WolfJesseDragon

Main Story

Part 1: Webs of Forgiveness- https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/721838536298545152/webs-of-what-if

Part 2: Webs of Friendship- https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/721919689805135873/webs-of-what-if-part-2-webs-of-friendship

Part 3: Webs of Protection- https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/722131013986336768/webs-of-what-if-part-3-webs-of-protection

Part 4: Webs of Guidance- Coming eventually

Part 5: Webs of Regrets- Coming eventually

Part 6 Webs of Remembrance- Coming eventually

Part 7: Webs of Promise- Coming eventually

Part 8: Webs of Siblinghood- Coming eventually

Part 9: Webs of Birth- Coming eventually

Part 10: Webs of Parenthood- Coming eventually

Part 11: Webs of Vows- Coming eventually

Part 12: Webs of Marriage- Coming eventually

Part 13: Webs of Darkness- Coming eventually

Part 14: Webs of Tyranny- Coming eventually

Part 15: Webs of Destiny- Coming eventually

Part 16: Webs of Loss- Coming eventually

Part 17: Webs of Savagery- Coming eventually

Part 18 Webs of Sacrifice- Coming eventually

Part 19: Webs of Restoration- Coming eventually

Part 20: Webs of Hope- Coming eventually

Lore Bits, Prompts, Etc.

“Is it possible to have a strong connection with someone and miss them even when you never even met?”- https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/726755782570426368/takes-place-not-long-after-part-2-miguel

The Scarlet Brothers- https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/724748221134553088/lore-bit-the-scarlet-brothers

A reason why Sunny and Peter BP are besties-

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/723824755028918272/lore-bit-a-reason-why-sunny-and-peter-bp-are

Two mornings in Sunguel’s apartment

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/725180976678010880/prompt-two-mornings-in-sunguels-apartment

Part Two’s spicy and sweet outtake.

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/724092453241700352/prompt-part-twos-spicy-and-sweet-outtake

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/723659125187313664/brought-you-an-incorrect-quote-idk-i-was

Overthinking and Memories https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/730774705692442624/overthinking-and-memories

Illustrations courtesy of @smokeywhalee

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/725762704956063744/two-images-from-part-1-of-webs-of-what-if-webs-of

https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/726464253725425664/thank-you-smokeywhalee-for-bringing-the-images-of

And a special thanks to all directly and indirectly involved with this!

Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Pie Cookies

Ingredients (eyeballed):

Pumpkin purée

Apples (any kind you like)

Salt (for brining apples)

Brown sugar

Baking powder

Cinnamon

Ground ginger

Black pepper (just a pinch for warmth and depth)

Oat flour

Steps:

Prep the Apples: Cut apples into small chunks. Toss with a bit of salt and let sit — this draws out extra moisture and deepens the flavor. (Bonus: cut an apple in half and hollow it slightly to use as a natural “apple crust” for baking.)

Make the Dough Base: In a bowl, combine pumpkin purée, the liquid from the salted apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, black pepper, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.

Add Flour: Gradually add oat flour while mixing until a soft, workable dough forms.

Add Apples: Fold in the apple chunks until evenly distributed.

Shape: Roll dough into ice cream scoop–sized balls. If using apple halves as crusts, stuff dough into them.

Freeze: Place dough balls (or stuffed apple halves) in a container and freeze until ready to bake.

Bake: Preheat oven to 333°F. Bake for about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. Cookies are done when they’re golden, firm enough to hold their shape, and smell like warm apple pie.

Blonde Turtle Cookies (Gluten-Free • Egg-Free • Chewy & Caramelly)

Soft, rich, and packed with pecans and caramel, these cookies bring classic turtle flavors into a blonde, cocoa-free version. The pecan butter gives them a buttery depth without using actual butter, and the espresso adds warmth and complexity.

Ingredients• Ground flaxseed + hot water (mixed into a flax “egg”) • Honey and/or brown sugar • Homemade pecan butter (pecans softened in water, then puréed) • Instant espresso powder • Vanilla extract or paste • Milk (dairy or non-dairy) • Salt • Baking powder •  Oat, Rice, and Tapioca flour mixture • Pecans • Caramel bits

InstructionsPrepare the flax “egg” by mixing ground flaxseed with hot water and letting it thicken.

In a bowl, combine the flax mixture, salt, honey/brown sugar, pecan butter, espresso powder, milk, vanilla, and baking powder.

