It Was an Animal Attack

Sandile and Fadzai turn off their maternity switch with the mother of the Salvatore brothers, Lillian "Lily" Salvatore.

Virtually never referenced in the first half of The Vampire Diaries, Lily is thereafter mentioned once or twice to have died of "consumption" (tuberculosis) in the late 1850s. In the sixth season, however, Bonnie Bennett encounters her by chance in the Gemini coven's 1903 prison world; when Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert return with Bonnie to rescue her, it appears she is a vampire - a ripper like her younger son, Stefan - and could not return to them when they were children, for fear of harming them.

Once back in the real world, though, Lily makes clear that she's no longer the mother they knew, and isn't keen on rebuilding their relationship. More importantly, her focus is on rescuing her new family of Heretics - the witch/vampire hybrids who helped her settle into her new vampire life, and were trapped with her in the prison world - who the Mystic Falls gang are not intent on letting out. This scores a divide between Lily and the Salvatore brothers and, once reunited with her Heretic family, cements them as the antagonists for the seventh season.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of physical and mental abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and endangerment, familial abandonment, and suicide.

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In the second instalment of the Gilbert Journals, your hosts ask the spirits for knowledge on the oldest supernatural beings in The Vampire Diaries world: Witches. Practitioners of magic and stewards of nature, witches are often a force to be reckoned with, and Sandile and Fadzai will teach you how to maintain the balance - so you don't incur their wrath.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, racism, anti-Romani sentiment, antisemitism, and implicit bias in the writing of people of colour.

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Fadzai and Sandile merge minds over the sinister siphon and Gemini witch, Malachi "Kai" Parker.

The main antagonist for season 6 of The Vampire Diaries, Kai is encountered by Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore after the collapse of the Other Side, when they are shunted into a snapshot of their reality from 1994. He reveals that he massacred most of his family upon learning he was being replaced as the next leader of the Gemini coven, and was confined to this "prison world" by the coven as a result; he then terorrises Bonnie into aiding his escape into the real world, leaving her trapped and alone.

With newfound freedom, Kai makes his way to Mystic Falls in pursuit of the remainder of his family: his twin, Jo, with whom he was to magically merge and become the next leader of the Gemini coven; and his younger siblings, twins Liv and Luke, who their parents birthed to take their elder siblings' place after discovering Kai was a siphon. Seemingly, he's come to make good on his promise to finish what he started, but as the season progresses it becomes clear that Kai is blazing a path to the coven leadership he was denied those 18 years ago.

Content Note: This episode contains discussion of Antisocial Personality Disorder, as the character is textually described as a "sociopath". The IWAA hosts are not medical professionals, and therefore not reliable sources of information on the subject; please seek reputable and peer-reviewed sources if you wish to learn more about ASPD.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of ableism, torture, massacre, defeated mental state, and attempted suicide.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Sandile and Fadzai load their crossbows with Hunter apparent and occasional Medium, Jeremy Gilbert.

A main character for most of The Vampire Diaries, he begins as the moody younger brother of the lead, Elena, sinking in substance abuse as he struggles with the untimely loss of their parents. When his girlfriend-turned-vampire Vicki is killed before his eyes after attempting to feed on him, he is thrust into the supernatural core of the plot, including the history of the Gilberts as one of the founding families of Mystic Falls.

Subsequent seasons find Jeremy in various states - assisting resident witch, Bonnie, with her magic for the group; making contact with sprits after his third (and first permanent) death; and being chosen as one of The Five, an ancient group of supernatural vampire hunters - but after enough periods of narrative lull, the character is written out in the sixth season. Regardless, Jeremy maintains a mark in history as an integral part of the series.

Content Warning: A technical suicide attempt is discussed at 00:36:23 - 00:40:00, and occasionally referenced in the rest of the episode.

Audio Note: There is some intermittent background noise at 00:54:50 - 00:56:00 and one or two other points in the episode; the conversation is audible above the sound.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Fadzai and Sandile breathe life into a Greek tragedy with the first immortal, and originator of the Salvatore doppleganger line, Silas.

