Buster Witwicky (AU)


 * This is for the regular universe Buster Witwicky. For his evil mirror counterpart, see Buster Witwicky (SG).

"Yes, my name is Witwicky. No, I won't introduce you to Bumblebee."

BUSTER WITWICKY has inherited none of his family's mechanical aptitude, much to the disappointment of his father Sparkplug. He grew up in the shadow of his older and more famed brother Spike. Buster is highly intelligent, but dangerously inept when it comes to operating mechanical or electrical devises. He can ruin a VCR just trying to set the clock, and when it comes to his beat-up jalopy, he doesn't even trust himself to check the oil. After spending a good majority of his 20s, and his early 30s in college, Buster now teaches comparative literature at a college in Oregon, a field he must constantly defend to his brother and father who don't understand how it could possibly be useful in the real world. He enjoys visiting his brother and being an uncle to Daniel and Megan, but he is sometimes jealous of his older brother's success and exciting adventures with the Autobots. He is just starting to become his own man, and the process is sometimes painful and slow.

Description

 * Buster Witwicky is a tall blonde-haired man of indeterminate age. With his longish, shaggy hair, and near uniform of T-shirt and jeans, he looks every bit the career college student. Today his ubiquitous black T-shirt is torn, with 80s-era black and yellow Batman logo printed on the center of his chest. Buster's jeans are damp and stained as well. Buster may be a Witwicky, but no one would mistake him for his blue-collar brother Spike or his mechanic dad Sparkplug. Still, in the last few months Buster has put on a lot of muscle mass and gotten an actual tan, and doesn't look quite so out of

place among the Autobots and his more famous family.

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:
Born in 1975, by the age of four Robert William "Buster" WITWICKY had amassed a remarkable score in several reading and comprehension aptitude tests. However, this was offset by a shyness that borderlined on debilitating. This dilemma required a series of parenting techniques that reflected the growing new parental trends that were popularized by such pioneers as Benjamin Spock (and not the stern, belt-ready parental ways enforced by his grandfather). Fortunately for Buster, his mother was well-versed in these techniques and worked patiently aside Buster to encourage him to break out of his shell, encouraging such "baby steps" feats as making it a goal to just say "hi" to one person his age. Occasionally when put in an unpleasant situation, Buster would cease conversation altogether, freaking out his mother as this behavior would last days, not hours. Susan responded by upping her son's speech therapy sessions, but even that approach failed to bring the youngest Witwicky to utter a word if he was overly distressed. In early elementary school, Buster preferred to stay indoors in class during recess and help his teachers with assignments or with clean up instead of playing with his peers outside.

On Christmas Eve, 1980, Buster was stricken by a nasty croup, which prevented him and his family from going to his grandfather and grandmother's house for Christmas (Sparkplug didn't mind a bit). His older brother was also ill with an inner ear infection. On Christmas Day, Buster was given a Lionel train set.

Susan's tireless work was showing noticeable signs of improvement for Buster until 1981, when Susan was killed in a freak auto accident. The death was devastating for all three surviving family members, but it particularly scarred Buster. "Retreating into one's shell" would be too slight of a comparison to describe Buster's reaction to his mother's death. In his case, he virtually bunkered himself in his shell. With the loss of the one parental member who understood his struggles, Buster shut down. In a move that many consider a textbook example of PTSD, Buster didn't utter a word for weeks after his mother's funeral. Sparkplug mistakenly took Buster's response as his son punishing him for the accident.

It was only by the intervention of Buster's uncle, Ron Witwicky, that Buster began the long process of breaking out of his shell again. As Ron began transitioning from the unconventional living as a stage hand and concert promoter to a more grounded reality as a teacher, he studied Buster's condition and came to the conclusion that Buster needed more discipline (despite Sparkplug being no slouch in that field of parental responsibility), not less. The catch was that the discipline had to be dealt in a way that would give the illusion of control. When Buster was forced to stay at Ron and Judy's (Buster's aunt), he was awarded a room where he could do anything he wished in terms of decor. In addition, he was given equal voice in determining family meals. Most reassuring was that Ron set the boundary that Buster could shut his door and he had the full authority to allow or not allow Ron or Judy into his room. The tradeoff: Buster had to be in bed by 9 p.m. sharp and do every chore that was asked of him.

