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Ishant Singh
Ishant Singh

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I Designed My Portfolio Like a Medieval Fortress — No Templates, Just Imagination

#webdev #programming #discuss #showdev

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Hey devs! I'm Ishant — a 17-year-old student!

This is my first time ever building a portfolio — and I didn’t follow any tutorials, use templates, or copy anyone’s layout. I just wanted to make something that felt like me.

So I built "The Scholar’s Fortress" — a portfolio that looks and feels like a medieval RPG world. I added fire, glow, animation, sound, and more... because why not?

🌐 Live site: https://ishantsingh.vercel.app

🔥 What's Inside?

✅ Fully animated sections (summoning effects, sparks, ambient motion)

✅ Medieval ambient music to match the vibe

✅ 5 hidden Easter eggs for the curious 👀

✅ A dedicated section for my real-life discipline experience (NCC leadership, IMA nomination)

✅ Project showcase for apps I’ve built

✅ A custom 404 page and cursor, styled to match the theme

✅ Responsive, dark-mode optimized design

✅ A hidden prophecy!
✅ Built with zero external reference — just my own brain and some coffee

❗ A Few Things Still In Progress

I'm completely new to all this — this is literally my first attempt.

So yeah, some things are still not working:

  • 📷 Screenshots for the apps aren't there because I don't know how to get the best screenshots for them, I feel shy looking at them, LOL (fixing that soon!)
  • 🔗 Project links may not be active yet
  • 📬 The contact form doesn’t send emails yet (still learning backend stuff like Resend, Formspree, etc.)
  • My games, so I have to hide their names, sorry guys!

But everything you see — the design, flow, animation, writing, structure — I did myself from scratch with the spice of AI, Ahahahahahahaha (my bad).

⚙️ Technologies Used

  • Next.js + TypeScript
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Framer Motion (for all the fire and flair)
  • Resend (planned for the email form)
  • Passion, ideas, and ChatGPT 😛

🎯 Why I Did It Like This

I didn’t want a portfolio that felt like a résumé. I wanted something that tells a story — something people remember.

"Forged in fire. Led by purpose."

That’s the core of who I am.

This site is me learning how to combine code, design, and identity — and I’m still growing.

🙌 Would Love Your Thoughts!

I’m here to learn and grow — feedback, roast, or praise — I’m open to all of it.

If you found the site interesting, I’d love to hear what stood out to you.
Also... see if you can find all 5 Easter eggs 😏

Thanks for reading, fellow devs 🖤
— Ishant

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