CRIME EXPRESS:
the masterpage
Last updated: 8/18/2024Welcome to the almost-exhaustive informational page about my original fiction, Crime Express, a pseudo-murder mystery about cartoons and humans trapped on a train! If you’re new to this story, I recommend reading these following subpages in order.
The story called Crime Express is my original fiction story and passion project for the past four years.I first drafted a few characters with rudimentary designs and backstories in late 2019. However, I started fleshing the cast out, storyboarding scenes, and building the setting mid-2020. I wrote the first six chapters from summer of 2021 to late 2022, but as I aged, the story and the characters did with me. I eventually abandoned this first draft, while still drawing and writing about the cast.When 2023 began, I decided to revamp Crime Express. By now, I’ve written characters in full detail, drafted entire scenes, expanded the setting, and even started designing a novel cover! This story, whether I finish it or not, means an incredible amount to me, and I hope to share it with the world someday!But, until then, you can learn about Crime Express here and on my Toyhou.se. Happy reading!
Crime Express takes place in an alternate 1930’s, where humans live in symbiosis with a species called cartoons. Better known as “toons”, they bear a resemblance to rubberhose/Golden Age cartoons.In ancient times, during what is called the Grand War, toons had the full ability to shape-shift, acting like the cartoons you see from the real life Great Depression. However, as toons and humans intermingled and the war came to an end, toons’ ability to shape-shift declined.In present time, most toons can partially shape-shift. Full shapeshifters, as they are called in slang, can shape-shift into toons and humans alike. Unfortunately, many laws and individual humans hold prejudice against toons, especially those that are full shapeshifters. This prejudice is called animatism.Toons and humans primarily live together on a continent called Great Ruhose. The continent consists of seven city states. The largest city state, called Show-Stoppolis, is the cosmopolitan hub of the northeastern Ruhosian coast. The six other city states, in no specific order, are called Moontune Bay, the Valley of Typhoons, Dust Gulch, the Powdered Crowns, Razzle-Dazzle Hills, and the Grasslands.A leisure, sightseers’ train called the Luxury Express runs a seven-day service through Great Ruhose. Each day is dedicated to taking a railroad through each city states. However, the Luxury Express was decommissioned for four years… until now.
Detective Ruth Dextrose
Full Name: Ruth Daisy Dextrose-Meteoroid
Birthday: October 29th, 1913
Species: Partial shapeshifter toon?
Pronouns: She/he/they
Ethnicity: Botswana-Mexican
Voice: Dr. Jan (Amphibia)
Inspiration: Detective archetypes, Gabe Leonard art
♬ Ice Cream Headache
Ruth Dextrose is the eccentric, Technicolor protagonist of Crime Express. Don’t let her sweet tooth and particolored Harlem suit fool you; this toon’s hard-boiled, and won’t— can’t— quit until he’s hammered justice. Ruth is a prodigious (and unusually young) detective, due to entering a continental program to hire young toons as a teenager. However, that isn’t the only thing they’re known for. Four years prior to now, she had the limelight in a violent attack dubbed the Luxury Incident, leading to him hunting the fugitive behind it their entire career. Rumors fly, and some say Ruth was in cahoots with the fugitive before the incident… is she hiding a startling past?When Ruth isn’t cracking grifters and suffering of nightmares of the Luxury Incident, she’s quite friendly. He has a knack for making acquaintances in low places, especially in tight pickles. While they may seem standoffish or blunt, she’s actually shy and softhearted.Fun fact: Ruth has vitiligo! She hates publicity, especially after the Luxury Incident, so he shape-shifts over it to not draw attention. (The white freckles you see are not vitiligo. They are a feature from the Powdered Crowns called snowflake freckles.)
The Azzurre Shapeshifter
Full Name: Blu Emilio Portobello-Sanchez
Birthday: November 13th, 1913
Species: Full shapeshifter toon
Pronouns: They/them
Ethnicity: Mexican-Italian
Voice: Cuphead (Tru Valentino portrayal)
Inspiration: Mickey Mouse, the Fleischer cartoons, the rise of gunslinger/sharpshooter archetypes in film
♬ Shy Guys Finish Last
The Azzurre Shapeshifter is the trigger-happy antagonist of Crime Express. With the exception of Detective Ruth Dextrose, no one in Great Ruhose is sure who they actually are. The real truth about them is that they’re Ruth’s twin, named Blu Portobello— who faked their disappearance after committing the Luxury Incident! Before that, they were a genetic biology student with dreams of changing things for toons, but something went sour in the process. Until Crime Express, they hung their familial ties above Ruth’s head, effectively guilting the detective into not revealing their identity to Great Ruhose. Now, it seems they’ve crossed the line, plotting a dark fate for their twin…It’s hard to say anyone has gotten to know Blu, being they flee every crime scene and fly under the radar. Regardless, they are impulsive, frighteningly intelligent, and apparently snarky.Fun fact: Originally, the first draft of Blu used gender-neutral pronouns to elicit intrigue about their identity. However, it stuck, and now Blu uses they/them in any context! This is also based off how many transgender people faked disappearances or deaths to avoid persecution during the actual Great Depression.