Once a witch in Ancient Greece, he made Qetsiyah (the only witch more powerful than him amongst the Travelers) fall in love with him, and help him develop the spell for immortality. After he abandoned her at the wedding altar, she discovered that the spell was actually for him and his true love - her trusted handmaiden, Amara. Furious, Qetsiyah killed Amara and imprisioned Silas with magic, burying him with the cure so that he would take it and die alone.

In the fourth season of The Vampire Diaries, The Mystic Falls gang, along with unlikely allies and necessary enemies, are roped into a rat race to find this cure for the vampires of the bunch. This turns out to be a plan of escape by Silas; through a series of psychic terrors and false promises - and the aid of an impressionable Bonnie Bennett - he seeks to bring down the veil separating the Other Side from the living, and die to be reunited with his true love.

Content Warning: Due to the subject matter of this character's storyline, themes and acts of suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and defeated mental state are discussed throughout the episode. Though the nature of these in the text is mostly fabricated by fictional forces, do take it into consideration if such themes are potentially harmful or triggering for you. The following sections have the most detailed discussion:

00:25:47 - 00:27:31

00:32:29 - 00:38:51

01:58:27 - 01:59:18

02:16:53 - 02:17:13

02:55:24 - 02:56:19

In addition, a Greek myth is discussed that contains sexual assault in this section:

02:06:53 - 02:09:46

Audio Note: There is some intermittent background interference at 02:34:39 - 02:34:39; the conversation is audible above the sound.

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Introducing the Gilbert Journals! A series of episodes that chronicles the supernatural (and mundane) lore of The Vampire Diaries world, much like the oft referenced Jonathan Gilbert himself.

In the first instalment of the series, your hosts bring you all there is to know about the titular supernatural creatures: Vampires. Whether young or old, part or full, Original or otherwise, Fadzai and Sandile will teach you everything about what makes vampires tick - and how to take them down.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Sandile and Fadzai go back to the beginning with mother of the Mikaelsons and creator of the Original vampires herself - Esther.

A witch from 10th-century Norway, she and her Viking husband* bring their children to far-back America in hopes of a better life. After their youngest dies in an accidental werewolf attack, they make the fateful decision to protect the rest of their children; they use magic to turn them into vampires, not knowing the bloodshed that will plague the world for centuries to come.

The Mystic Falls gang unwittingly resurrect Esther in the third season of The Vampire Diaries, seeking a weapon to finally be rid of Klaus Mikaelson. What they don't know is that Esther has been orchestrating her return for some time from beyond the veil, and seeks not only to kill her son, Klaus, but all the Originals so the world can be free of vampires.

*We do also talk about her husband, Mikael.

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Fadzai and Sandile opine on the wily Annabelle Zhu, one of the main antagonists of The Vampire Diaries' first season.

Introduced after the midseason finale, Anna seems to be a geeky and endearing homeschooled teen, befriending Jeremy Gilbert after a chance encounter at the library, and assisting with research for a school paper. But as time passes, it becomes clear that her insight on vampires is because she herself is one, and that Jeremy is one part of her larger purpose for coming to town - freeing her mother, Pearl, from the magically-sealed tomb in which she and a number of other vampires were trapped, back when they lived there in 1864.

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In the first official episode of the podcast, Sandile and Fadzai chat about brief but memorable feature of The Vampire Diaries, the troubled straight-shooter Vicki Donovan.

One of the twelve main characters of the show's first season, Vicki is the only one not to survive beyond its conclusion. Despite her short-lived presence, though, the events surrounding her have ripple effects that affect everyone around her and the story to come. Marking a number of important firsts for the show, Vicki is an apt selection for the first character on the podcast.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Sandile and Fadzai prepare to return to Mystic Falls as they discuss the subject of the first season of the podcast - The Vampire Diaries. Arguably the blueprint for supernatural drama of its era, the show ran on the CW Network from 2009-2017, and maintains a foothold in the pop culture sphere years later.

Join your hosts for this brief introduction before jumping into the first official episode, and the first of many characters that made the show so iconic.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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