I remember the day I met Alina Pete, because I had a moment of gleeful geekery that stopped me in my tracks–which is hard to do when wandering the floor at Gen Con. I’m a huge fan of Edward Gorey (1), and I was immediately drawn to her homage of Gorey‘s style (2). I’m proud to say that the aforementioned/linked illustrated compendium of Gorey-meets-Dungeons and Dragons is now hanging on my wall, and it often gets many hilarious comments in semi-alphabetical order for those who know what a Quaggoth is.

That, however, was just the beginning of our friendship. Mind you, I had heard of and read Pete’s work before, via her webcomic Weregeek, and have been so excited to watch her career flourish over time. A capable illustrator and designer of the notorious gelatinous cube plush, Alina works tirelessly to produce comics, illustrations, and art for both existing and new fans. This is someone who is both talented and persistent, and is worth many, many squees. She is a lovely human being, and I am damn proud to consider her my friend.

For more about Alina Pete, you can follow her on Twitter @alinapete, visit the Weregeek website, or support her through the Weregeek Patreon.

(1) This, in part, due to Mystery and my fondness for the cross-hatching aesthetic.

(2) If Gorey and dry wit is your jam, I highly recommend you check out Gloom. I wrote about the game for Family Games: The 100 Best, and continue to recommend it for new players. There’s also a game called Corpse Craft: Incident at Weardd Academy produced circa 2008 you can download for your iPad.

Mood: Grumbily like cinnamon coffee cake. These coffee house tables need a red light/green light when available–especially for those near outlets!
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… I admit NOTHING!
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Okay, work with me here. I figured out a route to hit a Pokestop twice, and get 3,000 steps in before my first cup of coffee. I call that a win!
In My Ears: Some dipshit that’s dominating the conversation with a very talented, capable woman. This conversation is more one-sided than the one I have with my cats every day.
Game Last Played: Pokemon GO. Review forthcoming. Post gym.
Book Last Read: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Movie/TV Show Last Viewed: The Star Wars trilogy, remastered
Latest Artistic Project: Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge and Rules
Latest Releases: In Volo’s Wake for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Unknown Armies Books 1-3, and Kobold Guide to Gamemastering. Read my end-of-the-year list of releases for an overview of what I’ve put out for 2016.
Current State of Projects: Read my latest project update. New project update coming this month!