It Was an Animal Attack

Fadzai and Sandile break the world with magical retcon, Daniella Labonair aka Alex Gilbert.

A late entry in the final season of The Vampire Diaries (and the fourth season of the Originals), Alex claims to be the long-lost twin sister of main character, Elena Gilbert, magically erased from the world and from the minds of the Mystic Falls Gang by a powerful witch. In the midst of the conflict with Cade and his psychic "hell", Alex tries to regain her life and her personhood - as well as her true love, Stefan Salvatore, whom she had to leave behind long before she was removed from existence.

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Sandile and Fadzai join the relentless pursuit with supernatural huntress, Rayna Cruz.

The primary antagonist for the seventh season of The Vampire Diaries, Rayna was from a small Louisiana village in the mid-1800s - the daughter and protégé of a Hunter from the Brotherhood of the Five. When the vampire Julian compelled her to kill her own father, she sought help from a group of shamans who magically imbued her with the strength and agility to match her skill in hunting vampires; in addition, they linked her to her shortsword and affixed it with the Phoenix Stone, a gem that would entrap the soul of every vampire she killed.

In present day, Bonnie Bennett and Nora Hildegard - one of the Heretics who traveled with Julian, before the huntress tracked him down and killed him with the Phoenix sword - seek out an aged Rayna in Ohio after apparently receiving a postcard with her mark. When it turns out to be a trick by Enzo St. John, who kills Rayna and spirits her body away, she immolates and resurrects as her younger self - determined, in need of her sword, and ready to pick up where she left off.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of dismemberment, patricide and suicide.

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In the third instalment of the Gilbert Journals, your hosts chain themselves up under the full moon along with some familiar supernatural creatures from The Vampire Diaries world: Werewolves. Though supposedly close to extinction, the wolves are a force to be reckoned with, so let Fadzai and Sandile advise you on how to keep out of their way - and out of their teeth.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of racism and genocide.

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Bad moon rising! Fadzai and Sandile chart the rise and fall of the now unsired hybrid, Tyler Lockwood.

A main character on The Vampire Diaries, Tyler starts off as the rich, arrogant jock in town, tied to the other characters by their history as part of the founding families, and his friendship with Matt Donovan. Most of his early time is characterised by his anger issues and his mistreatment of the people around him, though it turns out to be more than just his toxic upbringing - he's influenced by a curse in the Lockwood family that turns them into werewolves.

Tyler is set off on a metamorphic journey after the death of his father, and the triggering of his curse; forced to reckon with his behaviour and its consequences, he endeavours to become more in control of himself and his life, which brings him closer to his friends. But it's when Klaus comes to town and forcibly turns him into a vampire-werewolf hybrid - a curse and a blessing all at once - that he becomes tied to the central plot.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, misogyny, attempted sexual coersion, sexual assault, physical and mental abuse.

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Fadzai and Sandile howl at the moon with Mystic Falls Gang's resident werewolf, Tyler Lockwood.

A main character on The Vampire Diaries, Tyler starts off as the rich, arrogant jock in town, tied to the other characters by their history as part of the founding families, and his friendship with Matt Donovan. Most of his early time is characterised by his anger issues and his mistreatment of the people around him, though it turns out to be more than just his toxic upbringing - he's influenced by a curse in the Lockwood family that turns them into werewolves.

Tyler is set off on a metamorphic journey after the death of his father, and the triggering of his curse; forced to reckon with his behaviour and its consequences, he endeavours to become more in control of himself and his life, which brings him closer to his friends. But it's when Klaus comes to town and forcibly turns him into a vampire-werewolf hybrid - a curse and a blessing all at once - that he becomes tied to the central plot.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, misogyny, attempted sexual coersion, sexual assault, physical and mental abuse.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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The scales of justice tilt! Sandile and Fadzai prepare their closing statements in this, the third and final part of the trial of Damon Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Damon starts off as a villainous vampire in the show's first season; his propensity for murder and violence, his animosity for his brother, Stefan Salvatore, and his desire to free his old love (Katherine Pierce, a notorious 500-year-old vampire) from a magically-sealed tomb, makes him an opponent of the main characters that are aware of the supernatural - and a danger to those that aren't. However, due to greater threats making themselves known, and his growing attraction to Elena Gilbert, he progressively allies himself with the Mystic Falls Gang, eventually becoming a protagonist by association.

