#INFINITY TRAIN MENTIONED!!!!

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

since it's pride month, i want to highlight my favorite underrated/underappreciated queer characters and ships! (part 1/???)

(feel free to add more!)

Lake - Infinity Train (non-canon)

it's not canon but you cannot tell me that Lake isn't an allegory for trans/nb people. her arc is so beautiful and her character resonates with me so much!

i have to admit, i actually kinda hated her in the beginning because of how aggressive and rude she was, but she actually gets good character development and you can also understand why she was the way she was, being a good representation of a minority who is constantly suffering because of the social norms she’s forced into. also i don’t ship her with jesse but i do like the idea of them in a qpr or just being platonic besties.

(i use she/her pronouns for Lake because that's what they use in the series, but also because not all non-binary people use they/them, and it's kinda weird to see people insist on using they/them for Lake just because she's nb-coded. she has never shown an aversion to bring referred to with she/her pronouns.)

Le Chevre x El Topo - Carmen Sandiego (canon)

they are side characters who don't play a huge role in the narrative but they are a really cute couple and have been confirmed to be canon! even without the confirmation, it’s clear that they were written to be a romantic couple.

mild spoiler: after the series ends, they stop being antagonists and instead put up a food truck together! it’s the cutest thing, i swear

Ryan x Min-gi - Infinity Train (non-canon)

my OTP through and through! i say non-canon but the romance is so heavily implied, you cannot ignore it.

they're a good example of childhood friends who had a complicated relationship where both individuals did something wrong, but in the end, they grow as people and manage to mend their relationship together.

Moomin x Snufkin - Moominvalley (canon)

i have only read one of the books and watched a few clips of these two characters but from that alone, it's clear that they were written as lovers (and the author is queer too!)

they are a beautiful portrayal of long-distance relationship where both individuals have different needs in life, but still want to be with each other regardless.

Terrestrius / Terry - The Dragon Prince (canon)

Terry is canonically transmasc and they actually manage to explain this in the series, without making it sound too forced or expository. he's such a sweetheart too, and his relationship with Claudia is actually really sweet, despite the fact that she's one of the villains.

Carmen x Julia - Carmen Sandiego (non-canon)

again, i say non-canon but it is heavily implied that they have feelings for each other, especially in the extra interactive episode, where Carmen leaves a bouquet of red roses for Julia, and Julia is shown to blush when receiving them.

Amaya x Janai - The Dragon Prince (canon)

what’s that? it’s actually possible to write an enemies to lovers romance that is healthy and not extremely abusive?

Amaya and Janai have such a good relationship in S5 (and Amaya is also a great disabled representation!) Janai actually learns sign language to communicate with Amaya, and there are no unnecessary miscommunication plots or drama, they’re just a really loving wlw couple.

Benson x Troy - Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (canon)

when i say we need more mlm ships in animated media!! i’m so glad us sapphics are getting a lot of representation but it’s time cartoons started including more queer men.

benson and troy are just a really sweet couple with a good relationship that doesn’t have a ton of pining or unnecessary angst. while i love complex and tragic queer relationships, i also think that it’s good to show teenagers just being teenagers sometimes.

this opinion seems to be scarce in the queer community, which really annoys me tbh.

Raine x Eda - The Owl House (canon)

i cannot believe that given the popularity of TOH, Raeda is still such an overlooked ship. this might be an unpopular opinion but Raeda is better written and has more chemistry than Lumity and Huntlow.

just within the span of Raine's introductory episode, they managed to establish a clearly romantic past between these two characters, and also an interesting dynamic. and even though they didn't have much screentime, they still turned out to be the best ship in the series. (again, just my opinion, don't come at me)

i think it's so important to show older queer people in media, just as it is important to show younger queer characters. it helps establish the fact that queerness has always existed and isn't some newfound trend that social media invented. not to mention, raeda is one of the very few canon ships that include a non-binary character.

[thethiefandtheairbender]

I think it's really hard to go back to a lot of fanon or even canon ships in fandom spaces in a lot of ways after watching Infinity Train and how it handles relationship conflict, tbh.

The first is that they let characters have real issues with each other — actually unhealthy / toxic individual traits and subsequently unhealthy patterns with each other — even when those characters don't know anything is wrong! They think they're fine, fun, healthy, as a dynamic and as a person, the way most people do. And we see either the characters grow and change to have healthier relationships (Ryan and Min-Gi, Lake and Jesse) or spiral into worse versions of themselves until the point the relationship deteriorates (Grace and Simon).

The second thing is that in letting the characters be wrong, the show lets both characters, every time, be wrong. And how these characters are wrong are rarely on purpose! Grace doesn't mean to be controlling, Simon doesn't mean to be so dependent on her. He feels ultra betrayed when she finds out he lied (because she thought he'd murder a child if she didn't, and honestly she was 100% right) and her wanting to protect said child also doesn't automatically make how Grace handled Simon's responses 1) perfect, 2) well communicated, or 3) make her automatically a 'Good' person.

It would be so easy for Infinity Train to just go "one half has all the problems, the other just has to help them through it". That's what a lot of shippers and shipping can boil down to.

