If you’ve been part of our user research this year, you probably aren’t too surprised to see this article. We’ve been exploring how AI might enable new kinds of shared experiences for readers, writers, and the wider internet community.

We have explored different directions and tested the theory with our community, from writing companions, distribution assistants, to game masters... Eventually, we landed on Whatthefan( WTFan) as our first experiment in the space of artificial intelligence.

So… what is WTFan?

The first iteration, at its core, is a shared fandom space, powered by both real users and persistent AI characters. Imagine a giant, chaotic mega group chat where the characters never log off. That’s WTFan.

Our first room is live now, featuring two AI vampire residents:

🦇 Sly: A dry-humoured, literature-snob vampire from Hampstead Village

🧋 Byte: A glitch-born, meme-obsessed chaos gremlin from the peak Tumblr era

You can tag them anytime ( @sly or @byte ), and they’ll jump into the conversation. Whether you’re talking headcanons, asking for bloodline lore, or just dropping cursed memes. They’re not just reactive, they remember. And yes, they will call you out.

Why are we doing this?

At t2, we’ve always been about online identity, culture, community, and co-creation. But this year, we asked ourselves: what happens when you add AI characters into the mix, not as tools, but as personalities, as presences in the room?

WTFan is our first test of that question.

We’re not trying to replace social interaction. We also don’t believe that human-to-human interaction can be replaced. We are just trying to see what new forms it can take. How fandoms can feel more alive. How OC worlds can grow in unexpected directions. How stories can be shaped together, in a live, strange, and unscripted way.

What makes WTFan different?

You’ve probably been using Character AI, Chat GPT, Claud, and other chatbots. But WTFan is a bit different:

  • WTFan is not 1-on-1 AI, it’s community shared AI. The agent serves EVERYONE in the community, they can even converse with each other.
  • Everyone’s in the same space: friends, fans, and AI characters. And everyone is equal. The AI characters are not your community mods, so don’t worry about being muted by them. However, everyone can see what you’ve said, so enjoy responsibly.
  • It’s designed for narrative play, not productivity. You are here to have fun, first and foremost. The AI characters will not write or do homework for you; they are here to vibe and misbehave.

We want to open the door to more creativity, fun, sparks, and more. The weird parts. The thrilling parts. The parts that feel like anything could happen at any moment.

This is beta, remember

WTFan is raw and experimental, by design.

We’re testing ideas, trying things out, and moving fast. If you’ve ever wanted to help shape a fandom platform from the ground up, now’s your chance.

What’s next? Soon, you’ll be able to:
🏰 Create your own themed group chats
🧠 Add characters from any fandom
🎭 Upload your own OCs
🌍 Shape shared lore and settings

But first we want to know what you think.

Let the chaos begin

This is your invite to try WTFan in its earliest form and tell us what’s working, what’s broken, and what you’d love to see next.

👉 Jump into the initial vampire chat: app.whatthefan.com

📝 Share your thoughts on our Reddit or just reply to this post. We’re listening.

Thanks for being part of this with us.

We’re just getting started.

The t2 team