This chapter delves deeper into Christian's psyche (as if any of us wanted that) and my conclusion is that he's basically an overgrown manchild who cannot take responsibility for himself. Yay! Meanwhile, Ana is starting to normalize the toxicity of her relationship to Christian, which is....not great! Content warnings for this chapter: poor communi…

This chapter is quite light and fluffy for once...except of course when Christian can't help but be a controlling dick, and when we take one more brief detour into his Dark, Fucked Up Childhood(TM). Content warnings for this chapter: misogynistic views around sex, possessiveness, manipulative/controlling behavior, toxic monogamy, poor consent-getti…

It's finally here! The wait is over. With the help of a couple guests and a lot of alcohol, we've made you a 50 Shades movie commentary track, meant to be played along while you watch the movie. I'm not gonna lie, this is the most chaotic podcast episode I've released so far. The mic we used picked up a lot more of the movie's sound than anticipate…

This chapter takes us through lots of echoes of Twilight plot points, lots of heartfelt discussion (as much as these two are capable of), and a little bit of bonding over trauma. Fun! Content warnings for this chapter: home invasion, discussion of trauma kinkshame, PTSD/trauma response, mild boundary crossing, poor bedside manner from a doctor, abu…

It's been a minute! Hope you're all enjoying your holiday season more than I enjoyed this chapter. It's time for the charity ball, which is of course chock full of dinner, dancing, drama, and just a little bit of D/s. As a treat. lol Content warnings for this chapter: poor consent-getting, inappropriate domination, possessiveness, brief ableism, va…

We get a bit of a break from the heavy stuff in this chapter, as Christian takes Ana to a fancy charity event thrown by his family. But don't worry, there are still plenty of moments for me to snark about. Content warnings for this chapter: jealousy, possessiveness, kinkshame, brief homophobia. Find Leigh elsewhere online: allmylinks.com/leighcarti…

Thank you once again for being patient with my upload schedule. I think content updates may just be a little sporadic for now, as I deal with this thing called life. lol That said, this may be one of the longest lists of content warnings I've ever had for one chapter. Leila's aggression is stepping up, Ana is being "kept safe" at Christian's apartm…

In this chapter - in between frequent breaks for sex scenes - we learn more about the mysterious woman who approached Ana on the street, and set up for some ~drama~ in the next chapter. Definitely check on the trigger warnings below, there are a few doozies. Content warnings for this chapter: alcohol mention, controlling behavior, boundary crossing…

It's true, the new and improved Patreon content is here! I'll be releasing a short bonus rant each week about an online post that I have feelings about. Usually related to dating, relationships, kink...something related to the subject of the podcast. :) This first mini bonus episode is public, but all future mini episodes will be Patreon exclusive!…

(Now with correct audio, I promise!!) Are you settling back into the (horrifying) rhythms of this series? I know I am. After Ana's boss tries to hit on her at a bar after work, proving once again that nobody in this series knows how to negotiate healthy boundaries, Christian once again swoops in and rescues her, and we're off to the races once agai…

So if you just pretend that your girlfriend never broke up with you, and pressure her to take you back while she's fragile and grieving, you can just keep going with the relationship and everything's fine, right? Christian Grey says yes. I say buckle up for chapter two. Content warnings for this chapter: bad dom behavior, alcohol mention, kinkshame…

I know it's not exactly on the schedule I was hoping for, but better late than never! We're back with Ana, as she handles being several days post-breakup absolutely horribly, and Christian, as he handles being broken up with...even worse. Here we go again! Content warnings for this chapter: disordered eating, stalking mention, kinkshame, slur use, …

Why have I been so quiet lately? Because, well, life. But don't worry, I'll be back at it as soon as I can! :) Find Leigh elsewhere online: allmylinks.com/leighcartist for her "vanilla" work, or allmylinks.com/candikitten for her adult work.Find this podcast elsewhere: allmylinks.com/thecurdledpodLogo by Rhys Jones tearlessrainart.tumblr.com…

