It Was an Animal Attack

In the second instalment of Killer Bites, Fadzai and Sandile pull some schemes with the surprising Nadia Petrova. Introduced as a player amidst the Traveler plotline, she is revealed to be the long-lost daughter of Katherine Pierce/Katerina Petrova, which - for better or worse - ties her inextricably to her mother's latest antics.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child abandonment, child loss, loss of bodily autonomy, maternal loss, sexual assault, and suicide.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Daggerwatch, baby! In the fifth instalment of the Gilbert Journals, your hosts track the daggers (those dipped in white oak ash to take down an Original vampire) and the consistency of their movements across time - or the lack thereof. Sandile and Fadzai cannot help but get into the weeds on a typical day, and certainly discussing the existence of this artifact is no different.

Content Warning: A lot of stabbing - this is about daggers, after all.

Spoiler Warning: Discussion of events from The Originals, 00:21:50 - 00:29:05.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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A lasting legacy! Fadzai and Sandile close out on now mournful widow, expecting father, Alaric Saltzman.

Joining The Vampire Diaries halfway through its first season, Alaric comes to Mystic Falls in search of a vampire that killed his wife, but finds more than he bargained for in the supernatural goings-on of the town. He very quickly becomes a mainstay amongst the protagonists and, through his relationship with Jenna Sommers, eventually becomes a paternal presence for Elena and Jeremy Gilbert.

Ric leaves the show after three seasons - and a harrowing period consumed by a psychic manifestation of his darkest self, who then became enhanced Original vampire. He is brought back for the last three seasons, though, where he reclaims his life in starts and stops, but continues to be an integral part of the Mystic Falls crew.

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

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of alcoholism, child endangerment, depression, familial abandonment, feticide (intent to cause death or great bodily harm to a pregnant woman or her unborn child), grief and loss, mental coercion and manipulation, mental illness (and related stigma), serial killing, sexism and misogyny, and suicide.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

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Sins of the past! Fadzai and Sandile reckon with the life, death, and return of Alaric Saltzman.

Joining The Vampire Diaries halfway through its first season, Alaric comes to Mystic Falls in search of a vampire that killed his wife, but finds more than he bargained for in the supernatural goings-on of the town. He very quickly becomes a mainstay amongst the protagonists and, through his relationship with Jenna Sommers, eventually becomes a paternal presence for Elena and Jeremy Gilbert.

Ric leaves the show after three seasons - and a harrowing period consumed by a psychic manifestation of his darkest self, who then became enhanced Original vampire. He is brought back for the last three seasons, though, where he reclaims his life in starts and stops, but continues to be an integral part of the Mystic Falls crew.

(This episode focuses on Alaric in seasons 3B and 6, including his guest appearances in-between.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of alcoholism, assault and battery, child endangerment, depression, domestic abuse, familial abandonment, feticide (intent to cause death or great bodily harm to a pregnant woman or her unborn child), grief and loss, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, mental illness (and related stigma), serial killing, sexism and misogyny, sexual assault, sexual harrassment, sororicide, and suicide.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

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Fadzai and Sandile explore history and hunt down vampires with Alaric Saltzman.

Joining The Vampire Diaries halfway through its first season, Alaric comes to Mystic Falls in search of a vampire that killed his wife, but finds more than he bargained for in the supernatural goings-on of the town. He very quickly becomes a mainstay amongst the protagonists and, through his relationship with Jenna Sommers, eventually becomes a paternal presence for Elena and Jeremy Gilbert.

Ric leaves the show after three seasons - and a harrowing period consumed by a psychic manifestation of his darkest self, who then became enhanced Original vampire. He is brought back for the last three seasons, though, where he reclaims his life in starts and stops, but continues to be an integral part of the Mystic Falls crew.

(This episode focuses on Alaric in seasons 1, 2 and 3A.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of alcoholism, child endangerment, depression, familial abandonment, grief and loss, mental coercion and manipulation, sexual assault, and sexual harrassment.

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

The old college try! Sandile and Fadzai close out with Elena Gilbert's last two years onscreen.

