Cowl is Justin reboot

[Foxed]

I 💯 agree that Cowl is Justin. I was there biggest proponent of Cowl being Christos for a bit, but after a close "from first principles" reading of Dead Beat*, it's obvious-- from the focus on flashing back to Justin training Harry, to Cowl's knowledge of Bob, to Cowl's skills as a necromancer answering how Justin is still alive, that Cowl IS Justin. If it was a fakeout, it would have gotten more attention from the text by now.

* The same kind of reading that led me to conclude from Proven Guilty that:

- Titania was grooming Molly for Summer Lady. Maeve hijacked that with Sandra Marling and a very bad idea.

- Harry has mentally time traveled back to the events of this book. Teaming up with Lash, he fakes the car accident and fixes Little Chicago.

[Talby16]

I 💯 agree that Cowl is Justin. I was there biggest proponent of Cowl being Christos for a bit, but after a close "from first principles" reading of Dead Beat*, it's obvious-- from the focus on flashing back to Justin training Harry, to Cowl's knowledge of Bob, to Cowl's skills as a necromancer answering how Justin is still alive, that Cowl IS Justin. If it was a fakeout, it would have gotten more attention from the text by now.

* The same kind of reading that led me to conclude from Proven Guilty that:

- Titania was grooming Molly for Summer Lady. Maeve hijacked that with Sandra Marling and a very bad idea.

- Harry has mentally time traveled back to the events of this book. Teaming up with Lash, he fakes the car accident and fixes Little Chicago.

I'm onboard with Harry TT in proven guilty to do the car crash and fix Little Chicago. I've also thought that there was something fishy about Sandra Marling. However, you lost me with Titania grooming Molly and Maeve's involvement with Sandra. Would you be willing to expound on that or direct me to where you have previously detailed that theory?

[raidem]

Teaming up with Lash, he fakes the car accident and fixes Little Chicago.

This is where I strongly disagree with you. The scene of the accident is described as Harry having been hit in the back of the car.  So if there was actual damage to the back of the car, that isn't a fake accident. 

Harry has mentally time traveled back to the events of this book.

I've been a long proponent that Harry will time travel back via Sub Harry and particular places in which part of "no matter where you go, there you are" occur, particularly the 'there your are' bit.  There are no "there you are" in Proven Guilty but there does seem much likelihood that Harry will revisit Proven Guilty, but I don't think it will be mental time travel.  I think it will be the big deal.  I equate mental time travel to Sub Harry, though in retrospect Lash does say it is easier for her to talk to him than Harry.

[Fcrate]

I 💯 agree that Cowl is Justin. I was there biggest proponent of Cowl being Christos for a bit, but after a close "from first principles" reading of Dead Beat*, it's obvious-- from the focus on flashing back to Justin training Harry, to Cowl's knowledge of Bob, to Cowl's skills as a necromancer answering how Justin is still alive, that Cowl IS Justin. If it was a fakeout, it would have gotten more attention from the text by now.

Cowl's knowledge of Bob. Excellent point. Now that I think about it, there is something extremely fishy about Cowl knowing that Harry has the very same Spirit of Intellect that Kemmler used.

[Kindler]

Cowl's knowledge of Bob. Excellent point. Now that I think about it, there is something extremely fishy about Cowl knowing that Harry has the very same Spirit of Intellect that Kemmler used.

Doubly so, since this information couldn't have come from the Council; Luccio believes Bob was destroyed or was lost after Kemmler died. So either Cowl knows that Harry had him since Justin died, or he deduced it because he knew that Justin grabbed him.

If it's the former, then we don't really have a lot to go on, because he could be any one of a hundred people who could have found out in the (twenty? thirty?) years since Harry took him.

If it's the latter, then it seems likely that Cowl is either A) Justin, B) a former apprentice of his, C) a Warden who saw Justin take Bob, or D) an old friend of Justin's who he trusted enough to let him see Bob.

Or... hmm. Interesting. What if Cowl met Evil Bob shortly after Bob cut him off? He is a necromancer...

[Lost Merlin]

Cowl could have known about bob through being a Kemmlerite.  Cowl could have then learned harry had bob through Bianca or a source at her place after GP. 

[Foxed]

Would you be willing to expound on that or direct me to where you have previously detailed that theory?

