MOTHER, She Wrote: An EarthBound Podcast
Set out on a sense-shattering, tear-jerking journey where psychic children brave alien invasion, magical lands, corrupt politicians, and homesickness. The beloved cult video game series, EarthBound, is brought to life in this genre-bending blend of audio drama and documentary that explores these eccentric stories like never before. Created by the award-winning team behind The Call of Cthulhu Mystery Program, and hosted by adorable and insightful pizza-loving girlfriends, Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd, "MOTHER," She Wrote is a literal love letter to Shigesato Itoi's iconic Nintendo games.
Episodes
April 13, 2023 • 1 min
Set out on a sense-shattering, tear-jerking journey where psychic children brave alien invasion, magical lands, corrupt politicians, and homesickness. The beloved cult video game series, EarthBound (aka MOTHER), is brought to life in this genre-bending blend of audio drama and documentary that explores these eccentric adventures like never before.
Travel beyond the controller and into the story - as it’s lived by the characters. Th...
Mark as Played
May 14, 2023 • 26 mins
Welcome to “MOTHER,” She Wrote - a travelog through three of the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-rending video games ever made.
Hosts and storytellers Cat Blackard and Jessica Mudd combine audio drama and discussion to take you on a journey through the MOTHER series, as it’s called in Japan, or EarthBound, as it’s called in English-speaking countries. Whether you're unfamiliar with this trilogy of games or are a longt...
Mark as Played
May 14, 2023 • 56 mins
Embark on a journey through EarthBound Beginnings! There's something strange happening in the town of Podunk, and unresolved mysteries, almost a century old, are coming to light. Can a twelve-year-old with emerging psychic abilities hold his own against paranormal disturbances, mind-control, and the walking dead?
“MOTHER,” She Wrote mixes audio drama and talk podcast to chronicle the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-re...
Mark as Played
May 29, 2023 • 64 mins
Poltergeists, zombies, and now ALIENS?! How much genre-fusion can one kid take?
At the apex of classic sci-fi like The Day the Earth Stood Still and heartrending musical narratives like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars... There is... EarthBound Beginnings.
“MOTHER,” She Wrote mixes audio drama and talk podcast to chronicle the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-rending video games ever made: ...
Mark as Played
June 12, 2023 • 51 mins
Flying men, swimming cats, a mysterious mimicker, and a magical castle in the clouds?! We're not in Podunk anymore.
Enter the dreamy world of Magicant. Ponder its surreal inhabitants and unusual sights with Cat and Jess as they draw connective threads between Ninten's past, this peculiar place, and beloved children's media from across the 20th century.
“MOTHER,” She Wrote mixes audio drama and talk podcast to chronicle the stranges...
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June 26, 2023 • 58 mins
Our journey through the psychedelic dreamlands of Magicant continues! On the surface, this fantastic world is (mostly) sunshine and rainbows, but there's a deep, and literal, well of sorrow underneath. Meet the sad queen in her majestic palace, the friends who'll lay their lives on the line for you, and a man who doesn't exist - as Cat and Jess unpack the Jungian mysteries of this surprisingly dark chapter of Ninten's adventures.
“...
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July 10, 2023 • 66 mins
Ninten's back on solid ground and in a new town. Life in the bustling burg of Merrysville is tough, but he finds a new friend in a strange place - with explosive results. In Merrysville, Shigesato Itoi's social commentary and observations of American culture are in full effect; as you explore an abandoned factory, an elementary school, and wander in and out of the lives of the town's citizens. Cat and Jess crack open the MOTHER Enc...
Mark as Played
July 24, 2023 • 64 mins
Ninten and Lloyd want to ride the rails, but there's something standing in their way that's too big for two kids to tackle... nothing that a military-grade rocket can't fix! With the trains running again, their world opens up exponentially! They dip into lands too dangerous to travel... yet... and hop the Paradise Line to Reindeer, a town ravaged by a pandemic and wealth disparity. Perhaps there are problems even our well-equipped ...