Gradually add the tapioca, rice, and oat flours until a soft, workable dough forms.

Fold in the pecans and caramel bits.

Roll the dough into cookie-sized balls, place them in a container, and freeze until ready to bake.

When baking, heat oven to 333°F. Place frozen dough balls on a tray. Bake for 30+ minutes, checking every 15 minutes. Cookies are done when the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops hold their shape.

Sausage and Cheese Balls

Savory, cheesy, and perfect for snacking or parties—these little bites are easy to make, freezer-friendly, and bake up golden and satisfying.

Ingredients (measure by feel):

• Ground sausage • Shredded cheese (your favorite kind) • Bisquick powder

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough

In a mixing bowl, add about 2 cups of Bisquick powder.

Stir in the shredded cheese until evenly distributed.

Add the ground sausage and knead together until a soft, cohesive dough forms.

If the mixture is too dry, add a splash of water gradually—just enough to bring it together.

2. Shape

Form small balls with the dough, roughly the size of an ice cream scoop or a little smaller for bite-sized snacks.

Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper if baking immediately, or arrange in a container to freeze for later use.

3. Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the sausage and cheese balls for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Spicy Bolognese Sauce

A slow-simmered, sweet-heat meat sauce absolutely packed with hidden vegetables. Bold, comforting, and adjustable entirely by vibes, smell, and taste.

This is the kind of sauce that looks like a classic bolognese but secretly sneaks in carrots, celery, peppers, and aromatics. It freezes beautifully, gets better the next day, and can be as spicy or as mellow as you want it to be.

Ingredients (measure with your heart):

• Baby carrots • A little chopped celery (seriously, don’t overdo it or it’ll taste like lawn clippings) • Ground sautéed onions (fresh or frozen cubes) • Ground roasted garlic • Raw tomatoes (any kind, roughly chopped) • Habanero pepper(s), whole or chopped depending on bravery • Ketchup (trust the process) • Tomato sauce • Tomato paste • Honey • Dried basil • Dried oregano • Dried parsley • Ground cayenne pepper • Beef bouillon • Water • Ground beef (10–20% fat is ideal)

Instructions

1. Build the veggie base

Set a large pot over medium-high heat.

Drop in a couple onion cubes or big spoonfuls of sautéed onions.

Add baby carrots, a small amount of chopped celery, raw tomatoes, and habanero pepper(s).

Stir everything together and let it start cooking down.

2. Layer in flavor

Add a few squirts of ketchup.

Drizzle in some honey to balance the acidity and heat.

Add spoonfuls of ground roasted garlic.

Sprinkle in dried basil, oregano, parsley, and cayenne pepper.

Pour in about a small cup of beef stock made from water and bouillon.

Stir well and let the mixture come to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Let this cook until the baby carrots are fork-tender. This is important. Soft vegetables blend better and taste sweeter.

3. Blend the sauce

Lower the heat slightly.

Add some of your tomato sauce to the pot.

Use a hand blender and blend everything until smooth.

Add the rest of your tomato sauce and a bit more bouillon powder.

Blend again until fully combined.

At this stage, pause and reassess. Smell it. Taste it. Adjust honey, salt, spice, or herbs as needed.

4. Add the meat

Add raw ground beef in intervals, mixing thoroughly each time so it doesn’t clump.

Once all the meat is in, add spoonfuls of tomato paste to thicken the sauce.

Lower heat to medium-low.

5. Long simmer

Let the sauce cook for 1–2 hours, stirring every so often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

• If the sauce gets too thin, add more tomato paste and let it cook longer. • If it gets too thick, add more beef stock or water. • Adjust seasoning as you go. You’re the boss here.

The finished sauce should be thick, glossy, deeply orange red, and smell slightly sweet, savory, and spicy all at once.

To Serve

Serve however you want. Pasta, polenta, baked potatoes, sandwiches, lasagna, whatever.

Personal preference: Boil spaghetti just shy of al dente, drain, then return it to the pot with some pasta water and a few ladles of sauce. Let the noodles finish cooking while absorbing the sauce. Absolute magic.

Storage

Little prep tricks that trade one long cooking session for weeks (or months) of faster, calmer meals.

