QAA Podcast — Episode E278 (Sample): The Tsuki Project

Date: February 19, 2025
Hosts: Jake Rockatansky, Travis View & Liv Vegar

Episode Overview

This episode of the QAA Podcast dives into the enigmatic "Tsuki Project" (aka "System Space"), a phenomenon from Internet lore shrouded in mystery and infamous for its associations with online cult dynamics, outsider communities, and the strange blending of fiction and reality in digital spaces. The hosts navigate the Tsuki Project’s origins on 4chan, its elusive online remnants, and its cultural context, reflecting on how online communities can both offer escape and foster harmful beliefs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Was the Tsuki Project? [00:43–03:07]

• The Tsuki Project/System Space emerged as an online community of mostly anonymous, alienated users (many from 4chan) who believed in a promise of being transported to a better world after death.
• The nature of the group is hotly debated—it’s been labeled an “anime suicide cult,” a digital Heaven’s Gate, a hoax, interactive fiction, or an ARG (“alternate reality game”).
• Its traces are scattered across obscure websites, anime wikis, Discord leaks, and abandoned imageboards: "It has to be pieced together from archived image board posts, websites that only survive as zip files on the dark web, anime wikis, and leaked screenshots from Discord servers." (Jake, 01:21)

2. The Ephemeral Nature of Internet History [02:04–02:35]

• The hosts discuss the difficulty of reconstructing the story of Tsuki Project due to the impermanence of digital artifacts.
• Travis quips, "ChatGPT drivel is forever, but whatever went on on some discord in 2017, that is lost." (Travis, 02:04)
• Jake draws a parallel to archaeological work: "Our ancestors had to chip away at stone... We have to piece together broken Discord links, blurry jpegs, tiny pieces of online chat boxes." (Jake, 02:16)

3. Personal Nostalgia & Early Internet Culture [03:07–06:15]

• Jake reflects on early Internet forums as spaces of validation for niche interests, like his experience with Simpsons Usenet groups: "There was just this large community of people who had the kind of like, same kind of like mind as me. It was very validating." (Jake, 03:47)
• The discussion touches on how early online spaces allowed people to find connection over shared outsider status—but that the proliferation of such communities now extends to far darker places.
• Memorable banter about the progression of online niches:
  • Liv: "If you want to like, fuck toasters or whatever, you'll be able to find a community... Maybe there shouldn't be communities of people encouraging each other to fuck toasters." (Liv, 03:59)
• The hosts recall how limited their early Internet experiences were, often restricted to simple chat rooms or poorly navigated forums, long before the full "Googling" of human knowledge.

4. 4chan's R9K Board Culture: The Birthplace of Tsuki Project [06:15–07:26]

• The project originated from R9K ("Robot9000"), one of 4chan’s more marginalized and alienated boards, distinct from /b/’s chaotic meme culture and /pol/’s notorious politics.
• Jake outlines R9K’s demographic and ethos:
  • "Posts on R9K are frequently made from young men and occasionally young women who express frustration about the hurdles of getting romantic attention, making friends generally, or finding fulfilling work..." (Jake, 07:30)
  • The board’s culture is described as obsessed with "NEET" (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) identity and persistent isolation.
• Liv offers a technical explanation:
  • "The difference between R9K and B is that on R9k you can't make the same post that someone else has already made... So it has to be some new weird shit." (Liv, 07:06)

5. The Appeal of Escapism & Online “Exit” Fantasies [07:26–08:26]

• This culture of alienation primes users to be receptive to ideologies or narratives offering escape or transcendence, like the Tsuki Project:
  • "It's full of people who are very receptive to the idea that there is a simple way to exit this world and enter another." (Jake, 08:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the difficulty of Internet archaeology:
  “Our ancestors had to chip away at stone... We have to piece together broken Discord links, blurry jpegs, tiny pieces of online chat boxes.” (Jake, 02:16)

• Commenting on lost digital culture:
  “ChatGPT drivel is forever, but whatever went on on some discord in 2017, that is lost.” (Travis, 02:04)

• On the extremes of online niches:
  “Maybe there shouldn't be communities of people encouraging each other to fuck toasters.” (Liv, 03:59)

• The role of R9K in facilitating escapist fantasies:
  "It's full of people who believe that they have nothing to lose in life, and consequently, it's full of people who are very receptive to the idea that there is a simple way to exit this world and enter another." (Jake, 08:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:43] – Introduction to the Tsuki Project / System Space
• [01:21] – The challenge of reconstructing new lost corners of the Internet
• [03:07] – Personal accounts of early Internet community appeal
• [03:59] – Outsider communities: the point where connecting becomes enabling
• [06:15] – History and ethos of R9K board on 4chan
• [07:30] – R9K’s culture of alienation and NEET identity
• [08:21] – How these conditions set the stage for "exit" cults like Tsuki

Tone & Style

The episode balances dark subject matter with the hosts' trademark wry humor and personal anecdotes. The language is casual, sometimes sardonic, drawing on both historical context and personal nostalgia.

Summary

In this sample episode, QAA explores the vanished world of the Tsuki Project, weaving together its mysterious lore, its roots in 4chan’s most alienated communities, and the larger phenomenon of how online subcultures can become vectors for both solace and potentially destructive beliefs. The hosts situate Tsuki’s story in the broader arc of Internet history—where finding your tribe can give way to more troubling collective fantasies—and highlight the challenges of keeping digital culture from disappearing entirely. Their reflection is both critical and empathetic, making for a thoughtful probe into another "crack in consensus reality."