Template guide
Panel-by-panel breakdown
This template has no printed text. The five panels are five actions, each closer than the last.
Panel 1
On a mint-green sofa, a man in a grey-green sweatshirt and a woman in an orange one sit at opposite ends, each holding a mug and keeping a polite distance.
Panel 2
They lean together sharing one pair of earbuds while looking at their phones, with musical notes floating above them.
Panel 3
Indoors, they share a single pale green umbrella while rain falls outside the window, shoulders almost touching.
Panel 4
They eat from the same bowl of popcorn, one trying to feed the other, the other laughing with eyes closed.
Panel 5
Although the sofa is long, they are squeezed into one corner under the same blanket, one holding the remote, both laughing.
What you get
- Canvas
- 9:16
- Cast
- 2 characters, replaceable with your own
- Type
- Best Friends
- Common remixes
- Turn it into coworkers / Turn it into an early romance / Turn it into a pet and owner
Who this template suits
This template suits two close friends, or a pair of colleagues who are becoming comfortable with each other. All five actions are everyday ones, so readers immediately picture themselves and their friends, which works well for friendship and best-friend content.
When it is not a good fit
It is not suited to stories with conflict or a twist. The only movement in this template is closer.
How to remix Friendship Means Squeezing In
- 1Keep the five actions: sit apart, share earbuds, share an umbrella, share popcorn, squeeze into one corner.
- 2Choose one shared object per step for your two characters.
- 3Leave the sofa mostly empty in the last panel while they sit in the corner.
Ways to make it your own
Turn it into coworkers
Go from sitting one seat apart to sharing earbuds, an umbrella and a takeaway box, ending with both squeezed into a corner of the break room.
Turn it into an early romance
Make the pair almost-more-than-friends, and let the last panel be an accidental lean that both quickly pretend not to notice.
Turn it into a pet and owner
The sofa is huge, but the pet insists on curling up against the owner's leg, and the last panel is both asleep.
Questions about Friendship Means Squeezing In
How is this different from the relationship level test?
The level test leans romantic. This one is about the natural closeness of friends, told through three shared objects: earbuds, an umbrella and a bowl of snacks.
Can I change the shared objects?
Yes, for example one scarf or one pair of chopsticks. The key idea is that each person could have their own, but they choose to share.
Why does the last panel matter so much?
The contrast of an empty sofa with two people squeezed into one corner is the punchline of the whole comic.
