Thomas Connor

See Tom (disambiguation) for other related uses.

Thomas J. Connor
Thomas' first comic appearance in Dreams Come to Life.
Incarnation Navigation
Biographical Information
Date of birth	1910's (possibly)
Age	Unknown (adult)
Sex	Male
Race	Human Anthropomorphic cartoon wolf (Ink counterpart)
Nationality	American
Career	Repairman Gent representative
Affiliation	United States Armed Forces (formerly) Gent (formerly) Joey Drew Studios (formerly)
Relatives	Frederick Pendle (father-in-law) Mrs. Pendle (mother-in-law) Allison Connor (wife)
Misc. Information
Aliases	T.C. Tom* Tommy*
Debut in	Bendy and the Ink Machine (Chapter 1: Moving Pictures) (audio log)
Voice provider	Mike Mood

"I keep telling these people, if Mister Joey Drew keeps cutting corners like this, someone's sure to end up falling to their death. And it sure ain't gonna be me. I'm taking the stairs." — Thomas Connor's second audio log, Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 3

Thomas J. Connor is a gruff-voiced repairman, World War II veteran, manager of the Gent location in Atlantic City, and the husband of Allison Pendle. A worker tasked with making sure the endless piping of the Ink Machine stays in top form, he becomes frustrated with how unstable the system is as time goes on. He also tries to dissuade other workers from entering the unstable areas.

General Description

Physical Appearance

Currently, Thomas himself has never appeared anywhere in the games physically. In the Dreams Come to Life novel, however, he is described as a tall and broad man.

Personality

A master at his craft, Thomas is a disgruntled, ill-tempered, no-nonsense repairman with trust issues. In his audio recordings, his tone suggests that he is fed up about struggling against the workings of the Ink Machine for quite a long time, eventually declaring that he refuses to do anything more about it. Despite his volatile disposition, he is shown to be a hard worker and a careful observer, as revealed in his report-of-sorts to the Gent Corporation's as-of-yet unseen flagship headquarters. In terms of social skills, he had hardly a kind word for anyone, except for his superiors at Gent and Allison Pendle. In the Dreams Come to Life novel, it is also revealed that despite his normally serious, ill-tempered demeanor, deep inside, he is despondent, brooding, and nervous, as depicted during his explanation to Daniel "Buddy" Lewek about the true purposes of the Ink Machine. He also seems to lack a sense of kindness to Wally Franks.

History

Early Life

Thomas Connor served in World War II, creating and fixing machinery. Eventually, he gets a job at the Gent Corporation, and becomes the manager of the headquarters in Atlantic City.

Working at the Studio

Contributing with the studio, Thomas faces some a lot of issues. First, he complains about the endless floods of ink contaminating the structure of Joey Drew Studios, remarking that the pipes simply can't hold the volume. He also thinks that the Ink Machine, and all the things that have happened because of it, just does not seem natural. He declares that he will no longer do any more repair work for Joey.

Thomas has his own interpretation of Wally Franks' work ethic, believing him to be a loose cannon, given that he did not agree to the Gent Corporation/Joey Drew Studios partnership, to begin with, he could be a potential liability to the Ink Machine project. Later on, Thomas tried to explain to Wally Franks what to do when the ink pressure reaches 45, seemingly impatient and frustrated about both the confusion and Wally's misunderstanding about what to do in relation to the ink pressure. In the end, Wally then aggravatingly declares if he has to do his own work as well as Thomas', he will leave.

Thomas aggravates that the studio's elevators are yet more devices that keep breaking down. He assumes that it is because Joey was ignoring the safety of using the elevator that someone will fall to their death if not changed. He remarks that he would not be that "someone" and will, therefore, take the stairs.

Office Report and Ink Bendy's Birth

Thomas makes a progress report to the Gent Home Office, stating that their client's expectations keep changing, despite making progress with the Ink Machine's ability to create realistic cartoon characters. He then states that the machine is now teetering on "the edge of magic" compared to proper engineering, though Joey is convinced that magic and engineering are one and the same. He then reports that progress with the film reels being used by the Ink Machine to create the characters is so far going well, and they had several near-successes. Thomas reveals that the first creation of the Ink Machine was, in fact, a failed attempt to create a real-life version of Bendy, and no one at Gent has ever attempted a second try.