Here we are, the final chapter, as we watch Ana and Christian press the self-destruct button on their own relationship. In an attempt to connect to Christian, Ana asks him to punish her as harshly as he wants to...and it goes, predictably, very badly. Content warnings for this chapter: kinkshame, kinkshame, and more kinkshame. Also poor communicati…

Ana's back in Seattle, and heads straight for Christian's place. He's still keeping his "situation" a secret from her, as well as what she said in her sleep, so I'm sure that's all gonna turn out fine. For now though, they spend most of this chapter getting naked together in various ways. Content warnings for this chapter: kinkshame, abuse mention,…

This chapter is a bit fluffy, as the fanfic people say. Christian takes Ana gliding (or "soaring", as he calls it), and then the rest of the chapter is filled with emailed banter when an unexpected situation calls Christian back to Seattle. Because every so often I suppose we have to have a break for plot. Content warnings for this chapter: unhealt…

In this chapter, Christian shows up in the bar where Ana and her mom are out drinking, and (of course) takes over Ana's entire trip. Because what are boundaries anyway?? Content warnings for this chapter: alcohol mention, controlling behavior, discussion of child molestation/pedophilia, poor communication, discussion of physical abuse, kink shame, …

This chapter follows Ana across the country to get some distance from Christian - except for the endless emails they send back and forth the entire time, of course. Let's see how this goes, shall we? Content warnings for this chapter: stalking, alcohol mention, extremely sexist stereotypes, discussion of statutory rape, jealousy/possessiveness, and…

Plot warning in this chapter, but if you can stick it out through that, there's plenty of the usual tomfoolery. Plenty of kinkshaming from Ana, emotional constipation from Christian, and before any of it can be resolved, Ana leaves for Georgia. This should go well!Content warnings for this chapter: racism, kinkshame, stalking.Find Leigh elsewhere o…

This chapter begins with a "punishment fuck" and ends with Ana bargaining a spanking in exchange for a scrap of info about Christian's past trauma. And there's a lot in between too, so buckle up! Content warnings for this chapter: possessive behavior, poor communication, low self esteem, kinkshame, pushing boundaries, abuse, dismissal of trauma, an…

This chapter takes us to Christian's family's house for an almost comically tense family dinner. Between Kate trying to run interference between Ana and her abusive boyfriend, and the waitstaff flirting with Christian all night, I'm honestly not sure how any of us will make it to the next chapter. Content warnings for this chapter: statutory rape m…

In this chapter, Christian takes Ana through a scene in his play room for the first time. He shows her the basics of protocol he'd like her to observe while in the room, something of what a scene here would look like...and generally how incompetent he is at being a dominant. Fun! Content warnings for this chapter: racism, Nazi mention, poor pre-sce…

This chapter sees Ana leaving her old job and moving into her new apartment...all while Christian constantly pesters her to stay in contact with him. We end on the precipice of another weekend at Christian's apartment, and whatever fun new abuses that may bring. Content warnings for this chapter: grooming mention, sexual assault mention, stalking m…

Thank you for hanging in there, I know this one is posting late! In this chapter, Ana is given her first spanking, as a punishment for rolling her eyes at Christian. When he then leaves her with barely any aftercare, she's left to deal with a whole host of confusing, conflicting feelings and no one to talk them over with. Because erotica! Content w…

In this chapter Christian comes over to "negotiate" soft limits with Ana. And by "negotiate" I of course mean bulldoze over just about every concern she brings up, so that he can still get his way. I'm really hoping Ana can learn to stand up for herself and her boundaries...but something tells me that's unlikely. Content warnings for this chapter: …

This is a bit of a filler chapter (meaning it's more plot-heavy than kink-heavy) but there's still plenty to critique! Ana goes to her graduation, where she meets back up with Christian and makes her decision about whether or not to continue her relationship with him (bet you can't guess what she decides!) Content warnings for this chapter: kinksha…

