Better Beginnings

There was nothing particularly special about Acya Aann’s hatchday. It was the 29th of June when he came into this mortal world and it was just the usual way that all the Dragon kin do; in a clutch of eggs - usually three to six (being only three this time) - and having the rotten luck of being the middle hatchling. Neither the first, nor the last. Just caught in a weird gray area that left him in his parents blind spot. He had a sneaking suspicion that being the middle one left him fairly unmemorable to the eyes of his parents.

Of course that was all just subjective. Acya didn't have a bad upbringing, far from it. He lived in a semblance of normality with his family. His Fathers name was Mauler. His Mother was Palona. His brother was Goja. His sister was Mera and they all lived with fake smiles in suburbia. Acya could never say that his parents had a great marriage. While they attempted to keep their issues behind closed doors their difficulties began to get more obvious throughout his tenure at primary school.

As for school itself it was fairly uneventful. Oh, there were the usual bullies and such but if Acya could say something truly mem(t)errible that happened to him during his time there was splitting his knee open- the scar still visible and a reminder for him… he doesn't wish to think any more on this. While never the best student during his time there (mediocre would sum it up well), Acya was at least quite popular with the other students having a big circle of friends. Life was good- but all good things come to an end.

His world was unexpectedly uprooted when his parents suddenly divorced, not that Acya could have said it came as a surprise to anyone but the sting was all the same and it hurt for months afterwards seeing all that was familiar come to an end. With only one term left to go till Acya would have graduated primary school his Father packed him up (and only him) and the two of them left for another city. Years later when he felt brave enough he asked his Father why him? Mauler shrugged.

Everything that Acya had built up over the last twelve years became nothing but a distant memory as he watched it all vanish in the rearview mirror. These were not kind times ahead.

Immediately he found himself floundering at his new school. The remaining term of primary was nightmarish at best in this unfamiliar new environment. Any attempts to pull himself together failed. Acya felt alone. Not even his siblings were there to guide him with his Father no help.

Then along came high school proving to be a little bit better for him. He made a few friends but it was still a far cry from how many he had just a few years earlier, nor did his academics see any improvement from primary. He was still just as mediocre as he was before. Really only scoring C’s and D’s. Never really applying himself, much to his teacher’s dismay;

“You could be so much more!” But Acya didn’t listen. His mind was always elsewhere. In the clouds, they liked to say.

It was these turbulent times that something strange happened- like an awakening within him- something that had been missing his entire life. He discovered BDSM for the first time from a casual browse on the internet. It was a revelation for him like God himself had come down before him and bestowed the missing piece of his life. Acya went down the rabbit hole.

Now he’d always been interested in the ideas of others being tied up or himself. There were many times when he was young he’d bond up by friends because he got caught during a game of catch. He loved to squirm- he loved watching them squirm. He’d often purposely fail when he was being chased, because he wanted that kiddy thrill of the struggle. He was never open about these feelings with anyone.

Secretively, when he was sure his Father wasn't home, Acya would do self bondage. He found the joys of rope and leather in this time, though it would be some years yet before he started buying proper gear. Till then it was just a secretive hobby he dabbled in occasionally (after having a few near misses in being caught). It didn't really blossom until the end of high school.

During these brighter times Acya had acquired his first girlfriend. Though he liked the young cat, something always felt off about being with her. At the time he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She had a great personality, pretty enough and they got along fine - sharing similar interests - yet he struggled when it came to the bedroom side of things. Acya was emotionally unsatisfied with it.

That's not to say it wasn't good. Far from it, but everytime they ‘did it’ Acya was never thrilled with the prospect before or after. It left him feeling… hollow and unfulfilled. He did often wonder if he was gay but by chance one day she brought up the idea of handcuffs in the bedroom. Never had she gotten that kind of reaction out of him. Acya jumped at the chance in a heartbeat. It seemed to frighten her a little at how unexpectedly receptive he was towards it. Despite owning a pair already (with a variety of other smaller gear at this point) he pretended to have ordered some for next day delivery.

It was like magic for him.

The bondage continued to get heavier until their eventual breakup after graduation, not that Acya was particularly sad about it. In fact, he felt as if his eyes had been opened for the first time. There was a new world before him now that he wished to be a part of. It was around this time he discovered the kink community and what glories that it might hold for him.

At this point in his life Acya realized he didn't wish to do any further education so he shunned the idea of university instead wishing to go into a trade of some sort. Not really having any life goals ahead of him except for the tantalizing ideas of Kink that seemed so close now Acya threw himself into a laboring position.

Coming full circle from school Acya proved himself to be mediocre in the position but it was all a means to an end in his mind.
On a fateful day when he was feeling fairly low he discovered a certain club in the city- as if it appeared there just like magic. Nervous and afraid he stepped inside. Since then every Friday like clockwork he's found himself at that local S&M club. In these important formative years he grew quite attached to it and allowed him to grow the confidence he was missing since being a Hatchling.

For the first time in his life though he was finally coming into his own. It finally allowed Acya to move out of home and in with friends from the club.

Acya cringes now just thinking how green he was back then but he learned a lot in this time especially when it came to doming and subbing, while gleefully exploring his own sexuality. Acya looks back fondly on these years, but like anything the older he got the magic just wasn't quiet there any more so he started going less and less till it stopped altogether.

