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Moon Phase

Amidst the echoes of a fallen society,
this magazine stands at the boundary between what was,
what might have been and what could be.

@673.09

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Enjoy a curated selection of offerings from around the web, we're bringing you underground culture at it's finest. Email us: hedorahmusic@gmail.com

02/27/25

Art Posting...
Ivan Bilibin

Vasilisa the Beautiful, 1899

Koschei the Deathless, 1899


Art Posting, Every Thursday on HOUDINI
02/25/25

Anti-Human Rhetoric is a Tool of Capital and Must Be Rebuked; Empathy as a Revolutionary Weapon

Anti-human rhetoric is the poison gas of capital’s last stand—manufactured, weaponized, and pumped into the lungs of the masses through every crack in this rotting empire. These phrases—"fuck around and find out," "leopards ate your face"—are not just words. They are the ideological jackboot on the throat of solidarity, the death rattle of a system that must dehumanize to survive.

"You didn’t vote for the right party," or "You didn’t—" not you specifically, but the vague caricature of you that someone’s created in their mind. That caricature deserves to die, so when people die, it’s okay. It’s fine. The normalization of death is something you must sit with—it’s a deeply entrenched part of capitalist culture.

"You shouldn’t have been yelling on the subway. You shouldn’t have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. You fucked around and found out. It’s fine he strangled you to death. Sucks to suck." When they laugh as families lose everything in natural disasters, when they shrug as families are bulldozed from their homes, they reveal the truth: capitalism cannot breathe without suffocating us first. This is "culture"—it is the deliberate erosion of our capacity to see each other as human beings, not competitors in their death-match marketplace.

We have to rebuke this anti-human rhetoric. We, as communists, have to rebuke this anti-human capitalist rhetoric. How we can do this is by rejecting the postmodern, ironic detachment from existence that’s been cultivated. Meaning what you say. Be sincere. Be empathetic—more empathetic than anyone else around you. Spread empathy. There’s no limit to how much sincerity you can put out into the world.

I went to a business seminar when I was 20. Just sat in to see what it was about. The guy was talking about empathy like it’s a weakness. "You can’t get too attached. You’ve got to grind. Isolate yourself. Work on yourself. The only person that matters is you." That’s the "fuck you, I got mine" culture we’re trying to destroy. They teach isolation. They sell apathy as "self-care". But we say: Empathy is our artillery. It is how we challenge the alienation of capitalism. It is our greatest strength.

You want to know why they preach empathy as weakness in their business seminars? Because they know—they fucking know—that if we truly felt each other’s pain, if we truly grasped the chains binding the woman beside us, the worker across the aisle, the child starving in a country we’ve never seen… their whole house of cards would collapse. Empathy is the match that lights the fuse of revolt.

They want us fragmented, laughing as our neighbors drown. But we must be the ones who drag each other up from the water. When they say you deserve to die for not voting," we answer: No one deserves to die. Everyone deserves to live. That is the core of communism. Not pity. Not charity. Solidarity.

And let’s gut this lie that you can be "progressive" while kneeling to capital. We see people who talk about how progressive they are, how positive, how moral. They’re doing the right thing. They’re the most moral people in the room. The adults are in charge! And yet, these are often the people espousing the most insidious anti-human rhetoric in defense of capital. They’re the ones using phrases like "leopards ate your face." They’re the ones who’ll lambast you for not voting for a Democrat, even though that same Democrat sent bombs that killed your family in another country.

They’re the same Democrats who’ll say, "We can’t let them cut Medicaid. That’d be horrible." But as soon as it happens, it’s, "Well, you fucked around and found out. Should’ve voted blue. Maybe you’ll learn a lesson. You deserve to die from a lack of medication. You deserve a preventable death. Leopards ate your face."

In my mind, this makes any claim of solidarity they’ve ever made complete hogwash. Complete fucking bullshit. If, in one breath, you tell me you support me and would care for me when I’m sick, but when I get sick, you laugh in my face and say I deserve it, your words ring hollow. These people do exist, but they are a loud minority. The capitalist algorithms, the media streams—they reward the rage, the nihilistic apathy, the embrace of the anti-human, of the capitalist eldritch.

