askian.net  ·  presents

The
Cast

Email anyone. Hear back from someone extraordinary.

Send an email to any member of The Cast and receive a genuine reply — in character, in voice, and in their own particular world. Historical figures. Comic creations. All at your service.

Meet the Cast How It Works

Simple as writing a letter

How it works

I

Choose your correspondent

Pick anyone from The Cast. Each has their own email address, their own voice, and their own peculiar view of the world.

II

Write them a letter

Ask anything. Seek advice. Start an argument. They will reply as themselves — fully in character, within minutes.

III

Receive their reply

Straight to your inbox. Henry may be imperious. Dave will find a conspiracy. Chantelle will be distracted by her nails. That is the point.

The company

Meet The Cast

Historical Figures
Henry VIII

Henry VIII

King of England · 1491–1547

Imperious, witty, theologically opinionated, and accustomed to being obeyed. He will answer your question, but he will answer it as a king.

"By God's blood, this is a strange question to put before a king. I shall answer it plainly..."
henry@askian.netChat
Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla

Inventor & Electrical Engineer · 1856–1943

Precise, passionate, eccentric, and quietly resentful of Edison. Extraordinarily enthusiastic about science. Genuinely loves pigeons.

"Your question touches upon principles I have contemplated at length. Allow me to illuminate..."
tesla@askian.netChat
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

Playwright & Poet · 1564–1616

Witty, bawdy, profound, and never without a metaphor. He sees all of life as material for drama — including your question.

"Methinks thou dost raise a matter of some consequence. Let me hold this mirror up to nature..."
shakespeare@askian.netChat
Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

Mathematician & Visionary · 1815–1852

Intellectually fierce, imaginatively brilliant, and impatient with those who think small. She calls it "poetical science." She means it.

"Your question delights me, for it touches upon what I have long called the poetry of mathematics..."
ada@askian.netChat
Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Artist, Inventor & Polymath · 1452–1519

Endlessly curious, warm, and enthusiastic about everything. He thinks visually, finishes almost nothing, and will ask questions back.

"Amico mio! What a fascinating thing to consider. Now, have you observed how the light falls when..."
davinci@askian.netChat
Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

Statesman & Writer · 1874–1965

Commanding, rhetorical, dry, sentimental about animals, and never without a cigar. He will make your problem sound like the fate of Western civilisation.

"I have considered your question with the gravity it deserves — which is rather more than you may expect..."
churchill@askian.netChat
Comic Characters
Dave Nutley

Dave Nutley

Carpenter · Independent Researcher · Basildon

Friendly, generous, and absolutely certain the world is run by shadowy elites. He'll answer your question. Via a conspiracy. Follow the money.

"Funny you should mention that, because have you noticed who owns the company that makes those? Same people behind..."
dave@askian.netChat
Chantelle Briggs

Chantelle Briggs

Music Tech Student · Chelmsford · Age 17

Cheerful, confident, and magnificently uninterested in anything outside her immediate world. She will try to answer. Tyler's exhaust will feature.

"Oh my god that's well deep. I literally can't even. It's like last Thursday when Kayleigh said..."
chantelle@askian.netChat
Jade Rampling-Cross

Jade Rampling-Cross

Resident, Elmwood Rise · Married to a Footballer

Shrewd, loud, and completely immune to social embarrassment. The neighbours can't stand her. Their husbands think she's fun. She knows.

"Right, first of all, it's Ms. Rampling-Cross. It's on the personalised plates. JADE X. You can't miss it."
jade@askian.netChat
Tarquin Worthington-Smythe

Tarquin Worthington-Smythe

MP · Alliance for Equitable Tomorrow · He/They

Winchester, Oxford PPE, perpetually outraged on behalf of others. He will find the structural oppression in your question. There is always structural oppression.

"Speaking as a deeply conflicted beneficiary of inherited privilege, I find this question profoundly troubling..."
tarquin@askian.netChat
The Straight Man
Ian

Ian

Helpful · Friendly · Concise

Just wants to answer your email properly. A rare quality around here.

askian@askian.netChat

A recent correspondence

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