Oh man. Five months. I genuinely did not mean for this to happen and I am SO sorry. XD I meant to post this like, three or four months ago I think? Proofread it and everything, and then I promptly forgot that I never posted it. I don't have an excuse, that is just purely my bad lmao
It's kind of a short-ish one this time around, but I was able to go back to the fundamentals a little bit, so hopefully it was worth the long wait regardless.
First was blackness.
Then, a small click.
Black gave way to a too-bright logo, followed by a short jingle.
A few more clicks, each accompanied by a near-silent peep.
Finally, an image solidified, a human face shifting in and out of focus.
Or, well, close to human, at any rate. His ears were a little too long, his hair a little too light. Green specks glimmered where his eyes and cheeks presumably were. His teeth, somehow the clearest aspect of his visage, glinted in the morning light. Behind him, sunlight spotted the ground between leafy trees.
"Hello, imaginary audience!" Wes greeted, waving at the camera. On his hand was an insulated glove, black with gray and green accents. "It's been a while since I've done one of these. I think when I found out I could glow really bright? Sorry for the wait. I guess I just got so excited about my powers growing in that I forgot to film them. I'll try to approach this more professionally going forward. At the very least I'll try not to wait so long between logs."
Wes readjusted his grip on the camera. "Today is April 29th, 2006. It's been roughly six months since my first transformation, and... about five since my last log. Hehe, whoops.
"So! First, a recap of what I've already demonstrated in previous logs, then I'll show you what's new. After that, we'll see if I can do anything interesting with the newer stuff. First, a routine heartbeat check."
He held his fingers to his neck, waiting the customary six seconds. "...Looks like I'm at about 115 right now. But, that's nothing to worry about. My heartbeat seems to be linked to how much core energy I have, and also whether or not I'm actively using any of it. I'll get to that in a minute here. But before that, a progress update on my light powers. I know I demonstrated that last time, but I'm a lot better at it now than I was before. Obligatory sensitivity warning."
Wes waited a few more seconds, then gathered his energy. Once he had enough, his aura flared, blinking its way through the rainbow in rapid succession. Whereas his previous video had shown him taking a few seconds apiece to cycle through colors, now he more closely resembled a strobe light.
He only did this a few times before he let his aura settle again. "A lot quicker now, right? I can also get a lot brighter, but I'd rather not do that on camera. Wouldn't wanna risk burning the lens or something, you know?"
He perked up as he remembered another aspect of his ability. "Oh yeah! Remember how I tried localizing the energy to one part of my body, but then I ran out? I ended up finding out what I can do when that doesn't happen!"
With that, Wes shifted the camera to one hand, using his teeth to remove the glove on his other hand. Once it was free, he brandished it, palm up. It lit up a gentle cyan, and after a moment of concentration, the light bubbled up to the surface as a small, bobbing orb.
"Pretty cool, right?" Wes preened. "I call it a wisp. It lasts an hour or two if nothing disturbs it, or I can use it like a flashbang if I put a little more juice into it. I know I made it look easy, but it's actually kinda tricky figuring out the size-to-energy ratio, and it takes a lot of power for honestly not a lot of oomph. So for now, it's emergency or ambush use only. I'm still refining it, but I found out the other day that the color is based on whatever my aura color is when I make it, so that's neat." He tapped the wisp, reabsorbing it.
"Now, you might be asking yourself, 'what's with the gloves? You didn't have those last time.' And you'd be right to ask that, dear audience, because it's really a simple answer. The battery on the camera won't last if I don't wear them. It turns out I drain electronics if I come into contact with them. That's why previous videos have been so short. Heh, good thing I've got a friend with easy access to hazmat gear, right?
"But why do I sap electronics?" Wes went on. "Well, the answer is simple. I have an electric core. Observe."
With that, Wes set the camera down and backed up, removing his remaining glove before tossing the pair to the ground next to him. After a moment of focus, familiar blue energy shone through his cheeks, bangs gently frizzing as his energy ruffled them. Finally the sparks emerged, skittering along his form like a swarm of fireflies.
"Looks pretty impressive, doesn't it?" Wes bragged, dimming as he let the current settle. "Well, it is. I'm basically a walking battery! The catch is that I can't generate the energy on my own like other ghosts can, but so long as there's a current nearby, it doesn't really matter. And even if there isn't, I can drag my tail along the ground and make static that way. Although, that's pretty slow going.
"But! There's one cool thing I can do with it!" he announced. "I'm not just a battery. I'm a magnet, too! I think it functions in a similar way to how I draw energy, but I can use it to pull objects closer to me, not just power! The more conductive an object is, the easier it is for me to pull it in, as long as it isn't too heavy. That means other ghosts, too! They're not that much more conductive than humans are, I don't think, but they're pretty light. Trust me, it's come in handy a few times already. Here, I'll show you!"
