#Viva with the Pop String au

[sarilolla]

Silly Trolls au idea that I might do more with (probably shouldn’t, I have a lot of other stuff on my plate lol) (Long post so more under Read More, this is just a ramble of an au honestly)

What if during the Great Escape from the Troll Tree, *Viva* had the Pop String? She was still lost along with multiple other Pop Trolls, and now her family have to deal with the loss of her, and the possible loss of ALL THEIR MUSIC

Would that mean that when they didn’t lose their music, they suspected she survived? Or at least someone else got it and there are some survivors? Or would the suspicion be that it’s buried in the tunnels to be forgotten, existing in a limbo as the Trolls are still able to sing and dance? Or maybe the Bergens got it, and they’re now finding a way to use it to make them happy, instead of eating Trolls?

Would they lose their music anyway, just from the assumption something bad happened? Would they be more open to gray Trolls, as it could be a possible after effect of their tribe being separated from the source of their music?

Would King Peppy reveal its existence to other elders, in case they lose their music and he needs someone to rely on? (Probably not, but let me imagine he has like two more brain cells and to not keep it hidden) Would the Pop Trolls know other music and Trolls were out there, but only know a false version of the story?

And then when Barb’s World Tour happens, how will that work out? Will Barb find a Pop Village without a String, and have no clue how to go from there? The Pop Trolls will be practically forced to reveal what happened to them, and how they lost so many Trolls over the years, and how it’s possible that the String isn’t even held by a Troll?

Will she go looking for this lost princess, or try to enter the Tunnels of Certain Death despite the warnings from Pop (if that’s because the tunnels are unstable, or that they haven’t befriended the Bergens, you decide)? Will she have to give up her whole tour, and now deal with the consequences of her actions?

The other tribes have to deal with the fact that because of the schism Pop caused, they lost many Trolls over the years to being eaten alive, cooked, baked, prepared in all sorts of culinary ways (headcanon that the Pop Trolls were captured for a LONG time, my own stories use 150 years at least). Obviously they didn’t deserve that, but in a twisted sort of sense, now they won’t lose their own music, since the Ultimate Power Chord can’t be completed

And then there’s Viva, probably only 12-15 years old, having defended her people, started a community, and hold the ENTIRETY of their music in her hands. Would she keep it on her at all times? Would she switch the harp/lyre for another instrument, one that’s not so suspicious? Would she find a way to hide it in Putt Putt Village, scared but content it’s the only way to keep their music safe? Paranoia says Bergen might show up, and even if she’s a happy-go-lucky Pop Troll, who’s to say someone might try to steal it? It’s powerful, honestly a weapon, it will keep her people safe and hopeful. And she promised her dad to take care of it, and she doesn’t want to disappoint. Her people’s legacy and music is in her hands, it’s a lot of responsibility. Might she even think that the other Pop Trolls lost their music since she has the String, and it’s clear they’re far away from each other. (She wishes she could share the magic of their music with her baby sister)

Anyway that was a lot of ramble for an idea that struck me 15 minutes ago

(Ps: if anyone wanna do something with this concept, feel free to do so, all I ask for is credit and to be tagged so I can see :D )

[djmurphy]

for your new pop zombie branch au

how did each of the bros take king peppy basically drugged their younger brother?

how did viva or poppy take the fact their dad basically drugged a troll a troll who poppy is really close to?

I haven't worked too much out for the au but I will say it's less of a drug and more of a trance? Basically that old idea that people under hypnosis will do anything the one controlling them says. I guess a way to think about it is the chickens in Chicken Run 2 with the collars

The Bros will NOT be happy with what the king did once they find out, that's for sure. The only thing stopping them from taking Peppy head on is Branch acting as both his right hand man and bodyguard

Viva knew about the strings' existence for a while now; Peppy made sure she knew almost all of Troll History so she could be Queen someday. She's aware of what the stings could do even apart. So once she finds out about Branch, she doesn't want to believe her father would do something so horrible...

As for Poppy, she never really knew him while he was grey. To her, he's always been a chipper (albeit odd) troll who helped her and her dad around the village and sometimes would perform onstage. She didn't even know his eyes weren't always pink...

[spotty-bee]

I watched the three Troll Movies the last few days and got inspired to make an Au! I was like, what would happen if a troll didn't turn grey all the way? What if they had lost hope, but not all of it? So I thought drew some fun designs and here they are!

Basically King Peppi was separated from Poppy's group and ended up with Viva's, causing poppy to think her dad is dead and is more frightened of the Burgens because of it. She starts to get grey marks on her body, but thanks to her still somewhat happy, bubbly personality, she doesn't go fully grey. The group has leadership issues since Peppi is gone, with a lot of infighting about what they should do and where they should go. Rebuilding society is a lot harder on the group, which is why it's so easy for kids like Poppy to get lost in the shuffle, nobody to really, fully take care of them.

Branch, still grey after the loss of his grandma and abandoned by his brothers, is there for Poppy when the adults are busy fighting or Poppy's friends have to go home. The two have a lot more in common in this Au, both fearing Bergans and their possibly return. So Branch gets her to help build his bunker with him, as well as explain his backstory to her far earlier than the movies.

Eventually the Burgans DO find them as the adults make too much noise both partying and fighting over what to do. Poppy and Branch are the only ones to realize and Poppy manages to convince her friends and a few others to hide in the bunker with them. More Trolls are lost to the Bergans but Poppy is fully recognized as leader by the ones she's saved. Branch and Poppy both agree to abandon their current location, going deeper into the woods where the foliage is so thick no Bergan can enter. Though there are a lot of dangerous wild animals and very little light. The entire town starts living in bunkers interconnected by tunnels. Rarely singing or dancing. They remain pretty undisturbed until the events of either the second or third movie... depending on weather Poppy got the pop string or if Peppi took it with him.

Other than that, Viva and Clay are the ones who carry out the events of the first movie. (Its not quiet the same, Creek is with Poppy's group and still a coward that gets kicked out, but he doesn't effect Viva and Clay's story.) For the second I'm leaning toward Peppi taking the string with him (but that can be changed), so Barb attacks the Putt Putt Trolls instead. However Viva and Clay also handle that, and Viva manages to steal Barb's heart in the process. (I'm not sure if Barb is the same age as Poppy or not, but in my Au she's between Poppy and Viva in age, so its fine.)

So right now its not until the time around the third movie that Branch and Poppy make contact with their siblings. Branch is more cold and doesn't talk much outside of to Poppy. Poppy is more withdraw, reserved and nervous. Both have continually greyed under the stress of taking care of their people, fighting off predators, getting supplies and hiding from Bergans. However Poppy's hope for her people has kept her going and Branch's belief in Poppy keeps him going.

Branch and Poppy also get together sooner than the movies, as they knew each other longer. (Poppy has a brief stint of dating Creek first before he betrays them and gets kicked out. ) Their relationship is good, they can talk without words and are almost always on the same page, but they also feed each other's anxieties and pessimism. Once reunited with their families and the more nitty gritty details have been sorted out (Who's the Pop Queen, ect, ect.) the two actually have to be separated for their own health, as they keep feeding each other's fear, dreaming up worse case scenarios and how to get out of them, trying to make a new bunker, hording supplies, ect. This temporary separation gives them a chance to get to know their families again.

