Fanfic / Cousins

Cousins (styled as C.O.U.S.I.N.S) is an ongoing Friends fanfiction written by HollowPixie on Archive of Our Own. Set in the modern day, it follows the children of the friends, now a crowd of mostly 20-somethings, in some very familiar settings as history repeats itself.

The Ones with More Tropes:

A-E

• Adults Are Useless: Thankfully averted, as the friends want their children to have a better start in life than they did!
• Aerith and Bob: Phoebe and Mike's children have some... Fascinating names. Alabaster, Honey, Judas, Sorrel, Teal... And of course, Alan.
  • Though Alan's middle name is Agamemnon!
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: The friends are now viewed as this! Jack and Erica actively try to avoid becoming their parents in "TOW Alabaster's Date".
  • Jack comes to realise that it wouldn't be so bad to be like Chandler, while Erica realises Monica's obsessive cleanliness is so much worse than her cleaning will ever be. So it all works out in the end!
• Best Friends-in-Law: Joey is now married to Chandler's stepsister!
• Borrowed Catchphrase: More of a borrowed emphasis. Could Jack be any more like his father?
• Brick Joke: In "TOW Alabaster's Date", Sofia's counting how many times Jack says 'oh God', at the beginning of the scene. The scene ends with that continuing... And it's still going a few scenes later, when the number has gone up considerably.
• Brutal Honesty: Honey's default method of communication.
• Cain and Abel: The twins. Judas is extremely nice, Honey is... Not.
• Captain Obvious: Appears often. It varies whether it's Emma, Teal or Sorrel stating the obvious, but it's always Jack who responds.
• Childhood Friends: The group all grew up quite close-knit, though it makes sense considering they're related. But the Buffay-Hannigans technically aren't related to them, so it counts.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Teal takes after her mother. Sorrel too, to a slightly lesser extent!
• Cloud Cuckoolanders Minder: Alabaster feels a deep sense of responsibility to his sisters. Jack and Sofia also help.
• Continuity Nod: Many nods to Friends.
  • What did Phoebe think the coma guy's name was? Agamemnon. What's Alan's middle name? You guessed it!
• Dark and Troubled Past: Erica's coworker Cam may or may not have been left on the roof a moving car as a child, among other things. It's left ambiguous.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most have their moments, but the most obvious example is Jack, who inherited the habit. He literally cannot resist the urge.
  • Erica also inherited it, but she's not quite so obvious.
    • Sofia has her fair share of moments.
• Ensemble Cast: And it's a BIG ensemble.
• Everybody Has Lots of Sex: Subverted. It seems only Sofia can get any action.
• Everybody Is Single: In the beginning.
• Evil Twin: Honey. Need I say more?
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The episode titles follow the same theme as its predecessor.

F-J

• First-World Problems: Most of Emma's early complaints are this.
• "Friends" Rent Control: Naturally. Erica and Emma live just like their mothers, in the same apartment, with Sofia just across the hall like her father before her.
• Has Two Mommies: Ben, of course.
• Heroic BSoD: Jack spends most of "TOW Alabaster's Date" in something like one.
• I Am Not My Father: Jack and Erica spend "TOW Alabaster's Date" trying to prove that they're not like their parents, with differing results.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The same as the predecessor.
• Idiot Ball: Passed between characters often, but Emma, Teal and Sorrel are pretty much in permanent possession.
• Improbable Food Budget: Given that a few members of the group are still students, it's perhaps surprising that they can afford to spend so much time in Central Perk. But then again, Sorrel and Teal do work there.
• Intoxication Ensues: Emma accidentally gets drunk while making cocktails in "TOW Alabaster's Date".
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Honey does have her redeeming moments, despite everything!

K-O

• Limited Social Circle: While it's quite a big circle, they're all related.
• Local Hangout: Central Perk, still. It's been extended a little since Friends.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: The Buffay-Hannigans. Phoebe did want a whole bunch of children, so they could be like the Von Trapp family!
• Nice Guy: All the main men apply, in different ways!
  • Alabaster is the straightest example, a sensible, chilled-out guy who would do anything for his family. Also, he teaches music to tiny kids!
• One-Hour Work Week: Other than Emma, Sofia and Erica, no one’s really seen at work, and they seem to have a LOT of free time.
• One-Word Title: For obvious reasons.

P-S

• Parental Favoritism: Averted. The cycle has been broken, Monica and Chandler love both of their children equally!
• Really Gets Around: Sofia.
• Roommate Com: Of course. Erica and Emma live in Monica and Rachel's old apartment, Sofia living alone next door. It's also stated that Honey, Judas and Jack all live in the same apartment.
• Running Gag: The family tree confusing outsiders. And sometimes insiders.
• Spin-Off: An imagined spinoff of Friends.
• Strange Minds Think Alike: This trope sums up the Buffay-Hannigans nicely.

T-Z

• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Erica and Emma.
• Vague Age: Only ballpark figures are given, even in the character descriptions. Some age differences can be worked out, for characters who were born during the run of Friends. We only know that Mia and Alan are in high school, and Sorrel and Teal in college.
• World of Snark: As is expected! Every issue is responded to with a level of sarcasm.