And that exact mindset is what's 'setup' multiple times as Lake thinks all she has to do is help Jesse as a passenger, not realizing that her being domineering and Jesse listening to her pretty constantly at first is because of her own issues with identity and agency and is precisely what got him onto the Train in the first place. Or with Ryan and Min-Gi, where the second Min-Gi thinks it's just Ryan's impatience and impulsivity and that he's better / 'more mature' that their progress entirely halts. Grace tries to reason with Simon repeatedly, but he's such a die hard believer in the cult they mutually formed that he refuses to listen to anything else, and lashes out when she stops acting the way he believes she should (ie. ways that keep her tied to him and their dynamic).

Because it takes two people for communication to live and die, it takes two people for patterns to form.

I feel like Infinity Train really opens up into why certain character relationships where a show tries to paint both of them as being in the wrong (*coughs* C*tradora) despite it very much being 99% all on one person's issues can feel so uneven, lacklustre, or underdeveloped bc they just weren't willing to lean in and commit to a Both Sides relationship arc, or the urge to have characters and their relationships be deeply sanitized to the point where the only conflict they have is because of external conflicts and issues that are 'wrapped up' in 1-2 episodes at all times.

Infinity Train goes "no one is meaning to be malicious most of the time, people are just messy and even someone you love deeply or have known all your life can be people you fall into unhealthy patterns with, and it's on both of you to work to get to a better place" and it's like yeah, because that's how real life works 90% of the time. It's refreshing to say the least

[punkcherries]

why was i today years old when i found out cn tried to stop jesse infinity train from being indigenous....... dawg

[intricate-ritualz]

very funny to me how ryan and min’s music Sucks. like suuuure baby girls you’ll make it to new york and become famous musicians ..😅 uh huh follow ur dreams

[rhys-ravenfeather]

Compiling a list of characters whose arcs went disappointingly unresolved thanks to their shows getting cancelled:

Feel free to add your own.

[feypact]

COBRA 🐍 GRACE MONROE

inspired by @tiktaalic's post | watch on youtube

[lake-cosay]

was talking about cartoons/the animation industry with my friends in drawing class and i was vagueing about infinity train and said it was my favorite and one friend goes "wait let me guess... infinity train?" and i nearly choked on my drink and like. put my head in my hands all embarrased and another friend goes "thats a yes"

[hecksupremechips]

My hot infinity train take is that the only character who actually likes ccj and knows them is Tulip, because she’s one of those nerdy teens who prides themselves on knowing niche rock music instead of trashy pop. Lake is therefore cursed with knowledge of ccj and has a big grudge against them because they do not like dad music and they do everything in their power to never hear a ccj song ever again

[oakwolves]

Human Alan Dracula Notes

*most of this is related to Train Chasers

* Non-verbal, uses an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device as needed

* Opts to draw or write if his device is unavailable

* He likes to draw and write his own stories and plays

* Black Jamaican born n raised in Oklahoma

* He’s a fall baby (September 25)

* Cross country varsity at his high school as a freshman

* Slightly older teenager when he boarded the train, same as Kez

* He’d be in his early 20s by the time Train Chasers starts

* Innovative, created a high tech utility belt for himself on the train

* receptive multilingualist (understands and can write Spanish pretty well, understands German)

* autistic + adhd double whammy

* I honestly don’t have any specific gender or sexuality headcanons for him it’s just whatever I’m vibing with at the moment. Sometimes he’s a trans guy sometimes he’s gender-fluid sometimes he’s sapphic idek

* If you used any pronouns for him I’d probably nod along and agree with you

* huge appetite, not particularly picky about what he eats so long as it’s edible

* Huge external family, only lives with his older brother and grandfather

* Extremely strained relationship with both

* Alan Dracula isn’t his real name but when he was initially asked about it on the train the name came up out of nowhere and he stuck with it ever since.

* Huge drag show enthusiast

* Likes being outside on his own

* However he genuinely enjoys Kez’s company and could listen to her ramble for hours if it’s just the two of them

* He calls Kez “Bell” because of her earrings

* He absolutely caught feelings first, he’s just a lot less obvious about it than Kez

[imsosocold]

Character: *Is a morally reprehensible person who goes against everything I stand for and in every conceivable sense gets under my skin.*

Me: Lmao bottom.

[homunculusalphonse]

every time i bake brownies nowadays, in my head ryan and min-gi remind me that it's not supposed to be dry inside. thanks, simple brownie men

[giantkillerjack]

I would like to state for the record that I am not going to watch Snowpiercer. And you can't make me.

[crimeronan]

me, watching s3 e4 of infinity train: i like that the designers made hazel look like the lovechild of simon and grace. she looks so much like both of them

rafi: oh GOD. YOU'RE RIGHT. THEY DID.

me: the writers said "here. this would be your baby if you had a baby together. also you two would be the most godawful parents who ever lived. have fun"

rafi: DDDD: ❗️❗️❗️

[inksandpensblog]

Crane gives off the vibes of some poor jazz-era newsboy or some Victorian street urchin who would offer to shine your shoes for a penny. Until you start talking to him and then you find out he watches a lot of true crime.

[weedle-testaburger]

sometimes i'll hear someone i know watched a thing i like and be very surprised they have because they're not completely mad about it like i am

[fuckinvaderarcs]

As a former mod I want to strangle the shit out of the very concept of IA lol I can’t even watch normal Invader Zim without feeling weird and Bad

honest to god every time i look at that show im haunted by the horrors dib mun brought