Poppy didn't remember Viva at all in the third movie, so I don't think she'd remember her father either in this AU. So she has to build a relationship from scratch with people who already love her in Putt Putt Pop Village. Branch, meanwhile, hates being away from Poppy and hates his brothers who abandoned him. (Though deep down he really wants them back in his life.) It also doesn't help that he has essentially gone from a perpetually dark, dangerous forest to the brightly lit, busy beaches of Vacay Island, getting constant over stimulation. He's very resistant to his brother's help at first, but eventually realizes that their just trying to improve his health (Physically and mentally) and that fighting it is just hurting Poppy. (Poppy makes a turn about much easier than Branch does, reversing some of her greying. However when she and Branch get to visit during the temporary separation, Branch actually causes some of it to come back, which is when he realizes the others are right and tries to do more to get better himself.) After they do improve they're free to do as they please and reunite as an even better couple.

As for the events of the third movie with Floyd, either Viva helped the brother save Floyd by stealing him back, still inside the diamond prison, or Floyd gets taken after these events.

Anyway! Thats what I have for now! Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or questions!

[agent-cakeshroom]

Random thought(when is it not random??) to expand on later

Cash Cow JD AU

Dunno if an idea like this was done or not but hear me out. While hiking the Neverglades, maybe about 5 years after the band broke up(he's already gone back and thinks his bros are dead), JD final starts letting himself sing again. It starts as humming lullabies he used to sing for his brothers, turns into quietly singing the songs he wrote for Brozone, and ends up him just singing whatever he's doing. He strikes me as the type, when alone at least, to sing the randomest shit to fill the quiet. Well, during one of his better spontaneous songs, a suspicious individual overhears. Think Mount Rageon kind of design, but adult and much more corporately power hungry. He carefully sits out in the open while JD is singing, letting the Troll see him when he turns. It startles JD, but the guy acts so genuinely impressed that he puffs up proudly and brags a bit. The Evil Man(lmao) asks about why he quit singing for audiences, and John Dory doesn't quite get into it, but it's been so long since he really talked to someone. He's hesitant, but eventually opens up about his brothers and everything that happened. And that they're probably dead. Evil Man acts all sympathetic, but sees the sun is going down and mentions he has to return home. A fancy little city not too far(for his big ass legs at least). He invites John to come explore, and dude is intrigued and bored. So he hitches a ride on Evil Man's shoulder.

Things go south not too long after. Come to find out, Evil Man had a few other trolls "under his wing". Aka held hostage to act as idols under his name. Maybe varying genres? JD would be the Pop Troll to complete the little group, and is designated as lead man. John is like "uh no way, bye" but Evil Man has magic technology lol. Maybe bracelets that paralyze the wearer if they move too far from a certain area? Something along those lines. So JD is trapped.

With this, Floyd and Bruce hear about JD around the time just before the first movie. Maybe while that's going down, Floyd goes to see one of JD's shows and tries to talk to him. JD panics because Evil Man would 100% either exploit Floyd's talent or use him against JD. So big bro tries to make him leave by saying horrible things? Like "I'm more successful now than we ever were. Why would I leave? I've found my Perfect Harmony." He specifically drops that in to try and clue Floyd in that something is wrong. Floyd, being the empath he is, gets the hint and sneaks in a mention that he'd go find their other brothers then. By the time Floyd meets up with Bruce, the first movie has happened. Second movie happens, let's say, 3 months after? Not too long. As that's happening, Bruce and Floyd try to hunt down Clay. They finally find him when they all suddenly go gray. The strings were broken. John Dory's lil group feels it too, mid show, and it royally pisses off Evil Man. He cuts the music, and JD glances backstage to see the look on his face. He's about ready to legit murder the Trolls, but just in time JD feels a weird warmth in his chest. He goes off script, starts singing acapella and the rest of the group join in. Their color comes back, there's sparkles and magic in the air, and the crowd eats it up. They finish out the show, and Evil Man chews em out. John Dory explains he has no idea what happened, and they manage to get off without too much injury.

Bruce, Floyd, Clay, and Viva(after some convincing) leave to try and figure out what just happened. They hear about the Rockapocalypse over a radio(maybe they have a different mode of transportation? Rhonda comes in later). They hunt down Pop Village in no time, before the Bergen wedding, and find Branch and Poppy. Reunions!!!

As far as I've gotten, gotta get back to work. Will try to add more laterrrr

[eugeneplace]

Your World Domination Au has turned into one of my favorites. I have never seen Poppy as a villain and I love how you handle her in your AU.

Now, I'm truly interested in what happens after she gets all the strings and Branch is zombified.

Does she come to realize what she has done? Does she realize that Branch is a Zombie now? Like, does she realize the consequences of making him a pop-zombie? Because being turned into a zombie probably brings a lot of problems.

Does someone (Viva maybe) make her realize she is doing more damage than goof?

(Also, I love how you draw and your style. It really reminds me of Danny Phantom).

Omg thank you! So glad you liked my silly Au. Poppy is a fascinating villain, I love working with her character <3

Now. Poppy and the pop zombies

She was aware of the risks.

That she would be depriving her people of their free will, that the transformation was probably going to be painful and that she would be left alone in a kingdom full of mindless zombies.

I mean yeah, her first reaction may have been...

... dramatic

BUT WHAT IS DONE IS DONE AND THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

Maybe, if her sister hadn't run away with her treacherous friends, and there had been someone to convince her to stop just at the moment she started to regret her actions...

Oh well, maybe next time?

[themightymoose]

trolls au you say?

well.... let's do this... *large inhale*

okay so it'd be a basic swap au where the pop trolls are the villains and the rock trolls are good

"But Moose, isn't that the whole point of the second movie? That the Pop Trolls were the ones who started the whole thing?" Shhhhhhhhh shut up shut up shut up

Anyways-

The plot would basically start from World Tour. But the first movie is a little bit different, but the main character is Barb so we don't really ""see"" any of it.

First movie context: first of all I would want the snack pack to do more and be their own characters, especially DJ (girlie just disappeared off the face of the earth in the other movies) Branch is more like Creek while Creek is Poppy's childhood, gay BFF. Branch also has all of his colors for reasons. So Poppy throws an obnoxiously loud party and Bergens find them blah blah blah (side note: Poppy acts like a mixture between Adam and Alastor from Hazbin Hotel) Branch and Poppy go on their super fun road trip, they still think the other is annoying because they are massive hypocrites. They're kinda in a rivalry, always trying to one up each other with songs, parties, ect. The movie is basically the same. Creek doesn't sell them out and everyone is happy

World Tour: Barb and Riff are siblings for starters. Riff is older and king of the Rock Trolls, also an older protective big bro. Barb kinda has Poppy's personality, making her the odd one out. Branch is the one going out and stealing all the strings while Poppy stays in Pop Village to look after it's citizens. More Pop Trolls are with him, including Creek. Who does not like this at all. Between the first and second movie, Poppy and Branch grew much closer to each other, with rumors going around that Branch is going to be the king of the Pop Trolls. Which everyone is pretty fond of the idea, since he's very popular among the Pop Trolls. And Branch has grown very loyal to Poppy during this time. Then the same thing with the road trip happens, but with some minor changes. Poppy not only wants to take the strings but leave nothing left standing, so Branch also goes to Vacay Island where Bruce and Floyd are and take over that place as well taking over where the Putt Putt Trolls are staying. So on they're road trip they come across Branch's brothers + Viva. Then yeah when Branch takes the Rock string, Creek finally stands up to Branch (Creek probably had a bonding moment with some of the people on the road trip at some point) either way Branch ends up leaving Creek in the rock place while the Pop Trolls go to bring all the strings to Poppy. Branch probably tells Poppy that Creek is traitor and she probably doesn't even question it. Anyway they also kidnap Barb when she lies and says that she's the Queen of the Rock Trolls, while Riff is like "you fucking idiot"

things happen and now the leaders of each tribe are Pop zombies. The ones who aren't hypnotized notice that Branch looks kind of similar to the Pop zombies. Something that Poppy also notices. So apparently Branch would sometimes use the pop string on himself to make him happy and have color so he'd fit in, which Poppy had no idea about at all. Also Poppy has an existential crisis when she learns that Pop Trolls were the reason why they were divided. And things kind of play out the same until the third movie

also Branch gets taken in the third movie instead of Floyd but that's a different post

