Is Agia a Robot?

David Stockhoff · 18 Jun 2010, 17:51 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:51:09 -0400
Subject: (urth) Is Agia a Robot?
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Message-ID: <4C1BB20D.4040700 at verizon.net>

Well, the proverb doesn't describe female assassins---just women. So 
it's ambiguous. She could certainly be a trained or experienced female 
assassin, in addition to being either nonhuman or nonfemale. But since 
Wolfe probably made up the "proverb," it was with a purpose, and there 
are no clues that Agia is simply an angry trained human female assassin. 
(Unless she wears secret assassin armor on her head.)

The theory requires either that a sex doll be strong or that a strong 
robot can be a sex doll.

Either that a sex doll is capable of close combat or that a fighting 
robot can be a sex doll.

Either that a sex doll that can be whatever her partner wants her to be 
can be an assassin, or that an assassin can be whatever her target needs 
her to be.

Is Agia an assassin robot straight out of Dune who played sex doll for 
Hethor because she wanted his power and money but feared his monsters, 
or is she a sex doll who turned skillfully murderous? Either way, what 
changed? How did she get control of Hethor? or did she?

As an aside, it's remarkable how this discussion has begun to resemble 
that for AEG, where characters almost openly adopt disguises and deal in 
identity deception, and where a play is actually part of the plot. I 
always assumed New Sun characters were more stable than they appear to 
me now. But then I never figured out the Silk vs Horn thing either.

Ryan Dunn wrote:
> Hmm...
>
> I can't help but think that he was explaining the difference between Agia and other women in this passage. And that the strength of her blow sort of sealed the deal for him, and betrayed that she is something more than woman. And not just assassin, I don't think. He already knew that fairly well, with more than three attempts on his life on her hands (oh those soft, delicate hands!).
>
> ...ryan
>
>
> On Jun 18, 2010, at 11:59 AM, Ant?nio Pedro Marques wrote:
>
>   
>>> "Women and tailors hold the blade beneath the hand, according to the
>>> proverb, but Agia stabbed up to open the tripes and catch the heart from
>>> below, like an accomplished assassin. I turned only just in time to
>>> block her blade with the shutter, and the point drove through the wood to
>>> show a glint of steel. The very strength of her blow betrayed her."
>>>
>>> (Severian on Agia in SotL, Chap. 15, He Is Ahead of You!)
>>>
>>> .
>>>
>>> The strength betrayed what? That she was not a woman?
>>>       
>> Not necessarily - 'betrayed' as in the way something you rely on ends up
>> being counterproductive. In this case, putting her in a disavatageous position. Well, I supoose that's a possible reading, at least. I don't know, I'm no anglo.
>>     
>
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