I have an interesting theory on how Variety Jones fits into all this. Specifically, it pertains to switching handles from VJ to Cimon and saying he had "no idea what he was going by", given he coined Ulbricht's DPR moniker, obviously based on The Princess Bride AND hinted to his links to Plural of Mongoose overtly in these same chat sessions. It seemed he wanted to give hints to his identity, but it does not seem to me that DPR was much of a sleuth. I deduced that Cimon was also likely a reference to The Princess Bridge's fictional writer, Simon Morgenstern. Those familiar with the book know Morgenstern was a pseudonym both for the writer, William Goldman, but served as a character in the book, writing a novel within the actual novel.
This, to me, is an incredibly obvious allusion to the use of pseudonyms/various online handles, something VJ/Cimon/PoM if you believe as much has long been known for. This aligns with his advice concerning the moniker DPR. It also would appeal to someone who fits the profile of PoM, a fan of literature based on Thomas Clark's goodreads reviews page, who also seemed to like leaving clues. Simon Morgenstern in The Princess Bride is quite likely a nod to Johan Simon Karl Morgenstern, the man who coined the term "Bildungsroman" This genre of story is a coming of age story focusing on change in which the protagonist typically has conflicts with society. As VJ was the mentor of a young "hero" who had a huge conflict with society and saw him come of age, he himself seemed to change identities instead of DPR doing so as Bildungsromans would have.
So, how has a man who has been giving overt hints to his identity that can be linked to the Gypsy Nirvana trial and the identity of Thomas Clark, aka Plural of Mongoose (all public record, including court documents are available on the clear net or I would not mention by name here), seemingly the real brains behind The Silk Road going free without mention from authorities or lawyers? His last "hint" was the prefix of "Cimon" as opposed to Cimon. It stands to reason he was working with LE from the very beginning and that is how he has managed to avoid capture by both authorities and interested parties. I find it especially interesting that in the chat logs it seems he makes it a point to have DPR dub him Cimon, and say that's how things are done. It seems one last pointed message, that in VJ's eyes, DPR had sealed his own fate. It would also explain how he knew such a plethora of information. Something to think about for interested parties. I have no more evidence than what is floating around in the public domain (basically a lot of shit at this point, as you all know) but that is an interesting theory I have come up with purely based on reading all of the evidence I was able to find available at once that points at a question I have seen surprisingly little curiosity about, both from DPR at the time and from the community recently: the change from Variety Jones to Cimon. I hope this is an entertaining read for some of you, whether it legitimately stirs thoughts up in your brain as it did mine, or simply serves to pass a bit of time. I think we can agree the figure of PoM/Thomas Clark is interesting to all of us. I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on this - expecting either nothing or "you're an idiot" but I'd be glad to hear anyone else's crazy thoughts and theories regarding this case or in specific Variety Jones.
Well its not Tuesday, but I like this theory