Later on, Thomas was told by Joey to lock Ink Bendy up in order to prevent him from getting publicly seen, due to the creature's appearance and behavior.

Dreams Come to Life and Temporary Firing

In late July of 1946, Joey Drew cuts a tour of the studio with Daniel "Buddy" Lewek short when he discovers Thomas waiting for him outside his office. With him is a long narrow cardboard tube, which makes Joey extremely excited. Joey escorts Thomas into his office for an important meeting, leaving Buddy alone. Buddy doesn't encounter Thomas again until a few weeks later. While taking paper and ink from the music sheet closet in the Music Department, he hears voices approaching and hides. The voices belong to Sammy Lawrence and Thomas, and Buddy overhears an argument between them. Thomas has seen Sammy sneaking around his work station and the machine, and knew that he had asked one of his workers where the ink was kept just last Friday. Sammy tries to convince Thomas he doesn't want the ink, but only makes things worse by grabbing Thomas and calling him "Tom."

Weeks later, Sammy goes missing and the musicians are locked out of the Music Room. Three days later, Joey furiously yells at Thomas over the Ink Machine not working right and fires him. A week later, at Joey's company party, Thomas and Allison Pendle arrive to demand the Ink Machine back. Joey takes them into the hallway, with Buddy following. Joey belittles Thomas, blaming him for the issues with the Ink Machine, before telling him that he legally owns it and threatens to call security. Joey turns his attention to Allison and fires her for siding with Thomas, but she calmly brushes it off and convinces Thomas to leave.

Hoping to get more answers about the machine, Buddy catches Thomas and Allison before they get in the elevator to leave. He grabs Thomas by the shoulder, resulting in a rather violent reaction from the man, but Allison is able to get him to calm down a bit. Thomas reluctantly proceeds to explain what the machine was built for. Allison compares it to a printing press for people, much to Thomas's disapproval, and he tells her what he created was monstrous. He then explains the reasoning Joey fired him, and how unfair it is that he's taking the machine. Allison brings up Susie Campbell, making Thomas sigh, before quickly moving on to explaining how Joey owns everything they make at the studio. They leave, and as the elevator door closes Thomas warns Buddy to get out while he still can.

The Lost Ones

Shortly after the events of Dreams Come to Life, Thomas Connor is approached by Joey Drew, who offers him his job back in order to fix the machine. Despite everything that happened, Thomas agrees to, much to Allison's disappointment. As part of the deal, Thomas and a crew of movers pack away the Ink Machine to get it away from prying eyes and a "far too curious writer girl" in the studio. While moving it, he bumps into Wally Franks, who is shocked to see Thomas working again. Wally tries asking a few questions and having a small chat with Thomas, but he can tell he wants to leave so he lets him go.

Thomas gets seasick while transporting the machine, and he thinks about his favorite super hero, Superman. He loves heroes that save the day from evil, and begins to think about the machine. He's scared of it, but he can't abandon it. He compares it to a growing child, needing some fixing to make it perfect. They're so close, and he doesn't want to abandon "a miracle." The rest of the trip goes by just fine, with them arriving late at night with no one except Constance Gray noticing the boat.

With Scott’s help, they find an old meatpacking factory that operated during Prohibition with multiple secret entrances. The movers are having difficulty carrying the crate down some stairs, and when Thomas takes control he notes that the crate is now moaning, and instantly concludes that Ink Bendy has been shipped with the machine due to a special connection. As he carries it down, he thinks about how grateful he is that Scott has remained in Atlantic City while others have moved to bigger cities.

The next day, Scott takes Bill Chambers to a jazz bar called the Jive Dive to meet Thomas. Thomas reluctantly introduces himself and is confused to hear that Bill wants to work for free. They sit down and Scott asks Thomas about how well things went the previous night, expressing his disproval of Thomas going back to Joey. Scott makes a remark about dumping the machine in the ocean, and Thomas starts to speak about the dangers of ink and water mixing, but stops himself before turning to Bill and officially hiring him.