1. Sautéed Onion Cubes (Future You Will Be Grateful)

If you cook with onions a lot, you already know the pain: raw onions take forever to properly soften and sweeten. This shortcut turns that whole process into a one-time chore.

What you’ll need (eyeballed): • White, yellow, and/or Vidalia onions • Oil of choice • Ice cube trays • Hand blender or blender

Steps:

Peel and rough-chop a bunch of onions. No need to be neat.

Add them to a pot with enough oil to lightly coat everything.

Cook on low–medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.

Let them go longer if you want light browning and extra sweetness.

Once cooked, blend with a hand blender until smooth or slightly chunky, your call.

Let cool slightly.

Pour into ice cube trays and freeze solid.

Store frozen cubes in a freezer-safe container.

How to use: Drop a cube or a few straight into a pan or pot whenever a recipe calls for sautéed onions. No chopping. No tears. Instant flavor.

2. Oven-Roasted Garlic Paste (Liquid Gold in a Jar)

This gives you mellow, sweet garlic that’s ready at a moment’s notice.

What you’ll need (eyeballed): • A lot of garlic cloves • Oil • Baking tray • Hand blender • Jar for storage

Steps:

Peel a bunch of garlic cloves.

Place them in a baking tray and add just enough oil to cover them.

Bake at 250°F for about an hour or longer, checking occasionally.

Garlic is done when it’s soft enough to crush effortlessly with a fork.

Let cool completely.

Blend until smooth with a hand blender.

Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.

How to use: • Spread on toast for instant garlic bread • Spoon into sauces, soups, marinades, or sautés • Mix into butter, oil, or dressings

Why This Works

Gluten-Free Shortbread

Buttery, crumbly, and snappy in the best way — a simple, adaptable shortbread that works as cookies, bars, or a base for other desserts. Mildly sweet, rich with butter, and designed to break clean with a satisfying snap.

Ingredients 

• Powdered sugar • White sugar • Optional honey (for moisture insurance) • Almond, rice, and tapioca flour blend • Vanilla extract • Unsalted butter • Salt

Instructions

Cream the base Let your unsalted butter soften in a mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, white sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk or beat vigorously until light, creamy, and almost buttercream-like.

Build the dough Gradually add your flour blend, mixing as you go. You’re aiming for a texture like barely wet sand — the kind that holds together when pressed but isn’t sticky.

Adjust if needed If the dough feels too dry or crumbly, knead in a little honey until it behaves.

Shape & freeze Press dough into molds, a lined container, or a baking pan. Freeze until firm.

Bake Preheat oven to 333°F. Pop dough out of molds or slice into rectangles. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are just lightly golden.

Pomegranate Scones

Tender, lightly sweet gluten-free scones studded with bright bursts of pomegranate. Freezing the fruit keeps the dough calm and the flavor sharp, giving you a bakery-style scone without fuss or precision math.

Ingredients (eyeballed, as always)

• Fresh pomegranate arils • Honey • White sugar • Almond, rice, tapioca, and oat flour blend • Unsalted butter • Salt • Vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep the pomegranate Remove arils from the pomegranate and place them in a container. Drizzle with a little honey and toss gently. Freeze completely. This keeps them from bursting and bleeding everywhere later.

Cream the butter base In a bowl, let unsalted butter soften. Add white sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Build the dough Gradually add the flour blend, mixing as you go. Stop when the texture resembles sandcastle sand—crumbly but able to hold together when pressed.

Add the fruit Knead in the frozen pomegranate arils. Add a little more flour if the dough gets too wet or slippery.

Shape & freeze Press dough into a container or slab shape. Freeze until firm.

Bake Preheat oven to 333°F. Cut frozen dough into cubes or wedges. Bake until lightly browned on the edges and bottoms, checking periodically.

Cool Let cool completely so the scones set properly.

Enjoy

Cajun Oven-Fried Latkes (Crispy • Spicy • No Deep Frying) All the flavor of Cajun cooking meets the comfort of latkes—crisp edges, tender centers, and zero need for frying in hot oil. These bake beautifully from frozen, making them perfect for Hanukkah or any night you want something golden, savory, and spicy.

Ingredients

• Yellow potatoes (mostly shredded shoestring-style; some microwaved and mashed) • Ground sautéed onions • Ground roasted garlic • Cayenne pepper • Dried basil • Dried oregano • Paprika • Celery seeds • Potato starch • Optional: a little cornmeal • Oil for brushing

Instructions

Prepare the Potato Base Shred most of your yellow potatoes into thin shoestring pieces. Microwave the remaining portion until soft, then mash—this helps bind the latkes without eggs.