In terms of not speaking, Ron calmly accepted Buster's muteness as a mere personality quirk. Whereas Sparkplug confusion and frustration with Buster proved to be counter-productive, Ron accepted Buster's communication as absolutely normal, accepting anything from written notes to non-verbal gestures like they were spoken directly from Buster's mouth. Ron's easygoing attitude toward his nephew was summed up by him saying "It's no different than raising a deaf child." Sparkplug didn't appreciate the humor. The tactic worked, and slowly Buster retreated from his shell and began speaking again, haltingly at first, and then practically a motormouth in the conforting confines of Judy and Ron's home.

In 1984, when Spike and Sparkplug were rescued from certain death on a collapsing oil rig by the Autobots, Buster was left to the care of his aunt and uncle, Judy and Ron. However, as Spike and his father became closer with the Autobots, Sparkplug asked Ron to care for Buster a few more weeks, which turned to months, which turned to years. Ron and Judy later took on the responsibility of raising Buster full-time while he went to junior high. Sparkplug, concerned that letting Buster live with the Autobots at such a young age would be a risk on his life, felt leaving Buster in the care of his brother and sister-in-law was the best solution to a problem that offered no easy alternatives.

Though this decision was made for Buster's safety, it caused a tremendous rift within the Witwicky family. For Ron and Judy, the addition of Buster to their family affected their own plans on starting their own family. Judy, knowing that Buster barely knew his mother before she died, took pains in protecting and nurturing Buster. Ron, an English teacher, also tried his hardest to make Buster feel more like a family member rather than an extended houseguest.

Still, the situation for Buster and his brother forced Sparkplug to side with one son. Realizing his earnings as an oil rig worker could never provide Spike and Buster the near limitless opportunities (mostly educational, but he hoped financial as well) that befriending the Autobots would offer, he allowed Spike the chance to befriend the Autobots, so long as he was close by to protect his occasionally reckless son. By doing this, Sparkplug hoped that when Buster was older (around 14 or 15), he would join the family at the Ark and help the Autobots defeat the Decepticons. Unbeknownst to Sparkplug, Buster showed little to no interest in following their footsteps.

In 1985, Buster experienced his first major feeling of schadenfreude (it wouldn't be the last time) toward his brother and father as the Autobots were apparently exposed by business tycoon Shawn Berger as being phonies - every bit as evil and manipulative as the Decepticons. However, he was equally pissed when the mass population, instead of rejecting both factions, blindly threw their support to the Decepticons. Still, he hoped that Spike and Sparkplug would return and eventually begin resuming a normal family life (but only after getting a tomato or two thrown at them by an angry mob). That dream was short-lived when Spike and Sparkplug were captured by the Decepticons and were forced to work in an energy processing plant. And much to Buster's disappointment, that dream was utterly extinguished when the Autobots returned from exile to rout the Decepticons - and Spike and Sparkplug's steadfast loyalty with the Autobots only solidified their bond. The last years of elementary school and first few years of junior high were especially painful for Buster as he faced routine teasing and mocking from classmates who were either jealous of his family's association with the Autobots or were downright hostile to the "new alien invaders." The fact that Buster didn't share his father and son's enthusiasm for the Autobots didn't seem to matter for his tormenters. Buster continued to cope with being an outcast the only way he knew how: by retreating inward and escaping into books and science fiction. Fortunately, he began to slowly develop some deep friendships in high school that would extend well into college. For Buster, the friendships formed with Alan, 'O,' Barry and especially Jesse, would replace the void left by the absense of his brother and father throughout the most turbulent years in his life.

