#St. Katherine of Alexandria

[blogdemocratesjr]

1. Bob Dylan as Isaac by Titian 2. Eugene Hütz as a Templar knight, oil painting 3. Greta Thunberg as St. Catherine of Alexandria by Raphael

[amor-madonna]

Your problems = your Patron

Parental issues- St. Eugene de Mazenod

Tired - St.Joseph

Mental illness - St. Dymphna

Victim of SA - St. Maria Goretti

Problems with sexual urges - St. Augustine

Loneliness - St. John the Apostale

Vision Problems - St. Lucy

Being ugly - St. Rose of Lima

Low grades - St. Joseph of Cupertino

Fealing far away from God - St. Mary

Financial issues - St. Joseph

Risky Situation - St. Katherine of Alexandria (pls lray to her for Motorcyclist!!)

Issues with your spouse - St. Valentine

Overeating - St Charles Borromeo

Undereating - St. Catherine of Sienna

Balding - St. Agnes of Rome

Being hexed - Saint Columba of Spain

[acotars]

books read in 2023

january

sweep in peace by ilona andrews

one fell sweep by ilona andrews

a court of mist and fury by sarah j. maas

sweep of the blade by ilona andrews

sweep with me by ilona andrews

my best friend’s exorcism by grady hendrix

kiss her once for me by alison cochrun

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

love and other words by christina lauren

sweep of the heart by ilona andrews

the only living girl on earth by charles yu

witches get stuff done by molly harper

you had me at hola by alexis daria

her vigilante by lillian lark

inconvenient daughter by lauren j. sharkey

anon pls. by deuxmoi

you are eating an orange. you are naked. by sheung-king

legends & lattes by travis baldree

bad vibes only (and other things i bring to the table) by nora mcinerny

signs of cupidity by raven kennedy

bonds of cupidity by raven kennedy

crimes of cupidity by raven kennedy

read: 23

february

exciting times by naoise dolan

sweethand by n.g. peltier

you made a fool of death with your beauty by akwaeke emezi

something wilder by christina lauren

highly suspicious and unfairly cute by talia hibbert

you deserve each other by sarah hogle

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max goldstone

would you rather by allison ashley

read: 8

march

meet me in the margins by melissa ferguson

king of battle and blood by scarlett st. clair

the exotic by hampton sides

river of shadows by karina halle

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

lovelight farms by b.k. borison

the soulmate equation by christina lauren

before i let go by kennedy ryan

haunting adeline by h.d. carlson

the lies i tell by julie clark

one jump at a time by nathan chen

our wives under the sea by julia armfield

all systems red (the murderbot diaries #1) by martha wells

before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi

read: 14

april

funny you should ask by elissa sussman

make a scene by mimi grace

sweeter than chocolate by lizzie shane

the kiss quotient by helen hoang

my favorite half-night stand by christina lauren

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfeld

icebreaker by a.l. graziadei

the wedding proposal by john swansiger

circling back to you by julie tieu

by the book by amanda sellet

a lady’s guide to mischief and mayhem by manda collins

love in the time of serial killers by alicia thompson

if the shoe fits by julie murphy

whispers of you by catherine cowles

the kiss curse by erin sterling

by the book by jasmine guillory

honey & spice by bolu babalola

one night on the island by josie silver

the bodyguard by katherine center

the reunion by kayla olson

the neighbor favor by kristina forest

crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo

do i know you? by emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka

just my type by falon ballard

delilah green doesn’t care by ashley herring blake

happy place by emily henry

dating dr. dil by nisha sharma

icebreaker by hannah grace

count your lucky stars by alexandria bellefleur

stone cold fox by rachel koller croft 

fake it till you bake it by jamie wesley

read: 31

may

the dead romantics

motherthing by ainslie hogarth

the woman in the library by sulari gentill

artificial condition (the murderbot diaries #2) by martha wells

the last word by taylor adams

you shouldn’t have come here by jeneva rose

read: 6

june

fourth wing (the empyrean #1) by rebecca yarros

the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

read: 3

july

the traitor queen (the bridge kingdom #2) by danielle l. jensen

the beast by katee robert

baldur's gate: descent into avernus by by james introcaso et. al

forget me not by julie soto

the wishing game by meg shaffer

read: 5

august

the true love experiment by christina lauren

pachinko by min jin lee

almond by sohn won-pyung, translated by joosun lee

hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey

read: 4

september

hey, u up? (for a serious relationship): how to turn your booty call into your emergency contact by emily axford & brian murphy

everyone knows your mother is a witch by rivka galchen

fangs by sarah andersen

a room with a view by e.m. forster

juniper bean resorts to murder by gracie ruth mitchell

one's company by ashley hutson

the mysterious affair at styles by agatha christie

solita: a gothic romance by vivien rainn

you, again by kate goldbeck

the undertaking of hart and mercy by megan bannen

my roommate is a vampire by jenna levine

the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

the vampires of el norte by isabel cañas

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado

evil eye by etaf rum

the seven year slip by ashley poston

read: 17

october

keeper of enchanted rooms by charlie n. holmberg

the serpent and the wings of night by carissa broadbent

shy by max porter

down comes the night by allison saft

the unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic by breanne randall

the hurricane wars by thea guanzon

read: 6

november

a witch's guide to fake dating a demon by sarah hawley

the wake-up call by beth o'leary

when in rome by sarah adams

the view was exhausting by mikaella clements and onjuli datta

hello stranger by katherine center

practice makes perfect by sarah adams

do your worst by rosie danan

read: 7

december

bookshops & bonedust by travis baldree

the fake mate by lana ferguson

read: 2

final count: 127/100

[mydailyvintagephotos]

#InternationalWomenDay

American 🇺🇸 Actresses

Marilyn Monroe 🇺🇸 Los Angeles California 1926

Lucille Ball 🇺🇸 Jamestown New York USA 1911

Dorothy Dandridge Cleveland Ohio

🇺🇸 USA 1922

Lauren Bacall 🇺🇸 Bronx New York 1924

Lana Turner 🇺🇸 born Wallace, Idaho 1921

Ava Gardner 🇺🇸 born North Carolina 1922

Katherine Hepburn 🇺🇸 Hartford Connecticut 1907

Grace Kelly 🇺🇸 born Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1929

Bette Davis 🇺🇸 born Lowell Massachusetts USA 1908

Joan Crawford 🇺🇸 born San Antonio Texas 1904

Jean Harlow 🇺🇸 born Kansas City, Missouri 1911

Lena Horne 🇺🇸 born Brooklyn New York 1917

Barbara Stanwyck 🇺🇸 Brooklyn New York 1907

Eartha Kitt 🇺🇸 St Matthew, South Carolina 1927

Jayne Mansfield 🇺🇸 Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania 1933