Mix the Cajun Latke Dough In a bowl, combine the shredded potatoes, mashed potatoes, ground sautéed onions, and ground roasted garlic. Season generously with cayenne, basil, oregano, paprika, and celery seeds. Add potato starch (and optional cornmeal) until the mixture becomes cohesive and easy to shape.

Form and Freeze Shape into patties of your preferred size. Place on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid.

Bake (Oven-Fried Method) Preheat oven to 333°F. Brush each frozen latke with oil on both sides. Bake until the bottoms are set and lightly browned, then flip. Continue baking, flipping as needed, until the latkes are golden brown all over.

Goat Cream–Stuffed Xocolatl Cookies

(Mesoamerican–Latina Inspired • Bitter, Spiced, and Cream-Filled)

These cookies bring together the deep, ancient flavors of xocolatl — bitter cacao, chiles, warm spices — with the creamy tang of goat milk, now a beloved staple across much of Latin America. The result is a boldly flavored, lightly sweet, spice-forward cookie with a soft goat-milk jelly center that melts as it bakes.

Ingredients

For the Goat Milk Jelly

• Goat milk • Honey • Salt • Vanilla extract or paste • Cornstarch

For the Cookie Dough

• Chili peppers and/or paprika and/or cayenne • Cocoa powder • Cornmeal • Oat + rice flour mixture • Cinnamon • Instant espresso powder • Vanilla extract or paste • Honey • Ground flaxseed + hot water (flax egg) • Salt • Baking powder

Make the Goat Milk Jelly

• In a saucepan over low–medium heat, warm goat milk with honey and a pinch of salt, stirring constantly. • Once hot, add vanilla. • Gradually whisk in cornstarch until thick and pudding-like. • Pour into an ice cube tray, sprinkle with a little extra salt if you want a salted-cream effect, and freeze.

Make the Dough

• Wash and deseed your chili peppers (unless you want maximum heat), then puree until smooth. • Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, espresso powder, cayenne/paprika, vanilla, honey, and a pinch of salt. • Add the flax egg, then mix in the baking powder. • Gradually add the oat–rice flour blend, cornmeal, and more cocoa powder if needed until a workable dough forms. • Adjust spices by smell — the dough itself should not be eaten raw.

Assembly

• Wrap each portion of dough fully around a frozen cube of goat-milk jelly. • Place the filled dough balls in a container and freeze until firm.

Bake

• Preheat oven to 333°F. • Bake the frozen filled cookies for about 30 minutes, checking every 15; bake longer if needed until the cookies feel solid and the bottoms are lightly set.

Oven-Fried Sufganiyot (Gluten-Free • Egg-Free • No Deep Frying) Soft, tender, and lightly sweet, these sufganiyot give you the joy of a filled Hanukkah doughnut without the terror of deep-frying. Each one hides a frozen cube of Wojapi—a thick, no-sugar berry jam from Lakota and Dakota cooking—for a bright, rich center that melts as they bake.

Ingredients

• Ground flaxseed + hot water (for flax “egg”) • Milk (dairy or non-dairy) • Honey • Baking powder • Mixture of Oat, Rice, and Tapioca flour • Vanilla extract • Wojapi (frozen in small cubes) https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/798670896252469248/wojapi-a-no-added-sugar-berry-jam-sauce?source=share 

Flavor Variants • Lemon: use lemon zest + lemon juice instead of vanilla • Gingerbread: use gingerbread spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice) in place of vanilla

Instructions

Prepare the Filling & Dough

Line a tray with parchment. Make the flax “egg” by stirring ground flaxseed with hot water; let it gel. In a bowl, mix the flax egg with milk, honey, vanilla (or lemon juice/zest or spices), and baking powder. Add oat, rice, and tapioca flours gradually until a soft, shapeable dough forms.

Fill and Freeze

Form small discs of dough in your hands. Place a frozen cube of Wojapi in the center of each disc and wrap the dough around it completely, sealing well. Set the filled dough balls on the tray and freeze until firm.

Bake Preheat the oven to 333°F. Lightly coat each frozen dough ball with oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, checking every 15. They’re done when the bottoms are lightly browned and the dough feels set.