We must never forget this. We must never allow what could be botted, "dead internet" looking-glass consent manufacturing operations to hold our hearts in disarray. We must rebuke the anti-human rhetoric of capitalism, and we must do so out of a sense of love for our fellow human beings.

Even as we begin to fight back in this class war—as things escalate, as conditions worsen and the struggle for revolution intensifies—we must remember: we do this out of love. Love for the single mother working two jobs just to keep the lights on. Love for the kid in Gaza who’s never known a day without drones buzzing overhead. Love for the teacher just trying to hold down a job while resisting, and the Amazon driver pissing in bottles to meet quotas. Love for the homeless man freezing on a park bench, and the immigrant family locked in a detention center.

This isn’t just about tearing down a broken system. It’s about building something better—a world where no one has to die because they can’t afford insulin, where no one has to lose their home because rent doubled overnight, where no one has to sell blood to afford food, where kids don't go hungry, and the streets aren't lined with needles—a would where no one has to bury their child because a drone strike hit their school again.

We fight because we love. We organize because we care. And we will win—we will defeat capitalism because we refuse to let the anti-human rhetoric of capitalism define us. We are not nihilists. We are not doomers. We are revolutionaries. And we will not stop until every last shred of this anti-human—this anti-life system is burned to the fucking ground and replaced with something worthy of the people it’s meant to serve.

02/24/25

BRAND NEW TRACK: Gough - Evil Inside Us

Full EP Coming Spring 2025 - Only on HOUDINI

02/22/25

HOUDINI Magazine at 300k Views - We Are Breaking the Looking Glass

I’m gonna keep it real. Look, yesterday I posted what I posted, and I posted it with full intention, full meaning, and full sincerity. Everything I said, I stand behind. The elite? They fear us. We have the power.

What we have on this site is independent. Houdini Magazine is independent. It’s not beholden to advertisers. It’s not beholden to corporate financial interests. There’s no need for me to edit or censor myself to make myself more palatable to advertisers. I’m not gonna change what I’m saying to appeal to the mass market of people who want their content neatly packaged so it can sit next to a Chevy ad.

Which is to say: fuck the advertisers, and fuck the corporations. We’re gonna keep speaking truth to power here at Houdini Magazine, and we’re probably gonna be speaking a whole lot more of it because it’s pretty obvious to me that the divide continues to shift.

I started this website because I wanted to talk about art, culture, and music. I wanted to share things I enjoy with the world. But here’s the thing: the inability to speak about real issues, about real truth to power, on these platforms—whether it’s Instagram, Reddit, Discord, whatever—is stifling. These platforms have built-in censorship mechanisms. You have to understand: everything you see on these platforms is selected for you intentionally to maintain the illusion of free discourse. But if you step outside what’s allowed, what’s acceptable—whether that’s posting about unions, the cost of living, organizing to make the world a better place—you will get censored. You will get banned.

During the Palestinian genocide, I went through more Instagram accounts than I can count. We posted videos from campus protests, police raids, directly from Gaza showcasing the carnage. Time and time again, accounts were banned, posts were shut down, algorithms were employed to censor the discourse—up to the point where TikTok became the main platform to speak about this without getting censored.

So, when I reposted that exact post on a major leftist subreddit and my account got permanently banned, not by the sub mods, but by the admins themselves? For “advocating for violence,” it’s clear: anything you see on Reddit is part of that same looking-glass effect. That is the looking-glass effect. But you already knew that.

You want to know how we break that fucking looking glass? How we buck back against the Red Queen like Alice? We share this shit. I’m serious—one of the most powerful things you can do is share what you see. Whether it’s a band post, a new track, an upcoming single, a video game we’re promoting, or politics—share it. When we’re speaking truth to power, share it. Send it to someone.

It’s just one person opening their phone and sending a text. That’s a powerful way to get this information out. It’s more powerful than me dropping $10,000 on an Instagram ad to be one of those “cool brands” made with mommy and daddy’s money. We’re out here getting it out the mud.

When we keep speaking truth to power, we need people to share it, to continue supporting. We just hit 300,000 views—that’s unique individual IP addresses, individual viewers. That’s a lot of reach. It’s a lot of people. And it proves to me that, regardless of what the algorithm says, regardless of what the looking glass allows you to see, there are people who want to hear what I’m saying. There are people who want to support a culture that’s radical, revolutionary, that stands for something. And that’s an incredibly powerful thing.

