Witwicky World universe

The Witwickys are your average family from Oregon. Patriarch William "Sparkplug" Witwicky and son Spike Witwicky witnessed world history when their oil rig was attacked by the Decepticons. Sparkplug briefly thought about volunteering to help the Autobots, but the fear of losing another family member a mere three years after losing his wife led him to let someone else handle the new alien visitors.

Witwicky "What-If" Timeline
1984: Spike and Sparkplug are rescued from certain death on an burning, collapsing oil rig by the Autobots. Sparkplug almost volunteers until he sees a few oil rig workers being treated for third-degree burns, broken bones, and other internal injuries - while the Autobots titans are essentially unscathed. Worried about his son's safety (as well as his own - if he goes, Spike and Buster have no one to raise them) - he leads his son away from the Autobots, much to his son's dismay. 1985: Sparkplug finds a job back in Oregon and begins to save up to open a store of his own. 1986-1994: Witwicky Automotive opens. Sparkplug deals with two angsty, adolescent sons. Buster feels alienated from Sparkplug because the two have little to nothing in common. Spike struggles with school and repeatedly blames his dad for sentencing him to a mundane existence. Intimated by Buster's literary achievements in high school, Spike opts not to pursue journalism or English and opts to go into construction management in college. 1996: Sparkplug suffers a major heart attack at his job. At his side, a worried Spike apologizes for years of blaming his father. He drops out of college (telling dad it's just for a semester) and begins to work at Witwicky Automotive full time. 1998-current: Sparkplug recovers and resumes his duties at Witwicky automotive. Spike turns into an ace mechanic and an apt manager, enabling Sparkplug to begin to transition ownership of Witwicky Automotive to his son. After work, Spike tended to either head to the bar with coworkers, or at home in front of the TV. He falls for Angie, a bartender. After months of pursing, Spike finally wears Angie down and the two marry. Within a decade, the two have three kids. In 2013, Spike and Angie end up having to schedule date nights to fit it into their busy schedules. The two remain close, but their day-to-day exhaustion leave little left for alone time. Buster continues toward his PhD in . As a PhD candidate and a professor, he is well-liked among his students. In 2013, Buster publishes his first Science Fiction novel. A beaming Sparkplug forces a slightly-resentful Spike to Buster's book signing, which only draws a few dozen people, mostly Buster's students. Spike secretly relishes Buster's lukewarm success, but still harbors some jealousy as Buster got a book deal, published a book, and despite the lukewarm reviews, it was notable enough to GET reviewed in papers like the Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times. ===Sample Reviews for Buster Witwicky's first book=== "An exciting new voice in Science Fiction has arrived. Can't wait for the next installment." - Publishers Weekly

"A tepid, overstuffed deubt offering. Too often, it seems like Buster is afraid this will be his last book, so he stuffs his debut novel with so many concepts, plot tangents, and ideas that he forgot to invest that energy into the characters" - The Village Voice

"An admirable effort. Yes, Buster Witwicky's debut novel stumbles when it should stride, sprints when it should walk, and leaves too little to the imagination, but his ambitions keep you coming back. Now that his first novel is done, here's hoping with a little editing guidance and a more concentrated effort to flesh out his characters, Buster will add his name to the peers he so wants to emulate." - The New York Times