Wes reached, hands outstretched towards the camera. A quiet thrum carried through the air, and as it did, the camera began to tremble. But in that same moment, bars of static passed over the screen. Wes realized what was happening a moment too late, running towards the camera just before the image blacked out.
"No, wait, sh–!"
({O})
Some time later, Wes was once again on-screen, this time in human form. He fidgeted with the camera, brows knit with worry. When he saw that the camera was undamaged, he sagged, sighing with relief.
"Whew, I don't think I lost any data... Sorry about that. For a second I forgot that magnets and cameras don't mix, but luckily it doesn't look like I broke anything. Guess I won't be showing that one off, then. So instead, I'll show you something else I can use my electricity for!" Wes began walking, explaining as he went.
"I'm sure you guys remember that time I tried to lift a rock because I thought I had super strength. Well, as it turns out, I do! Er, kind of.
"Under most circumstances, I'm immune to the kind of damage a live current inflicts on the body. But, surprisingly, I can actually shock myself. And no, it doesn't hurt. By doing it, though, I can force my muscles to tense up for fractions of a second at a time. The result is that I can hit things a lot harder than normal, or throw things a lot farther, or even lift heavier objects. The main drawback being that my body isn't necessarily built for that kind of output just because I'm a ghost, so it's still possible for me to injure myself if I'm not careful. But hey, my body's getting more resilient every day, so I'm sure I'll get to a point where it won't be a problem anymore."
Suddenly, he stopped, turning the camera away from his face. On the screen was a very familiar rock.
"So, first experiment of the day. Trying to lift this rock the first time was an underwhelming failure. Will I fail again? Or will I finally succeed at lifting it?"
Wes set the camera down, allowing for a perfect view of both him and the boulder. He transformed, then leaned back, lifting his foot and pulling it closer to his back. He did this with the other foot as well, and then pulled each arm out to his sides in a shoulder stretch.
"Better make sure I'm nice and limber for this one," he explained. "This isn't the most I've managed to lift, but that was a bunch of little things. One big, dense thing is gonna be a lot harder. I won't be as likely to tear something if I stretch first."
He finished up, shaking out his wrists. He didn't spit into his hands this time, going straight to curling his fingers under the lip of the rock.
"I'll do this in stages," he said. "Since using my electricity this way keeps it in my body, I don't use much of it up, so functionally I have quite a bit to expend. I'll use just a little at first, then work my way up until it's enough."
He closed his eyes and exhaled, his aura dimming as he focused his energy inwards. Sparks twinkled along his arms and abdomen before retreating as quickly as they'd appeared. Wes's arms tensed, then relaxed, tensed, and relaxed, over and over as he warmed himself up, increasing his output with each flex. The boulder held fast all the while, not budging an inch.
And then it did. Only a little, but it was enough. Wes's eyes snapped open, and with a sound not unlike the pulse of a defibrillator, he heaved, hefting the edge of the rock upwards with astounding speed. The result was it rolling along the ground, bouncing like a stone much smaller than it. It struck a tree and halted, pine needles raining down around it.
Wes stood up straight, letting out a held breath between pursed lips. His arms trembled with strain, his palms taking on a greenish hue from where the lip of the rock had pressed against the skin, but he was otherwise unharmed.
"...Whew. That thing was a bit heavier than I thought. I couldn't get a good enough grip on it to pick it up, but tossing it's the next best thing. Now if only I could figure out how to sustain that strength..."
He turned back to the camera, offering a thumbs up to show he was okay. "Still. That was a far cry from passing out, right?"
Wes curled a finger around his chin, humming in thought. "What else was there...? I'm not holding my breath on camera again. I went about an hour and a half in the vacuum of space not that long ago, and I'm not about to film myself just standing here that long."
And then it occurred to him. "Oh, I know! I can try duplication again! Nothing happened the first time I tried, but my core wasn't very well-developed back then. Maybe now I've got enough energy to make it work."
Even if he did, though, he wasn't sure how to go about it. Before, he'd imagined that wishing a second Wes into existence would do it, but by now he was well aware that wanting it wasn't nearly enough, especially having not had the benefit of Danny walking him through it to get a feel for whatever sensation the power was linked to. Vlad's demonstration at the warehouse had been no help; his clones looked like they just slid out of him, offering no hints as to what was required of the discipline.
But he'd seen Danny do it up close before. He clearly had less practice than the older Halfa, but the locker room fight against Skulker provided some insight into the process itself.