[maskyartist]

Feel like I need a list of my current Trolls AUs just to get em in line so here’s a guide for y’all as a treat :)

===

EAT OR BE EATEN - The Putt Putts have turned predators to prey, as lack of food has caused them to become desperate to eat. They lure Bergens and other large creatures, sentient or not, into the Hole in Fun to turn them to meat for their people. As such the Putt Putts have become entirely carnivorous and a touch more feral then normal.

This causes…complications when being reintroduced into modern society. (Post-band together main plot)

===

EXPLOSIVE KINGDOMS - The Putt Putts meet Creek, the supposed “last survivor” of the Pop Trolls that were separated from them during the cave in. Viva decides it’s time to fight back. No longer will they sit and wait. This is no mere culling. It’s an act of WAR! Their plan? Rig Bergentown to the nines with explosives, and cause it to crumble. No kingdom to rule means no people to rule over. Whoever is caught in the crossfire is none of their concern.

It’s a shame it happens a week before the Royal wedding between King Gristol and his beloved, Bridget. Now it’s up to Poppy and Branch to talk down their respective siblings from a potential genocide. (Takes place post-World Tour/pre-Band Together. Still ironing out timeline details)

===

BABY BIRDIE BRANCH - Clay returns to the Pod a month after his departure, aiming to reconcile and repair what he’s broken. He knows he made a mistake, but he’s ready and in a better headspace to try and fix it.

He didn’t expect to find Baby Branch alone and grey and oh so sad.

Clay and Branch are both lost in the cave in, causing Branch to become a Putt Putt Troll. While he loves his big brother, and the kingdom they’ve built, one thought stays clear in Branch’s mind.

The girl he saved that day…is she okay? (Takes place during Trolls 1)

===

THE ROYAL PARTY - The brothers succeed in their attempt at the Perfect Family Harmony and become closer then ever because of it. John Dory’s leadership is less opposed, he listens to his brothers, things are going well. Until the escape and cave in causes the loss off the Royal Family, save for baby Poppy.

Because of their power, the brothers are elected leaders, with John Dory as the head of their group. For some time, things are peaceful. The brothers do their best to handle the Pop Village in their own, inexperienced ways. John Dory is in charge, with Spruce as his right hand man, Floyd as the people person, Clay as Royal advisor, and Baby Branch as their adorable face. Things are good.

Until John Dory discovers the Pop String, and an idea forms.

What if they had all the Strings? What if they were in control of all music? What if he, the leader, the oh so perfect leader, showed the world just how good things could be under his control? His brothers don’t need to know what they’re doing is wrong. It’s his word, and as king, his word is law.

History repeats, after all. (Replaces World Tour)

Lemme know what y’all think and if u have any questions, send em in the ask box! :)

[lulu101]

I’ve had multiple JD AUs in mind but the one I’m most fixated on writing rn is:

- “Hook”

Some info in this AU, trolls can reproduce an egg by asexual reproduction or two trolls have strong feelings for each other that it can manifest through an egg

Another thing to add, the trolls had managed to escape from Bergen Town before Brozone split up, and the Family Harmony was meant to be their first concert in the new Troll village as a way to celebrate

What changes is that once their Grandma’s taken by the Chef and Branch turns grey, King Peppy decides they need to relocate once again, which none of the brother were aware of (I’ll get in detail with Viva and Clay’s situation later)

While exploring the Neverglade Forest and having an egg, he also finds baby Rhonda

The egg reminds him of his brothers, especially Bitty B, and wanting his egg to grow up with his family, he decides to head back

Something goes wrong though and while severely injured, stumbles near the Rock Trolls, where King Thrash and toddler Barb were on a stroll of sorts

Despite clearly being a pop troll, King Thrash does wish to see egg orphaned so he does his best to save JD

Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe and the doctors note that him being able to get close to the Rock Volcano from the Neverglades was a miracle

The egg does hatch and JD gets to hold him before his death but isn’t able to slip out the name he wanted for him (Branch actually knows as JD had once told him as a baby what he would name his children if he had any but his memory won’t be jogged until the end of the fic)

Barb is the one who names him, which is Hook

Hook is then raised by the Rock Trolls, who don’t treat him any differently as he was basically one of them

Rhonda is raised by them as well, her being Hook’s and Barb’s “secret” hideout

Hook helps Barb in World Tour and meets Poppy when she’s captured, who is shocked to meet him as he’s nearly identical to JD from Brozone

He briefly explains that he had been raised by the Rock Trolls, he has no loyalty to the Pop Trolls and is doing it because he feels it’s the least he can do for Barb

Branch doesn’t meet him until after the strings are ripped and every genre gets their color back

Think of it like the scene from Secret of the Wings where Tinker Bell meets Periwinkle, with Branch seeing a familiar silhouette and calling out “John Dory?”

King Thrash has a strong reaction to that name (he had forgotten his name, only knowing he was named after a fish), which prompts Barb and Hook to turn around, Branch going through a mix of emotions at seeing someone who looks identical to JD standing right before him

Cue Branch starting to tear up and growling in frustration/hurt when Hook gets defensive over King Thrash while asking who John Dory is

I already have ideas for Band Together but I feel like I should save them until I’m done with this first part first (there’s define a lot of angst)

Part 2

[amethyst-halo]

got dam.............villain viva au

viva gets separated from the pop trolls like in canon, and after a while, she starts to stew on what led her to get stranded from her family. she starts plotting to unite all the trolls as one unit, and establish them as someone that other people don't want to mess with. her focus falls mostly on the bergens, but she's aware of other bigger species that she applies this to as well.

she begins rallying the putt putt trolls with her, promising safety and prosperity. pretty much all the putt putts are all for it, wanting safety with their families and friends without fear of bigger species like bergens.

she learns about the other troll kingdoms, and this only enforces her ideas. she finds an old map showing the golf course and bergentown, and clay helps her estimate about where the troll kingdoms would be in relation. she and a small patrol head out and, after like a week, find the rock troll territories. they quickly meet barb who's plotting her strings heist, and viva makes a deal with her, offering her and her group's assistance in return for shared power, which barb agrees to.

meanwhile, poppy and branch do the whole first movie thing pretty much on script; chef takes her friends, they go save them, creek betrayal, bridget saves them, poppy teaches them how to be happy. it all pretty much runs as expected up until poppy is about to be crowned, when they're interrupted.

rock trolls swarm them, catching everyone off guard, and scoop up all of the pop trolls. poppy, branch, and peppy end up meeting barb, who is very smug. they demand to know what's going on and who she is, and barb basically is like "your savior, obviously. you're welcome." they're confused, and barb tells them she knows the bergens were going to eat them. when poppy tries to correct her, she won't listen, waving her off.

