We're leaving together. For real this time.

A Jesslake sideblog! Mostly gushing, possible chance of ficlets. hc pronouns for Lake are she/they and I will interchange accordingly.

[johannesviii]

happy month of queer joy that no amount of hate will ever be able to repress forever

[a-kai202]

🪞

[elibethqueen]

Holy peak LAKE ART AHHHHH

[paperkoifish]

Sticker sheet will be up on my shop for PO next week

[rusted-fairy-wings]

Infinity Train Book 1 is so funny because Tulip spends almost the entire season hanging out with little guys.

Like most of the characters she’s on screen with are relatively small denizens. She’s very rarely shown with other humans. So I feel like you just really don’t think much about her height.

Then you watch Book 2, and you come to realize and appreciate that Tulip and Lake are so short. Like???

Like I get that Grace and Simon are several years older than them but also???? THEYRE SO SMALL??? even Jesse is noticeably taller than Lake???

anyways TLDR Lake is short, so is Tulip, and I think that’s silly and whimsical

[rusted-fairy-wings]

i am once again sickened by the knowledge that Jesse and Lake broke the laws of the train and sent One-One into a crisis just because of how much they love and care about each other and their relationship nobody talk to me!!!

[undead-blei]

🤭

[rusted-fairy-wings]

Okay, there's something I have to talk about with this scene.

My absolute favorite part about Lake's "I guess I changed too" line is how much it rejects what One-One, Mace, and the train itself keep asserting.

Everyone is telling Lake that because they are a denizen, they're meant to help passengers. It's part of how Mace mocks them before his death and part of how he tries to get into Lake's head. And it's not just Mace. It's also asserted by One-One and his insistence that Lake is exactly where they belong by being on the train, that they're so good at helping because they did help Jesse grow. Hell, if you think about it, they also helped Tulip both literally because Tulip and Lake had to swap to open the door and also emotionally because Tulip seemed to really take Lake calling her flaws out to heart. All this to say, it's been repeatedly drilled in by those surrounding Lake that not only is their purpose to help passengers but also that they're good at it. The problem here is clearly not Lake being bad at this.

Yet I feel like this one tiny line flips the script entirely. Yes, Lake did help Jesse grow. Yes, Lake did help Jesse change for the better. But this one line acknowledges that this was mutual. Lake also grew. Lake also changed for the better. Just as much as Lake helped Jesse, Jesse helped Lake. Jesse helped Lake let people in, helped them on their identity journey, showed them real human connection—the list of how much Jesse helped Lake goes on. This one line blurs the line between passenger and denizen. It rejects the very notion that denizens only exist to help passengers grow; shows that this growth can go both ways. It rejects the idea that denizens helping passengers is a defining different between the two and shows how Lake doesn't fit neatly into either category. This clip acknowledges Lake's personhood, that they're a person capable of change, a person who exists beyond helping others.

To me it just really shows the importance of Jesse and Lake to each other and the mutual nature of their dynamic. They both equally helped each other. It shows Lake acknowledging and realizing that they change just like Jesse or any other passenger does. It shows that they're worthy of growth and so much more than an accessory, a reflection designated to support others. They're a person worthy and capable of their own growth and journeys, not just facilitating other people's. Lake does help people, particularly Jesse. But Jesse helps them just as much. Lake's journey and growth is just as real and valid as Jesse's. And this line, to me, really makes that clear.

[rosecolorednerd]

Infinity Train is so underrated. My favorite season was definitely the one with Lake and Jesse. It’s such a beautiful series with interesting characters and very meaningful messages. I’d definitely recommend watching the series if you get the chance

[wentyss]

..It's been a long time since I've been gone, huh?

I've been disappearing for a pretty, uh, stupid reason, but now I hope to fix it. well, I hope so, because I'm kinda in the artblock now and can't draw often.

whatever, I'm very excited about the fact that the 4th book is coming out! that why here the cuties Jesse and Lake

It's something like redraw, so I attach last year's version

[fantazychai]

A warm up doodle from a couple weeks ago! I just think they’re neat... please.... give us more seasons

[apatheticallyromantic]

For some reason I always thought they’d be super shy with each other

[chiki-teddy]

Smol comic of my ship.

So I’m actually making comics again yayyyy!

[romatastyonion]

I'm cookin

[rusted-fairy-wings]

I will ALWAYS love that Infinity Train chose to make Lake a huge crier. I feel like sometimes creators are afraid to have the "tough" characters like that cry, but Lake's arguably one of the biggest criers in the entire show. There’s times they cry when they’re sad, angry, happy, distraught.

It's just very refreshing to see a character that can be viewed as the sort of badass archetype simultaneously be highly emotional.

[just-blei]

Actually, can I add more to this?

Not only Lake is a crier, Jesse NEVER cried, the closest is just a single tear and that just happens in ONE EPISODE. You could expect him to cry at least once for being a sunshine kind of character.

If you think about it, is very possible that his friends made fun of him for crying or something similar because something something toxic masculinity. They even made fun of Nate for crying...

Can we also mention that Jesse never saw Lake cry? Imagine the day he does...

[rusted-fairy-wings]

I will ALWAYS love that Infinity Train chose to make Lake a huge crier. I feel like sometimes creators are afraid to have the "tough" characters like that cry, but Lake's arguably one of the biggest criers in the entire show. There’s times they cry when they’re sad, angry, happy, distraught.

It's just very refreshing to see a character that can be viewed as the sort of badass archetype simultaneously be highly emotional.

[rusted-fairy-wings]

No because the implications of the train coming to Jesse for a SECOND time over him losing Lake are insane. I’m still not over it years later

Like he was in so much pain over losing them that the train LITERALLY TOOK HIM BACK FOR ROUND 2

Not only that, but it’s even deeper than that in terms of showing how much Jesse loves Lake. Because not only did the train return to him, Jesse made the active choice to board again. This time he knew exactly what that train was and the danger and the kinds of things that happen there. And he still actively chose to get back on because the danger doesn’t matter. What matters is getting back to Lake. That alone says so much about both Jesse as a person and the importance of his relationship with Lake.

It’s just insane to me how much the time Jesse is away from Lake in the book 2 finale conveys exactly how much Lake means to him and vice versa. (Like we literally see all Lake’s actions, cannot be overstated how much they care). It’s actually insane how much these 2 love each other. Dare I even say soulmates.

[randomstars-art]

Lake and Jesse!