if some of them could fly, or cast spells, or turn into talking llamas? They were all so predictable. There was no suspense, no possibility of an interesting turn of events. Things would be different with a different cast of characters, a different mix of personalities and different motivations, but it didn't matter. For any particular group of people selected randomly from the inhabitants of this island, Moriarty would know the entire plot of the movie before the opening credits had finished rolling.
He sat quietly in a corner, not hiding but not in anyone's way, idle. There were wounded present though they suffered no more than scrapes and bumps, which would cause a dramatic shift toward community spirit and solidarity, allowing the scared civilians to comfort themselves with the thought that they were doing something productive in bumping into each other trying to take care of them. If the wounds had been any more serious there would have been a herd reaction of fear. There had been a fast and silent hierarchy sorting over who would have the privilege of fiddling with the broken lock, the winners tense with the pressure of proving themselves and the losers waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness to gain alpha status.
There was nothing more to be learned, nothing to do. The situation was utterly stable and nothing that anyone here could do would change it. How long would it take for each of them to realize it? Would they react with despair, resignation, anger, fear? For lack of anything better to do, Moriarty engaged in the simple mental exercise of predicting the exact order they would react in and what type of reaction they would show. If things stayed dull he would start adding timers to his predictions.
If things got really dull later, he could always try something to nudge things along. There were a few powder kegs around with short fuses. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, he was wearing his favourite shoes. Maybe someone had a deck of cards?
Series: BBC Sherlock
CHARACTER HISTORY
The life and origins of Jim Moriarty are shrouded in obscurity. He is the iconic opponent of Sherlock Holmes and the one adversary capable of putting the detective's legendary observation and deduction skills to the test. It is implied that despite Sherlock's best efforts, Moriarty's true identity and history will always remain a mystery. Though Moriarty deliberately chooses to reveal several clues and some very incriminating evidence, this is ultimately the only knowledge Sherlock has to go on. Even that may have been misinformation. If Moriarty deliberately tried to deceive him then the detective never did manage to see through it.
Sherlock's avocation as a Consulting Detective pits him against the criminal elements of London. His demand for "interesting" cases drew him to the most creative and clever crimes. The evil mastermind who was ultimately behind many of them, a mysterious man named Moriarty, became increasingly fed up with Sherlock's interference even though he was impressed and fascinated by the detective's intellect. Instead of simply having him killed, Moriarty decided to approach the conflict in a manner worthy of their abilities.
Moriarty designed and implemented a fast-paced set of particularly difficult and engaging puzzles for Sherlock, which culminated in an unheard of face-to-face confrontation with the shadowy villain. Moriarty demanded that Sherlock stop interfering in his criminal activities, Sherlock refused. Both men came to the meeting thoroughly prepared for death and calmly discussed their imminent mutual annihilation. That outcome was narrowly averted when the meeting ended in an unforseen stalemate, both sides walking away unharmed.
It was simply unthinkable that Jim Moriarty would leave Sherlock in peace after that. He devised increasingly elaborate and preposterous strategies to monopolize the detective's attention. As part of his plans, Moriarty orchestrated simultaneous security disasters at the Bank of England, a maximum security prison, and the Tower of London. After scribbling "Get Sherlock" on the glass of the display case housing the Crown Jewels of England, Moriarty broke the glass. He proceeded to adorn himself with the priceless artifacts and seat himself on England's throne, calmly waiting to be taken into custody.
Sherlock Holmes, now famous for his brilliant detective work, testified at Moriarty's trial. Despite all logic and reason, the rigged jury unanimously declared him innocent and Jim Moriarty walked out of prison just as easily as he had walked into it. After a final, fateful, peaceful discussion with Sherlock over tea to hint at the horrors to come, Moriarty told the world that Sherlock Holmes had hired him to play the part of super-villain and was nothing more than a devious sham who orchestrated crimes just to pretend to solve them. Moriarty's plot was to take Sherlock's closest friends hostage with the stipulation that if Sherlock immediately and publicly committed suicide they would be spared, along with killing himself and framing Sherlock for his murder.
Though Sherlock had successfully managed to wriggle his way out of the trap, Moriarty would never find out that he had been outwitted. Unlike Sherlock, Jim Moriarty was actually dead.
No, really. Dead-dead. Not "mostly-dead," not bluffing. It's utterly impossible that he faked it.
Or maybe... just highly improbable?
CHARACTER PERSONALITY
James Moriarty isn't a man at all. He's a spider. A spider at the centre of a web. A criminal web with a thousand threads and he knows precisely how each and every single one of them dances.
-- Sherlock Holmes testifying at Moriarty's trial
Jim Moriarty is unspeakably brilliant. He is meticulously refined in speech, manner, and appearance, even by English standards. He is larger than life, unflappable, untouchable. He is able to manipulate just about anyone, anywhere, if not through his incredible skill with trickery then though his scalpel-precise use of threats. The massive criminal network that he controls, along with countless unfortunate innocents that happened to be in his path, puts so much power at his fingertips that it seems sometimes the world itself exists only to bow to his every whim.
James Moriarty. The most dangerous criminal mind the world has ever seen.
-- Mycroft Holmes to John Watson
He's also stark-raving mad. Moriarty is the ultimate sociopath, with the strength of will to shrug off weeks of imprisonment and interrogation by all the best talent Mycroft Holmes can beg, borrow, or steal. What makes him so invulnerable? The same thing that keeps him from taking over the world, or destroying it. The simple truth is that he just doesn't care.
