Sharpe Stories: The life and legacy of Monica Sharpe
Hey everyone. I've been wanting to do two things recently: play with aging on, and start a gameplay story thread. I figured, why not do both at the same time?
One of my favorite sims to play is my celebrity sim, Monica Sharpe.
Monica and her dog Nugget started out as the test sims for Cats & Dogs, which I bought in 2020 a few days after I got the base game. I really enjoyed playing them, and so I kept them. Monica was struggling to pay her bills as a freelance digital artist, so I looked up the highest paying career in the Sims 4, and ever since then, Monica has been a style influencer. Her and Nugget are the only sims that I've never used cheats with. (Actually, I did cheat with them once but that was because they were living in a terrible apartment and Nugget couldn't seem to go down the elevator to...fill his needs. And I use mods that increase Monica's income from her books and videos, so that might be cheating.) Anyways, Monica is now a successful fashion influencer, having designed outfits for top celebrities like Octavia Moon. She's an expert veterinarian, she owns a retail store called SharpeStyles Fashion where she sells clothing, makes videos using the video station, and she is the author of not one, but two books! One of which earned her a starlight accolade.
Posting gameplay updates about Monica is something I've been considering for a while, but the truth is, Monica is kind of running out of things to do. She's a millionaire, she owns three houses (through a mod), a car (through another mod) and she makes at least 30,000 a day between her job and her books and videos (again, thanks to a mod that increases it.) She really has it all. And I don't really know what else for her to do. (Starting a family isn't really an option in my main save where I play with aging off and want everyone's ages to make sense compared to one another)
So, I thought to myself: why not start her story from the beginning? The first time, I started her as a young adult (and since I play with aging off, she's never aged.) This time, I wanted to start her as a teen. As I said, I've been wanting to play with aging on for a while, so what better sim to start with than Monica! I plan to play her from teen to elder, and have her start a family, and do everything that I can't/won't do in my main save.
I found the original version of her in my library, and aged her down to teen. Then, I made her mom and moved them to Copperdale. (Because, what better place to start your teen life, eh?"
Her dog Nugget isn't in the story right now, since I want her to adopt him when she becomes a young adult.
I edited the Water Tower Way lot to have a really cool basement designed for teens, and gave Monica an awesome (if I do say so myself) teen bedroom.
Water Tower Way https://i.imgur.com/imYAVKG.png The Basement https://i.imgur.com/t7prSXP.png Monica's room https://i.imgur.com/aetqajI.png
Sorry for the extremely long post, but I wanted everyone to kind of have an Idea of how this thread came about and why I'm doing this playthrough with Monica.
As soon as I do some last minute edits, I'll post the story of Monica's first day of school at Copperdale high.
I got the first story posted! You can read it below. I divided it up into sections to make it easier for me to keep up with, and hopefully easier for you all to read.
Also, not sure how often I'll be able to post new story updates, but I'll update it as often as I can.
Fall 2nd, 2006. Monica Sharpe arrived at Copperdale high at 8am sharp. She had stuffed her backpack full at the last minute with pencils, notebooks, erasers, everything she could possibly need. And some dirty clothes that she packed by mistake. Not wanting to smell like dirty laundry, she tossed them in some bushes nearby.
"You threw those clothes in the bushes!" said the boy standing beside her.
https://i.imgur.com/Zan3U8o.png
"Who are you?" asked Monica.
"Munch. Wolfgang Munch. My friends call me Wolfgang. You, however, can call me Munch."
"Um.. okay." Monica didn't really know why this guy was so upset. "As far as the clothes," she said, "I was in a really big hurry today and stuffed them in my backpack by mistake. I'm planning to come and get them when I leave today"
"Well, that may be so," said Munch, "but this is my school, and you don't trash my School! Put them in your locker!"
"Okay okay," said Monica, backing away, "I got it. I'll put them in my locker."
"Exactly! Because..."
"I know I know," said Monica, "because it's your school."
"No!" snapped Munch, "It's... no that's right. Yes! It's my school!"
She took a deep breath, "Well, here I am. The next part of my life, waiting behind these doors."
She opened the doors and stepped inside
https://i.imgur.com/YUGkKLo.png
She checked the email she had received from the school yesterday.
https://i.imgur.com/qd7mgWK.png
"Glad we sprung for the premium plan with internet access," thought Monica, "First things first: claim a locker"
She walked over to the locker on the end of the left side of the entryway, "Won't forget which one's mine if it's the last one!" She thought.