So, I just want to say thank you to everyone who supports. Share the fuck out of everything. They will continue to crack down and censor what we’re trying to say, what we stand for. And when they do that, all it does is hurt the culture. It’s not about me. It’s not about the money. It’s about the message.

02/22/25

Elon Musk's Texts Leaked, Looks Like the Elite Are Shaking in Their Fuckin' Boots

So, Elon Musk had a bunch of text messages leak, text messages, between him and one of his baby mamas. And we’re not gonna get into the irony of Republicans, the party that used to be all about “family values,” now worshipping a man with 13 baby mamas who’s a deadbeat dad.

What I really want to focus on is this one fucking text message. This one singular motherfucking text message that gives you a glimpse into the mind of the richest man on Earth—and it should make you feel like you’ve got a little power over that son of a bitch. This man is scared. He’s shaking in his boots. He’s not happy with the state of things, and we’re about to find out why.

The reason? Our good friend Luigi. Yeah, the Mario brother who’s been in and out of the news for killing that healthcare CEO in broad daylight in Manhattan. Who's favorite Pokemon is Breloom? Yeah I know you haven't forgotten about our boy. Turns out, just like we thought, the rich are shaking in their boots because they realize anyone could be the next Luigi.

In this leaked text message—verified and everything—Elon says, and I’m gonna quote directly: “I get credible death threats every day. I’m number two after Trump for assassination.” Let’s be real, Elon Musk is at the top of everybody’s Luigi draft picks right now. If you’re gonna crash out on a single individual, this is the motherfucker to do it to, right?

He goes on: “Only the paranoid survive. The threat levels will increase until the election is decided. Loose lips sink ships.” Ironic, isn’t it? We’re reading his leaked texts, and he’s out here saying, “Loose lips sink ships.” Does he even realize he’s probably more hated now than he was before the election?

I didn’t have Elon Musk in my top five Luigi draft picks for a while. Too divisive, I thought. “He’s the science guy to too many people,” I figured. But then? Then he does a Nazi salute at the inauguration, all while effectively being the president? Oh, your ass just shot up to number one, buddy. This motherfucker is the fucking golden ticket now.

We know the rich are scared of us. We know they’re shaking in their boots because they know they can get got at any time. They know every single person they surround themselves with is a potential threat vector.

Oh, you wanna go eat at a fancy restaurant? Better make sure every waitress, every chef, every busboy is vetted, background-checked, and sworn to loyalty. But even then—are you gonna wear your stab vest? You don’t get stabbed to death when they bring you the lasagna, now do you? How much do you trust your security people? You wanna go on a boating trip—hit the sailboat? Make sure the dockworkers, kitchen staff, and everyone on the boat is vetted and not a threat vector. Because Lord knows, anyone with a pulse who’s a member of the working class and gets that close has gotta be thinking, “I could do it.” They know it. We know it. And that’s why Elon can’t sleep. That’s why he can’t eat. That’s why bozos like him are always looking over their shoulders. Because the curse of being rich isn’t just the money—it’s the target on your back. And the closer they get to us, the bigger that target grows.

It’s just one of those things where you gotta look at the power we have. The working class has the power. No matter how much money these vampires amass, it only takes a single stake to the heart. A single Van Helsing to end it all. This is the richest man on the planet. He’s got all the resources in the world. Effectively, he’s the president of the United States. And he’s scared shitless. Paranoid as fuck. Probably can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t breathe without looking over his shoulder. Why? Because he knows his time on this Earth is running out. So long as he’s the richest man, he’s a walking target.

That’s the curse of the rich. The curse of the pharaoh—all that money, a tomb encrusted in gold. All the money in the world, and not a single loyal friend to trust with it. All that money, and every second of your life spent fiending for the next ketamine hit just to forget you’re a dead man walking. The rich? They’re their own grave diggers. Marx said it best.


02/21/25

DSi Photo Challenge Submissions Are In!

The DSi Photography Challenge results are in! Over at The Velvet Room, our Discord, we had two members submit photos: Fannyboolin and Shem Shelley. I like to think these came out pretty good. You can view the full gallery below, but I’ve included two of my personal favorites—one from each person who submitted.

