about: learn more about the project.
town: visit and participate in p@tchwork somewhere's virtual space.
dlc: download free to use Live2D models, backgrounds, assets, and other project content.
submissions: send me your thoughts and messages! these go to our town and other thought collections.
contact: how to reach me about non-submission business if you need to!
coming soon: Live2D model tutorials, community creative showcase!
the town is our virtual space!
inspired by mmorpgs and games like tamagotchi, i created a "town" page to showcase messages and thoughts from the community. backgrounds fitting the town page are available at dlc to download and use with your video submissions.
the town holds featured video messages which the community can respond to using response stickers! to submit messages (and response stickers) to the town page, please check out the submissions page for more information.
> the town is currently best viewed on desktop, in fullscreen.
please remember these rules when participating in the town:
no hate speech, discriminatory language, or bullying comments are allowed.
the town is moderated and such content will not be posted!
respect differing opinions and experiences you may see.
the moderators will add appropriate content warnings to messages - please read these and use your discretion.
this is a small project, so the town does not update in real time and moderation will be done to the best of our abilities!
why did i make p@tchwork somewhere?
"p@tchwork somewhere" came about as a response to the brief, "the personal is the political" with the context of our experiences over the past two years.
over the pandemic, i found the communities that grew from virtual spaces to be a special phenomenon: an opportunity to meet people who would never have come together without the internet. the anonymity of the internet provided a safe outlet for closeted LGBT people, marginalised people in unsafe environments, even political organisers to form bonds without compromising their safety.
of course, this wasn't a perfect haven. but despite not leaving the house for so long, i put down roots in my community. i met people i talk to every day! we share information and resources, organise workshops and events, hang out, and we know we aren't alone.
virtual spaces may not exist in 3d, but they have a presence and a spirit. many collectives have formed discord servers or zoom workshops to continue being creative and keep in contact with each other. my generation especially recognises this because we grew up on MMORPGs, from Runescape to Club Penguin to Gaia Online.
i wanted to celebrate community with this project, and also put a positive spin on internet safety and anonymity. it can suck to have to hide yourself to protect yourself, but it can also be so liberating. why not wear a virtual costume and have some fun with it, using it to enhance your experience rather than hinder it?
i was also inspired by Vtubers and streamers who formed communities based on similar interests in games and art. i spent a lot of time with my friends who used virtual avatars, drawing and discussing art together. i loved the way their avatars always showed their unique perspective and reflected their creative spirit. that's why i decided to make these four Live2D avatars for anyone to use - hopefully they reflect the energy and brightness of the communities i have been lucky to become a part of, recently.
the world can be a scary place. as we venture carefully onward into a tumultuous and confusing future, let's remember the bonds we share with other people and take every opportunity to live brightly and boldly!
why the name p@tchwork somewhere?
"patchwork", for how each person comes together to make something new in a community. it's also reminiscent of quilting, which i love as a historically social activity and one infused with care and family.
"somewhere", because of how virtual spaces bring together people from everywhere, existing in a liminal state that couldn't exist in a real place.
how did you choose the designs of the avatars and town?
the avatars were each chosen based on some key values i had for the project. i thought about what types of things people may want to get off their chests, or common themes in conversations in our communities.
dazy is a flower representing community members as a group. i had the image of fields of flowers as a comparison to protests and events. (i also added a park to the town to reference this image in my mind). daisies can be considered weeds, but are also appreciated as a flower. i think it shows the duality of how people may view marginalised people and how they actually are.
lockey is for secrets or protection. it represents how people need anonymity to be safe online and in real life, and how lots of people have nobody in their personal lives to share their thoughts with and keep things locked inside.
love is for love, warmth and support. a tenet of community!!
spark is for energy, action and encouragement. it's for expressing things boldly and organising and taking action.
i also drew the town based on places in my hometown in malaysia. a kopitiam and shops for lepaking (hanging out), a park for community, and streets for direction and action. the colours are based on the fabric district, which i last visited with my mom.
i used mmm.page as they allowed for quite a free and scrapbooky page layout, so i hope i can add our thoughts and memories to the town page, inspired by MMORPG lobbies, scrapbooks and living archives.
contact me if you want to discuss anything else about the project, need help, or want to help out! i would love to hear from you.
Live2D avatars! these are free to use, even outside the p@tchwork somewhere websites and project. please use them to enhance your safety and experiences online!
download the avatars
terms and conditions
backgrounds and assets to use with the Live2D avatars. you can also use the backgrounds in other works or as wallpapers!
download the backgrounds and assets
terms and conditions
coming soon: paper character printables (:
p@tchwork somewhere is for everyone to share thoughts, encouraging safety with anonymous avatars, while keeping this protection lighthearted with fun designs and interactive avatars.
you can submit messages in many different ways! the main ways we support are video, mp3 and text submissions.
video: all the avatars are downloadable and can be used with softwares such as PrPrLive or Vtube Studio! you can use the variety of backgrounds and assets available too. soon, you will also be able to download paper craft versions and use these to record a video submission if you wish (:
audio: you can submit a mp3 and let us know which avatar you would like to act out your message, and we can make a video version for you!
text: you can submit simple text formatted messages to be posted on the town, or request a video be made for you and let us know which avatar you would like to act out your message, with a random voice actor!
you can also respond to messages already posted on the town - keep it kind and relevant to the showcased messages! we have a variety of response stickers for you to use which can be chosen in the form below (:
please remember these rules when participating in the town:
no hate speech, discriminatory language, or bullying comments are allowed.
the town is moderated and such content will not be posted!
respect differing opinions and experiences you may see.
the moderators will add appropriate content warnings to messages - please read these and use your discretion.
this is a small project, so the town does not update in real time and moderation will be done to the best of our abilities!
when using any of the downloadable content, you MAY NOT use hate speech, discriminatory language or bully others. for example, discriminating based on: race, culture, gender, appearance, sexuality, religion, age, mental illness, neurodivergence or disability.
you MAY NOT sell or profit off anything associated with the p@tchwork somewhere project. for example, making prints or merchandise.
you MAY use the avatars to stream or post them on your social media with credit.
you MAY draw or edit the characters or art in respectful ways.
you MAY make political content with the characters as long as it does not violate the above guidelines.
simple credit to "p@tchwork somewhere" with links would be appreciated!
these rules are simple and based on a trust system to follow them in good faith. if they are violated, i will strike your content and try to remove it. p@tchwork somewhere is a project to allow people to comfortably exist online and bring some creativity and fun to the internet and misusing any of the free content is against the crux of the project.
as a project with free to download, "open source" content, p@tchwork somewhere is not and cannot be responsible for what people use our content for - these guidelines reflect our terms of use and anything violating it is against our terms.
thank you for your interest!
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if you would like to participate in p@tchwork somewhere, please check out the town and submissions pages first, you may find what you are looking for there.
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all p@tchwork related inquiries can be sent here,
and you can email non-p@tchwork inquiries here.
you can also find my other projects here.