Chapter Twenty-Six: Inquires of Professional Ectology

Wes had a theory that there was some divine force that drove people to do inexplicable things at 3 am. Because honestly, everything past 2:59 was a surreal blur. His dad had temporarily suspended his coffee privileges after he stayed up for forty hours straight during the school week, so now Wes was relying simply on his will to stay awake. Wes knew he was awake, but honestly, he had no idea if his mind was at the moment, which placed him in his current predicament.

Valentine's Day had been three days ago, and for some reason, Wes finally brought himself to look at Danny's mock valentine again. He felt giddy because of sleep deprivation and decided to read it upside down, hanging off of his bed. He probably looked like a girl reading a love note (a literal valentine!) – but no one was there to see, so he didn't care. The blood rushing to his head was a weird sensation, and the words on the card figuratively swirled around the room. Not to mention, he was in the complete darkness because he'd felt too lazy to keep his lamps on. But it didn't matter, the valentine had a visible neon glow to it since the card itself was made of some weird ectoplasmic paper.

"Blood blossoms are red, not all ghosts say boo," Wes read the first phrase over a few times. The more times he read it, the less sense it made to him. And then eventually all he could hear were the syllables of the words and it sounded so hilarious. The English language was nothing more than just a few sounds and the sounds were so stupid by themselves!

Blud – blah – somes – are – red

None of that made any sense, did it? Yet, it was supposed to make sense so that was really weird.

After about two minutes of this, something in Wes's subconscious reigned in his sensibility as he got bored of his sleep-deprived high. He regained some of his lucidity and remembered what he had been doing. Right, he'd been evaluating Danny's valentine for anything he could learn. So, he started over.

Blood blossoms are red, not all ghosts say boo...

Actually, hold up a hot minute. What were blood blossoms anyway?

It was such a simple question, but Wes's 3 am brain triumphed in accomplishment. Finally! Something he could work with: what were blood blossoms?

(The scientific method always starts with a question, after all.)

((But this isn't science, dumbass.))

… Where were these thoughts coming from?

He adjusted himself right-side-up, practically glided across the carpet, and fell into his computer chair. He clicked the mouse a few times, wondering why the screen wasn't turning on and realized that he hadn't pressed the power button yet. Duh. He logged onto the computer impatiently and finally reached Google, entering 'waht are blood blossom' with no hesitation.

The first thing to appear on the screen was a Wikipedia link, and next to it was a picture of what looked like some kind of mutated rose. From what Wes could tell, it was just some normal looking red flower that wasn't really that pretty, mainly because the shade of red was so dark it made the flower look sickly, and the stem and petals were a deep purple that almost seemed black. That in itself was odd because somehow he remembered from Freshman biology that chlorophyll made stuff green, right? That meant that the leaves, which were meant to turn sunlight into food, should be green instead of purple, otherwise the flower wouldn't be able to survive.

The Wikipedia page on blood blossoms was... interesting to say the least.

Apparently, blood blossoms were a scientific enigma. On the outside, blood blossoms appeared to be exactly like flowers, but on the inside was a completely different story. Wes was correct in assuming that their purple stems indicated that they weren't able to properly execute photosynthesis, and in fact, they didn't rely on sunlight to exist at all. Yet, they appeared to strikingly resemble average, healthy flowers. Even on a cellular level, when placed under a microscope, they appeared to be structurally similar to plants. Flowers without chlorophyll weren't unheard of, but those flowers were typically parasitic. Blood blossoms, on the other hand, were able to function independently, without resorting to photosynthesis or parasitism. Now that was unheard of. Eventually, scientists determined that they were just some off-branch of fungi, but every once in a while a new study crops up to try to officially solve their mystery once and for all.

After he skimmed the scientific preface, Wes reached the lore section about blood blossoms. He was not disappointed.

Firstly, blood blossoms were historically recognized as a product of tragedy. They have been known to appear all over the world, in nearly all climates, but only in sporadic occurrences. In all reports of blood blossoms throughout the years, there was a common underlying factor. Death. Blood blossoms didn't care what climate or hemisphere they were in, they just tended to surface from the ground during times after mass death. For instance, they were very common during many famous wars, ranging from the Crusades to World War II; man-made massacres, like the Holocaust and Famine-Genocide in Ukraine; natural disasters, such as Pompeii and Hurricane Katrina; plagues, like the Plague of Justinian, and most notably, the Black Death.

Somewhere along the line, these fuckers universally adopted the name blood blossoms because people used to say that they absorbed the blood from the ground, giving them their nasty red color.

