I was rooting for Maithanet, because he is the Holy Shriah, then Bakker went and wasted him. Hurrrrr. Now I root for Kellhus because he is easily the least malignant of the major factions. Which brings me to this:

Quote from: The Sharmat

2. I don't agree with their methods or motives, but their goal is the only ray of hope in Bakkerverse. As Aurang quite rightly put it: "This world is an outrage!" The world MUST be shut from the Outside.

Aurang is outraged because the inherent morality of the Bakkerverse won't let let him get his jollies from interspecies bukkake and pheremone-induced rape. Poor baby.

I must throw my support behind the Angels of Flesh, the Race of Lovers.

Yes, they are essentially some sort of horrible obscenity elementals but:

1.The concepts  behind them are so fucking cool. They're easily my favorite alien species. Maybe just because I love biotech, and it's clear Bakker did some research.

2. I don't agree with their methods or motives, but their goal is the only ray of hope in Bakkerverse. As Aurang quite rightly put it: "This world is an outrage!" The world MUST be shut from the Outside.

3. Spite. I wasn't interested in him at first, but I found Akka's character arc through Prince of Nothing to be absolutely heart breaking...but let's face it, there's no final victory for him. So I want to see Kellhus and the Gods forced to swallow metaphysical humble pie in the form of some sort of meaning singularity screaming "WHAT DO YOU SEE" in bold text.

I also enjoy reading Kelmomas' point of view. Because there's something very wrong with me.

Quote from: Madness

Perhaps, read the Hero With A Thousand Faces?

Note that skin spies are literally Villain with a Thousand faces.

Quote from: sciborg

There is also the possibility that Mimara is the Messiah, and a new covenant between humanity and the Outside can be written through her.

I have considered this. Mimara is easy to root for, and she does slip into the "Luke Skywalker" template a little in the second trilogy.

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Ideally, Kellhus somehow lays the ground for a rewriting of damnation *after* the Consult is gone. After all, the No-God itself may still be useful once it is out of Inchoroi hands.

That would be an interesting way to end it.

We know that Esmi's arc concludes, but this may not mean much for all of Earwa's women. There is also the possibility that Mimara is the Messiah, and a new covenant between humanity and the Outside can be written through her.

The one major character that matters is the World. Scott has said that the world itself conspires, and I think this means it pushes people into narrative arcs. What this means exactly is unclear, but I think there is something to Esmi's daughter becoming the Messiah. For people who read Valente's Deathless, the idea of "narrative time" is more overt, people essentially slipping into roles.

Ideally, Kellhus somehow lays the ground for a rewriting of damnation *after* the Consult is gone. After all, the No-God itself may still be useful once it is out of Inchoroi hands.

Honestly I often find myself rooting for the characters that have the best chance of revealing more about the metaphysical foundations of Eärwa. So Kellhus, Mimara, the Yatwerians, the Consult-- whoever. I'm in it for the world-building!

Although it's hard not to hope Achamian might come out on top, having been in his head for so long throughout all the books.

Quote from: Jorge

I am doubtful, however, that Scott will acquiesce to "the poor sod deserves a break at some point". If it's true he wants to cut against reader expectations, then Achamian is well and truly fucked. End of story.

He deserves a break. I agree you're likely right though.

At this point, I don't think I can say I'm rooting for anyone. Akka always elicits sympathy from me, and the poor sod deserves a break at some point. Conphas, Skauras and Cnaiur were my three favorite characters, but they're all dead and gone now, and so far no-one has managed to step up to fill their shoes, besides perhaps little creepy Inri, but he was too much of a one-off character for me to really love.

I'm not necessarily rooting for the survival of the human race. I'm rooting for the removal of arbitrary damnation. It seems exceptionally cruel that across the entire universe (as far as we know) the world is punished according to the standards of Earwan morality. The Inchoroi after all, slaughtered thousands of worlds and I'd imagine a fair number of those worlds were probably damned for no greater reason than say, perhaps not following the Earwan equivalent of Kosher or praying to some false deity. Or not believing in deities at all. The Earwan system of meaning seems as cruel and unjust as possible - and therefore if I'm rooting for anything, I'd like to see the world be sealed.

Of course then again, I'd also like to see the Inchoroi perish. But that's just a visceral gut reaction. I can't root for the Inchoroi, no matter how compelling their logic. And I don't see why the Consult had to buy into their agenda completely - surely one can labor to undo damnation without being pulled into the whole crazy rape machine that is the Ark. But alas, their inability to escape the bulging members and black seed has left me decidedly unsympathetic to anyone in Earwa.