Sparkplug Witwicky (HW)

• Name: HW-Sparkplug
• Faction: USA
• Species: Human
• Function: MECHANIC
• Division:
• Sub-Group: Witwicky Family
• Type: TP

“

If I can't fix it, it can't be fixed.

”

William Irving "SPARKPLUG" WITWICKY is a widower and a natural born mechanic who loves to take things apart or put them back together and can fix anything. A rough, rowdy guy, Sparkplug has a deep, unspoken affection for his sons, but cannot understand why his boys don't share his interest for the practical things in life. Never formally educated, Sparkplug relies on his instincts and basic mechanical knowledge to survive. Despite his outward gruffness, Sparkplug is driven by a fierce love for his sons. He wants to provide for them, even if it means bending the rules. His past hardships have hardened him, but his core remains a fiercely loyal and deeply emotional man struggling to navigate the complexities of fatherhood and loss.

History

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:

Family background

Born into a strict household in 1936, Sparkplug escaped into the Marines, earning the nickname "Sparkplug" for his mechanical prowess. Captured and forced to repair enemy equipment, he secretly sabotaged it, defying authority and highlighting his resourcefulness. After a colorful career around the world, he found domestic bliss with Susan and two sons, Spike and Buster. The idyllic family life crumbled with Susan's sudden death, leaving Sparkplug a grieving single father.

Forced to work offshore to provide, Sparkplug's bond with his elder son Spike deepened, while the younger Buster remained distant. The strain of grief, financial woes, and conflicting family values created a rift between Sparkplug and his own father, further complicating his already turbulent life.

OOC Notes

Favorite Books of All Time

• Johnny Cash - The Autobiography - Johnny Cash
• How To Test Almost Everything Electronic - Delton Horn
• Truman - David McCullough
• Chilton Auto Repair Manual
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

Favorite Albums of All Time

• Time Out - Dave Brubeck
• Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
• A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
• At Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash
• Conway Twitty Collection - Conway Twitty
• The Definitive Collection - Chuck Berry

On the MUX, Sparkplug's real name is William Irving Witwicky. He's alternately temped by Bzero and SpikeWitwicky.

Logs

1946

• "Childhood Memories" - Jeremiah Witwicky forces his son William to burn his great-grandfather Archibald's relics.

1958

• "Sparkplug's War" - Sparkplug manages to sneak into the military to avoid the hells of his home, only to encounter the hells of life as a POW.

1967

• "How I Met Your Mom, Part 1" - After breaking down on the side of the road, Susan meets an insufferably arrogant stranger...

1975

• "How I Met Your Mom, Part 2" - A stressed-out Sparkplug deals with the stress of family life.

1978

• "Sunday morning - 1978" - Buster and Spike watch cartoons while Susan tries to get Sparkplug to stay in bed and get some rest.

1979

• December 23 - "Christmas Eve Eve, 1979" - The Witwickys shop before Christmas.
• December 31 - "College Dreams Deferred - Part II" - Susan breaks the news to her young son Spike that they had a hard year, financially.

1980

• "Sick Day" - An early glimpse into the Witwicky family life. A 10-year-old Spike comes down with a case of strep throat. Susan, who usually spends most of her time tending to her younger, needier son, Buster, ends up finally spending some one-on-one time with her eldest son. During this time, Susan privately goes through all that she's sacrificed for her own career to be a stay-at-home mom. She also spends some time both doting over her eldest son, and occasionally wishing she could sell him to the circus - just as most every mom does with a ten-year-old.
• Sep 1 - "A Hellish Education": As if he needed any more reason, Sparkplug's father provides one more reason for his son to avoid his presence.
• September 4 - "Counseling" - Sparkplug and Susan discuss what to do about Buster's continuing silence.
• November - "The Struggle Is Real" - Spike and Buster watch Sunday morning cartoons.

1981

• March 28 - "Flashback 1981" - Sparkplug decides Buster is finally ready for camping.
• March 28 - "Fishing Interruptus" - Sparkplug takes his sons Buster and Spike camping. It doesn't end well.
• March 28 - "Soothing Buster" - Susan tries to comfort her distraught son.
• March 28 - "Lost Without Susan" - Sparkplug and Spike leave on their camping and fishing trip.
• March 31 - "One Morning": The biggest event to forever alter their family.
• April - "A Slow Recovery" - Four weeks after the funeral of Sparkplug's wife, Susan, the Witwicky house falls into neglect with an 11-year-old Spike having to tend to both his grieving father and his shell-shocked little brother. Desperate and hungry, Spike takes Buster and heads to his aunt and uncle's house for a hot meal.

Players

HW-Sparkplug is a TP-only character .

He's alternately temped by BZero and SpikeWitwicky.

References

Transformers Production Bible