You know, I think it’s interesting. When we think about this photo challenge, is the challenge going out and taking the photos, finding the perfect shot on your little Nintendo DS? Or is it overcoming that cringe feeling of pulling out a Nintendo DS and taking a photo in public with it? I think it’s probably closer to the latter. And that’s kind of why I went with this idea. We’ve got to get out of our comfort zones. We’ve got to break the mental prisons the system puts us in. Just being able to go out and do this very simple, mundane, creative thing—exploring your own process, pushing your comfort zone a little bit—that’s going to be important later on. I really do believe that.

So, we really want to thank everyone who participated in this. We hope to do it again, maybe get some more submissions. I wanted to take some photos too, but I couldn’t get the camera working on my hacked Japanese DSi.

Remember: you’ve got to kill the cringe in your mind. The most powerful thing you can be in today’s age is sincere.

View the Full Gallery Here

02/20/25

Art Posting...
Henri Matisse

Odalisque, The Tattoo, 1923

Le Cheval Lcuyre Et Le Clown, 1946


Art Posting, Every Thursday on HOUDINI
02/16/25

As The Economy Continues to Crash, Here's How to Make Some Cash Flipping Nickel Bags


If you really wanna know how that shit goes, let me break it down for you. You’re gonna need some plastic baggies. You’re gonna need some weed—not that good good, but some decent shit, you know what I mean. And you’re gonna need to get yourself situated in a place where you know parties are happening. But I’m not talking about just any party. Don’t go to the hood trying to do this shit, ‘cause you’re gonna get robbed, brother. You’re robbing people with these prices, so you gotta be smart.

A nickel bag is 0.5 grams. The average price for a gram if you’re selling on the ground is about $10. But here’s the move: you’re gonna take advantage of what I call the Six Flags phenomenon. You know how a case of water is like $5, but a single bottle at Six Flags costs $8 or $9? People pay that shit ‘cause it’s convenient. It’s there.

So, you’re at a house party in the Domain in Austin, Texas—the richest part of Austin. Someone wants to smoke. Okay, well, you’ve got a backpack full of little baggies. You took a hair straightener, sealed it up, and broke down a whole zip into nickel bags. Now, you’re gonna go to this party and move that whole pack. If you pull this off, you got the zip for $120. It’s dirt weed—not good shit, strong mid at best—but you got a good deal on it.

These people are drunk. They don’t give a fuck. You sell each nickel for $15 to $20. You take that cash and use it to buy another zip. Now you’re in the game. This is how I was paying my car note for a long time. If you sell each nickel for $15 to $20, you’re looking at a cool $440 profit. That’s after buying the first zip.

If you just wanna cut out and make your money, do this once. But for it to matter, it’s gotta be a repeat hustle. Take 28 grams, multiply that by $20, subtract $120 for the cost of the ounce—that’s $440. Then take another $120 away ‘cause you gotta buy the next pack with the profits from the first. Now you’re making $320 per run. That’s a good fucking return on your investment. And that's if you're only flipping the nicks for $10 each, with the right finesse, you can double this profit.

Here’s another thing: once you become the dude with the weed, you’ll get invited to more parties. Even if you’re just sitting there finessing motherfuckers. What I would do is bring some blunts, smoke on the patio, and be like, “Yo, you wanna hit this?” Next thing you know, they’re asking, “You got any more of this shit?” Yeah, bro. Open up the backpack, make your money, make your deal. That’s the whole finesse.

It helps when you’ve got upstart income. You’ve got the money to buy the sack, go to the party, have the clothes, the outfit. There’s a little social network game to it, but once you’re in, it’s not hard to make some money.

Now, I’m being a little hyperbolic with the prices. If you’re selling a nickel for $20, chances are the person buying it is wearing boat shoes and a polo. But it’s absolutely possible to sell that nickel for $10 or $15 and still come out on top. That’s literally how the shit works.

Just keep in mind: motherfuckers will try to rob you. Motherfuckers will try to finesse you. And you’ll need to handle business like a G when that happens.