Thomas returns to New York for over two weeks before returning to Atlantic City. There, he comes across Bill locking up. Thomas asks about Scott, and Bill explains that he's home caring for his ill baby. Thomas is upset and Bill offers to help, but Thomas isn't sure if he can be trusted. Eventually he decides to let Bill help and leads him to the abandoned meatpacking factory and down a secret path that leads to the Ink Machine. Thomas has Bill go to the opposite end of the Ink Machine to control the internal pressures while he welded. As they work, Bill asks about the machine, but Thomas stays vague with his answers. Thomas instructs Bill to release the lever, but when he does he's sprayed in the face with ink. Thomas quickly hands Bill a rag and has him clean it off as fast as possible. They look at the Ink Machine as Thomas tells Bill that it created a monster and he begins speaking in third person to keep vague. Bill is confused, so Thomas tells him that Joey Drew had him make the machine, but it's still his fault bad things are happening. Before Bill can ask more, Thomas begins to leave and Bill follows.

The morning after his party with Joey, Bill waits at the hotel to spy on him and Thomas. When they start to leave, Bill jumps up to chase after, accidentally running right into Thomas. Thomas helps Bill up and has him tag along, potentially needing his help. Joey isn't sure at first, but Thomas explains that Bill knows about the machine already. They join Thomas in his truck and drive to a little corner bar called The Way Out. Bill is at first relieved, not wanting to return to the factory after watching Brant explode into ink, but it's revealed that they're using a second entrance. They walk across a dark room with a long conveyor belt when Bill is suddenly attacked by a crazed Scott, who is drenched in ink. He screams about a monster as Thomas pulls him off, and Joey orders Thomas to silence him. Scott freaks out more, screaming and frantically laughing at Joey before biting Thomas's hand and running into a wall.

Satisfied, Joey takes the flashlight and continues walking as Thomas puts Scott in a more comfortable position. Bill asks about the monster, but Thomas simply says he already told him about it. Bill begs for answers, but Thomas says he can't answer them as they need to get the machine fixed and returned to New York ASAP. Bill refuses to keep going and Thomas calls after him as he runs in the opposite direction, but he doesn't try chasing after.

Aftermath

On February 23, 1952, Thomas and Allison are married by the First Light Presbyterian Church. Following their wedding, Allison mentioned in her letter to Joey Drew that "An Opportunistic Thief" stole one of Thomas's inventions, much to his anger.

In-Game Appearances

Main article: Tom

Besides his physical appearance in his caricature reincarnation, his original human self's audio logs can be found in many places.

Boris and the Dark Survival

An audio log recorded by Thomas, where he criticizes Wally's work ethic, can be found randomly.

Bendy and the Ink Machine

Thomas' ink output schedule.

• In Chapter 1: Moving Pictures, before his first audio log is found in the basement's first floor after draining the ink, Thomas' name is first mentioned in his "ink output" signature by his short signature "T.C." above the "GENT OFF" message. According to his schedule, Thomas works every week but Sundays while outputting gallons of ink one by one;
  • On Monday, he output 19, 13, and then 18 gallons of ink.
  • On Tuesday, he output 18, 9, and 24 gallons of ink.
  • On Wednesday, there are no recorded numbers of ink gallons. Nothing else than a "back up".
  • On Thursday, the same result as yesterday on Wednesday, saying with "hold".
  • On Friday, he output 14 gallons of ink. He also did output another gallon of ink, but the number amount was not recorded.
  • On Saturday, finally, he output 7, 103, and an astonishingly huge 423 gallons of ink.
• In Chapter 3: Rise and Fall, the first appearance of Thomas is in a duo dialogue log with Wally Franks Where Thomas attempted to explain Wally what to do when the ink pressure reaches over 45, which falls flat. Thomas' second audio log is found on a shelf near the bottom of stairs after Henry walks out of the lift on Level 9, where he feels concerned about the elevators' malfunctions.
• In Chapter 5: The Last Reel, Thomas's third and final audio log can be found inside the room on the right side of the pipe puzzle, where he sends a report about the Ink Machine's almost-successful functions and the witness of Ink Bendy's creation. At the chapter's epilogue, found in Joey's apartment home, a letter from Allison Pendle reveals that an opportunistic thief somehow broke into Joey Drew Studios and stole one of Thomas' inventions, much to his anger.

