Chinese Lunar Calendar 2025: Year of the [SNK] Snake

XENEDRAGON's ZODIAC VAULT COLLECTION YEAR OF THE SNK 2025 DESIGN

The Year of the Snake is one of the twelve zodiac signs in the Chinese lunar calendar. Each sign is associated with specific characteristics and traits, and the Snake is considered one of the more enigmatic and intriguing signs.

Characteristics of the Snake

• Intelligent: Snakes are known for their analytical minds and ability to think critically. They are often seen as wise and insightful.

• Charismatic: Individuals born in the Year of the Snake tend to have a magnetic personality, attracting others with their charm.

• Secretive: Snakes are often private and may not easily share their thoughts or feelings, which can make them appear mysterious.

• Determined: Once they set their sights on a goal, they are persistent and will work diligently to achieve it.

• Graceful: Snakes are typically known for their elegance and poise, both in their movements and in their demeanor.

  
  

The Year of the Snake is a time that emphasizes intelligence, grace, and determination. Those born under this sign are often seen as wise leaders, capable of navigating complex situations with ease. Understanding the traits associated with the Snake can provide insights into their personalities and relationships. For More information about XeneDragon's Year of the SNK drop visit:

THE ZODIAC VAULT

1 Year Hiatus and (Personal) Development

It’s good to see you all again. I know it‘s been a bit a long time but XeneDragon is back! I’ll be cooking up new designs and fun collabs in the Lab. While I’ve been away, I’ve closed a major chapter in my life to move on to new things. I resigned as a full time science educator back in March. It was a difficult decision to walk away from something I cared so deeply but enough is enough. Although I miss my students and the content I was creating for them, some places are just not worth your time and energy anymore. For a while now, I was feeling stuck in this field but decided to stick it out because it was safe, the money was there. As I was trying my best everyday, I was getting burned out from the emotional and mental burden I carried home and it made me feel miserable. Miserable enough that I stopped drawing and creating. Seeing myself hit my rock bottom made me realize I have to change, I have to do something else. I was rewatching one of my favorite animated series, “Legend of Korra,” when I remember a powerful quote said by Avatar Aang: “When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.” Aang said this to Korra when she was feeling helpless after losing her abilities to the enemy. This quote never resonated so hard until then when I realized I was at my lowest point. I lost my home, my job, even after all the blood sweat and tears I’ve put myself through the pandemic, I was still let go and was told to go somewhere else. I learned that something’s just don’t work out even if you do everything right. I also learned that nothing is ever guaranteed in life but there will always be other options if you seek out for them. This low point in my life actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the education system was falling apart even more in areas that I couldn’t imagine. There were so many problems (I’ll probably get into in the future) that I didn’t see before because I was keeping my head down and working through the pain. Complacency kept me in the hole and because of the loss, I was open to explore other options, look at my life with more gratitude and appreciation. I am still heartbroken that I had to walk away but I am also relieved that I left. So where do we go from here? Well, my #1 priority is to take my life back. With the support of my loved ones, I was able to get professional help for my health, which was something I was procrastinating while I was still an educator. Now making appointments and going to these appointments are less stressful since I had no other obligations. Aside from my health, I wanted to live again, not just physically but emotionally and mentally. I let myself be creative again. I started designing new mechas and falling in love with the process. I also started learning Cloud Computing (Thanks to my friend and my knack for tech) in hopes of obtaining a new career. In the meantime, XeneDragon be dropping every month with new MECHA MONSTERS and DRGNs for the rest of this year until further notice. :) P.S. Here’s a GIF I learned how to make while promoting my grand Re-opening! CHEERS TO XENEDRAGON’S EVOLUTION to GEN 4

STARSIDE ARMORY x XENEDRAGON COLLABORATION

IT'S HERE! The collaboration that I've been working on and the reason why I disappeared for a while on social media. This collaboration project was honestly one of the most fun and rewarding experience I've had so far with my designs. Curtis from Starside Armory is an amazing Sci-fi / Cyberpunk props maker. He's also done some work for Hollywood and it's been an honor to be part of his Shiny Knife collection. Check out his work HERE. So let's quickly just talk about the blade design, my part of the collab: My original idea was to take left the grey horn of my GEN3 DRGN and modifying some graphics to make it my XeneDragon signature look. However, after playing around with some modifications, I decided to scrap 90% of my original idea and came up with something that complements the blade's original base model.

The FINAL design and product: (Which can be bought at Starside Armory's Store, same link above)

With some stylized futuristic/cyberpunk graphics and subtle "DRGN" features that run along edge and back of the blade, I dub this the "DRGN_FNG" [Dragon Fang] Can you see the hidden DRGN within this blade?

[Also a secret while I was designing this, I left my tablet pen at home during a long out of state trip I designed the whole thing with my finger on Procreate, it was interesting and I cleaned it up after I made it home! Never again will I forget my tablet pen]

[LIMITED EDITION DROP 8 PIECES ON THE ONLINE WEBSITE ONLY]