"Now, it feels like mine!" she said, proudly admiring her awesome decorating skills.
https://i.imgur.com/QuwHnXx.png
She threw the clothes in her locker as Munch had said, and checked the email again, "OK, speak with principal Prescott to get classroom assignment."
She wandered around until she found the principal's office.
She walked in the room to find the principal intensely clicking on her computer.
https://i.imgur.com/gaynp36.png
Monica raised her hand, "Excuse m..."
"Take a seat, please," Said the principal as she continued…whatever it was she was doing on her computer.
"Okay," said Monica. She checked the time on her phone. It was getting close to time for class, and she still had some things left on her to-do list.
https://i.imgur.com/fTmMNmj.png
Monica sat down and waited. The principal kept clicking on her computer for a few minutes.
https://i.imgur.com/jHpYIYY.png
She waited…
https://i.imgur.com/sfDVsm2.png
…and waited…
https://i.imgur.com/q3sOnea.png
"Excuse me!" Monica said, waving her hands.
https://i.imgur.com/0S9YnZz.png
"What is it, miss...?" The principal trailed off.
https://i.imgur.com/OBDjFJB.png
"Sharpe. Monica Sharpe, ma'am," Monica felt rather awkward, "Sorry for interrupting you, but I need my class assignment."
https://i.imgur.com/nmv72Rz.png
"You'll be in class 1, Miss Sharpe." The principal said, rather stiffly.
"Okay," said Monica, "You know, I'm really excited for school today. By the way, how old is this school? Do you have a library? How's the cafeteria food? Are there lots of options? Is..."
https://i.imgur.com/gzok6fO.png
The principal sighed, "Miss Sharpe, I'm very busy right now with, um, important paperwork, yes, and I'd like to finish it before the grim reaper shows up. Now if you don't mind, please, run along."
https://i.imgur.com/WmiK7Cj.png
"Yes ma'am," Monica said as she got up and checked the email, "Okay. Next up: talk to teacher about class schedule."
As she was leaving the principal's office, she heard the computer say, "Game Over!"
"Important paperwork, eh?" Monica thought.
Monica ran all around the school trying to find the class 1 teacher, but she was nowhere to be seen. Just then, the bell rang. "Well, time to get to class."
Monica followed the line of students headed to class 1.
Class 1 met in room 2. Room 2 was an add on to the original building, built above room 1. As there was no stairway, the only way to get to room two was to walk around the back of the building through what used to be the school garden on the 2nd floor.
https://i.imgur.com/5MkbiFK.png
A few students were already in the room. Monica took her seat at the front of the classroom, closest to the whiteboard. She had difficulty seeing it from much further away.
https://i.imgur.com/GZyF0ee.png
A blonde haired girl with glasses sat down beside Monica. They both took out their notebooks and pencils.
"Good morning class 1! Welcome to your first day at Copperdale High. I'm Mrs. Coombes, but you can call me Ms. Rita. We'll start with roll call from the front left of the classroom."
"Monica Sharpe?"
"Present!"
"Molly Prescott?"
"Present!"
"Prescott?" Thought Monica "Must be the Principal's daughter."
The teacher continued to lecture as Molly took notes and Monica… stared off into space, daydreaming about all the adventures that awaited her in high-school. "I'll have a boyfriend, I'll be valedictorian, I'll join some clubs…"
https://i.imgur.com/WUGOtBL.png
"MISS SHARPE!!!" said a loud voice.
https://i.imgur.com/GDerdpX.png
"Huh?" Monica's thoughts snapped back to reality.
"I asked you a question, Miss Sharpe," said Ms. Rita, "What is the capital of the country of Windenburg?"
"Um… Windenburg…"
"That's correct, Miss Sharpe."
"It is? I mean, it is! Yes, I knew that the capital of Windenburg is Windenburg. Yep!" lied Monica.
Before Monica knew it, class was over and it was time for lunch. Monica hoped that the lunch at this school was better than the lunch at her old school.
After reviewing the choices, Monica said, "I'll have a junior lunch, please."
https://i.imgur.com/46uGUjd.png
"Um… You're not a junior. You're a freshman," said the lunchlady.
"Hmhm. Freshwoman." corrected Monica.
"Right, freshwoman. Either way, you can't have the Junior Lunch unless you're a Junior."
"Please, just this one time? I'll get something else next time."
"Okay. Just this once," said the lunchlady.
"Thanks," said Monica.