Natalie Wood 🇺🇸 San Francisco California 1938

#InternationalWomenDay

English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿/United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Actress

Elizabeth Taylor 🇬🇧🇺🇸 born

Hampstead United Kingdom to American 🇺🇸 Parents 1932

Vivian Leigh 🇬🇧 born British India to English/Scottish/Irish Parents 1913

Olivia dehavilland 🇬🇧 Tokyo Japan 🇯🇵 to English Parents 1916

Joan Fontaine 🇬🇧 born Tokyo City Japan 🇯🇵 to English Parents 1917

Angela Lansbury 🇬🇧🇮🇪 born London England to English / Irish Parents 1925

Diana Dors 🇬🇧 born Swansea England 1931

Julie Andrews 🇬🇧 born Walton-on-Thames England 1935

Jean Simmons 🇬🇧 Islington London England 1929

French 🇫🇷 Actress

Brigitte Bardot

Catherine Deneuve

Simone Signoret

Audrey Hepburn 🇧🇪

Actress born In Brussels Belgium 🇧🇪

1929

Ireland 🇮🇪

Irish Actress

Maureen O’Hara 1920

Canada 🇨🇦

Canadian Actresses

Mary Pickford 🇨🇦 born Toronto Canada 1892

Norma Shearer 🇨🇦 born Montreal, Quebec Canada 1902

Deanna Durbin 🇨🇦 born Winnipeg, Canada 1921

Egypt 🇪🇬

Egyptian Actresses

Samia Gamal

Cairo Egypt 🇪🇬 1924

Shadia 🇪🇬

Cairo Egypt 🇪🇬 1931

Faten Hamama

Mansoura, Egypt 🇪🇬 1931

Zubaida Tharwat 1940

Alexandria Egypt 🇪🇬

[sapphicmsmarvel]

2023 reading catalog

January

a million to one by adiba jaigirdar 💜

Iron widow by xiran jay zhao 💜

An encore of roses by st gibson 💜

Im a therapist and my patient is going to be the next school shooter by Dr. Harper 💜

I’m a therapist and my patient is in love with a pedophile by Dr. Harper 💜

I’m a therapist and my patient is a vegan terrorist by Dr. Harper 💜

The disturbing incident at lonesome woods boarding school by dr. harper 💜

One dark window by rachel gillig 

February 

The twisted dead by darcy coates 

The house across the lake by riley sager 

Renegades by marissa meyer 🤍

Archenemies by marissa meyer 🤍

Supernova by marissa meyer 🤍

Daisy darker by alice feeney 

March 

The lost apothecary by susan penner 

MHA 37 by kohei horikoshi 

The pronoun lowdown by nevo zisin 

The queen's english by chloe o davis

MHA team up 1 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

To make monsters out of girls by amanda lovelace 

MHA team up 2 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

JJK 0 by gege akutami 

MHA team up 3 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

Hell bent by leigh bardugo 

Spice road by maiya ibrahim 

The stardust thief by chelsea abdullah 

The london seance society by susan penner 💜

All the dangerous things by stacy willingham 

April 

The fae princes by nikki st crowe 

Carnage by sarah bailey 

Final offer by lauren asher. 

Glitch by briana michaels 

Never lie by frieda mcfadden 

The locked door by frieda mcfadden 

The inheritance by cassie cole 

Emily wildes encyclopedia of faeries by heather fawcett 

 The stolen heir by holly black 

May 

Chaos by sarah bailey 

Corrode by sarah bailey 

Cataclysm by sarah bailey 

Howl's moving castle by diana wynne jones 

Fourth wing by rebecca yarros 

Cursed crowns by catherine doyle + katherine webber 

Girls of fate and fury by natasha ngan 💜

We free the stars by hafsah faizal 

A war of two queens by jennifer l armentrout 

The crown of gilded bones by jennifer l armentrout 🤍

Malice by heather walter 💜

Misrule by heather walter 💜

June 

MHA vol 38 by kohei horikoshi 

Sofi and the bone song by adrienne tooley 

jjk vol 21 by gege akutami 

jjk vol 22 by gege akutami 

lore olympus vol 4 by rachel smythe 

the fiancee farce by alexandria bellefleur 💜

the only survivors by megan miranda 

what lies in the woods by kate alice marshall 

the last word by taylor adams 

you’re invited by amanda jayatissa 

ward d by freida mcfadden 

once returned by darcy coates 

double pucked by lauren blakely 

mated to the monster by sarah spade 

July

the thicket by noelle w ihli 

the good lie by ar torre

a naughty lesson by mika lane 

love creekwood by becky albertalli 💜

the heartstopper yearbook by alice oseman 💜

demon in the wood by leigh bardugo and dani pendergast 

the young elites by marie lu 

nick and charlie by alice oseman 💜

a haunted road atlas by christine schiefer and em schulz 

the rose society by marie lu 

the midnight star by marie lu 

a wicked education by mika lane 

a sinful classroom by mika lane 

the girl from the sea by molly knox ostertag 💜

August

how to sell a haunted house by grady hendrix 

the foxglove king by hannah whitten 

seven faceless saints by mk lobb 💜

divine rivals by rebecca ross 

sing me to sleep by gabi burton 

silver in the bone by alexandra bracken 

foxglove by adalyn grace 

assistant to the villain by hannah nicole maehrer 

September

a broken blade by melissa blair 

bonesmith by nicki pau preto 

the angelmaker by alex north 

the family across the street by nicole trope 

October 

the sun and the star by rick riordan and mark oshiro 💜

lore olympus vol 5 by rachel smythe 

the chalice of the gods by rick riordan 

fangs by sarah anderson 

throne of the fallen by kerri maniscalco 

kingdom of the wicked by kerri maniscalco 🤍

kingdom of the cursed by kerri mansicalco 🤍

kingdom of the feared by kerri maniscalco 🤍

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon 💜

catwoman soulstealer by louise simonson, samantha dodge and sarah j maas

starling house by alix e harrow 

November 

savage hate by amanda richardson 

a curse for true love by stephanie garber 

forged by blood by ehigbor okosun 

if i have to be haunted by miranda sun 

heart trick by kristen granata 

the legacy by elle kennedy 

odd man rush by kristen granata 💜

that one night by emily rath 

pucking around by emily rath 💜

pucking ever after vol 1 by emily rath 💜

iron flame by rebecca yarros 

my hero academia team up missions vol 4 by yoko akiyama and koehi horikoshi 

December 

spin the bottle by stephanie alves 

as good as dead by holly jackson 

the lightning thief by rick riordan 🤍

the sea of monsters by rick riordan 🤍

i am not your final girl by claire c holland 

the titans curse by rick riordan 🤍

the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan 🤍

[thebirdandhersong]

When I was planning out Kat's character and family for the Fittes fic, I was originally going to have her full name be Kateri (a name and backstory I personally love) but had to make some changes because of a certain plot detail that resulted in her family being Eastern Orthodox instead of Roman Catholic, resulting in her full name being Katherine (after St. Katherine of Alexandria) Piama (after St. Piama of Egypt) Godwin. But the month where her name was Kateri felt pretty good and natural too

[ettawritesnstudies]

13 for the amazing devil ask!

