Lyra Veritas

she/her • 25 • Aspiring writer / Daydreamer / INFJ🪻

[lyraveritas-writes]

✧˖°. Keeping Up With The Sharpes ✧˖°

Season 5 - "The Breaking Point"

❀ Summary ❀ :

Hazel and Mel’s fiery marriage, already scarred by betrayal, spirals further when tragedy strikes. From miscarriage and guilt to Jeb’s manipulation and Mel’s revenge spree, the couple teeters on the edge of collapse. In the midst of heartbreak, two children — Wilson and Victoria — mark both their undoing and fragile hopes for a new start.

˖°📷༘ Highlights ˖°📷༘ 

While the details around the conception of the baby aren't ideal, Mel was almost more excited about Hazel being pregnant than Hazel. The couple began to plan for parenthood. They spent time picking out bassinettes and baby-proofing the house. Mel signed up for early parenthood classes and shopped for baby toys as Hazel began to read up on parenting. Despite Mel's enthusiasm, she couldn't completely shake the dread of finding out if Mel was the real father of the baby, and while it wasn't something important to Mel, Hazel still felt that it would make it hard to face her sister or their friends and neighbors. She found it difficult to express these thoughts to Mel, who seemed to be so happy and satisfied with becoming a parent.

Hazel ends up losing the baby that she was pregnant with. She's crushed by the discovery just as she had finally come to terms with raising the kid despite who its father could be. Hazel takes a swig of moonshine, which she was gifted by one of their neighbors a while back. The burn almost allows her to forget the sorrow in her aching chest. Mel is also devastated by the news, and even more seeing how upset Hazel is over the miscarriage. The only silver lining they had was that they hadn't yet told their family about being pregnant. Mel wonders if this is an omen that they should give the swinging that Mel agreed to a break.

Mel and Hazel sit down and console each other. After they comfort each other, sharing drinks, they end up discussing taking a break from sleeping with others to take time to focus on their own relationship and themselves.

Hazel takes the newfound time she has to herself to focus on rekindling the enjoyment she once had for baking and working out. She also branches off into wine making as well as occasionally producing moonshine. Mel uses the time to play around with music production. They study trending music and test out different beats and layering arrangements, causing Mel to wonder why they never thought about going into music before.

One day Jeb stops by the house, after being away for a bit. Not knowing that Cass ended up pregnant and moved out of the family home with her mom, Jeb mistakes Hazel for Cass because they shared the same hairstyle and build. At the same time, Hazel was starting to feel smothered by Mel again after having gone a while without sleeping with other people. Exercising helped take her mind off her desires slightly, but the feelings were still there. Thinking that Hazel was Cass, Jeb began flirting with Hazel right away. It was only after he heard Hazel's voice that he remembered Hazel from the threesomes they'd had together with Alex. They ended up reminiscing and laughing together, having a good time.

As Jeb gets to know Hazel, the topic of non-exclusive relationships comes up. Jeb convinces Hazel to have some fun and proposes that they enter a friends-with-benefits relationship, as a trial run. If he passes the trial, Hazel would go and talk to Mel about swinging with Jeb. If he failed the trial, they'd act as if nothing had happened between them.

Hazel is hesitant and eventually decides against Jeb's offer. She recalls Alex and his infidelity and the hurt it can cause, and determines that she doesn't want to do that to Mel. Jeb, not happy with her answer, does what he wants anyway and assaults her with the hopes of getting her pregnant. That way, he'd become part of her life one way or another. Not wanting to be blamed, Hazel resolves to keep her mouth shut about the assault, not giving Jeb the total satisfaction he wanted, and also not wanting to live through the drama it would cause. Instead, when her wife gets home from work, she hugs Mel a little tighter, feeling guilty about what happened.

Wanting to cover her tracks and rid her mind of her guilt, Hazel talks to Mel about arranging for a sex party as a kind of her last big bang. Mel is reluctant to agree at first, but Hazel explains the smothered feeling she's had and how it hasn't vanished even after focusing on herself. Mel agrees to having the party, and they send out invites. The party goes well, and the couple finds themselves having fun with others as the night goes on.

Later on, Hazel finds out that she's pregnant, and isn't sure of who the father is again. Little did she know that Mel had been keeping track of her cycle even before the sex party and already knew that she was pregnant. They noticed that something was up, but chose not to say anything about it yet. Instead, Mel decided to focus on themself more. They bought the binder they wanted and practiced wearing it, hoping to flatten their chest before having to decide whether or not they'd want top surgery. Mel stops using she/they pronouns and switches to he/they pronouns. He also starts going to the gym more often, wanting to get in better shape and feel good about how they look.

Hazel safely gives birth to her first child: Wilson Sharpe, who comes out looking like the spitting image of Jeb. Mel is no fool and takes this as confirmation of what he had already thought. He becomes cross with Hazel for breaking his trust and their agreement.