The main character of The Vampire Diaries, Elena enters her junior year a few months after losing her parents, trying to reclaim her life. She meets and falls in love with Stefan Salvatore, the charming and mysterious new student, who turns out to be a vampire returned to Mystic Falls. When Stefan's brother, Damon, appears, and people start dying in strange ways in her town, Elena finds herself falling into a dangerous web of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, she grapples with each new discovery - vampires, witches, werewolves - and how constant threat from ancient creatures changes her as she tries to keep herself and her loved ones safe. She also finds herself torn between her undying love for Stefan, and her undeniable attraction to Damon, all turned on its head when she unexpectedly dies and becomes a vampire herself. But she gets by with her friends, her wits, and her capacity for empathy and cunning in equal measure.

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

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of depression, infertility, medicalised torture, mental coercion and manipulation, racism, sexual assault, sexual harrassment, suicidal ideation, suicide, and vivisection.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

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Waking nightmare! Sandile and Fadzai chronicle Elena Gilbert's transition into a newly-turned vampire.

The main character of The Vampire Diaries, Elena enters her junior year a few months after losing her parents, trying to reclaim her life. She meets and falls in love with Stefan Salvatore, the charming and mysterious new student, who turns out to be a vampire returned to Mystic Falls. When Stefan's brother, Damon, appears, and people start dying in strange ways in her town, Elena finds herself falling into a dangerous web of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, she grapples with each new discovery - vampires, witches, werewolves - and how constant threat from ancient creatures changes her as she tries to keep herself and her loved ones safe. She also finds herself torn between her undying love for Stefan, and her undeniable attraction to Damon, all turned on its head when she unexpectedly dies and becomes a vampire herself. But she gets by with her friends, her wits, and her capacity for empathy and cunning in equal measure.

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

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of depression, mental coercion and manipulation, sexual assault, sexual harrassment, suicidal ideation, 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

The mastermind returns! Sandile and Fadzai enter an era of wheeling, dealing, and cunning actions with Elena Gilbert.

The main character of The Vampire Diaries, Elena enters her junior year a few months after losing her parents, trying to reclaim her life. She meets and falls in love with Stefan Salvatore, the charming and mysterious new student, who turns out to be a vampire returned to Mystic Falls. When Stefan's brother, Damon, appears, and people start dying in strange ways in her town, Elena finds herself falling into a dangerous web of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, she grapples with each new discovery - vampires, witches, werewolves - and how constant threat from ancient creatures changes her as she tries to keep herself and her loved ones safe. She also finds herself torn between her undying love for Stefan, and her undeniable attraction to Damon, all turned on its head when she unexpectedly dies and becomes a vampire herself. But she gets by with her friends, her wits, and her capacity for empathy and cunning in equal measure.

(This episode focuses on Elena in seasons 2B and 3A.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of depression, mental coercion and manipulation, sexual assault, sexual harrassment, suicidal ideation, 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

Sandile and Fadzai brave a new, supernatural world with Elena Gilbert.

The main character of The Vampire Diaries, Elena enters her junior year a few months after losing her parents, trying to reclaim her life. She meets and falls in love with Stefan Salvatore, the charming and mysterious new student, who turns out to be a vampire returned to Mystic Falls. When Stefan's brother, Damon, appears, and people start dying in strange ways in her town, Elena finds herself falling into a dangerous web of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, she grapples with each new discovery - vampires, witches, werewolves - and how constant threat from ancient creatures changes her as she tries to keep herself and her loved ones safe. She also finds herself torn between her undying love for Stefan, and her undeniable attraction to Damon, all turned on its head when she unexpectedly dies and becomes a vampire herself. But she gets by with her friends, her wits, and her capacity for empathy and cunning in equal measure.

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

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of depression, mental coercion and manipulation, sexual assault, sexual harrassment, suicidal ideation, 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

In the fourth instalment of the Gilbert Journals, your hosts pull several archetypes from a grab bag of supernatural creatures in The Vampire Diaries: Hunters, Doppelgängers, and Mediums. The most mortal of archetypes, these appear often briefly or for singular purpose, but Sandile and Fadzai will still spend an exorbitant amount of time telling you what makes them tick.

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