1.10 Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light

It's only a matter of time before Ray escapes this cage.

"What does the operator character do?" Rohane doesn't read the books for class; he's got Reggie to do that.

"In the strictest grammatical sense, the character does nothing," Reggie replies. "The verb he or she is connected to is in the imperative mood."

Rohane nods, and circles the incorrect answer on both of their homework sheets.

Reggie ages up to teen, and still enjoys crafting toys for his younger siblings. He starts wearing thick coats to protect him from fires and flying debris.

You know the rules, Reggie. Show the camera your face or your age-up never happened.

Speaking of faces, do you like your face? Would you like to keep your face? Do you want some protective goggles? ...No? ...Okay...

The body and mind change with adolescence, and Reggie's supernatural energies should be properly directed as they mature.

Greta has decided her eldest son is old enough to fully grasp the dangers of magic use, and now spends some time each day teaching him to defend himself... ...from other magic users. Even though he's pretty sure he's never met one.

"When they catch you, they will kill you," his mother warns. "But first they must catch you."

"My wand is a crutch," she explains. "It helps me to focus. I was never the same after I came to this town. My mind is a mess. Your father seems not to believe me, but I was teaching him magic, too. In the before time. He's forgotten."

"You couldn't teach him again?" Reggie inquires, as he tries in vain to anticipate and block his mother's spells. They're harmless, but if they weren't...

"I cannot." She pauses, then looks him in the eyes and says with a purposeful sincerity, "Always remember that the wrist movements, the words and the symbols are nothing without your spirit to give them power. Magic comes from the heart."

"And why is my heart special?" he asks. "Is there something wrong with my sister?"

Greta frowns. He has two sisters, but he means Petra. "She is too human. It's genetics that influence the patterns our spirits take... and human spirits are different. Stronger, in some ways. But unable to connect to the spirit realm wherefrom we take our magic."

Ray has some complicated ideas about Fishing Fracas.

Rohane checks under his bed, searching for a lost toy. He has a bad habit of misplacing things... but sometimes he could swear his stuff just disappears on him for no reason. 

"Dad, could we get a dog?"

"A dog? I don't know if we have the money to feed a dog."

Reggie frowns dubiously. They have the money to feed five kids. Why is a dog such a big deal? "Could we get a dog if I find a way to pay for it?"

"I'll give it some thought," Scarlett promises.

"If you get him a yappy shedding dog, you're getting me a car," Petra says.

"A dog and a car aren't even remotely similar things," Scarlett replies, deadpan.

Reggie wisely stays out of the argument.

Hey, look! I got the whole Goldbeard family in one picture. All seven of them.

Greta and Rohane stare dramatically into the distance, as if something meaningful and exciting is about to happen.

Or maybe Rohane will grab a snowcone and call it a day.

Gysael is given a hat.

Even without pointy ears, the blue father and daughter are stared at.
 

Since he'll be attending high school now, Reggie would like to start things off on the right foot with his older classmates. He gives a charming introduction to Gretchen Valenci.

"I bet he's making a total fool of himself," Petra snickers.

Rohane doesn't care what Reggie is doing. He just wants enough skating participation tickets to buy a cool summer gnome.

Gretchen quickly excused herself, since one of her bars was in the red, so Reggie moved on to give a charming introduction to Rhonda GilsCarbo—Goopy's younger sister. Rhonda freaks out and tells Reggie not to talk to her.

Reggie concludes he will just not be very popular with the girls.

Unless Gysael counts.

Because he can totally still impress Gysael with animatronic scrap metal toys.

Even if they sometimes catch fire.

Speaking of fire...

Scarlett is at it again, creating horrifying quality burnt food. This time it's falafel.

"Oh, gross," Greta sighs. "Put that in the trash."

Here's the new gnome. Thanks, Rohane.

Scarlett hasn't heard this one try to summon evil ghosts or anything yet, but he's keeping an eye on it...




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Etc.: Dang Greta, quoting Watership Down to your kid has got to be some kind of war crime.

My blog is feeling Seasons-centric right now! Seasons was the last expansion I installed, so my sims are constantly rolling wishes about the festivals. They especially like to roll them when the season has just changed, so I may lengthen some of the seasons to help alleviate the problem.

Not sure how long Reggie will be allowed to keep his Elrond Half-elven Hair. My boyfriend doesn't like it. :(

Title is a Def Leppard lyric.