Below is the story of Gen 1, or rather a brief overview of it. I played this generation out prior to my days in the Sims community, when my screenshots were few and far between. Don’t worry - future generations are far more in depth.
I hope you enjoy getting to see how things all kicked off for this Legacy!
In The Beginning
One unseasonably warm Spring day, Tom & Yarin Kattan cautiously emerged from the ever mystical CreateASimicus portal, somewhat confused by their sudden existence, but ready to finally stretch their stiff pixelated legs.
They didn’t know it at the time, but they were about to kick off an epic Legacy story like no other their Watcher had ever seen (he’d never played a Legacy before - but still). Tom also happened to be the Watcher’s own Simself, so unbeknownst to him he was a rather special Sim in more way than one.
The pair found themselves moving straight into a new apartment in the Spice District of San Myshuno. It seemed unthinkable that they had only come to exist an hour or so ago, yet now here they were, surrounded by the lights and magic of the city. Two tiny Sims in one huge, shiny and eclectic pond!
Alongside Tom and Yarin came their two cats Teddy and Elsie, a brother and sister duo already vying for their adoptive parents’ attention. They quickly developed an affinity for chasing the neon pink laser around the apartment, something Tom and Yarin were more than happy to facilitate if it helped tire the energetic little tykes out. They were hard work!
After a short time settling into their new home, Tom and Yarin were keen to get signed up to some new careers. Life in the city was far from cheap, and whilst their small one bedroom apartment was more than enough for them to begin with, they had big ambitions for this new life they had been granted! Their starter funds had only been enough to cover a select few pieces of furniture , so they were keen to get earning those Simoleons to spruce the place up a bit. Y’know, turn this house into a home and all that jazz. Yarin opted to join the Tech career, and Tom became a Writer.
‘Work hard, play hard’ was very much their philosophy in those first few years. They would spend a sizeable chunk of their time increasing their Skills and rising through their respective career ladders, but also knew to make a concerted effort to immerse themselves in the hustle and bustle of the San Myshuno scene when they could. They were particularly frequent visitors of the dynamic festivals and markets that often popped up outside their apartment building. Neither Sim were much accustomed to spicy food (they didn’t have such options in CreateASimicus), but over time they came to try all of the interesting cuisines on offer there. Often they would learn new dishes to try making themselves back home, and other times they would stumble home with fire still erupting from their mouths (quite literally!). They would also look forward to their trips to the Flea Market each weekend. There they wrangled more than a few good deals on heavily discounted furniture, something that came in handy in their quest to slowly furnish their little apartment.
In this way their Young Adult years seemed to pass by in a blur. Before they knew it the end of this first lifestage was rapidly approaching, and with it so too came a sense that they really ought to get a move on with some of the bigger milestones in life.
They therefore decided one day to suddenly journey to the exquisitely pristine Von Haunt Estate in Windenburg. They were eloping. In their eyes, they were already as good as married and didn’t need the piece of paper, yet they couldn't fight the niggling feeling that it might actually be quite nice to put some formality to it all too. Besides, the Flea Market that Sunday had failed to materialise in a strange glitch, so what else were they to do with their day?
They married in a private ceremony within the manor’s decadent hedge maze, and proceeded to celebrate with a tasteful Woohoo in a nearby rose bush. The shrub was within the grounds of the lavish estate, so in their eyes and the eyes of their Watcher, it still counted as a classy spot for romping!
Expanding
Both Tom and Yarin seemed to be naturals in their respective careers, with promotions often coming thick and fast. With the extra Simoleons this brought them, they decided to commence married life by moving (just across the square) to a newly built modern house overlooking the dock. It gave Yarin his own office to further hone his programming skill, and to Tom it provided a haven in which to write a series of bestselling novels - a feat which would go on to turn him into one of the most celebrated and beloved authors in all of the United Simdom.
With professional lives seemingly near conquered, it felt right to begin turning their attention elsewhere. Yes, it was finally time to grow their little family. Thanks to a string of incredibly miraculous medical advancements made in the Simverse these past years, Yarin was able to carry and deliver two babies for the pair himself. Tom would have liked to carry one too, but he was all too often attending prestigious awards ceremonies in Del Sol Valley, and thrilling fans of his books at Meet and Greets across the growing network of Sim Worlds. First to arrive was baby Dadi, who defied his genetics to be a little redheaded boy, followed just a couple of short years later by his younger brother Gianico.
The boys grew up in the most loving of households, adored unreservedly by their parents and forever a source of fascination for their two feline housemates. The house itself continued to be expanded structurally in this time too, facilitating the ever-changing needs of this growing family. Both Dadi and Gianico were highly adventurous little toddlers, always keen to explore every nook and cranny of their (for now) small world. The more room available for them to run amok, the better, then!