Mark as Played
August 7, 2023 • 87 mins
Meet Ana, the psychokinetic preacher's daughter whose mom was abducted by aliens. She has unusual powers, but there's more under the surface of this precocious girl than even she knows. Joining Ninten and Lloyd, they travel to the ghost town of Spookane to investigate a city-wide disappearance and rumors of a haunted piano with a tragic history. Sarah Rhea Werner, of the sci-fi audio drama Girl in Space, joins the cast as Ana and o...
Mark as Played
August 21, 2023 • 79 mins
Welcome to Dimensional Slip, intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
In this episode, Cat and Jess cross over with Sarah Rhea Werner, creator of the sci-fi audio drama, Girl in Space, and the voice actor bringing our Ana to life. We unpack the para...
Mark as Played
October 9, 2023 • 55 mins
Step into a Dimensional Slip: intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
The story of EarthBound is two-fold: the story within games and the story of their cultural impact - how they've shaped the world around them. In this Dimensional Slip, we're exa...
Mark as Played
October 23, 2023 • 80 mins
Leave the gloomy ghouls of Spookane behind and head to the sweltering Yucca Desert. Surviving this hostile environment would be hard enough if it weren't teaming with aliens! Ninten and friends will have to hone their skills to stay alive and make some deals with a wacky war veteran to ensure that the desert gives up all its secrets. This sprawling expanse is filled with them - many more than even the game suggests!
“MOTHER,” She ...
Mark as Played
November 13, 2023 • 108 mins
Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd are facing down the biggest calamity in their world-saving careers: childcare. Every adult in Youngtown has been abducted, leaving behind a village of traumatized orphans, fighting to survive in the alien-infested wilderness. Fortunately, there are some pleasant surprises in store: strange new powers, old friends, and fun facts await in this epic and heartrending double-length adventure.
“MOTHER,” She Wrote ...
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November 20, 2023 • 72 mins
Step into a Dimensional Slip: intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
The story of the MOTHER series in the United States is a wild one - filled with twists, turns, marketing mishaps, game cancellations, Internet movements, and at its heart: a gener...
Mark as Played
April 22, 2024 • 71 mins
Step into a Dimensional Slip: intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
The memorable melodies of MOTHER are more than just background music - they're an essential part of the series’ storytelling! We've often talked about the duo responsible for the ...
Mark as Played
July 22, 2024 • 66 mins
What's in your engines?! Meet Teddy - final member of the EarthBound Beginnings party and leader of Ellay's Black Blood Gang. This character was shrouded in mystery until the MOTHER Encyclopedia was translated, revealing his intense backstory. In this special episode, we bring Teddy's tale to life and explore everything there is to know about the teen hooligan, his town, and his gang. Featuring Red Vs. Blue's Christian Young as Ted...
Mark as Played
September 16, 2024 • 71 mins
Step into a Dimensional Slip: intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
The MOTHER series is known for its distinctive visuals; whether it's the vivid and playful pixel art of the games or its bold graphic design. But there's another key component tha...
Mark as Played
October 7, 2024 • 96 mins
Step into a Dimensional Slip: intermittent interludes in “MOTHER,” She Wrote’s journey - where we speak with guests from a multitude of backgrounds and delve deeper into the themes, media, and fandom that make up the tapestry of the EarthBound experience.
Join us as we take a virtual tour through The Secrets of MOTHER 2 exhibit and explore a treasure trove of surprising stories and revelations behind the making of one of the greate...
Mark as Played
October 31, 2024 • 3 mins
Some news and a community update!
Meet Cat at North Carolina Comicon, in Durham North Carolina - November 9th and 10th. Tickets and more info at nccomicon.com
And: EB Saga 5 is out!
The long-awaited next installment of Jazzy and Robbie Benson’s EarthBound Saga fan film series that they started when they were kids. It’s a monumental moment in EarthBound fan films - an Evil Dead-fueled, surreal, garlic-munching, midnight movie opus. ...
Mark as Played
April 2, 2025 • 61 mins
Cat and Jess are hard at work on completing the final episodes of "MOTHER," She Wrote's epic adventure through EarthBound Beginnings!
In this Coffee Break, they share some details for what's in store and pick back up on a thread you may remember from Episode Zero: early in their relationship, Jess and Cat set out to play each other's favorite video games. Jess played Cat's favorite video game, EarthBound, and Cat started playing ...
Mark as Played
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