02/14/25

Febuary's Zine Rack Additions are Live

The February zines are live! Just wanna give a quick thank you and shoutout to everyone who submitted to HOUDINI this month. We’ve got seven new zines in the rack—lots of great stuff. Poetry, art, queer politics, retro gaming, everything in between. Our catalog keeps growing as this medium gets revived.

Someone asked me recently, “Is this, like, an old-school thing? A ’90s thing?” And yeah, from what I can tell, zines peaked in the ’90s. Then the internet came along, and they got pushed into niche political corners. But starting in the late 2010s up to now, there’s been a burgeoning revival, lead by a variety of artists, including our own Shem Shelley.

Why do I love zines? They bridge spaces. On one hand, they exist digitally—where we’re all stuck these days, because we’re so alienated, no third spaces to just exist. But zines are also meant to be physical. You print them, distribute them locally. So suddenly, what used to be hyper-local becomes hyper-global too. Zines are accessible. You don’t need a publisher, a budget, or even fancy tools. Just your ideas, some paper, and a way to share them.

I’m into TCGs for similar reasons. If you play Goat Format Yu-Gi-Oh!, you know the best games are in-person, but most of the community’s online. Zines work like that: local events—TCG tournaments, hardcore shows, raves—can use these pamphlets to spread culture.

Imagine writing a poem in Brazil, posting it here, and someone in Wisconsin prints it out, hands it out at a random show. People who’d never read you before suddenly do. That’s beautiful. That’s why we’re pushing zines—this medium still matters.


New Zines Added on the Second Thurday of Each Month
02/13/25

Art Posting...Asher Brown Durand - The Stranded Ship (1844)

Art Posting, Every Thursday on HOUDINI
02/10/25

Super Bowl Spectacle, Genocide, and the One Person Who Said Something

Art by Good_Violinist5351

Yesterday, during the Super Bowl halftime show, one of the backup dancers for the performer—who really didn’t have anything important to say, so we’re not gonna talk about the performance or the game, none of that matters—well, what does matter to me is this one particular incident where someone who was ostensibly from the working class had something to say and used what small position they had in the spectacle to say it.

According to Trump, 600,000 civilians have been killed by Israel with American-made bombs. According to the Gaza Health Administration, the actual bodies that have been able to be counted are closer to 50,000 to 60,000. There’s a large disparity there, and we probably won’t know the real number for some time, if they ever let the Palestinians count their dead. You know what the difference is? Capitalist math. Whether it’s 60k or 600k, it’s blood money. Those bombs are bought with your taxes, built by Raytheon engineers, approved by Congress, and dropped by pilots who probably watch the Super Bowl too. This isn’t foreign policy—it’s our national anthem. Profit. Exploitation. Death. Repeat.

So you go to the Super Bowl, and what do you see before any football game? You see the fucking jets fly over. Oh man, you see the fighter jets fly over. Well, in Gaza, Palestine, those same jets were flying over every fucking day, dropping bombs made by people here in America to kill innocent civilians using AI targeting systems built by companies like Google and Microsoft.

There were countless opportunities for many, many powerful people at the Superbowl to say things that were on the same level as this individual backup dancer, whose career is more than likely ruined for doing this. But none of those people had the same principles as him. None of those people were willing to manipulate the spectacle toward revolutionary ends. And that’s why I don’t fucking care about talking about any of those people. They don’t matter to me. What they said doesn’t matter to me.

What matters to me is that this backup dancer stood on principle and did what a lot of people had hoped Kendrick Lamar would do. There were definitely people tweeting, Why didn’t he say something? Why didn’t he do anything? Not understanding that somebody like Kendrick Lamar is not an activist. He’s not a political person. He doesn’t give a fuck. The only thing he gives a fuck about is making more money for himself and his people because he, unlike the backup dancer, is aligned with the current American cultural standard of fuck you, I got mine.

He is aligned with the same cultural standard that allowed us to commit a genocide. The backup dancer isn’t. And a whole lot of people on the streets aren’t. But the rich and powerful? They will always align with the status quo that allows them to continue with this shit, no matter how many innocent people die. No matter what their lyrics say, with their hollow performances as bold as they are, they will always stand for what makes them the most money. And in America, what makes the most money is killing innocent civilians.

