hey, graphic design majors, guess what font this is :P

AUTISM RESPONSE: Rubber ducks and other rubber bath toys can accumulate mold on the inside because of small holes underneath where moisture becomes trapped. The mold often goes unnoticed because it's not visible from the outside.

If they're supposed to be law-abiding citizens, then no. The Fire Nation's trademark topknot comes from the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), a very brutal and militaristic period in Chinese history. There are quite a few aspects of the Qin Dynasty that are present in the Fire Nation, for example...

During the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE), Shi Huangti banned religion and burned philosophical and religious works. Legalism became the official philosophy of the Qin government and the people were subject to harsh penalties for breaking even minor laws. Shi Huangti outlawed any books, which did not deal with his family line, his dynasty, or Legalism... Confucian scholars hid books as best as they could and people would worship their gods in secret but were no longer allowed to carry amulets or wear religious charms.

In this sort of climate, men are viewed as tools of the state, so self-expression is not encouraged. That said, even under those conditions, men found ways to jazz up their topknot by adding little braid patterns and decorations in the back. They also had unique facial hair styles, although that might have been due to each soldier having a different capacity to grow a 'stache and beard.

However, in both the context of the Qin Dynasty and the Fire Nation, a man without a topknot would indicate he's some sort of criminal or shameful person. In which case, I suppose any hairstyle is acceptable for a law-breaking character.

Of course, there's far more nuance to any place and time period, but I'm speaking strictly in terms of how the stereotypical understanding of this dynasty influenced this specific show. Avatar: The Last Airbender, as a show, leaned pretty heavily on the stereotypes of specific dynasties to emphasize the "vibe" of certain locales or people. For example, the wealthy and cultured Beifong family dresses in Tang Dynasty clothing because the Tang Dynasty has a reputation for being a time of exceptional prosperity and cultural achievement in China. The Earth Kingdom's capital of Ba Sing Se is visually modeled after the Beijing of the late Qing Dynasty, because Ba Sing Se is depicted as complacent and only interested in its own self-preservation, at the expense of the rest of the nation. Obviously, the real Tang Dynasty and Qing Dynasty were complex eras that possessed both virtues and flaws, but we're talking about a children's cartoon employing artistic shorthand.

Compared to other dynasties, the Qin Dynasty has quite a number of historical artifacts to use as artistic reference, simply by the sheer scale of the Terracotta Warriors. That, combined with the stereotype of the Qin Dynasty as very militant and repressive, makes it reasonable to assume they were a large inspiration for the imperialistic Fire Nation. It would also be reasonable to assume that a repressive and militaristic society would frown on its men sporting overly unique hairstyles, in addition to hair being tied to filial piety in Chinese culture.

So this person has made it so that the post can't be reblogged, but I'm just going to clarify one more time:

The Fire Nation's topknot was modeled after the Qin Dynasty. That's what I mean when I say that a cartoon hairstyle "came from" the Qin Dynasty. Because we literally have detailed historical evidence of exactly how the Qin topknot looked and the Fire Nation's hairstyle resembles it.