Average 90's Kid
Featured in: More Than Nostalgia (2024)
Designers: Mario Guzman (Marguzy) | GhostlyKitsuneArt
Voice Actors: Christina Lowe (Young) | DeltaVA (Mature)
Status: Alive
Affiliation: Pearson Electronics
Occupation: Corporate computer scientist (Former) | AI scientist (Current)
First Appearance: More Than Nostalgia Trailer (Nov 8, 2024)
Identity: Non-binary, androgynous (Sexuality & gender up to interpretation)
Pronouns: They/Them
Birthday: March 15, 1982
Age: 12 (Young) | 42 (Mature)
Species: Human
Family: Unnamed father | Unnamed mother | Computer Jay (Best Friend)
Jayden Cooper grew up in the late '80s and '90s, spending lots of time with their favorite computer, Computer Jay. They were seen as nerdy, curious, and very good with technology from a young age. Playing games, chatting online, and making digital art were some of their favorite activities. They often kept to themselves, but their skills and love for computers were clear. Their bond with Computer Jay became an important part of their life, until they eventually drifted away from that relationship.
When Jayden Cooper was a young child, they were hopeful and optimistic, always full of life and positivity. Even though their life wasn't the best, they always looked at life with a happy face. They have always been interested in looking into newer technology and tinkering with it. They aren't as naive or excitable as Computer Jay, but they both see each other as friends and bonded through their similar personalities.
As Jayden grew older, they became more depressed and cynical with life, always working at the same desk office job for several years. Even with their prestigious position at Pearson Electronics, they still felt like something was empty inside of them (hint, it's nostalgia). They end up acting like the “average consumer,” always drawn toward whatever is new, shiny, or popular.
Jayden often struggles with direction, unsure of who they are beyond their work and the trends they follow. They’re caught between nostalgia for their past with Computer Jay and the forward-driving pressures of modern technology, as seen evident in GT's QnA Corner Episode 2.
Jayden Cooper was born on March 15th, 1982, into a low-income family. They were an only child, and their mother passed away when they were very young, so their father raised them alone. He worked as a computer salesman at Pearson Electronics during the rise of the personal computer industry. Even with money being tight, he always tried his best to take care of Jayden and keep them happy. For Jayden’s 10th birthday in 1992, he brought home a Macintosh-style PC called the Caldenrosh 64X computer from his job. By Christmas of 1994, after growing close to it, Jayden gave the computer a name: “Computer Jay.”
Jayden grew up during the dawn of the Internet, experiencing the excitement of dialup connections, early HTML pages, and the first instances of online friendships and gaming. The computer became their closest companion, a source of endless entertainment and a gateway to new friendships. They spent countless hours after school and on weekends playing interactive games, chatting in early internet forums, and creating digital art. Their father, with his technical knowledge, taught Jayden how to repair and maintain the computer, fostering a deep bond between them.
Jayden kept using Computer Jay until 2000, but by then the computer couldn’t keep up anymore. Jayden stopped trying to repair it. As technology got faster and more advanced, Jayden switched to newer machines. With school taking up more time and the pull of the latest tech, Computer Jay was slowly left behind. He eventually became the father’s work computer, while Jayden’s life moved on.
Jayden went to college and pursued a career as a corporate computer scientist at Pearson Electronics (after seeing a flyer promoting the position, which I teased on my Twitter), leveraging the skills and passion for technology that their father had instilled in them. They built on the skills and love for technology their father had passed down, eventually becoming well respected in their field for their knowledge and dedication. But as they moved forward, the memories of their early days with Computer Jay slowly faded, replaced by modern technology and the demands of their career. Even though Jayden had finally achieved their dream job, the stress of life began to wear them down, leaving them older and sadder, much like their father before them.
In 2008, Jayden joined a website called Yappr, where they became a regular poster and eventually made over 2,000 posts.
In 2024, at 42 years old, Jayden returns to their father’s old home after his passing. While sorting through his belongings, they come across the office where Computer Jay still sits, dusty and long forgotten. As Jayden gets ready to throw the old machine away, a voice suddenly comes from the computer, begging them not to leave. Shocked and unsure if it’s real, Jayden hesitates, then finds themself drawn into a conversation with Computer Jay, who brings up their past and the happiness they once shared (this is all shown in the More Than Nostalgia trailer).
By 2025, they had become an AI scientist.
- Jayden’s last name, Cooper, was inspired by the character Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. Both are portrayed as highly intelligent, so the name serves as a subtle reference to that character.
- I initially wanted Yappr to have been created in part by Jayden and an old college friend, but this idea was never established and isn't exactly canon.