Do you have any weird or off-the-wall interpretations of a ruin song?

I know a lot of people interpret Blossoms as a Witcher song with respect to Jaskier and Geralt but I hadn't seen the Witcher or know that much about it. To me, it's a song about how your words can be dangerous if you're not careful. I've always been a very argumentative person and when I get angry it's sometimes very hard not to treat conversations like a fistfight I have to win. Blossoms is the phrase "pick your battles". This song is a reminder that hard discussions can be a garden instead, that if you put in the work to understand each other, can yield beautiful blossoms, instead of being trampled by an outraged army. You can keep the soldiers behind you as a defense if you really really need it's but if you resort to using them too often, you'll have regrets. I picked St. Katherine of Alexandria as my confirmation saint because she could debate with charity and I often pray for her guidance and intercession whenever I find myself in those situations for the patience and grace to handle it well. The "saint of never getting it right" is the devil on my other shoulder telling me to set the world aflame.

[richmond-rex]

Consider this description of Katherine’s good government of her people from the verse legend in the Red Book of Bath:

Heo [she] kept heore [her] servauntes & heore howsholde [her household] / With clennesse of levinge [living] under goddes lawe; / Wonder hit is to thenke [think] a mayde [maiden] yong be bolde / So to rywly [rule] heore self [herself] alone as I trawe [I believe]. / Ther was no wast [waste] in no wise of mete [food] ne drinke, / But the powre [poor] hadde part of fode [food] and of cloth; / Heere many studied and somme dude Swynke [some did work], / In prayour [prayer] and labour, as trywe [honest] men doth [do].

— Jacqueline Jenkins and Katherine J. Lewis, St Katherine of Alexandria: texts and contexts in Western medieval Europe (2003)

[etpraelia]

tag drop.

[inky-duchess]

History Bites: Bad Ass Moments (Women)

In History Bites, I pick the best moments of history and the antics historical figures in order to give you inspiration for your WIP. Think of History Bites like prompts, only juicer and 90% accurate (results may vary).

Today, we will discuss the bad ass moments of history (women). This post may have a part two. Let's get to it.

Arsinoë IV was the younger sister of Cleopatra. During the civil war between her elder sister and brother who were meant to be jointly ruling, Caesar besieged Alexandria on behalf of Cleopatra, taking the royal family hostage within the palace. In the confusion after the Library of Alexandria was accidentally burned down (I mean Caesar, I love you but you're fucking dick for burning the library), Arsinoë escaped the palace and took command of the Egyptian army. Under her control, the army enjoyed success even trapping Caesar as he tried to take the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This was an important symbol to the city as well as a masterful weapon, whoever controlled the Lighthouse controlled the harbour. To escape, Caesar had to swim across the bay throwing off his great purple cloak and fine armour, holding up his important papers as he limped back to dry land, defeated by a 15-18 year old girl.

Katherine of Aragon handed Scotland its biggest defeat in history. She led troops at Flodden, winning a battle where the Scottish King died. When she wrote to Henry as well as sending him the Scottish king's coat and banners, she mentioned that she had wanted to send the body of the king but the nobles were being pussies and said no. It may have been the shadiest letter of all the Tudor period.

Artemisia Gentileschi was one of art and history's all time bad asses. She was a skilled painter at a time when women were not permitted to attend art schools. She surpassed her father's own works and some of his other students. At 18, she was raped by another artist. In a time far behind today's understanding of rape and justice, Artemisia took a great risk in publicly accusing her rapist. She underwent numerous tortures so the judges could be sure she was telling the truth. The rapist was convicted (a major win). Artemisia went on to become one of the Baroque period's most powerful painters.

Marguerite de Bressieux was a 15th century noblewoman in France. When her father's castle fell to the armies of the Prince of Orange, Marguerite and the other women of the castle were all sexually assaulted. As the French army passed through the devastated lands, they came by a group of twelve knights armoured and mounted, bearing a black banner with an orange pierced by a spear. The commander revealed their face... it was Marguerite. She asked to join the French King's forces and he allowed her though he was quite taken aback. At the Battle of Autun, each of the female knights and Marguerite hunted down the Prince of Orange's men, unmasking their faces before they killed their rapists so they would know just had come.

Harriet Tubman was an American slave who ran the Underground Railway, ferrying slaves off to freedom. After escaping herself, Harriet refused to leave others behind. Known as Moses, Harriet risked life and limb to free slaves from the plantations. During the Civil War, she worked for the Union first as a cook then as scout and spy. Over her life, Tubman released over 300 slaves.

Countess Constance Markievicz was the first woman to be elected to a British Parliament ... while imprisoned for her art in the numerous acts of rebellion in the last years of English rule. Markievicz was one of the figureheads for Irish freedom, even acting as a sniper during the 1916 Easter Rising. When the rising was over, she was imprisoned but not executed (being a woman and a high status woman) which made her angry. She believed that the fight for Irish freedom was not just a male one. Her advice to women and girls of the time was "Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels in the bank, and buy a revolver"

Grace/Grainne O'Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland was one of the Lords of the West of Ireland. On her father's death, she inherited his lands and fleets as his heir, turning her into one of the most powerful lords of the west. She fought in the Nine Years War, becoming a thorn in the side of the "Governor" Richard Bingham. When her sons and half brother were captured and threatened, Grainne turned her sails to London to speak with Elizabeth I. Grainne did not bow to Elizabeth and began hammering out the terms of a peace. Bingham was fired, her sons and brother were released on the terms that Grainne would stop supporting Gaelic uprisings. Grainne didn't.

Jeanne de Clisson or the Lioness of Brittany, was a 14th century noblewoman. Her husband was imprisoned by the French King who suspected him of being a spy who had lost a battle on purpose. He was executed. Jeanne went immediately to the fort her husband had commanded. The garrison let her in. Jeanne's army took the fort. By the time the French King heard, Jeanne was gone. After a treacherous crossing over the Channel where she lost at least one child, Jeanne resurfaced in England. The English king granted her three ships which she used to wage war on France in revenge.

Ching Shih was a Chinese pirate queen, formerly a prostitute. When her husband died, she took over his fleet of ships. Ching Shih went about on tightening the reigns on her sailors. They could not rape captives, if they did they were beheaded. If they wanted to have one of the women, a sailor had to marry her and treat her right. To disobey a superior twice was death. As she got the fleet into shipshape, Ching Shih began her reign of the seas amassing millions. The government fought her a few times but soon gave up their war, paying Ching Shih to go away. She retired as a respected millionaire.

