“Doing Everything Myself Isn’t Actually a Burden – It’s Liberating” – Creator Interview with AiTommy

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Getting to Know You

Tell us a bit about yourself: who are you, where are you from, and what should readers know about you?

Hello! My name is AiTommy (aitommylove). I’m an indie digital artist, YA romantasy author, and a VTuber(I guess?) from Japan. Some people get a little suspicious of my name because it seems like ‘AI,’ but ‘Ai/あい’ is actually a very common Japanese girl’s name that typically means ‘love.’ I handle almost every part of my projects myself. My goal is to share the things I love and what makes me happy with the world through my illustrations, comics, animations, and now, novels!

Many people discovered your work through your Powerpuff fan art. Are you a big fan yourself?

Yes! I LOVE The Powerpuff Girls and Powerpuff Girls Z (the Japanese anime version). I’ve been creating fan art for them since around 2021, and they are a huge reason why so many people have discovered and recognized my work.

What do you do when you’re not working or creating art?

I love singing and acting! I take singing lessons and am a member of a local theatre club. I’ve also been into gardening for about two years now. In the beginning, I had a hard time keeping the plants alive, but I’ve finally mastered the art of using bug sprays to protect them :D.

What pieces of media (book, film, song, other comic) have inspired you most?

Disney princess movies, for sure. I especially love Tangled and Frozen. I’ve learned so much from them, from storytelling and concept art to character design. I think you’ll see those influences in my own novels! I also grew up reading ‘magical girl’ shoujo manga like Shugo Chara! and Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura. And of course, PPG and PPGZ. Love is the most common theme in my work, not just romance, but also friendship, passion, and family. I want my creations to make people feel happy or inspired to create something of their own!

What part about creating art is the hardest for you?

Procrastination and the struggle to stay focused on a single task. When I’m in the zone, I can draw or write for four or five hours straight. However, when my to-do list is cluttered with small, uninteresting tasks, I find it really hard to find that focus.

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Quick Fire

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About The Princess and the Blade

You published your first animation featuring Charlotte and Hoche on your YouTube channel two years ago. How long had you been planning for them to become a full story?

The idea for the characters actually goes back a long way. The relationship between Charlotte and Hoche had started taking shape even before I entered college, though at that time, I hadn’t thought about world-building or the plot at all. However, in 2025, I hit a bit of a wall. Between the rise of AI, the state of the world, and my own identity as an artist, I realized I wanted to create my own original IP. So, while the core idea had been maturing for years, it wasn’t until last year that I committed to turning it into a full-scale book.

Walk us through your process a bit – how did you write the novel, and how long did it take from first draft to finished, fully illustrated book?

Since I grew up admiring Disney and Pixar, my storytelling and structure are heavily influenced by their films. I’m also a big fan of Save the Cat! methodology. Because this is a trilogy, I outlined the entire series first and then divided it into three parts. From there, I fleshed out Book 1 — focusing on their meeting, their struggles, and the climax — to ensure it worked as a standalone experience. I started writing in March of last year and published it this past March, so the entire process took exactly one year.

The Princess and the Blade is an illustrated novel. How did you decide which scenes to illustrate?

I took requests from my beta readers, but mostly I chose based on the story itself. If I was writing a scene and thought, “I really want to see this expression,” that became an illustration. The full-page illustrations included in the eBook were finished first. For the Paperback version, I had to consider the formatting, so I used 3D models to decide on the rough layouts before diving into the final art.

Which illustrations are you most proud of?

For the eBook, it would be the library scene where they’re talking. It features a split-frame layout showing both of their expressions, but I really want readers to notice the lighting. They are sitting by a window, and the light hits Hoche’s left side — meaning the light appears to be coming from the adjacent frame where Charlotte is smiling. I think the lighting and their expressions beautifully highlight the moment their relationship begins to shift. As for the Paperback… honestly, I love those illustrations(more than 100) so much I can’t pick just one! If you have the room in your budget, please check out the Paperback version. I’d love to hear which ones were your favorites!

The first chapter where Charlotte and Hoche meet is titled “The Princess and the Blade” – was it the most significant chapter for you, since it shares the title with the whole book?

Yes, definitely. Even before I started writing, I knew I wanted their first meeting to be impactful. Charlotte’s emotions are like a whirlwind — she gets scared, angry, surprised, and suspicious all at once. In contrast, Hoche is a knight who draws his blade without hesitation and is willing to throw his life away like… a puppet. I think that chapter perfectly captures the intensity of their dynamic.

When Hoche was appointed as Charlotte’s personal guard, he said: “If it’s an order, I will obey.”  What was going through his mind in that moment – was he feeling anything at all?

He means exactly what he says. There’s no subtext of annoyance, nor is he thinking, “Lucky me, I get to guard a cute princess.” He is simply stating a fact: if an order is given, he will follow it. I wanted that moment to feel slightly eerie, making Charlotte — and the reader — want to dig deeper to find out who he really is.

Do you have a favorite character?

I love them all! The allies, the enemies, and the side characters—everyone.

What do you want your readers to feel when reading the Princess and the Blade?

Lately, big studios like Disney haven’t been releasing many stories centered around “princesses and romance.” I found that really sad, so I wanted to create something myself. I hope readers can feel that same whimsical, romantic, and exciting world-building that we all felt while watching movies like Tangled or Frozen!

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Your Creative Journey

How did your art journey start?

Drawing has been the core of my communication for as long as I can remember. I was not good at writing or talking as a child, so I would draw to express myself instead. To me, creating art is my primary way of interacting and communicating with the world.

You have two comics on your website, a merchandise shop, a Discord, plus active social media – and the list goes on. How do you manage that kind of output without burning out? Are you a one-woman show?

It is a total one-woman show! Honestly, I’ve realized that I’m very “all or nothing” when it comes to my work. I’m not great with things like spreadsheets or numbers, and if someone tries to micromanage me or change my vision, my brain just shuts down and I lose all motivation. Because of that, doing everything myself isn’t actually a burden — it’s liberating. This freedom is what allows me to maximize my creative potential. I imagine I might lead a team someday, but for now, I’m happy handling every single part of the process on my own.

The conversation around AI in creative work is everywhere right now. As an artist and writer – what’s your stance on AI in storytelling?

I think many people — myself included — tend to lose interest the moment we realize a piece of writing or an image was generated by AI. People eventually get bored of it because what we truly love is uniqueness and the “one-of-a-kind” spark that only a human can provide. When you know it’s AI, that unique essence feels like it’s been stripped away. For a creator, being labeled as “AI” is a huge risk. Beyond that, there are far too many legal, economic, and ethical issues involved. While I suspect AI will eventually become as integrated into our lives as smartphones or the internet, the thought still makes me a little uneasy. However, humans will never stop craving good stories. At the end of the day, all I can do is keep writing the stories that I find interesting and that I want to read.