What is that?

I wouldn't freak out just yet. Give it another week or so to get a better idea of what's going on. Some strains do weird things. The strain I'm currently growing(Problem Child) has a very similar look as it transitions and it also took a little over 3 weeks of 12/12 to initiate. The first time I grew it(in my House Cleaning diary) I was scared it might be a male at first but I ended up with some pretty chunky and delicious buds when it was all said and done.

I would keep an eye and would be ready to scrap plant. Looks very strange.

weird looking preflowers. leafy? more than 1? Male preflowers develope more than 1 per branch but initially it starts as 1 sack then develops more like a bunch of grapes after that. Keep an eye on that, lol. As long as they don't turn out male should be okay? LOL, and as long as the real bud sites develop normally, shouldn't be an issue. preflowers are an insignifcant miniscule bit of plant matter. didn't re-vege or anything, right?

NO, it is not normal. I think your plant has a genetic defect. Could be the beginning of some very strang male flowers or extra weird hermie flowers, they are not branches coming either or "puppies".....whatever that is meant to be. I have seen this a couple of times over the last 40 years and it did not end well either time...........flowers were completely messed up. Give it a bit longer to see what happens, but I don't think the outcome is going to be positive, unfortunately. I may be wrong, but going on past experience..........

looks ok to me. thick growths on the edge of the nodes, almost looks like it pushing out another branch.

I like to call those puppies. Cockroach antennas. I feel like they've got something together with sexual maturity and about the time I have a handful of them on my plant is when I flip to flour