Tulip Delacroix
Full Name: Tulip Loïc Ambroise de Valentino Delacroix
Birthday: April 2nd, 1910
Species: Partial shapeshifter toon
Pronouns: They/any
Ethnicity: French, fraction Mexican
Voice: Rarity (My Little Pony)
Inspiration: Irene Bullock (My Man Godfrey), 1930’s pin-ups and advertisements
♬ Starlight Serenade
Tulip Delacroix is the dandyish, darling deuteragonist of Crime Express. Great Ruhose knows Tulip for many reasons, but the grandest is their status as the youngest child of the Delacroix family, the mayor family in charge of Show-Stoppolis. They are a fashionable socialite, an avid entomologist, and, briefly, even a popular toon model. However, Tulip is widely controversial for a hiring decision many Ruhosians deem strange or ribald. In 1927, they inexplicably hired a human bodyguard and caretaker named Mason. In the decade they have been each other’s closest friend, rumors have spread about interspecies, faceted intentions, and even that Mason is Tulip’s personal hatchetman! Of course, none of that holds stock… right?Tulip’s personality can be best described as topsy-turvy. Unless you’re adoring Mason, their hotheadedness contrasting their glamour can be a bit of a handful.Fun fact: Tulip has achondroplastic dwarfism! They are known for having unique fashion, as their clothes are specially tailored for them. Tulip also being autistic factors into having a dynamic wardrobe, as they quickly get uncomfortable with stagnant clothing.
Mason Margarine
Full Name: Mason Grant Margarine
Birthday: March 18th, 1909
Species: Human
Pronouns: He/him
Ethnicity: French-German
Voice: Warren (Ordinary Days)
Inspiration: Godfrey (My Man Godfrey), vintage leap year engagement art
♬ Evening Decision
Mason Margarine is the sheepish deuteragonist of Crime Express. With the status as the youngest Delacroix’s bodyguard (and lesser known caretaker), Mason is known across Great Ruhose— much to his chagrin! Unlike his toon principal, he is camera-shy, soft-spoken, and incredibly anxious. In spite of their 1’7” height difference, you can find him hiding behind Tulip so they soak up the publicity he combatively discards. Only those Mason consider friends know anything about him; to the average Ruhosian, he is the enigmatic shadow of Tulip who caters to every whim of theirs. In fact, word goes around that one of those whims is romance… but everyone baselessly theorizes about mysterious Mason.Outside of Mason stressing on the regular or shirking away from the limelight, he is commendably gentle and unconditionally loving. He’s aware he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, so he compensates for it with emotional intelligence.Fun fact: Mason loves to cook! He inherited his skills throughout childhood from his late mother, who taught him from the long line of chef Margarines. His skills work great for Tulip, who has several aversions surrounding food.
The full cast of Crime Express isn’t pictured here, only to make space. However, every character is still relevant to the mystery of the story! Some important characters are:Polla Vitula (she/they), a skilled toon violinist who was present during the Luxury Incident and, by extension, knows Ruth.Prince Julius Cuccumb (he/him), a smarmy human from the neighboring Brazilitain Isles claiming to be a prince without solid evidence.Contessa Mitochona (she/her), a particularly screwy human scientist traveling from Dust Gulch to get her inventive patents approved.Wishy Spectrulacure (she/her), a reserved human fortune teller who seems to know something secret about everyone.Ki Kahmel-Hwang (they/she), a bubbly human cultural anthropologist traveling the continent to do research on toon-human culture.Roosevelt Ticket (he/him), a peculiar human clockmaker present to get his wares off his shelves.…and more!
Over the years, I have gotten plenty of questions about Crime Express. These are the most common questions I get, answered here! (Note: questions sharing the same answer have been lumped into one.)Q: Does Crime Express take place during WW2/the Great Depression/etc?
Surprisingly, no! The Tooniverse, as I call it, has a different history from real life. Crime Express may be a thriller with dark topics, but it’s also a celebration of art and animation of the early 20th century more than a serious, accurate look at actual history.Q: How are Ruth and Blu twins if their birthdays are that far apart/they’re different races/etc?
