#scoguetember

😏 Who is bolder in public (hand-holding, kisses, etc.)?*

Initially? I would say it was Scott, buuuuuuuuuuut it was a little hard to tell since it was less spontaneity and actively taking initiative and more letting Rogue set the pace while making sure to ask her permission or let her know ahead of time when he wished to engage in PDA.

The majority of this occurs within the timeframe of them posing as a couple for a mission, catch/rekindle feelings, and some time after the Evolution version of the Dark Phoenix Arc events.

The Mission

Fun fact, Scott and Rogue were SUPPOSED to be posing as siblings with Charles Xavier as their ‘dad’ as they were trying to discreetly uncover information about some guy Thaddeus Ross had on his team of ‘mutants.’ However, as they tried checking into a family-owned B&B, it turned out that Forge or whoever was in charge of making the arrangements bungled up the reservations and accidentally had Scott and Rogue’s undercover identities listed as a COUPLE instead of siblings, and only Scott and Xavier listed as family.

Before either of the two could clear up the mistake, Professor X had swooped in smoothly and confirmed their [unexpected, last-minute and new] roles to the innkeepers. Cue Scott quickly putting his arm around Rogue’s shoulders, both of them grateful that she was wearing something to cover them. One of the innkeepers—sisters who are decomposite character counterparts to 616!Rogue’s Carrie—made a comment about how odd Scott and Rogue seemed as a couple, making a pointed glance at Rogue.

Cue Scott proceeding to be as blatantly affectionate with Rogue as possible whenever given the opportunity (but within appropriate reason and maintaining boundaries, because of the no-skin-contact thing she still has but is working on, and also because he is still under the impression she and Remy are still together) during the entirety of their mission because HOW DARE??? He even buys a pair of gloves later to both ‘match’ his ‘wifey’ but also for whenever she is ready for PDA depending what outfits she wears.

Initially, and a while after they establish appropriate boundaries so their cover won’t be blown but also Rogue won’t feel overwhelmed, it feels surprisingly easy and natural for Scott to be affectionate with Rogue regardless if they were in public or not. It gets to the point where Scott’s arms, hands, and fingers get restless unless they are touching, holding onto, resting upon, are intwined with, and/or wrapped around Rogue’s fingers, hands, elbows, shoulders, waist, knees, hips, and face.

Sitting together? Arms around her shoulder or behind her chair/whatever bench or couch upon which they are seated.

Walking around? It takes Rogue reminding Scott after they have long passed active civilization that maybe they don’t need to hold hands right this moment after one or both of them needs to go in an alternate direction for whatever reason, only to remember that their hands are still finger-woven holding.

Just standing? “This is Rogue. Rogue likes her personal space. This is Scott. Scott also [respectfully] likes Rogue’s personal space.” If he isn’t holding her waist/shoulders/hips/hands/elbows, he is paying attention to whatever she is saying as if she’s sharing a secret worth keeping, and/or leaning ever so slightly in her direction as if she’s the sun to his sunflower.

He has to retrain himself from brushing her hair out of her face, but will pluck out the rare stray leaf or petal that gets caught.

It becomes less natural and more awkward for a bit when he finally realizes he’s fallen IN LOVE with Rogue via an unplanned and unprompted ‘love’ confession when he is trying to soothe her during a massive nervous breakdown she is experiencing.

He avoids physical contact, close proximity, and talks very carefully to Rogue (because again, he still thinks she and Gambit are still together) during this time, and it’s not until Rogue pulls him aside, they have a heart-to-heart talk where, among other things discussed, she informs him that she was technically on a break with Remy, but recent events have led to her to decide to follow through with ending things officially.

Post-Dark Phoenix

Once the events of the Dark Phoenix Arc are over, they undergo their mourning period and are in the process of self-discovery, Scogue decide they want resume dating.

You guys: ‘Resume???’ But wasn’t the earlier part only fake dating/marriage???

Me: Technically? Yes.

You: And wasn’t Rogue only on a break with Remy?

Me: Also yes. BUT! Rogue actually wanted to break up because she had discovered that Remy was still engaged to a fiancée [Belladonna], Remy had begged her for another chance as he goes to visit his not-ex so he may properly end things, learned that she was in some trouble and wanted to help so asked for more time, which led to them agreeing to a ‘break’ for a certain amount of time. Remy had reluctantly agreed to Rogue’s condition that since he had still been betrothed all this time, and wasn’t planning on breaking up with his not-ex until after he helped her, she was not expected to wait for him and would be free to date anyone she wished. Rogue had been mostly bluffing out of betrayal, frustration, and minor heartbreak, actually anticipating alone time so she can figure out where to go with her relationship with Remy from here.

Cue random new threat to mutants by mutants under military supervision, Professor X deciding that Rogue and Scott be paired with him in one of many X-teams with respective missions, Scogue’s undercover information getting bunked up and having to pose as a couple instead of siblings, and trying to play up a convincing ‘happy marriage/honeymoon phase’ as they try to make progress on their mission.

