Just Void

What is a Tech Witch?

Also called Technopaganism, Tech Witchcraft can be defined as the use of modern technology within magical rituals and other forms of witchcraft.

To me (but everyone has their own opinions), it’s really about accepting that the world is changing quite rapidly, and placing technology at the heart of my spirituality by using my computer and mobile phone in my craft - from finding resources, sharing knowledge, meeting fellow witches, etc.

It might seem in strong oppositions with the environmental and traditional values of witchcraft, but I don’t see them as opposite. On the contrary, there is power in using technology for good, and I intend to do so.

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Witchy Phone Apps

Moon is a very simple and straight-forward app telling you the current moon phase according to your location. Ideally, I prefer actually checking the moon phase in the night sky, but as I live in a city, the moon is not always visible, so this app helps me a lot!

Labyrinthos is amazing for Tarot learners as it allows you to learn the meanings and correspondences in a Duolingo kind-of way. You can also draw cards directly on the app if you do not have your Tarot cards with you, or enter the cards you just drew physically to keep track of your previous readings.

Co-Star is a beautifully designed astrology app creating your birth chart, and giving you a hyper-personalized daily horoscope made from an algorithm that is just a bit wonky - but super fun!

Seek is a useful app for all the green witches out there as it allows you to identify wildlife, plants, and fungi with just a picture. Incredibly useful when you are in nature, or in stores, and you don’t know the exact name and properties of a plant that you’d like to harvest or buy.

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Rituals for Tech Witches

💻 Bless your devices whenever you first acquire them

📱 Text yourself with emoji spells, intentions and affirmations

📝 Use Notion as grimoire or book of shadows  

🎵 Make music spells by creating playlists on Spotify

🧙‍♀️ Connect and share knowledge with other witches on social media

☀️ Use a sun lamp in winter to practice light therapy (which can help reducing the effects of seasonal affective disorder)

🧹 Cleanse your computer and phone from unread emails, notifications and files not stored properly

👩‍💻 Learn to code to build your own witchy applications

🧘 Use these breathing gifs to meditate and center yourself

🔴 Get help from red light therapy devices to soothe your sore muscles

Did somebody say more mental hospital AU? (yes omg so many of you did)

So, instead of the Undervale becoming a hotel, it remains an asylum and is modernized into a more humane standalone mental hospital.

Abaddon, having been raised in a cult until he was 8 years old, believes he is the demon Abaddon we know in the show. But he’s just a regular, human kid in this world. He’s admitted into the hospital once taken by CPS from the cult, and stays there until he’s 10. While there, he’s assigned to Katherine, who is a trauma therapist. Nathan is a dietician (not actually assigned to Abby) and Ben & Esther remain the same, lingering around the hospital after school until Kathy gets off work.

Nathan takes great interest in him, having been in several cults himself. They grow closer (reluctantly on Abaddon’s part) and Nathan eventually adopts him once he’s discharged from the hospital.

The Haunting of Undervale Psychiatric Hospital:

Since the hospital has not relocated from its original grounds, the ghosts remain. Of course, they are a nuisance and hindrance to the patients’ recovery, and therefore a drag on the hospital’s income. Some patients are scared of them, some think they’re just other patients, some like them, and others can’t see them at all. Regardless, they eventually scare a few patients off. The staff are used to them, but only after several (failed) attempts to ward them off.

The Acolytes of Abaddon:

The cult who raised Abaddon are the very same cult we see in episode 10. Abaddon was born into the cult from a modern-day version of the vessel’s real parents (I’m calling them James and Elizabeth fight me). Instead of a priest, James is a sort of prophet who “predicts” that his newborn son is the second coming of Real Demon Abaddon. As such, human Abaddon Goes Through Hell.

Abaddon is raised convinced that he’s a demon, and that his true form & powers will appear after several trials. These trials include: blood sacrifices, animal sacrifices, channeling his evil essence, and lastly, a human sacrifice of whom he cherishes most. The first comes in the form of lashings and self-harm (which becomes a habit), the next two are self-explanatory, and the last never happens because he’s taken by CPS before he gets the chance.

Abaddon’s Recovery:

To outsiders, Abaddon’s belief that he is a demon is a prime example of religious psychosis, and he is diagnosed as such along with PTSD. At first, he refuses to talk to Katherine, and rejects any treatment given to him, including medications. As a result, he’s forcefully sedated constantly and is generally very miserable. He refuses to eat (demons don’t need food, right?) and fights anyone who touches him.

But, this all changes with Nathan, who’s more patient and stubborn and kind than the rest. Nathan’s experience with several cults lets him see Abby’s case from a different perspective, and he advocates for a slower approach. More relaxed therapy sessions, coaxing him with food he likes, only strictly necessary medications, isolation with observation instead of sedation (wow I’m spitting bars), basically learning what works from a distance.

Slowly, Abaddon is coaxed out of his psychosis, but it doesn’t end there. He’s traumatized, completely unable to function as a normal kid, and lacking every critical early-life developmental events that regular kids experience; his parents were abusive, he didn’t go to school, and there was no life outside of the cult.

Did somebody say more mental hospital AU? (yes omg so many of you did)

I don't think there's any sort of official promotion post for this game on tumblr, but I ran across this while browsing Steam stuff!

The developer is the same person behind The Weather Channel podcast and Ill-Advised Records. According to them, this game is inspired by a combination of Stardew Valley and World of Horror.