When Buster graduated high school in June of 1993, a number of colleges expessed interest in him due to his high test scores, but his low grades during his rebellious years prevented him from getting the scholarships needed to attend any decent colleges without bankrupting Judy and Ron (not to mention the fact that Buster didn't want to take anything from his real dad Sparkplug, nor dip into the small college fund Ron and Judy had set up for their son Sam).

When Buster took his SATs, he checked a small box asking if he would be interested in possible military assistance with college tuition. He didn't realize that as soon as he turned 18 this would lead to several branches of the military contacting him, each trying to hard-sell him on military service. However, as the son of a Marine (even an estranged son), there was only one branch Buster would consider, even if he certainly didn't look the type or fit the stereotype.

When Buster walked into the Marine recruitment office, jaws hit the floor. He tested far above anyone who'd every applied there, and the recruiters immediately began to salivate and talk to Buster about military intelligence. Working with Buster to help him (barely) pass the physical requirements, Buster slogged his way through boot camp, getting the first tan in his life, and was immediately trained in Arabic and sent to the Middle East.

In the Middle East, Buster worked as a translator for the Marines. With his skill in languages, he was soon writing local dispatches as well. At first Buster enjoyed his work, seeking to help the situation through non-violent means, but eventually he became disillusioned, feeling he was contributing more to a propaganda machine than actually dispensing truth and easing tensions. When his four-year tour of duty was over, Buster left the Marines for civilian life.

Returning to the states, Buster was quickly able to turn his military experience into a PR job at a major corporation. However, he sooned learned that he felt as unsatisfied writing spin for a company as he did creating dispatches on behalf of the US government. Risking the disapproval of his father, he quit his safe corporate job with benefits, and entered the life of academia.

Favorite Books of All Time

 * Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
 * Michael Crichton, Westworld
 * Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
 * Henry David Thoreau, Walden
 * William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
 * Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
 * Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

Favorite Albums of All Time

 * Purple Fungus - Let It Be Rock (vinyl)
 * Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
 * The Beatles - Abbey Road (vinyl)
 * Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica (vinyl)
 * Radiohead - Kid A (vinyl)
 * Abney Park - Aether Shanties
 * Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs (vinyl)
 * Rush - 2112
 * Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (vinyl)
 * Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (vinyl)

MUX History:
In 1999, Buster enrolled at the University of Oregon in hopes of completing an accelerated three-and-a-half year plan to obtain his bachelor's degree, becoming the second Witwicky (after Ron) in recent times to graduate college. In 2003, Buster completed his bachelor degree and enrolled in the graduate program.

In 2009, Spike and Buster slowly began to repair their straining relationship after Spike's mindswap with Motormaster and with their father being in a nursing home. Buster's uncle, Ron, paid for two tickets for Buster and his girlfriend to go to New York City. The only catch: he wanted Buster to make a stop to White Plains, NY, where Spike was receiving extensive rehabilitation for the after-effects from the mindswap. Ron didn't want, nor expected Buster to put years of strained ties behind him. However, with Spike's condition, Ron eventually convinced Buster that if any change were to happen in their relationship, Buster would have to make the first move since Spike was almost literally incapable of making the first move. The main reasoning behind Ron's generous offer was the fact that with their dad in a nursing home and Sam taking up more of their time, Spike was the only fully-functioning member of Buster's immediate family. Initially it was a "one step up and two steps back" type of reunion as the Autobots inevitably factored in with Buster and Spike's meetings.

However, disasters have forged a closer bond between the two. In the fall of 2009, Megatron's weather-altering device resulted in the near-catastrophic flooding of Buster's college home. He was forced to stay in his university's dorm building, sleeping with other disaster victims on cots in study rooms while continuing to take classes.

Over Thanksgiving in 2009, Buster announced his plans to Sparkplug and Spike that he would be seeking either a doctorate or another master's degree, guaranteeing another four or five years of college for the professional student.