[Link]

This is where I strongly disagree with you. The scene of the accident is described as Harry having been hit in the back of the car.  So if there was actual damage to the back of the car, that isn't a fake accident. 

I seem to recall Murph or Harry noting that they couldn't tell if there was any new damage.

Could be wrong, though.

Now, back onto the topic of Cowl:

Yes, someone working with Justin who already knew about the Word of Kemmler existing inside the skull could have deduced that Dresden would have the skull.

I guess.

I still think that the textual Doylist cluebat is the big deal breaker. Harry spends a lot of time flashing back to Justin in this book. I don't think that's typical, and it's not really THAT relevant to the plot. Flashing back to Harry meeting BOB, sure, and flashbacks with Bob and Justin, sure, but we don't get those.

So there's that. Plus mentioning Harry's dead mentor in the big necromancy book and pointing out that Justin was the disciple of a powerful necromancer and had that guy's notes... Lots of clues that Justin isn't D-E-D dead in the book that introduces Cowl.

(As for where Kumori is during White Night... Elaine is in White Night and Cowl is preying on her people. Maybe Kumori has reformed?)

[raidem]

Elaine is summer property in my estimation, so I doubt Justin as cowl would continue to control her unless it was in summer's interests.

After reading Amber and reading a plot surrounding merlins girlfriend/one time slight apprentice, I think of Harry and some of the women in his life.  One woman that makes it onscreen but doesn't get much play is Kim Delaney.  I wouldn't put it past possibility that we will see a return of Kim Delaney. With mirror mirror we now have precedence for stunt doubles taking the death hit.  In amber, Merlin goes on believing his exgirlfriend was killed because he had seen the body. She isn't dead and becomes his nemesis.

[groinkick]

Elaine is summer property in my estimation, so I doubt Justin as cowl would continue to control her unless it was in summer's interests.

Who was right by the side of the Nemfected Summer Lady?  Elaine..

[wardenferry419]

I have often felt that Elaine was involved in starting the Nemfection of Fae.

[raidem]

And yes, you can argue Elaine may have had some role in getting nemesis into Summer Court.  Maybe, maybe not.  In any event, Titania didn't cash Elaine in.  She allowed her own daughter to die.  If Titania believes Elaine had some accidental role in nemesis getting into the court, I'm sure that Summer likely cut such influences on Elaine to safeguard their asset.  She is a potential Starborn.

[peregrine]

And yes, you can argue Elaine may have had some role in getting nemesis into Summer Court.  Maybe, maybe not.  In any event, Titania didn't cash Elaine in.  She allowed her own daughter to die.  If Titania believes Elaine had some accidental role in nemesis getting into the court, I'm sure that Summer likely cut such influences on Elaine to safeguard their asset.  She is a potential Starborn.

Well, she was a potential Starborn when Justin adopted her.  I don't think being a Starborn is one of those things that you can become.  I think it's something that you either are, or are not.  The potentiality part was when she met enough of the criteria that Justin thought she might be, and for whatever reason he couldn't confirm it entirely, so he just picked the best candidates.

[groinkick]

And yes, you can argue Elaine may have had some role in getting nemesis into Summer Court.  Maybe, maybe not.  In any event, Titania didn't cash Elaine in.  She allowed her own daughter to die.  If Titania believes Elaine had some accidental role in nemesis getting into the court, I'm sure that Summer likely cut such influences on Elaine to safeguard their asset.  She is a potential Starborn.

Well I think Justin did that at Bianca's party.  I'm thinking more like Elaine is his eyes, and ears out in the world.  He keeps to the shadows.  So I think Elaine stayed close to Aurora to see how things were unfolding.  Or possibly to nudge her in the desired direction Justin wanted her to go along with Nemesis.

[wardenferry419]

If Elaine/Kumori is Cowl's eyes and ears and she is connected to the paranet; then Cowl may well be the most informed of Harry's problems.

[Fcrate]

If Elaine/Kumori is Cowl's eyes and ears and she is connected to the paranet; then Cowl may well be the most informed of Harry's problems.

It may have started by Elaine and Harry, but remember, neither of them can use a computer. The paranet is online and available to everyone, Cowl won't need a spy to know of his paranet-related problems.