His entire criminal empire exists to serve one purpose and one alone: his idle amusement. Theft, embezzlement, the odd murder, Moriarty only seems interested in orchestrating petty crimes. Perhaps he only takes on minor puzzles because he loses interest in them so quickly. Perhaps minor puzzles are the only kind abundant enough to keep him from dying of boredom. Perhaps he just enjoys metaphorically swatting mosquitoes with large trucks, who knows?
All that changed the moment Sherlock Holmes wandered into his path. Since then, the only thing Moriarty cared about, or ever will care about for the rest of his life, was the thrill of playing games with the only person who had ever provided him with any real entertainment. Moriarty dedicated himself to the arduous task of creating ever-greater feats of devious cleverness to goad Sherlock into doing the same.
Or is he really the mild-mannered actor Richard Brook with rumpled hair, playing at being a super-villain at night? Did the real Moriarty hire that man as his puppet, staying in the shadows to watch? Or was Moriarty showing his real face when he was "Jim from I.T.," shy and star-struck, who was willing to go on dates with someone he had no interest in just to get close to his crush? Had the madman in an expensive suit been newly created just for Sherlock, just to meet his expectations and draw him in?
Do you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr. Holmes? However hard you try it's always a self-portrait.
-- Irene Adler
At least there are some aspects of his personality that stay constant. He's fastidiously groomed, cold as dry ice, loathes physical contact, has a terrifying presence, a piercing reptilian gaze, and is uncompromisingly direct. Well okay, when he was "Richard Brook" he was a hot mess, completely dishevelled and slovenly, timid and terrified of Sherlock to the point of a nervous breakdown, a beloved actor who is famous for playing a soft-spoken heartthrob physician on a medical drama and warm and fuzzy enough to play "The Storyteller" on a television show for young children. But wait... what about when he was subtly but deliberately sexual and provocative, a devious and shallow amoral self-centred creature with a not-so-secret crush on Sherlock?
Sorry boys! I'm SOOOooooo changeable! It is a weakness with me. But to be fair to myself, it is my only weakness!
-- Jim Moriarty about to execute Sherlock Holmes and John Watson
The Consulting Criminal had to have been human, born like anyone else, picked up his finely honed education somewhere, had his image captured on CCTV and face put in recognition software databases, left thousands of witnesses and untold scraps of evidence behind in his wake over the course of his life. Why couldn't Sherlock Holmes OR the British Government, Secret Service, OR the C.I.A. pick up the slightest hint of a paper trail? Did he simply appear out of thin air, conjured from the collective nightmares of all the Ordinary People? When the crackpot conspiracy theorists spray-paint the words "Moriarty Was Real" under bridges and wear T-shirts declaring "I Believe in Sherlock Holmes," it is really just a pathetic attempt to explain the facts away with fantasy because the truth is too horrible to comprehend?
Who was Jim Moriarty? Did Jim Moriarty himself even know?
JOURNEY ENTRY SAMPLE
[Video: From outside of a Community College building]
To whom it may concern, which just so happens to be way too many of you:
While I'm flattered that so many of you have nothing better to do than gawk at me while standing on the street impersonating dull-eyed, slack-jawed livestock, it's time to accept that the novelty has worn off. This message will serve as a permanent record of my current condition so that anyone may refer to any time they wish, there's no conceivable need for anyone to bother me in person now. Please save your cooing and baby-talk until you're out of my earshot.
[While Jim had managed not to raise his voice up to this point, his furry black cat ears lay back against his hair in annoyance and he spat out the next words.]
And if ANYONE ELSE attempts to pet me, I'll remove every one of your fingernails and feed them to you in Hollandaise sauce!
[The transmission cuts off abruptly.]
THIRD PERSON WRITING SAMPLE
WHO: Jim Moriarty and anyone else in the bunker with him
WHAT: Now that the explosions are over, those who were prudent enough to seek proper shelter discover that they are now locked in with no way to call for help.
WHEN: The night of February 18, fifteen minutes after the air raid sirens go off.
WHERE: The fallout shelter under the police station.
WARNINGS: None anticipated, will update if it becomes necessary.
So what if some of them could fly, or cast spells, or turn into talking llamas? They were all so predictable. There was no suspense, no possibility of an interesting turn of events. Things would be different with a different cast of characters, a different mix of personalities and different motivations, but it didn't matter. For any particular group of people selected randomly from the inhabitants of this island, Moriarty would know the entire plot of the movie before the opening credits had finished rolling.
He sat quietly in a corner, not hiding but not in anyone's way, idle. There were wounded present though they suffered no more than scrapes and bumps, which would cause a dramatic shift toward community spirit and solidarity, allowing the scared civilians to comfort themselves with the thought that they were doing something productive in bumping into each other trying to take care of them. If the wounds had been any more serious there would have been a herd reaction of fear. There had been a fast and silent hierarchy sorting over who would have the privilege of fiddling with the broken lock, the winners tense with the pressure of proving themselves and the losers waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness to gain alpha status.
There was nothing more to be learned, nothing to do. The situation was utterly stable and nothing that anyone here could do would change it. How long would it take for each of them to realize it? Would they react with despair, resignation, anger, fear? For lack of anything better to do, Moriarty engaged in the simple mental exercise of predicting the exact order they would react in and what type of reaction they would show. If things stayed dull he would start adding timers to his predictions.
If things got really dull later, he could always try something to nudge things along. There were a few powder kegs around with short fuses. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, he was wearing his favourite shoes. Maybe someone had a deck of cards?
