At The Well: Science Fiction - Episode Two (Fireside Exclusive)
At The Well is a Fireside exclusive bonus series where we talk about the stories that shaped us. The books, films, shows and soundtracks we draw from when we sit down to build worlds together. Where our brains go when we’re improvising.
This week on At the Well, Lou lowers the bucket and somehow pulls up… himself.
Join him for a deeply refreshing self-to-self conversation about his science fiction inspirations. Featuring the rest of the cast, who bravely gather ‘round the well to witness whatever this is.
Enjoy the cool drink… and the existential ripple that is Lou Wilson.
Theme music courtesy of Twilight Symphonium.
Don't worry - we'll answer your burning questions about Solari Episode Three in an upcoming future Fireside chat!
Comments (114)
"I could look it up but I don't wanna remember." Iconic.
When Brennan said he “bought a new part for his PlayStation 2 and it didn’t work so he stopped trying” Dr strange punched my soul back 2 decades in nostalgia
As far as first introduction to Syfy: Johnny Quest, anybody? But for first real adult sci-fi that gets you thinking, I bought Fahrenheit 451 during the scholastic book fair back in the 70s. Sad to see the gap between fiction and reality starting to shrink.
those two sound clips in minute 24, which start playing while people are talking or singing, are so overstimulating. please dont make this a regular thing in fireside talk-only stuff. like i get it was probably fun to edit those in but fucking hell it's worse than crosstalk
fucking hell i just got to the mass effect explosions fuck this
Snarling = sneezing amazing delivery. I rewatched first half of MiB last night and immediately thought “body horror”… Danny elfman contributes to that with the score for sure
Aabria said Lancer and I involuntarily pogged
Just listening to this now and I would adore a full episode just listening to Lou talk about mass effect with soft Normandy/Citadel music in the background
I literally jumped up from the couch and yelled “Yes!!!” when Lou said Mass Effect 🫶
Just listened to this episode. I love that Lou loves Mass Effect!
I asked a question about exactly this for a talk back because I had missed at the well in the feed during wedding planning! So glad at the well exists 😊
ABRIA I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT LANCER TOO!
It had to be Mass Effect. Some other game might have gotten it wrong.
LANCER MENTIONED
Oh no im so late to ĺthis and I desperately need to alert Lou to the fact that the best MIB work is the animated series. It is beyond good, and right up his street. It should be on YouTube, 1 episode and you will be hooked!!
POSSIBLE FUTURE ADAPTATIONS
I love the voice Brennan does for people who complain too much about the optics of radical (and correct imo) political decisions. That was therapeutic to listen to.
My thirst is slaked indeed!
I love this. So fun to hear my favorite creators love and were inspired by some of the same things I was about MIB.
I agree - too many people want to live in a risk-free world for themselves, AND they also want to benefit from the risks taken by other people. This is why I love playing Fiasco - it reminds me that there is a lot of story and experience and even fun to be had trying and failing gloriously. I want to live in a world where, as it harm none, take big swings as ye will, I guess. And I feel like instead I live in a world where people want to cling to a level of "safety" that is based on fear and lies.
Fine! I'll play Mass Effect 2 again!
How did they talk about the MIB music and not talk about the animated series intro.
Hearing Lou talk about KotOR made my entire day, I was so excited to play it too when I was a kiddo and absolutely related to not being able to go full dark side haha. Y'all are awesome!
i missed Erika’s twitch era?????? Awww man. I really enjoyed the video game talk back portion 🩷
If there's one thing this crew is good at with these "At The Well" episodes, it's making me feel old. I was an adult that went to see MiB in the theater. I bought KotOR and then Mass Effect at launch, with my adult-working money. Love the eps though, and thank you for sharing. (ME fans, check out Exodus, in-development from many of the same devs and writers.)
Funny, these always make me feel young listening to them talk about going to see movies or watching shows that came out when I was in diapers 😅
The romance in ME talk unlocked a fun memory (spoilers): In ME3 I romanced Tali. I got to the part where you're negotiating peace between the Quorian and the AI and tried to compromise but ultimately sided with the AI because fuck slavery. Tali promptly unalived herself. There was a bug in ME3 where when you got to the romance scene before the final mission, if you met the conditions for romancing Tali, it didn't check if she was still alive. So right before going to fight the final battle, my Shep is having PTSD wet dreams about the girl that got away. At the time I thought it was totally intentional and it kinda fucked me up because it was so jarring, but then, no, it was just poorly written code 😆
Brennan Lee Mulligan 2028. In all seriousness. Mulligan-Iyengar 2028. For the love of all that is good
A vote for him is a vote for Aabria Iyengar!