Tom and Yarin both took naturally to parenthood. Despite their busy careers, their true focus remained on raising the boys as best they could. Being unceremoniously ejected from CreateASimicus meant they had no extended family to rely upon for help. It was up to them, and them alone, to carry out this most important of jobs. As the years passed, it was clear their hard work was paying off though. Dadi and Gianico were growing into well-behaved, inquisitive young children. They were also the best of friends - something that touched the hearts of both them and their Watcher.
As is often the case in the lives of Sims, time once more began to fly by. Both Tom and Yarin had now reached the pinnacles of their careers, with Yarin the CEO of his own tech start-up and Tom a renowned author with an ever-growing mob of agents and producers clamouring to turn his latest novel into another blockbuster hit. You might think that such success would have changed the dynamic of this household, but whilst Tom and Yarin were hardworking and proud of their success, they knew to leave this all at the front door to keep their home life untainted by such things.
Yarin had in-fact decided to take early retirement from his day-job, preferring to instead focus on the boys’ upbringing, whilst continuing to build a growing portfolio of successful Mobile Apps in his spare time. Tom also began to slow down his churning out of new books, and became more selective in the PR appearances he chose to make. His stories also began to become heavily influenced by family life, for of late this had become his biggest source of inspiration and joy. Of course, this didn’t necessarily have to come at the expense of the fantastical tropes that often littered his previous work though. Quite the opposite actually, for this marrying of ideas actually gave him some of his biggest literary successes yet. I challenge you to name a single Sim in the United Simdom who didn't love his 9-part mega series about a family of four dragons who together conquered and ruled the world as a strong and supportive family unit. An instant classic!
Countryside Serenity
With this gradual slowing down of life, now seemed the perfect time for the Kattans to take the next big step and move away from the city. San Myshuno had been everything Tom and Yarin had dreamed of and more, but now they wished to trade the organised chaos of the city with a more simplistic and peaceful existence. They had recently heard of a village called Henford-on-Bagley, nestled in the luscious countryside an hour so so away from the city. The family paid a curious visit there one Sunday, and instantly fell in love with what they saw. With Simoleons in far from short supply at this point, they were able to purchase a sprawling country home surrounded by swathes of its own arable land. Serenity!
Following a remodel of the home’s dated interior to their preferred modern Scandi style, the family began to immerse themselves in their new rural lives. Days were often occupied with leisurely bike rides along the River Bagley, visiting the long-running and traditional quaint markets in town, and hiking through the steep hillsides leading up to the stunning waterfall perched at the top. Whilst in some ways they missed the city, it was never more than a teleport away if the felt the need to scratch that itch.
This new phase in their lives also brought the onset of Dadi and Gianaco’s teen years. This is when the boys’ respective personalities and hobbies really began to surface, and flourish. Dadi had developed a passion for music, and he was keen to try his hand at mastering every instrument he could get his hands on. The guitar and microphone were ultimately where his heart landed, but he still spent many an afternoon perched behind the piano or at the strings of a violin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gianico was up for anything that could get his pulse racing. He often joined his dad Tom on his morning trips to the gym, and whenever the chance arose he would journey to the slopes of Mt Komorebi for the adrenaline rush of being atop the world on his snowboard.
As we know, high school also brings with it a Sim’s first foray into dating, and this certainly wasn’t something Dadi struggled with. He had a world-famous dad, and his own musical talents often brought him the attention of many of the girls in his class. During this time, his fathers would raise more than one eye at the number of girls he would bring home for dinner, each one to never be heard of again after a short couple of weeks. Gianico was again the polar opposite to his brother in this respect too. He had no interest in exploring the romantic element of being a teenager, instead filling his time with after-school clubs and hiking trips with his dads. Towards the end of his high school years, he very casually let his family know that when he did decide to start dating, he would not be looking for a beautiful young lady like his brother, but instead he would hope to stumble upon a handsome young man he could one day call his boyfriend.
With Dadi’s ascendence to Legacy Heir now fast approaching, Tom and Yarin had birthdays of their own to celebrate. They were now Elders! They couldn’t believe they had already reached their final life state, but in looking back on life they knew they had every right to be pretty proud of what they had achieved. If anything, their old age had left them feeling more energised than ever, and their romance was far from dead in the water. After all, what was more romantic than growing old together in the dreamy foothills of Henford-on-Bagley?
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Teddy and Elsie were thriving more than ever. They had long been supplied with a steady stream of Age Down treats, and they still loved nothing more than chasing around that old laser!
A quick note on the Landgraabs…
Now, you may have noticed this Legacy is named the Kattan-Landgraab Legacy, so you’d be forgiven for wondering where the Landgraabs have been all this time. Well, the short answer is they had yet to become intertwined with the Kattan family at this point (hence the peace that was prevalent throughout this Generation!). Nancy and Geoffrey were of course busy building up the Landgraab empire, whilst attempting (and often failing) to also raise their two sons Johnny and Malcolm. Rest assured (or perhaps un-assuredly), that we’ll be seeing a lot of them next Generation!
