Generation Korean, Chapter Three

Hello, and welcome back to the Around the World legacy. It's nice to have you back again. Last time this generation's sextuplets aged up into children and tried to assert their individuality, and Jini and Kostya formed a band called Zombie Snack.

Kae Dee, like the rest of her sisters, was enjoying a free weekend day in the sun. The girls were pretty much left alone for the day, because their parents...

...were busy jamming to an empty crowd.

And maybe enjoying the time alone a little too much. Jini: "Shush, I haven't gotten to kiss my husband since I gave birth six years ago." Touche.

That night things got a little more serious, with another one of Jini's parties to try to impress the celebrities of the town. This one was at a pool club in the evening, perfect for everyone lounging about in swimwear pretending to be friends.

Jini chatted with Mr. Drow-Raspberry, who had just achieved one-star celebrity status, angling to get herself in the tabloids again.

The kids, on the other hands, had much purer intentions. Kae Dee: "So, you're the freaky girl our dad babysat for a while?" Belisama: "Yeah. And you're the stupid girl with the great muffins?" Kae Dee: "Yeah! Wait... did you call me stupid?"

Kostya avoided association with adults - who he is famously terrible at talking to - and headed straight for the bar, where he bought a round of drinks for everyone. Now that's a way to make friends!

Ko, unattended for a moment, found her way to the dance floor, and was delighted by what she discovered there. Ko: "What is this music? It makes me want to wiggle random parts of my anatomy in space!"

Ki Keun: "Ko? Ko, I was just in the bathroom for a second and now you're- oh. You're... dancing? Now that's not even fair. You're blind and you can play chess better than me and dance better than me?" Ko: "I'm trying not to hit anyone! Whee!"

Ki Keun: "Can you show me how to do that?" Kostya: "You know... I don't think Ko needs a chaperon as much as she thought she did." Ko: "Duh."

While the girls experiment with this dancing think, Kostya gives his wife flowers in her favorite color, "just 'cause." I think it was probably an attempt to turn this date into an actual date again. Oh right, they were on a date during the party. Both Jini and I forgot, so that didn't go so well.

But she liked the flowers. And the party was a success.

The next day Kostya was practicing the bass on the porch when the new children showed up for daycare.

Darren and Darleen's daughter Leigh was delivered first.

Then Don brought over the daughter he had with Cassandra, Catherine.

And then there was this boy, who's name and parentage I don't remember. But that reminds me, there has been a dramatic increase in birthrate in town due to accidental pregnancies. Nina finally had Joshue's son, Edmond. Skip and Brandi had a, err, "software failure" and got Titus, and Mary Sue and Daniel just had a little boy named Samir, and that's just the ones I wrote down. Kostya is sure to be in business for a long time to come.

Don't look at me like that, Kostya, you wished this on yourself.

Ko: "Uhg, all I can hear is crying, I can't focus on a chess game like this."

Kal Nal: "Finally, I will be able to win a game!" Ko: "I miss the music from the club last night..."

Lest you think poorly of his parenting skills, I present you with this photo of Kostya and Keu Gi giggling over an inside joke when she finally gets home from scouting in the evening. Even though he has been taking care of babies all day, Kostya always as time for his girls.

And yes, Keu Gi is continuing with her impulsive decision to start painting. Keu Gi: "Impulse had nothing to do with it. I was told to do it by the fairy king." Oh. Of course.

Jini: "Hmm, bored now. Time to call celebrities."

Jini: "Hey, so-and-so, interested in talking about me to the tabloids so I can buy a bigger house. It would be great for house parties."

But that night it wasn't Jini's party, but Kae Dee's that had the whole family's attention. Even though Kae Dee was hosting, the whole family was treating it as the sextuplet's first sleepover, giving them collective ownership over the party's success or failure.

No one was too worried about things going badly, though. Unlike all of Jini's parties, where the point was networking, this party was just for fun. Kae Dee had a pillow fight with Beau Broke.

Ka Na Li Ah, on the other hand, became acquainted with Belisama quite accidentally. Ka Na Li Ah: Oh, sorry I bumped into you, I was just on the way to my easel to paint... Belisama: Hello little canary. Tell me, what were you going to paint? Ka Na Li Ah: Well...

Ko also found herself making a new friend, although this one wasn't entirely by accident. Miranda: My Daddy's blind too, so I see where you're coming from- I mean, uh, not see... Ko: *laughing* No, it's a good pun, don't worry about it.

And so it came to pass that the legacy household was scattered with children asleep on the floor.

Beau: "Thanks for inviting me, Kae Dee. I have to go now, but I'm really glad I came. Invite me to the next one?" Kae Dee: "If there is a next one, sure thing!"

Jini missed the whole thing, because she had an opportunity to go dance in a club for celebrity points.

For another opportunity, Jini played her guitar in the park, earning money, building charisma and guitar skill, making friends, and gaining celebrity points.

...so I take it you didn't win your game against Ko, then. Kal Nal: Nope. Maybe I'll make it big as a novelist?

I dunno, Kal Nal, now might be your chance, Ko's a little distracted today. Next time:

Friendships grow.

The band is moving up in the world.

And the house gets a renovation. See you next time!

Generation Korean, Chapter Two

Hello, and welcome back to the Around the World legacy. It's nice to have you back again. Last time, the legacy was rebooted with the start of generation K. Jini, the heiress from the last generation, gave birth to unplanned sextuplets, and while she tried to balance motherhood and her dream of being a rock star, I tried to balance writing about six toddlers and giving them all face time.

