Nu Vibez and Roleplay Guide Magazine - October 2014 | Page 26

REVISITING

"INNSMOUTH HAS BEEN
A TRUE LANDMARK OF
SECOND LIFE FOR YEARS,
AND FOR MANY IT IS
THE FIRST EXPOSURE
TO THE WORK OF HP
LOVECRAFT"
— ARIK METZGER

Lovecraft had an uncanny ability to draw
out one’s fear of the unknown. His stories
are where the barriers between nightmares
and reality are blurred and even broken.
Innsmouth is a vision of one of the great
works of Lovecraft’s work “The Shadow Over
Innsmouth” and “Color Out of Space.” It
was constructed by Darmin Darkes and
BaileyMarie Princess for Joyous Parkin nearly
six years ago. Eventually Darkes took over the
upkeep and costs of the sim.
Many people have a deep love for
Innsmouth and the works of Lovecraft.
Primary admin and resident of Innsmouth,
Arik Metzger (Arikthered Resident), has been
a driving force in preserving Innsmouth
by remaining active in the daily lives of its
residents and visitors.
“Innsmouth has been a true landmark of
Second Life for years, and for many it is the
first exposure to the work of HP Lovecraft,”
said Metzger.
This once sleepy town, is home away from
home for Metzger because his father use to
be a fisherman. He had always been drawn to
H.P. Lovecraft and his great works and shares
a love of similar types of works from others.
But this beloved sim faces an uphill battle
for survival. Due to the rising financial costs of
maintaining the community, Darkes decided
it was time to let it go.
“Innsmouth sim is for sale. I’m giving first
dibs to you folks in the hopes that someone
26 ROLEPLAY GUIDE MAGAZINE

will want to keep some of the build,” she said
in announcement. “Worst case is having to
flatten it and sell it. I just can’t afford it any
longer.”
The startling news prompted the
emergence of the Innsmouth Preservation
Society. The society itself is currently working
to rejuvenate various aspects of the sim
including role play, events and sustainability.
Long-term plans are in the works to ensure
the life of Innsmouth.
“Big things are happening with this sim's
transition,” said Metzger. “Though essentially
my goal is to maintain the sim's multipurpose
uses [with] no drastic changes to the overall
layout.”
In a matter of two days, nearly 100,000L
was raised in order to keep the Innsmouth
online for at least another 30 days. What
happens next is crucial. Long-term plans are
currently in the works with the possibility
of residential and commercial rentals and
monthly events are just the beginning for
Innsmouth.
Many regulars and visitors are also hoping
that Innsmouth will be around for awhile.
“A friend of mine of showed [Innsmouth]
to me ... I felt at home here,” said Unnr
Resident and Innsmouth Preservation Society
member. “I worked on the Lovecraft Festival
for a couple of months and got to know a lot
of amazing people.”
She is optimistic for the future of
Innsmouth and said she hopes many of the
current features w [