Template guide
Panel-by-panel breakdown
This template has no printed dialogue. The story is told entirely through the artwork, so each panel below is described from the image.
Panel 1
Two coworkers type at facing desks, a woman in a teal sweater and a man in a red shirt with glasses. Between them, a shared document shows a landscape photo grabbed by a little blue cursor and a little pink cursor pulling opposite ways.
Panel 2
A close-up of the document: the blue and pink cursors slam into each other with streaks of colour and a comic burst.
Panel 3
Both coworkers lean back with arms crossed and grumpy faces, while the two cursors sit at the bottom of the page sulking.
Panel 4
The woman holds a stylus and the man points at the screen, both smiling; the photo sits neatly at the top, and the cursors high-five.
What you get
- Canvas
- 1:1
- Cast
- 2 characters, replaceable with your own
- Type
- Collaboration Comedy
- Common remixes
- Change the object / Make it remote / Add a third cursor
Who this template suits
This template suits remote and hybrid teams, designers, writers and anyone who has fought over a shared document. Giving the cursors tiny bodies turns an abstract annoyance into a visible fight, and the ending is friendly. It fits workplace humour, productivity and SaaS-adjacent accounts.
When it is not a good fit
It is not suited to emotional or romantic stories, or scenes that need lots of explanation.
How to remix Tug-of-War in the Shared Doc
- 1Colour-match each cursor to its owner's outfit.
- 2Escalate from a tug, to a crash, to a sulk.
- 3End with the cursors making peace, such as a high five.
Ways to make it your own
Change the object
Fight over a font size, a colour swatch or the order of slides.
Make it remote
Put the two coworkers in different homes on a split screen.
Add a third cursor
A boss cursor arrives in panel 3 and both freeze.
Questions about Tug-of-War in the Shared Doc
Why do the cursors have arms and legs?
It lets the cursors act out the conflict for the characters, which is the visual joke.
Do the cursor colours matter?
Match each cursor to its owner's clothes, like the teal sweater and red shirt here, so readers know who is who.
Can I use my own characters?
Yes. It is a two-character template; any two coworkers or classmates work.