Rogue: *types into search engine* does accidentally fake marrying my high school crush as a job requirement after recently breaking up with going on a break with my current boyfriend who has gone to hang out with and is still engaged to his arranged-from-childhood fiancée count as a rebound?

Besides, despite the craziness the fake marriage was involved with at one end and another, the feelings that blossomed and rekindled, the bonds that were reforged, and the connection made were VERY real, and neither of them wish to discount that just because it was an unplanned fake marriage.

You: ok, but what about Jean and Remy? 👀

Me: Scott and Jean had already broken up quite some time before circumstances led to Scott and Rogue reuniting and being placed on a team for a mission, and Jean goes through her OWN journey that she was benefitting from before the whole mess with the Phoenix. As for Remy? He and Belladonna had made up, and the eventual break up with Rogue was mutual.

ANYWAY! Off the tangent and back to the initial prompt.

Dating some time after the Dark Phoenix Arc is quite similar to when Scogue were undercover, except Rogue is not inwardly freaking out (as much) about Scott’s physical affection while making more determined efforts to overcome the negative side effects to her mutation, Scott balancing respecting Rogue’s updated boundaries—pretty please still ask or let her know when he wants to or is about to initiate physical contact, but now with the confirmed knowledge that she is not spoken for by ANYONE but him and she is ♾️% receptive towards him and reciprocating his feelings—and retraining the increasingly overwhelming urge to shower her with his love~

Now that he has explicit permission to touch her face, he gets to hold, smooch and squish her cheeks more often, and he loves to surprise her with a kiss upon her collection of moles behind her ear~

As time goes by, and Rogue manages to develop a more confident control over her mutation with minimal to no negative side effects, the roles have more or less switched~

While I’d also consider them equally attentive to one another, this time, it is SHE who is the main initiator of the PDA, without restrain and all of the eager affection!

Any grab-able accessory Scott has on his person? All of his straps, ties, belts, harnesses, and so on now serve as a means to be held onto and yoinked by Rogue to pull her man closer. I mean, besides their basic functions, they don’t serve any other purposes besides signaling for Rogue to grab ahold of Scott~

Coats, Sweaters, Jackets, and Big T-shirts? You must be mistaken; they are not meant for Scott to wear alone, but for Rogue to wriggle inside and be all nice and snuggly with him, excuse you.

Normal clothes? Yeah, no. Still grab-able. His pants’ belt loops are for her to hook her fingers in, and his pockets = resting places for her hands.

Are they sitting down? If she’s not in it, you can expect the occasional leg or two draped over his lap.

Elbows? Meant for her to hook her hands through.

Chest? Meant as a resting place for her head.

Face? Before Scott became accustomed to facial hair, every inch of his handsome mug is subject to boops, nuzzles, and kisses. After facial hair, nothing much has changed, except Rogue loves just holding his face and the scritch-scratching noises her thumbs make when rubbing his cheeks.

“This is Scott. Scott loves his personal space. This is Rogue. Rogue also loves Scott’s personal space~”

*Fun fact: for the longest time, and even now, while I absolutely love headcanoning PDA scenarios for Scogue, I actually don’t picture them kissing or engaging in skin-to-skin contact very often compared to other couples in my main AU. This is mostly because of what is one of the most interesting aspects to their ship, which is SENSORY DEPRIVATION.

While there are real life accounts of people successfully overcoming physical/mental handicaps, disabilities, or so on they’ve struggled with for who knows how long with additional help, pure willpower, miracles, or a combination of those, not always is that journey, solution, and conclusion resolved well in fiction.

I admit that I am not always bothered by how that is handled, as I do love a miracle story. However, in addition to those miracle stories where a cure is able to heal the physical/emotional/mental struggle a character has and is able to be free from…I find the stories where the characters still have those struggles, but learn how to endure and live with them just as inspiring.

I think that is why I have certain feelings about some views regarding Cyclop’s and Rogue’s downside to their powers.

According to both main and most canon, Scott’s limitation revolves around his lack of control over his powers because of physical trauma, while Rogue’s stem’s from emotional/mental trauma.

Both were very young when said traumas occurred, which adds to the stress and difficulty.

When it comes to mental/emotional trauma/etc, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow to those who have a range of skeptical attitudes of individuals whose trauma is not physical. Some statements I’ve heard fell along the lines of ‘you are _?_ years old. Why aren’t you over this by now? You aren’t trying hard enough to get rid of this problem forever and fast enough, so you must be using it as a crutch for pity points instead of leaving your box. Wait. I thought you overcame this already, but you’re suddenly affected by it AGAIN??? That’s kind of pathetic…’

I think that’s why Rogue is mostly—since nowadays, I am not a fan of how she is currently portrayed in comics, and season 2 of ‘97 is so far a letdown with her character—one of my favorite X-Men characters when her struggles are handled right.