Turtle Brownies (Gluten-Free • Egg-Free • Fudgy & Rich)

Thick, gooey, and packed with chocolate, caramel, and pecans—these brownies deliver classic turtle flavor with no eggs and no gluten. The pecan butter adds natural richness, while espresso deepens the chocolate without making it taste like coffee.

Ingredients

• Ground flaxseed + hot water (mixed into a flax “egg”) • Honey and/or brown sugar • Homemade pecan butter (soak pecans in water, then purée) • Instant espresso powder • Cocoa powder • Vanilla extract or paste • Milk (dairy or non-dairy) • Salt • Baking powder • Tapioca flour • Rice flour • Oat flour • Caramel bits • Pecans • Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Instructions

Prepare the flax “egg” by mixing ground flaxseed with hot water and letting it thicken.

In a bowl, combine the flax mixture, salt, honey/brown sugar, pecan butter, espresso powder, milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir until smooth.

Gradually add the tapioca, rice, and oat flours, along with a little extra cocoa powder, until a thick, doughlike batter forms.

Fold in the caramel bits, pecans, and chopped chocolate/chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased baking tray and spread evenly.

Bake at 333°F for 30–45 minutes, checking every 15. Remove when the top is set and the center is still slightly soft.

Gluten and Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Pie/Tart

A twist to a classic autumn dessert

Crust:Gluten-free pie crust https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/801201362268454912/gluten-free-sugar-free-pie-tart-crust?source=share

Filling Ingredients

• Pumpkin puree • Sugar free maple syrup • Pumpkin spice blend (ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) • Flaxseed egg (ground flaxseed mixed with hot water)

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, flaxseed egg, sugar free maple syrup, and pumpkin spice blend. Stir until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.

Preheat oven to 333 degrees.

Prepare your gluten-free crust and par bake it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour the pumpkin filling into the partially baked crust.

Return to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Vegan Pear Crumble

A new kind of autumn treat 

Ingredients

• Pears, chopped • Pumpkin spice blend (ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) • Flaxseed egg (ground flaxseed mixed with hot water) • Bauducco Maria Cookies (not sponsored) • Optional maple syrup

Mix the chopped pears with the pumpkin spice blend, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Set aside and let the pears marinate.

Crush about 4/5 of the tube of Bauducco Maria Cookies into a fine, crumbly powder. Set the remaining cookies aside.

In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with the flaxseed egg and optional maple syrup. Mix until the texture becomes dough-like.

Press this cookie mixture into your chosen container to form the base.

Add the marinated pears on top of the base.

Crush or place the remaining cookies over the pears as the crumble topping.

Place the container in the freezer until ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 333 degrees.

Cut the frozen pear crumble into bars, transfer to a baking tray, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, checking every 15 minutes. Bake until the bottoms are lightly browned and hold together.

Gluten & Sugar-Free Pecan Pie

A rich, nut-forward pecan pie that uses no refined sugar, no corn syrup, and pairs perfectly with your gluten-free crust.

Ingredients

Gluten-free pie crust https://www.tumblr.com/wolfjessedragon/801201362268454912/gluten-free-sugar-free-pie-tart-crust?source=share

Chopped pecans

Ground flaxseeds

Sugar-free maple syrup

Cornstarch (optional, for thickening)

Water (for soaking)

Instructions

1. Prep the Pecans

Take most of your chopped pecans and soak them in just enough water to cover.

Let them soak overnight so they soften fully.

Reserve some unsoaked chopped pecans for topping.

2. Make the Pecan Filling

Drain the soft pecans but keep at least some of the soaking water.

Puree the soaked nuts with a splash of the water until smooth.

Add ground flaxseeds and sugar-free maple syrup.

Puree again — the mixture should look like a creamy pecan-butter custard.

If it seems thin, stir in a bit of cornstarch to help it thicken during baking.

3. Par-Bake the Crust

Preheat oven to 333°F.

Par-bake your gluten-free crust for 10–15 minutes, just until it begins to set.

Let it cool slightly before adding the filling.

4. Assemble the Pie

Scoop in your creamy pecan filling and spread it evenly.

Sprinkle the top with the reserved chopped pecans.

Drizzle a little sugar-free maple syrup over the top for shine and color.

5. Bake

Bake at 333°F for 30–50 minutes, checking every 10–15 minutes to prevent the nuts from burning.