Osh-Tisch or "Finds Them and Kills Them” was a Native American warrior. She had been born male but chose to live as a woman also known as a baté, a person which two souls in their body. Osh-Tisch took up arms along with the other batés when her tribe went to war with the Lakota, winning the war. As missionaries came to to stick their noses in where they weren't wanted, Osh-Tisch and the other batés were subject to horrific abuse. Batés were forced to dress and act as their assigned gender by the dickheaded missionaries. Osh-Tisch disregarded the missionaries and continued to work with batés across America in order to support one another.

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in the years preceding the Civil War. Harriet refused to leave others behind and returned about nineteen times to volatile south to rescue slaves, under the name Moses. During the war, Harriet served as cook, nurse and spy for the Union. Harriet saved over 300 slaves.

Matilda, Lady of the English once escaped a besieged castle. How did she do this? She walked out of the gates and left. She was wearing a white cloak which camouflaged her against the snow. She walked eight miles in the snow to continue her fight for the crown.

Cleopatra VII (that Cleopatra) was once summoned to Tarsos go meet the new Governor of the Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire, Mark Antony who wanted to borrow some money. They negotiated back and forth on who should come to who. Cleopatra refused to go... but then showed up in Tarsos on luxurious barge. While feasting with Antony at his expense, Cleopatra claimed that she could host the more expensive meal. She dropped a pearl earring into her wine, where it dissolved and downed it like a queen.

Caterina Sforza was an Italian noble woman in the Renaissance period and you could literally not find a bigger bad ass. She rode at the head of an army to occupy the great fortress of the Castel San Angelo in the name of her husband, while being seven months pregnant. At the siege of Ravaldino, Caterina and her children were prisoners of the treacherous Orsis family who had killed her husband. Caterina persuaded the commanders to let her enter the city to negotiate the surrender of the castle. One inside, she climbed the battles and cussed out the besiegers. Utterly stunned, one commander threatened to kill her children but Caterina lifted her skirts and flashed them, claiming she could make more. OK, that may be a rumour. She may have touched her belly or claimed to be already pregnant but still it was a moment. It ended up buying her enough time for more forces to come and beat the army outside.

Catherine the Great born a minor German Princess overthrew her husband Peter III in a successful military coup. A few days before the original coup was going to commence, a co-conspirator let slip to another guard that it was happening. The man was arrested. When the news got to her, Catherine left the palace via carriage commandeering horses along the way. She went to the barracks of the Ismailovsky regiment dressed in burrowed military uniform and made an impassioned plea to the soldiers to earn their support which they gave her. She was crowned sole ruler of Russia and forced her husband to sign his crown away.

Khutulun, the great-grandaughter of Genghis Khan was badass from the beginning. She was the only girl in a family of boys and grew up to be the fiercest. Khutulun was a highly sought after bride. She didn't hate men but felt she shouldn't be married to somebody unequal to her. Every man who sought to wed her had to wrestle her or pay ten horses. She had ten thousand horses by the time she died.

Boudicca was the Queen of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe in England. Her husband, an ally of the Romans, left half his kingdom to Rome and the other half to his daughters. When he died, Rome took it all. When Boudicca spoke out against it, she was flogged and her daughters were raped. Boudicca decided that it was time for the Romans to fuck off and die. Raising a massive host, Boudicca burned three major Roman settlements down Londinium (London), Verulamium (St. Albans) and Camulodunum (Colchester). She was the greatest threat the Rome since...

Amanirenas, Queen of Kush was an African Queen who fought the Romans. Kush lay south to the new conquered Egypt, which meant it was next on Rome's agenda. Kush moved first. Though one-eyed, she was an able warrior who survived at least a dozen battles. Though the Romans burned the capital and took slaves, Amanirenas still fought on bringing Rome to its knees. Rome and Kush signed a peace treaty, preventing Rome from crossing the border ever again. Amanirenas's badass moment came thousands of years after when archeologists were digging up the tombs. Found under her the foot of statue, was the head of the Emperor Augustus.

[blogdemocratesjr]

The Blessed Virgin to Athanasius

—John Capgrave, The Life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria (p.74-77)

[ao3feed-bamon]

Fierce As Hell {Elijah Mikaelson}

by izzylightwood4life

Aria Ravenna Reyes-Alvarez, one of the world's first Vampire-Witch Hybrid's, a Heretic.

She is the closest friend to the Salvatore Brothers and will help them with anything they need. Damon says she resembles a Lioness, fierce. Stefan says she is a compassionate soul, and a little broken on the inside. One man believes she is special, and she is. She is the most special of them all, the one woman who is able to make him feel the best of emotions to their highest extent, she makes him feel alive again, even in death.

Others think she is weird, a freak of nature, an abomination. Her family is basically the definition of Cursed. She's a true spirit with a fiery temper and a bark that is definitely as lethal as her bite. Literally. She can be dangerous, at times, devious. If you just say one wrong thing she'll become a ticking time bomb: one wrong move and you're dead.

How is it that this one woman is able to cause so much chaos, yet be so empathetic? Maybe that is how she caught the curious eyes of the noblest of man on the face of the Earth.....

Words: 1155, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Originals (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Jeremy Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, Matt Donovan, Lorenzo "Enzo" St. John, Alexandria St. John, Nora Hildegard, Mary Louise (Vampire Diaries), Beau (Vampire Diaries), Valerie Tulle, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood, Lexi Branson, Rayna Cruz, Katherine Pierce, Nadia Petrova, Elijah Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson, Finn Mikaelson, Rebekah Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson, Vincent Griffith, Freya Mikaelson, Esther Mikaelson, Mikael (Vampire Diaries), Keelin Malraux, Sophie Deveraux (The Originals), Monique Deveraux, Jane-Anne Deveraux, Dahlia (The Originals), Inadu | The Hollow (The Originals)

Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson/Original Female Character(s), Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett/Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett/Jeremy Gilbert, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett/Lorenzo "Enzo" St. John

Additional Tags: Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, Inspired by The Originals (TV), Protective Elijah Mikaelson, Protective Rebekah Mikaelson, Protective Klaus Mikaelson, Protective Kol Mikaelson, Blood Magic, Blood, Blood Sharing, Hybrids, Heretics, Original Heretics, Blood and Violence, Family Drama, Family Issues, Family Bonding, Family History, Dysfunctional Family, always and forever

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825523 via AO3 works tagged 'Bonnie Bennett/Damon Salvatore' https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825523

[pulitzerpanther]

FULL NAME.  Catherine (”Kitty”) Jane Grant

MEANING. Catherine (French): Pure, clear. Form of the Latin Katharina, from the Greek Aikaterina. It was borne by a number of saints, including St Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th century martyr who suffered torture on a spiked wheel.

