The following episode contains biblical discourse and theological interpretation.

The views expressed are my own and represent a personal reading of scripture,

intended for narrative and analytical purposes within the context of this discussion.

This is not a definitive or doctrinal teaching, and listeners are encouraged to engage critically

and explore these themes further according to their own beliefs and understandings.

Viewer discretion is advised. Hello and welcome to Into the Night, a Five Nights at Freddy's podcast.

I am your host, Nick, and thank you so much for listening.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the indie horror mascot scene is the way artists so often echo one another.

Marcus Aurelius in Meditations book 9 once wrote,

There is no nature which is inferior to art, for the arts imitate the nature of things,

end quote.

In other words, art is always the byproduct of inspiration. The artist borrows from the world,

reflecting what already exists. At its most charitable, this is inspiration, at its most cynical,

it is plagiarism, and proof that originality is as fictitious

as the stories the artist writes.

But whatever form it takes, art begins with nature.

Anything else that seeks instead to deform nature into the shape of the artist

will, against what is true and real, slides not into art, but into propaganda. The true artist

watches the world with vigilance, drawing inspiration from both life and from the works of others who are likewise engaged in the internal dialogue with reality.

I touched on this in my review of The Secret of the Mimic, where I noted how the game borrows both mechanics and a similar concept of setting from Poppy Playtime.

But of course, Poppy Playtime itself drew from the DNA of both Bendy and the Ink Machine and Five Nights at Ferties.

Then along came Indigo Park, inspired by Poppy and Phnaf.

...