Besides Scogue, my favorite ship with Rogue is Rogueneto. Why? Among the chemistry and mutual respect, I am a fan of how the writers make their relationship work in spite of her inability to touch. With Magneto/Erik/Magnus/Max and Joseph, Rogue’s powers are not taken away, but instead, Main!Magneto and Joseph!Magneto use their powers to help her be able to experience physical contact and intimacy with them. It felt like they were helping her not feel pressured to ‘turn herself off’ in order to meet each other halfway concerning a relationship, romantic or no.

With Gambit, there were several attempts to handle the ‘can’t touch’ issue: getting someone who psychically ‘removed’/temporarily numbed the mental barrier caused by her trauma, the power inhibiting collars, and then finally, Krakoa.

Out of all of these ‘solutions,’ the collar is surprisingly the one I find less issue with, mostly because to me, it reminds me of medical medication that are sometimes offered as solutions in real life. In addition, I liked that it almost felt like a realistic double-sided blade, meaning that in exchange for being able to temporarily suppress the mutation and prevent risk from the mutation’s side effects, you get control, but you also get headaches and queasiness. That would then bring up the question: do the benefits of dealing with my trauma/weaknesses/struggles in this manner outweigh the discomfort I now have to learn how to tolerate?

With the psychic removal/nullifying, I would have minded less if it wasn’t resolved in what felt like only a day or so. Looking at it in a different way, I would have liked it better if it was treated like Rogue visiting a therapist, and only after a significant amount of time, she is able to improve her control rather than her side-effects just immediately ‘gone,’ and Remy patiently and happily willing to wait.

Which leads to Krakoa. From what little I understood, what Rogue did to finally solve her emotional and mental struggles was pretty much a G-Rated lobotomy. I understand why Marvel wanted to eliminate the final ‘barrier’ so that Rogue and Remy wouldn’t have anymore limitations regarding physical intimacy. That doesn’t stop me from viewing it as kind of a cop out. Putting aside my earlier comments of the general skeptical attitude regarding nonphysical limitations and trauma and the belief that a person should just ‘fix it’ or ‘get over it,’ it seems that the ONLY reason why this is now the ‘permanent’ (until further notice) cure for Rogue is because the writers have no idea how to make Romy work and be official without further argument unless Rogue is FINALLY free of her inability to touch. I also was interested in seeing what consequences she would deal with as an aftermath to her altering herself to be rid of ‘her one fault,’ but nope. No consequences. No temporary or lasting side effects. That is how good this ‘cure’ is I GUEEEEEEEEESS.

Before anyone assumes anything, I do not dislike Romy. They have genuinely cute moments and are aesthetically pleasing. They are just not my favorite Rogue nor Gambit ship~

Sorry. Let me go back to Scogue.

OTP: SENSORY DEPRIVATION

Frank Paur said it best:

“We played the relationship card with Scott and Rogue, she makes a play for him, and why not? If anyone has an idea of what she’s going through, it would be Scott. He lives in fear of losing control of his powers and killing someone; so does she. He had a lousy childhood; so does she. He always feels isolated because of his powers and of his responsibility; so does she. And he’s the one who reached out to her and brought her into an environment of warmth, family and friends. Why wouldn’t she make a play for him?”

Regardless on whatever factors that contribute to why I love them together, I feel like this is one of the main ones that makes their dynamic work so well and their ship so appealing.

It’s not required for all real-life couples or fictional ships to share similar experiences in order to be valid, healthy, and happy, but sharing some level of understanding and recognition HELPS.

So for me, even though I love making Scogue kiss and cuddle in my AU every now and then, and I enjoy fanworks and participating in headcanons/discussions that portray that as well, I have not taken away the negative side-effects of Rogue’s mutation in order to make my version of them work together and have a family:

Anna Marie can touch Kirby and Bertie without problem, because the genetic code in their respective mutations allow this. She CANNOT however, absorb much—if any—of their abilities to use as her own or help them.

In addition, Kirby and Roberta’s genetic code in their mutation also allows them a significant degree of physiological immunity from Scott’s concussive, optic blasts. Significant as in, besides getting the wind knocked out of them from an unintentionally powerful beam and being momentarily dazed or off their feet, their bodies won’t sustain physical damage, inward or outward.

It is MORROW, their youngest and only nonmutant child, who would be considered utterly defenseless and most at risk of losing her life should either of her parents lose control of their powers even for a split second.

Soooooo…yeah!

In my AU, Rogue—despite having made significant progress at this point and no longer needing to constantly refer to her inner timer—still has struggles and limits, as does Scott, but their romance for me works because though they have not yet nor may ever find a permanent cure for the downsides of their powers, they continue to work through them, learn how to overcome and live with them to the best of their ability, to the point in their lives that —besides taking EXTRA precautions with their youngest daughter—their sensory deprivation is no longer a source of stress, grief, or a trial to overcome~