Fortunately, they won't be toddlers forever. Kostya, it's time to spin that baby. Kostya: "Say goodbye to toodlerhood, Kae Dee." Jini: "Finally." A few hours later...

Keu Gi: "Sisters, we seem to have a problem. While we can all acknowledge the benefits of these new, child-sized bodies, we are no longer color coded. No one can tell us apart." Ko: "Well I can still tell who is who." Keu Gi: "..." And so, I present to you the new, post-make-over shots of the six. You probably need a refresher on who they are, anyway.

Kal Nal

Kae Dee

Ka Na Li Ah

Ko

Keu Gi

Ki Keun Think they're hard to tell apart? Don't worry, we're going to get to know them as they grow up.

Ko: "Uh... anyone still here? Can I borrow a lead back to where I actually know where things are...? Hello?"

Ko: "That's a little better." Ko's bedroom is a small library of braille books, cozy reading nooks, and some of the nicest windows in the house. Ko: "They're not really helpful to me. The windows part. Just saying."

Both Kae Dee and Kal Nal have joined the ballet club at school, although for different reasons. Kae Dee loves the grace and femininity of ballet. Kal Nal likes the athletic aspect... and besides, they don't have a self-defense course for six-year-olds.

Kae Dee is, in some ways, I guess, the ideal girl-child. She loves pink and bright colors, she cooks on the play stove, she makes friends easily, and so on.

Poor Ka Na Li Ah has picked up a reputation in school for being not so bright, even though her grades are through the roof. She's just got her head in the clouds, is all.

When she's at home, Ka Na Li Ah is glued to her easel, painting anything and everything that comes through her mind.

Speaking of children with very good grades... is anyone really surprised? First of all, you all saw this image before, when I promised you science in this chapter. (Look, science!) Second of all, Ki Keun was introduced as the smart one. Of course she has the fancy sciency hobby and the most perfect grades of all her sisters.

Keu Gi, on the other hand... well, she's joined scouting, which is productive, at least, but she seems to prefer playing dress-up to actually studying any hobby. Keu Gi: "What's wrong with a healthy imagination?"

Keu Gi: "Besides, it's not true that I don't study anything. Ko's teaching me to play chess." Ko: "I forgot, where is my rook again?" Well that looks like it's going... startlingly well.

In fact, with each day Ko is becoming more and more self-reliant, and her memory is amazing. She can play chess and remember almost the entire board, beating many of her sighted sisters at the game (and they are not just letting her win, have you ever seen sibling rivalry in action?)

Kal Nal: "Maybe if I stare through this tube long enough I'll gain enough logic points to finally win a game of chess. Hey, what's Joshue doing with Bella over there...?" Uh, maybe better to turn that telescope somewhere else for a bit, Kal Nal.

Now that her little girls are big enough to get their own food from the fridge, Jini is redoubling her efforts at fame and fortune. Her free moments are spent chatting with celebrities, practicing speeches in the mirror, and playing her guitar like a mad woman.

Don't give me that look while thought-bubbling your mother, Keu Gi! She's doing the best she can. She wasn't exactly expecting to have to raise six of you when she's barely an adult herself.

Keu Gi: "Whatever. I'm dressing up as queen of the fairy court and painting an amazing mural for our walls, just like Ka Na Li Ah!" Uh, that's great dear.

Jini isn't the only one who's building more skills now that the girls are older. Kostya found the upright bass waiting for him to fill his time when he's not babysitting, a present from his wife. Kostya: "Hey, this doesn't suck! I see why you like this music stuff!"

Jini: "Kostya, listen to me. Turns out you have the virtuoso trait. Now, I know you don't care about that, you want to be all nurturing and love children and stuff, but it would really help my career - no, both of our careers - if you joined my band." Kostya: "Cool, what's our name?" Jini: "Zombie Snack, obviously!"

The first act of the newly formed Zombie Snack was to go partying at one of the hottest clubs in town. Kostya: "Hey Bella. I hear you and Joshue broke up." Bella: "Yeah, well, I think he wants to be kind of a dad to, you know, that baby that Nina's having and everything. But like, whatever. I'm not mad or anything. At all."

While Kostya awkwardly tried to interact with someone his own age, Jini was off befriending all the celebrities she could find. By the end of the night, she was determined to get her second star.

Of course, the kids couldn't be left home alone, so they came to the club as well. Keu Gi: "Hey Kae Dee, where you going?" Kae Dee: "Can't talk. Playing tag. Must win."

Ko: "If you want to go play with her you can, you know." Keu Gi: "Naw, I'm not wearing my magic running costume, I wouldn't be fast enough, and besides, then you'd be all alone. I'll hang out with you." Later that night...

Kostya: "I'm happy to be part of Zombie Snack, Jini, but I think in the future, if we're going to be going out, we should get a babysitter for the kids. Or maybe one of us could stay at home. Like me! A club really isn't the best place for the to be growing up."

Kostya: "Also, I'm terrible at talking to people who have finished elementary school." Jini: "Agreed on that front. In the future, when the band has appearances, let me do the talking. You just stay in the background and play music, okay?" Kostya: "Sounds like a deal."

And so life goes on. Wait, Kal Nal, what are you doing? I thought you were going to learn logic to beat Ko at chess. Kal Nal: "So what, I can't go fishing on a nice day? Geeze, I just wanted to get away from home for a little while and spend some time by the water. Leave me alone." Sorry! Touchy, touchy! Next time:

Zombie Snack plays a... show... *ahem* hey guys, not that kind of show!

A beach party is enjoyed by all.

And new faces arrive at daycare. See you then!