Yet, somehow these flowers known for being forged in literal blood simultaneously were infamous for warding off ghosts. There were many witness accounts that they were common in exorcisms and boiled into serums to defend people against 'negative spirits'.

And Danny... Danny had referenced these flowers. So did that mean that they could actually do something to ghosts, that it wasn't just an old wives' tale?

… It was worth looking into. Or at least, the unreasonable 3 am part of his brain decided that it was a good idea to find some kind of sketchy website that specialized in selling rare flower species.

"$40? A worthy enough cause to use Dad's credit card," he muttered, constantly blinking in distress as he typed all the correct number thingies into the angry information boxes. What was Visa again? Or was this a MasterCard? Man his neck was not cooperating with him tonight, what did he ever do to it? He guessed his neck was just a weakass neck, and his head was too heavy for it. And his desk seemed like a really nice place to rest his face for a little while.

Wait.

Did he hit confirm on the online order of... what was he buying? Flowers? Right... blood flowers.

Maybe. Maybe not. This was too comfy, even though his back was leaned weird in his chair. Sacrifices, sacrifices – just for some sleep, his back could suffer.

And with that, he was out within seconds.

He regretted it the next day, of course. Sleeping weird, not the online purchase. Because Wes had been so tired at that point, he could barely remember that he'd bought flowers off of the Internet. Around 8 am he'd woken up because of Walter making coffee in the kitchen, and he irritably carried himself back to his actual bed, but that didn't mean that the four hours he spent hunched over hadn't made him a little sore.

Only two hours later, Walter decided to punish him for staying up so late again by forcing him to go grocery shopping. It was tedious and Wes almost tripped down a few aisles, but at least he could stash up on more coffee without his dad knowing.

Wes returned to his computer chair not long after his mandatory outing for the day. He could be following Danny, but he was difficult to find on weekends when he was having 'Phantom' adventures with his friends. There was also the option of shooting some hoops out by the court near their apartment, but it was February in Illinois and Wes hated being cold, so that meant lots of clothes, and lots of clothes did not guarantee mobility, so he usually avoided it. So that made the sanctity of his own room the most appealing option of anything he could be doing at the moment.

However, he had no idea what he wanted to do. So, he turned to the Internet, yet again, looking for some mindless distraction. He came across his saved sites and found the ectology blog he'd discovered a month previously. It'd been updated some since he started following it, but not much. Wes had been intending to message the person who ran the blog for a while, and now that he had nothing to do, he decided he could do that.

So, he clicked on their email: madscientist0509 . Wes opened up his own email and drafted a message to them. From their blog posts, it was clear that they were a ghost professional, so maybe after he reassured them that he was trustworthy, he could get their opinion about the logistics of halfas.

Hello, I'm a big fan of your blog, ! I found it a few weeks ago and I found all your information very helpful and intriguing. Especially the article about how you attempted a summoning ritual! I accidentally summoned the wrong ghost so I'm momentarily hesitant to try again in case I mess it up again (since the one I did summon kind of threatened me not to do it again), but it's a good trick to know.

Otherwise, your information about ghost anatomy is also very descriptive and interesting. My town is infested with ghosts, and at this point we even have ghost celebrities it's so bad. I'm trying to learn more about them since I sort of have a ghost that's a rival, a local 'hero' that fools the public. It's a long story, but I would like to know if you could tell me some more about your research, the stuff that you haven't published to your blog. The only ectologists I know are somewhat affiliated with my rival, so it'd be great to get a professional's opinion.

Thank you for your time and all your articles!

- WW (dunkmasterww2)

After editing his message a few times, Wes eventually got the courage to send it. For about an hour after sending it, he felt completely dumb. He probably came across as a stupid kid even though he hadn't mentioned anything about his age. Not to mention, talking about Amity Park's ghost infestation so casually probably made him sound nuts, since even most haunted places weren't as paranormally active as Amity. But to his surprise, he received a reply within the hour, which was an extremely fast response time for an email.

Hi WW! I'm glad to know that my husband and I's blog has reached people through the Internet! We don't get responses to our blog very often, so it's reassuring to know that our research is beneficial to people on the web. I can definitely tell you more about my research, but you'll have to excuse me if I use terms that are too complicated. Usually I write the posts and my husband edits it to make it easier for a general audience to comprehend. Simplifying things when I'm in 'explaining mode' is a little hard for me haha.