As Monica made her way to a table, she noticed a kid wearing a bag on his head. "Wonder what that's about?" she thought to herself. She sat down next to a girl who was just finishing her meal.
"Mmm!" said Monica aloud as she bit into her… whatever those brown things were on her plate.
https://i.imgur.com/43Ifbad.png
"Hey, so you're the new girl," said the girl sitting beside her.
"Yup," said Monica.
https://i.imgur.com/Neyzai3.png
"I'm Kaori. I saw you talking to Munch this morning. Best thing you can do for yourself is to stay out of his way. He runs this school, ya know."
"So I've been told," said Monica.
"Kaori, who's that kid with the bag on his head?" asked Monica.
"That's Jeb Harris, "replied Kaori, "That's all I know. He never says anything much."
Just then, Jeb and Munch sat down at their table.
Monica held in a giggle as Jeb held his brownie up to the mouth on his bag and then made fake chewing noises.
https://i.imgur.com/celE5UU.png
Munch just stared in disbelieve at what he was watching.
Monica watched as Munch bit into his burger with the force of a cowplant's jaws. She wondered why he seemed to be so angry all the time.
https://i.imgur.com/SerTwAy.png
"Hey, maybe we got off on the wrong foot this morning. I'm Monica."
Munch gave her an annoyed look, and, rather than saying something he just took another bite of his hamburger. (He really did, by the way)
Monica sighed, "I guess he just wants to be left alone."
After lunch, Monica did some studying in the school library. Thankfully there was no one around to interrupt her.
https://i.imgur.com/XB7XszZ.png
For the second and last class of the day, Monica decided to sit towards the back of the classroom, in hopes that she wouldn't get called on again. She couldn't really see the whiteboard, but she figured she'd just take notes on what the teacher said.
https://i.imgur.com/QN90tID.png
She planned to get through this class without getting into trouble, but unfortunately, Molly Prescott decided to pass her a note. Molly motioned for Monica to pass the note towards Kaori. Monica tried to reach Kaori, but the Ms. Rita noticed and gave her a stern look. She walked over to Monica and tore up the note.
"Could we can try to get through tomorrow's class without any trouble, Miss Sharpe?" said Ms. Rita, with a tone that suggested that was an order, rather than a question. "Yes ma'am, Monica replied, trying to be as small as she could.
After class, Monica tried to talk to Molly.
"Well, it's official. I'm on Ms. Rita's troublemaker list from now on."
https://i.imgur.com/WFwvIL8.png
"Next time try to be more subtle, ok?" snapped Molly, "Because of your mistake, I had to text Kaori. I don't have unlimited minutes on this phone, you know. I'm already in trouble for going over my limit last month. If I do it again, Mom will take my phone away."
https://i.imgur.com/zDDPXNm.png
"I'm sorry," said Monica.
"Well, you're new, so… it's cool," said Molly, smiling, "See ya later, new girl."
"Actually my name is…"
Molly had already walked away.
"So this is high school," thought Monica, "Four years of this every day? How exciting," Monica said, sarcastically.
More to come later. Thanks for reading! (And don't worry, Monica's high school days will get better.)
Credit to simcubeez on the gallery for the "90s highschool" that I slightly modified and used in the post.
I wrote based on what happened in-game. (For example, Wolfgang being mean to Monica right after I dragged and dropped that dirty laundry into the bushes. Had to come up with some reason why he'd do that, and well... that was the only reason I could come up with at the time.) There were several cases of "I need to come up with a reason for that happening" kind of writing. I'm still trying to find balance between writing based on what happens in game, and playing the game according that what I want to happen in the story.
Edit: I'll note to everyone that most of what happened was not by my decision, but the game's autonomy. Including Wolfgang being assigned as the "mean kid", the dirty laundry being in her inventory (because of a mod I have), and the principal playing a game on her computer. Monica passing the note was, I believe they're called "chance cards?" (the boxes that pop up where you pick an option.) Mostly, I wrote according to what happened in game.
