Cy plants presidential ambition in Wicks
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Cy urges Wicks not to retire, highlighting the power and radicalization of his flock, which Cy believes has limitless potential online to start a wildfire and that Wicks can become president.
Cy gives Wicks a look that makes Wicks realize his true potential to become president of the United States, setting the stage for Cy and Wicks to rule the world as father and son.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Initially defeated and self-loathing, but rapidly shifting to a dangerous, intoxicating self-belief as Cy’s words take root. His emotional state is a volatile mix of shame and emerging grandeur, with a flicker of paranoia about his own potential.
Monsignor Wicks stands in the church, his broad shoulders slightly slumped as he voices self-doubt about his shrinking flock. His piercing eyes flicker with uncertainty until Cy’s manipulative rhetoric takes hold, and a slow, dangerous realization dawns—he could be more than a fading parish leader. His physical presence shifts from defeat to tentative confidence, mirroring his internal transformation from vulnerability to burgeoning ambition.
- • To reclaim his perceived lost influence and relevance
- • To explore the intoxicating idea of political power, fueled by Cy’s flattery
- • His flock’s loyalty is waning, and he is a failure in his current role
- • Cy’s vision of radicalized online followers and political ambition is both dangerous and irresistible
Coldly calculating and exhilarated by the power dynamic. He masks his contempt for Wicks behind a veneer of filial devotion, but his true emotion is a thrill at the prospect of molding Wicks into his political pawn. There’s a predatory glee in his eyes as he senses Wicks’ resistance crumbling.
Cy Draven dominates the scene with a predatory charm, his body language exuding confidence as he dismantles Wicks’ self-doubt with surgical precision. He leans in, his voice a mix of mock sympathy and calculated excitement, painting a vision of power that plays directly into Wicks’ ego. The ‘do you seriously think you couldn’t?’ glance is a masterclass in manipulation—equal parts challenge and validation—sealing Wicks’ complicity in their toxic alliance.
- • To recruit Wicks as a political figurehead for his own ambitions
- • To solidify their father-son dynamic as a tool for control and leverage
- • Wicks’ ego and desperation make him the perfect puppet for political exploitation
- • The internet and radicalized followers are the keys to bypassing traditional power structures
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Cy Draven’s promise of ‘this money’ for Wicks’ campaign is the unspoken catalyst of this event, though it remains abstract and unseen. The money symbolizes both the tangible resource Cy wields to manipulate Wicks and the intangible power of financial backing in political aspirations. Its absence from the scene—no physical bills or documents—heightens its allure, transforming it into a mythic, almost spiritual force that Cy dangles like a carrot. The money is less an object and more a promise, a verbal contract that binds Wicks to Cy’s vision.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The church serves as a paradoxical setting for this secular power play. Its sacred space—dimly lit, hushed, and heavy with the weight of tradition—becomes the unlikely stage for Cy’s profane pitch. The pews, altar, and stained glass, symbols of spiritual authority, contrast sharply with the political ambition being negotiated. The location’s atmosphere is tense, the air thick with unspoken tension, as if the church itself is holding its breath, complicit in this corruption of its purpose.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Wicks’ Flock is the invisible third party in this exchange, their radicalized potential the fuel for Cy’s ambitions. Though physically absent, their presence looms large as Cy reframes them from a dwindling congregation to a political army. The organization’s role is dual: a symbol of Wicks’ perceived failure and a tool for his potential resurrection. Cy’s rhetoric transforms their loyalty from a religious duty into a political weapon, redefining the power dynamics of the flock and positioning Wicks as their messianic leader in a new, secular context.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"CY: Retire?! Do you know the power of what you do on that stage?"
"WICKS: I've shrunk the flock..."
"CY: No you've radicalized them. That is power. In a small town there are only so many witches to burn and zealots to activate, your flame lacks fuel. But... on the internet? Wildfire. With this money and your cult of personality, are you kidding me! Give me four years and you could be president."
"CY: Together we can build a real empire, as father and son."