Instead of doing something in that very moment, Mel decides to make himself feel good and attempts to capture someone else's heart. He goes out and meets Christina Ripley for a date. He feels a connection with her, they talk, and the date ends with an impromptu woohoo. In an experiment designed for revenge, Mel goes on to impregnate five more women just for the sole purpose of seeing if he can get away with it. After he is sure that the women are pregnant, he returns to nurturing his relationship with Hazel. And then, he tries to talk Hazel into giving Wilson up for adoption. Hazel, still feeling a shred of guilt about what happened that night, does some thinking and decides to relinquish custody of the child to Jeb since he wanted a kid so badly.

Shortly thereafter, Hazel ends up getting pregnant after a drunken mistake is made with a scheming Alex. This time, she gives birth to a girl whom she names Victoria Sharpe. Victoria, thankfully, looks more like Hazel than Alex, so Mel believes that this baby girl is of his own blood.

Their sex lives calm down a bit following the birth of their daughter, allowing parenthood to take priority at least until their baby is in school.

📜Notable moments 𓂃🪶

(Recap)

Hazel miscarries her first child with Mel; grief fractures their bond.

Jeb assaults Hazel, but she keeps it secret out of shame and guilt.

Hazel convinces Mel to host one final swinging party before retiring that lifestyle.

Wilson is born; his resemblance to Jeb is undeniable. Mel knows the truth but doesn’t confront, instead choosing revenge.

Mel begins his revenge arc, woohooing Christina and impregnating 5+ women.

Hazel gives Wilson to Jeb, wracked with guilt but resigned.

A slip with Alex leads to the birth of Victoria, who resembles Hazel; Mel accepts her.

For a short while, Hazel & Mel stabilize and focus on family life.

🌙 Legacy Threads

Wilson’s adoption adds another branch to the family’s messy ties.

Victoria becomes the fragile symbol of Hazel’s hope for a new beginning.

Jeb remains a dangerous thread in the Sharpe legacy.

💭 Author’s Note

This season was the darkest yet. It’s the point where Hazel’s rebellion, her trauma, and Mel’s revenge arcs collided. Playing through this, I remember thinking: “How much worse can it get?” …and then Season 6 answered that question loud and clear 😅. All I can say is buckle up, folks!

[lyraveritas-writes]

✧˖°. Keeping Up With The Sharpes ✧˖°

Season 4 - “The Repair Trip”

(MDNI 18+) TW: Somnophilia

❀ Summary ❀ :

Sydney and Alex’s marriage is on the rocks. As a last-ditch effort, they plan a couple’s trip to Mt. Komorebi — inviting Hazel and Mel to join. What was meant to be a healing getaway instead unravels into betrayal, explosive revelations, and the beginning of the end for Sydney and Alex.

°📷༘ Highlights ˖°📷༘

Alex and Sydney spent a moment together while Mel and Hazel put away the groceries they brought to keep at the rental the group booked. A week before the preplanned trip, Aaron had asked Sydney if anything had happened because it had been almost two weeks since he had seen Alex at their house. The fact that Alex had been staying away from home longer in between their occasional arguments or when he got upset had already pissed her off, but being put in a situation where she wasn't sure what to tell their children, who also missed his presence, was unacceptable for her.

Alex snuck into Hazel's shared room while Mel was staying up late playing cards and chatting with Syd to keep Syd company after Alex caught an attitude with Syd about her giving him a cold shoulder and giving him a smartass remark about his lack of presence at their house. Alex began to comment that her attitude is exactly why he dreaded his return home, and Mel had to step in before they caused a scene. When they got back to the rental, Syd told Alex to just go sleep in one of the tents they had set up outside and that she wouldn't share a bed with him. Feeling desperate and needing some company of his own, he finds a way to entertain himself.

Alex may be a lot of things, but he isn't reckless enough not to cover his tracks after his woohoo session with Hazel. It was damn near divine intervention that he was somehow able to lock in and focus on why Syd was so upset with him, and sheer luck that she had been pent up enough to consider dropping the cold shoulder act. During pillow talk, Alex promised to be home a little often and threw out the idea of them having another baby: it would force him to be home more and away from "work", the kids would get another sibling too...

...To his misfortune, Syd hesitates for a moment. She revealed that she had gotten herself sterilized when they stopped sleeping together as often. Her tone is apologetic as she wasn't aware that Alex wanted more kids, and she adds that she's on the fence about surrogacy and adoption. Alex is silent, visibly upset, but allows her to continue. The last thing she says about the matter is that she'd prefer for them to adopt a pet rather than a child, and that she's not sure if she could deal with the crying and the sleepless nights all over again now that they are this far into adulthood.

Alex feels hurt that he's just finding out about this. Even though, yes, her body belongs to her, it bothered him that she made a decision that could affect their future together without him, and didn't tell him in advance. Alex goes completely quiet, turns over in bed, and wishes her goodnight, ending the conversation there.

Sydney had thought that Alex's quietness, even upon their return home, was his way of acting mature and taking some time to come to terms with the news and what it would mean for their relationship. Oh, how wrong she was. She couldn't have guessed that Alex, the crafty mastermind, was already plotting just how he'd get back at her for this.

