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Inspired, again. This time, by @Stiv. Enjoy!

You asked me what I did before I fell asleep;
Perhaps you'll know if I tell you whose watch I need to keep.
I'm the freest of them all, all things at the least.
So carefree in the air, I shall wander as I please!
My elder brother's glowing hot, who's died in the colourful balls.
But it seems like he's enjoying it, so it ain't big matter at all.
My elder sister's lazier, sleeping within her glasses.
But she does witness the others burn, shining through her masses.
As for my second youngest brother, he's hiding in his room.
His heart is constantly blue; his name hints a gloom.
My younger sister follows, the naughtiest of us all.
Lingering across the street, with her friends whom we appal!
My youngest brother has died so young, we all felt sad for him.
At the age of 'bout a week, he left our family, so grim.
Happiness follows soon, for we're expecting another sister!
Born to earth some time ago, she's just got on the register.
So now tell me where standing I am,
And who is there in my large fam!

Hint 1:

The two current answers are so near to the intended interpretation, but the full correct answer should explain EVERY LINE. In other words, I will only accept the first answer with all explanations.

Hint 2:

Where do I keep watch? Then, who am I?

Hint 3:

All members of the family have been described in the riddle. Why call us a family?

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  • $\begingroup$ Ooh, my first credit! :) One to mull over... $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 19:15
  • $\begingroup$ What is the gender of "I"? $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 27, 2019 at 11:58
  • $\begingroup$ The gender does not affect the answers of the riddle. @DannyuNDos $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 27, 2019 at 15:19

2 Answers 2

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I believe you are among...

the noble gases elemental gases

and this is my second third go, this time going line-by-line.


You asked me what I did before I fell asleep;
Perhaps you'll know if I tell you whose watch I need to keep.

Firstly, I believe you are the element hydrogen helium. As the first element of the final column of the periodic table, you "keep watch" over the elements below you. In another sense, blimps filled with He may watch the space below them.

I'm the freest of them all, all things at the least.
So carefree in the air, I shall wander as I please!

Helium is a light and plentiful element that is relatively difficult to contain. It is also the least reactive.

My elder brother's glowing hot, who's died in the colourful balls.

Your elder brother is helium neon. He "has died" because he is the a product of fusion within the "colourful balls," known to us as stars. There is a layer of neon within a typical star.

But it seems like he's enjoying it, so it ain't big matter at all.

It "ain't big matter" because the nucleus of He is relatively small. As a noble gas, Ne won’t react to much that’s going on.

My elder sister's lazier, sleeping within her glasses.

Your elder sister is argon. The name for Ar is derived from a Greek word meaning "lazy". This is because, as a noble gas, argon is not very reactive.

But she does witness the others burn, shining through her masses.

I learned from Wikipedia that argon is used in welding to shield materials from the atmosphere. Your sister would not be the one burning, but she would be there to witness it.

As for my second youngest brother, he's hiding in his room.

Your second youngest brother is krypton, whose name is derived from Greek for "hidden one". He must spend a lot of time in his room (or crypt, if you like).

His heart is constantly blue; his name hints a gloom.

Krypton can help incandescent lights appear brighter, which results in a more blue hue.

Regarding "gloom": The first three letters, when isolated, bear a phonetic resemblance to the word "cry."

Krypton is also the name of a fictional planet that blew up, which is...uh...depressing.

My younger sister follows, the naughtiest of us all.

Your younger sister is xenon. She is the naughtiest because she was the first noble gas that scientists were able to use to make a compound...

Lingering across the street, with her friends whom we appal!

...with Pt and F, who are "across the street" in different parts of the periodic table.

My youngest brother has died so young, we all felt sad for him.

Your youngest brother is radon.

At the age of 'bout a week, he left our family, so grim.

He died quickly because radon has a brief half-life and will thus decay somewhat quickly. (The half life of radon is 3.8 days).

Happiness follows soon, for we're expecting another sister!
Born to earth some time ago, she's just got on the register.

Congratulations on your newest member, Oganesson, who was "born to Earth" (synthesized) and eventually named in 2016! She is "expected" because her attributes can only be predicted at the moment; she could be a gas or even a solid.

So now tell me where standing I am,
And who is there in my large fam!

As explained above, you're helium, keeping watch over your Family, the noble gases.

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  • $\begingroup$ rot13(Creuncf gur netba vf gur serr-rfg orpnhfr nzbat aboyr tnfrf, gur netba vf gur zbfg nohaqnag va gur rnegu'f ngzbfcurer?) $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 27, 2019 at 3:55
  • $\begingroup$ you're so close! added hint, please check ;) $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 27, 2019 at 6:06
  • $\begingroup$ Re 'naughtiest' you might also consider rot13(Kraba gb or "K-engrq")... $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented Oct 28, 2019 at 17:02
  • $\begingroup$ @Stiv That's true. Come to think of it, rot13(vs lbh ernq vgf flzoby bhg ybhq nf "K R" naq nqq na 'F' ng gur sebag...uzzz...) (Sorry, that was terrible on my part...) $\endgroup$
    – CGreen
    Commented Oct 28, 2019 at 17:07
  • $\begingroup$ With the lazy sister "sleeping within her glasses", extending your answer a bit I wonder if this also refers to rot13(Netba tnf vf gur zbfg pbzzba tnf gb hfr orgjrra tynff cnarf va qbhoyr+ tynmrq jvaqbjf) $\endgroup$
    – Johnson
    Commented Oct 29, 2019 at 2:11
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It's all about

the elements.

Now, The main guy is

Helium(not the lightest element, but free and there's a mention of air).

The elder brother can be

Neon(glows in different lights) or Hydrogen('died in balls' - can be a mention of stars, since hydrogen is burnt as a fuel).

The elder sister is

Boron (glases and flames)

The second youngest brother can be

Argon(since it gives blue flames and means lazy/gloomy)

The youngest brother has to be

a radioactive isotope with a mean life of about 7 days so Ca 47 or...

This is all till now.

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  • $\begingroup$ you're so close! added hint, please check ;) $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 27, 2019 at 6:06

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