Here to Discuss

[nightskyli]

I need to focus more on Brozone's thoughts on Rosiepuff post Band Together. Clay, Bruce, and John clearly thought she was alive due to how caught off guard they were when Branch said she was gone. They did not have any time to process that or all the implications during the movie with everything going on either.

While I operate under the assumption Floyd knows she is gone during the ending on Vacay Island; even then the movie doesn't confirm either way.

I think the older four have so many regrets when comes to their Grandmother. They can talk with Branch and attempt to make things right with him. But they will never get to do that with Rosiepuff.

Everyone has their own ideas of what their relationships with her were like before they left. But at the end of the day, they can never truly have the kind of closure that comes with talking things out with her too.

I headcanon it's one of their biggest regrets.

[nightskyli]

I think all the time how terrifying Branch's egg must have been for Brozone. They love him no doubt but it is clear their parents have been gone for awhile in the flashback at the beginning of the movie.

Most agree their parents were gone before Branch hatched and I firmly side with that.

Which means those four knew they were the only ones left to help raise this baby besides their Grandma.

I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for them. Their parents are gone and a baby on the way that is going to need so much attention and care. And then the band is getting super famous.

They love Branch but I cannot imagine being a teenager and realizing there is about to be a defenseless baby brought into this world with only you, your brothers, and Grandmother left to take care of them.

That massive age gap between them and Branch is so interesting to be honest.

[nightskyli]

To this day, I love all the AUs where one or more of the brothers end up raising Branch.

Especially the AUs where he ends up with them outside of Pop Village.

Neverglades Branch, Putt Putt Branch, On the Road Branch, and Vacay Island Branch.

Some of my favorite versions of Branch for real.

[nightskyli]

I love Gary's character. I adore how supportive and loving he is towards Marshall. Getting to see his parents and sister was adorable.

But he definitely got pushed to the background this season. Which I get, they have been juggling alot. Plus what they have doing with Marshall has been really good.

However, the confirmation that Gary has unresolved feelings and trauma from his childhood is something I hope they explore in the future. His parents clearly love him dearly but they dont know what he went through as kid. Does Marshall? Has Gary told anyone what he did to make sure his family ate well?

All in all, I hope if there is a 3rd season of Fionna and Cake, they explore that more. Gary needs some character focus after this season.

[nightskyli]

Brooklyn's reactions to everything regarding Ben's injury and nearly dying gets me.

Because the others have already been through the death of a friend. A member of their family. They lived for months thinking she died. They know that pain and are about to experience it again.

Brooklyn though? She has witnessed the others nearly die several times (but they were okay right after and/or she could do something) and did think Ben died very early on when he fell off the monorail. However, that was before they bonded, before they were close? Now? It is clear she loves Ben dearly. And she ends up in a moment where she's helpless to save him and she thinks she's going to watch him die painfully.

Do you think she sometimes looks at the others and wonders how they ever forgave her for letting them feel that kind of pain for months?

Watching one of them die slowly and painfully for less than 24 hours nearly shattered her. Do you think she sometimes wonders if she would have ever forgiven one of them if they did that to her? After everything with Ben?

Ben getting injured and nearly dying is so fun to chew on from Brooklyn's perspective considering her character arc for real.

[nightskyli]

Personally, I am so glad the writers made the decision to have Ben live in the end. For me, what happened was so much more satisfying than if he had died.

The six of them have been through so much together and they fought so hard to save him, his death would have been so bleak.

Instead, I am really glad Ben got to live with the knowledge of how loved he truly is. Plus, they made it clear Ben will probably have long lasting affects from what happened for a long time, maybe even the rest of his life.

I like this outcome because it's not a magical "Ben is all healed" moment. It's a "Ben will be loved and taken care of by his found family like he took care of them many times while he gets better and learns to adapt with what happened" moment.

I really like the message that Ben may never be as mobile or as physically active as he was before the injury, but he is still loved, cared for, and valued. More media needs messages like that tbh.

[nightskyli]

As much as I hated that it happened, Ben getting severely injured was needed for the Nublar 6 dynamic. Not just because the injury brought them all together again, but it's clear Ben has been carrying doubts about his place in their relationships with each other for a long time. This gave them a chance to let Ben see how much the others love him, it gave the other five a reality check in how they treat him, and it made them realize how much he means to them.

[nightskyli]

I have been thinking about Brozone's parents. How their absence haunts the brothers despite not even being brought up in Band Together. No matter if the parents died or willingly abandoned them for good when Branch was an egg, it's just happened with Branch being so little in the flashback. Four teenagers who lost their parents along with knowing their baby sibling will never really know them.

And it's just: Does Branch know anything about his parents? Does he know their names? What they looked like? Or was what happened so painful Rosiepuff and his brothers never mentioned them?

The angst with the parents is so good. Because his brothers mourn the people while Branch probably mourns ghosts he knows nothing about.