Hazel had spent most of her day feeling jetlagged and sleeping, while Mel made plans to invite Sydney over around 4 pm to continue the interesting conversation they had begun during the trip. Neither expected Alex to show up an hour beforehand and invite himself in. Mel didn't mind it too much, as their mind was focused on what snack board to prepare and what the first activity they'd do together would be.

Alex makes his way to Hazel and Mel's bedroom, where Hazel had been sleeping peacefully. Seeing her asleep in the lingerie she'd occasionally wear during their woohoo sessions flipped his switch, encouraging himself in his mind to engage in woohoo with her. They have enough stamina to go at least two full rounds before the thought of locking the bedroom door slips from Alex's mind. They move into round three when a panicked Sydney rushes into the room. She had been downstairs previously and was wondering why she was hearing moaning from upstairs while she and Mel were downstairs. That was when Mel told Syd that her husband had come over and was probably starting with things upstairs with Hazel. Something didn't sit right with Sydney as her gut told her to go check it out. After bursting into the room and being greeted with the sight in front of her, Syd's hands immediately cover her mouth as she is struck with shock and bewilderment. Hazel, who is already lost to pleasure, doesn't notice that anyone has entered the room. Alex almost smirks to himself as he continues woohooing Hazel. He had wanted to give his wife a taste of the betrayal he felt, and it came sooner than he thought it would.

Sydney's shock quickly morphs into anger as she realizes that Alex knows she's there and has decided to continue screwing her sister. She curses him out while yelling and calling him every name in the book. Listening to her yell at him only turns him on further, bringing him closer to finishing. Not ready to stop just yet, he flips Hazel over and continues to go to town.

At this point, the commotion causes Mel to come and see what's going on. They enter the room and find Alex, Hazel, and Sydney looking angry, but assume that Sydney is playing a role because of an old comment Alex once made to them about Sydney being prideful and liking to act out roles, especially in the bedroom. Combined with the fact that she had signed the swinging contract, Mel can only assume that Syd is putting on an act before she decides if she wants to join in. Unlike Sydney, Mel is incredibly turned on by this show and joins in on the fun, wedging themselves between Hazel and Alex.

Sydney, who is beyond baffled and infuriated about the situation, turns on her heels and leaves after watching the three of them really get into it and enjoy themselves together. She retreats from the house altogether and heads for the snowy backyard of the family home, where she can literally cool herself off. She lingers, wanting to wait and catch Alex after they finished his act of betrayal, so she wouldn't have to go to jail for murdering him. There was NO way in hell she was going to let him sneak off without settling things today.

When she thinks everything is over, Syd comes back inside and hears Mel and Hazel talking while they are in the bathroom downstairs. She goes upstairs, back into the room, and finds Alex, who had been shrugging his coat back on. Sydney doesn't beat around the bush in reaming into him.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT AND WHY WERE YOU SCREWING MY SISTER???!" Alex dared to look surprised by her anger, her body trembling as she yelled. Despite his afraid expression, he didn't rush to speak or explain himself. When he finally does open his mouth, he tries to use the petty excuse that she made an important decision concerning their relationship, so he decided to make one too.

"...So you're fixing your lips to tell me that you got pissy with me about making a decision about my body without you, and so you decide to go and fuck my sister?! " She seethes through her tears. "You decided to throw away what was left of our marriage because your fucking feelings were hurt and because you couldn't keep it in your pants...or be man enough to break things off?"

Sadness and anger blur together as a sob tears through Sydney's throat. She did have some suspicions about whether or not her husband was really capable of cheating on her despite their rough patches, but she didn't think he would actually stoop so low as to do so...and with her younger sister no less. Memories of her younger days played back in her mind. Days where the love they felt for each other felt...real. Back when it felt steady and strong, as if nothing in the world could break them. For a moment, Sydney wondered where in the hell it all went. Shortly after that, other questions flooded Syd's mind as she thought back to how Mel reacted. For them to have acted as if it was something normal for her husband to be screwing their wife...Sydney would have to hear the truth from a mouth she could trust. As her tears began to wane, and Alex stood watching her cry in silence, a slow wave of clarity washed over her.

"I want a divorce...and I want you out of my childhood home." She spoke slowly so her words couldn't be misunderstood. Her voice didn't tremble or falter. "We can figure out custody later...I'll let you visit the kids while I am home, but you will notify me at least 48 hours before the day you'd like to come visit. You have two weeks to decide where you will stay. My lawyer will be in touch."

After the woohoo session, Mel and Hazel did their own thing and used their downstairs bathroom to take a bath. Mel remembered how lousy Alex tended to be when it came to aftercare, and didn't want Hazel to suffer. They checked in with each other about how they felt emotionally and physically, and reaffirmed each other before brushing their teeth and getting dressed in comfortable pajamas. When dressed, they returned to their bedroom. Hazel stripped the bedding and stuffed it into their laundry hamper while Mel made their bed with fresh sheets and a clean blanket. The couple laid down together after and sat back to watch TV.

