InsaneJournal

Neurotic is probably the kindest word you can pin to Isabelle if you only know her on the surface. The girl has a lot of deeply ingrained issues and idiosyncrasies that make her come off as weird. She's extremely intense, oversensitive, and wants everything to be just so. She's not very good at letting go, either. She's very into control - she wants to be in charge of everything, make sure it's all just right. Issy is the type of person who can't just scratch out a mistake, she has to rewrite the whole thing. Incredibly high-strung and seems perpetually teetering on nervous breakdown.

Underneath all the outward drama, Isabelle is highly self-conscious. Ruled by her need to be perfect in every way - the right hair style, make-up, the right size, weight, all her choices are geared towards coming off the way she is supposed to. She very rarely lets her guard down, afraid people won't like her or will think less of her if she isn't doing the right thing at all times. Being guarded doesn't mean she's unfriendly, though. Isabelle is incredibly kind and caring and despite how selfish and self-centered many of her thoughts are, she does care about the people she is close to. She's a good friend, though definitely a stubborn one.

Secretly, though, Isabelle just wants to have fun. She has a side of her worthy of Azurecrest if she could let her guard down enough to let it shine. Though she hasn't actually been on stage, she dreams of being an actress and eventually going to Hollywood, maybe, or going a complete different route and joining some high brow theatre company that does a lot of musicals. She loves to sing, she loves art. There's nothing she's more passionate about than expressing herself in artistic ways. It's the one place she doesn't feel she has to be perfect - though she can still get caught up in getting those lines just so if she's not careful. The art room is kind of her safe space, though, where Issy can just be, you know, Issy.

Andrew Sargent - Father - Makes magical instruments for a major wizarding Astronomy company
Christine Sargent - Mother - Housewife
Daniel Sargent - Brother, older - Intern at the same company his father works at
Giselle Sargent - Sister, older - Healer

Isabelle came as a late, surprise child to her parents. They'd meant to stop at two but whoops, things happen? She was never treated as such, but the age difference between her siblings and her was quite large and left Issy feeling a little isolated at best and co-parented by four people at worst. More then that, her siblings were very good children - they were calm, respectful, and both seemed headed on "the right path" so to speak. Isabelle wasn't like that at all. She came out of the womb with a need to be center of attention, center stage, wanting to dance and make art and express herself.

But that was just Not. Tolerated. Not in the Sargent household, where rules and organization reigned supreme. Where mess was disliked very much, by an intensely perfectionist mother. Maybe it was the high brow lifestyle both her parents had grown up in - rich, powerful families were like that sometimes. It seeped out into them and then into their own children. With no one her age to run around with, play-dates with school friends well organized and catered, that wild spirit was eventually tamed down and Isabelle learned to live by 'the rules.'

Moving didn't help, either. Being a salesmen gave them commission which worked well, her father had the tongue of a seasoned politician and they enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle with how many of his companies instruments he sold. Not to mention, all the bonuses and the like. However, perpetually being 'The New Kid' was tiring. Her siblings seemed to just get how to do it, but Isabelle wasn't that good at it. She felt the pressure to dress the right way for each new place, act the right way, use the right language. It was exhausting, and felt like she was never really in control of the situation, in control of her life.

It almost seemed like things would get better, briefly. Her father got an executive type job in the company, which settled them down in Fargo, North Dakota. She got to stay in one school, West Preparatory School for Magical Education, a small but prestigious school that serviced the midwest, until she could attend Ilvermorny like her siblings. But it just didn't click there, for Isabelle. She tried, but she did not fit in well with the typical mid-western kids. She had more friends in the 'outcast' groups, but even they seemed to find her a bit odd.

And then it started. She hit puberty early, causing a fluctuation in weight and skin, emotions running wild, teasing by her classmates - and the jabs by her parents. "You know, if you just didn't eat that last slice of pizza..." "You could stand to lose..." They thought they were being helpful, knowing full well she was unhappy with her weight, but the comments just made it worse. They weren't unloving or cruel, but perhaps not as sensitive to their youngest daughters needs as they should have been. Though the OCD had been developing for some time, and the Anorexia followed shortly after.

It became far more out of control when she entered Ilvermorny. Without her parents watching her eating habits, she could eat less and less. She became obsessed about organizing her things in her room, color coding her notes, being the Best Student Ever. Her parents didn't even notice anything was wrong, they were so proud of how she took control of her life, how she finally seemed to be fitting in. Then, she had a nervous breakdown.

Or more accurately, a complete mental breakdown in her third year at Ilvermorny, during dinner. Finally, her mental health issues came to light and her parents immediately sought treatment. She was home schooled for a year (well, not really home-schooled, just attended a sort of 'private school' for other Witches and Wizards with 'Health Problems') and rehabilitated. Her biggest condition was a change of schools, too ashamed by her breakdown to face Ilvermorny - not to mention, it was just too big now. She felt lost there.

Fortunately for her, Isabelle was quite smart - her perfectionism and penchant for studying got her in to Gooseberry as a transfer student. Along with her volunteer projects (to help spread awareness about mental illness in the Wizarding community) and stellar academic record even with her breakdown, she was a shoo-in for the new school. She's been trying to come off normal, trying every club in the school at least once to see if she likes it, and doing her best to fit in and not lose herself again.