I hope the brothers tell Branch about their parents post Band Together.

[nightskyli]

I would pay so much money to have seen Brozone's reaction to seeing the bunker for the first time. Just them getting hit hard with how much Branch struggled and how badly he spiraled after Rosiepuff was taken. The storage of food and drink that was meant to last for years? The writings on the wall? All the weapons and traps? Just all the implications of what's inside his bunker.

Because all they know after being rescued from the diamonds is that Rosiepuff died and he was left to fend for himself after that. They do not know he was gray for 20 years, they do not know that he blames himself for what happened to their grandmother. They do not know he was still so young when she died. They do not know he lived in almost complete isolation during his formative years.

Seeing that bunker for the first time, everything in it...must have been absolutely soul crushing.

[trollstopiatrolls]

🖤 Branch’s Wall: Trauma on Display

Okay, so we all saw Branch standing all proud in Trolls, looking like he’s got life totally under control. But then… the wall behind him 👀

It has dark energy, it's chaotic, and screaming trauma. Every word, every scribble, every creepy little drawing tells us exactly what years of fear and loneliness look like.

✏️ Words that Hit Different

Bergens → obvious, the nightmare fuel

Fear / Danger / Run / Hide / No → yeah, he’s got hypervigilance on repeat. His brain basically says, “If you see it, flee immediately.”

Eat us / Teeth / In the night → predator paranoia level 100. 'In the night' = time-specific fear. Classic 'don’t let your guard down' energy

Unreadable scribbles → trauma too raw to even write properly. Some things you just can’t process

🎨 Drawings that slap (but also terrify)

Bergens looming / trolls surrounded by teeth → hello, PTSD. Helplessness + survivor guilt in crayon form

Repeated drawings (yes, four identical ones) → trauma looping (Maybe it's just a lazy production choice, but they did put in so many details in these movies, that it might have been on purpose)

Red lines (adult Branch only) → danger zones? Patterns? Either way, he’s trying to take the chaos and organize it… sorta

👶 Kid Branch vs 🧑 Adult Branch

Kid: frantic, chaotic, obsessive panic, raw trauma everywhere

Adult: slightly organized, still obsessed with panic, adding red lines like, “Look, I got this… kind of.”

Basically, trauma doesn’t just vanish. it evolves

💔 Trauma Bingo

Survivor guilt → all the trolls who didn't make it, including Grandma

Isolation & loneliness → the walls = diary + therapist

Chronic hypervigilance → run, hide, repeat

Attachment trauma → loss of BroZone, Grandma… anyone he cared about

Re-experiencing trauma → repeated drawings = brain stuck on replay

Separation anxiety -> lost BroZone, Grandma, and other trolls

Life-threatening fear -> firsthand memory of Bergens hunting trolls

Hypervigilance foundation -> survival instincts encoded early

Helplessness / learned helplessness -> repeated predator imagery shows internalized belief 'I can’t control this.'

Attachment disruption -> young Branch has no consistent adult figure for reassurance

Social mistrust -> avoids others, warns unnecessarily, cautious with relationships

Internalized responsibility -> feels the need to prepare for threats constantly, even if imaginary

💭 Mental disorder = the long-term effects that trauma (and other factors) leave behind.

These are ongoing psychological patterns: the way your brain and behavior adapt or struggle because of trauma, stress, genetics, or isolation. So: trauma = the wound -> mental disorder = the scar and how it heals (or doesn’t).

🧩 Mental Health Bingo

1. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance, overreaction to triggers (e.g. loud sounds, surprises

2. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), constant scanning for danger, 'what if' thinking, inability to relax

3. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), loss of joy (turning grey), social withdrawal, self-blame, feeling hopeless

4. Social Anxiety Disorder, fear of or being misunderstood and discomfort in groups

5. Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies, repetitive behaviors for control (like the red lines on walls), routines for safety

6. Attachment Disorder (insecure-avoidant), avoids deep bonds, struggles with trust, panics at emotional intimacy

7. Survivor’s Guilt (subset of PTSD), internalized guilt for being alive when others died

8. Sleep Disturbances / Night Terrors, likely due to PTSD, linked to the 'in the night' scribbles

Branch looks confident. Wall says: “I am haunted, hyper-aware, and carrying decades of trauma”.

He’s proud, we’re proud, but also… damn, this troll needs therapy.

[fluffykitty149]

I definitely agree with using this for writing, because this is such a thorough analysis of Branch’s trauma. Like mentioned by OP, Branch’s trauma isn’t something that can get swept under the rug, and that’s probably why he struggled fitting in with the village. As a result, he probably got fed up with people trying to turn him into “a proper troll” and isolated himself as a result. The isolation wasn’t healthy, but he deemed it better than the alternative of having to deal with people who tried to placate his worries rather than help him. That’s my theory anyways.