That was when Hazel asked Mel what had happened and if she could help her figure out why her sister was so upset. Hazel had been out of it, but she was sure that she had heard her sister yelling. As the two of them revisited the things they knew about Sydney and Alex's participation and consent to the swinging contract, they quickly saw what they had failed to realize before: Alex was the main point of contact for that couple rather than BOTH husband and wife being directly involved. That left the possibility for Alex to make decisions for that couple without necessarily having to tell his partner, turning their swinging arrangement into something as tainted as an affair. Hazel felt sick to her stomach as the realization rushed over her, forcing her to run to a toilet. After she finished hurling, she returned to bed, where she cried in Mel's arms. They both felt gross, betrayed, and sorrowful for Sydney, who probably hadn't known. When she's finished crying, Hazel calls Sydney. When she goes to voicemail, Hazel leaves a message asking Sydney to come over the next day. She doesn't launch into things on voicemail but tells her that there are things that weren't apparently shared with everyone who was supposed to be involved, and that they could discuss how to proceed. When Hazel hung up, they talked more and came to an agreement between themselves and Mel that they would no longer have sex with Alex after today.

Sydney drops by after work the next day, while Hazel is home alone. Upon seeing her, Hazel apologized and offered her a cup of tea. Sydney declined and asked her to stargaze with her in the backyard as they once did when Hazel was a kid. The two of them lay on the snow and gazed at the sky in silence for a few minutes before Hazel interrupted the silence. She gently prompted Syd to ask the questions that were weighing on her and that she would do her best to answer them with nothing but the truth. They stay outside for a long time that night, going back and forth between asking questions and giving answers.

In the end, the sisters come to understand that while they both played their parts in the downfall of Sydney's marriage, the rest of the fault lay with Alex, who had chosen to resort to dishonesty, fraud, and manipulation to gain the satisfaction he wanted. Sydney confessed that she doesn't think that they can be as close as they used to be right now, as the image of seeing Alex and Hazel woohooing was still fresh in her mind, but that she doesn't hate Hazel and would still like to see her from time to time after they figure the divorce out. She adds that she's sure her kids would miss their aunt. They hug as their conversation nears an end, as Hazel tells Syd to text her when she gets back home and to call her if she needs her.

After getting caught by his wife, Alex returns home. Things in the house feel a lot more tense than they had before he got caught. Aaron, his son, gave him pointed looks or looks of disappointment whenever he tried to spend time with him. His daughter, Cassandra, who had a baby of her own at such a young age, took a page out of her mother's book and ignored him unless she had no choice but to interact with him. Unable to stand the hostile atmosphere, Alex found himself going out to a bar in the evening to relieve his stress in some booze. It is while he is there at the bar that he ends up talking his way into at least 3 other women's pants: One of the women being Kaori, a classmate of theirs from high school, and Olivia Yang, who had just seemed like an easy mark. He shamelessly impregnates all three women.

Two days later, Syd comes home from a long day at work to find Alex packing up his things. She finds Karoi in their kitchen, chilling and waiting for him to finish packing. Sydney does some quick thinking and realizes that he's probably leaving her for Karoi. Oddly enough, instead of being upset about it, she can't help but feel relieved that Alex would now just be Kaori's problem to deal with. Syd opens her mouth to tell him that she hopes Kaori has more tolerance for him than she did, when Alex errupts with anger and proceeds to yell at her for trying to poke her nose in his business and that it doesn't matter who he's sleeping with now because she's not his wife. Syd rolls her eyes and sets him straight before he hurriedly storms out with Karoi in tow. This marks the end of the romantic relationship between Alex and Sydney. Going forward, they end up becoming co-parents and are only semi-civil with each other in the future.

📜Notable moments 𓂃🪶

(Recap)

The “repair trip” backfires immediately; Alex avoids Sydney and gravitates toward Hazel.

Sydney’s worst nightmare realized: walking in on her sister and husband.

Mel’s reaction? Instead of anger, arousal — leading to one of the most infamous threesomes in Sharpe history.

Alex and Sydney’s pillow talk → the sterilization bombshell.

Alex’s downward spiral: cheating with multiple women, impregnating at least two.

Sydney divorces Alex, finally breaking free.

Hazel discovers that she is pregnant after the threesome; she's unsure if the father is Mel or Alex.

🌙 Legacy Threads

Sydney becomes a single co-parent, shifting her arc toward resilience.

Hazel’s choices tie her deeper into betrayal and secrets.

The magic thread simmers beneath Hazel’s story — betrayal, desire, and temptation all pointing toward her darker path.

Alex’s downfall sets the stage for the family’s legacy of tragic, messy men.

💭 Author’s Note

Season 4 was the first time the Sharpe story exploded into pure soap opera chaos. Writing it out like this makes me laugh because I can still picture the screenshots of Sydney catching them and thinking: This is where the legacy stops being wholesome. It’s also where Hazel’s “succubus foreshadowing” (her recklessness with love/sex) started to really shine through. The only regret I had while looking through the screenshots for this season was not having a lot of pictures of the sisters spending time together.

