Es,
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"Falling is just like flying,
except there's a more permanent destination...”
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Brief History
The Moriarty home was much like the family itself -- older, well-established, gilded in worn finery with an ill-defined sense of foreboding and secrets one would need much skill and time to uncover the true nature of. The estates were modest but elegant; arranged in such a way as to allow each member of the family to feel completely isolated even among their kin.
The family itself was like a coin spinning, showing whichever side was necessary for the moment. The generous, upstanding pillars of the community, or alternatively, the cold, ruthlessness of those who are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
Liam Moriarty was the father whose business was different day-to-night, and both endeavors were equally likely to keep him from making time for his family. He was a mainstay of the local council and businesses, as well as a leader among those who care not for legalities.
Deirdre Moriarty was the mother whose status as a trophy was always to be maintained, never straying far from her husband's arm, and seldom available to tend to her sons' needs. Though she had secretly always longed for a daughter to follow in her steps, she was pleased to give her husband his boys.
The eldest son, James Declan Moriarty, was strong, stubborn, brave, and yearning to carry the family legacy; the apple of his father's eye. The pampered youngest, also ironically named James, yet referred to as "Robert", was playful, rambunctious, and needing. He was ideal in rounding off the perfect familial guise.
And in the middle was Jim, unreasonably also known as James Moriarty. He never needed to be told something twice and was the often forgotten son. Furthering his isolation was the fact that, remarkable as his family may be to others, Jim felt stunted in their presence. His mind raced constantly like the wind while theirs seemed to stand still like the statuary in a home he oftentimes haunted alone.
So it was that he began to seek knowledge, fulfillment, solace, where to fit in a world not hospitable to one such as he. Knowledge was found in books and learning, science, philosophy, history, and, best of them, mathematics. Numbers to understand the structure of reality itself helped to structure his soaring thoughts. Fulfillment was quelled by dabbling in art and music. The rich color and vivid hues of beauty in all its forms assuaged a savage need in his soul. Music was another way to lose himself when the storms of his own tempers raged upon his psyche. The notes of his piano joined the mathematical precision of his thoughts in a way he could not express in words. Solace was not so easily found however he might seek though...
With all this talent and emotion raw and untempered, the family felt it best that Jim be sent away, quite possibly somewhere where his prodigal genius could be nurtured and his rough edges could not cut them. His foray in schooling, however, did nothing to quell his isolation and only amplified Jim's need for solace. His “peers” rejection was a catalyst to bring forth the violence yet to be born within him, and once unleashed, never to be returned to the dark of his soul.
Stonyhurst was no better than the boarding schools of his youth in most ways, though the recognition of the value of his genius sparked a new kind of desire in Jim Moriarty's life for intellectual stimulation. His collegiate success and subsequent chair at Durham University came just in time to scrape the remnants of his family's wealth and reputation up from where his parents had let it fall, only to reshape and form it to his own whims.
The ashes of the past made for an excellent foundation to build his own empire from. Power, money, and time propelled him from a professorship and author at Durham, to a respected Renaissance man and mathematical legend at Cambridge. All the while, the strands of his web were weaving a tapestry of his own devising. Only a body spanning the globe might finally be enough to contain the magnitude of Jim's thoughts.
A grand home in London, a gallery of priceless works of art, the finest piano money can buy, and untold legions of willing pawns on the largest chessboard ever conceived stand in counterpoint to a lifetime of ennui. Where to go from here when there are no greater heights to rise to? What path should be taken when nothing left compels? What challenge awaits for the fairy tale villain who has won..?
Credit to the Avianrex for compiling and collaborating this bit with me.
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Headcanons
Moriarty, as with anyone else, has personal preferences, quirks, secrets, and defining traits that personify him. Here is a collection of those and as the character develops, more will be added along the way...
- Jim is left-handed, yet people fail to notice...Constantly. It irks him to no end.
- There is no bigger narcissist than a man who loves every aspect of himself -- his brands, his wealth, his art gallery, his Steinway & Sons, etc. Jim is a braggart and will flaunt it mercilessly no matter the audience.
- Moriarty has a deep, professional regard for Violet Holmes.
Due to his proneness to boredom, Jim must keep himself constantly engaged, which lead to many a sleepless night, formless days with uncounted hours until the inevitable crash, yet even then, his mind constantly wanders, never truly finding any respite.- Having pursued one particular piece of work and finally achieving the acquisition of Jeune fille à l'agneau by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jim Moriarty has placed the painting in the very center of his personal gallery -- the crown jewel of his collection and a display of the power of his reach.
- Jim's relationship with Sebastian Moran is perhaps one of the closest, most trusting relationships Jim has ever put the time and effort into building. He knows that his friend would do literally anything for Jim, and without even so much as a second thought, Jim will never take advantage of this fact.
- Continuing on that notion, Jim is acutely aware of Sebastian's greatest fear, which is: should an instance occur where Jim walks into a situation unprepared and Sebastian not being there to save him. This is one of many reasons why the consulting criminal takes painstaking efforts to avoid all scenarios that would bring about his untimely end, but unfortunately, Jim cannot save himself from his own self-destructive spiral.
- Jim Moriarty can be the epitome of grace, dignity, and elegance, but he does have a clumsy side, and when it rears its ugly head, he has mastered the art of 'playing it off.' It can even be pushed off on others if he's articulate enough in his performance, but there are the rare occasions when he is unable to hide his blunders, and while he may become mortified over them, Jim has a forced sense of humor about it. Moriarty has even heard a few of his closest affiliates mention this trait in passing, but due to his disdain for this unfortunate disposition, supposedly there are stringent rules enforced to let the whole matter alone for when 'the boss is around.'
"There are rules, Seb? There are rules?"
- Jim's grandparents made an attempt to push Jim to become a concert pianist, any reason to drive Jim into something ambitious that wasn't the questionable activities of his parents and crumbling state of mind. The signs of Jim's decline were becoming more apparent to his grandmother in particular, and while his father believed this was just his son's way of expressing himself, his grandmother sought to remedy the storms brewing within her grandson by trying to scare him straight. She read to him the unadulterated versions of the Grimm fairytales, to no avail, however. Needless to say, the fairytales were a formative part in developing his way of life.
- Jim has a very eclectic taste in music. He's diversified and oftentimes ruled by his emotions, hence why he's so changeable. Each song represents a point in time, a powerful emotion, some form of nostalgia, his triumphs and failures, his anger and darkness, and even more poignant, his descent into madness and self-destructive tendencies. He listens to just about anything at the very least once but favors the ones that hit him right in the feels.
- Stuff
- Stuff
- And more stuff!
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