@anonymous-tals requested headcanons about the Bluth siblings as kids, so here's some of that! It gets long, so I'm putting most of it under the cut.
They had family game nights. George started mandating them so he could get photos and publicize them as a happy family but the kids actually got really into it and kept playing board games together even once their parents ducked out.
Lindsay was George’s little princess, especially as a preteen and teenager. He wasn’t always the best at showing it in ways other than buying her things, but he loved that girl so much.
Oscar came by for every single one of Buster’s birthdays, and he brought little presents. He wasn’t nearly as good at remembering the other kids, but nobody read too deep into it. Blatant favoritism is normal in this family.
Speaking of birthdays, Michael and Lindsay always got the best birthday parties because they had to share. Also because they were George’s favorites, but the sharing was the excuse everyone actually said out loud.
GOB’s birthdays tended to go forgotten or ignored by his parents, but Buster has never once forgotten him, Lindsay was usually pretty good about at least being around and wishing him a good one, and Michael would organize little celebrations if Buster bugged him about it. Which he always did, and which Michael always got to feel like a hero for.
I’m not getting into the whole “who pushed Mimi down the stairs” thing cause I know what canon was going for but I also just don’t think Buster would do that. However I DO think the whole “I’m just a boy so nothing will happen to me” was VERY ingrained in him from very early on cause when he was actually little Lucille couldn’t bring herself to ever be upset with him. She could mistreat him, sure, but always out of some twisted form of protective love.
Because of this, Buster took the blame for a lot of shit his siblings fucked up. Lucille usually didn’t believe he did it, and it usually got shifted to GOB, but Michael and Lindsay at least got a few freebies by saying Buster did it and getting him to corroborate.
GOB had frequent hyperfixations and the bees and magic special interests have been on and off since he was pretty young. Buster never found him annoying. Michael did but was good at more or less hiding it for the sake of being a good brother. Lindsay would tell him to shut up.
Buster also had frequent hyperfixations but his were on things like medieval farming and ancient Mesopotamia and learning a new language and other Scholarly Pursuits so he wasn’t treated like he was annoying, he was treated like he was a very intelligent young man with a bright future in academia. Or a loser and a nerd, depending on who you’re talking to.
One time, and I mean literally ONE TIME, Lindsay asked George if he had a favorite child and he sarcastically said “Of course I do. It’s GOB.” assuming everyone would get that he was dodging the question by answering a kid who was most definitely not his favorite. GOB didn’t get that he was being sarcastic and was the happiest boy alive for about twelve seconds before both of his parents started laughing so hard they cried.
I need to stop being mean to GOB. Here’s something nice for him: he was surprisingly popular in school, and even though he never made any real friends he could usually get strangers to high five him in the halls. People chanted his name at lunch sometimes if he stood on a table to do his illusions. He got bad grades but people thought that was badass.
Buster would have full blown panic attacks at any grade lower than an A. Even an A minus would have him crying on the floor. This is projection but it’s also true.
Lindsay was homecoming court every year of high school and prom queen her senior year. GOB was prom king. Micheal and Buster were never anything like that.
Buster has always been GOB's biggest fan and would beg him to do illusions or tell bee stories or just be himself but with an audience of one. GOB pretended to think his little brother was lame but he secretly loved the attention and they still have that special bookend sibling bond. GOB was (and still kinda is) Buster's hero and Buster was (and still kinda is) GOB's baby brother. The fondness in the phrase "baby brother" is hard to explain to people who don't have a sibling with a 6+ year age gap but trust me, if anything happened to Buster in their childhood, GOB would be immediately up in arms.
I have a lot more thoughts, actually, but this is getting super long so I’ll stop here for now!
