maybe I’m just too caught up on Dónal Finn’s Moriarty and his Orpheus but. oh my god the Sheriarty and Orphydice parallels. James Moriarty, a poor, ambitious Irishman who grew up in the aftermath of the famine. he knows what the world is, he’s seen what people do to survive. it’s made him cynical, always looking to uncover the dark intentions behind the actions of those around him. he meets Sherlock Holmes, who despite his sheltered upbringing seeks the same truths that James does. Sherlock fascinates him - a mind with ethics and ideals, a mind not yet jaded by the reality of the world. he sees how the world could be. James hasn’t been afforded this privilege, always living in blinks and fighting for his place. in Sherlock, James finds an equal, a twin flame, a yin to his yang. it feels as if they’ve always known one another and always will.
but before long, James begins to see Sherlock’s morality as a cause for inaction, a holdback from reaching their true potential. learning the truth about Silas Holmes is like kerosene for James, fueling James’ beliefs that one must act in one’s own interest to survive. then, his first kill is a match, opening Pandora’s box and sparking realization in James.
despite it all, he and Sherlock are forever entwined - two faces of the same coin. inseparable and yet never able to face one another again.
