#development⁎ ah’m used to minds leaving their muddy fingerprints all over me.

[anmaries]

ROGUE + THE BROTHERHOOD how does rogue feel about her past with the brotherhood? does she view it as formative/necessary to shape part of who she is, or is it something she tries to distance herself from/avoid? asked by @mindflare

Rogue does feel an incredible amount of shame and guilt concerning her past. But, it's important to remember that she was a young, impressionable girl who simply wanted a place to fit in. She wanted to be cared for and loved, and she believed that following along with Mystique and using incredible amounts of violence would allow her that. She killed a lot of people, and she absorbed a ton more ( so much so that in Genosha she suffers within her mind, as the people she's absorbed attempt to take over her body ).

This haunts her constantly. A large portion of her life seems to be dedicated to making amends for that past, and yet her penitence is never enough, for neither her nor the people around her.

For the most part, however, she really just wanted to make Mystique proud and show that she could be valuable. This stems from the fact that Mystique found Rogue at her lowest point, after she ran away from her aunt when the incident occured with Cody. Rogue believed she was some kind of dangerous monster, undeserving of society and everything that goes along with it, and decided to go off on her own. Mystique came across her, and assured Rogue that there were others like her, and that the power she had made her special, that she was destined for better things.

Whilst there was obvious manipulation from Mystique's side, the brotherhood WAS a safehaven for Rogue at the time. She made friends; she had people who appreciated her, who wanted to spend time with her. Mystique and Destiny were there for the formative parts of her life, and although a lot of it included engaging in mutant terrorism, they treated her like family. They took care of her, fed her, clothed her. Mystique was constantly viligant in taking care of Rogue, not only because she saw her use, but also how they both suffer with a detachment from their "real" self (Mystique and the constant changing of her appearance, Rogue and the numerous identities she's absorbed).

To return to my original point, whilst Rogue does feel a lot of shame revolving around what she did, her feelings are still complicated. She loved Mystique and Destiny, she loved Pyro, and she enjoyed being appreciated for who she was. The Brotherhood saved her from what would've probably been an even worse ending, and was sort of like an introductory course on her powers. So no, I don't think she actively avoids that part of her life, but she wants people to realize that her actions then do not define her anymore. She has matured considerably, and although she can take a more extreme / drastic approach on matters, she is an empathetic person who can truly understand both sides of the story, and who will do anything to protect those she loves.