barb then holds up the pop string, saying she took the liberty of grabbing it while they were gone. peppy blanches, but poppy is confused, and barb explains the strings and how pop ruined everything for everyone. branch asks why they would save them, if she seems to hate them so much, and barb shrugs and says she got a special request.

theyre taken to volcano rock city, where they're kinda locked up and watched closely by rock trolls. branch notices quickly that some of the trolls look different, specifically that they look like pop trolls and aren't dressed like rock trolls. poppy doesn't think much of it, saying they have other things to worry about.

it's a little later that there's a commotion. and then someone comes in and spots poppy, getting excited. peppy recognizes her, and asks "viva?" viva is ecstatic to see them, saying she wasn't sure if they'd still be alive. poppy doesn't know who she is and is confused, and viva slowly clarifies that she's her sister. when poppy is shocked by the info, viva sends a look to peppy and asks why he hadn't mentioned her.

she doesn't let him answer, letting poppy and peppy out. when branch is mentioned, she perks up, and lets him out too. she leads them away from the prison and starts explaining that she came looking for them and has big plans, but doesn't really tell them what the plans are. she leads them into a room where clay is, and clay and branch stare at each other for a second before clay absolutely lights up.

clay very excitedly starts looking branch over, talking about how much he'd grown and how he'd missed him. poppy, confused, asks branch who this is, and viva and clay put together that he's branch's brother. poppy gets excited and asks why he never mentioned a brother, and then puts together that it's clay from brozone and gets even more excited. branch literally tells her to slow down because she's about to pass out from all the revelations.

branch then asks why viva and clay seem to be on barb's side, and viva explains that it'll be explained in due time, but she promises they're going to be safe no matter what. viva then explains she intends to keep all trolls safe, so that stuff like trollstice won't ever happen again. she urges poppy and branch and peppy to trust her, and poppy and peppy agree. branch is a little hesitant, but agrees as well after looking at clay for a moment.

all the while, barb is running around gathering the strings and the other trolls. as they're brought to volcano rock city, poppy is meeting the other leaders, who mostly aren't that thrilled to see her. she assures that everyone is safe, though it doesn't really assure them. branch is still skeptical that viva is going to help them, and voices his concerns a couple of times, but poppy is insistent.

eventually, all of the trolls are gathered, and barb starts her show. she reveals the leaders and her guitar, and is about to begin transforming them when viva appears behind her, telling her she's done enough.

viva takes the guitar, changing the rock strings into pop. barb demands to know what she's doing, saying this wasn't part of the deal, but viva counters that she never agreed to make everyone rock. barb tries to take her guitar back, and viva uses the power chord on her, making her a pop zombie. everyone else is alarmed, and viva takes over, explaining her intention to unite them to protect them. she basically says to join her or she'll transform them too. some trolls try to refuse, but get changed. everyone else nervously agrees.

viva takes the trolls to pop's village, as it's in the middle of the territories. she starts making the village larger to handle the increase in trolls, while also working to make sure she has all of the trolls where she can protect them. poppy is pretty sure she only has good intentions, but branch dislikes how things are going and is trying to insist that this isn't right.

viva eventually starts working on gathering up trolls outside of the troll kingdoms, set on protecting them too. some of her trolls manage to find and catch john dory in the neverglades, which neither branch nor clay are super thrilled about. jd is excited to see them, though, and is eager to catch up. when branch expresses his dislike of viva's plan, jd agrees with him, stating that protecting everyone was overkill and she wasn't going about it in the right way.

john's post card leads them to finding bruce, but bruce is managing to avoid getting brought back. eventually, clay himself goes to get him, and bruce is excited to see him at first. but then he notices the star on his arm, recognizing it immediately. he asks clay not to do this, and clay shrugs and apologizes but still takes him back, away from his family.

viva figures out somehow that floyd is at mount rageous, and when her trolls go to get him, discover he's trapped in the diamond bottle already. they manage to get him out of there regardless and bring him back, where he reunites with his brothers. viva talks to him alone, explaining her intention to protect trolls from stuff like what he'd gone through, and offers to free him if he helps her. after a little convincing, he agrees.

she gets his brothers to free him with the perfect family harmony, and floyd joins clay in helping viva, much to their other brothers' dismay.

all the while, branch and also poppy are slowly gathering up a rebel group against viva, meeting in branch's bunker since viva doesn't know its there. trolls like bruce and john dory, the snackpack, riff, prince d, and a variety of others are a part of it, all trying to come up with a way to stop viva. poppy is adamant about viva having good intentions, which some of the rebels agree with.

the group debates what viva's goal is; poppy is pretty sure it isn't a grab for power, which branch agrees with. theyre pretty sure she is genuinely trying to protect them from harm and is just going about it weirdly. poppy points out that she had barb "save" them from the bergens despite the bergens being their friends now, and it could be simple enough to just tell her things are different than she thinks. branch hesitates, unsure if talking will get them anywhere, but agrees to try.

a small group approach viva; poppy and branch go to talk with her, with a few others as backup in case things get weird. poppy explains that she knows viva just wants to keep everyone safe, but things have changed, that the bergens don't eat them anymore. viva doesn't believe her, calling it a dumb joke. the more poppy tries to reason with her, the more tense and angry viva gets- viva snaps that she's protecting her, and poppy says she doesn't need protecting.

it sort of spirals into an argument where viva feels cornered, telling poppy to stop and leave her alone. branch and the other rebels join in to try and reason with her, which only makes it worse. poppy sees this and tries to reach out, to offer comfort, but viva lashes back completely on instinct, knocking poppy away.

everything stops then as viva realizes she'd just hurt her sister, and poppy is a little stunned but clearly doesn't blame her. viva, overwhelmed, kicks them out and tells them not to bother her or she'll change them with the power chord. poppy doesn't want to leave her alone, but branch pulls her out of there.

with their plan having gone completely sideways, branch states talking it out isn't going to work, and poppy is too subdued and upset to argue. they start trying to figure out how to physically stop her, and riff points out the guitar, saying if they can get it away from her, that stops a significant threat as she can't change them anymore.

they plot to steal the guitar, certain that if they take it viva will slow down enough for them to reason with her. poppy insists on helping because she wants to help viva.

viva has plans for a presentation or concert or something, because she's gathered all the trolls she can reach, in order to rally them against people like the bergens. the rebels sneak around and manage to interrupt viva's thing, poppy getting hold of the guitar. viva again insists she's protecting them, and poppy insists they don't need protecting. viva basically pleads with her, stating she won't lose anyone again, that she can't lose anyone again. poppy says she won't, that things have changed and it's better now, but viva hasn't even looked to see it. she points out that she's done damage, having forced the trolls into essentially one genre and tore some away from their families, like bruce. viva says she isn't listening, none of them are, its for the better, it has to be for the better, because their music is what keeps putting them in danger with other species.

before poppy can react, viva grabs the guitar from her again. and then, she smashes it, destroying the strings and music along with it.

as everything falls silent, viva stands straight and says basically, "there. now no one has a reason to hurt us anymore."

everyone kinda just stops, those changed into pop zombies slowly understanding what happened. it's a lot like the end of world tour, where they start making music anyways.

poppy tells viva that life has risks, and that there are bad people, but it isn't worth changing who you are. being yourself brings joy to both yourself and others. their music isn't something she can take away and she shouldn't do so anyways. viva's a little freaked out, pointing out bergens ate them for their happiness, and people like velvet and veneer used them for talent like they had with floyd, and she just doesn't want that to happen to anyone else. poppy says that's why they have each other, to protect one another as they go around being themselves.

i don't know how to word the last message and i don't know how to wrap it all up nicely but YEAH!

