Okay, so today I’m gonna spill the beans on this little tarot project I’ve been messing around with – I’m calling it “xxi tarot” for now. Don’t ask me why, it just sounded cool at the time.
How it Started:
It all started, as most of my crazy ideas do, with me being bored. I was scrolling through some random stuff online and stumbled upon a bunch of tarot card images. I thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be neat to make my own digital version?” I’m not even a tarot expert or anything, but the idea just stuck with me.
Diving In (Headfirst, of course):
- Gathering Images: First things first, I needed some visuals. I started scouring free image sites and even tried my hand at some basic digital painting (which, let me tell you, was a journey in itself). My goal was to create a deck that had a slightly different vibe than the traditional ones.
- Choosing a Tech Stack (Because Why Not?): I decided to use Python with a simple GUI library. Why? Because I know a little Python, and figured a GUI would make it easier to flip through the cards. I was thinking about maybe using a web framework later, but for now, local was the way to go.
- Coding the Basic Structure: I basically hammered out a script that would load the images and display them in a window. It was super clunky at first. I spent ages wrestling with layout managers and image scaling, but eventually, I got it working to some extent.
The Nitty-Gritty (aka The Painful Parts):
- Random Card Selection: Okay, this sounds easy, right? Just randomly pick an image from a list. But I wanted to add some extra sauce. Like, maybe have options for different spreads (one-card draw, three-card spread, etc.). That meant figuring out how to handle multiple card selections and display them properly.
- Reversed Cards: I figured I needed to add the option for reversed cards. This meant randomly flipping some of the selected cards. I just added a simple flag and another image transformation.
- The “Meaning” (or Lack Thereof): This is where I hit a bit of a wall. I’m no tarot reader, so I didn’t want to pretend to be. I thought about linking the cards to existing tarot meanings from different websites. I decided to put a disclaimer that says “Hey, I’m not responsible if you make life-altering decisions based on this random card generator.”
The “Aha!” Moments (There Were a Few):
- Making it Look Half-Decent: I spent way too long playing around with different themes and fonts. I used a free CSS framework to make the GUI not look like it came straight out of the 90s.
- Adding Some Polish: I ended up adding some simple animations (fade-in, fade-out) when the cards are displayed. It made the whole thing feel a little bit more polished.
The End Result (For Now):
So, what’s the final product? It’s a basic digital tarot deck that lets you draw cards and see their images. It’s not going to win any design awards, but it works (most of the time). I still have plans to add more features, like the ability to save your readings or share them with friends (if anyone would actually care).
What I Learned:
This project was a fun way to practice some basic programming skills. I learned a bit more about image manipulation, GUI design, and just the general process of building something from scratch. Plus, now I have a random tarot card generator that I can use to impress (or confuse) my friends.
Next Steps:
- Maybe put the whole thing online.
- Get some real tarot folks to check it out.
- Add more customization options.
And that’s the story of “xxi tarot.” It’s a work in progress, but I’m having fun with it. Maybe I’ll share more updates as I keep tinkering.