NICKNAME.  Kitty, ‘Grant’, Cat. ‘C.J’. ‘Short-stout’, ‘Bitch’ by many.

GENDER.  Female

HEIGHT.  5′5

AGE.  Dependent upon verse, predominantly early-mid 50′s

ZODIAC.  Scorpio

SPOKEN LANGUAGES.  English, French, spanish-fluent, rough Cantonese, better Mandarin, eventually fluent in dzongkha. 

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR. Blonde

EYE COLOR.  Hazel/Green

SKIN TONE. Fair

BODY TYPE.  Petit

ACCENT.  Sarcasm

VOICE. She does not sing.

DOMINANT HAND.   Ambidextrous. This is something usually said salaciously 

POSTURE.  Always straight and ready. Casual, calm, but often cocked to the side as her hands are often on her hips

SCARS.  This is why she has a plastic surgeon on retainer

TATTOOS.  See: plastic surgeon

MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).   Cat would claim her ass

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH. Outside of Metropolis

HOMETOWN.  Cat claims Metropolis

BIRTH WEIGHT.  4 lbs, 5 oz

BIRTH HEIGHT.  tINY

MANNER OF BIRTH. C-section

FIRST WORDS.  “No”

SIBLINGS.  No siblings

PARENTS.  Katherine Grant (mother), Carter Grant (Father) Sr.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT. Cat’s parents were particularly busy and she naturally assumed that this was the way parenthood was with children. They rarely had time for her, but when they did it was full-involvement. Cat was always a Daddy’s girl and the loss of her father in her late teens hit her hard and forever changed her relationship with her mother going forward. 

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION. Journalist, CEO, and Press Secretary for the President of the United States of America

CURRENT RESIDENCE. Dependent upon the verse, Washington D.C. or National City. She has several apartments and homes throughout the world, but considers National City and Bhutan her home. 

CLOSE FRIENDS.  In all verses: Olivia Marsdin and begrudgingly, Kara Danvers. Cat knows many people, and several people consider Cat a close friend, but her own close friends are spare. For many verses, Harley Quinn is also a close friend. 

RELATIONSHIP STATUS.  Happily 4-times divorced. 

FINANCIAL STATUS. The 1% that she loves to hate

DRIVER’S LICENSE. Cat has not personally driven herself in years, but raised a few eyebrows when she was once (proudly) carded and handed over an ongoing Commercial License that she did not explain. 

CRIMINAL RECORD. Too many B&E charges slid under the rug to count, but her existing record seems to be squeaky clean

VICES.  Drinking (cat is an alcoholic in many verses); Ex-smoker; Had a long history of recreational drug use; She apparently draws the line at gambling.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Bisexual

PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.  submissive      |       dominant |       switch

PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.  submissive       |       dominant       |       switch

LIBIDO.  Insatiable unless she’s working, in which case work always wins

TURN ON’S. Intelligence, confidence, attractiveness, occasionally (unfortunately) arrogance that matches her own. Kindness (though she wouldn’t admit it)

TURN OFF’S. Idiots. Her ex-husbands. Also arrogance that matches her own. Misogyny, carelessness, lack of confidence, an inability to listen 

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.  Cat doesn’t have them. She’s somehow managed three marriages without real relationships and one that was an abusive one. Cat tends to assume relationships are wholly independent ventures that require occasional communication and has to learn how to communicate properly. It is rare for her to enter a relationship with someone and tends to be harsh, push, and will fight against it unless the person genuinely means something to her, or they have a history. (This is true even for friendships). If someone pushes past the difficult part of Cat, she is fiercely loyal even if she is not likely to admit it and will do everything in her power (which is admittedly a lot) to help her partner/friend succeed. 

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG(S). insert the HBIC theme song here

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.   Reading, writing, playing games with her son, crossword puzzles 

MENTAL ILLNESSES. Anxiety and depression. 

PHYSICAL ILLNESSES.  None.

LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Cat would claim that if she was using only half of her brain, she’d have a penis

PHOBIAS. Fear of being alone (emotionally), losing her sons, minor fear of heights (never would admit it), people inappropriately using semi-colons

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL.  Borderline arrogance that’s usually infuriatingly fulfilled

VULNERABILITIES. Her sons; her failures as a mother; her need to know everything; weak knees anytime Clark Kent walks in a room

TAGGED BY: @captain-shooting-star

TAGGING: Whoever! Would like to do the thing! JUST TAG ME IN IT SO I CAN READ IT OK

[pghbabesonbikes]

Frigid Bitch 2019 Results

Frigid Bitch - back for year 6!

Continuing tradition as probably the biggest ladies/non-binary bike race in the universe with over 100 riders, this year’s Frigid Bitch expanded with first-time-ever-offered pre-registration and MORE PODIUMS. Held at Threadbare Cider in Spring Garden, at 10am on Saturday, February 16th, 2019, racers started flooding in to stock up on gear, check out the competition, and pick up their maps & manifests.

As always, there is a one hour window for racers to frantically plan their routes, forge alliances, and make friends. A few local ladies’ racing teams showed up in force, and some veteran Frigid Bitch ride-or-die gangs side-eyed up their matching kits and focused efficiency with determined fuck-it, let’s-do-this attitudes. New racers met riding partners on-site, and a handful of volunteers showed up to take in the crowd before heading out to their no-longer-secret positions.

A quarter to go-time, everyone was hustled outside to unlock their steeds and gear up for the start line.

THE CHECKPOINTS

Grandview Overlook Every year, for the out-of-towners, suburb queens, commuters who never stray from the beaten track - there’s always one checkpoint that everybody knows how to get to. Not that we’d make it easy! Pittsburgh’s famous overlook is a slag up Mt Washington, and with the main thru way closed, racers had to either bump it up via shattered sidewalks, or find away around. Volunteers were ready with a toast at the top!

Fineview Overlook In a city of hills and bridges you’re gonna have a lot of overlooks … Grandview’s much lesser known cousin on the Northside had racers figuring out how to find their way above the ballfield. Anyone who actually followed the map to this checkpoint found themselves climbing one of the toughest Dirty Dozen Hills….oh, did we do that? Whoops!

Herr’s Island Keep following the map in the other direction, and it’d take you down Rialto St (another Dirty Dozen Hill! Who drew this?!) and across the 30th St Bridge to Herr’s Island, haven of local crew teams and isolated Pgh elite. Everyone knows it’s there; most cyclists have zero reason to ever trek over. On the far end of the island, through some woods & down some steps to a gravel lot in a crumbling wall, volunteers were waiting with a camp fire to check off numbers of the racers who hiked-a-bike or threw down and hustled on foot.