[mspiggy]

what if the Pop Trolls DID take over? (aka Troll Nation AU)

(inspired a widdle bit by game of thrones, more by all the time i've spent playing crusader kings, and all in service of a parb arranged marriage lmao... i have been working on this for three and a half years so be nice uwu)

the premise is this: the Pop trolls successfully retained control of all six strings, making them the defacto rulers of all the troll kingdoms. the Bergens were never a threat to the Pop trolls as a result, due to the powerful magic of the strings being an effective deterrant.

after a few years of revolts and unsuccessful attempts to unseat the pop trolls, treaties were drawn up determining the rights and obligations of the newly-declared Troll Nation's constituent states.

to assist in balancing the influence and power of the six core genres, the Imperial House of Pop uses the six strings (set in the "Harp of Harmony") in a ceremony that takes place once every ten years, to select the "Sound of the Decade." for example, the sound of the decade before Poppy born was Pop, Funk, and Techno; as a result, Funk and Techno enjoyed preferential treatment as compared to the Rock, Country, and Classical trolls. (this is also my reason for Cooper to still grow up in the Pop Kingdom; he was a ward sent by his parents to ensure Funk remained more or less free of excessive Pop control).

in "the present day," troll nation is led by Queen Viva of the house of pop. her younger sister Princess Poppy is her heir apparent. she rules over a troll nation wracked by the stirrings of revolution. Sheriff Delta Dawn of Lonesome Flats seems to be threatening secession from Troll Nation following the unauthorized execution of a Pop troll by a Country posse, an act easily construed as outright aggressive.

Pop trolls live in the Troll Tree, officially dubbed Trolltreetropolis but often referred to as Pop City or Pop Central. it's a little metropolitan wonder, where the most famous and powerful trolls live.

Funk trolls remain in Vibe City; their contact with the other troll kingdoms means there is a much higher level of technology throughout Troll Nation, leading to troll mass media, troll cell phones, troll internet... centered around the Troll Tree, of course!

Rock trolls are led in name only by King Thrash, who is held up by a series of Pop-appointed advisors. his coolest daughter, Princess Barb, assists him in his daily duties as ruler and has big plans for the throne, once she takes it. Rock trolls typically roam around their territory in their bands, a little like the Mongols of Earth history. a schism between Soft and Hard Rock took place some centuries ago, leading to Soft Rock trolls to mostly occupy land at the border between Rock and Pop.

it has been over 25 years since Rock has been in favor, with Viva's most recent Sound of the Decade favoring Techno and Funk again. fortunately for Barb, she's spent a lot of time reading the ancient treaties over the course of her many tours. through reading these old legal documents, she's discovered a clause to ensure Rock never falls out of favor for too long:

if Rock is not selected as part of the Sound of the Decade for more than 25 years, an alliance must be made through the marriage of the Rock monarch's heir to a member of the Imperial House of Pop. lucky for Barb, after the expulsion of her shitty brother Bash and his band The Party Crashers (WINK WINK~) for selling intel to the Pop trolls, Barb became the heir apparent of the Rock Kingdom.

tell me if you wanna hear more tbh! i'm obsessed with this au enough that i came up with three weed-smoking girlfriends "groupies" for Barb (Rock trolls are definitely polygamous) and adapted Bash from The Beat Goes On into a Rock troll sibling for Barb to compete with...

[pinkpasgetti]

Explaining my trolls au.

It's called thanks for the memories

Basically, rock and pop both tried to take the strings in the past but never succeeded and now it's the classical trolls' turn. The tribes are still in contact but they're still isolated except for their amabassdors and Poppy being friends with Cooper . The Bergens never started eating the pop trolls either so Viva is Queen. Branch is the king of rock and Poppy has a disease which gives her memory loss and makes her colors dull.When the classical trolls announce their "world tour" Poppy hides in Volanic Rock City with Branch and Barb.

Clay and Creek are the ambassadors for each other tribes

Grandma Rosiepuff never died so she's still here( Branch's brothers still left him tho)

More doodles

I wrote two chapters on wattpad. My account name is pinkpasgetti88

[crazytrolls]

Unnamed Trolls AU (Branch Centric)

✨🔮: Crystal 

🍵: Trolls 'Humanity' Effect

⏰: Time Effect 

👑: Ruler Stuff 

🎗: The Strings 

🥩: Gore 

🥚: Kids and Eggs 

🌱: Tree Crystal history 

❓: Questioning/Unsure/ Might Change

🌑🎋: Branch 

🌻: Smidge 

🦙: Cooper 

💝: Poppy 

Most likely creepy 

Animalistic 

Much larger then normal Trolls 

❓Should they be the only ones to have tails? (Except Country trolls)

🌱✨Feral Pop Trolls with a curse 

Most likely a Crystal curse (Under the Dying Pop Trolls Tree but due to the negativity it was slowly syphoning with the wishes and prayers, Despair and desperation of the Pop Trolls a Crystal slowly formed) 

🌱✨🍵Many Trolls have claws and tails to help balance because they could not use technology and other things to move forward since it would be destroyed on Trollstice or be targeted by the Burgans and used to find Pop Trolls, so they mostly just climb using their claws and hair and grab things with their tails

This leads to extremely strong leg and arm muscles 

🥩Most likely graphic 

🥩Most likely bloody 

:Stick🌑🎋: Fun fact Branch's Greying and coming in contact with it was what finally tipped the magic scale after he stumbled upon the Crystal (he has kept it since he finds it reminds him of his grandmother) ❓❓❓❓

Might change it to: where he found it while digging in the tunnels to make it safe and was going to give it to her as a birthday gift, saving it and was so happy that day that he started singing which got his Grandma Eaten 🥩(might change it to he gave her it but that was the thing she dropped?)🥩

He wanted to throw away the Crystal a first but didn't because he couldn't dare part with a gift that reminded him of her, especially since he knew they where escaping soon and wanted to take at least one thing with him before then 

❓❓❓❓

⏰Transformation happens slowly

 🔮⏰It only took 3 years for them all to fully turn only because Branch didn't try to hang around others much especially while feral (✨the closer and more exposed the faster the Transformation) 

⏰✨Only Trolls around the crystal at that time where effected 

⏰✨Aka No Trolls (who did not spend time around the tree by the time of Branches Greying) changed (Aka Brozone, and half formed PutPut Trolls with Viva)

However- the transformation does stop when enough distance is put between them and the Crystal (Aka Putput Trolls) 

⏰🥚Younger Generations don't see King Peppy as their king nor knew him to be their leader over years worth of time before transformation so of course they would challenge him when of age 

🔮⏰🥚The Younger they are the easier the transformation is (So the younger trolls started getting very sick first and started transforming, most elder Trolls don't make it most of the time) 

No Troll noticed until it was far too late to change anything because they where looking for a place to settle down and call home, (they only though that disease was spreading though-out the village while they where looking for a home)

🌑🎋🥚Branch was taken into the fold of the group quickly especially since he was young and their basic instincts said to protect young (he was noticed a lot due to the crystals pull on their instincts) 

🌑🎋🥩❓Branch also is the Bearer of the Crystal and has it tightly looped in knots around either his wrist, ankle, or neck (though he tends to nearly strangle himself when he puts it around his neck Bc he doesn't know how to tie thins so he just wraps them Around his body tightly and switches things up when the area grows numb or irritated 

