I absolutely understand your reluctance; Duolingo isn't the only thing you can take inspiratiom from, you can have an XP/level system like Clozemaster, which ha

I absolutely understand your reluctance; Duolingo isn't the only thing you can take inspiratiom from, you can have an XP/level system like Clozemaster, which has (had?) an animated celebration gif on level-up and also an option to switch it off.