Long before the word entered a stage of regression, Dorian Lancaster fell in love with Dean Cantrell. It was a short-lived summer romance between a tourist and a local, over before it even began. Dean was from the Colonies, and his parents were nothing short of homophobic. Then you had Dorian, who was given anything and everything he wanted except the liberty to love who he wanted. Perhaps that's why he was so enthralled by Dean, even after he left for America - he embodied everything Dorian wanted but could never have.
Dorian and Dean didn't exchange a word until long after they graduated. It was an encounter by chance, when they were both on vacation in Greece. They were close by all means, but nobody realized the extent of it until a year later, when Dorian introduced his now boyfriend to his parents. It was a dark day for him, and he ended up homeless and left out of his father's will. Ironically enough, it went drastically better for Dean, hence why it was a no-brainer that he move to the United States with his boyfriend. Come another year, and the duo were to be wed. Yet another, and they were well on their way to having their first child with the aid of a donor and a surrogate.
By no means was it easy to bring Isabelle Celeste Lancaster into the world. Finding a donor was hard enough, let alone someone who was willing to carry their child to term. They were lucky to find Karina Porter when they did, more than eager to contribute where she could. Furthermore, her carrying their firstborn snowballed into her becoming the maternal figure in her life. Karina was there with Isabelle and later Chandler, Reggie, Piper, and Jonah. Their life was hectic, but there was no other way they'd rather live it. Dorian was able to become an American citizen while retaining his UK citizenship, whilst Dean went on to join the Marine Corps.
At some point in Isabelle's childhood, life got hard for the family of seven. Dorian's book shop-cafe hybrid wasn't as successful as they had planned and hoped for. Hoping to find a quick way out of their growing debt, Dean joined the Army. While his mother, step-father and father weren't exactly happy to hear he was going to be putting himself on the line, they supported him nonetheless, helping with the kids when it proved to be too much for Dorian. Joining the army, while not exactly fully relieving them of their financial struggles, did help a lot. With guaranteed housing, solid paychecks, and 24/7 security, it was easily one of the best decisions Dean made.
Isabelle always knew she had a proclivity for writing. The amount of diaries and journals she had were more than anyone could count. Every experience she had, every interesting thing she saw, she made sure to write down. Among the first things she remembers writing about was her first manifestation of magic. It was October, and she was weeks shy of her seventh birthday. It was fall, and flowers shouldn't be blooming - especially in a place as snowy as where they lived. But here she was, comforting her little brother Chandler and making the sun come out, the clouds disappear, the snow melt, and the flowers bloom. And as time passed, she realized that the weather seemed to take a lot after her moods.
As time progressed, Izzy realized that the environment reacted to her a lot. Plants died if she was angry, but their vivaciousness was restored if she felt at ease. It was interesting, if not a little worrying, but she never felt like it was something she should talk to her dads or her Aunt Karina about. Unbeknownst to her, though, Dorian and Dean had caught on, and suspected the origins of the phenomenon. Nevertheless, they let her be, hoping she would one day find it in herself to take with them about it. She never did. She had questions and theories, but it all went to her journals. It was, after all, the one thing - or person - she felt most comfortable confiding in.
Isabelle has always had friends. She detested feeling lonely as a child, and she still hates it to this day. But trust and communication has never come easy to her. This proved to be especially true when she turned eleven and received her acceptance to Ilvermorny. While she'd always known her fathers were wizards, she didn't really think she'd inherited their powers. It did make sense, though - why else would the environment react to her the way it did when she was a child? Sure, the times had dwindled as time passed, but it had happened regardless. At Ilvermorny, she didn't really click with many people - just two girls. They were inseparable, and this continues to hold true. She, ____ and _____ were Ilvermorny's musketeers. There was nobody she felt safer with. Not at home, not at school, not anywhere.
Ilvermorny was difficult for Isabelle, but it'd have been more so if she didn't have her girls. They were her solid ground - everything she needed. They had a mutual relationship, and she's 99.9% sure that's the only reason why she did as well as she did in school. She wasn't perfect with actual spellwork, and her good grades in that area she credits to them. But the theory of everything? She still likes to tease them and say they owe her for helping out with all those essays. In the end, she graduated with all EEs in her SALEMs, except one O, in History of Magic. Quickly after her graduation, Iz was lucky enough to find a job for a local newspaper. She was a writer, but severely underpaid. Because she couldn't afford an apartment for herself but desperately needed some independence, she, ____ and _____ made the decision to move in together in a small apartment in New York.
It was a tear-filled day, but in Izzy's mind, well worth it. They lived together for a couple years, during which time she slowly began to get recognized for her articles. Some were about lifestyle, some were about how-to's, some were about gossip. She was a versatile writer, and little by little, different magazines and newspapers began to try and snag her up. Unfortunate for them, she was quite comfortable where she was, over at Vista Magazine. Nevertheless, the time did come where she had to make a decision. You see, Dean had served for over 20 years in the Army - long enough that he could retire with pension. Now able to live comfortably, he made the ultimate decision to retire and move with Dorian back to the UK. Dorian had the opportunity to reconnect with his parents after two decades and a half, and he wanted to take them up on it. How could he not?
Because she has always been very close to her parents and her siblings, knowing they would be moving and thus taking Reggie, Piper and Jonah with them didn't really settle well with Izzy. It was one thing to live a couple hours away from them, but living an entire ocean away? The idea alone made her feel queasy. So, after careful consideration, she made the decision to resign at Vista Magazine and move to the UK the summer of 2038. She'd have more opportunities there. It meant she'd be leaving her platonic soulmates behind, but... she had to. It was for her family.