I like to imagine that in any atla modern au, aang still, for some reason, finds a reason to beat ozai’s ass
Aang: *explaining to someone that he is a pacifist*
Sokka in the background: yeah except for that time in high school when you kicked the shit out of Zuko’s dad
Aang: THOSE WERE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES PLEASE —
sokka: did it feel good
aang: violence is unproductive, and the antithesis of —
sokka, talking over him: because watching Zuko’s dad get his shit rocked by teen Caillou definitely made ME feel good. and if you do something that makes people happy, doesn’t that mean it’s a good thing?
aang: . . . that’s not how it works but thank you.
Aang: I think problems can and should be solved without violence!
Ozai: *does something characteristically shitty within Aang’s field of vision*
Aang:
the rest of the gaang watching Aang judo flip Ozai over a table:
Gyatso that night at dinner: I received an interesting call today.
Aang, sweating: oh wow crazy how that happens isn’t it? Technology is amazing
Gyatso: It was from your school. They were calling to tell me that you’ve been assigned after school detention for the next month because you beat up a grown man on campus today. Would you like to tell me your side of the story?
Aang: it was Zuko’s dad and he deserved it
Gyatso, who had a speech about the perils of succumbing to violence prepared but who also knows all about what a dirtbag Ozai is bc of his weekly brunches w Iroh:
it's also honestly my experience that the people most dedicated to pacifism are the people who most want to solve problems by punching someone, and who are Really Good at punching someone, but by having that skillset quickly realize its incapable of solving most problems. There is ONE problem you can definitely solve through violence, and it's when you meet a person who thinks that what they're doing - while wrong and even evil - is societally without consequences. I mean, what's going to happen? You gonna punch him in the face? you're not gonna punch him in the face. no one is. he's invincible. Aang, meeting Ozai, realizes that this is a man who has never feared being punched in the face for his actions. Aang solves this problem.