🌑🎋🌻 👑Branch is actually a Competitor for the position of leader as well as Smidge because they are both strong 

NOTE - 🌑🎋👑Branch of course was a bit less swayed to fight for the position and as an older Pup fought that instinct actually but as soon as he knew about Poppy's Challenge he immediately signed himself up naturally to fight for the position especially since he was of age 

🍵Protein and meat was extremely valuable and sought after when the Burgas trapped them in the cage and Built around it, they could not get much of it and many died of starvation and lack of nutrients so they have desire to hunt meat and bugs for food 

🍵Children where always fed first when it came to meat and protein so the children have a greater liking to it 

🍵Most Trolls will actually protect what they find 'small and helpless' because of their past with the Bergans

🍵✨Only Trolls are effected, the Crystal makes any other species feel sick or uncomfortable 

🍵Ferals still know how to do things because they remember doing those things 

🥚🦙Cooper hatched near the Crystal and is far more feral and wild because he doesn't have anything to tie him down like the other Trolls 

🍵🥚⬆️The Children are also like this as well 

🎗👑💝The string of Pop Music is woven onto the hair of the Pack Leader (They follow King Peppy Instinctively because they remember him as one, there have been no fights for the position until Poppy started to Grow up and challenge her father) 

🎗The string is played by the leader once every year on the day of their escape because they are still drawn to the music- Branch isn't as much as the others but the pull of the string is far more powerful then his disdain of it 

[sarilolla]

*looks at my three main Trolls aus (and the other not posted ones)*

Damn this creatures going through the horrors

Anyway, I’m bored and made the mistake of listening to SCP readings before bed (again), so feel free to send me asks about my aus! Different Beat, Experiment Pop, and Hanahaki Branch plus the ones I haven’t posted about or have only mentioned, I'm hopeful for questions about any of them :)

Other asks and headcanon asks are open too! Don’t need to be about an au, I just have a need to ramble rn

Just a warning, some of these are dark and slightly (or very) gruesome and few or none are completely happy (I'm so sorry Trolls, I love you)

I’m sorry, these creatures have infected my brain and the only way to get them out is angst, misery and pain

Small descriptions of each au:

Different Beat: Featuring my main oc Juniper, Poppy’s older cousin, this is an au where the Pop Trolls distance themselves from Troll Kingdom after escaping the tree. King Peppy is dead, Viva is gone, so Poppy is queen at age 5 as Juniper is String Keeper (the position is separate to ensure survival of their tribe and their music under the Bergens). Current point in timeline: 10 years after the escape, the royal cousins plus Branch, Cooper, and a new friend Jackie (oc) is on their way to Vibe City

Experiment Pop (Warning: Will become darker after a while): Tired of the flavors of the Trolls, the Bergens experimented on them. The Pop Trolls became twisted and odd, gaining new powers in the process. Being grey makes Branch’s powers go haywire, and Poppy is keeping a secret about hers. Current point in timeline: Just after the failed 20th anniversary of freedom party, Chef captured no Trolls (ORIGINAL STORY IDEA THAT HAS BEEN POSTED NO LONGER FULLY APPLIES! Big changes have been made to add more angst and also incorporate some new headcanons and the Trolls 3 characters)

Hanahaki Branch (Warning: Will involve death and other semi-dark topics, as explored in my ficlets): Despite being left behind by his brothers, Branch still loves them. They were his everything in the beginning, and that love manifested in flowers blossoming inside his lungs. He gets a support system in Poppy, the Snack Pack and Kismet, but will he survive when his brothers are nowhere to be found? Current point in timeline: Start of the first movie, Poppy and Branch agreeing to go together to Bergen Town

Then there’s the little mentioned or not posted ones

Viva has the Pop String: Escaping Bergen Town came with a huge loss, not just with the Trolls left behind, but the potential of their entire genre disappearing. Peppy still has to build up a village and raise his daughter, but the loss of the oldest and their music (arguably their most powerful weapon), weighs heavy on him. When the World Tour rock-and-rolls around, how will things work out? Potential WIP, might be worked on after one or more fics have been finished

Product Pop (Warning: Dark stuff. Trolls are seen as livestock/slaves. This au is NOT kind to them, and I don’t see a happy ending for it. (Made after the second movie came out)): The Pop Trolls escape but they’re few, and things aren’t stable for a long time. Branch and Cooper leave after 10 years, longing for a place where they will fit in better (Cooper in Funk, and Branch in Rock (his mother is a Rock Troll in most of my aus)). King Peppy is sick, and dies, leaving Poppy to rule at just age twelve. Not a year later and they’re found by a species called Elves, specifically by a woman named Lilith Silvertongue. Just as awful as the Bergens but greedier, she takes the entire village and finds a way to extract their essence without killing them, turning them into livestock for her candy she sells to other giant species. She keeps Poppy as a pet and the mascot of her brand, her little songbird, and takes the Pop String too. When she discovers there’s more Trolls out there with potentially different flavors, well, she will find them, even if she has to force Poppy to become a traitor to her species. Technically a WIP, but it needs polish before I will post anything “official”

Pop World Tour: (After the second movie, other genres taking over became a popular trope, so I’m piggybacking on that but with Trolls 3 characters too) The first movie didn’t end on a happy note, and around half of Pop Village was lost. Poppy has the Pop String, and searches old records about its history. That’s also when she finds out she has a sister and potentially more people out there. Obviously, she needs to reunite them. She needs to reunite them all! With her fiance Branch there’s nothing they can’t do! Viva is skeptical of her baby sister’s plan, instead wanting to offer sanctuary to the surviving Pop Trolls. Poppy is not happy about that, and uses the Pop String to hypnotize the Putt Putt Trolls to help them take over. Clay escapes after a tense confrontation with his baby brother, and has to find the rest of his brothers to see if the Perfect Family Harmony can snap his people out of their current state. With Pop and Putt Putt Village combined, Poppy sets off with her love and her sister to reunite all of Trollkind in a place out of range of any and all giant species who might harm them (having heard rumors of Mount Rageous). Will Poppy succeed in her plan? Will Cooper accept finding his biological family (Poppy promised him they wouldn’t be hurt)? Will Branch come to his senses and help his brothers? Will Brozone manage to unite, perhaps with new friends, against their own tribe? Potential WIP

[surpriseraisin]

spiteful au some thoughts

if it was going to continue i think it would be by doing more world building about the strings and also exploring other effects of songs.

we've seen that songs/music can have magical effects (power chord, perfect family harmony, jazz music, hustle button, etc) also like branch bringing back color with the song and bringing back music and color in general during the ending of world tour

theres also the effect of a pinkie promise (which honestly kinda looked like the perfect family harmony)

so one of the key difference is that floyd made a pinkie promise to come back and become a family again before leaving branch.

velvet in this au; she keeps the talent and a permanent stain of magenta. she discovers that the talent grows stronger the more applause she gets, and that there's a certain allure to the audience so even those who may have put together that this was troll based talent or witnessed the tragedy from the trolls perspective it gets washed away by the pop songs.

but velvet also notices that she's been getting migraines and that there's been a soreness and bump growing on her head. it could be a troll egg manifesting, containing floyd in order to try and fulfill the pinkie promise. it could be a nasty side effect of imbibing concentrated troll essence, especially fully consuming the troll.

