FIRST QUESTION!
I am going to have to hold back about Rogue for a bit, I'm sorry. But I will say, she and Gambit, hot damn, they are the hottest couple to write, I'm telling you.
We actually all talk every day, the writers, artists and creators, and we all specifically started with a TONE, as far as I recall. Like, 'this is the tone I want to go for with this book,' because Tom Brevoort specifically wanted each book to have its own identity. So we all picked the teams we wanted from that starting point. There was a bit of, 'Is THIS character available?' but mostly, there were so many great ones to choose from, and so many new characters, that everyone was super generous about it. We all knew that if we couldn't have one character, there were ten more we loved just as much.
In Uncanny's case, a very specific story concept meant using a classic team upfront...but that's all I can say about that.
About connectedness, we absolutely all talk every day. If you are reading any two books, there will be a sense that they are in the same reality. But each book is meant to have a vibe of its own. We want the books to read like complete stories in a larger universe. Also, due to story elements, a LOT of the X-men are not picking up the phone when another mutant calls...which is a lot of fun to write, I won't lie!