5 Points Speaking of hike-a-biking, the furthest checkpoint from the start was tucked away in Pgh’s mountain biking mecca, Frick Park. There’s only one spot in the woods where 5 trails spike together in a star formations, colloquially known as…. FIVE POINTS!!! Entering the trail from Beechwood Blvd in Squirrel Hill, anyone who made it this far had to off-road their ride down dirt paths and over exposed roots. But hey, there was hot chocolate at the bottom! 

Murray Hill Not far from 5 points, Murray Hill Ave gave everyone the opportunity to experience off- roading on a one of the most quintessential Pgh urban this-is-actually-still-a-road terrains (second only to massive potholes): brutally steep cobbles!

Iron Eden Metal Works Oh, but there were potholes. Snaking the back way up & down bombed-out Sassafras St, nestled in the shadows of the Bloomfield Bridge, lies a two-tiered & strange-looking structure. ~By night!~ a times-past underground venue in the woods, ~by day!~ a rustbelt relic: Iron Eden!

Bonus checkpoint feature:  ~ * g l a m o u r   s h o t s * ~

The Hot Metal Bridge It’s a classic. Need we say more?  

The Boob Mausoleum Probably the most infamous tomb in the Allegheny Cemetery, the WHITE mausoleum features a bafflingly intense commitment to full-blown Egyptian theme&decor. Stationed just outside the crypt’s brass-cast pillar-flanked doors, 2 ~prominent~ sphinxes stand guard over the venerable (?) White family portal. Stationed just outside the sphinxes….Frigid Bitch BEACH PARTY!!

Mohawk St Finally, last in line but top of the list as far as checkpoint shenanigans go; bomb down Fifth Ave from Pitt campus and right before you hit the Birmingham Bridge, there’s a set of city steps that ascend into the woods of West Oakland. They spit out at Landslide Community Farms and a pink jersey barrier where volunteers waited with a camp fire* and a case of PBR. They’d set up a beer chute along the top of the stairs and stood in suspense while racers ran up the steps, not taking the bait. Finally, the vet bitch gang of Alex K, Katherine J and Frankie M threw their bikes over their shoulders, rushed the chute, grabbed a beer, cracked it with their teeth and chugged on the way up.

*if you missed the campfire, it’s because the fire dept showed up to put it out. See? Shenanigans!

Once the clock struck 2, everyone had 1 hour to race back to Threadbare. Bikes were slammed into the temp parking, road shoes clacked across the parking lot, the doors were thrown over and spoke card numbers hollered at the waiting table-side officials.

P A R T Y   T I M E

Pizza was eaten, cider was drunk, war stories were exchanged! Multi-year Bitch Queen Elise R regaled audiences with a story that started as a complaint that she couldn’t run any red lights on the North Side because there were too many cops around, then perked up with details about bombing down towards an intersection from Mohawk, where a white SUV veered into the corner of the intersection, blocking traffic for Elise & her crew to blast their way through, waved them past and yelled “YEAH FRIGID BITCH!!!”

Podiums

For the first time, the Frigid Bitch podium split into multiple categories. Singlespeed, Mountain Bike, Masters, and Out-Of-Town were added in addition to the all-encompassing Women & Nonbinary Open Field. Check back next year; more are comin!

Fixed/Singlespeed 1. Alexandra Korshin 2. Rachel Thompson

Masters 1. Louanna Bailey 2. Frankie Montenegro 3. Kelly Haderly 4. Monica VanDieran 5. Jen Damon 6. Suz Falvey

7. Christa Ross 8. Stacie Truszkowski 9. Barbara Jensen 10. Sarah Crawford 11. Simone Riddle 12. Suzanne Kinsky 13. Athena Marsh 14. Cynthia Billisits 15. Suzie Silver 16. Heather Mccracken 17. Jolynn Gibson 18. Kelli Jones 19. Dorothy Voelker

Mountain Bike 1. Suz Falvey 2. Vincent Zeng 3. Nikki Turner

Out Of Town 1. Jane Hodge 2. Caitlin Woodson 3. Sara Khalil Open Field Results! 1. Elise Rowe #10 2. Shaena Ulissi #18 3. Caryn Willis #73 4. Anna Bieberdorf #114 5. Katie Webber-Plank #93 6. Julie Grove #91

7. Louanna Baily #15 8. Lydia Yoder #50 9. Lindsay Dill #28 10. Alyssa Crawford #62

11. Jessie Appleman #87 12. Ania Jaroszewicz #6 13. Amy Wincek #111 14. Emily Palmer #54 15. LaurynStalter #79 16. Mary-Wren Ritchie #86 17. Alexandra Korshin #69 18. Frankie Montenegro #44 19. Katharine Jordan #78 20. Lan Tran #89 21. Naomi Anderson #107 22. Alexandria Shewczyk #29 23. Jaime Martina #26

24. Megan Andrews #43 25. Cansu Ozen #39 26. Sara Horsey #75 27. Shequaya Bailey #7 28. Kelly Haderly #84 29. Megan Sybeldon #46 30. Allison Glick #104 31. Acadia Klain #37 32. Robyn Brewer #34 33. Anna Barensfeld #52 34. Kelsey Kradel #83 35. Monica VanDieren #4

36. Jen Damon #80 37. Suz Falvey #88 38. Christa Ross #82 39. StacieTruszkowski #102 40. Greta Daniels #60 41. Elizabeth Salesky #33 42. Barbara Jensen #41 43. Sara Madden #92 44. Vanessa Jameson #110 45. Jane Hodge #112 46. Sarah Crawford #90 47. Rachel Dingfelder #59

48. Mary Kate Minnick #27 49. Caitlin Woodson #13 50. Simone Riddle #64 51. Sara Khalil #94 52. Suzanne Kinsky #71 53. Taylor Wescott #35 54. Kathleen Blackburn #49 55. Athena Marsh #57 56. Riesa Lirette #14 57. Vincent Zeng #32 58. Anna Faber #47 59. Erin Potts #51 60. Molly Orzechowski #666 61. Jenna DeVivo #23 62. Laura Watson #99 63. Ngani Ndimbie #108 64. Rachel Thompson #113 65. Alexandra Falk #81 66. Cynthia Billisits #48

67. Sarah Martin #97 68. Laura Everhart #53 69. Bonnie Weibel #61 70. Mary Jackson #65 71. Leah Nicolich #103 72. Charlie Eddington #106 73. Catherine Armbruster #42 74. Paula Zamora #16 75. Ramona Stanley #38 76. Morgan Sulik #21 77. Anusha Simha #119 78. Yvette Aban #58 79. Hwa Han #63 80. Sarah Scherk #101 81. Hayes Indigo #1

82. Milo Spiders #100 83. Jenna Geiman #22 84. Hannah Berg #31 85. Suzie Silver #56 86. Julie Mallis #36 87. Morgan Tunstall #30 88. Heather McCracken #45 89. Shannon Frishkorn #115 90. Jamie Parke #66 91. Kate Bechak #105 92. Jaclyn Sternick #74 93. Jolynn Gibson #40 94. Maureen Duncan #9 95. Kelli Jones #12 96. Sarah Pearman #96 97. Lauren McKenna #17 98. Jennifer Ross #20 99. Kimberly Garrett #98 100. Chen Li #55 101. Rachel Shockey #25 102. NickyTurner #95 103. HEather McClain #109 104. Emily Voelker #24 105. Nicole Toney #68 106. Jenny Bender #67 107. Shelby Schmidt #72 108. Dorothy Voelker #19 109. Elizabeth LeDonne #77

Prizes

Were there enough prizes to go around? Were people bugging the f out over how awesome they were? We’ll let these photos speak for themselves.

