#100daysofbadassery

[hannahfons]

Gaze upon Franciszka Mann of Warsaw, considered to be one of the finest dancers of her generation before she was sent to the Auschwitz death camp in 1943. Accounts differ on some details, but most agree that upon being herded into a room with dozens of women and ordered to strip, Mann distracted an SS guard (possibly by stripping *for* him), snatched his gun, and shot him and another guard, killing him and grievously wounding the other. Mann and her companions were of course massacred - but rumor has it that when the chaos subsided, one Nazi was missing his nose, and another had been scalped. #100daysofbadassery #fucknazis #rememberfranciszka #beamann #badassbeauty #fascistsgetscalped

[hannahfons]

This is a Black Rain Frog, found most commonly in Southern Africa. The BRF can tunnel deep into the soil, then puff its body up with air, making it almost impossible for predators to remove. If a predator *does* manage to extract the frog from its lair, it will likely be incinerated by the BRF’s lethal side-eye. #100daysofbadassery #BRFFTW #amphibiansofinstagram #dafuqyoujustsaytome

[hannahfons]

Like we could have an Encyclopedia of Badassery without including Mellivora Capensis, aka the Honey Badger! Members of the weasel family, HBs are incredibly strong, nearly tireless in combat, and largely impervious to bee stings, porcupine quills, and snake venom. They literally eat cobras for lunch, have been known to steal lions’ kills, and will dig up and eat human corpses - though their paws-down favorite is bee honey. #100daysofbadassery #hurrrnybadger #HBFTW #donotfuckwiththehoneybadger #mellivoracapensis #letthemeatsnake

[hannahfons]

Here we see two mamuthones, Sardinian folk characters of mysterious origin who perform a day-long ritualistic dance/procession to honor Sant’Antonio, the protector of animals and fire. Mamuthones dress in secret, their wooden masks, goat-hair cloaks and bandoliers of copper bells often weighing 80+ lbs. When the masks come off, the mamuthones are men again - but while they dance, they become the collective soul of Sardinia. #100daysofbadassery #mamuthones #sardiniancouture #hellsbells #saintoffire

[hannahfons]

In honor of the first 100 entries, I remind y’all of a favorite quote, courtesy of Virgil: “Death twitches my ear; ‘Live,’ he says. ‘I am coming.’” #100daysofbadassery #livehard #hailthevictoriousdead #mykindaguy #makeitcount

[hannahfons]

Behold the tiny, near-microscopic tardigrade (aka the Water Bear, or even the Moss Piglet), possibly the toughest creature on the planet. Tardis can handle temps of -458 degrees, withstand x6 the pressure of the deepest ocean trench, and have even survived 10 days unprotected in the vacuum of space. They appear to be nearly immune to radiation, and are unbothered by boiling - but despite their staggering resilience, tardis mostly just like to hang out in regular old garden dirt. #100daysofbadassery #mosspiglet #tardiB #waterbeardontcare #cockroachesgotnothin

[hannahfons]

Meet Exù, the Trickster, the guardian of the crossroads, forests, taverns, and other in-between places. Recognized in some form across nearly all Afro-Caribbean-Brazilian religions, Exù is a complex, multifaceted figure who confounds morality, defies gender, and manipulates the fabric of reality to impart wisdom and self-knowledge...for a price. #100daysofbadassery #laroyeexu #trancaruas #quimbanda #trickstersdoitbetter #carefulwhatyouwishfor #yesiknowthispicisabelincoln

[hannahfons]

Take a gander at the Huashan Trail in Shaanxi, China - a system of wooden planks, iron rods, rings, and chains nailed some 6,000ft up the side of holy Mt. Huashan by Daoist monks and nuns in the 2nd century. Supposedly 100+ people fall to their death each year trying to make the 6hr trek to the shrine at the summit. #100daysofbadassery #huaSHANT #watchyostep #plankwalkinthesky #thatbetterbeareallygoodshrine