Toons have the ability to permanently hormonally bond with other toons/humans; basically, scientifically accurate soulmates. This is called counterparting/being counterparts. Where Ruth and Blu are from, the Emerald Corral in Dust Gulch, an unexplained phenomenon called twin syndrome caused their sibling-based counterparting to make them twins. They still have different biological parents, but they now share genetics and call themselves the Shifter Twins. (Extra fact: both of them are transgender, so when they socially transitioned, they just changed their legal names to sound similar!)Q: How come there are openly transgender characters/characters of color/etc that are respected in a 1930’s setting?
My funnier answer is that this is a historically inaccurate fiction story about living cartoons. More seriously, I do reinstate that Crime Express is a celebration of art. The turn of the century marked a time where a lot of people like black, queer, and female artists were able to create art that was celebrated. While there is still real world discrimination like transphobia, ableism, and racism in the forefront of Crime Express, I wanted to evocate the impact of Great Depression art in a celebratory way.Q: What is Blu’s gender/why do they have long hair/is Blu non-binary?
Blu has strong hair genes (both their parents had/have long hair), as well as it being fairly common in the Emerald Corral to wear a long hairstyle. As historically inaccurate as Crime Express is, I avoid putting anachronistic slang or phrases into it, so Blu is gendered (Ruhosian slang of the time that’s synonymous with non-binary or genderqueer).Q: Is Crime Express based off Who Framed Roger Rabbit/ Cuphead/Bendy and the Ink Machine?
Crime Express isn’t based off Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The similarities between the two are entirely accidental, however close in story they may be! (I first watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit in January of 2023, for reference.) The second part is a bit trickier to answer. My first extensive look at the Cuphead franchise was when the show came out in 2022. While Ruth and Blu’s dynamic is now heavily based off Cuphead and Mugman’s dynamic in the show, Crime Express originally drew inspiration from the soundtrack and world-building rather than the art style. I’m a huge fan now! And, yes, Crime Express is definitely based on Bendy and the Ink Machine.Q: What inspired Crime Express/ what is it based on?
My first inspiration back in 2019 was the Incredibles franchise! Other pivotal inspirations throughout the years have been the Bendy and the Ink Machine franchise, Cats Don’t Dance, the Cuphead franchise, Skullgirls, various black and white films, and miscellaneous media that gave me ideas.
It’s a Man-Turned-Toon World!
It is May of 1933. Two twin toons named Ruth Dextrose and Blu Portobello scrape together the tickets to visit the sumptuous Luxury Express. At nineteen, Ruth is one the youngest members to have joined the Inferno Brigade, a program across Great Ruhose to hire toons after a widespread discharge of human detectives, police enforcement, and teachers for animatism. Blu, of the same age, has just completed their first year at university, studying to become a geneticist. This auspicious trip on the Luxury Express, meant to celebrate their success in their careers, ends in horrid, impossible disaster. Blu wreaks havoc on the train, physically assaulting several animatist humans and shooting them with a pistol. However, the lead they pump is no ordinary ammo, but bullets containing a portion of chemicals and serums that, when activated, will “cure” humans into toons! After they trip a memory-disorienting drug inside the cabins, Ruth chases Blu atop the Luxury Express; there, they attempt to kill her before fleeing into the night, faking their vanishing.
It is now August of 1937. The Luxury Express holds a grand reopening after four years of decommissioning. Since what is now dubbed the Luxury Incident, the responsible toon, using the pseudonym of the Azzurre Shapeshifter, has struck several humans across Great Ruhose. Twenty-three year old Ruth Dextrose, a fully-fledged detective, is traumatized by the Luxury Incident, and refuses to work with anyone but herself in his search for the fugitive. That is, until Ruth is personally invited to the reopening tour of the Luxury Express. There, overseeing security and befriending each guest, they meet a colorful cast of nine other passengers. Things are running like eggs in coffee, and with the disappearance of Blu from her sights, Ruth thinks this trip will go swell for him…
Until one of the human passengers is found cured!
But something doesn’t feel right…The passenger wasn’t an animatist, and the Azzurre Shapeshifter is nowhere to be seen on the train, so our clever detective deduces that one of the people aboard the train has to be them in disguise. Regardless of the stock this theory holds, the conductor of the train bars any of the guests from leaving the ‘Express until they catch and apprehend the threat. Ruth, enlisted with ensuring the safety of everyone aboard the train, must put her inhibitions aside and uncover Blu’s identity before every human on the train falls victim to the Azzurre Shapeshifter!