The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion
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Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 163, April 2020
Short Stories
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April 2022 - "AirBody" by Sameem Siddiqui
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Interesting concept, liked the story. This quote got me thinking:“You’ll feel it one day.” She rolls into sitting position at the edge of the bed and looks in the mirror. “The desire to go back to when you were uncertain about who you’d turn out to be. When you lived foolishly thinking you could be something other than what you became in the end.”
I've found kinda hard to read through so many Urdu-Hindi words. I'm sure that someone that knows the language would have a more complete experience reading it.
Cool premise, and decent story. There were a couple of things I wasn't sure about, though:Sex. A man is hosting a woman, who then has sex with a woman. It's implied that the two women had a prior relationship with their original bodies. The male body would be quite a sexual change for them...right? Did Meena choose a male for specifically this reason?
Language. Meena specifically wanted an Urdu-speaking host. But it seems the protag can barely speak it. What language were they speaking together? Urdu, which he suddenly got better at after his initial nervousness? Or another?
The last line. "I'm certain I've already become who I'll be in the end, so I might as well let everyone else be me for a little longer." This doesn't make sense to me - his relationship with Klara is quite uncertain. What is this final line supposed to mean?
Good questions. That last one didn't do anything for the story & left me wondering what I was missing. Seemed pointless.
I didn't realize the sex thing, but now that you mention it... yeah, it makes you wonder a few things lol
Mod
Ryan wrote: "... Did Meena choose a male for specifically this reason? ..."
She specifically explains why she choose him: Beta, you were the only ‘Urdu speaking’ host of Pakistani origin whose listing authorizes sexual behavior during a visit
If some woman had authorized sexual behavior, she probably would have chosen that.
What language were they speaking together?
It was Hindi/Urdu. They are basically the same language written in different scripts.
I've recently completed the Duolingo course on Hindi. That doesn't mean I can actually speak it though! If you need me to say "Sit on the cat, not on the dog", then I can handle it. But if you want some more normal sentence, forget it!
Meena must have known her partner was bisexual, then; I imagine that for most unisexual individuals getting sexually involved with a gender that is not their preference would be too awkward to be tolerated, even if that person's mind and body is being controlled by your opposite-sex lover.Re: language - that doesn't explain how the protag was able to communicate competently after the initial utter failure.
Ed wrote: "Neat idea. I would have preferred translations instead of Urdu.Ryan wrote: "... Did Meena choose a male for specifically this reason? ..."
She specifically explains why she choose him: Beta, you..."
I agree with you on the answer to Ryan's first question. There's a subtle point here about the importance of culture vs gender. When Pakistani-background and woman was unavailable, she preferred Pakistani background over woman.
On the second question, I believe Ryan is asking whether the sections where they speak in English are in fact them speaking in Urdu but translated for the reader's benefit. I suspect not, because why then would you have a partial translation "Acha, where’s your janamaz beta?" rather than a full translation like "Nice, where's your prayer mat dear?". Perhaps words like "beta" carry a significance beyond just "dear"...
Jim wrote: "Good questions. That last one didn't do anything for the story & left me wondering what I was missing. Seemed pointless."Hmm. There is a sense of futility in that last line. That reflects the atmosphere elsewhere, in particular how the narrator finds his parents and background stifling. He mentions providing the AirBody service as a way to get through the weekends... that sounds like someone not seeing a lot of purpose or future to their life.
Mod
"Beta" literally means "son", but is also used sometimes by any older person speaking to a younger one. (The younger person could add the word "ji" when speaking to the older person. They would use one of three words to mean "you" depending on familiarity: tu, tum, aap. Which one is appropriate when addressing someone inside your body? And you can also treat the older person as plural, as in "My father are here" rather than "is here".)
There are multiple systems of transliteration in use, and that adds to my confusion.
So, the phrase “Beta, Urdu nahin boltay?” could also be "Beta, Urdoo nahīn bolate?" ("Sonny, you don't speak Urdu?")
For the last line of the story, it seems to basically just indicate that he wants to continue doing the AirBody thing for a while.
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/sidd...