"Skin"
This piece sees two hands, both held out as if they belonged to the viewer. Their edges are not crisp, rather shaky and uneven. The text on the image reads 'this is not my skin. it needs to come off.' This piece was the first in the series, specifically aiming to express my self deprecating thoughts. This is the first variation- the thought that my body is not my own, that perhaps it is borrowed or forced upon me or that it belonging to me makes it inherently dirty. Thoughts like this lead to the urge to peel my skin off.
"Chkn"
This piece sees a figure in a t-shirt and shorts. They seem to have breasts given the way that the fabric drapes off of their chest. They have no head, and blood oozes from their neck stump, dripping down the neck. They hold a chicken's head with 'x' marks for eyes and its spine hanging out of the body. Blood also drips from the head. This is a play on the phrases 'birdbrain' and 'running around like a chicken with its head cut off'. It refers to the figure as stupid and dim-witted, as someone to be made fun of or mocked.
"Unleash"
This piece sees a figurre with wide hips, breasts, thick thighs and a vagina pulling a zipper down their chest. Out of the hole comes a muddled cloud of color, exploding across the page. This is the first piece that I treat as a real self portrait- of course, the two before this were, in a sense, self portraits, but this piece is where I begin to accentuate my feminine features. As a transgender man, these parts of myself haunt me- they are present everywhere I go, and will continue to linger throughout this series. I am least satisfied with this piece and may end up replacing it with a newer version later.
"Leashed"
This piece sees three figures. From left to right; there is a woman with a high ponytail, one hand on her him and the other gesturing, a figure with black hair, breasts, and a soft stomach crawling on the floor wearing a muzzle and collar, and a bald man holding the second figure on a leash while holding his other hand up flat. There are two pieces of text, one next to the woman- insinuating she is speaking- saying 'Are you ok?' and another beside the man saying 'We don't need shit.' The woman is meant to represent friends, family, and loved ones, whereas both figures on the right represent myself. My external self is the one crawling on the floor, pictured how I fear I am seen by others- weak, feminine, in need of help. The man is meant to be my inner monologue, the part of me that is afraid of accepting help.
"Malum"
This piece sees an arm and part of the torso it is attached to, including the breast and some hair, hanging down in front of the viewer. There is a deep wound on the upper arm, deep enough that the bone is exposed. It is bleeding, with blood dripping down the arm. In the bone, a word is inscribed- 'MALUM'. It is the Latin word for 'evil'. This is a feeling I have very regularly- rarely does it come in words, or even full pictures; just ideas and concepts. This thought is the vague feeling that, some time ago, whether it be when I was born or even centuries before I even existed, evil was carved into my bones, written onto my soul. Perhaps someone cursed me, perhaps it was decreed by the gods, but it was destined, and so it is.
"Who"
This piece sees the curvy figure with black hair holding a mask on a stick. The mask seems to be made of something hard as its face is carved into it. The face, though, is the emoticon ':3'. The face of the figure is completely blank and there is text on either side of the figure. On the left, it says 'Who am I' and on the right is the question mark. The text here, like in 'Leashed', is distorted and scribbly. This is a unique execution of a common trope- the use of masks and blank faces to show the questioning of the self and the depersonalization that comes with it.
"Pig"
This piece sees two heads facing each other. On the left is the head of the black haired figure with their hair in a low ponytail and the dotted outline of an empty brain on their head. On the right is a wrinkly, angry pig head. The piece draws a comparison between myself and livestock, and is the only time in the series that I express struggles surrounding my weight as I don't struggle with it as much as I used to.
"Scalpel"
This piece sees an eye welling and overflowing with tears. You can see the outline of the nose as well as a shining scalpel, pointed directly at the eye. Many veins run along the outside of the eye. This piece is a direct reference to my thoughts and urges surrounding cutting out, gouging out, or otherwise removing my eyes in some gory fashion. While other manifestations such as the urge to remove my skin have deeper meanings to them- the skin being tainted or evil in some way- I do not feel anything towards my eyes. They do not represent anything, there is nothing I wish to have not seen, but still I get the urges.
"Label"
This piece sees the black haired figure looking off to the left, with their left hand adjusting a collar which holds a large, blank label. I fear this piece is a little on the nose, but it communicates the feeling of being unsure of what to call yourself, of never knowing exactly what you are. This feeling is a more recent development- I had been comfortable as a nonbinary individual for years of my life, and recently starting testosterone opened my eyes to what I really felt.
"Remove"
This piece sees the black haired figure leaning off to the right side of the page, while their right hand holds a lump of their flesh- their breast, as implied by the gaping wound on the right side of their chest. The piece feels out of place ion the series, as this is, I believe, the only time that the black haired figure haas full autonomy over themself. They make the bold move to alter their body for them and them alone.