Wally Franks
"I'm outta here!" |
Wally Franks is a previous Brooklyn resident, former janitor for Joey Drew Studios, and the apparent founder and owner of Franks Handyman Service. A man who is willing to go along with Joey Drew's strange practices as he writes the paychecks, Wally explain his views on how the studio runs and his day-to-day routine. Shown from the Ink Machine's blueprints and design sheet, Wally is the attendant and designer of said machine.[1]
History
Early life
In his younger years, Wally attends Brickmore High School.
Early days at the studio
While on his way to the archives to retrieve an article with Bertrum Piedmont in it, Joey Drew passes Wally in a hallway. The two briefly exchange a few words before Joey continues heading towards the archives. Joey praises Wally for being a self-starter and for his solid handywork, and says he has a great deal of respect for him.[2]
Meeting the old man
In Summer of 1946, when Buddy's grandfather suddenly enters the studio announced, Wally falsely sees him as a threat and pulls him by the elbow. Buddy steps in and assures Wally that he is not a threat, questioning if he thinks his grandfather would take over the studio. Wally simply shakes his head, replying "You never know..." with a shrug.
Talking with Thomas
He expresses his enjoyment of late nights at the studio while also acknowledging that strange things occur around. He also notes that the new renovations are causing his muscles to ache more frequently, but he isn't ready to retire yet. Wally overhears Thomas Connor yelling at others to be careful when moving something and Wally explains that he always overhears conversations, even when he's standing in the same room as them. Wally at first thinks he may be wrong about it being Thomas since he was recently fired, but he is proven to have suspected correctly when he bumps into Thomas as he turned the corner. Wally asks if Joey rehired him, to which Thomas responds that they didn't have a choice, which Wally doesn't understand but nods anyway. He then asks if he's moving the machine, and Thomas repeatedly says yes to end the conversation. Wally lets him go and goes on to talk about Joey Drew Studio's attempts to save money, listing off the things he's seen. He then claims he's seen everything, including what dragged the ink so far down the halls and on the walls. He wraps up by taking the trash out of a small tidy office and making sure to turn the lights off.[3]
Legacy
Wally retired as a Joey Drew Studio crew following the studio's closure as he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his family and opened up his own company Franks Handyman Service.
Personality
Wally is a self-starter, never knowing when and where he would find the man around the studio fixing things.[2]
Though Wally has never been seen in person, he comes across as an "average Joe", a regular working man whose only real concern at the studio is getting his work done. After the introduction of the Ink Machine, he appeared suspicious of the workshop but never bothered to looker deeper than his job required. Judging by him losing his keys in the Music Department and a conversation with Thomas Connor on working on the ink pressure, he is somewhat absent-minded. He also seemed to have felt somewhat annoyed about some situations within the company, such as the Ink Machine's abundance of leaks and why most of the staff appeared to be angry when they were making cartoons at the studio. In terms of social behavior, he is noted to be friendly and easy to get along with, with his note (from Joey Drew's apartment) also revealed that Wally is surprised that Joey remembers him since Wally was not especially memorable among his coworkers.
Documents
Audio logs
- Offering to the Dogs - Found in Chapter 1: Moving Pictures of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- Lost Keys - Found in Chapter 2: The Old Song of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- Crack a Smile - Found in Chapter 3: Rise and Fall of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- The Creators - Found in Chapter 3: Rise and Fall of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- Warehouse Games - Found in Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- Cake - Found in Chapter 5: The Last Reel of Bendy and the Ink Machine.
- College Boys - Found in Boris and the Dark Survival.
- Connor's Laboratory - Found in Boris and the Dark Survival.
Memos
- Locker Code - Found in Chapter 2: The Demon's Domain of Bendy and the Dark Revival.
Behind the scenes
Wally Franks first appeared in Bendy and the Ink Machine, although his voice was only heard in audio logs found in all five chapters. His voice later returns in two audio logs in Boris and the Dark Survival, and his memo appears in Bendy and the Dark Revival while his "Offering to the Dogs" audio log reappears. He is voiced by the series' creator theMeatly.
Development
In the prototype demo for the first Bendy and the Ink Machine chapter, while his audio log was on the shelf instead of the table (until Chapter 4), Wally's recording had no transcript to go along with it, meaning that his name was initially unknown until it was added in from the first remastered update. From the prototype and the chapter's first remastered update, Wally was also the only radio speaker of the whole chapter until Thomas Connor's audio log was added in the second remastered update.
In Bendy and the Dark Revival, it was stated that the reason why Wally or Norman Polk did not have as many audio in the game was because there were just too many other characters and not enough material to add to their stories.[4]
Dialogue
- Main article: Wally Franks/dialogue
- "I think he's lost his mind, but, hey, he writes the checks. But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm outta here."
- "I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm outta here."
- "I'm tellin' ya. If these people don't start crackin' a smile every now and then, I'm outta here."
- "I tell ya! If these guys don't start realizing who the real genius is, I'm outta here."
- "Hopefully no one finds out what I done. Cause if they did, I can tell ya what would happen. I'm outta here."
In other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | 沃利·弗兰克斯 Wò lì·fúlánkè sī |
| Japanese | ウォーリー・フランクス U~ōrī furankusu |
| Russian | Уолли Фрэнкс Uolli Frenks |
References
- ↑ Bendy and the Ink Machine. Developed and published by Joey Drew Studios Inc on February 10, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Illusion of Living novel. Part V: Living in the Now. Written by Adrienne Kress and published by Scholastic on February 2, 2021.
- ↑ Bendy: The Lost Ones. Prologue. Written by Adrienne Kress and published by Scholastic on December 7, 2021.
- ↑ theMeatly (January 15, 2023). "There were too many characters to explore in a meaningful way. :) If there’s nothing more to add to a character’s story at the time, it’s best to not include them or else you run the risk of watering them down. :) It was important to use the time in the game to define others. 👍". Twitter.