veneer is proper horrified and is no longer singing with velvet, but is acting more like a manager. he's organizing her shows and watching over her routine, and its to make sure she doesn't get more trolls and that he knows what she's doing. has been noticing the migraines and the complaints of a bump. may also be hearing voices; could be a side effect of partially imbibing floyds essence.

branch and his brothers were transported away by rhonda, bridget and gristle. branch has fully gone catatonic and is being led along by poppy. john clay and bruce still in the diamonds are being held by bridget and gristle. they look uncomfortable. clay is practically vibrating with energy, fiddling with his arm bands and tugging at his hair. john is clutching his head or hitting the walls. bruce is holding himself and looking at the other brothers, telling them not to hurt themselves.

viva is trying to lead them along and is silent but is now convinced that bergens may have become friendly but there are still monsters out there and her fear is very much valid. She's trying so hard to not bring up her concerns, because everyone is so distraught, but she really wants her sister and everyone away and out of here.

much later viva remembers the story that poppy told her about the other trolls and the real history of the pop trolls and the string. in turn viva tells poppy about the stories she used to hear during her childhood from their dad, that she thought were just fairy tales but may have truth in them if the other trolls are real.

such as the lengths pinkie promises can change the world to be fulfilled or the consequences of it being broken. powerful enough to have an effect on the fabric of the world. << this discussion is not brought up until later when branch gets absorbed into legends and myths to see if there could possibly be an answer when poppy tried to get him out of the funk by saying there has to be an answer don't give up branch.

maybe they can fully bring floyd back by singing a particular song and sacrificing some of their talent. to replace the void of talent that was taken from floyd. or maybe they siphon some of floyds original talent away from velvet, and supplement it with the song and put it all together with some kind of ritual

[cosmicheartz]

GOOD EVEVNING PEPPY ASSISINATION AU????? IM ALL EARS ^w^

OK OK SO IVE BEEN TALKING ABT THIS IN A TROLLS SERVER IM IN SO HERES THE GENERAL IDEA

so it would take place a couple of months after tbt and Viva is going through it with learning abt the fact her father pretty much erased her memory/presence with the pop trolls post bergen escape along with many other things ( like the strings/the other troll genres ) . Poppy is also going through it with the realization that " oh my god my dads an awful person " ( she and peppys relationship was already rlly rocky post twt ) and eventually after Viva and Cooper offically meet and they have a dicussion abt how Peppy screwed them over Viva kinda snaps and is like " i want this man dead " Coopers pretty much on board with this bc he knows how Viva feels bc post twt he was also going through it with the fact Peppy hid the truth from him too. They bring up the idea with Poppy whos a lot more hesitant bc Peppy didnt fuck her over as badly as he did them and yknow the fact that peppy is the only living parent Poppy and Viva have. However after stumbling upon this

( btw the source for this is apparently from the trolls remix rescue game btw ) its Poppys final straw and she agrees to the plan. So they decide to hire one of the bounty hunters ( i havent decided who but im gonna go with either Dickory or like some sort of oc/unknown troll kind of deal ) to kill him but before that they decide to have a family dinner with him ( like a one last meal kind of situation ) so they can tear into him abt how shitty of a dad he is/was. a whole argument ensues and after the trio leave Peppy gets fucking eviscerated by the bounty hunter The trio hide the body to the best of their abilities but the body was found anyways and the act 2 of this movie is basically a whole murder investigation and interrogation along with the trio telling their trusted companions abt this ( particularly Branch for Poppy, Clay for Viva and the Funk Fam for Cooper )

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 9 - A Case

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, is it a lead?, 2k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Late the next morning, the guys stood with Julie’s family at the airport. Alex couldn’t believe that weeks of jamming together, writing music together, goofing around while Ray was filming, and dinners cooked by Julie’s aunt Victoria had all passed so quickly.

“It’s only another two months,” Julie was muttering to Luke, her eyes looking up into his with a special gentleness. Her hands gripped the top handle of her backpack with white knuckles.

“You’re gonna kill it out there,” Luke encouraged. The softness he applied was so different from what Alex usually saw, and he wasn’t looking forward to how miserable Luke was about to get in her absence. A painful thought told him it was probably similar to how he was at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Having someone else reflect that wasn’t as nice as he thought it would be.

“Okay, kiddos, let’s get a photo!” Julie’s aunt was saying, shepherding them all together.

“Your mother asked me to take more pictures, so I’m taking all the pictures I can, sobrina,” Victoria came back.

“Tía,” Julie protested, rolling her eyes but smiling anyway.

Getting in formation, Alex positioned himself in the back by default, resting his arms on the shoulders of his bandmates while Julie, Flynn, and Carlos huddled together in front. After being uncomfortably squished into Reggie for a few seconds, he got blinded momentarily with the flash and was pretty sure he’d blinked. Then again, he was sure Bobby had been giving Reggie bunny ears, Luke was off balance, and Carlos had pulled a face, so it was likely that Flynn and Julie were the only ones who looked good in the photo.

“Ay, dios,” Victoria said afterward. “Your mamá is at least going to laugh a lot when she sees these.”

“I don’t know about the rest of y’all,” Flynn said, flipping her braids over her shoulder. “But I look amazing.”

Everyone chuckled and Ray picked up his carry-on.

“Alright, one last hug for everyone and then we’ve gotta board,” he said, pulling Carlos into his side. “You be good for your tía, alright?”

“Promise!” Carlos nodded with his typical grin.

Julie was already squished by Flynn and all the guys at once.

“Okay, before I get hugged to death,” she teased. They all let go of her. “I’ll miss you guys.”

“We’ll keep in touch, though, right?” Luke asked, his eyes wells of hope.

Julie looked up at him and smiled demurely.

“If you had a phone I could reach you with, then of course,” she told him.

“Yeah,” Luke muttered, pulling a Sharpie out of his back pocket. Alex smirked at seeing him be so prepared. Luke grabbed Julie’s hand and scribbled out a number, both chuckling lightly the whole time at how over the top he was being. “There, you’ve got my number.”

“Great,” Julie said with mixed awkwardness and amusement. “I’ll try not to wash my hands before I give you a call.” With that, she shouldered her bag and waved at them before joining Ray on the plane.

Bobby wrapped an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pivoted him so they could walk out of the terminal. Flynn and Victoria followed behind them while Carlos began running ahead of the boys.

“Don’t go too far, Carlos,” Victoria warned. “We don’t want to lose you.”

“You could still find me if you wanted!” he taunted, even though he made sure he remained in sight.

“He’s right,” Flynn smirked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Victoria said. “I’m taking a break while my sister needs support.”

Alex’s interest piqued at what he overheard.

“Wait, what do you mean?” he asked, pulling back from the rest of the group.

“I mean I’m putting my job on hold to help take care of my sister,” Victoria said, slightly confused at his question.

“Yeah, but what was your job?” he insisted, trying not to sound too intense about it.

“Oh,” she laughed. “I was on a team of investigators. We worked on missing person cases, mostly. But I’m taking a sabbatical.”

A mesh of things rushed into Alex’s mind and he wasn’t sure if he dared say them out loud. He had that strange feeling again, like he’d had when he first met Willie in the diner. That exhilaration.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Victoria told him casually. “If you’re wondering about Luke, his case is through a completely different department, and I can’t do anything for or against him.”

“No, it isn’t,” he started. “What if there was evidence of a really old case? What would it take to pick it back up?”

She blinked at him.

“Well, if it’s a strong enough lead, then it would be worth looking into,” she said. “Why, do you think you know something?”

