Critical Lit

Vasilka the flesh golem, probably.

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 14: Build-a-Bride Workshop Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · 02/11/2026 · 1h 45m

Mutual aid! In my D&D? In Ch. 8 of Curse of Strahd, the Krezkites share everything: food, labor & a growing horror at the screams coming from the Abbey. The town's empty graves are almost as problematic as the portrayal of the people this book calls "mongrelfolk."
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But Vlad channels Pennywise...

Check out that smolder from Sir Godfrey.

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 13: Eight Crazy Knights Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · 01/28/2026 · 1h 40m

Strahd tried to bury these gays, but this isn't that kind of story. In Chapter 7 of Curse of Strahd, what begins as a side quest to lay unquiet dead to rest soon becomes a tragic love story that can literally bring light to this forsaken land.
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D&D Walkthrough Maps Cartoon walkthrough maps based on classic Dungeons & Dragons adventures.

D&D Walkthrough maps by @mockman.bsky.social
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Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 12: Baker's Coven Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · 01/14/2026 · 1h 22m

I'm just a girl, a girl & a girl, hovering ethereally behind a boy, asking him—for the love of all that is unholy—to please be more careful with that hag eye I gifted you! Idiot.
Chapter 6 of Curse of Strahd weighs heavier on the heart than it does on the hands.
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Sinners (Part 1) - January 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon

January bonus content on Patreon! Relevant to our interests & culturally relevant at yet another crucial inflection point in American history where the forces of racism threaten to tear the country apart. About to win a fistful of awards but not as many as it should.
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Oh I see you’ve already made yourself at home.

Personally, I'm a fan of...Cox?

Oh, this is actually extremely helpful.

Just about the biggest crab anyone's ever seen.

IYKYK

White Plume Mountain Deep Dive 02 - Weapon of Choice | Critical Lit Consider us Schick-pilled. We wrap up both our holiday hiatus and the 1979 TSR adventure White Plume Mountain in surprisingly high spirits: arms adorned with shiny new weapons, blood infected with ins...

'Sup, Schickheads! The White Plume Mountain deep dive wraps up with a raging case of instant super-tetanus, bellies full of crab boil & a haul of legendary weapons. Plus one 6-foot hookah for good measure. Cue the @dandillon.bsky.social cold open...
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Manticore Santa's 70s calisthenics class

White Plume Mountain Deep Dive 01 - Deranged and Fanatical Evil Gnomes | Critical Lit It's an old school holiday hiatus! We're tackling the first half of S2, the 1979 TSR adventure White Plume Mountain, written exactly one time (to his eternal chagrin) by Lawrence Schick. In this episo...

Who says you can't leave Barovia? Our holiday hiatus is the 1979 TSR module White Plume Mountain, written exactly one time and no more by Lawrence Schick. It's surely chock full of renegade, deranged, fanatical gnomes!
critical-lit.simplecast.com/episodes/whi...

The Pit of Equal Justice Under the Law doesn't have the same ring to it.

The Princess Bride (Part 2) - December 2025 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon

December bonus content on Patreon! Tired of mawwiages that skip to the end? When man & wife isn't enough, try To Blave, the only reason for living. If that fails, the Dread Pirate Roberts is here for your soul!
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Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 11 - Til Decay Do Us Part | Critical Lit As we wrap up Chapter 5, all is not well in Vallaki! Never mind the devil cult hobbyists or the rampaging tiger. The coffin maker has six secrets buried in the attic, and they're waiting for a chance ...

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive #11: Til Decay Do us Part. As we wrap up Chapter 5, all is not well in Vallaki! Never mind the devil cult hobbyists or the rampaging tiger. The coffin maker has six secrets buried in the attic & they're waiting for a feast.
critical-lit.simplecast.com/episodes/cur...

So bye, bye people of Vallaki,
Drove my carriage to the marriage
But the marriage was mine!
Them neutral good boys were drinkin’ blood of the vine
Singin’ “This be the day that you die.
This’ll be the day that you die.”
🎶
Did you write the Tome of Strahd
And do you you have faith in his hot bod?
- i

Critical Lit: Curse of Strahd 10 - That's So Wereraven | Critical Lit All will be well! Provided you avoid the murderous man with the barbed devil arm and his eerie collection of identical dolls. Or the incel wizard. The bone thief and his shovel. The priest with a secr...

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 10: That's So Wereraven. All will be well! Just avoid the man with the barbed devil arm & his collection of identical dolls. The incel wizard. The bone thief & his shovel. The priest with a secret. Keep smiling, because you must. critical-lit.simplecast.com/episodes/cri...

“Secret”

The werewolves finally make an appearance in the Curse of Strahd deep dive. And what an appearance.

The Princess Bride (Part 1) - November 2025 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon

November bonus content on Patreon! Close your eyes and picture a castle in a low-fantasy setting. A forest of thieves. Giant rats. A sword duel. Chances are you're actually picturing this movie, even if you don't remember you are.
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Critical Lit: Curse of Strahd 09 - Crypt Walk | Critical Lit

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive Episode 9: Crypt Walk. Castle Ravenloft Final Level: Exit here for Entombed Enemies, Plot Devices, Bat Guano, and Bridal Returns. Trust me, you don't want to talk to customer service.
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I like this solution, and it doesn't suffer from the representation erasure you get from most wholesale removals of problematic material. Having no Vistani hurts no one. Although there's something ironically Scarlet Witchy about that statement. - i

Critical Lit: Curse of Strahd 08 - Innocents and Insensibility | Critical Lit A cape a day keeps the Dark Powers at bay! Never mind the young woman of indeterminate age in the King's Bedchamber. Just don't use the bathroom if you value your privacy—or sanity. In this episode: C...

Curse of Strahd Deep Dive Episode 8: Innocents and Insensibility. A cape a day keeps the Dark Powers at bay! Never mind the young woman of unspecified age in the King's Bedchamber. Just don't use the bathroom if you value your privacy—or sanity.
critical-lit.simplecast.com/episodes/cri...

Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (Part 2) - October 2025 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon

October bonus content on Patreon! Break out the golden bathrobes and horny green mist. Lucy's little quadrouple and their stern, professorial dom turn into pretty effective vampire hunters, despite some initial setbacks. RIP Lucy, you would have loved the Saja Boys.
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