Instead, he put all his time into potential relationships. The older he got the more he craved the idea of forming a lifelong bond with someone. Though he’s tried many times over his long years, Acya has never found that right Mate yet to steal his fancy. Instead, he mostly just has flings with like minded beings.

Somewhere in his thirties now Acya reflects on the nature of himself. He’s proud of the dragon he’s become. While he’s made a lot of mistakes along the way he’s always tried to be his best self- remaining honest and open at all times. He likes to believe he succeeded somewhat.

———

A Few Thoughts

In my defense on why this has taken me so long I suppose I’ve always been fearful of the idea that I’m giving up total creative control to an artist to do carte blanche in creating Acya despite handing them a detailed outline in describing him. At the end of the day I’m just getting their interpretation of him and not what I really had in mind. As silly as it is, that thought petrifies me. So you can imagine my reluctance in finally getting this done as the big 3.0. dawns upon me.

Needless to say, I've never been proven more wrong in my life.

What KaisarReitz has done has been more than twenty years in the making for me. While I plan to go into more in depth with a potential journal entry in the future (to explain why it’s taken so long to accomplish this milestone), I will say this now;

Despite my apprehension at the idea of someone daring to draw Acya before me, what Kaisar did was nothing short of a miracle making Acya a reality for me. For that, I will be eternally grateful to them. Kaisar knocked it out of the park in one of the easiest home runs I have ever seen. I’m Durg enough to admit I teared up just a tad when they presented the finished product to me. I never thought this day would ever happen.

(Also as a positive side effect to Kaisar doing the reference sheet they experienced a surge in followers on Twitter when showing off the WIP. And as I’m told, it's become one of the most interacted posts they have ever gotten. Warms my heart that people think so highly of Acya- OH! And Kaisar art, of course ^^;)

Selecting Kaisar to do the sheet was not something I took lightly at all. I spent a month prior to that going through a selection of potential artists but nothing really caught my eye the same way Kaisar’s work did. I just adored their attention to detail and vibrant use of colours (without going overboard the way some others do). Not to mention their work being anatomically correct, despite the fantastical nature of it. I swallowed my pride and never slapped money down so hard despite costing an arm and a leg- but I think the end results speak clearly for itself.

(Disclaimer: Kaisar was kind enough to throw on a few of the extra goodies towards the end of development at no extra charge).

So if you're reading this right now and currently at awe with Acya and how well the reference sheet turned out Kaisar commissions are currently open. The link is below… come on. I know you want to ;)

As to my inspirations in creating Acya I must look back to being ten years old and thinking how highly original I was in selecting a dragon to become my Sona- yes, it’s laughable now but I was young, cut me some slack. I had a real hard on for my childhood hero, Godzilla, so it was always going to be a reptile of some sort, though why specifically I chose a dragon and not Godzilla himself if anyone's guess? So without further ado let me give you a few fun facts about Acya!

Acya. Just saying the name reminds me how young I was. It has largely been the only consistent thing that has stuck around for the character for over twenty years now. Being the imaginative child I was, I created a name that was little more than a pun.
Acya The Dragon.
Ah-See-Ya The Dragon.
I See You The Dragon.
Yes, look how witty I was at ten. God, I wish I came up with something better, but much like my childish email address it’s here to stay, permanently. Later on I christened his last name as Aann based on the name of an alien race of reptiles from one of my favorite book series, The Humanx Commonwealth by Alan Dean Foster. The irony of all this is that more people know me under Aann than Acya because of Discord. Whoops! XD

I’m a big believer of the traditional red dragon so of course that was going to be Acya’s main colour. The clashing of blue was chosen for two reasons; 1). Blue is my favorite colour. 2). I’m a huge Godzilla fan so it could almost be seen as an homage to his dorsal fins lighting up for an atomic breath charge.

The dorsal fins themselves… or furr (depending on how you look at it) is again an homage to Godzilla, just with Kaiser’s flourishing artistic touches.

Of course no Dragon is complete without scales. That is a must in my opinion. We tried many different styles to make it work and ultimately I’m very happy with how they turned out.

Funny enough I didn't notice until it was pointed out that Acya had a belly button in the reference sheet. A bit weird considering he hatched from an egg but I don't mind it being there. I like the detail of it even if it is extremely illogical XD

Though for the longest time I only ever imagined Acya with two horns I changed my mind when getting the reference sheet done so it could be similar to a real leather mask I own (picture can be found in scraps). Seeing it on the reference sheet makes me feel as if it was always meant to be there.

I’m running out of things to say and really wanting to finally upload this overdue sheet so I think I will conclude it with this little titbit;

I was told Acya has real bedroom eyes. At first I didn't understand what they meant but then I came to the realization and was inclined to agree. If he came up to me on the streets and gave me the look - with a smug lick of the tongue - of course I’m going to follow this Durg to wherever he wants to go. That just goes to show the strength of Kaiser's art.

Now if you excuse me there’s a red Durg I’m gonna worship now. He demands it. You should all do the same if you know what's kinky for you. ;)

(P.S. I sense a lot of people will ask how much of me is in Acya’s backstory. Where does the truth end and the fiction begin? I will elect not to answer that instead leave you all pondering your own conclusions. I’m a dick like that XD).

Artwork ©
Acya ©