Leveling Up: Welcoming the Year of the Snake

Let's welcome in the Year of the Snake with open arms! It's a time of shedding the old and embracing the new skin that we've grown for ourselves. And this year, that really resonates with me. I've spent the past five years growing, learning, and cocooning. I'm ready to shed!

Every year, I push myself to go further. At the University of Florida, we call that going greater! This year is no exception. But sometimes, I forget that I'm a solo player trying to speedrun a game I've never played.

To keep things interesting, I’m trying out a new system that one of my colleagues recommended—a 2025 bingo card! I’ve filled it up with a few main quests and plenty of side quests.

One of those goals is trying to wear girly shoes again. I’ve had to stick to sneakers for the past eight years due to my injury, and while the thought of trying wedges or even a small heel is terrifying, my physical therapist thinks I can handle it again with some practice.

Other goals include catching up on all the anime I’ve missed (finally!) and maybe sharing the experience on Twitch, YouTube, or TikTok. I feel like my anime watchlist is ever-growing, so I am coming up with a creative way to knock out this goal.  I also want to finish more emotes, fix up my Patreon pages and website, and finally publish Level 8 of Game Over.

But… I’m also at the final boss fight of my degree: Business Finance. And I’m fresh out of potions, ethers, and phoenix downs. All I want to do is cast Flare and be done! But here we are, grinding through one battle at a time.

If you'd like to follow along with my main quests and side quests, there are some great ways you can do that!

For Game Over and other original content like web comics, character designs, and insights on how to bring your ideas to life, I recommend joining my Adventurer's Guild Patreon.  It helps support the original content you've come to love and help others learn to make original content, regardless of the medium.

For those of you with communities on Twitch, YouTube, and Discord or an interest in getting some fun fan art monthly and having control over what I'm producing for emotes, prints, and sketches, definitely check out my Sketch & Emote Club on Patreon.  You get a monthly emote and sketch download!

I’m hoping the Year of the Snake will bring rebirth and prosperity—not just for me, but for all of us.

Normally, I’d lay out some specific goals here, but in the spirit of shedding the old ways, I’m keeping them to myself. So enjoy the surprises!

Here’s to leveling up in 2025!