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.
It was so funny, that the very first thing that Don Lothario did was run all the way across the lot to flirt with Marlee. He's still Don Lothario, no matter what age he is lol. Yes, I hope everything does work out as well. Monica hasn't had very good luck with relationships in my older save, where I play her as a young adult with aging off. She has dated so many guys in that save, I've lost count. If it doesn't work out, It'll be very much like my own high school experience lol.
Thank you! Yes haha Jeb does need some shoes! I'm actually glad you pointed that out, since I didn't realize I never gave him any lol. He didn't come with shoes by default, and I forgot them! :D I'm planning for more festivals, so I'm glad you liked it! Summer's house is actually a lot fancier than it even looks in the pictures! (I could never build anything that nice, so I'm glad there are people on the Gallery who can!) Winston was an NPC butler that I edited for the part where Summer rang the bell, but in order to get him to stand where I needed him to, I had to add him to the household with cheats. (He's actually no longer the "official" butler now, but I still like him.)
As for keeping up with the days, I'm actually quite terrible at it! I played this about a week ago, so I don't even really remember when it actually took place. I do know Harvestfest was Thursday, though. (It took me quite a while to get around to writing the update.) I think there were a few days in between the dance and this chapter that I spent setting up houses and moving Monica's friends in, but for the sake of the story, I just wrote it to be the weekend after the dance.
Saturday Morning, Monica woke up and decided to get out and about, so she hopped on her bike and rode to Crawdad Corner in Willow Creek. https://i.imgur.com/C2MOkRW.png A large, pink building caught her eye. https://i.imgur.com/fzKZQLJ.png https://i.imgur.com/fKTpOTv.png https://i.imgur.com/xePrHAE.png Monica was surprised to see a familiar face inside. https://i.imgur.com/iY10PKb.png "Hey Eloise! What are you doing here, and...is this another ThrifTea?" asked Monica. https://i.imgur.com/BeszSC4.png "Yep!" said Eloise, "I never said there was only one ThrifTea, I just said it was a one-of-a-kind establishment!" "This is the second one I've opened," said Eloise, "It's much larger than the first one, but the original's still my favorite." https://i.imgur.com/AH8kcp3.png "Can I ask you something, Eloise?" said Monica. "Sure, ask away," said Eloise. Monica thought for a moment, "You said 'start trends, be unique' and that's something I really want to do, but I have no idea what to do. I mean, I don't know what I want to do with my life, like, my career." https://i.imgur.com/8kHW4gS.png "Well, let me answer your question with a question: How are you doing with school?" said Eloise. https://i.imgur.com/qJqGjt1.png "School? Like, my grades and stuff?" said Monica. "Exactly," said Eloise, "your grade, after school clubs, sports, you know." "Um...a 'C' average, I think...I haven't really noticed," said Monica, "and as for after school clubs...I'm not in any clubs." "Well there you go!" said Eloise, "You need to join some clubs! Find out what you're passionate about. Experiment! If you join one club and it's not for you, join a different one! Maybe think about getting your grades up too. After all, what if you find something you do like. Britechester won't accept you into their distinguished degrees if your grades are too low." "Oh, I'll never get into a university like Britechester," said Monica, "The best I'll be able to do is maybe Willow Creek University." "You don't know that," said Eloise, "and besides, what's wrong with Willow Creek University? I went there!" "Oh, I didn't mean..." started Monica. "Oh don't worry about it," said Eloise, "Seriously though, it's not as bad of a school as people say it is, though the food was probably the best part. Also, maybe think about getting a part time job. Who knows, you might enjoy it." "Thanks Eloise," said Monica. "Anytime," Said Eloise.
