#moriarty monday

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Moriarty’s Verdict

I’m going to take a moment to appreciate the smirk on Moriarty’s face. 

It made me laugh because no matter WHAT the Star journalist thought, it wouldn’t be a “World Exclusive”. The whole damned world knew about it. 

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Another Excerpt, this one from Magpies: Four for a Boy

                                                       -2010-

"You must be bored."

Fitz has been experimenting with automated synthesisers to disguise his quite distinct vocal signature. This one is a deep bass designed to give a Russian-accented, stereotypically criminal touch, which would not be out of place in one of Hollywood's Cold War movies. It still disturbs Ford that his own vocal cords are not yet robust enough to withstand the sort of fluent conversation that he'd like to be having.

The man on the receiving end of the telephone call sniffs nonchalantly. "Occupational hazard." The Irish lilt is unmistakable; he does nothing to disguise himself. It's as if James Moriarty relishes the limelight these days.

That fact suits Ford's purpose. "What if I were to provide you with a way to fight off the ennui?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Perhaps I am being charitable."

There is a high-pitched laugh. "Don't think so. You don't do anything that doesn't serve your purpose."

"And what purpose would that be, Mister Moriarty?"

"Making mischief, causing trouble, tormenting your friends’ enemies. You have a reputation, Mister Knaslovsky."

"As you do, Mister Moriarty."

"I help people achieve their objectives. Jim'll fix it. What is your objective?"

"I want you to make mischief, cause trouble and torment someone. It's up to you to decide how best to achieve that, and you get the pleasure of actually doing it. Be creative."

"I'm a consultant; I don't get my hands dirty; a waste of my time."

"Not in this case."

"Convince me."

"The targets are worthy of your personal touch."

"Who are they?" The air of boredom being projected is added to by the sound of a yawn.

"The Holmes brothers."

Or, how Fitzroy Sherrin Ford recruited Moriarty. Read it all here. 

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Great Moriarty Quotes

He’s much more visible in the BBC version than the ACD version in which he appears only twice but is mentioned in passing in four other stories. And lines written for him by Mofftiss have become not only canon centric for fic writers; some of them have entered into more general usage. 

This great image by starkillerc on deviant art reminds us of those lines so perfectly delivered by Andrew Scott. My favourite isn’t included above, so I will add in another image. 

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Mirror Writing

Let’s take a moment to appreciate how Moriarty was able to write without hesitation his message on the glass in a way what would be read by the camera inside the case. 

He’s not the only genius who’s been able to do this. 

Leonardo da Vinci wrote all of his notebooks in mirror writing. 

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Let’s Enjoy a little Villainy! 

Why should Mycroft get all the joy on Mondays? I have a great fondness for Moriarty, both in ACD and BBC Sherlock versions. 

“He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city, He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the first order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them. He does little himself. He only plans.”

“My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill.”

Conan Doyle’s version appears first in The Final Problem, but is mentioned in SIX other Holmes stories:  The Valley of Fear, The Adventure of the Empty House, The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter, The Adventure of the Illustrious Client and His Last Bow. 

Physically quite different from the Paget version, Andrew Scott’s version is equally compelling and casts a long shadow over the whole of the broadcast series. It’s the EYES!!!