James Moriarty

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This article is about James Moriarty. For other characters, return to the full character list.

This article has been inspired by Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) but takes inspiration from various sources, therefore may contain deviations from expected canon.

To the majority of the world, Professor James Adam Moriarty (born January 14th) is a well-respected figure in high society and the academic community. He's a mathematical genius - perhaps the greatest mind in the world when it comes to the topic - who has been known to dabble in the world of the other sciences, especially that of astrophysics.

He has written two books - The Dynamics of an Asteroid, and A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem - as well as countless published academic papers. His residency at the University of Cambridge is one that they are incredibly proud of, attracting numerous funding opportunities and students for them. Moriarty lives with his cat, Argand, and spends the majority of his time working - be it lecturing, tutoring students, working on his latest research, or travelling the world to discuss his work. He has many connections, including the Prime Minister of Great Britain - a personal friend of his.

Though most see him as a helpful (if stern) professor of mathematics, Professor Moriarty is also the head of a secret criminal empire.^{[citation needed]} Some have called him the Napoleon of crime,^{[citation needed]} and his reach in this realm spreads far and wide. He is ruthless, unrelenting in his aims and unrestrained by morals. No criminal act is out of the question for him providing that it meets two requirements - it must be profitable and, more importantly, entertaining.

Professor Moriarty is a respectable-looking man with blue eyes and ginger hair. He has a beard, which he keeps neatly trimmed at all times. His accent is Received Pronunciation, though he purposely allows a little Northern Irish to slip into it in order to betray his origins, helping him to blend into the background by giving a reason for snobs and elitists (of which there are many in Cambridge) to dismiss him.

He never smiles - he only ever almost smiles or, on a rare occasion, grins in a way reminiscence of a shark approaching its prey. In addition to this, Moriarty has a habit of cocking his head in a reptilian manner, usually when he is truly interested in something.

Moriarty dresses well. He takes a lot of pride in his appearance. However, despite this, it is not unusual to see cat hairs on his clothes.

Moriarty's parents are both still alive, as are his two brothers. While his eldest brother now lives in London, his younger brother in Devon, and his parents still live in his hometown in Northern Ireland. His family are well off and well renowned in their local area.

He does not have a particularly strong relationship with any of his family. His brothers irritate him, his father is worth nothing in his eyes, and while his mother has done nothing to turn him against her in particular, Moriarty is simply not the kind of man that feels love and affection for other people.

His father and both of his brothers are also called James. It is a family name.

James Moriarty (father)
An accountant, drunkard, and generally loathsome man. James Moriarty specialises in finding loopholes to reduce the amount of tax that his clients owe (some of those loopholes being more legal than others). He is not a nice man, focusing more on money than his own family. With his children, he has always been relatively uninterested. He is not disappointed in any of them - he just doesn't care for their existence.

Anne Moriarty
A kind woman in an unfortunate marriage. Anne does not work. In the past, she took care of the children. Now, she just takes care of the house. Anne is very close with a friend and colleague of her husband, James. His name is Adam. Her husband does not approve of his friendship, so she claims that she is going to be spending time in town with her lady friends whenever she plans on meeting him.

Colonel James Moriarty (older brother)
A colonel in the British army, Colonel Moriarty is older than Professor Moriarty by three years.

James Moriarty (younger brother)
Younger than Professor Moriarty by three two years, James Moriarty is the station master in Devon.

One of the leading mathematical minds in the world (if not the leading mind), Moriarty is a professor at the Univeristy of Cambridge. Here, he teaches students and does mathematical research. He is well-known within the mathematics community for his contributions to the subject and, due to the popularity of his books, is also known outside of academic circles. Moriarty has written numerous books and academic papers, the most well-known of which are The Dynamics of an Asteroid and A Treatise Upon the Binomial Theorem, the latter which he wrote when he was only 21 years old. The Dynamics of an Asteroid has been his biggest success, being a best-seller among both academics and the common man on the street.

Because of his academic reputation and his books, Moriarty is regularly asked to speak at events and other universities. Providing that he is not too busy with his typical work, he is usually happy to accept these requests.

In addition to mathematics, Moriarty is interested in physics (especially astrophysics, which he has been known to collaborate with the Physics department on), chemistry, biology, and psychology. Outside of mathematics and physics, he has not released any professional work but he does occasionally dabble with research out of personal interest.

This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced.

