I’ve been thinking about political views a lot lately, specifically how people always claim that you 'can’t be in the middle.' I think I’ve found a good way to explain why being middle centered is not only possible, but actually makes a lot of sense.

We tend to connect specific concepts to specific ideologies. For example, diversity is always pushed to the left, while tradition is pushed to the right. But a person can easily value both. You can agree with certain ideas from one side without blindly signing up for that party's entire package deal. That’s exactly how you end up in between, right in the middle.

I think AI is one of those things that can be incredibly useful or incredibly hollow depending on how people use it. In research, medicine, science, accessibility, absolutely, there’s real potential there. It can speed things up, organize information, help people learn, even open doors creatively.

I don’t think it should completely replace human creativity entirely. Art, writing, acting, music.... that stuff comes from lived experience, emotion, flaws, heartbreak, humor, late nights, weird little obsessions… the human mess of it all. That’s the part people connect to.

Like for example, King Candy swinging a stick at Vanellope and trying to ram her car into a Pilar with her in it

YES!

I don't believe forgiveness requires pretending those actions didn't happen.

In my AU, let's call it the Middle Ground Au, Vanellope has no idea WHY King Candy hates her so much.

She feels she's being left out and picked on for something she and she alone has wrong with her. That she suffers alone.

When she passes the glitch along to King Candy it's BECAUSE he takes a swing at her. It's a moment that can't be erased for me, it's IMPORTANT to see how much he loves Sugar Rush translated to how willing he is to hurt her.

Her seeing him glitch and continue to glitch gives her a sense of kinship, realizing he's the only one who knows what it's like to live with that and understands WHY he targets her for it, it's all self hatred, she pities him and understands him.

To be clear, even if he KILLED her she would respawn. He is aware of this, it doesn't make scaring or hurting her OKAY but he sees it as one of many things that 'must be done' to protect the game. Protecting the game from a problem he caused.

The Cybug transformation and trying to kill Ralph happens in my AU too.

The Middle Ground AU just deals with the aftermath of Turbo's identity and actions, Vanellope being told the story of Turbo, Vanellope thinking that race between them was... AWESOME.

Another thing is that she finds Sugar Rush BORING in cannon after King Candy is gone. I genuinely think she seeks out races that have more DANGER involved because that race was so EXCITING.

In the Middle Ground AU they ram eachothers karts equally, use power up boxes while racing, run eachother off the road, and enjoy every minute of it.

That scene came about from pure desperation and fear on Turbo's part. He projects onto Vanellope and blames her for his fears.

The AU gives them both time to work those things out and find... well a MIDDLE GROUND!