What to do about Magik?
Author's note: A minor tidbit chapter as I contemplated the student dynamics in Strange Academy. Where Emily (a star student) has lead a student walkout and then a rebellion. So… woke in some ways as just some firm discipline would have prevented such (i.e. nobody acts out in Illyana's class). But… sometimes people keep trying to pretend children are just rational but small adults.
Somehow I don't think Illyana would agree with that, nor would she be sympathetic to students attacking instructors. Much less would she be sympathetic to instructors who are overcome by children and thus reinforce the wrong lessons.
Illyana is NOT being used in the comic story to find the missing kids so I figure she is not in agreement on how the now delinquents should be handled. Can't help but think there would have been a discussion, or perhaps a group text? Hmm, I wonder how that would have gone.
Incidentally I think Zelma is likely a liberal woke kind of person, which I use as a foil for interactions (plus I did make her a vegan, not sure if she really is).
Part 75a: Group Text From Various Strange Academy Instructors
From Zelma: Illyana, we need your help.
From Magik: Regarding?
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): Our wayward students. The ones who left with Emily.
From Magik: I take it you found them.
From Zelma: Yes, they were hiding out at Stephen Strange's house of all things.
From Magik: The Sorceress Supreme was hiding them?
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): No, they appear to have been squatting as Clea does not make use of the house.
From Magik: Really? The house with all the dangerous stuff so insufficiently guarded that students are able to break in? The house filled with powerful and dangerous artifacts? Hmm, how many got eaten?
From Zelma: Thankfully none!
From Magik: Pity.
From Zelma: What?
From Magik: A lost teaching moment I suppose on being completely stupid. Oh well. So why do you need me? Sound's like this is now Clea's problem.
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): The Sorceress Supreme is… disinterested in pursing the students. She enhanced the wards and left it at that. She continues to show no interest in the goals of the Strange Academy.
From Zelma: The kids fled to some other dimension so we were hoping you'd help us track them down.
From Hellstrom: Fled? How was that possible if you'd found them.
From Zelma: They… kind of assaulted Voodoo and I. Trapped us with magic webs and fled under Emily's leadership.
From Magik: Ah, the trouble maker. Told you so.
From Hellstrom: So… students are now allowed to assault the faculty?
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): Not as such. They surprised us.
From Magik: Woke.
From Zelma: Let's not start that again.
From Hellstrom: I am in agreement with Magik. These… woke methods on treating students is detrimental to their long term welfare. You are letting them get away with actions that will simply encourage them to go further.
From Zelma: Many a study has shown that letting students take control of their education results in enhanced learning. Punishment just continues the cycle of the powerful over those lacking power.
From Magik: Woke. Told you this would happen. We are not dealing with ordinary students.
From Zelma: Still advocating corporal punishment I see.
From Hellstrom: The world is filled with not nice people Zelma, mollycoddling them will simply result in worse results as they will not have learned that the world can hurt them and the world does not care. Actions have consequences. There is a reason the students are presented with moral choices. All have the potential for good. All have the potential for great evil.
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): Anyway, we need your help Magik in locating them, we'll take it from there.
From Magik: Have Wanda do it.
From Scarlet Witch: I… would prefer not to. Cross dimensional location is not really my thing.
From Magik: Bull. You just don't want to be the heavy. Fine, I'll do it, but we'll do it my way. I'll locate them, and I'll bring them back.
From Zelma: Hells no. Your way is the way of violence. Just imagine the trauma.
From Magik: Yep. A lesson in life. One that you have failed on teaching, meaning that the lessons now much be harsher due to your failure.
From Zelma: No way you'd…
BEGINE ZELMA DISCRIPTION
We see the innocent students, having now adopted a vegan lifestyle, sitting around a campfire in some unknown dimension. Emily is busy expressing her heartfelt regrets as to her actions on resisting the teachers who were only trying to help them. That's when the fire's flames surge and craft a figure of smoke and flame.
A figure holding a burning sword.
A figure that is… The Darkchilde!
"Naughty naught students." Murmurs the thing of flame. "Time to pay."
"We surrender!" Cowers Emily, having come to her senses and seen to errors of her ways.
"Far too late for that…" Sighs the darkness. "Time to pay for your transgressions!"
The screams of anguish from the children as…
END ZELMA DISCRIPTION
From Zelma: What part of children do you not understand?
From Magik: What part of children do you not get? Children are not adults. That's why the word adult exists. And somehow I fail to see Emily cowering or repenting. Sounds like she's already traveled far down on the villain path.
From Zelma: So you would use force!
From Magik: Yep. Because your solutions are working oh so well. The students are already using it against the instructors. Next the stronger students will use it against the weaker students. As a librarian you really should read Lord of the Flies.
From Hellstrom: Expulsion is the norm for students that attack teachers.
From Zelma: Do you use force on that mutant island of yours for misbehaving students?!
From Magik: It's called Krakoa, not mutant island and yes. For those who would learn no other way. Not the first time I've been attacked by students. But always the last time from any particular bunch or individuals.
From Zelma: You killed them!?
From Magik: No Zelma, it's called providing discipline. Attacking adults, attacking instructors, and likely attacking their own means they keep crossing boundaries. Boundaries that proper instruction would have prevented.
From Zelma: You would have the children fear us?
From Magik: I prefer they respect us, but fear will do if that is what it takes. Zelma, would you raise you children to mouth off to bikers in a biker bar? Or antagonize a wild animal? I'm reminded of the idiots that go try to pose for selfies with wild buffalo in Yellowstone.
From Nico Nimoru: You fought for Zoe when Doctor Doom, and other came to kill her.
From Magik: Yep.
From Nico Nimoru: And she is one of those who fled with Emily.
From Magik: Yep, like I said before. Emily, for good or weal, is a leader. And as a child, not very aware of the consequences of her actions.
From Zelma: And what were you doing at her age?
From Hellstrom: That is uncalled for Zelma.
From Magik: No, I'll answer. At thirteen, I was busy taking over a hell dimension Zelma. After suffering years of abuse and madness. Own your pain. Own your mistakes. Learn from them. This attempt to coddle is causing the problems that you are bemoaning. A puppy that is not house broken is forever pissing in the house.
From Zelma: When you open your own school then you can set your own rules.
From Magik: Agreed, I suppose this is a good a time as any to announce that I'm opening a magic school on Krakoa. And I'll point out that student attacks upon instructors will not be tolerated.
From Hellstrom: Wow, that's news.
From Zelma: Um… really?
From Scarlet Witch: Hmmm.
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): That's… interesting. Are you resigning?
From Magik: No, I'm capable of doing both duties, in addition to my X-Men activities.
From Zelma: Welcome to the school of Magik, I hope you survive.
From Magik: Ha… oddly appropriate. Good joke.
From Zelma: I was being sarcastic.
From Scarlet Witch: Um… Zelma, you just quoted the X-Men.
From Zelma: How?
From Scarlet Witch: It's a thing they like to say. Welcome to the X-Men, I hope you survive the experience.
From Zelma: Oh.
From Hellstrom: Hmm, perhaps we might have some friendly competition between the schools at some point. Like sports intramurals.
From Headmaster (Doctor Voodoo): Interesting idea and food for future conversations. Anyway, at this time I recommend that we keep Magik as a backup solution while we continue to try the path of reason with our wayward wards.
From Hellstrom: Agreed, but sadly, sometimes it is not only the children who need to learn a lesson.