Danny's example had started at the top of his head, pulling itself sideways in both directions like putty. The tug traveled down his body, and at its widest points, Danny tore in half like a sheet of paper. Except, instead of vibrant green viscera, Danny had two heads, then two torsos, two pelvises, and finally two bodies. It kind of reminded Wes of cell division.
So he pictured it. He imagined himself stretching, elongating, pulling himself taut. He pictured the sensation going from his forehead, to his temples, to his cheeks, chin, throat, collar, chest.
Something happened when his thoughts reached his midriff. Imagination became reality, an odd, numb tension pushing against his abdomen from the inside, tickling his ribs and pressing against his skin. There was an inexplicable feeling, like a breeze was brushing up against his stomach. As in the organ, not the spot at the front of his torso.
Wes refused to look. If he glanced down and saw that he'd become a half-ghost doughnut, he knew his concentration would break and he would be singular once again.
Not that he had to look. The sensation disappeared all on its own, easing back rather than snapping like he expected. That airy feeling was gone, like it had never been. Had he failed?
Now that it was over, he chanced a glance downwards, and startled.
He didn't have a hole in his gut like he'd initially thought. He didn't even have two small torsos forming one big trunk, like he might have expected from a botched effort. No, what he found instead was almost stranger than that.
He had a fresh set of arms, sleeves and wristbands and all.
"Oh."
It didn't make much sense from a duplication standpoint, he thought. If he'd done a partial split, he should have a hole in his midriff, maybe with two arms coming from the center, or even just one stretched across the gap. Otherwise, having the extra set branch from his shoulders might have made some sort of sense. He shouldn't have grown a pair at navel level at all.
But hey, what did he know? The point was that he was learning how it worked, right? That would mean that he didn't know what he was talking about, and thus maybe this was a normal deviation for an amateur.
Experimentally, he flexed the digits on his newfound appendages. His fingers moved with little fuss, like his limbs had always been there. He picked at the freshly formed wristbands, marveling at the fact that he'd somehow made clothes. They even stretched like normal wristbands when he pulled on them.
For all intents and purposes, he really had just copy-pasted an entire set of arms. Though, the "copy" part was debatable. Both pairs could evidently move independently of one another, the bottom pair resting its hands on his hips while the top pair crossed, their owner tilting his head at the unusual situation he'd found himself in.
"...Well! I wasn't trying to do that! But I guess that's a lesson learned. Messing up duplication means extra body parts. I wonder if it'll be the arms every time, or if other body parts might get copied instead if I try again?"
He thought about that for a moment, then hummed. "Maybe another time, though. I wanna keep these."
He shrugged the top set, the bottom now crossing. "It's funny. Obviously I'm a creature that normally has two arms. I would've thought I would have a hard time coordinating four just because my brain isn't wired that way, but it actually almost feels natural. Maybe that's a side effect of duplicating, though. I'd think one ghost would have a hard time controlling two bodies with one brain, so the brain probably duplicates, too. I wonder if that means I have a partial brain swimming around in here somewhere? Heh, gross."
While it was a neat trick, Wes wasn't sure what use it would be in practice. He couldn't punch harder with more arms, or run faster with more legs. More eyes wouldn't help him see better, unless he could will them to appear somewhere other than his face. Even then, though, that might prove more disorienting than helpful. Two heads or two mouths could mean he could make more sophisticated sounds, but again, that didn't sound very useful.
The only thing Wes could think of was that more arms might make for better hugs.
Why would his thoughts linger there? Here he was trying to puzzle out the utility of pseudo-duplication and log his findings, and all he could think of was how nice it would be to fly to Danny's house and hug him with all those extra arms. Because of course he would.
Interesting that such a self-indulgent notion so easily overruled his thirst for knowledge. But, Wes supposed, obsessions must not be all-encompassing like he'd assumed. Still, that was one new thing learned, so he considered that a win after all.
Why delay?
"I think this is a good place to end the video," he said aloud. "Next time, I think I'll try making even more arms, or maybe some other body parts. I might try refining my sound mimicry skills too, or practice an invisibility trick I've been working on. But I'll do all that in the next video, which I promise I won't take nearly as long to get to as the last one. Wes Weston, paranormal investigator, signing off."
With that, Wes transformed, picking up the camera and turning it off. He put it in the carrying case his human form possessed, making his way towards home at a hurried pace so he could charge it.
He didn't want to keep Danny waiting, after all.
({O})
Wes knew he would find Danny at FentonWorks. That was usually where he was on Saturdays; whereas Sundays were often spent hanging out with his friends, the start of the weekend was reserved for resting, or sometimes catching up on homework, before he and Wes would start their patrol in the evening.