@simgirl1010 thanks! Her traits are active and creative. (As a young adult, her third trait was cheerful in my other save)
Yeah, Wolfgang is not very likable lol. He's always assigned as the "mean kid" at high school in my games. Who knows though, people (and sims) can change. My concern is whether Jeb Harris was actually hungry during lunch lol. Hopefully he takes that bag off at some point so he can eat. :#
I'm happy you made this thread. :) I like the introductory post on Monica and am impressed that you've played her since 2020. My Sim is going to start high school soon (actually probably in a month or so because I play extremely slowly), so it's nice to see a gameplay-based story about another teen's first day. Her bedroom is great for a teen and having her wear a backpack is a nice detail. I should sort my teen's bedroom out, but I'm feeling very lazy :D and my Sims need to stop spending money (redecorating her room is not in the budget right now)... I'm not sure if they make 30k/day or not, but this Sim week they seem to be spending that much every day. :#
@haneul Thank you! Monica's room and the basement are the only well decorated parts of the house. I, as you said, got lazy by the time I got to the main floor. And I didn't even decorate the 2nd floor at all except for the hallway lol. Do you plan to share your gameplay? (Or do you currently share your gameplay and I just missed it?) The Sharpe family (in this new save) doesn't make very much money, and I will say I did cheat to give them enough money for their house. I use a bank mod that allows for separate bank accounts per Sim. If Monica gets a part time job, she'll keep her income in her own account, and take it with her when she moves out one day. (I don't plan to cheat her money at all.)
Very nice! I like that you came up with ways to include what happened in game in your story. I hope Monica has a better day next time and makes some friends. Hopefully Wolfgang will be nicer. Love the school you used. I still have the default in my game. :D
"Beep! Beep! Monica's alarm rang at 6am sharp. (6am Sharpe?) https://i.imgur.com/a21lCig.png Realising that she was very hungry, she went upstairs for breakfast. https://i.imgur.com/sAMtxs4.png Mrs. Sharpe had made macaroni and cheese for breakfast, and by "made" I mean "reheated leftovers from yesterday evening's dinner." https://i.imgur.com/X2LojJC.png After her and her mom finished breakfast, Monica decided to go for a morning jog before heading to school. https://i.imgur.com/r8VhZ7Q.png
Part 2: Another day at school
Upon arriving at Copperdale High, Monica saw a most unusual sight: Jeb Harris was attempting to play football with someone! Monica wondered how in the world he would be able to throw it with that bag on his head. https://i.imgur.com/xChscN2.png Well, as it turned out... https://i.imgur.com/rSPoZUE.png
Monica grabbed her textbook and notepad from her locker, and headed to her first class. https://i.imgur.com/PHVBF1G.png https://i.imgur.com/N3KaIty.png Thankfully, Ms. Rita didn't ask Monica any questions today. https://i.imgur.com/fSeV875.png After Class was over, Monica headed downstairs for lunch. She was sure not to order the Junior Lunch this time, instead going with Fried Chicken Sliders. https://i.imgur.com/BRithgs.png "Are they sure these things have any real chicken in them?" Monica thought to herself as she chewed the unnaturally rubbery sandwich, "Did they even cook it?" Monica really missed that Junior lunch. https://i.imgur.com/qs9vSa8.png A few kids came over and sat down at Monica's table. https://i.imgur.com/geevlmU.png Munch "Munched" his sandwich as angrily as ever, and if the food he was eating was half as bad as the chicken sliders, she knew why. Then again, he was eating so quickly, she wondered if he could even taste it. Jeb Harris, being his usual silent self, opted to study rather than eat. "Does he not get hungry?" Monica thought.
"Hey!" said a familiar voice. "Hey Kaori!" said Monica. "Rule number one was: watch out for Munch," said Kaori, "Rule number two at this school: Don't order the fried chicken sliders." "Yep. I found that out the hard way." said Monica. "I've got to head to the library," said Kaori, "See ya later Monica." "See ya," said Monica. https://i.imgur.com/xEaLK60.png Just then, an amazing thing happened!
He said, "Hey." https://i.imgur.com/jwszAsd.png Monica didn't know what to say. He had actually said something! "Hey!" said Monica. "Um..." said Jeb, "You'd like Mama's fried chicken sliders. They're made with real chicken. I know, 'cause we have chickens at the farm, and they're real. https://i.imgur.com/XKySwAP.png Monica sat there for a moment, thinking about how to answer Jeb. "I...like...chickens," was the only thing Monica could manage to say. For some reason, she felt very shy all of a sudden, and Jeb seemed...different to her. "Won't you and your folks come over to the farm one day. Mama always likes to cook for people, and we don't have many folks come over to the farm." "I... um..." Monica didn't really know Jeb, and it was strange that he wore that bag on his head all the time, but Monica actually thought he was kind of... cute. Even though she couldn't see him. "Maybe one day," she said. "Oh, um... sure! That'd be great!" said Jeb. "By the way Jeb," said Monica, "why do you wear that bag on your head?" https://i.imgur.com/41vbj26.png Monica waited, hoping for an answer, but Jeb just pretended not to hear her, and returned to his studying.