[lyraveritas-writes]

✧˖°. Keeping Up With The Sharpes ✧˖°

Season 3 - "Hazel and the Wedding of Fire"

❀ Summary ❀ :

While Sydney is building her family with Alex, her younger sister, Hazel Sharpe, steps into the spotlight. The rebel of the family, Hazel, finds her own path through love, polyamory, magic, and her eventual marriage to Mel. It’s a season that features more teenage discovery, new beginnings, and the storm clouds of chaos that lie ahead.

---

˖°📷༘ Highlights ˖°📷༘ 

Meet Hazel Sharpe, the wildcard for the season (To her right is Sidney, a friend with whom she went to junior prom).

Ever since Sydney and Alex had rescued Hazel as a toddler, relatives and family friends alike would compare Hazel and Sydney, causing Hazel to develop a complex about the sister she had once loved so much.

(Hazel and Cassandra sat sipping hot chocolate while Sydney made more.) While Hazel did what she could to try to set herself apart from her sister, she still tried to show up for her family, even if they made her feel a little lonely at times.

After junior prom, Hazel put more effort into getting to know her classmates. In the process, she befriended Melina, a transfer student from Tormani. The two became great friends in no time.

Sydney invites Hazel to the senior prom, wanting to become more than friends with her. When she rejects him, he questions if she's turning him down because Melina has been seducing her. He then outright declares that Hazel can't go to prom with anyone if she isn't going with him. Feeling insulted, Hazel throws her drink into his face and tells him to get his head out of his ass.

Feeling emboldened by Sydney and having felt attraction to Melina, Hazel worked up the courage to ask Melina to the prom. Melina accepts, happy to be Hazel's partner.

Hazel & Mel have a lengthy conversation about their relationship type, romance styles, and so on. Hazel reveals to Mel that she has been exploring relationship styles and isn't sure if an exclusive relationship is truly for her. After much discussion, they decide to become each other's girlfriends, with the exception that they will only allow their partner to explore with one other person, with the blessing of one another and their explicit consent.

Alex stops by the house after having a fight with his wife, Sydney. He stumbles upon Hazel's movie night and makes himself comfortable, wanting to find out what she's watching. He becomes distracted by Hazel. Alex tries his luck and tempts Hazel into doing a little more than watching a movie with him...

Jeb stops by unannounced during one of Alex and Hazel's hookups and persuades Alex to allow him to join, buying his silence.

Mel begins to shift her personal focus to her health and fitness as she questions her gender identity and ponders what else she wants for her future.

Jeb Harris becomes infatuated with teenage Cassandra. Little did anyone know that his infatuation would quickly grow into obsession....

Terra officiates Mel and Hazel's wedding.

📜Notable moments 𓂃🪶

Terra revealed to teenage Hazel that the family’s magical bloodline is real. Sydney and Hazel both inherited the trait and possess the ability to perform magic; however, Sydney stops focusing on magic after she meets Alex. Hazel begins studying spells when she's able to.

The swinging arrangement is explained to Alex after he questions how Mel and Hazel interact with each other occasionally. He is offered to be a swinging partner on the basis that BOTH he and his wife consent and sign the contract Mel drafts. Alex forges Sydney's signature and assures the couple that his wife agrees and that she simply doesn't wish to return the form in person out of embarrassment and awkwardness.

Jeb assaults Cassandra during a visit after discovering that everyone else is out for a while. He forces her to keep quiet about it, and acts like nothing happened after.

Sydney and Alex decide to move into a house of their own, where they can focus more on their children after Sydney notices Cassandra acting strangely and secretly. They take a page out of Terra's book and move into a house still in the neighborhood, leaving their family home behind.

It is confirmed that Cass had gotten pregnant after her stomach started to show. Realizing that she could only hide it for so much longer from her parents, Cassandra confesses to Sydney that she is pregnant. (Cass doesn't reveal who the father is because she's aware that Syd had a history with Jeb)

Sydney reacts to the news just as any sane mother would: with anger, grief, and shock. She assumed that the father stepped out on Cass, the very same child that she loved so much and had big hopes for, after noticing how Cass didn't mention who the father of the unborn baby was.

Sydney cries, but after a few minutes of the two crying together, she decides that she'll help Cassandra. Syd warns Cass that she may face a harsh reality when the child is actually born--if Cass decides to keep the baby. After telling her mother, Cassandra tells her brother the news and not to bother with her father, who is hardly ever at home. The last person she tells is Hazel, who was preparing for senior prom at the time. Hazel pities her and can't imagine someone with so much life ahead of them getting hit with such a burden.

Hazel and Mel end up graduating from high school with flying colors. After the newlywed couple moves out, they decide to get jobs to save enough money to renovate the house and expand the basement living room.

