Hi everyone,
I regret to inform everyone that I will be suspending production of my "secret" project bonus content indefinitely. The shorter 4-panel strips will remain unaffected and continue to be uploaded as scheduled regularly.
As promised earlier, I will still be compiling the pages I've done so far and releasing it as a draft PDF for everyone at a later period. This decision was not made lightly, however, as we arrive at page 6 of the long form comic, it has prompted me to reflect on the production and its relevance:
The page you see above is reused from an earlier weight gain comic. I have been straining to link sequences and make the comic work structurally. Those of you who have been around earlier will probably remember the following page below from 2024:
For the past 2 years, I've been trying to address story and structural issues, pruning story elements that were either confusing or had no place in the comic. Over the past weeks, I've had a few epiphanies as to why things weren't working out as planned and will try my best to share them here.
Snares, the lifeguard lion, was never meant to be a main cast member. He appeared in Meatier Showers: Bulge Indulge more as a cameo and temporary self-insert, but had gone on to appear in other Patreon-backed comics to keep the series running. For the most part, the colored series of Meatier Showers was supposed to be centered on Pridestar.
By now, the growth comics had become fairly predictable in their endings: Snares will always balloon to hyper proportions - which I absolutely love, don't get me wrong - but offer little in terms of character or story development. If anything, illustrating a muscle growth sequence would be a far more effective format as compared to doing a 12-18 page marathon (for me).
By pivoting to a shorter and more manageable 4-panel comic format, I've been able to focus more on character interactions and worry less about the structural intricacies of getting from point A to Z in a longer comic format. Once I've figured out what situations would be fun to explore, these 4-panel strips usually write themselves. If anything, the short format comics could potentially serve as storyboards for any future expansions into a longer storytelling format - should there be any justification to do so.
More importantly, the past 6 months has demonstrated that the workflow of 4-panel comics and a flexible commission schedule has been sustainable for me. I don't feel stressed out or pressured and I'm excited to deliver and share my work each month consistently.
Truth be told, commissions and comics are barely enough for me to get by - taking into account the high cost of living in Singapore. Things have only gotten more untenable (for a plethora of reasons I won't divulge here) and that is to say that I am still actively looking for a full-time position during a very difficult job market to fill the void of a stable income.
All that said, I will also continue to produce the 4-panel strips on a monthly basis and seek a potential replacement the "secret" project if possible. Please feel free to post your questions or concerns in the thread below, should you have any.
Stay swole and take care,
SnaresApr 2026