History Main / TarotTroubles

But what is the point of all that? Isn't it more fun for a writer to use them to [[PortentOfDoom hint at terrible danger]]? After all, most people only know one Tarot card, Death, which makes an unambiguously sinister omen. As audiences grow more trope-savvy, writers instead use The Tower and/or The Hanged Man, which are often illustrated with alarming pictures, for the same purpose. [[note]]These make for good visual shorthand, but aren't quite true. The Death card means change, not literal death. One card, the Ten of Swords, ''does'' mean something like what people think Death means, and the Rider-Waite illustration shows a dead man with ten swords sticking out of his back. Given that it actually ''does'' signify bad things depending on its position, one wonders why nobody ever uses the Devil.[[/note]]

* In an alternate ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' universe, alt-Gwynn offers to read the "main" Torg's fortune. She gasps and declares that "Death is near!" before revealing the spread: The "Death" card, followed by the "Is Near" card. Later, they attempt to play blackjack with the deck (which prophecies that Gwynn's robes will chafe forever) This actually turns out to be a FunnyAneurysmMoment. Near the climax of that arc, Gwynn's robes start chafing... and the story takes a very dark turn.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', a [[GothGirlsKnowMagic goth girl]] gives [[spoiler:Vee]] a tarot reading using Eda's old Hexas Hold'em cards. Despite the cards not having any magic left in them, the reading is scarily accurate, applying to both Luz and [[spoiler:Vee]]. One of the cards is, of course, a GrimReaper looking type, though it's only used for shock and doesn't actually read as death.

* ''Literature/TheScholomance'': One of the many frustrations caused by El Higgins' ApocalypseMaiden-tier gift for BlackMagic is that when she tries to play a friendly tarot card game with her friends, she keeps drawing the Tower and Death cards, even after they take them out of the deck.

* ''[[Series/{{Charmed1998}} Charmed]]'': Shortly before Phoebe and Cole's wedding they give Paige a tarot deck as a bridesmaid's gift. She does a reading for them and draws The Lovers, "Despair" and Death. Despair appears to be a subtitute for the 3 of Swords, the image shown is of a man with three blades piercing his chest. Unfortunately the series proceeds to play the Death card completely straight as a portent of doom. In the following episodes the sisters learn Cole is evil and Phoebe turns her back on good to be with him.

** A wise woman does a caroc (the Disc version of tarot) reading on Twoflower in ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', but the cards have the wrong (but plot-relevant) images.

** When Booth does it in the two part series finale, he gets Temperance and Death, which spooks him a lot despite an apparent misinterpretation of the Death card,since they’re trying to catch a vengeful serial killer who’s stolen explosives.

* Of ''course'' when Temperance Brennan gets a tarot card reading on ''Series/{{Bones}}'', the cards drawn include the Lovers and her own name card.

* ''Anime/IlSolePenetraLeIllusioni'' has a heavy tarot theme and four tarot-using fortunetellers. So, this turns up. The first episode has things start going to shit after the main character gets "The Tower" in a tarot reading.

* In the ''Literature/InCryptid'' short story "Married in Green", Fran's old friend Juniper does a reading for her on the day of her wedding. None of the cards used are in a standard tarot deck, and were made by Juniper herself. All her predictions come true.

[[caption-width-right:270:[[AltText Actually,]] [[DontFearTheReaper DO fear the reaper]].]]

* In ''Film/ShredderOrpheus'', Linus convinces Orpheus to have his fortune told by an oracle; she divines the Lovers, the Tower, and an upside-down Hanged Man and cautions him against unnecessary risks. Being Orpheus, he doesn't listen.

* In ''Webcomic/HappleTea'', [[http://www.happletea.com/comic/dont-fear-the-reaper/ someone manages to draw 7 death cards]] while reading their tarot. Despite the fact that the deck normally only contains one of that card. Their incredulous response provides the page image.

* Bakura in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' reads Pegasus' fortune, using Duel Monsters cards in the same fashion. When he reveals the last card ([[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Doma_the_Angel_of_Silence Doma the Angel of Silence]]), he [[spoiler:kills Pegasus and takes his Millennium Eye]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', a [[GothGirlsKnowMagic goth girl]]gives Luz' impostor a tarot reading using Eda's old Hexas Hold'em cards. Despite the cards being non-magical, the reading is scarily accurate, applying to both Luz and the impostor. One of the cards is, of course, a GrimReaper looking type, though it's only used for shock and doesn't actually read as death.

Common writer tricks with the Tarot include the introduction of new cards, duplication of existing cards (usually Death), or a "good" card appearing ''reversed'', which the Tarot-reading character will explain means that the ''opposite'' will happen (i.e. another bad omen).

* Averted in an episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'', when Castle has to reassure Becket that the Death card only means change.

[[quoteright:271:[[Webcomic/HappleTea https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_happletea_tarot_8383.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:271:[[AltText Actually,]] [[DontFearTheReaper DO fear the reaper]].]]