Dialogue

The following information contains spoilers. To view them, click the [show] tag.

Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris and the Dark Survival Miscellaneous Chapter 1: Moving Pictures "It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Who ever thought that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot. But the real worst part about all this... are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs. Make no mistake, this place... this... machine... heck, this whole darn thing... it just isn't natural. You can bet, I won't be doing any more repair jobs for Mister Joey Drew." — Thomas' 1st audio log. Chapter 3: Rise and Fall " Wally: Alright let's go over this again. If the pressure goes over 45, I screw the safety bolt in tighter, right? Thomas: No! For the last time, you do that, you'll blow every pipe in this place! If it reaches 45, you unhook the safety switch. Wally: You sure? You know, this sounds harder than comparing ear wax to bee's wax! Thomas: Look, it's not that difficult! Just keep an eye on the gauge! Wally: Look pal, if you think I'm doing my job AND yours, I'm outta here!''" — Wally and Thomas' audio log. "These blasted elevators... sometimes they open... sometimes they don't... sometimes they come... sometimes they keep on going to Hell and back. I keep telling these people, if Mister Joey Drew keeps cutting corners like this, someone's sure to end up falling to their death. And it sure ain't gonna be me. I'm taking the stairs." — Thomas' 2nd audio log. Chapter 5: The Last Reel "Progress report to Gent Home Office. Client: Joey Drew Studios. Although we're making progress, the client's expectations keep changing. What started as a machine to simply mold life-size figures, now seems to be teetering on the edge of magic more than engineering. Although Mr. Drew remains convinced they're the same thing. The process of running the cartoon film through the machine for the figures to imprint upon themselves is going well. We've had several near successes. One weird note: the first figure ever created was a failed attempt in the likeness of the character called "Bendy". Since that time, no other attempts of this particular figure have emerged. And the one that did... I don't know, there's just something unworldly about him." — Thomas' 3rd audio log. "If there's one loose bolt around here, we're gonna have a whole mess of trouble. And wouldn't you know it, that Wally guy is one loose bolt! He keeps the floors clean he says. He didn't sign on for no science project. All I know is someone needs to keep these pipes maintained. And he can't be a slacker." — Thomas' audio log. "So we're looking at quite the job here! Walls come out, pipes go in... dang walls go back in again! It's like banging your head on a rock over and over and over. The first time, it hurts to heck. The hundredth time, well... you just don't think much about it. That's what it's like working for Mr. Joey Drew. At first you feel that bad pain in your gut that you're doing something very wrong. But after a time, when the dust settles, and Joey had played his cards, you just learn to go with it. Bit of your soul dies with each pipe you put in." — Audio log, dated November 12th, 1943, by Thomas Connor.

Trivia

Bendy and the Ink Machine

Chapter 1: Moving Pictures

• Thomas' first audio log was not in the earlier versions of Chapter 1 and was added later in the Chapter 3 update.
  • His "ink output" schedule was not added until the release of Chapter 4.

Chapter 3: Rise and Fall

• Before the release of Chapter 4, there was no audio log for Wally and Thomas' due to the trailer room not being implemented at the time.
  • Thomas and Wally are the only workers that have been shown socializing through an audio log.
• During Allison's letter to Joey Drew at the end of the game, she stated that "An Opportunistic Thief" stole one of Thomas's inventions to his anger. It's implied that the thief may have been Joey Drew himself and that the invention stolen was the Ink Machine due to it's appearance in Joey Drew's Apartment at the end of the game.

Miscellaneous

• His name is likely a strong reference to Thomas Patrick "Tommie" Connor, a British songwriter known for writing Christmas songs.
• Thomas Connor is voiced by Mike Mood, the co-creator of the game. Furthermore, Mike's tweet claimed that himself voicing Thomas causes his throat to hurt as it puts quite a bit of strain on his voice.
• Thomas Connor is the only character to have his middle name revealed, although it's only the initial.

Gallery

The early version of the transcript for Thomas' first audio log of Chapter 1 before the release of Chapter 4. Note the several amount of lacking spaces.

Thomas' transcript from Chapter 3.

Wally and Thomas' transcript in Chapter 3.

Thomas' transcript from Chapter 5.