character.
CHARACTER NAME: Isaac Lahey
SERIES: Teen Wolf; Teen Wolf Wiki (for Isaac)
CANON POINT: Season 3, Episode 4; right after being kicked out
AGE: 17
APPEARANCE: what a honey

PERSONALITY:

Isaac Lahey used to be an A-class nobody and he'd be the first one to admit it. He was a quiet boy, introverted to a near-silent extreme. Shyly, he might ask out a girl, then not even be surprised when she failed to notice him. He took his father's physical and psychological abuse and internalized it. And all of that made the kid isolate himself worse and worse until—yeah. It makes a lot of sense, the person he's become post-being turned into a werewolf.

To backtrack for a moment, Isaac's father? Basically a crazy asshole that took the pain over losing his wife and his eldest son out on the child that remained. While Isaac himself implies in conversation with Derek that his dad didn't always hurt him, it's certain been a while, and it's done its damage. Whether Isaac received a bad grade or accidentally brought his dad the wrong tool, he'd be punished in a number of ways. The most prominent? Getting locked in a freezer in their house's basement. Unsurprisingly, this has left him with a metric fuckton of problems that aren't going away anytime soon. Such as claustrophobia (thus the hilarious username) so poignant and dangerous it'd have him turning on an ally in a second—which he does, much to his own dismay once he snaps out of the rage and terror. Then there's the anger issues, which have their high points and pitfalls. Need something done that involves brute strength and a guy that will relish the challenge? Oh, you can call Isaac. He never got to hit back when he was a normal human being, and the new werewolf strength is something he uses at every given opportunity. This involves beating up guys for concert tickets, taking out his own teammates on the lacrosse team—if he knows he's got more raw power? He'd love some direction to poor that pent up aggressive. Seriously.

Yet, at his core, Isaac isn't a beast. Heck, Isaac is downright non-confrontational with people he cares about. Particularly before he starts living with Scott, most of Isaac's words are used to form questions, leading to his main point, but initially either waltzing around it or pretending he doesn't have one. He's not a fan of meeting someone's eyes when he's undermining them, only locking gazes toward the end of a statement or inquiry. Maybe the whole way through, but only when it's an important dealie or there's a necessary intimidation factor. He's a great beta wolf, commonly deferring to doing what he's told. He follows Derek, and (spoiler alert) once he's kicked out? He follows Scott. He's a guy looking for direction, and he's not unintelligent. He knows when he can't beat someone, and he'll only go for the throat of such a person if an alpha pushes him to.

That said, Isaac's loyalty, particularly to these leaders he follows, is pretty absolute. It takes Derek legitimately triggering him—going out of his way to remind him of his father—to make Isaac leave their shared apartment. Even then, when he finds out the man's in trouble, he defies all order (and rationale, to be honest) to go help protect him. When he hears Scott is hurt? He finds the nearest 'Bad Guy,' a classmate at the time, and starts beating the crap out of him. In that case, he has to be outright yelled at—by Scott himself, now healed—and then he stops. Cold. While these instances are admittedly both before Isaac's current canon point, they're indicative of the way he treats both his alpha and his friend well before he's put to the test. All of this points to Isaac more or less being the perfect beta wolf. A good fighter, a heavy hitter, but at the end of the day he'll listen (even if it's not in his best interests).

But damn, it'd be nice if he cared more about those best interests. A lot of this loyalty has nothing to do with wolf dynamics, and more to do with Isaac's skewed view of his own self-worth. He's scared and alone at his job at the graveyard (yeaaah) when Derek finds him and—well. Preys upon Isaac's desperate desire for a way out of his situation. To Isaac, as well as his two other betas, Derek is a savior figure. And even when the other betas run from oncoming danger, Isaac doesn't end up deserting him at all. Though, truth be told, his mindset at the time is deeply affected by Scott. Scott's perhaps the first person to truly show concern for Isaac, which has developed into an impressively strong bond, at least from Isaac's end. The first time he says, "Be careful," which Isaac initially interprets to be about the guy he's about to go take down—it's surprising. Isaac gives him this look like he's never heard that before, and it's possible he hasn't. He's borderline desperate for acceptance, and having this pack of Derek's, while being halfway a member of Scott's ragtag get-along-gang—it's more than he's likely imagined he could get.

And perhaps the reason Isaac has managed to craft this odd depiction of a family for himself is because he's not a bad person. He's not just an animal or a lackey, he's a guy with something to prove. Out of all of Derek's betas, when they are still in opposition to Scott's pack, he's the only one to try and emphasize. It could be seen as cruel in its own way, but he talks to Stiles—about Lydia. Both antagonizing, both explaining why he doesn't mind that he might have to kill her (since she's the suspect for a monster at the time). Dark as it is, he's looking to see what he can get out of Stiles. He wants human interaction, whether positive or negative (though positive is overall preferred). Really, he's just the sort of kid that grows on you. He can do bratty shit like that, but he's actively seeking out approval. He wants to win everything he never had before—the battle, the lifestyle, the everything. He wants to be recognized. And it's really hard to dislike a kid that's working that hard.

That said, when he is pissy? Isaac is oddly hilarious. That non-confrontational demeanor makes him into a slightly passive aggressive dick, and it can be beautiful in its way. Scott wants to go out and Isaac recognizes it's for something dangerous? Let's corner him with harmless seeming questions and give him no choice but for him to let you tag along. Derek demands you go back to school instead of helping him? Talk about how you are very sick with a migraine. He pushes within the small boundaries he's given himself, and it usually leads to more looks that imply someone is an idiot than outright words. (Unless it's Stiles and Scott, then it's okay to point out they're losers sometimes.) It's honestly even worse when he gets cocky, such as when he has a clear advantage and the go-ahead to do as he likes. Then the words can be biting, the smiles aren't kind, and, er. Overall, Isaac may be a good kid, but he's not above being a douche, and an honest one at that.

ABILITIES:

- fast healing, which is shown in canon to have several limitations such as if the inflicting weapon is still in the wound (i.e. arrows) or if the body is too wounded to be able to relax for regeneration

- wolfy shit; claws, teeth, gameface, 80s hair, the whole nine yards. With this comes super strength (but not more than alpha wolves, and likely not more than most adult super strong characters) and similar speed (again, is likely to be outclassed by more mature power wielders). The downside is the wolf side can take over during times of extreme duress or the full moon, leaving him incredibly carnal (more powerful for it), and sometimes downright out of his mind. Basically, get his blood pumping too bad and things get rough, fast.

- beta shit; when fighting alongside his alpha (Derek Hale) or other betas he becomes stronger/faster/etc. Werewolf pack dynamics plus magic, I suppose. Limits are these must be wolves he considers packmates and they've gotta be on the level/feel a bond.

- ability to siphon out pain; while Isaac can't heal others, he can help eliminate their pain through touch

POSSESSIONS:

- clothing he was wearing; shirt, pants, adorable striped sweater thing, the works
- wallet; id, some cash, no credit/debit cards
- school bag; some textbooks, a half-eaten package of beef jerky, various writing materials, an extra shirt