Paige Guthrie

Paige Elisabeth Guthrie

Portrayed By

Bridgit Mendler

Age

17

Gender

Female

Affiliation

Xavier's School

Race

Mutant

Type

FC

Call her a grade-grubbing workaholic, or else a Kentucky girl with spunk.

Biography

• Birthday: February 23, 1999
• Position: Student
• Fame: A high school junior, Paige's collective nicknames include "Hayseed", "Sunshine" and "Country Mouse". A transitional omnimorph, she can weather it all just by tearing off her skin.
• Family: Thomas Zebulon Guthrie (father, deceased), Lucinda Guthrie (mother), Samuel Guthrie (brother), Joshua Guthrie (brother), Joelle Guthrie (sister), Elizabeth Guthrie (sister), Melody Guthrie (sister), Jebediah Guthrie (brother), Lewis Guthrie (brother), one or two more unnamed siblings (one being Lewis' twin), Lucas Bartholomew Guthrie (uncle)

+ Show History

Paige is from a Kentucky coal mining family turned farmers. Paige's dad, Thomas "Ty" Guthrie, though a talented singer and guitar player, used to work the coal mines. He and his wife, Lucinda, married young. Both Baptists who wanted a big family, they had a number of children over the years. Paige was the first-born daughter though not the first child born to the couple (that was her brother, Sam). After her came several more. There was little room between pregnancies; it seemed only natural that Ty and Lucinda would have to move into a farmhouse touted by the real estate agent, with tongue pressed firmly in cheek, as being a 'cozy fixer-upper'. Although it was difficult to pay for the necessary renovations, they pulled together and made it work — Ty forced to sell his beloved '55 Chevy, and Lucinda even taking up seamstressing — until the day things took a turn for the worst.

With his company engaging in negligent mining operations, Thomas developed a cough that seemed to be worsening over time. He ignored it at first, but as his own father (also a miner, who was raised in a Kentucky coal camp) had contracted black lung, began to fear the worst. A trip to the family physician led to an x-ray; the results were not favourable. It was as he suspected: Thomas was in bad shape. He had developed complicated pneumoconiosis. He eventually died of respiratory failure in the hospital. Paige was still a young girl at the time.

Though the family received a settlement from workers' comp that gave them enough to start a livestock and crop farm, it was bound to fail without help from everyone. Lucinda, a mama lion just like the one referenced in the Tennessee Ernie Ford country classic, with help from their Cumberland County neighbours, taught them how to survive and squeeze every penny.

They bought most of their things second-hand. Everyone was given jobs around the farm. Even the little ones learned how to milk a cow's udders. It was only natural that Paige — being the oldest girl — was expected to look after the younger kids, and raise them she did; between screaming for her brother Jeb to stop pulling the tail of the family dog and lovingly, but firmly, ordering Lewis to get his lily-white behind off the tire swing and come in for dinner, she quickly became a high-ranking authority figure in the Guthrie household.

The knob-kneed and still growing girl spent most of her free time policing her younger siblings. At 6am she would rise to help cook breakfast for her brothers and sisters, though it took her some time to get the hang of cooking the eggs the way each wanted (not counting the little ones' meals; they always sat at the table, poking it with a fork and pretending it was "nose goobers" no matter how it was made). When not at school Paige was expected to hurry home to help in the fields. At night she would instruct the kids to finish their homework no matter how many complaints she received. As much as she wanted to be a good daughter and help her family, Paige found herself going stir-crazy as a result of living on the family farm. She needed more.

It didn't get any better with age. At thirteen years old, when the kids were finally old enough to start looking after themselves, and the family had even managed to acquire a couple of farmhands, but her mother still refused to relinquish her to the throes of adolescence, Paige began to fantasize about adventures in some far off city. It didn't help when her brother, Sam, moved away from home after discovering he was a mutant. Nearly green with envy at Sam for his new and exciting life, Paige began to quietly hope for similar circumstances.

Hope turned to rationalizing that if Sam could become a mutant, so could she. As the next eldest child it stood to reason that she would be next in line. Reviewing every article and news story she could find on the subject of mutants, she came home from school primed and ready; Paige (ever the scientist even at a young age) would conduct experiments to determine whether or not she could perform any feats like Sam.

Nada, zilch, nothing. As committed as she was to trying nothing seemed to work.

One evening it came to a head, when in a fit of frustration Paige yelled towards the sky, "If'n ya is gonna make me inta a mutant do it soon, or ah swear ah'm gonna tear right outta muh own skin!"