In 2010, Spike arranged for Buster's landlord and her husband to fix up the house Buster once shared with his roommates. Spike chipped in insurance money from the destruction of his own house to help Buster's landlord afford the repairs. As Spike anticipated living in the Ark when it returned to Oregon, the brothers would soon be living in close proximity once again.

In May, Buster became the proud owner of a 1997 Chevy Cavalier with 196,000 miles on the odometer and a questionable transmission. Spike was under the impression Buster bought it for a $1, and thought it was worth every penny. Sadly enough, Buster actually paid $1000 for it, and just listed "$1" on the title to avoid paying taxes on it.

On May 2, 2011, Buster became an uncle again with the birth of his niece, Megan. The next day, he completed and submitted his very last paper to be written for his last class in completion of his Master's degree. On June 13th he finally graduated and immediately began work on his doctorate. Soon after his long-time girlfriend convinced him to move out of the delapitated house he shared with his roomates and in with her. Since his car couldn't make the trip to visit Carly and Spike, Spike eventually brought Buster's new niece to Jesse's apartment so Buster could meet Megan.

Due to world-wide flooding, in 2011 Buster relocated to the Ark with the rest of his family for safety. Buster seemed to adapt well to a life of hauling rescue supplies around, as a break from his normal academic routine. While at the Ark, Buster has began to win favor of a few Autobots, much to the surprise of his brother. The sometimes jovial, othertimes cantankerous Ratchet has struck up a fast friendship with Buster. The Autobot diplomat Crosscut recommended Spike recruit Buster's help in finding more effective ways to deal with military leaders. Because of these new developments, Spike's started to feel like his brother was slowly beginning to overshadow Spike's own position with the Autobots.

Buster, on the other hand, was surprised to enjoy his time on the Ark so much, and decided to stay on the Ark after the crisis was over, at least until Jesse's apartment was restored. While at the Ark, Buster became a caretaker for his ailing father, though the time being spent in his old stomping grounds greatly improved the elder Witwicky's disposition.

Crosscut began assessing Buster's strengths and started to direct Buster to assume some diplomatic duties catered to his social and physical strengths. Spike didn't feel threatened in the least by this action. Nope. Not at all.

In 2012, before leaving for Cybertron, Blaster built a helperbot to assist Buster and Spike in taking care of Sparkplug in Autobot City. Snoop assisted by giving Helperbot a Santa hat and teaching it how to dance. This immediate warping of the helperbot's personality didn't make Buster feel any more comfortable having it around, and Buster secretly worries it will become a danger to his dad.

In late 2012, Buster found himself at another fork in the road in his life. With the world-wide flood no longer occupying all of his time, and winter semester starting before he could register, Buster began weighing his options: remain with the Autobots and continue to find a place in a world that he once viewed as hostile toward him, or finish his education, being the first Witwicky to achieve the academic title of "doctor".

Buster returned to school in the fall semester in 2013 to complete his education. Until then, he had many potential projects to bide his time. In addition to being trained by Crosscut for possible diplomatic duties, he also had to learn the ins and outs of a computer system designed to effectively manage communication between G.I. Joe and the Autobots. On the side, he had three other projects occupying his time. The first one being a possible book written by Buster about his experiences with the Autobots. A second involves piecing together missing elements of the Witwicky family tree, including his great-great-great grandfather. The third was planning a handfasting with his long-suffering girlfriend Jesse. On April 7 Buster Witwicky became handfasted to Jesse Macchio.

OOC Notes
Buster is a character from Marvel comics. None of his comic history is explicitly canon, but some of his personality is the same. On the MUX, Buster was born in 1975, and is 5 years younger than his older brother Spike. Due to the effects of the Timewarp TP, Buster seems younger than he is, although the more time that passes the less obvious it is.

He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Oregon, studying Comparative Literature, although he has taken a year's sabbatical to work on his own projects.

Buster wears a ring on his left hand that says, "One Ring to Rule them All" in Elvish.

Players
Buster is currently temped by Bzero, but is available for application.