The Best Part

The Frigid Bitch has always been a race to promote empowerment in the cycling community, to show that underrepresented groups of people can kick just as much ass as the status quo, and to support organizations that in turn provide for  others in need. To that end, funds raised via registration fees and anonymous pledges have always been given to the Greater Pittsburgh Women’s Center & Shelter. Over the past year, another organization has provided immeasurable support for the founders of the Frigid Bitch in their hour of need. This year’s race raised $730 for the Women’s Shelter and $400 for the Women’s Law Project. It couldn’t be done without the support of our racers & our community.

THANK YOU for another great year! To all of our sponsors, who are solely responsible for the joy fest you just witnessed above! To all my lovely volunteers, without whom this race would never get off the ground, and who pull out all the stops to make this the funnest goddamn alleycat in the whole universe. Thank you to my photographers, without you no one would ever know how fucking awesome this event is! Thank you to my little brother, who always finds the time to churn out another amazing race flyer! THANK YOU TO MY TEAM OF LADIES who helped me throw this race! Without you, Frigid Bitch #5 would have been the last of its kind! Thank you Di-ay, Elise #1 & Elise #2, Kat, Mattie, & Kaylin! Thank you Pittsburgh for being the only city I’d ever wish to be from! I’LL BE BACK!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

[what-if-rpg]

The following characters have 5+ days of inactivity and have 48 hours to post or contact the main:

KATHERINE FABRAY (1st Call)

FRANNIE FABRAY (1st Call)

MADISON SMYTHE (1st Call)

BRIDGET BERRY (1st Call)

The following characters have been reopened for failing to respond to the last activity check, or for personal reasons. You guys can come back whenever you want, we would love to have you back. Please unfollow the following characters:

Jeff Sterling

Kinsey Evans

Alexandria Smythe

The following characters have ended their hiatus. Please, come back to the normal activity, or contact the main if you can’t:

Brittany Pierce & Chelsea St. James

Shelby Corcoran & Breeze Rose-Berry 

Cassandra July

Thalita Rhodes & Robert Montgomery

Clara Padilla

The following characters are on hiatus. You can request a hiatus here:

Harper July (September 01)

Oliver Mendoza (September 01)

Mike Chang (September 01)

Isidora De Leon & Ezekiel Alden (September 01)

[sandytree1]

Victorian craze for jewel names: Coral, Ruby, Pearl, Peridot, 

Word names: Ember / Amber, Ebony, 

Flowers: Lily, Rose, Daisy, Poppy, Bluebell, 

Trees: Ask, Willow, 

Virtue names: Hope, Faith, Grace, 

Mythological: Freya, Angel, Venus, 

Fictional: Alice, Ulysses, 

Seasonal: Summer, April, June, 

Other: Nieve, Mia, Amelia, EMily, Imogen, Louise, Jane, Anne, Karis, Sharon, Lucy, Serenity, Tiegan / Taegan, Scarlett, Sebastian, Willow, Mariella, Magnus, 

English: Jessica, Samantha, Michael, Christopher

Biblical: Jack, George, Samuel, John, Jacob, Caleb, Lucas, Ethan, Simon

Scottish: Cameron, Finlay, Malcolm, Keir, Lachlan, Ivor, Graeme, Nessa, Jean, Euphemia, Marjorie, Sena, Skye, Caitriona, Fiona, Eileen, Elaine, Rowan, Heather, Effie, Eden, Erskine, Ross, Maeve, Avalone, Wren, Cordelia, GUinevere, Isolde, Morgana, Penrose, Rhonwen, 

Short names: Emma, Ava, Noah, Liam, Finn, Bram, Tess, Mila, Isa, Ike, Leon, Rahm, Remy, Jim, Eve, Nick, Hilde, 

Indonesian: Maret, Harimau, Putri, Lintang, Baskara, Satriya

Marjorie: pearl (Scottish). “attractive, lively, cheeky. Could have faded with the advent of the word Margarine.” Variants: Margery, Margaret, Marjorie (Scottish). Nicknames: Margie, Marge, Jorie.

Lyceion: 

Hermione: messenge, earthly (feminine of Hermes) In ancient Greek myth, Hermione is the daughter of Spartan King Menelaus and his wife Helen; in pre-Potter lit, the name appears in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale and in Walter Scott's novel The Fortunes of Nigel.

Valentine: 

Celestine: 

Alexander: 

Hypatia: highest, supreme (Greek) Agora was a film about Hypatia of Alexandria, an early philosopher and scholar of mathematics and astronomy, as well as inventor of several scientific 

Isidore: gift of Isis (Greek) A common ancient Greek name belonging to several saints. It was adopted by Spanish jews to the point where it was almost their exclusive property. 

Charlotte: free man (feminine of Charles, French)  An elegant royal name with many bearers. Charlotte Brontë, E.B. White’s Charlette’s Web, Charlotte York from Sex and the City. Appealing since it sounds feminine yet grownup, sophisticated yet lush. 

Arianna: (Greek)

Arrietty: estate ruler. “A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children’s book series The Borrowers.” Harriet, Harry, Henriette/a, Henry. Henriette: Etta, Hetty, Hattie.

Josephine: Jehovah increases (French of Joseph). Josie, Jo, Joey. 

Clementine: mild, merciful (French of Clement, Latin). Suggests peace and happiness, a lovely image. Other names with related meanings: Beatrice, Felicity, Hilary, Arcadia, Irina, Mercy.

Felicity: good fortune, happy (Latin). “A virtue name related to Hope, Faith and Charity. But much more feminine and hapier.” Nicknames: Flick, Fee, Felicia.

Aurelia: the golden one (Latin). Related: Aurelius, Aurora, Oriana.

Cedar: “A fresh and fragrant nature name more apt to be used for a boy.” 

Clarence: bright (Latin) 

Cordelia: heart (Latin), daughter of the sea (Celtic). Nicknames: Cora, Delia, Lia, Del, Cordie. Related: Coraline, Coral, Caroline. 