[nightskyli]

One thing I wish the movie had given more clarification on is Brozone's thoughts and feelings on the Bergens. John doesn't react to any of them at the wedding, they are on Vacay Island during the ending, even Clay didn't seem too fussed about accepting Poppy's explanation about them being on good terms now, despite having lived in an area where trolls are terrified of Bergens for years.

Granted, that could have been his concern for Floyd overriding everything in that moment, but still.

When Clay tells them Viva's backstory, neither John or Bruce seem surprised in the slightest, like they already knew about the escape despite John saying he didn't realize Branch was alive until he heard about the Rock apocalypse.

Brozone's lack of reaction to the Bergens just feels so off in this universe, no matter if the Bergens were around before they left or not.

[nightskyli]

The harmony forming around Branch first both times he is part of an attempt says so much about who he is as a person.

The movie tells the audience through the conversation between Floyd and Branch that no one has ever pulled off the harmony before. Yet the first time Branch and his brothers try together, they start to succeed. It only failed because the older four didn't truly have faith they could pull it off together. Which is understandable considering how much pressure they were under. I will always say they only lit up because Branch was there and he fully believed they could. Without him, I don't think it would have worked at all.

This just shows how much Branch truly loves the people around him and, the way I see it, that he's a prodigy in some ways. Something that has never been pulled off before gets started twice because of his belief in the people around him and how he impacts them?

Branch is so good.

[nightskyli]

The way Bruce's expression falls and his whole demeanor changes when John mentions the harmony will always get me.

He was beyond excited to see Branch and was genuinely happy to introduce his brothers to his wife and kids.

Then John mentions the harmony without bringing up Floyd.

That must have stung so much for Bruce. Here he is, not really knowing why his siblings are on Vacay Island but probably hoping they are there to catch up with him.

Only to find out they are there because they need him for the harmony. It is even worse because John has roped Bitty B into agreeing. Bruce was most certainly seeing his younger self in Branch at that moment. The one who went along with John. Now their baby brother has fallen under that influence too.

No wonder Bruce was so ready to get them their lunches to go. That one split second must have felt like nothing had changed. Might have felt even worse. Because what do you mean Bitty might be here to pressure him too?

[nightskyli]

I love Poppy so much during Band Together. Yes, in the beginning she was pushing Branch to reunite with his brothers without really listening to him. But this wasn't done out of malice or anything like that, she pushed him because she loves him very much and she knows he misses them. She pushed him because she wanted him to be happy.

Over the course of the movie, she realizes why Branch was so hesitant to let his siblings back in his life in anyway.

Then when he leaves Rhonda and she chases after him, she never once mentions his brothers or going back to them. She has come to accept and understand that while she wants him to be happy, what happens with his siblings is up to him. She still likes Branch's brothers, that's clear by the ending. But Branch comes first for her and she left them behind and went with Branch without a single ounce of hesitation.

Poppy did made mistakes in this movie, but her motivation throughout the entire runtime was wanting Branch to be as happy and content as possible. She thought Brozone being back would make him happy.

[nightskyli]

As much as I agree Brozone needs to acknowledge and accept that Branch is now an adult. And treat him like one. I also think Branch will need to accept and understand his relationships with his brothers are always going to be different than the ones they have with each other. The huge age gap between him and them being part of the reason why.

Brozone are all 30 plus years old while Branch is in his 20s. They all have 10 plus years of life experience on him. Even after everything he has accomplished.

Who you are in your 20s is definitely not who you are in your 30s.

I definitely would not approach the brothers who are a few years apart from me the same way I would approach the one who was in diapers when I was a teenager.

So while I completely agree Branch is valid in wanting to be treated like an adult, I think he will need to understand why the age gap does impact the dynamics he has with them.

[nightskyli]

Me anytime I see content where Brozone meets and interacts with Branch in the time period where he's a teenager to pre the ending of Movie 1: HECK YEAH!

Seeing all the different interpretations of how they would react to and handle meeting Branch while he's so isolated, closed off, and gray is everything.

Especially because Branch would probably refuse to hear them out. He'd probably just walk off and tell them to go away for good.

How this would impact their relationships not only with Branch but each other is something I think about alot.

[nightskyli]

I headcanon that if the Perfect Family Harmony worked during Branch's first show and Brozone stayed a band throughout the years, that Branch is the one who would have eventually left his family behind with no contact for awhile when he was a teenager.

Because he has been a child star in a band his brothers started and made famous before his debut for years. Everyone only sees him as Bitty B, the baby brother. No one sees him as Branch, his own person.

He doesn't tell his brothers how he feels, eventually just has enough around 15 and bolts. He loves his family, always will, doesn't intend to stay away forever, but he needs time to be his own person and not part of a set.

He leaves behind a note explaining why he packed up his stuff and left. That he needs to find himself, that he doesn't know how to be himself outside of the band. That he does not know who Branch is, not really.

He doesn't write it to guilt his brothers but to tell them why he needs space.

Doomed by the narrative tragic siblings Brozone, how I love thee.