Hazel and Mel go on more dates together as they continue to learn more about themselves. Mel tells Hazel about her uncertainty regarding whether acting is right for her or if she should pursue music instead. After discussing passions, Hazel does the mature thing and reveals to Mel how she feels smothered by their relationship and her uncertainty about whether an exclusive relationship is for her. This leads to several discussions over time about boundaries and exploring a little before marriage, as it feels like that is where their relationship is progressing towards.

They discuss potential swinging partners, as swinging gives both ladies the thing they desire: Hazel gets to experiment, and Mel gets to keep Hazel and experiment too if she wants. Somehow Alex and Jeb's names get brought up, with both of them agreeing that they wouldn't really have an issue with their partner sleeping with them if given the chance.

Alex stops by occasionally to woohoo with Hazel, which is put on pause after Hazel experiences a pregnancy scare.

Meanwhile, Jeb charms Mel into woohooing with him...and Mel enjoys it more than they thought they would.

This solidifies something for Mel as she decides to begin her gender journey and starts researching binders and other fitness tips.

After the couple decides to pause their extracurricular activities outside of their relationship, they decide that maybe marriage isn't something so bad after all. They plan and hold a tea ceremony where Mel intends to ask Hazel's parents for their blessing to wed. Terra is served a cup of tea first and accepts the cup, giving a nervous and sweating Mel her blessing. Mel also serves Jaclyn a cup of tea. Jaclyn hesitates, but reluctantly accepts as well.

Terra catches Hazel alone for a moment in the kitchen and congratulates her daughter before launching into questions about wedding plans and the like. Hazel works up her nerve to ask her mom to be her officiant. Terra is delighted and accepts.

Despite the messiness, Hazel & Mel tie the knot — Terra officiates, blessing her daughter’s future.

🌙 Legacy Threads

Sydney and Hazel's magical inheritance foreshadows the supernatural chaos to come.

The open relationship experiments sow the seeds for future betrayals and heartbreak.

Hazel & Mel’s wedding marks the start of a fiery, passionate, but dangerously unstable marriage.

💭 Author’s Note

I apologize! I didn't take as many screenshots as I had thought for this season. It was also a little awkward having to work some storyline in for the things that the NPC sims got into when briefly left to their own devices T^T

This season was the calm before the storm for Hazel. At the time, I thought of her and Mel’s wedding as the peak of her story — but in hindsight, it was only the beginning of her unraveling. Looking back, her magical inheritance and her rebellious streak were always going to collide.

[lyraveritas-writes]

✧˖°. Keeping Up With The Sharpes ✧˖°.

Season 2 - "Love, Prom and Parenthood"

❀ Summary ❀ :

With Terra and Jaclyn's legacy established, their firstborn, Sydney Sharpe, steps into the spotlight. From proposals and romantic beach nights to candlelit duets and the start of her own family, Sydney and Alex Ripley become the shining face of Generation One.

˖°📷༘ Highlights ˖°📷༘

Time has flown. Sydney is now a teenager who has finished a little more than half of high school. Having survived the majority of her junior year, Sydney and her peers now find themselves busy preparing for their first prom. Sydney had been hanging out at home with her musical crush, Alex Ripley, as they talked the day away while studying for exams. While taking a break, she felt compelled to give him a house tour and was surprised by a promposal from him. (Spoiler: She says yes!)

Sydney has had a major crush on Alex since their sophomore year. He was cute, a little mysterious, but very chill and loyal to his friends. She wouldn't have guessed that while she had been crushing on him, he had developed a crush of his own on her. Once she knew that he'd be putty in her hands, her self-esteem solidified. She took that chance to tell him that she wants to go to prom with him--not as friends but as something a little more. Alex is down with that.

Prom night arrives, and the household is abuzz as the teens get ready. Alex stopped by early to spend time with Sydney and greet her family before it was time for them to go (Hazel can be seen in the background).

Sydney felt a little embarrassed at first as her moms took so many pictures of them, but as they stepped outside to wait for their ride, she started to find that she didn't mind posing for photos. Alex stood by, content that her moms felt they had taken enough pictures with him in them.

Sydney and Alex ultimately end up skipping prom together after their ride to prom ghosted them. They still left the house, not having gotten dressed up for nothing. Alex takes Sydney to the beach, where they try to have a good time anyway.

Still going strong as boyfriend and girlfriend after junior year, Alex and Sydney make it through a chunk of their senior year as high school sweethearts. Even if they didn't actually attend the last prom, Sydney realizes that she'd like to go to this one with Alex and gives him a proposal (He joyfully accepts).

The couple makes it to prom this time and spends most of the night dancing as if glued to each other.

Alex is voted prom royalty! Sydney is too smitten with her king to find out who was voted prom jester. After Alex walked onstage to be crowned, the only thing on his mind was getting back to Sydney's side.

Sydney, Alex, and their friends are invited to an after-prom celebration at the local carnival.

The chemistry between the two sweethearts is magnetic. They quickly break away from their friends and experience the carnival at their own pace, taking pictures together in between rides, food stalls, and checking in with their friends.