Oh, and also from the sound of the town you're describing, I think we may live close to each other. I know it's kind of weird, but are you from Amity Park, Illinois? I don't know of many places that have really bad ghost infestations, and you mentioned your rival is a local hero that tricks people. That sounds a lot like a ghost that's from Amity called Phantom. If you're from somewhere else, then I suppose it's nice to know that we Amity citizens aren't the only ones with this sort of situation :-).

Lastly, since I guess you asked about my research, what would you like to know specifically? Since this is my career, I have lots of broad information and like I said earlier it's difficult to generalize it. Would you like to know about anatomy, obsessions, behavior, lore, defenses/weaponry, et cetera?

Thank you for your lovely response,

- madscientist (madscientist0509 )

Wes didn't know why he was surprised that the blogger was also from Amity Park. In retrospect, it made sense since a lot of ghost fanatics hung around town. He was probably just amazed since he when he was on the Internet, he typically browsed with the mentality that he was interacting with people that were far away. After all, what were the chances of finding an anonymous blog that was operated in the same small town? It was statistically unlikely, yet this madscientist person was another Amity Park citizen, just like him!

When madscientist talked about Phantom, she (or he, but most likely a woman) indirectly agreed that Phantom tricks people! Given that she was an ectologist in Amity Park, she probably knew something about Danny that Wes hadn't figured out yet. So maybe after seeing what madscientist knew about Phantom, Wes could explain what he knew about ghost hybrids, and tell M about Danny's secret. This was great! He had a brand new confidant that he could tell about Danny and discuss ghost science with.

Elated, Wes drafted another message to madscientist.

Hi madscientist, wow I didn't expect such a fast response! You're right about how we both live in Amity Park, I've been living here for basically my entire life. What are the chances? Anyway, I'm kind of curious about ghostly obsessions and their overall mentality. I have my own theory that I'd like to ask you about, and you don't have to agree or anything.

I know in your blog you've portrayed them as malevolent and emotionless, which I don't really think is the case. The way I see it, humans are mainly neutrally gray, and I think that death kind of amplifies that grayness. In human society we're taught to be 'good', even though our morals are naturally neutral. So, when someone dies and leaves human society, they're able to do what they want. AKA, they're driven by their leftover human desires that society taught them to ignore. So that's why I think that ghosts retain their humanity after death, and why a lot of them act malevolent but not all of them. I understand it doesn't have any data, but it's something that I think about a lot. It's kind of a different spin on your theory about ghostly obsessions.

Anyway, what I'd like to ask you is, is there any way to really determine how a ghost's obsession forms? On your blog I noticed two different kinds of obsessions.

The first kind of obsession I saw was how someone's interest/hobby/career before their death developed into their obsession. Like, how the Lunch Lady is obsessed with lunch. Or how Ember wanted to be a singer when she was alive, and now she tries to take over the world with her music.

The second kind of obsession is when someone's death becomes their obsession. For instance, Sidney Poindexter got bullied into suicide, and now he's obsessed with advocating against bullying. Or, how Technus died from electrocution and now he's obsessed with technology. (He's very talkative and long story short someone got him to talk about his death on the Internet. Here's the LINK.)

So why does it vary for each ghost? What determines their obsession? And are there ghosts who develop obsessions after they've died? For instance, Phantom? Why is he obsessed with saving the town? It's not like he died a tragic hero, and I doubt he was a hero when he was alive. I'd like to hear your thoughts,

- WW (dunkmasterww2)

Wes thought that was a good way to point their discussion topic towards Danny. Of course, Wes was sort of curious about Danny's obsession; it was clear that even though he enjoyed fooling everyone, he was genuinely obsessed with protecting Amity Park. If he wasn't obsessed he definitely would've already quit fighting in the middle of the night and ditching class.

But why was he obsessed with saving the town? When did his obsession take root? It had to happen sometime after he became a halfa, because Danny never idolized superheroes when they were younger. Or maybe... maybe his obsession did have something to do with how he became half-ghost. If that was the case, then Wes was closer to figuring out how someone became a halfa.

Unlike her last email, madscientist didn't reply within the hour. Wes watched government conspiracy videos while he waited for her reply until, after about three hours of videos, Walter dragged Wes out of his room and forced him to eat dinner. Fortunately, when Wes returned to his computer chair around 7 p.m., madscientist had finally answered! (Guess that old proverb is true: a watched pot never boils.)

Hi WW, I left the house for a few hours. Sorry for the delayed response!

