It Was an Animal Attack

In the fifth instalment of Killer Bites, Sandile and Fadzai commit to the bit with the Gemini twins, Lucas and Olivia Parker. Sliding in during the back half of The Vampire Diaries' fifth season, Luke and Liv are witches who infiltrate Mystic Falls with the intent on stopping the Travelers, and briefly become central in the sixth season when the Gemini coven comes into focus.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child abuse, familicide, mass murder, mental coercion, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

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Refs and Links: IWAA S1

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

In the fourth instalment of Killer Bites, Fadzai and Sandile make mayhem with the wicked lesbian Heretics, Nora Hildegard and Mary Louise. Introduced at the beginning of The Vampire Diaries' seventh season, the pair are two of the six vampire/witch hybrids that form part of Lily Salvatore's found family, and serve as antagonists for the Mystic Falls Gang.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child abuse, eugenics, lesbophobia, mass murder, mental coercion, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Spin-off! We talk Sinners (2025), and discuss vampire & the desire for community, Africa, the diaspora, spirituality, music as cultural storytelling, and forbidding the white boy from catching a vibe. Also: Black religious trauma, race in South Africa, and a lament for The Vampire Diaries' Bonnie Bennett.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of anti-indigenous sentiment, colonialism and colonial violence, white supremacy, mass murder, racism, religious trauma, and slavery.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

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(00:00:05) - Introduction

(00:02:00) - Sinners 2025: preamble and viewing experience

(00:07:55) - Smoke and Stack

(00:10:30) - Annie, who is everything

(00:11:30) - Bonnie Bennett (TVD) + African-American magic

(00:14:48) - Back to Annie

(00:17:42) - Abrahamic religion vs African & African-American spirituality

(00:22:54) - Mary + passing + racial dynamics

(00:30:25) - Preacher boy Sammy + the lure of the easy promise

(00:33:13) - Experiences of black religious trauma

(00:34:56) - Back to Sammy

(00:35:56) - Pearline our queen

(00:37:45) - Bo, Grace, and Lisa

(00:40:36) - Choctaw vampire hunters outselling

(00:42:01) - Remmick predating, but still exploiting, race

(00:48:22) - Irish marginalisation, whiteness, and assimilation

(00:50:33) - Indentured servitude vs slavery in the US and SA

(00:52:56) - Remmick culture-shifting to suit his needs

(00:54:56) - Vampire and the desire for community

(00:55:56) - Music as a cultural tool of storytelling

(00:58:05) - Music (or religion, or vampirism) as consolation or escape

(01:01:22) - The nature of the vampire hive mind

(01:02:22) - Stack and Mary's mid-credit scene

(01:04:00) - Spiraling tangent about vampire varieties

(01:06:49) - Check out @XofWords here: https://linktr.ee/xofwords!!!

Spin-off! We talk Nosferatu (2024), and discuss comparisons with Nosferatu (1922) and Dracula, gothic horror, repression, and taboo, vampire variety through the eras, and mental illness and the supernatural. Also: As many tangents as you'd expect, incl misunderstanding Lily-Rose Depp's name.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of antiziganism, mental illness and related stigma, necrophilia, patriarchal violence against women, and sexual assault.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

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(00:05) - Introduction

(02:00) - Nosferatu (2024) preamble and viewing experience

(06:00) - It's all about atmosphere

(07:35) - Nosferatu (2024) vs Nosferatu (1922) vs Bram Stoker's Dracula

(12:45) - Nosferatu and The VVitch (2015): repression and social taboo

(15:50) - Ellen + Lily-Rose Depp + Cassandra of myth

(19:45) - Thomas + Nic Hoult in papa's orchard

(21:03) - HERR KNOCK DIVERSION + the Renfield figure

(25:56) - Count Orlok, transformation, and the cost of immortality

(32:28) - Friedrich, politeness, and the consistency of rich white men

(34:47) - Anna and perfect womanhood

(37:46) - Prof von Franz: the impetus of understanding

(42:53) - The Romani community hunting vampires and radiating aura

(46:22) - Parallels between the ending and Midnight Mass (2021)

(50:56) - Final thoughts

Doomed by the narrative! Fadzai and Sandile make the ultimate sacrifice with hero and martyr, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 7 and 8.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, serial killing, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

It's the climb! Fadzai and Sandile push through a grueling ascent with boy who deserves a break, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 5 and 6.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, feticide, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, serial killing, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

High highs and low lows! Fadzai and Sandile claw through the dark era of The Vampire Diaries' fallen angel, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 3 and 4.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, euthanasia, gore, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, serial killing, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Fadzai and Sandile put on their shining armour with the knight of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 1 and 2.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation..

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Check out "Call to the Dark", Sandile's supernatural horror fiction podcast, wherever you listen!

Podcast: Call to the Dark

Twitter: @calldarkpod

Instagram: @calldarkpod

Spin-off! Your hosts talk about the struggles of CW's Arrow in its later seasons, the very many supernatural love triangles of the 2000s and 2010s, and how TV/movie writers just cannot capture how young people text. Also: the origins of Buffy's Angel, and a tangent about English linguistics.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of ephebophilia (and pedophilia), and toxic relationships.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Chapters:

(00:05) - Ricardo Diaz aka Richard Dragon, of Arrow S6

(01:30) - Arrow's tone vs the greater Arrowverse

(03:10) - The untimely death of Laurel Lance

(04:45) - Vampire love triangles (but mostly Twilight)

(06:00) - Edward Cullen is a terrible partner, actually

(07:30) - Jacob Black: a character assassination?

(08:50) - Angel's origins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

(11:11) - Teen text speech in TV and movies

(12:17) - Gambling, I guess? Are we that hard up on tangents?

(14:10) - Why do Americans speak the way they do?

Sandile and Fadzai are blasting in from the past with the first of the Heretics, Valerie Tulle.

Introduced as one of the antagonists in the seventh season of The Vampire Diaries (though first appearing towards the end of the sixth), Valerie was a witch from the Gemini coven in the mid-1800s - a siphon, born without magic of her own, only able to take it from other sources. She and five other siphons were taken in by Lily Salvatore after being exiled by their coven, and through differing circumstances they were all turned into witch/vampire hybrids known as Heretics. After drawing too much attention to themselves with their feeding habits, though, they were imprisoned along with Lily in a prison world in 1903 by the Gemini coven.

Once back in the real world in present day, Valerie is loathe to adjust to the modern world, and along with her family becomes at odds with the Mystic Falls Gang as they begin causing trouble in town. Amidst the conflict is also her lingering care for Stefan Salvatore from their past relationship in the 1860s, cut short when she was kept from returning to him by Lily's manipulative partner, Julian. Despite her many complex dramas, though, Valerie handles herself with a cool and calculated energy that makes her one of the more fun parts of the season.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence, familial abandonment, feticide (intentional causing of a miscarriage), mental coercion and manipulation, physical and mental abuse, racism, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Check out "Call to the Dark", Sandile's supernatural horror fiction podcast, wherever you listen!

Podcast: Call to the Dark

Twitter: @calldarkpod

Instagram: @calldarkpod