Later that day, Monica and her mom went to the bank to set up a bank account for Monica, just in case she decided to follow Ms. Hiddlestix's advice and get a part time job. https://i.imgur.com/z9zUh01.png When Monica returned home, Jeb was standing on the sidewalk near their house. Monica immediately noticed a look of sadness on Jeb's face. "What's wrong, Jeb?" asked Monica. "It's...my grandma." "I'm so sorry, Jeb," Monica hugged Jeb as tightly as she could. https://i.imgur.com/nvvqfxh.png https://i.imgur.com/ykB0g0j.png "Listen," said Jeb, "I know this might sound crazy, but there's another school dance tonight, and I know Grandma would've wanted me to be there. We had just talked about it the other day, and I was planning to ask you again, Monica. Will you go with me?" "Absolutely!" said Monica, "Come inside Jeb, It's cold out here. We'll go downstairs." Monica walked downstairs to the basement to wait for Jeb, but he never came. She walked back upstairs and looked out the front door, but he wasn't there either. https://i.imgur.com/wG1Z4gh.png https://i.imgur.com/Fc8lMZ8.png A few minutes later, Monica's cell phone rang, "Hello?" "Hey, It's Jeb. Do you want to go on a date?" "Um..Sure!" said Monica. "Great. Meet me at the lounge in Mt. Komorebi," said Jeb. "Mt. Komorebi? That's a very long way..." Monica didn't get to finish her sentence before Jeb hung up the phone. Monica asked her mom if she would drive her to Mt. Komorebi, and she agreed. When she got there, Jeb was nowhere to be found. https://i.imgur.com/BYoWMcu.png Monica tried calling Jeb, and he said, "I'll be right there!" but he never showed up. https://i.imgur.com/xgYZWqu.png Monica thought he just didn't feel like it after all, since he was still sad, but she couldn't help but wonder why he said twice that he would be there.
Part 3: Another Dance
Monica showed up to the dance that evening. Again, Jeb was nowhere to be found. Monica called him and he showed up, but to her surprise, he was wearing his bag and his athletic clothes! https://i.imgur.com/4oYcG8P.png "Um... Could you please...maybe...change into your formal wear, Jeb? If you don't mind...I'm sorry." Jeb changed into his formal wear, "Fine. Is this better?" https://i.imgur.com/inaI9yb.png "You didn't have to change if you didn't want to, Jeb," said Monica. "No. No. It's fine," Jeb stomped his foot. https://i.imgur.com/bxOKSE2.png "Hey, why are you so angry? You're not the one that sat at the lounge for thirty minutes waiting on her date to show up!" Monica said, frustrated. https://i.imgur.com/WX0erXI.png "Let's just go inside," said Jeb. They walked into the auditorium and sat down. "I'm sorry, Jeb. I shouldn't have yelled like that. I know you're going through a lot right now," said Monica, "Let's just forget it and try to enjoy the dance. Agreed?" https://i.imgur.com/FjT4Rc5.png Jeb didn't say anything for a moment. "Please?" asked Monica. "Okay. You're right. I shouldn't have left you at the lounge like that. I just didn't know what to do at the moment...I wanted to be there, but..." "It's okay," said Monica, holding Jeb's hand. Just then, Don Lothario ran over and hugged Monica, "Hey Monica! How are you?" he said. "I'm doing okay, Don. How are you and your family doing?" "We're doing well. Good to see you Monica, and good to see you too...uh...Jed?" "Jeb," Jeb corrected. "Right...Right, Jeb. Well, I'm going to go get another glass of fruit punch, shall I bring you a glass, Monica?" "I'll take care of that myself, Don," said Jeb. Come on Monica, let's go dance." Jeb led Monica over to the other side of the room. He looked over at Don, who was now talking to Marlee. https://i.imgur.com/K9cwFm7.png Monica and Jeb started to dance... https://i.imgur.com/QQGfg2V.png ...but Jeb suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" asked Monica. "I just..." Jeb started to say something else, but then he ran off towards the stage. Before long, it was time for Principal Prescott to announce the prom royalty winners. Principal Prescott cleared her throat, "And the winners are...Don Lothario for Prom Royalty, and Thomas Smith for Prom Jester!" https://i.imgur.com/vYr9SOS.png https://i.imgur.com/OUNX0Cy.png Don Lothario walked over to Monica and Jeb, "I can't believe I actually won...again!" he said, "This makes the second year in a row I've won Prom Royalty! Shame there isn't a second prom royal, I'm sure you'd definitely win if there was," he said, smiling at Monica. https://i.imgur.com/Djn4SD0.png "Hey!" said Jeb, "Monica's my girlfriend! Stop flirting with her!" Don just kept smiling, "Hey relax, farm boy. I'm just giving Monica and honest complement here. Nothing to get so angry about. But if it makes you feel better, I'll keep my distance," said Don. "Farm boy?!?!?" Jeb was really upset now.
