Desmond Gregoire Cusick (Dark Future)
Desmond Gregoire Cusick
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Portrayed By Julian McMahon
Gender Male
Date of Birth August 4th, 1976
Age 32
Zodiac Sign Leo
Aliases None
Place of Birth New York City, NY, USA
Current Location New York City, NY, USA
Occupation Former Broadway actor, current go-to guy between the Saints and the Syndicate
Known Relatives Brice Ivanson (father, deceased); Elizabeth Ivanson (mother, deceased)
Significant Other Candy Cain?
Known Abilities N/A
First Appearance L'Ange Perdu

Desmond was once a prominent Broadway actor best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the musical of the same name (for which he won a Tony award). He is also known for the following roles: Raoul (Phantom of the Opera); Phantom (Phantom of the Opera); Joseph (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat); Orin (Little Shop of Horrors); Gaston (Beauty and the Beast). He also owned Le Petit Théâtre (formerly known as The House) before it was destroyed by the freak weather phenomenon. Now Desmond is a go-to guy between the Saints and the Syndicate and lives in Candywasteland.

History

Desmond Gregoire Cusick was born Desmond Ivanson on August 4th, 1976. From the very start of his life, he was groomed to be a cut above the rest. His family was well-off enough to send him to private schools, and he was smart enough to hold his own there. For the most part, his parents were distant figures in his life, and his upbringing fostered a very independent nature in Desmond. Unfortunately, his upbringing and excellent academic achievements also instilled in him a sense of entitlement; no matter where he went, he perceived himself as better than those around him.

This arrogance carried Desmond through his school years, and his ego was never more stroked than when he was involved in theatre. Good looks, charm, and a natural flair for the dramatic made him an instant favorite with audience members, and directors and co-stars respected his talent (even if his personality put them off). Desmond went from prep school to a prestigious art college and, naturally, he majored in theatre — musical theatre specifically. This pursuit almost came to an abrupt halt when, at the age of 23, Desmond was involved in a car accident. The taxi in which he rode was T-boned in an intersection by a woman who ran the red light. Desmond hit his head hard against the window, causing him to lose consciousness. It also traumatized his left ear, permanently damaging his hearing. Desmond can still hear, however the left side is severely impaired (and he refuses to wear a hearing aid). Even still, he learned to compensate for this loss and, in spite of it, continued his studies.

While still in college, Desmond was courted by casting directors from Broadway, however he did not waver from his schooling and graduated at the age of 25 with a BA. Only then did he give in to the call of Broadway. He at first tread the boards in secondary roles, however he made his true breakthrough in a revival of Sweeney Todd, in which he played the lead role. He was an astonishing success and was soon getting offers for many prominent musicals.

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Desmond continued to live the Broadway dream until the very end of 2006, when he announced his plans to start his own theatre. He bought out a floundering venue known as the House and renamed it Le Petit Théâtre. It opened in June of 2007 and enjoyed a successful run up until it was destroyed in the freak weather phenomenon that obliterated much of New York City.

During the war, Desmond tried to do his level best to look out for Number One, which meant making a few enemies here and there (or a lot of enemies, really) with backstabbing and generally being a rather unsavory individual. His goal was to come out on top when the war inevitably came to a close. Unfortunately, plans have a way of going very poorly. When the war was brought to a close, the enemies that Desmond made didn't think twice about turning him in as a human. Desmond wound up in a detainment camp — along with several more of his enemies. It was little surprise, then, that his astonishing ability to mouth off got him a shiv in the throat. It utterly destroyed his vocal cords and nearly destroyed his life. Were it not for the kindness of a former surgeon in the camp, he would have died. As it was, it left him mute, and Desmond had to learn alternate ways of communication.

It wasn't too long after he'd recovered that Desmond was busted out of detainment by a ragtag gang of resistance known as the Saints. There he found a familiar face: Candy Cain. The man was so relieved to find someone he hadn't made into an enemy during his awful run before the war, and Candy was so kind to him, that he had no qualms at all in joining up with her. He agreed to help run and oversee Candywasteland in exchange for safety and protection from the outside world. Additionally, soon after he'd started in his new position, he used his ties with some of his more unsavory contacts to worm his way into the Syndicate, where he works as a go-to guy between the Saints and the crime group. One wouldn't call him 'loyal' to either group, however as he has no incentive to leave, they are stuck with him.

Timeline

  • August 1st, 2009 - Portia pays a visit to Desmond and cheers him up with a bit of song and French conversation.
  • August 4th, 2009 - Desmond has a birthday. Also he and Candy make silly plans and dance.

Quotes

  • DESMOND HAS NO QUOTES. YOU ARE SO CRUEL TO ASK.

Trivia

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  • Bi-Lingual: Desmond reads and writes fluent French.
  • Half-Deaf: After a taxi cab in which he rode was T-boned at an intersection, Desmond has lost most of the hearing in his left ear. He compensates for this by using the right a great deal, however he is often incapable of picking up whispers and quiet noises on his left side.
  • Secretly Bisexual: Even to this day, Desmond has managed to maintain his secret as a bisexual. Even though he's not in the public eye, he continues to cling to appearances. However, Desmond has a crush on Eric and Gene, though the other men are not aware of this.
  • Tony-Award Winner: Back in his heyday, Desmond was awarded a Tony for his portrayal of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in the musical Sweeney Todd.
  • Favorite Color: Green, dark greens especially.
  • No Vocal: Due to an attack during his detainment, Desmond is unable to speak or even emit sounds. Anything he attempts to say or utter comes out as a breathless huffing or an occasional high-pitched whine. Because he once made his living with his voice, this has been a source of endless frustration and angst for Desmond. He gets very easily flustered when trying to communicate (which he does primarily with gestures, facial expressions, written notes, and tapped code over radio).
  • BANG BANG, You're Dead: Necessity has forced Desmond to learn how to work with guns. While he is certainly not the most proficient with firearms, he knows how to fire accurately. He really likes shotguns and carries a .12-gauge with him wherever he goes.

Relationships

Friends/Good

  • Candy Cain: Desmond met Candy when she wandered backstage at his theater two years ago. As with most of Desmond's relationships with attractive women, they wound up in bed. After that, they kept some semblance of contact until everything came crashing down and Desmond started his downward spiral. He didn't meet up with Candy again until he was sprung from the detainment camp, and she was kind enough to offer him a place to hide out in Candywasteland's subbasement. She acts as a bit of a lifeline for him and, though it would be ridiculous to say that he loves her, she is the closest thing to a real friend that he has. He would not call her his girlfriend, but he is fond of her, and they do sleep together.
  • Portia Maddox: Portia was a budding musician when Desmond first met her two years ago, and he encouraged her playing and singing. He only recently saw her again when he came to live in Candywasteland. She's been kind to him, and he loves "talking" to her in French and listening to her sing.

Other/Neutral

  • Prime: The son of Candy. Desmond knows of and has seen Prime around, however due to his relationship with the duplicator's mother, his relationship with Prime is fairly strained. Desmond doesn't feel any real hostility toward the boy, however there's a tenseness there that can cause the man to get a little snarky on occasion.
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(Desmond does not have one of these in the future, despite being a manwhore.)
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