Casey Lombardi

"*I knew that my actions and choices would draw in a harsh impact in my life. If I didn't make the switch, I would have been stuck in the dragon's grip forever*".- Casey Lombardi

**Cassandra "Casey" Lombardi** is a sexually fixated aerobics instructor and member of the Blackpool Rebels Club, sighting a revolution coming through. She is a leading character in Don't Let the Darkness Consume You.

Known for her wild side in the Blackpool Rebels Club, Casey wanted to spread liberties and break through the conservative system that society has imposed over the years. However, behind Casey's smile, there is a depressing secret in the form of sadness and guilt.

## Background

Casey Lombardi was a troubled and rebellious kid born in Marybell, Quebec, Canada, February 7th, 1959, being the fourth and the minor of her family created by Rory and Jessica Lombardi. Naive and vain, Casey loved to make inappropriate jokes and pranks on her brothers and her older sister, to the point of provoking them. She did the same also with her parents, receiving punishment from her father. However, their siblings got their revenge by putting snakes on her bed, which caused Casey to freak out and cry, thus developing her Ophidiophobia. While growing up, after the continuous departure of her siblings, Casey was still living with her parents, having a hard relationship with her father, Jonah, but being more connected with her mother.

However, in 1980, Jessica passed away because of a tumor in the frontal lobe, leaving Casey only with Jonah. Casey hated her father because of the punishment and the harsh words towards her, to the point of telling him that he was a paranoical alcoholic that never truly cared about his family. Casey then announced her departure, but just before leaving her house, Casey heard a gunshot, and thought that her father commited suicide. Ever since then, Casey found herself with guilt for not having appreciated the love and lessons her family gave to her.

For two years, Casey began working as an Aerobics Instructor in Slender Kickstart Aerobics, located in Marina del Rey, California, and her sheer style impressed one of the members of the notorious Blackpool Rebels Club, Kenneth Palmer, who attended the classes in order to improve his flexibility. After various reunions and parties, most of the members wanted Casey in the club, but the leader Matthew Barton was initially against the decision of adding Casey because of her troubled nature, which caused her to become an honorary member. However, Casey proved her worth to be part of the club after helping Jay Ambrose in taking him to the hospital after a beatdown caused by two corrupt police officers during a riot in Marina del Rey.

## Appearance

Casey Lombardi is a caucasian young lady with long wavy platinum blonde hair, a slender body and insanely striking blue eyes, with bright heavy eye makeup. She likes to use rocker style fashion, like many rock band t-shirts, tank tops, and button-up shirts, where she likes to expose her neckline very often to attract as many boys as possible, and even her gender.

## Personality

Casey Lombardi is a very impulsive, revolted and extroverted aerobics instructor, having a very passionate and open personality. She is unafraid of saying what comes to mind. This can be clearly seen specially in the wake of the sexual revolution, where Casey is sexually uninhibited and has no problems talking about sex in public, while also having several one night stands with transient people. Casey likes to make obnoxious pranks, and inappropriate jokes to her friends, which causes several backlash. She likes to organize and be in parties, where she gets high and drunk very often. Outside her troubled nature, as a Canadian-born woman and a Greenlandic descendant, Casey seems to appreciate much of her native culture.

However, behind Casey's smile, there is secret full of pain and guilt, partially due to her troubled past and strained relationship with her family. Part of what she explained to Mary Jane Fitzgerald, Casey wished that she had a father that could actually care of her while comparing her family with Mary Jane's.

### Medical Profile

Due to her troubled relationships with her family, Casey Lombardi has developed a behavior related to Reactive attachment disorder (RAD), specially with the rancor towards her father, Jonah Lombardi. This can also be related to Casey’s immense trust towards other people, like the Blackpool Rebels Club members, who are not related to her family lineage. However, throughout the novel, Casey started to accept her father’s advice and was slowly grieving for her family.

Casey revealed that she also suffers from Ophidiophobia, the irrational fear of snakes. The reason behind the phobia is a past moment where her siblings Rory, Felice and Sebastian put snakes in her bed. After Casey noticed the hisses, she noticed the snakes over her and screamed in fear, before running to the bathroom and crying with the door locked. While growing up, at the moment she sees a snake, Casey begins to have anxiety attacks while having a faster heartbeat.

## Quotes

* **To Randy Cavanaugh**: "We have sighted a revolution coming, where we can spread personal liberties. Drugs and sex included. There's no turning back now, and people will soon realize that the conservative bullshit will die anyway".
* **Regarding seeing Anastasia Wynter**: "I was the first! I have seen everything!".

## Trivia

* Casey Lombardi is bisexual, making her the first LGBTQ+ character seen in The Hawk and The Crow. For a complete list of LGBTQ+ characters throughout the stories, see LGBTQ+ Characters.
* She is Canadian, and descends from Greenlandic people.
* She is the oldest member of the Blackpool Rebels Club.
* Her favorite song is "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, which was released in 1966.
	+ As a matter of coincidence, the song is about people following their curiosity, such as social experimentation with drugs and other activities, something that Casey did over the course of the novel with marijuana and opium.
	+ Ironically, when Casey experienced and relieved her nightmarish flaws and moments, a darker, a capella version of "White Rabbit" is played.
* Casey is based on Pete "Maverick" Mitchell from Top Gun and Max Mayfield from Stranger Things in terms of backstory and personality.
* Casey’s nickname “the dragon’s chaser” is a reference to the term "chasing the dragon", which refers to the elusive pursuit of the ultimate high in the usage of some particular drug, specifically Opium.
* According to Brooke Redwood:
	+ Among the main characters that were in Don’t Let the Darkness Consume You, Casey was intended to portray the role of The Stoner.
* It was revealed by Kenneth Palmer that Casey survived the 1981 HIV/AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, despite her lust for copulation and a large story with one-night stands.
* Casey wore a warm leather jacket with several pins, which is a reference from Top Gun (1986).