Personally, I disagree with your opinion that all humans are morally gray, but I can't argue that ghosts aren't morally gray. I also don't have the data for that (even though I'm working on it!), but it's a thoughtful consideration. Typically, my husband and I just assume that all ghosts are evil (to be honest it just makes ghost hunting easier), but your perspective would explain the origin of some of the more complex ghostly obsessions that we've observed. In fact, one of the most complex obsessions we've observed is Phantom's.

We have many theories about what his obsession is and none of them really make sense. But he tends to deviate from many of our standard observations, which may mean he's a different variation of ghost altogether. His behavior, physical manifestation, moral awareness, and strength suggest that he's more... cognizant than a typical specimen. It's really intriguing, and we've been trying to figure out what set's him apart for months!

For your initial question about how obsessions vary for each ghost, it really just has to do with the strongest emotional remnants leftover after someone's death. If someone has a peaceful death, they will often obsess over something that they enjoyed during life (such as the Lunch Lady loving her job). But if someone has a traumatic death, they usually cling to that experience and form their obsession around it (such as Technus being electrocuted, also thanks for that video!). Besides possibly Phantom, there are no ghosts who develop obsessions after they've died. (Well, human-born ghosts – Ghost-Zone-born ghost obsessions are slightly different, but that's a little more complicated.)

I hope I explained that adequately! Any more questions?

- madscientist (madscientist0509 )

When he finished reading, Wes released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He wasn't the only one who had noticed.

He. wasn't. the. only. one. who'd. noticed.

Madscientist admitted that she and her husband suspected that there was something different about Phantom. Sure, other townsfolk said that Phantom was different than other ghosts, but they always just labeled him the 'good ghost' and the 'hero'. They didn't question why he was different. This madscientist person, she realized that there were many things different about Phantom, about Danny. She observed Phantom – just like Wes had! – and put together that he was physically different and more morally aware than a normal ghost. She even knew that he was a different type of ghost, she realized that he was more human-like.

Wes had to tell her. She would understand! Even though he hadn't talked with madscientist much, Wes was positive that she would accept his explanation! She could already see all the puzzle pieces, he just needed to show her how to put them all together. Once he told her about Danny, he would have an ally! Someone else who understood that he wasn't crazy, an actual ectologist who could support his claims!

He started typing immediately.

That's really helpful, thanks! I can't believe I was right about the two ways that obsessions form, though what you said about Phantom is a little interesting.

As far as the average Amity Park citizen... you could say I know more about Phantom than most people. Most people only see him as the "good ghost" and dismiss that for why he's different. And despite what they tell you, I think most people have noticed he's different. But everyone ignores it because they want to ignore it.

There's a reason why he's different... and I know why. You were right, Phantom is a different variety of ghost. I try to tell whoever I can, but nobody ever believes me.

First off, I don't know the exact science behind it, but what I've learned about his condition is that physically speaking he's probably the most complex species in the world. He's a functional half-human, half-ghost hybrid that can alternate between two different forms – two different identities. In other words, he's a human that can turn into a ghost at will. He's a human with ghost powers, and a ghost with human biological functions (heartbeat and everything, even though he can manipulate it temporarily). A perfect mesh between the best traits of humans and ghosts, with incredible power. And essentially, he's also half-dead, but I haven't really figured out how that works yet. I also don't really know how he became the way he is, I just know he wasn't born that way, that he used to be fully human until something changed.

I figured it out after some people at my school accused me of looking similar to Phantom. So, I investigated other students that looked like Phantom, and during a well-timed ghost attack, I was able to connect the dots: Phantom is actually a Casper High student named Danny Fenton, who avoids suspicion by acting like a weak slacker. He denied it for a while, until one day he transformed in front of me just out of spite, like the manipulative jerk he is. He torments me because he knows I know his little "secret". I try to follow him to get more evidence but he always uses his stupid powers to shake me off.

I understand that all of that is kind of difficult to believe, but when you consider Phantom's abnormalities it makes a little more sense. If you don't believe me, then I hope we can still talk – I really respect your blog and I find all your information interesting. It's ironic that in Amity Park, most people don't really like discussing ectology very much, isn't it? Also, if you want to know more about Phantom/Fenton I have tons of data I could send you, like you, I've been working on it for months!

- WW (dunkmasterww2)

Wes reviewed his email for errors before he hit send. He prided himself for his concise and professional explanation of Danny's secret, overlooking the small clues 'madscientist' had revealed about herself... neglecting to connect the fairly obvious dots.

Ughhgh I managed to put something out before the end of January so. yay? I feel like I've written so much since I last updated this because I keep straying away from this fic towards other things, but I'm still here, I swear! I'm finishing this thing eventually. *insert unsure, but ominously optimistic emoji*