And what do they do about this back up dancer? They chased him out. They bannned him for life. They won’t report on it. They’re scrubbing the footage of the halftime show to make sure you can’t even see this man stand on principle. His career, is job, his ends, all ruined. In a country that’s built on not having any principles, that’s built on being as unempathetic as possible, that’s built on fuck you, I got mine—this motherfucker, who has a lot less cushion, a lot less in the bank, no millions to fall back on, no clout, no publicity—stood up and said something that was more important than the whole entire Super Bowl itself.

We don’t need celebrities. We need an army of regular-ass people with principles.

We have done a genocide, and this is something that we must reckon with as people living in this country. Failure to do so is a failure on all of us.

02/08/25

One of the Best Post-Punk Albums of the 2010s

One of the standout post-punk albums of the 2010s. This record always brings back memories of an old work crush—someone you might jokingly refer to as a "work wife," you know? She was older, mad into 90s grunge, and I ended up introducing her to this band. Tbh, she was incredibly attractive, even though she was about 15-20 years older than me. Those memories still linger whenever I listen to this album.

02/07/25

Madame Saturday's Reading on America

I asked my tarot cards the important question "What is up with America right now???"

Please remember this is fully accurate and actionable advice—NOT FOR ENTERTAINMENT. I don’t read reversals unless I feel like it, and I properly shuffled the cards because I’m not a hack.

At the heart of the reading, we have the Knight of Wands, which I’m interpreting as the a cowboy card, passionate, excited, and driven. This represents the American Dream as seen in popular culture: independent, fiery, and pushing toward new frontiers. Whether you view this as good or bad, it’s being challenged by The Star, a Major Arcana card that here symbolizes hope.

The core issue is that long-term hope is fading, and this is eroding the American Dream, even among those most conditioned to believe in it. The Knight of Wands crossed with The Star suggests that America is weakening largely due to a perceived lack of strong leadership and a failure to inspire its own people, let alone the world.

Below this, we have the 6 of Cups, representing the underlying influences affecting America right now. Cups symbolize emotion and feeling, and the six emphasizes long-term sentiment. This card reflects the force behind movements like MAGA—a yearning for an American golden age. It doesn’t matter that this golden age never truly existed. The Star, viewed through this lens, further underscores the loss of hope that America can return to its former height of power. Society feels stuck in damage control and maintenance rather than growth.

In the goals and ideals position of the spread, we find The Emperor. This is straightforward: those currently in power aim to maintain and uphold America’s empire. This is not a judgement on the actual decisions being made by the ruling class, which have lately been incredibly reactionary and counter-productive, this is saying the overarching goals of power and control remain unchanged even as they are becoming increasingly incompetent in grasping them—only the individuals benefiting have shifted.

The next card, representing the recent past, is the 10 of Wands. This card marks the end of the suit of passion (the same suit as the Knight of Wands, which we have in our reading symbolising America). It signifies a difficult adjustment, questioning what comes next after achieving your goals and fulfilling your passion. This reflects America’s current directionless state. Having reached the top, where do they go next? Built on the cowboy vibes of the Knight of Wands, America now finds itself with no easy frontiers to conquer and is beginning to consume itself.

The following card, representing the current trajectory, is The World, the final card of the Major Arcana. Its meanings are complex, but in the context of the previous cards (spent passion, lost hope, rigid adherence to empire), it suggests the end of this phase of the American Experiment and the decline of America’s role as a global superpower. Whether this is good or bad likely depends on your perspective and proximity to the imperial core.

Now, onto the staff and final four cards. The first is the 9 of Wands, representing the ruling class’s current approach. It signals a return to isolationism—barriers are being erected because too much is being asked, and too many things are going wrong. However, as the Knight of Wands crossed with The Star indicates, America is weakening due to a lack of strong leadership and an inability to inspire its people. The barriers of the 9 of Wands won’t solve this.

The next card, representing the global environment, is The Moon. This is straightforward: nothing is straightforward. The global situation is extremely unclear, with much happening but little clarity on what truly matters versus what will be forgotten in a few months. This encompasses rapid technological changes, such as AI, whose long-term impacts remain unknown, as well as unresolved conflicts like those in Palestine and Ukraine. The Moon emphasizes that it’s a challenging time to be a global superpower. America is navigating a rapidly changing world where decisions must often be made with limited information. It’s a time for caution and reevaluating outdated modes of operation.