I love that they all have happy MiB memories. The first time I was shown this film, I was a 5 year old who was tied to a chair by my older cousin's and forced to watch 😭. Maybe I can revisit now that I'm older and it's of my free will lol
Hi, if you’re actively looking for a research assistant I have been doing similar work for years! I know this is absolutely a weird place to pitch this but off we go anyways haha
idea: you all watch MIB: the Animated Series and bring your reactions to the fireside
Loved loved Cowboy BeBop, I’m sad I only saw it as an adult because I would have absolutely had crushes on those characters, and maybe gotten into jazz! Tank is on mine and my friends’ party playlist permanently. My partner just played through Mass Effect as FemShep and we had so much fun headcannoning her as an incredibly toxic, himbo butch, with her grumpy but supportive step grandpa Drack. I grew up on MIB and have such deeply entrenched sense memories of the many textures and sounds of that film. “Eggar yur skinss…hangin off yur bohnss” “IS THIS BEDDAR?” The Broken Earth trilogy is one of the most stunning, masterful pieces of worldbuilding I had the pleasure to encounter, and just borrowed HLTBFM on Libby!! It makes sense that so many properties that I love have fueled the imaginations of people whose brains I love. For anyone who wants to cackle for three hours, there is a podcast where Brennan and the host walk through the Benedril hallucination of a scifi Western that is Wild Wild West.
Abria mentioning want to talk about Lancer as y'all were signing off sent me. I need to get this groups take on Lancer and would die for a Lancer game.
The mass effect sounds are sending me 🧡
We got a lot of Lou and Brennan lore this time and Erika last time so Aabria needs an unexpected youth lore drop asap
Have not seen men in black in at least two decades but you know, maybe I'll watch it again.
*watches men in black immediately *
Liara being Mrs Bad Guy is sending me, at the kids say. And "Had to be me - someone else might have gotten it wrong" is the most significant story moment I've ever played. That and, for different reasons, doing Circle Tower for the first time while super duper baked.
LOVED the Mass Effect drop. I've loved that series and replayed it countless times. I'm even in a Mass Effect D&D game that's been running since 2019! Would be really fun to hear you guys play that, if the licensing issue doesn't preclude it. For anyone interested, check it out! www.n7.world
How many subs to get us bone cone of Aabria & Brennan playing Mass Effect? Even just for an hour?
I don't know if you guys will ever have time in the schedule to go for double dips on the Well but I have never needed to hear someone speak on a TTRPG like I've needed to hear Aabria speak on Lancer
Mass Effect is the BEST. Altho, Um Actually, Maggie Baird plays the justicar Samara.
Came here to make sure someone mentioned that, hoping that no one was mean about it. :)
I personally don't remember much from MiB 3 but I did find this on it's wikipedia page: Director Paul Thomas Anderson praised the film, saying, "It was [expletive] great. [sic] ... The time-travel stuff [made me] cry my eyes out. I'm a sucker for that stuff."
BIG WILLIE WEEKEND!! (Source that isn’t just my memory: https://lasentinel.net/big-willie-weekend.html)
Hearing someone I admire so much describing the game that defined my youth and influenced so much of my relationship with stories and games, in a way that mirrors my own, was making me so emotional 😍
Also Tali is the only correct romance
Mass Effect being talked about genuinely brought me so much joy!
I love hearing about all of this but AABRIA please talk about Lancer! special extra for your episode of At the Well! Lancerrrrr
DRINK DEEP AND DESCEND
Men in Black is such a good choice. I remember watching that in elementary school and it was the first time I got subtext. The whole scene where J is being tested and coming up with unconventional solutions which were the right answer but looked wrong on the surface.
I don't know if he will read this, but I want Lou to know I let go of the steering wheel and applauded in an empty car when he said Mass Effect. I'm fine. No injuries
I did not realise how deep in the clutches of nostalgia the Mass Effect games has me until I heard the little snippet of New Worlds and promptly went to reinstall the games to start a new playthrough.
If anyone is interested in running a mass effect DnD game, there’s a fantastic dnd 5e system. https://www.n7.world
In response to Abria’s comment 45 seconds before the end of the episode: “Man, now I wanna talk about Lancer”. (Respectfully) Bitch you better!
I'm commander shepherd and this is my favorite fireside
Mass effect is my standard for Sci Fi! It makes me ache in a way I will never be able to explain. Hell yeah Lou!
To send PS2 signal over HDMI a $20 converter won't likely cut it. I'd recommend something purpose built like the retrotink pro. Not cheap in compariso, but it's made specifically for connecting retro consoles to more modern TVs & monitors. (Not paid to say this, just a hobbyist video synthesis enthusiast who has spent time learning this stuff. I could look up other options if needed.)
lol I loved MIB growing up! Now I wanna rewatch them again!!
Hearing Brennan drop CTR as his classic game of choice almost made me scream
Brennan's tangent <3 I am loving At The Well so much, thank you. Okay gotta go watch MIB again byeee.
lou wilson confirmed horse girl
The Willennium?