“No,” he said finally. “Well, it’s probably nothing, just a funny coincidence.”

Reggie’s words from last night echoed: sometimes a kid is just a random kid. Other arguments surfaced. There hadn’t been anything to tip him off that Willie had gone missing as a kid, it was just a poster with the same first name. Why did he get so excited about it? He gripped the strap on his fanny pack.

Victoria looked at him with mild concern.

“Okay,” she said. “Like what?”

Looking at the guys, Carlos, and Flynn in the distance, Alex breathed in nervously.

“I actually saw a poster for someone, and usually I don’t pay attention, but it matched the description of someone that I met a few weeks ago.”

“You mean, when you were in Las Vegas?”

He nodded.

“I would have to see the whole case, and reopening old ones takes a little more work. But if you truly think you know something, Alex, this is a very serious matter and I would need as much information as you could give.” She looked at him firmly.

Alex was caught on all the thoughts swirling in his mind as they entered the parking garage. He felt himself begin shaking. Maybe he was jumping the gun?

“Well, like you said, you’re taking a sabbatical. And I’m still thinking it’s a coincidence, so, I’d hate to take your focus away from Rose.”

Victoria smiled politely, although her eyes didn’t reflect it.

“Well, I appreciate that,” she told him as she made towards where Carlos and Flynn were already waiting at her car. “If you change your mind, just let me know.”

A car horn from somewhere else was heard and Alex saw the guys all waving at him to join them in the van. Taking in a deep breath, he nodded to Victoria and ran over to join his bandmates.

“Dude, what are you doing talking to Julie’s aunt?” Luke wondered.

“Nothing,” Alex responded. “She just has a cool job and I wanted to know about it.”

“You know who else has a cool job, Alex?” Luke asked. “We do. We have the coolest job. Don’t get distracted.”

Alex buckled himself in as Bobby pulled out of the garage.

“I’m not, I swear!”

Reggie just patted him on the back with his goofy smile. Alex rolled his eyes, knowing the guys meant well. He could feel that all of them were trying to be normal around him, so he couldn’t blame them for their efforts. He knew he hadn’t been as easy to deal with lately. It wasn’t anything major, but something had gotten him acting more closed off from them, and he was balancing letting the guys be aware of it and trying not to burden them with it at the same time. Maybe that’s why he wanted to connect Willie to the missing kid. It probably had made him think he could get closure after everything that had happened on the trip. He didn’t want to accept the saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’

He couldn’t focus on that now, though. They had a few small gigs lined up and needed to get practicing. Opening for Julie had broadened their fanbase a little and things were going to change. Alex already didn’t handle change well. If he remained focused on something else, it was only going to make matters worse.

Later that night, they were just wrapping up practice in the garage. Bobby had popped a string on his guitar and ran into the house to grab a replacement.

“Alex, you were killing it, man!” Reggie was saying.

“Nah, I was just keeping it steady,” Alex shrugged.

“Seriously!” Reggie insisted. “You’re like the Energizer bunny! You know, always in pink, keeps us going, banging the drums - ”

“You should never make that comparison again,” Alex said, holding a hand up. “But alright, I was smoking, I’ll admit it.”

“Yeah,” Luke joined in. “Keep playing like that and you’ll be the next Neil Peart.”

Bobby reentered the garage.

“Hey, Alex,” he said. “You’ve got a phone call.”

All the guys, including Alex, looked confused. 

“Okay...guess I’ll go get that,” he said, heading into Bobby’s house.

Finding the phone attached to the wall outside the kitchen, Alex picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Alex, it’s Victoria, Julie’s aunt,” he heard on the other line.

“Hi,” he answered, even more confused than before. “How did you know I would be here?”

“The number your friend gave my niece. She said that’s where you kids like to practice. I guess I called at the right time!”

He simply nodded in response, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Anyway, I wanted to know more about this person you saw.”

“Oh, okay.” He tried to remember as many details as he could while he gave them to her. He was pretty sure he could even remember the address for the hotel. Victoria just said ‘mmhmm’ in between everything, like she was writing it all down. It got Alex sort of excited, even though he remained bewildered that she was asking him for all of this information.

“Okay,” Victoria sighed after a few minutes. “I need to ask a favor of you boys.”

“Yeah, anything,” Alex said.

“Look after Carlos for a couple days? I can pay each of you.”

“Uh,” he blinked in surprise. “Yeah, cool, we can do that.”

“Perfect! And Alex, muchas gracias.”

“It’s nothing,” he said, glad to recognize at least one phrase in Spanish. “Thanks for calling.”

“No problem, kiddo. Ba-bye.” She hung up before him.

Alex slowly put the receiver back in place as he stood there processing. What had he just involved himself in? Julie’s aunt hadn’t exactly explained why she suddenly wanted to know everything about Willie. As he went back into the garage, he tried to calm his nerves.

“Well, who was it?” Luke asked as they all sat around waiting.

“Julie’s aunt,” Alex told them. “She wants us to watch Carlos for a couple of days.”

“Aw, yeah!” Reggie exclaimed, pumping his fists excitedly.

“Why didn’t she just tell me, then?” Bobby wondered.

“Because she wanted to finish the conversation that you guys so rudely interrupted before,” Alex said, only half-joking. 

Luke and Bobby shared a puzzled look, but let it slide.

“Did you tell her we have a gig in a couple days?” Luke asked.

Alex’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no, I forgot,” he said.

“He can just be our VIP,” Reggie stated, clearly unbothered about it.

“That works,” Alex said, gesturing to Reggie.

A cold realization hit him and he clenched his fist. He’d forgotten to mention more than their gig to Victoria: he also hadn’t told her about Willie’s amnesia.

Victoria looked down at the picture in her hand. It was familiar, since she had worked on that case when it first opened. One of the few that had gone unsolved in her department for a long time. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t about to make a mistake.

“So, where are you going?” Carlos asked as he chewed a mouthful of fries. They were sitting beside the wall of posters on the pier.

“I’m just checking on something,” she said vaguely. “If you want, I can bring back something for you.”

“A million dollars?”

She chuckled. “Unfortunately, I don’t think so.”

“Are you gonna be solving a case?” he queried.

Looking at the picture again, Victoria sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile. She knew he would want to help.

“I’m not sure, bendición,” she said. “But maybe.”

Checking the address she had written down and the map once again, Victoria stepped out of her car and into the hotel lobby. No one was at the front desk, so she rang the bell on the counter. A young man with dark curly hair appeared.

“Welcome to the Desert Oasis, how can I assist you?” he said cooly, and she recognized his Brazilian accent.

“Hi, I made a call this morning for a reservation? For a Victoria Mo- ”

“Ah, yes, I remember your call,” he interrupted. He looked up the room in his records and pulled out a key. “Your room will be on the second floor and then all the way down the hall to your right. Have a wonderful stay.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the key, grabbing her one bag and heading up as fast as she could.

Hermana mía, por favor me perdones, she prayed silently in the elevator. If she was going to solve one case while she was supposed to be on sabbatical, it would be this one. She remembered searching high and low for this boy eight years ago and the devastation then. Rose would surely understand this, right? Victoria knew that if their positions were swapped, Rose wouldn’t be able to help doing something similar to help the people around her. It was just a family trait, she figured.

Getting situated inside the room, she pulled out the poster she’d pulled off the wall from the pier at Santa Monica and laid it on the table. Alex had called him Willie. She hoped they were the same.