The second class was just as boring as the first class had been, but Monica was sure to take notes anyways, since there was a test coming up on Friday. https://i.imgur.com/DNXSWgi.png
After school, Monica decided to explore the small town of Copperdale before heading home. She passed a diner, a library, and a few shops, but nothing that caught her interest. Just as she was almost home, she noticed an interesting little building. With nothing else to do, she headed inside. https://i.imgur.com/WJ5FL9f.png The inside of the building was the coolest thing Monica had ever seen! There were vinyl records hanging on the wall, trendy decor everywhere she looked, and a counter that seemed to serve some sort of tea. A woman who looked to be in her early thirties was sitting on one of the sofas inside. https://i.imgur.com/sM3wNXb.png "Hi!" said the woman. "Hey," said Monica, as she sat down beside her, "so... what is this place?" https://i.imgur.com/R5v8sED.png "This place?" said the woman, "this is only the coolest place in Copperdale! ThriftTea!" "ThriftTea?" Monica said, confused. https://i.imgur.com/AsjLGeY.png "Yep!" said the woman, "I'm Eloise Hiddlestix, and I own this place! It's a true one of a kind establishment! We serve bubble tea, we host weekly fashion shows, we have live entertainment, and best of all, we have all the latest and greatest fashion, right upstairs!" "Nice to meet you, I'm Monica. This place is really cool," said Monica, "but isn't that kind of a lot? I mean, it's a great place and all, but those things seem like kind of an odd combination." https://i.imgur.com/daC4aNO.png "Well," said Eloise, "That's the idea! One place for everything! I get a lot of business that way! See, there are some people who come here for the bubble tea, some people who come for the fashion, and some for the entertainment. Something for everyone, ya know?
Just then, Monica noticed a familiar face over by the bubble tea counter. "Ms. Rita?" Monica said aloud. "Hi Monica," said Ms. Rita, "how are you?" https://i.imgur.com/rq4DQXr.png "You work here?" asked Monica. "Well, I don't know what you students think, but teachers have lives outside of the classroom too, you know," said Ms. Rita, smiling. "I know, I just wouldn't have pictured you working at a place like this." "A few moments ago, you didn't even know there was a place like this," said Ms. Rita. "Fair enough," said Monica, "Good to see you Ms. Rita." "Good to see you too. And trust me, I'm still your teacher, even when we're not in the classroom, so I've still got my eyes on you," Ms. Rita said, still smiling, but in a way that Monica knew she was still serious.
Eloise showed Monica around ThriftTea. First, she showed her the live entertainment area. https://i.imgur.com/dNbH93j.png Next, they headed upstairs to the fashion area. "This is my favorite part of the shop!" said Eloise, "I love fashion!" https://i.imgur.com/hRZaBfq.png Monica spotted Molly Prescott looking through one of the clothes racks, "Hey Molly!" Molly didn't notice her. She was too busy inspecting every detail of a dress she found. https://i.imgur.com/psx8FOs.png "You sure do have an interesting selection of clothes," Monica said, "I've never seen such a variety! But... none of this stuff goes together," said Monica, as she looked through the clothes racks. "Well, it's like I always say: You don't start trends by following them!" said Ms. Hiddlestix. Monica thought about that for a moment, "That's true, I guess." "Very True!" said Eloise, "Every trend starts somewhere, and that doesn't just apply to fashion, either. Someone, somewhere, has to be the first to do something. If everyone did what everyone else's doing, the world would be pretty boring, now wouldn't it? No one would be different."
On the way home, Monica thought about what Ms. Hiddlestix had said, "That's what I want to do! Be different! Start trends instead of follow them!"
Thanks for reading!
(Credit to enikobalogh on the Gallery for the "Copperdale Bar" lot which I slightly modified and converted into the ThriftTea shop.)
Monica decided on her own that she had a crush on Jeb Harris. That may or may not have been the original plan. I'm not going to say just yet.
Some of the upcoming updates may be a bit shorter, as I find myself writing more than playing lately. I'll probably feature less of Monica's school days, and more of what happens after school, unless something important or interesting happens while she's at school. There may also be times I focus on Monica's friends, rather than Monica. Expect the main focus of the story to remain about Monica though, as it is her story, after all. :) I can't wait to share what happens next! (I already have a few things planned!)
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