Monica just randomly turned and looked at the camera at this moment lol. She actually does that a lot. https://i.imgur.com/2MRE78l.png As if she's saying, "Can you believe these two, arguing over me?"
As I found out later, she was actually just hungry.
Monica managed a fake laugh, "Ha ha, I'm sure Jeb's just teasing you, right...right Jeb? and you're just teasing Jeb too...right Don? https://i.imgur.com/poYdZZ2.png Yeah, yeah of course," said Jeb, in a way that Monica knew he was still a bit upset with Don. Monica and Jeb took some selfies... https://i.imgur.com/3aRgikm.png https://i.imgur.com/hy9b0va.png https://i.imgur.com/pjY3dBl.png ...Then everyone headed to the afterparty at the pier. https://i.imgur.com/06fCmrB.png Bailey and Marlee's Brother, Johnathon, played the guitar and sang. https://i.imgur.com/ybTG8Dx.png Monica got a corndog at the stand. https://i.imgur.com/8ydWXyL.png Don flirted with Monica again. https://i.imgur.com/03m65lu.png "Hey!" said Jeb, "I thought you said you'd stop flirting with her!" https://i.imgur.com/pi28m44.png "No no," said Don, "I said I'd keep my distance. I'm all the way over here at this table!" It was around midnight when Monica arrived home. Her mom had stayed up to wait on her. https://i.imgur.com/mNVTRNh.png Monica and her mom hugged each other, and then Monica headed downstairs to her bedroom. https://i.imgur.com/CKlk9bb.png Monica climbed into her bed and fell asleep. https://i.imgur.com/Mk9m5w7.png
Monica woke up bright and early the next morning, despite going to bed so late. She was excited, as she and her mom always decorated for Winterfest on the first day of winter. "Up and around already, Monica?" asked her mom, "You got home so late last night, shouldn't you sleep in a little?" Monica smiled, "You know me and decorations, Mom." https://i.imgur.com/6KHzkDP.png Monica looked through the box of decorations. She wanted to choose the best Winterfest decorations they had. https://i.imgur.com/ha0ktMo.png https://i.imgur.com/5TpphFu.png It wasn't long before the outside of the house was decorated. https://i.imgur.com/AHVJwsL.png The Sharpes managed to move their living room chair downstairs and store it next to the piano. After sorting some more furniture around in their living room, there was finally enough space for the Winterfest tree. https://i.imgur.com/WcpldsB.png https://i.imgur.com/NaUOm7e.png Monica and her mom began decorating it right away. https://i.imgur.com/3Rnv4BG.png Monica continued to decorate the tree... https://i.imgur.com/yb0SdcK.png ...while her mom baked a batch of Winterfest tree cookies. https://i.imgur.com/8uSXTCz.png The Sharpes realized they should dress for the occasion and put on their Winterfest outfits. It wasn't long before the whole house was filled with the smell of freshly baked sugar cookies. https://i.imgur.com/UYqZGas.png Afterwards Monica and her mom finished decorating the tree. They also sang some Winterfest carols. https://i.imgur.com/lNMLt58.png Soon, the tree was finished. https://i.imgur.com/j5swGJ3.png Monica went outside to play in the snow for a while. She made a snow angel... https://i.imgur.com/2JdIvv6.png ...and built a snowpal. https://i.imgur.com/iIViN9i.png https://i.imgur.com/v8pXVb2.png That evening, Monica enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa. https://i.imgur.com/ISwXcGy.png It was really good! https://i.imgur.com/UjnT9C3.png It had been a great Winterfest decorating day!