The filling should be set and the top lightly toasted.

6. Cool Completely

Let the pie cool all the way before slicing — this helps it firm up naturally without added sugar or starch.

Result

A versatile, buttery, naturally gluten-free crust made without sugar — perfect for both sweet and savory dishes.

Ingredients (all measured by feel):

Gluten-free flour blend: oat flour, rice flour, and tapioca flour

Cold unsalted butter (sliced or cubed)

Ice-cold water

Optional: cocoa powder for a chocolate crust

Instructions

Prepare the flour mixture:

In a large bowl, combine oat flour, rice flour, and tapioca flour.

If making a chocolate variation, sift in some cocoa powder at this stage and mix well.

Add the butter:

Add cold, cubed unsalted butter directly into the flour blend.

Using your hands, pinch, squeeze, and rub the butter into the flours.

Keep going until the mixture becomes pebbly, crumbly, and sandy — some bigger chunks of butter are good, since they help create flakiness.

Add the water:

Begin drizzling in ice-cold water, a little at a time.

Mix with your hands gently until a shaggy, slightly tacky dough starts to come together.

Don’t overwork it — stop as soon as it holds together when pressed.

Chill:

Shape the dough into a disc or ball.

Wrap tightly and place in the fridge to rest and hydrate until you’re ready to use it.

Chilling helps the butter firm back up and gives you a much flakier crust.

Use as desired:

Roll out between parchment sheets or press directly into a pan.

Works beautifully for:

Fruit pies

Custard or cream tarts

Savory quiches

Hand pies

Galettes

No-sugar dessert experiments

Notes:

If the dough cracks while rolling, just patch it with your fingers — gluten-free doughs are forgiving that way.

For savory recipes, you can add rosemary, thyme, black pepper, or even parmesan (if not dairy-free).

For sweet recipes, add a splash of vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon to the dough.

My boyfriend and I have recently fallen hard into Dispatch, and we’ve been having way too many late-night discussions about the characters (Malevola and Sonar are tied for our favorites, if anyone’s wondering). But we’ve hit a fun little disagreement about one character in particular: Flambé/Chad.

His take:

Flambé/Chad is “that guy who peaked in high school,” a lifelong bully who’s always thrown his weight around.

My take:

There’s more nuance there—a lot more. I think Flambé/Chad was a kid who got bullied first, and eventually turned into the bully. And the background info we do have backs that up.

Let’s look at what’s canonically confirmed:

Flambé/Chad is 36 years old.

He’s from Afghanistan.

He’s openly queer.

Now, we don’t know exactly how the Dispatch universe overlaps with real-world history, but assuming major events still happened—or that similar ones did—you can probably guess what I’m getting at here.

When Flambé/Chad was about 12, the real world went through an event that led to a massive increase in xenophobia, racism, and violence toward people from his demographic. And even if 9/11 didn’t play out the same way in Dispatch, let’s be honest: the U.S. has never had a stellar track record with first-gen immigrants, especially ones from the Middle East.

On top of that, he’s said outright that when he realized he was gay, he didn’t even bother going into the closet. That alone puts him at high risk of bullying—especially in a 2000s United States, especially as an immigrant kid, especially if he figured this out young.

My boyfriend counters with:

“Guys built like him don’t get bullied. Also, who would pick on someone with fire powers? And if he was bullied, he wouldn’t be such an asshole.”

To which I say:

We don’t know when his powers first manifested. He could’ve been powerless until later.

Growth spurts are real and often happen late. You can be the awkward short kid at 12 and the tank at 17.

And surprise! Tall, buff people get bullied too. Speaking from experience here.

Also, not every bullied kid becomes empathetic. Some develop anger issues, social armor, or flat-out become aggressors themselves.

His other point:

“Even when he tries to be nice, he’s still arrogant. I don’t think he ever learned how to be respectful.”

My counter:

He has shown respect—most consistently toward the women in the cast. It’s not perfect, but it’s there. And honestly, if you grew up constantly under attack for your ethnicity, immigration status, and sexuality, you might also develop a defensive, abrasive presentation that reads as arrogance.

We’ve basically put our theories on the table and decided to wait until more lore drops to settle the bet. But I’m curious:

Am I totally off-base for reading Flambé/Chad through this lens? Or does this interpretation make sense to anyone else?