Also HUGE shout out to Erika’s voice work as Rook in Dragon Age Veilguard, I can’t play as any other voice
Erika voicing my absolutely hench NB qunari rogue Rook was the perfect first playthrough. I romanced the hell out of that old man
I was a Mac and PlayStation girlie so I didn’t have access to Mass Effect 1 for YEARS - I started with ME2 and probably because of that, I have never gotten over my love for Garrus
Does anyone else think Aabria would go completely nuts for Garrus and his voice? I think about this a lot.
I was hoping for Lou to say The Expanse for his second pull, and then he said Mass Effect and I SCREAMED IN JOY at the ceiling! Best game series of all time for me.
OMG Jacob does look like Kanye now I cant unsee it
I listened to the first part, went to the store and it was playing the Men In Black song!
I got excited at the mention of Lancer!
If I could have one wish, it would be to have Brennan play Chrono Trigger. I think that would absolutely be his jam
Adding in the ME menu music while Lou was talking was a beautiful touch. Well done 💕
Katamari! 🥰
CTR was my absolute favorite growing up. It's PS1 and was a masterpiece. I might not win but I'd give Brennan a run for his money if we raced
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AABRIA GET THESE DORKS INTO LANCER
Now I gotta know who Erika romanced in Dragon Age
Pretty sure I heard in an interview before DA:VG came out they said they were in Solavellen hell with the rest of us.
How does Brennan know so much about a franchise he hasn't played?!
I can't speak for Brennan, but my husband can do this because he loves both consuming and telling stories so much that he's always kind of doing it in his head. It's like when folks take apart engines just to prove they can rebuild them.
Mako is the gift of Godddd but I only ever played the legendary collection
I’m so happy Lou mentioned Mass Effect! When I saw the art for the Icaron it reminded me of the Citadel. And Chee on Ghenopaar definitely gives Aria on Omega vibes
"Nobody -fucks- with Aria." *smile*
I have a loud cheer when I heard mass effect and loved the sneaky mass effect music that came through 😁
Wait Kingston Brown from D20 Unsleeping City really is the perfect blend of K and J.
Moooostly K but I see it
LANCER CAMPAIGN WHEN???
It's got socialism! It's got space knights! It's got deeply troubling conceptual entities!
“Obligatory ACAB” is my favorite way to start the day 🥰
One of the reasons why I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming scifi game Exodus is that it's being made by former BioWare devs who were the big names on KOTOR and Mass Effect. It's their new studio's first game, and the studio is under by Wizards of the Coast. I don't want to get too hyped until I see the upcoming full gameplay video.
Too late, you've made me super hyped for something I've only just heard about
Hearing the Mass Effect 2 map music just sent me 😭😭
I don’t know how to get this in front of Aabria but Garrus is 10000000% someone she would love to romance!!!!!!!
Yes! I am also Not Good at Gun™️ and Garrus was worth it
Don't bother reading the comic book, it has functionally nothing to do with the movies. The MIB are the bad guys in that book for one.
Okay incredibly rude to layer the Mass Effect music under Lou's prose to make me emotional about it and make me restart a playthrough
I was gonna say! That's so irresponsible! I don't have time to do yet another trilogy playthrough but here we go I guess!
Killer picks, Lou! *edit: getting to play as FemShep (and romance Garrus, duh) was a pivotal moment in my gaming life.
And, Brennan, to your point: I'm a personal service provider in the deeeeeep south who operates from a private suite. I had to take a long, hard look at myself and decide how mealy-mouthed I was willing to become to make a living. I settled for having hard lines ("we simply do not agree on that matter") for things like ICE and DEI and Roe (and LGBTQIA+ and any other acronyms or 3-letter hot button issues, I guess😂). For the rest of it, I try to meet them where they're at (which is usually terrified, undereducated, and more than a little mean). I'm not holding myself up as a symbol of how to do it right--if I took a public position as extreme as I feel about things, I think I would have already committed self-immolation about all of it. But when you live, you necessarily interact with the environment and gather your people and, I guess, the compromises you make on their behalf are what actually teach you to be a fully realized person along the way. Idk. My point is that I relate to knowing what doesn't work and what I'm not willing to do more than exactly what will work.
Incredible episode!
ok but speaking of personal sci-fy: project hail mary!? love it
FIST MY BUMP
Sooooooo Lancer mini campaign when?
Wow Brennan's goodbyeeeee fading into the on pitch relax sounds of the well was perfect
Lue did you know there is a men in black cartoon. It was so good kids wb.
Also big up Mass Effect!
Yo Lou! I feel that, I worked at a horse stable that stabled over 65 horses. I could care less about these damn animals 😂. Majestic, sure, pretty, yes, dumb as hell, most definitely.
The water noises at the end are so soothing and I love them
You GUYYYYYYS ?!?? The intro was so nice. I’m just beginning this episode lol but I’m excited for all the cool stuff! ❤️❤️❤️
Man, I would love to get to hear Aabria go off on Lancer lore given the chance. Drink Deep and Descend, sister
I love this!!!
Bubble-bubble?
A-glug-glug?