Rainy Day Episode 1

Cat and the Cryptid Summer by Raspberry | Content Warnings

Hi, Apple here! We usually post Picnics on the fifth week of the month, and Raspberry is working on an absolutely amazing one, but sometimes life does the most and things don’t go according to plan. When it rains, it pours and all that. As much as we adore Raspberry’s writing, our top priority is making sure she takes care of herself. When life drops lemons out of the sky on your homie like hail in a thunderstorm, you tell that homie it’s okay to slow down and take a break on the rainy days. You also fangirl over your homie’s fantastic writing. So, without further ado, here are my top five favorite settings from Cat and the Cryptid Summer! (There will be spoilers, friends!)

5. The Library

I had to have the library on this list. When Cat shows up for the “book club” and the Tennials try to get rid of her by being like, “You don’t wanna join us. We’re gonna analyze literature. Through a Marxist lens!” I was like, “Joke’s on you! I paid money to get to do that in college.” Also, the fact that they got to choose any names they wanted, any names at all, and they went with literature-related ones. These are my people—er, vampires. You would definitely catch me at the library.

4. The Woods

It took me way too long to realize there are “Little Red Riding Hood” parallels in this story, especially considering it’s one of my favorite fairytales of all time. I was so caught up in my conspiracy theories about what was going to happen next that I completely missed it at first. But now that I know about it, I can’t unsee it. Girl goes to grandmother’s house. Wolf pretends to be girl’s family. And, of course, the woods. Some of the biggest revelations in Cat and the Cryptid Summer happen in the woods. At night. With all the creepy sounds and spooky noises. From Gran wandering off in the dark to Cat questioning everything she knows, the woods set us up for each of the story’s dark truths. And also a picnic with some delicious sounding scones.

3. Gran’s House

Gran’s house is so symbolic of Gran as a person! All of the locked rooms mirroring the secrets and heartbreak that Gran keeps locked away. The stuffed Mythics in the magic library that Gran is completely desensitized to. I could go on forever about how about well Raspberry writes morally gray characters, because Gran, hero that she is, is so dark and twisted in so many ways! But the we also get the mural in Cat’s mom’s room—the one that warns them of danger—and we remember how Gran wanted to be an artist and how she gave that up because, more than anything, she wants to keep her family safe. I’m gonna need Raspberry to stop cutting onions in here!

2. The Grocery Store

There are no onions here! Well, I mean, there are probably real onions, but not the metaphorically tear-inducing ones. All of the grocery story scenes are hilarious, including Gran’s weird shopping list. I love little, everyday details that reveal fun things about a character, and Gran buying a bajillion steaks with zero explanation, only for us to find out later they’re for the mayor? Who is a werewolf? I love it. My arch nemesis, Cart Boy, is also at the grocery store, but for the safety of my laptop we won’t speak of him. (You can find out how he became my nemesis in the wrap-up party episode if you missed it!) Anyway, scenes at the grocery store always cut the tension with their silliness and fun. They are such a good time!

Honorable Mention

There aren’t many scenes that go down at the diner, but Bree is there, so obviously it’s one of the coolest places on earth. Pineapple’s fantastic cover art for the story is also of the characters at the diner, so you know it had to be on my list. The art is gorgeous! My friends are so talented for real, y’all.

1. The Road into Town

I always go back to the first episode. The vibes. THE VIBES! The eerie dirt road, the literal hand-painted warning signs, Cat getting lost, Ms. Peregrine appearing out of nowhere, Bigfoot! Ugh, it’s so good! The perfect introduction to this cryptid town!

What are some of your favorite settings?

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