Over the course of the series, Damon seems to tend towards begrudging antihero, though the character never seems to land in this respect, given his constant return to periods of callousness and wanton violence - sometimes to an excess that doesn't make much sense in the context of the story. Despite this, Stefan and Elena's commitment to finding the humanity in him keeps him in the group for better or worse, and he remains a fan-favourite character long after the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Damon in seasons 6B, 7, and 8.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, sexual assault, physical and mental abuse, murder, graphic violence, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Court is back in session! Sandile and Fadzai narrowly avoid contempt in this, the second part of the trial of Damon Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Damon starts off as a villainous vampire in the show's first season; his propensity for murder and violence, his animosity for his brother, Stefan Salvatore, and his desire to free his old love (Katherine Pierce, a notorious 500-year-old vampire) from a magically-sealed tomb, makes him an opponent of the main characters that are aware of the supernatural - and a danger to those that aren't. However, due to greater threats making themselves known, and his growing attraction to Elena Gilbert, he progressively allies himself with the Mystic Falls Gang, eventually becoming a protagonist by association.

Over the course of the series, Damon seems to tend towards begrudging antihero, though the character never seems to land in this respect, given his constant return to periods of callousness and wanton violence - sometimes to an excess that doesn't make much sense in the context of the story. Despite this, Stefan and Elena's commitment to finding the humanity in him keeps him in the group for better or worse, and he remains a fan-favourite character long after the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Damon in seasons 3B, 4, 5, and 6A.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, homophobia, sexual assault, physical and mental abuse, murder, graphic violence, 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

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Sandile and Fadzai swear in the jury and bang the gavel, for the trial of Damon Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Damon starts off as a villainous vampire in the show's first season; his propensity for murder and violence, his animosity for his brother, Stefan Salvatore, and his desire to free his old love (Katherine Pierce, a notorious 500-year-old vampire) from a magically-sealed tomb, makes him an opponent of the main characters that are aware of the supernatural - and a danger to those that aren't. However, due to greater threats making themselves known, and his growing attraction to Elena Gilbert, he progressively allies himself with the Mystic Falls Gang, eventually becoming a protagonist by association.

Over the course of the series, Damon seems to tend towards begrudging antihero, though the character never seems to land in this respect, given his constant return to periods of callousness and wanton violence - sometimes to an excess that doesn't make much sense in the context of the story. Despite this, Stefan and Elena's commitment to finding the humanity in him keeps him in the group for better or worse, and he remains a fan-favourite character long after the show's conclusion.

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

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexism, homophobia, sexual assault, physical and mental abuse, murder, graphic violence, and torture.

Audio Note: There is an echo quality to the early section of Sandile's audio; this issue resolves at around 00:40:00.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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Fadzai and Sandile sing a sultry song with the "siren" sisters, Sybil and Seline.

Introduced in the eighth and final season of The Vampire Diaries, Sybil and Seline were born psychics in an Ancient Greek village, where such a power was punishable by exile. Trapped together on a barren island as young girls, the older Seline orchestrated a plan to psychically lure passing ship to crash on their shores, and make meals of the drowned crews - presenting them as recovered provisions from on board. When Sybil discovered the horrible truth, she hurled herself to her death from a cliff; it was then that she and her sister were visited by Arcadius (a psychic in life, and in death, a Devil-esque figure) whom Seline made a deal with for immortality and power in exchange for their service.

In present day, Sybil has escaped a vault in the Armory - a supernatural repository that was run by the St. John Family - and has brought Damon Salvatore and Enzo St. John under her spell. While her early antics seem centred around feeding on hapless strangers and causing chaos amongst the Mystic Falls gang, she later divulges that she is sending souls to Arcadius in his psychic dimension, where the people he considers evil burn for all eternity. Sybil is hell-bent on having her lackeys assist her in this respect, but little does she know, her sister Seline is already embedded in Mystic Falls with plans of her own.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child endangerment, defeated mental state, mild gore, mental torture, suicide... and cannibalism. Like, a concerning amount of it.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

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The first of the Killer Bites! This series of episodes is for the more minor characters in The Vampire Diaries, but who shined as brightly as they did briefly - or weren't allowed to shine enough.

In the first instalment of the series, Sandile and Fadzai give a voice to Beau, one of the Heretics from the show's seventh season, who is arguably under-served relative to the rest of his found family.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of racism and ableism.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

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YouTube: @animalattackpod