Winston Zeddemore

Preferred Contact: gabbyzom

In terms of interests, Winston is shown to be fairly bookish. In "Doctor, Doctor" he specifically requested Janine bring him Melville and Dickens novels to read while bedridden in the hospital. Later on, "Boo-Dunit" establishes he has a special fondness for the mystery genre that's given him a serious knack for predicting the endings to stories he's never even seen before... much to the chagrin of everyone unfortunate enough to invite him over for movie night, as he will blurt out every plot twist as soon as he figures it out. In a similar vein, "The Devil to Pay" reveals he and Ray make a habit of tuning into televised game shows together, subsequently getting really into the quiz portions- to the point of having heated arguments over what the right answers are while they're both watching along. ...it seems Winston's the sort of person who loves thought puzzles and takes great pride in proving himself right through his ability to solve them.

But aside from that point of pride, Winston decidedly doesn't display much of an ego on his own. He's not in the habit of holding grudges when it comes to being personally slighted, and puts far more stock into defending the ghostbusters as a group than himself as an individual. In fact, he's so adamant in his insistence that ghostbusting is a team effort that he flat-out refused to compete for the title of "Ghostbuster of the Year" out of protest, and acted incredulous when his partners all went along with it anyway, because he viewed their participation in the contest as nothing more than selfishly splintering the team to put more priority on their own aspirations. ...although, one can also argue part of his resistance towards the competition could be that he believed he'd never have a chance of winning on his own to begin with. After all, in "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me A Dream" when the rest of the team were incapacitated and he was left to fight the Sandman by himself, he laments that "I wish the others were here... Peter would know what to do... Egon, Ray, they'd build what they needed... I'm not a scientist." ...it seems he has a bit of a self-doubting streak, actually, given that this isn't the only episode with a conflict hinging on Winston being the only one capable of defeating the monster of the week, and him being unable to do so until he first learns to believe in himself (the other being "Moaning Stones").

However, despite the lapses in confidence he may experience along the way, he never wavers when it comes to doing his best to keep people safe, even if he has to do it alone. In "The Boogieman Cometh", Winston breaks away from the team so he can drive to their clients' home late at night to stand guard and ward off the Boogieman that's been periodically emerging from their closet- deciding to stay put there so he can keep giving them his protection until the rest of the team can form a permanent solution to the problem. Meanwhile, in "Night Game", when he explicitly consults his coworkers about a supernatural event he witnessed at a baseball game, Egon tells him they can't investigate the area yet because they'd need to wait until morning to get a permit. Despite being told this, Winston secretly sneaks out on his own anyway because he's worried about the possibility of people getting hurt in the meantime. It seems whenever the threat of danger looms overhead, the first thing on his mind is "who could get hurt by this", followed by "how can I keep that from happening".

To bookend this segment with another quote from the reference sheet: "In many ways, he is the warmest, most open member of the team, and though he does not have the scientific background of the others, for sheer guts, bravery, and loyalty, he can't be beat."

[...that thought doesn't cross his mind out of bitterness, though. She had good reasons.]

[Well, technically, she only gave him one reason at the time: their apartment was too small for a horse to live in. And as a kid, Winston was able to begrudgingly accept this explanation at face value. Disappointed, but willing to concede to her reasoning... reasoning that only made more sense as he got older, any lingering resentment he felt disappearing under the dawning realization of just how much responsibility it would've really been to take care of a horse at that age. There's no way he could've been able to handle the demands of equine care as a twelve year old- heck, he doesn't even feel equipped to handle it NOW, with an animal about half his height.]

[He supposes so long as he's here, saddled with this bite-sized beast of burden, he'd better do his best to take care of it. This "mom" put him in charge of it, after all, and he's not just gonna abandon this animal in the wild and force it to fend for itself, especially not when she keeps looking up at him with those wide, expectant eyes. ...admittedly, this doesn't change the fact he still doesn't know much about how to best raise a "mudbray"...]

[...but he's pretty sure it's a bad sign for one to be gnawing at the ground, trying to eat the dirt.]

Aw, poor thing... you must be starving. [Pressing the button on his Pokéball, he calls the mudbray back inside its ball.] Hang on in there, I'll get you checked out.

[As Winston approaches the Pokemon Center, he's overcome with the distinct feeling of intimidation at what he sees beyond the glass doors... starting to feel like he should've made a phonecall earlier to schedule an appointment here. ...but he's not sure the mudbray would be willing to wait for the staff to pencil them in, so... he steels himself and enters the building.]

[...with all the ghosts, gods, and other miscellaneous mythical monsters he's dealt with on a daily basis, there's not much Winston would consider truly surreal. But stepping into a public facility with barely any people in it? That's made the list. "Toto, we're not in New York anymore," he thinks to himself as he approaches a front counter with no line in sight.]

Hi, real sorry to bother you, but could you show me where the waiting area is for a walk-in visit? ...I'm looking to get a consultation.

[He's pleasantly surprised to hear the clinic nurse tell him she can take him aside for a quick check-up right then and there. Is this another quirk of the dimension he's in, or are all veterinary visits this simple? ...he can wonder that some other time. For now, he lets the Mudbray out of its ball. ...and it comes out still idly chewing the dirt it had in its mouth.]

[...looks like he's going to have to explain himself.]

Well, I only just got it, so I don't know the details of how she's been eating in the past few days, but... I'm worried she might be malnourished. ...I had her walk beside me on the route from New Bark to here, and at some point she stopped to eat dirt right out the ground-

[Before he can continue, the nurse cuts him off to tell him that's normal for a Mudbray.]

Oh-? [He's... surprised to hear that- almost wanting to doubt it at first, but... he's not the veterinarian, here. So he'll take her word for it.] That's a relief... so... is that just part of its diet, then?

[She goes on to inform him that "admittedly, the soil around Route 29 is drier than recommended for a mudbray's regular intake... we would advise letting it graze in areas with greater moisture, such as the mudbank that lines our city's shore". Well, good to know he doesn't need to look too far for pet food, then.]

...thanks for filling me in on all that, I'll be sure to keep it in mind- [He motions like he's about to leave, before quickly stopping himself and reaching a hand into his bag to rifle through it for money.] Oh, and... how much for this visit?

[He braces himself to hear the price... expecting some outrageously exorbitant fee... but it doesn't prepare him for what she actually says.]

Hold on- I don't have to pay you anything? ...you... you're sure about that?