25 day diary
Yuna’s 25-Day Diary: A Technical Breakdown of Visual Storytelling
Objective: Create 25 comics in 25 days using only visual inspiration. No scripts. No pre-planning. All ideas stem from images found on Pinterest, Red Note, nature, and my life as a Final Fantasy character.
Day 1: Mimi Falls
Image Reference: A high-resolution photograph of a cascading waterfall at night. The water glows with an unnatural blue hue, reflecting the moonlight. Thick moss clings to the surrounding rocks, and faint mist rises at the base. A single figure stands on a jagged outcrop, silhouetted against the rushing water.
Technical Process:
- Composition Planning – I structured the page using the rule of thirds, positioning the waterfall as the dominant vertical element while the figure stands near the lower third intersection for balance.
- Perspective & Depth – The foreground features twisted roots and scattered pebbles to ground the scene, while background elements (trees, mist, stars) fade into desaturated blues to create atmospheric depth.
- Lighting & Shadows – The waterfall serves as the main light source. Highlights are concentrated on the cascading water, mist, and damp rocks, while deep shadows shape the figure and surrounding foliage.
- Storytelling Elements – The lone figure’s posture suggests hesitation. Their gaze is locked onto the falls, where something is hidden beneath the water. I sketch faint, ghostly shapes within the mist—suggestions of spirits trapped within.
Connection to My Life:
This reminds me of the Macalania Woods in my journey. Water that isn’t just water—something alive, something sacred. The way the waterfall glows feels like the pyreflies that always surrounded me when I prayed. When I drew this, I felt like I was standing there again, hearing the soft hum of the Farplane just beyond the rushing falls.
Day 2: Veraduna
Image Reference: A panoramic digital painting of an overgrown lagoon where massive tree roots rise like twisting pillars from the water. The trees above are impossibly large, their canopies forming a ceiling that blocks out most light, allowing only faint green luminescence to filter through. In the distance, a small village is built directly into the roots, with wooden walkways suspended over the water.
Technical Process:
- Establishing Scale – I use a low-angle perspective, making the trees seem impossibly vast. The roots form natural pathways, leading the viewer’s eye toward the village.
- Color Palette – Deep emerald greens and rich browns dominate, while hints of glowing cyan suggest bioluminescence. A careful balance of warm and cool tones prevents the scene from feeling too uniform.
- Environmental Details – Moss drapes over roots like curtains, and hanging vines sway above the water. I add small boats drifting between the trees, emphasizing the lagoon’s importance to daily life.
- Character Placement – A lone traveler enters the scene from the foreground, their back to the viewer. Their presence provides scale and an invitation into the world.
Connection to My Life:
The idea of a city built into the trees reminds me of Besaid, my home. We relied on the land, on the sea. But here, in Veraduna, the water itself is sacred—it carries the weight of history, memories embedded in every ripple. I remember walking through Besaid’s forests, the feeling of damp soil underfoot, the scent of saltwater carried by the wind. This comic is a reflection of that, a home that is both familiar and entirely new.
Day 3: Moonlit Lagoon
Image Reference: A solitary figure with silver hair, standing knee-deep in a perfectly still lagoon. The surface reflects a different version of them—a darker, older version. Fireflies drift lazily in the air, their light creating small, shimmering distortions on the water’s surface. The moon overhead is unnaturally large, illuminating the entire scene in pale blue light.
Technical Process:
- Reflection as a Narrative Device – I carefully render the reflected figure with subtle distortions in the water. This creates a sense of unease, suggesting that reality is unstable.
- Mood & Atmosphere – Using a monochromatic blue palette enhances the dreamlike quality. Sharp highlights on the ripples add realism, while soft fog in the background adds depth.
- Symbolism Through Lighting – The fireflies represent fleeting thoughts, memories, or lost souls. Their soft glow contrasts the sharp moonlight, adding texture to the scene.
- Character Posture & Emotion – The figure’s body is tense, their hands slightly raised as if resisting the pull of their reflection. The story emerges from their hesitation.
Connection to My Life:
This feels like a vision from the Farplane. I remember the first time I looked into the water there—I saw my father, my past, the weight of everything I carried. I didn’t need words. The image alone was enough. That’s what I want this comic to do—to let the reader feel that weight without explanation.
Day 4: Willowmere Chronicles
Image Reference: A misty forest where the trees have elongated, skeletal branches that reach toward a mirror-like body of water. A single deer, almost translucent, drinks from the edge, its reflection revealing a completely different creature—a massive stag with antlers covered in glowing runes. The background is shrouded in dense fog, making the horizon indistinct.
Technical Process:
- Mystical Ambiguity – The contrast between the deer and its reflection creates an immediate mystery. The lack of sharp lines in the background emphasizes the ethereal atmosphere.
- Fog & Depth – The mist is layered with increasing transparency to enhance depth. The trees in the foreground are dark and detailed, while those further back fade into the haze.
- Subtle Movement – The ripples from the deer’s drinking subtly distort the stag’s reflection, hinting that the truth is unstable.
- Contrast Between Stillness & Unease – Everything is peaceful, yet something feels wrong. The reader knows the deer is not just a deer, but they don’t need an explanation.
Connection to My Life:
I once saw my reflection in the Moonflow and barely recognized myself. My journey had changed me, shaped me. This comic is about that—about seeing something in yourself that you weren’t prepared for. The deer doesn’t know it’s something greater, but the water does.
Day 5: Laguna’s Veil
Image Reference: A diver plunging into a deep lagoon, but instead of water, the abyss is filled with a sky full of stars. Above, the surface is visible, but the deeper they go, the more the universe unfolds around them. Fish-like constellations swim in the depths, trailing light as they move.
Technical Process:
- Inverted Depth – Instead of darkness increasing with depth, I use increasing light to make the lagoon feel endless. The brightest point is at the bottom, not the surface.
- Surreal Elements – The diver's bubbles don’t rise—they fall, blending into the starry void.
- Scale Manipulation – The deeper the diver goes, the smaller they seem, emphasizing the infinite nature of the lagoon.
- Negative Space – I use vast areas of emptiness to create contrast, making the stars and the diver more striking.
Connection to My Life:
The first time I dove into the ocean as a summoner, I felt like I was falling into the sky. It was quiet, limitless. That feeling never left me. This story is about that sensation—being weightless, small, yet part of something vast.
This is just the first five pages! Let me know if you want any adjustments before I continue the rest.
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