Ana and Christian meet to discuss The Contract. Boundaries are...blatantly ignored at every turn. Ana's submission is called into question as she *checks notes* tries to negotiate. Fun times! Content warnings for this chapter: ignoring a direct "no", all kinds of pushing of boundaries, coercion for sex, unhealthy attitudes toward food, inappropriat…

Ana "jokingly" sends Christian an email breaking up with him, and Christian's response is...not great. I get a bit shouty on this one (: Content warnings for this chapter: kinkshame (of course), sexual assault mention, seduction/mild coercion, kink scene enacted with no prior negotiation/consent, abusive isolation mention. Find Leigh elsewhere onli…

Why does EL James dedicate over half a chapter to the text of a contract for a romantic relationship? I don't know, but I did my best to get through it without my brain melting out my ears. Hear my opinions after making it out the other end. Content warnings for this chapter: lack of consent, poorly depicted D/s negotiation/dynamics, kinkshame ment…

This episode delves into the fantasy versus reality of D/s relationships, the problem of trying to come up with a "reason" why someone is kinky, and the importance of advocating for yourself and setting boundaries in any relationship, but especially a kinky one. Content warnings for this episode: slut shaming, discussion of sexual assault, jealous/…

A little late, but hopefully worth the wait! In this episode I talk respecting boundaries, consent-getting best (and worst) practices, Ana's first (flawless) blowjob, and the genital shame that many vulva-havers are brought up with. Sounds like fun, right?? Content warnings for this episode: inappropriate domination, consent violation, disordered a…

The first sex scene in this kink erotica trilogy is...not only extremely vanilla, but extremely unaware of how to make things comfortable for someone being penetrated for the first time. Let's cringe about it together, shall we? Content warnings for this episode: shame/stigma around virginity, kinkshame (of course), more bad dominance, and a shocki…

Ah yes, finally the episode we've all been waiting for - when I get to talk explicitly and at length about kink! And how horribly it is misrepresented in this book. This definitely isn't an episode to listen to with young children around.Content warnings for this episode: toxic "doms", grooming for abuse, kinkshame, inappropriate domming, disordere…

Thank you for your patience with the late upload today! Life gets in the way sometimes. :) This episode sets us up for Christian's "big reveal" of his deep, dark secret. He flies her out to his apartment, has her sign an NDA, and then escorts her into his dungeon...Content warnings for this episode: stalking mention, and just a whole lot more of Ch…

In this episode Ana wakes up in Christian's hotel room, and it's all downhill from there. We start to see Christian's disordered attitudes toward food, his deeply buried kinkshame, and it all culminates in one of the most distressing first-kiss sequences I've ever read. Have fun!Content warnings for this episode: manipulation, truly awful dominant …

Welcome to Curdled Ink, one woman's tirade against poor writing and problematic romance! This episode is a wild ride, diving into Ana's self esteem issues, Christian's mind-blowing lack of boundaries, and EL James's inability to imagine a man who's not actually a douchebag. Content warnings for this episode: self loathing, ableism mention, alcohol/…

Welcome to Curdled Ink, one woman's tirade against poor writing and problematic romance! This episode chronicles Ana and Christian's first date, and it goes...exactly as well as you'd expect. Content warnings for this episode: consent violation, heteronormativity, and Christian generally being a dick. Find Leigh elsewhere online: allmylinks.com/lei…

Welcome to Curdled Ink, one woman's tirade against poor writing and problematic romance! This episode takes you through the aftermath of Ana and Christian's meeting, in which Christian goes about pursuing the girl he's interested in in ALL the wrong ways. Content warnings for this episode: stalking, inappropriate flirting, toxic masculinity, and ge…

Welcome to Curdled Ink, one woman's tirade against poor writing and problematic romance! This first episode introduces you to your host, Leigh, and breaks down her impressions of chapter one of Fifty Shades of Grey. Content warnings for this episode: misogyny, toxic masculinity. Find Leigh elsewhere online: allmylinks.com/leighcartist for her "vani…