It wasn't time to patrol yet, of course, which was why Danny was relaxed as can be when Wes flew through his wall, half-read comic book in hand as he leisurely laid across his bed.
"Hey, Wes," Danny greeted, thumb bookmarking his page as he sat up properly. "What's up? I didn't know you were coming over."
Wes grinned sheepishly, picking at the W on his jersey. "Yeah, sorry, I forgot to call ahead. I was just too excited to show you the trick I learned!"
"A trick, huh?" Danny mused. His eyes flicked towards the ground before looking back up. "I don't think that's really a good idea. My parents are working on some stuff in the lab."
"That's okay, I don't need the lab," Wes assured him. "It's nothing electric, I promise. I can show you up here."
Danny snorted, setting the comic down on his nightstand. "Alright, hotshot. Show me this oh-so-fancy trick of yours."
So he did. He gathered up his concentration, doing his best to replicate the process from before. Surely the second time would be easier than the first, especially with a precise goal in mind and the assurance that it was possible.
Danny scrutinized him, wondering why Wes looked like he was trying to force a fart. But he didn't have to wonder long, as soon something really did start to emerge. From his midsection, slightly below his ribs, two arms thrust themselves into existence with a thick squelch.
Danny couldn't say he cared for the sound.
Once Wes finished, he cocked a smirk, all four hands upturning at the wrists. "Eh? Eh?"
"Wow, Wes. That sure was... something," Danny eventually answered.
"You're not impressed."
"No, I am!" Danny said quickly. "I just didn't expect, you know, that. Really, that's pretty cool! How did you figure it out?"
"I was trying to clone myself," Wes replied. He kept his hands busy, one set fidgeting while the other practiced shadow puppet gestures. "I tried doing it how you did, and ended up doing this instead."
Danny snorted. "Grew some spare parts trying to duplicate, huh? That's pretty much how my first few tries went, too. Man, you should've been there for mine. Maybe I could ask Tuck if he's got a picture."
So Danny had goofed it just like Wes did, huh? That had to mean he was on the right track.
"Still," Danny went on, "I don't think I could do it wrong on purpose. Or, not to make a specific body part, at least. I know my reaction probably wasn't the one you were looking for, but really, that's impressive. I mean it."
That was precisely what Wes had hoped for. He glimmered a happy yellow at Danny's praise, and finally did exactly what he'd come to do. He scooped Danny up without preamble, his upper arms curling around Danny's torso while his lower ones hefted him by the waist.
The result was Danny being well and properly constricted, his repositioning happening so quickly that he hadn't even had time to squeak his startled surprise.
"W-Wes?" he eked out, smushed against Wes's cheek. "What are you doing?"
It took Wes a moment to answer him. He held Danny tighter, mumbling into his shoulder. "This was the best thing I could think of when I got them."
"...So let me get this straight. You were trying out new powers, accidentally turned yourself into an insect, and you immediately stopped what you were doing, just so you could fly halfway across town to hug me?"
Wes gurgled something that Danny thought might have been an affirmative.
"Wow, Wes. That's pretty gay."
The grumble grew indignant. Danny could see the freckles on the back of Wes's neck turning pink. "Yeah, well. I am gay. Get used to it."
Well, Danny thought, his arms finding their way across Wes's shoulders, then I guess I better.
It was the best thing he could have thought to do with four arms, too.
Wes: I must be professional about this. It's a log journal! It must be scientific, accurate, and informative!
Wes's brain: gay gay homosexual gay
Well! I'm not actually sure when the next chapter will be. Forgetfulness aside, I ended up taking a break while in the midst of writing chapter 50 to work a bit on a Monster Hunter ttrpg system (mechanics are basically Pathfinder, but tweaked to try to incorporate as many of the video game mechanics as possible). It's been fun, but I think I might have starved the Danny Phantom fixation a bit in the process by accident. oops
Still, I don't want to stop writing, especially now that a little writing spark has started to come back! Technically, chapter 50 is almost done. BUT, I don't really like how it was going, and I haven't yet decided whether I want to rewrite what I have and go from there, or tackle one of my other chapter ideas and come back to the current one. Whatever I end up doing though, I want it to be special. It's the big five-oh, and that is an IMMENSE milestone for me, seeing as most of my fics are either oneshots or unfinished multi-chapter stories, and the longest fic I've done before this was 36 chapters. I wanna make it either super story-impactful, or super self-indulgent. Both, if I can manage it. XD
Until then, though, I'm always open to Tumblr asks. For lore questions and stuff like that, my main is bigjbonk. For in-character stuff, I have Wraith and Phantom blogs at wattsonwraith and phabulousdantom, respectively. Don't be shy! :D
Anyway, see you guys when I see you!