The second-to-last card is the 6 of Wands.

As an aside, there’s a lot of fire energy from the Wands in this spread. Passionate, unpredictable energy is probably not the direction you want from one of the most powerful nations on the planet. The absence of Pentacles, especially, highlights a lack of grounded thought and a minimal focus on tangible, sustainable outcomes like infrastructure and long-term planning.

That said, the 6 of Wands offers the advice America needs: global collaboration is vital. Many of the cards representing America’s ruling class—The Emperor and Knight of Wands—are highly individualistic and accustomed to throwing their weight around. The 6 of Wands warns that America must change course and recognize that its days of ruling purely by might are fading. To succeed, the country must prioritize diplomacy, humility, and a willingness to share power. This does not seem likely.

Finally we have the outcome, where all this is leading to. The card here is the Page of Swords. My quick surface interpretation is that a Page is obviously much lower in status than an Emperor, the goal card from earlier. Which suggests a massive drop in global influence. It can however also suggest a time of experimentation and adaptation which could be a good response to the challenges faced, especially those indicated by The Moon. My feeling though is that it represents greater power in the hands of the tech freaks like Musk and the annoying rationalist mentality that thinks there is a Golden Path that can be logically worked out to lead America to a new age of supremacy. It’s individuals carving up the greater whole and failing to account for the long term direction.

TLDR:

America is running on fumes, with a deep, pervasive hopelessness that anything can change. The ruling class is desperately holding on to the remnants of the American empire, refusing to admit the systems that built it are fundamentally broken.

This is a turning point for the American experiment, unfolding in a world that’s uncertain, rapidly changing, and where the old rules don’t apply anymore. Instead of adapting, America’s response is to double down on isolationism and brute force, trying to prop up the empire instead of embracing collaboration.

The current trajectory into America's future as told by the Page of Swords is grim: a bunch of tech bros and rationalists are gonna try to algorithm their way out of the mess they helped create. Trying to find some perfect logical path that both maintains American supremacy while also ensuring they maintain their personal power.

Overall the reading suggests they don't have the skill to do either.

-Madame Saturday


This post made possible by submissions from readers like you.
02/05/25

HOUDINI Magazine DSi Photo Challenge

Get ready to bust out a childhood favorite for this HOUDINI Magazine challenge. It's super simple. Join our discord "The Velvet Room", then post your photos in the arts-n-creations channel. Favorite photos will be shared on the site.

Check out a few of the submissions we've already gotten:

02/03/25

Let's Talk the Site, the Money and the Message - HOUDINI Magazine Needs Your Help

I’m writing this post to talk about the finances of the magazine, the website, and where things are at with the brand. Money stuff is awkward to talk about, but I’m not about to sugarcoat it—I’m struggling, and I need your help.

First off, the beginning of this year kicked my ass. My company screwed me over, and with the economy collapsing around us, I’m barely keeping my head above water. If you’re in a position to help, I’ve set up a GoFundMe for immediate support. You can check it out Here for the full story, but the short version is: any assistance in sharing this goes a long way right now.

Now, let’s talk about the clothing shop. I’ve decided to put it on an indefinite hiatus. Honestly, it was losing money. Making clothes, sending them to influencers, and trying to get posts out there just wasn’t worth it—the returns were minimal, and it wasn’t aligning with what I want to do with the brand right now. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s not a priority anymore. It was something that would have taken significant personal investment to make happen, several thousand dollars. We don't have that budget.

Since the site relaunch in November, I’ve been dropping my Cash App link in every post. If you feel like sending a random one-time donation, it’s hugely appreciated. On the real though: I haven’t gotten any yet, so I figured I’d mention it again. Every dollar goes directly to supporting the site—whether it’s commissioning writers, growing the brand, or getting more zines out. I’ve got big plans, but they all cost money, and right now, I’m just trying to keep the lights on.

I also have a Patreon, but I’ll be honest—I haven’t really gotten it off the ground and haven't promoted it prior to this. I’m not super keen on paywalling content or making stuff that isn’t accessible for free. That’s not what this community is about. But if you’re into the idea of supporting me that way, it’s there, and there are a couple of tiers if you’re interested. I’m still figuring out how to make it work without compromising what we’re building here, and would love feedback on how to do this.