Among whispers in the shadows, Moriarty has a reputation of being the man to speak to for all matters criminal.^{[citation needed]} He is the mind behind a great deal of impressive criminal activity, acting a as 'consulting criminal' of sorts.^{[citation needed]} Those with the ability to pay come to him with a problem, and he will come up with a solution that will solve the issue.^{[citation needed]}

This entire enterprise began as a way to keep himself entertained. When he was young, he would plot and carry out minor crimes, getting away with them each time.^{[citation needed]} The way that people would react when they discovered their favourite jewellery stolen or their beloved pet gone fascinated him and emboldened him to continue. He began people watching, learning the dark secrets of those around him and using them against them. By the time he had left education, petty theft, vanishing dogs, and blackmail had grown into something more serious.^{[citation needed]} Using the contacts he had built up along the way, Moriarty began making a name for himself as a man who could fix your problems. People began to come to him for assistance, offering large amounts of money for his help.^{[citation needed]}

Now, decades later, Moriarty's criminal empire covers countless countries and exists within governments, influential companies, and all kinds of other institutions.^{[citation needed]} There is very little that he won't do, providing that the money is good enough and the premise is interesting.^{[citation needed]} Murder and theft are the most common requests, followed by blackmail and money laundering.

Despite his success, Professor Moriarty is still first and foremost a criminal for himself. He does this because he wants to, not because he needs to. After all, he already has a job that he loves with his mathematics, and his prior exploits have earnt him more than enough money to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life. If a client proposes a job that Moriarty cannot find a way to make interesting in his own mind, then he will not take it. Luckily (or, perhaps, unluckily), this rarely happens. The vast majority of the time, there will be something that can be done to keep himself entertained.

Moriarty does not work alone, though very few of his employees know who he really is. His right-hand man, Moran, is the person that knows the most about Moriarty and his activities. Often, he is the one that will deal directly with clients - Moriarty himself remaining in the shadows, a mysterious figure that is not to be trifled with.

In the eyes of the public, Professor Moriarty is seen as a great man of good repute. He is on good terms with many important individuals, including the Prime Minister. His reputation is that of a polite, if someone unusual, mathematician. Nobody pays attention to his less typical quicks, though. After all, Oxford, Cambridge, and all the other great academic institutions are absolutely full of individuals that are a little odd in a whole multitude of ways. His reputation is a powerful tool, as it prompts the public to immediately dismiss any accusations of nefarious deeds that may be made against him.

To his students, Moriarty is seen as a strict and stern but highly capable professor. As long as a student shows promise and actually puts in the hard work, Moriarty is a perfectly good educator. He has many former students that are rather fond of him. Of course, he also has students that dislike him, but that tends to be because they were the ones that did not put any effort into the work he set.

Those that know Moriarty from his younger days, specifically when he was studying at university himself, will recall that he was a boxing champion. He still partakes in the sport, though less often than he used to and he no longer competes.

Mathematics (and criminal activity ^{[citation needed]}), takes up the vast majority of Professor Moriarty's time. He spends the majority of his time in Cambridge, though he frequently spends weekends in London, where he owns a flat. In addition to his, he also spends a lot of time travelling, as he receives many invitations to speak at institutions all over the world.

In addition to his work, he does have a few hobbies, such as boxing, chess, opera music, puzzles in general, and feeding the pigeons.

The biggest thing in Moriarty's life outside of his work is his pet cat, Argand. Argand is a large Maine Coon. He is a black tabby with green eyes. The cat does not have a particularly nice personality. While he adores Moriarty, he very rarely takes kindly to anybody else. Argand has been known to bite, scratch, and generally cause a nuisance when others are around him.

Moriarty adores his cat. What he feels for him is the closest thing that he can feel to affection, and he very much enjoys having the animal around to use as a sounding board for his ideas. After all, in his eyes, another human being would not be able to provide feedback that is anymore intelligent than the cat can, so why bother with them? A cat is far less irritating.

In addition to that, the cat helps to provide additional cover should anybody accuse Moriarty of being some kind of psychopath. His fondness for the animal makes him appear less threatening, even if only on a subconscious level.

This article describes common pre-established verses. Other verses are available but must be discussed prior to any threads. Individual interactions occur in their own separate universes unless otherwise discussed. Please send an IM if interested in plotting any interactions.

Moriarty follows the majority of information described on this page.

Moriarty follows the majority of information described on this page, but adapted for Victorian times.

For interacting with other versions of Moriarty, Professor Moriarty follows the majority of information described on his page. However, instead of working alone when it comes to his criminal empire, he and his sibling have built it together.