Ciel: sky (French). Related: Seal, Celia, Ceil.

Brielle: hunting grounds (French). “Although it sounds modern, it’s a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle.” Related: Gabrielle.

Daphne: laurel tree, bay tree (Greek). “Seen by Americans as quintessentially British. In Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph who was saved from an over-amorous Apollo by her father, a river god, transforming her into a laurel tree. Her name was taken from that of the shrub and became part of the British vogue for plant names at the end of the nineteenth century.” 

Minette: faithful defender. “Frenchified name of Henriette Marie rarely used in France.”

Fraser: French for strawberry (Scottish). Variants: Frasier, Frazier, Fraser. 

Esperence: Spanish for hope, expectation (English). Variants: Esperanza, Sandra.

Giselle: pledge, hostage (German) 

Larissa: citadel (Greek, Russian). “Name of nymph that’s daintily pretty and fresh alternative to Melissa or Alyssa.” Related: Larissa, Larisa, Melissa, Marissa, Alyssa, Lara.

Lillian: lily the flower (English from Latin). “More serious and subdued cousin of megapopular Lily. It probably originated as a pet form of Elizabeth.” 

Marcella: warlike (Latin). “Depicted as the world's most beautiful woman in Don Quixote, this long neglected name seemed dated for decades but just might be ready for restoration. Saint Marcella was a Roman matron of strength and intellect who organized a religious sisterhood at her mansion, which St. Jerome guided in religion and learning.” Related: Marcella, Mercellina.

Meredith: great ruler (Welsh). Nicknames: Merry, Merri. 

Flower names: Lily, Lillian; 

Cisneros: 

Mozart: 

Sophia: 

Emma: 

Olivia: 

Mercedes: Merche: Marzia: Mneme Naiara

Natascha

Reginold

Nicasia: victorious (Latin) from Nike, the personification of victory. Related to Nicole.

Niara: nebula, mist (Hindi)

Tiara: crown, jeweled headdress (Latin) 

Odette: wealthy (French, from German)  Name of the white swan in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake. A particularly soigne, sophisticated yet upbeat choice. The black swan is named Odile. 

Peridot: a green gemstone (Arabic) symbolising the August month. Said to be used for helping people put the past behind them. In ancient time it was a symbol of the sun. Highly valued in Hawaii where they’re believed to be the tears of the volcano goddess Pele. 

Pele: goddess of fire (Hawaii)

Opal: 

Seraphina: ardent, fiery (Hebrew) Seraphim is among the highest ranking angels with six wings. 

Serena: 

Violet: 

Sidonie: from Latin Sidon. Chic French favorite. Sidony, Sydney.

Collette: people of victory (Greek), French feminine of Nicholas. 

Sabrina: Latin for River Severn, deriving from Celtic mythology. Sabina, Serena

Samantha: told by god (Hebrew) feminine of Samuel. Samara

Siobhan: the lord is gracious (Irish Gaelic) variation of Joan, feminine of John.   A lovely Irish name whose perplexing spelling has inspired many phonetic variations, but using the original form preserves the integrity of one of the most beautiful Irish girls' names. Variants: Joan, Johanna, John, Siobhan

Vanessa: species of butterfly; literary invention. 

Esther: star (Persian)

Tiffany: 

Madonna: 

Kimberly: 

Teal: 

Alden: old, wise friend (English)

Valeska: strength, health, spirited (French/Slavic of Valerie) Name of Red Riding Hood in the 2011 update. Peaked in 1960s and was in the top 100 until 1988. Word is associated to the word valor. Valerie, Valeria

Chrysanthe: 

Cybele: mother of all gods (Greek) and goddess of fertility, health, nature. Often confused with Sybil. 

Corisande: 

Mythological names

Rhea: a flowing stream (Greek). “mythological earth mother of all the gods. A lot better than the Roman equivalent: Ops. Rhea reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015. Its only previous appearance on the list since 1968 was 2004.” 

English names

Margareth: pearl (Greek)  Nicknames: May, Mary, Marge

Elizabeth: pledged to God (Hebrew) Mother of John the Baptist, and two notable English queens. Another memorable bearer was Elizabeth Taylor. Isabel is the Spanish version. Related: Lisette, Lise, Isabel. Nicknames: Lizzie, Eliza, Beth, Libby, Bess, Tibby, Betty, Betsy.

Theodore: gift of God (Greek). “An extremely attractive and exotic choice, with several equally attractive user-friendly nicknames, and more edge and sheer phonic apeal than the English form.” Variants: Theodora (Swedish), Tiodoria (Spanish). Nicknames: Ted, Teddy, Theo, Thea, Dora, Dory.

Laurence: from Laurentium, a city noted for its laurel trees, which was a symbol for wisdom and achievement. (Lawrence, Lauro, Larry, Lorenzo, Renzo, Enzo)

Leonard: brave lion (German)

Madeleine: high tower or woman from Magdala. Variants: Magdalen (Aramaic), Maddie.

Nicole: 

For their meanings

These names I’ve included since they aid as components that many other names are constructed from. 

Isis: throne (Egyptian) Before the rise of the political group, Isis was best known as the name of the supreme Egyptian goddess of the moon, sky, magic, motherhood and fertility, revived by feminists and others willing to cross into arcane territory.

Shorter names

Ella: all, completely (English) or fairy maiden (German) 

Naia: to flow (Hawaii) Exotic variant of Maia

Maia: mother (Greek)  Maia is one of those light, ethereal girls' names with mystical overtones and mythical roots. In Greek legend, she was the fair-haired daughter of Atlas who mothered Zeus's favorite illegitimate son, Hermes. To the Romans, Maia was the incarnation of the earth mother and goddess of spring, after whom they named the month of May. It's a favorite among Nameberry users.

Atlas: a Greco-Roman god that was strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Previously thought too powerful for a baby boy. 

Mary: bitter (Hebrew) Variants: Marietta, Marie (French)

Katherine: pure Variants: Karen (Danish), Kieran (Irish), Kerenza, Karina, Kyra

Linda: pretty (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)  Lives forever in baby name history for toppling Mary from its 400 year reign as no. 1. queen of names in 1947. 

April: to open (Latin)

August: 

June: named after goddess Juno, queen of the heavens (Latin) Juni, Juno, Djuna

Regis: kingly (French) Rex

Virgil: staff bearer (Latin)  The name of the greatest Roman poet and an early Irish saint who believed the earth was round, Virgil is rarely heard nowadays, but it retains a certain pleasantly fusty feel and likable southern twang. 

Edith: prosperous in war (English) Among the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon names. WIdely used in 19th century novels. Edith was a hugely popular name a hundred years ago that's being revived among stylish parents in Stockholm and London. It's currently beginning to gain traction in the US among those with a taste for old-fashioned names with a soft but strong image. 

Source

Nameberry.com