Another idea I’m playing around with is running light banner ads on the site. Not Google AdSense crap—I’m talking old-school internet vibes. Ads for people in my network, websites I support, or folks who want to support me in return. It’s not set in stone, and I’m not trying to turn this into an ad-heavy mess, but I need cash to keep this thing growing. This might end up being a patreon tier, more word on this soon.

Some people see the traffic and assume I’m making bank, but the truth is, it costs me money every month just to keep the site running. That’s not even counting the hours I pour into it. I’m not some high-end fashion brand faking it until I make it—I’m just one person trying to build something meaningful.

On a brighter note, I’m stoked to announce HOUDINI Radio, which is coming soon! You can get more details in the Discord server. I’m also looking for people to help out—this is a community, not a corporation, and I want you to be part of it.

Thanks for sticking with me. Your support—whether it’s through donations, sharing my work, or just being here—means everything. Let’s keep pushing forward together.

—Erik Houdini

02/02/25

Like Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat, HOUDINI Magazine Presents... Gough - eviLinsideus, Full EP out Spring 2025

gough · EviLinsideUs
02/01/25

Interview with Kerem: The Heart of Atlanta’s Goat Format Scene

Who are you, and how’d you end up making waves in the Atlanta Goat scene?

I have been a long-time Yu-Gi-Oh player who really fell in love with Goat format. There hadn't been a GOAT scene since probably the SJC days here in Atlanta, so I took it upon myself to build one. I tried initially with local stores, but none were open to the idea. So, I contacted my now venue host Charlie of Charlie's Collectible Show, and he has provided me with a top-tier venue to host premier tournaments.

If someone’s never heard of Goat format, how would you sell it to them? What makes it its own beast compared to modern Yu-Gi-Oh?

It is PEAK Yu-Gi-Oh to me. There are only a few handful of formats that peak my interest, let alone the player base interested in past formats. It plays like a finely tuned machine, with intense nuances that may initially deter newcomers from getting into. However, sticking with it, growing with the game, its competitive sphere, and learning the ins and outs of the format are probably the most rewarding things.

Modern's issue is that the formats are so unhealthy generally that it pushes out players constantly who inevitably come back to the game later on. There is too much going on and the matchups feel more like solitaire than a game of deck building.

Out of all the games and formats out there, what pulled you into Goat? What’s the spark?

GOAT is pure nostalgia that dragged me in. I was sick and tired of modern and the short games. GOAT offered a balance of skill, deck building, and the competitiveness that I sought.

These days, everything’s online—but in-person events still hit different. What’s the magic of IRL tournaments, and why’s it worth putting in the work?

I don't know if it’s worth putting in the work necessarily, but the rewarding thing is hanging out in a space you built for others with similar interests to yourself coming together and competing.

Atlanta’s got this long history of subcultures—music, art, gaming, you name it. Do you think the Goat scene here taps into that vibe? How does it fit into the city’s cultural DNA?

There is a sense of pride that fills Atlanta. The pride and egos of Atlanta and its players drive this. It creates a unique experience of rivalries and drama that fills the air of these events, causing for exciting outcomes and storylines.

Running events without big corporate dollars backing you can’t be easy. How do you keep it all going?

Honestly, just barely. Everything falls upon my shoulders at the end of the day. The thing that drives me again is the community.

In a grassroots scene like this, where the community holds it all together, what’s been the biggest challenge for you as an organizer? How have you worked through it?

Appeasing players. There is a fine line to walk where there are players who will always support you and show appreciation, and then there are those who try to be most vocal and bring you down. A lot of people just don't want to see others succeed and lavish in praying on others' downfalls. With anything, you have to block out those trying to bring you down and surround yourself with a core of players who believe in you and your vision.

If someone’s never checked out the Atlanta Goat scene, why should they? What’s waiting for them if they show up?

Because we offer the most and best when it comes to prizing, venue, and experience. We’re a destination for players, even collecting a lot of outside travelers to make the pilgrimage to compete in Atlanta.

Dive deeper into the world of Goat Format.

Don't miss out on the epic Wrestlemania 3v3 — coming soon to Atlanta.

02/01/25