Sydney is the first to feel the tension between them as they decide to take pictures in the photo booth. Alex doesn't miss how her face blushed or her breath quickened when he leaned closer to her ear as they posed for a photo. He decided to wait until they left the booth to tease her, playfully asking her if she wanted to get outta there and go somewhere where he could actually make her breathless. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Sydney didn't have to be asked twice. They quickly said their goodbyes to their friends and made their way back to Sydney's house, where her parents had already gone to bed. They borrowed the bathroom furthest away from her parents' room and messed around. Alex made good on his promise... (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵) ... bringing the night to a successful end.

After they had finished and ACED their final exams, the couple found themselves with more free time as they began to consider their futures and all of the things that would come after. Sydney invited Alex out on another beach date, not wanting such a nice sunny day to go to waste. They got lunch and started playing in the sand for a little while.

When it got too hot, the couple decided to take advantage of the ocean water. Alex, the more athletic of the two, chose to swim while Syd relaxed on a floatie, not wanting to get wet.

A mischievous Alex takes it upon himself to flip her lounge floatie over, causing Syd to be dunked into the seawater. Immediately knowing who would do such a thing, she chases after a laughing, guilty Alex as he swims away from her.

Having caught him before he fully made it back to the sand, she playfully scolds him as he takes her hands and tries to convince her not to be too cross with him. He begins to sway and dance with her in the water until she softens up and lets him guide them as they enjoy that moment.

Sydney continued to give her future serious thought after graduating from high school. She wanted to pursue a career in music with her talent in singing, so she was sure of what she'd do for a living. The more she kept thinking about the future, the more she knew that whatever she chose, it would include Alex. She couldn't envision a possible future without him. When she asked one of her moms what it meant, her mom softly looked her in the eyes and told her, "That's love, baby. It means you love him." Syd waited a week after she started commuting to her new job. When her first paycheck hit, she paid one of their former classmates turned artisan for a pair of engagement rings. The very same day, she invited Alex over, telling him to come see her as soon as he got home from work...

...Alex rushed over as soon as he returned from work. Sydney met him outside, not having enough patience to let him get inside. Trying to hide her nervousness, she asks him about his day and stalls a little for time before he questions why it sounded like she had called him for an urgent reason. She slowly kneels down and pulls out the ring she purchased, presenting it to him with a shaky voice as she explained what she had told her mom, and confirmed that she loved him and wanted to grow old with him.

Alex accepts and, in his excitement and joy, attempts to pull Syd back to her feet to hug her. They both end up tumbling onto the ground laughing, smiling even while sore, as they looked forward to seeing what their future would hold.

Alex and Syd enjoyed a date night together at a new high-end restaurant. They talked as they waited for their meals to arrive. After a little while, they then noticed that other customers had also been waiting for their food to arrive and were getting impatient with the staff. Alex spotted the empty stage equipped with a piano, which is an instrument that he is a wizard with, and a microphone stand. "Would you put on a show for me, dearest?" Alex asked Syd, offering her his hand as he led her over to the area with the piano. He began to play a song they had liked back in high school, and Sydney still remembered the words. The lyrics came back to her like second nature, and Alex chimed in seamlessly with his voice when it fit. When their duet ended, they received applause from customers and some staff members alike as they had successfully brought the kitchen staff a little more time. The hostess discounted their drinks for the night. Sydney couldn't have been more pleased with her musical mastermind.

Sydney and Alex took their time with their wedding plans, ensuring every detail turned out exactly as they had envisioned it. Alex had once written a song for Sydney as an engagement gift and was going to use it to propose to her before she beat him to the punch. Sydney used the moment she had to share her vows to sing a snippet of a song she knew that reminded her exactly of him and their love for each other whenever she heard it. It made the crowd emotional.

Sydney and Alex welcome their twins, Aaron and Cassandra Ripley-Sharpe, into the world.

📜Notable moments 𓂃🪶

Alex promposed first -> Sydney flipped the script during senior year.

They turned prom night into a rom-com of their own as they ditched prom for an impromptu beach adventure.

They captivated the restaurant during that specific date night, making the night a little more special.

Sydney eventually meets Christina and Shawn Ripley, Alex's parents, after finding out that his parents had returned from overseas. Alex opened up to Syd about his strained relationship with his father, Shawn, and how that led to him living with a family friend during most of high school. He shared that his relationship with his mother, however, had been good for the most part. She had remained as the parent he'd turn to for advice, a helpful ear, or a voice of reason. That had made Syd determined to meet them and at least receive a blessing for marriage from his mom.

After getting engaged, the couple decided to treat themselves to a date night at a spa. They both embraced relaxation as they got mani-pedis, massages, and steamed up in a sauna.

Before their time at the spa was up, Sydney lured Alex into one of the empty showers, teasingly joking that they could have worked up a sweat another way if she had known how hot it was going to be in the sauna. Alex, liking what he was hearing, grinned and told her that they still had the chance to and taunted her to come show him what she had meant ¬‿¬ (Yes, they almost got kicked out of the spa because of the noisy ruckus the two of them made while not controlling themselves. Also, yes, this is when their children were conceived).