Thanks for reading! Comments, questions, and thoughts welcome!
Author's Notes (There are spoilers, so read these last)
Well, that was quite a long update! (At least, it seemed that way writing it.)
First of all, all of those things that happened with Jeb, really happened. That wasn't me making it happen for the story. The only thing that I did, was have Don flirt with Monica. (Because, he seemed to be trying to do that anyways, with the way he ran over to hug her. (I must admit, I just wanted to see if Jeb would get angry, and he definitely did.) She didn't mind the hug, but Don seemed to really enjoy it. :o
I'm still thinking about whether I want Monica to go to University or not. In the first save where I played her as a young adult, she never went to college, since I didn't have the University Pack at the time. (I can't remember if it was even available then.)
Just in case, I think it's best to try to increase her grades to an A. (which she needs for her Goal Oriented aspiration anyways.) I'll probably age her up at the end of winter (I play on 28 day seasons.)
As for Jeb...I'm still going to give him a chance. Especially with his grandma having recently passed on. I actually considered having her show up as a ghost in this story, and tell him to go to the dance with Monica.
Bonus Screenshots: Winterfest Decoration Day Gathering
Okay, with Winterfest coming up, I wanted to make sure I could fit everyone in Monica's house in case the Sharpes decided to have a Winterfest party later. They all crowded into Monica's room to listen to the Winterfest music. https://i.imgur.com/5qot79I.png I think the Holiday family will be hosting the Winterfest party this year. Jeb showed up...wearing his bag again. (I really need to edit his outfits to remove it, but I kind of like the randomness of "will he wear his bag?") Marlee seemed upset. https://i.imgur.com/XXFjQb8.png Marlee's mom sat in the other room while everyone danced to the Winterfest music. I've played Marlee and her family in my other save before, and...her mom usually avoids crowds...and sims in general...and her family...she likes talking to random strangers she meets on the sidewalk though! https://i.imgur.com/lVBHcFs.png https://i.imgur.com/XBELxjQ.png I was also able to invite over the families of each of Monica's friends, thanks to the "Ask to Invite Family Member Interaction" mod by flauschtrud! (I had a problem getting them to show up to the Harvestfest festival the other day, but using this mod worked! I'm definitely keeping it! Jeb's parents sat in the living room by themselves. https://i.imgur.com/FSMXbWc.png The very first thing Preston did was come in and wash his hands. https://i.imgur.com/5H0uLwZ.png
One more note: I have no clue what the guy who won prom jester's name is. I had the headline effects off, and I forgot to look at the notification. If I see him again, I guess I'll change his name to "Thomas Smith".
Credit to SimRealist and Kate Emrald for the Bank mod and lot, respectively.
Credit to EluFer on the Gallery for their thrift and bubble tea store, which I edited slightly for the story.
I enjoyed it as well. It's funny how the game sometimes has the date not show up. I've had that happen too. I like how you found a way to include it in the story. Hopefully she'll find out soon what all is going on with Jeb. That's funny about Don too. :D
Yeah, it was really strange how he didn't show up. There wasnt even an event for it. According to the game, the date never happened, execpt for the phone call. Hopefully, we will find out, because even I have no idea what's up with Jeb. As for Don, he actually lives across the street from Monica. :# there's a good chance he'll end up coming over to her house on his own, which would be quite funny too!
Haha, Don is hilarious. And poor Jeb and Monica... I experienced the "Date doesn't show up" glitch too a few times and have no idea why and when it happens...
I think it would be cool to see Monica at university!
And that's so cool to see that you used one of my mods in your story <3
I have my eye on Don! He better back off! (Although poor Jeb doesn't seem to be able to be the best boyfriend at the moment) curious to see where this lil love triangle goes
