#nonbinary lake

Fandom: Infinity Train

Sample Size: 1,362 stories

Lake’s story in infinity train is clearly signifying their journey as a trans person and coming into their own identity, and it resonated in a way with me (a non-binary person) that I’ve never seen in mainstream media. Their entire arc is about them discovering their own identity, not knowing how to find a name or who they wanted to be and trying to convince this entire system built around them, one built to constrict them that they are real and alive- it is absolutely no coincidence that this season heavily references the Matrix, a sci fi piece of media about reality, identity, and transness made by two trans women.

There’s a reason the names: “Chrome girl, mirror girl, mirror tulip, sliver” are leveled against Lake, against their will, and Constantly reference either Lake’s perceived gender or their perceived “aberration”

kinda like the suits in the matrix using neo’s “professional”, non hacker name “mister anderson” against him.

Tulip is obviously her own person with her own identity outside of this season, but in Lake’s journey, tulip is the girl she was Supposed to be, the entire amalgamation of who everyone expected Lake to be and essentially a personification of their “birth” identity and deadname.

The problem isn’t Lake! it is the entire system built around what It’s idea of a “person” is, designed specifically to exclude denizens like Lake because they were never considered in the creation of the system!!

To reference the good place- Lake is the janet of infinity train, an entity designed to “help people along their journey” in this world outside of their own attrition, and ends up growing into their own identity! “I’m not a girl I’m not a robot. i’m not just a janet anymore! i don’t know what i am!”

I’m finally choosing their name, Lake takes the body of water that’s used to reflect themself, that the flecs have used for their whole individual LIFE to hunt them down and try to kill them, and reclaims that which was once used to hurt them and defining themself by overcoming it! the use of a reflective surface as a piece of their identity that they are reclaiming!!

Lake spends their whole existence in the season defining themself by the things they are not: not mirror tulip, not chrome girl, not a sliver, not just a reflection- and in the 8th episode we finally see them able to define themself with what they Are, leading to the emotional climax of “I am a real person! I deserve a number too!” a cry that directly mirrors the conflicts of so many trans people, who are wanting to be seen as a person, not wanting to be defined by what they aren’t and who they can never be (as lake’s “prime”, tulip, is for them)