Like Emilia Ricoletti, Moriarty ensured that his death would count. He has a cause, but it's not random thrill-seeking criminality - it's very specifically focused. Like the Brides, Moriarty's network consists of vigilantes seeking justice for wrongs against a marginalized group: gender and sexual minorities. The cases he's taken so far were, in fact, motivated by this cause: some transparently (Connie Prince; Carl Powers the homophobe?), and others in ways yet to be revealed.
The next step is to go above-ground and get powerful people to realize that the larger battle for full empowerment needs to be won. Sherlock's fall was designed to force the issue between him and John. When they acknowledge what's between them, and Sherlock deduces the scheme, Moriarty will have the Holmes brothers - among Britain's cleverest and most powerful people - behind the cause, and victory is all but guaranteed.
tl;dr Moriarty has a queer empowerment agenda and a giant queer conspiracy network and the final problem was to recruit Sherlock & co to win the war for him.
Some spare thoughts, take or leave: This is actually borne of a half-baked wish-theory on what Moftiss have planned next, and it could almost be a crack meta request instead of fic. That is, I love it because it could almost fit in canon (and because JUSTICE). But obviously there are some tricky parts to it, so as always, feel free to discard bits of canon (not sure how you'd tie in the smugglers in Blind Banker, but I don't much care either) or retcon them as needed (Sherlock dismantling the network for two years - or was he even dismantling it?!?). I used present tense in the prompt, but Moriarty actually-dead-or-not is a bit irrelevant. Hopefully he at least features in flashbacks, because I love him. Sherlock deducing his agenda could be either a motivator for or consequence of getting together with John, and their relationship could be either the main or the side plot. The happy ending kind of (but optionally) hinges on Mycroft being a fierce Ally, because of all people it SHOULD be Mark Gatiss's character, and wouldn't he love it, and don't I love him, too. And anyway, if theories about the show's agenda re: representation are substantiated, then it becomes (I hope) a fun, heart-warming mirror for this revolutionary show.
Moriarty's LGBTQIAP+ Network
The next step is to go above-ground and get powerful people to realize that the larger battle for full empowerment needs to be won. Sherlock's fall was designed to force the issue between him and John. When they acknowledge what's between them, and Sherlock deduces the scheme, Moriarty will have the Holmes brothers - among Britain's cleverest and most powerful people - behind the cause, and victory is all but guaranteed.
tl;dr Moriarty has a queer empowerment agenda and a giant queer conspiracy network and the final problem was to recruit Sherlock & co to win the war for him.
Some spare thoughts, take or leave:
This is actually borne of a half-baked wish-theory on what Moftiss have planned next, and it could almost be a crack meta request instead of fic. That is, I love it because it could almost fit in canon (and because JUSTICE). But obviously there are some tricky parts to it, so as always, feel free to discard bits of canon (not sure how you'd tie in the smugglers in Blind Banker, but I don't much care either) or retcon them as needed (Sherlock dismantling the network for two years - or was he even dismantling it?!?). I used present tense in the prompt, but Moriarty actually-dead-or-not is a bit irrelevant. Hopefully he at least features in flashbacks, because I love him. Sherlock deducing his agenda could be either a motivator for or consequence of getting together with John, and their relationship could be either the main or the side plot. The happy ending kind of (but optionally) hinges on Mycroft being a fierce Ally, because of all people it SHOULD be Mark Gatiss's character, and wouldn't he love it, and don't I love him, too. And anyway, if theories about the show's agenda re: representation are substantiated, then it becomes (I hope) a fun, heart-warming mirror for this revolutionary show.