Terra, the happy mother of the bride, made a great and emotional toast at the start of the newlywed's reception. Sydney had to fan her face after, and Alex offered her his handkerchief from his pocket seeing how touched she was.

Not having forgotten about his rough relationship with his father, Alex set out to be a better parent than the one he had, making time to play with Aaron after getting home late from work, even when he was already feeling tired. Aaron's laughter was music to his ears.

⏾ Legacy Threads

Sydney and Alex officially step into adulthood, their teenage years now behind them as they try to balance parenthood with romance.

Aaron and Cassandra become the "bridge" of the next generation while the narrative's baton begins to be passed to Sydney's younger sister, Hazel, setting up Season 3's rebel arc.

☁︎⋅ Author's Note

This season felt like the fairytale chapter of the Sharpe legacy. It was mostly focused on prom drama, young love, and family beginnings. It's also where I started playing around more with taking screenshots of a chosen couple. They were so photogenic together, I often couldn't help myself. (You could only imagine how many screenshots I sifted through of them, haha!) (つ╥﹏╥)つ

[lyraveritas-writes]

✧˖°. Keeping Up With The Sharpes ✧˖°.

Season 1 - "Where It All Begins"

❀ Summary ❀ :

Terra Sharpe, an orphan with a love for cooking, and Jaclyn Yang, a Mt. Komorebi native looking for a roommate, cross paths. What starts as housemates slowly grows into friendship, romance, and the foundation of the Sharpe legacy.

˖°📷༘ Highlights ˖°📷༘

The house they moved into is large, fully furnished, and they really make the place their own.

Jaclyn Yang and Terra Sharpe are sitting together in their living room, posing for a photo.

Sneaking glances and bashful faces...

Terra and Jaclyn had their first date and wanted to play cards together at a bar. Terra thought it was so cute how focused Jaclyn tried to be while they played.

(Date night gone right: Jaclyn and Terra finally make their attraction to each other known. It's the start of something beautiful.)

Terra's proposal to a surprised and emotional Jacyln.

Jaclyn resting while watching over Sydney, their firstborn daughter.

📜Notable moments 𓂃🪶

Date night photo taken at a bar in Jaclyn's hometown, the night before they went to meet Jaclyn's parents.

Terra had asked Jaclyn's parents, Mitchell and Sara Yang, for their blessing to wed their daughter. Jaclyn's mom told Terra their blessing wasn't what mattered: Jaclyn's happiness was. That gave Terra the push she needed to propose to Jaclyn before dinner.

Jaclyn said yes, of course.

The lovely couple eventually had a sweet wedding ceremony. Jaclyn's dad, Mitchell, was so honored to be the officiant at their wedding.

Jacyln wasn't sure if her life could get any better than this: marrying the woman she loved, Terra was almost ready to give birth to their first child, and the only thing they had to worry about was their upcoming adventure: figuring out parenthood.

The Sharpe couple later printed this photo out from their wedding. It was placed on their TV stand, where it remained until their children grew up.

Terra safely gives birth to their firstborn daughter: Sydney Sharpe. Jaclyn offers to hold Sydney after they return home from the hospital.

When Sydney is a toddler, the couple welcomes two more bundles of joy into the world, twins: Asa and Hazel Sharpe. Jaclyn is depicted above panicking just as she had during the labor of their first child, fretting over her wife as Terra stayed as calm and strong as possible, determined to safely bring their last two kids into the world. (Spoiler: there were no complications.)

Family bonding over video games: Terra and Jaclyn watch Sydney play one of her favorite video games while their younger kids are napping upstairs.

⏾ Legacy Threads

Sydney was marked as the heir, leading us into Season 2.

Baby Hazel quietly inherits the dormant family magic bloodline that Terra unknowingly carries, and it will be revealed later in her teens.

☁︎⋅ Author's Note

This was the "slow burn start" of the Sharpe family; soft, wholesome, and the calm before the chaos to come. 👀 It's crazy looking back now, knowing what Sydney, Hazel, and their kids would get up to later on...

[lyraveritas-writes]

Author Bio

Samara Johnson, who often writes poetry under the initials sdj and romantic dark fantasy under the pen name Lyra Veritas, is a writer, poet, and lifelong feeler. Her work is rooted in survival and soft rebellion-born from a need to process silence, grief, love, and the ache of growing up too fast. Whether crafting verses or weaving fantastical worlds, she writes from the heart-sometimes from the cracks in it.

Samara’s poetry explores emotional resilience, heartbreak, healing, found family, and identity, living in the quiet tension between what was felt and what was said. As Lyra Veritas, she creates characters who bleed and burn their way toward redemption, navigating betrayal, loyalty, and lyrical tension along the way.

When she’s not writing, she’s probably found journaling under moonlight, singing through sadness, rewatching anime comfort shows or nibbling on cozy snacks as she enjoys her playlists that understand her better than most people do.

Find Me On:

Instagram: @lyraveritas.writer