Shivering in the cold, she gripped her arms; she noticed that her skin actually felt loose. Slowly she tugged at it and discovered that she could peel it back. Even though she had not yet realized the full extent of her abilities she dropped to her knees and shouted a thank-you into the sky; Paige Guthrie had gotten what she wanted.

Over the next few years, Paige endevored to keep her secret while learning what she was capable of doing with her mutant power. She made her appearance at Xavier's school in winter 2015 as an awkwardly dressed but outrageously confident girl from the sticks. Once she felt she had properly settled in she made a name for herself as the resident cause girl by presenting her fellow students with petitions every other month. Soon afterwards, she asked permission to start a 4-H club. The fact was Paige Guthrie was there to stay and she fully intended to make the most of her time at Xavier's.

Powers

Overview

Paige Guthrie is a transitional omnimorph who is able to alter the submolecular structure of her body underneath her outermost layer of skin. She metamorphoses into various substances with a composition different than her outer flesh, leaving a single layer of dead skin she 'husks' out of. Think corn on the cob, when you peel back the leafy outside to find something completely different on the inside. Generally Paige has no control over what this form will be (it is as much a surprise to herself as others, tending to be something that provides her with the most survival value), but through her experiences at Xavier's she is learning to exercise some conscious control over her transmutations. Of particular interest to her is whether or not she can transform only sections of her body and if her power can be used to completely camouflage her skin.

General Limitations

Although no concentration is required to maintain a transformed state (she can fall unconscious and remain transitioned into another form) awareness seems a big factor in the execution of her power; if Paige is only semi-conscious (for example, drugged), she will be unable to generate an underlayer. Certain transformations will also make her incredibly heavy and impossible to move by anyone without enhanced strength.

When comprised of different elements Paige will display the properties of the forms she recreates, including their weight variations, increased strength, and enhanced durability and resistance to fire and cold, but she is still susceptible to poisons and toxic gases she can inhale, and can die if she doesn't get enough air. (See each Appearance below.) Paige's transformations last only an hour. At this point the new material will 'shed' itself to reveal normal skin. She can become any solid that she has studied and therefore can imitate; however, she can't 'shift' into something that exceeds her own body mass and any form she takes will resemble her own. While she can morph repeatedly, it becomes painful for her to shed her skin more than three times within the span of a day and rapid changing over a period of minutes will lead to physical and mental exhaustion. It is also worth noting that in times of great stress or trauma pieces of the uppermost layer may begin to flake off without any control whatsoever, creating 'patchwork' forms that include a featureless (and flammable) wood.

Shedding

Paige is able to sustain skin-deep injuries such as superficial cuts while in a transformed state without it transferring to her regular body. She can shed her skin to remove caked on dirt and grime as well as any of her minor injuries (and many a paper cut in her 'normal' form has been picked and casually discarded through this method as well). Unluckily, more serious injuries will remain and require immediate medical attention upon shifting back to regular form. These will most often appear as deep open wounds and be visible while Paige is still in her transformed state, though closed wounds and broken bones are also possible.

As a final and significantly more embarrassing side-effect of using her power, when she pulls off the complete layer of her skin, Paige sheds her clothing as well (they are essentially destroyed by the chemical changes in her body as their stable molecules are unable to shift with her). She has to practice in private and take special precautions not to end up naked as a jay bird in the company of anyone else. Fortunately there is a locker room at the school where she can change while training.

So far she has uncovered three basic 'skins' not including her everyday form.

Skin	Feature(s)	Image
Glass	Transparency
Brick	Hardness
Rock	Strength, Hardness

Appearance - Glass

(Extra Feature: Transparency.) Paige becomes a dense form of glass which lets her almost completely blend into her surroundings. Only in areas with reduced visibility will she be able to fully conceal herself. Though she has average susceptibility to damage, she doesn't shatter or completely melt like glass if hit by flame and can generally withstand the same amount of force as she would be able to tolerate in her regular form. Though she is somewhat more resistant to the cold and heat she can still be detected by psychics and other people who would be able to sense her presence.

Appearance - Brick

(Extra Feature: Hardness.) In this form Paige has the density of brick. As a downside she will be slightly slower than in her regular form. She can withstand the same amount of force as a brick building wall and can absorb as much damage. In unarmed combat, hitting Paige can result in a fracture or severely bruised knuckles, but repeated or more powerful hits will eventually weaken the layer of skin, causing injury to Paige's body. In this form she can also tolerate fire and cold, though not to extremes.

Appearance - Rock

(Extra Features: Strength, Hardness.) While transformed into rock Paige can absorb as much force as a rock before any signs of damage will appear. As with Paige's brick transformation the hardness of her skin can snap a bone if struck by an unarmed non-super powered individual, but repeated or powered strikes will cause injury to her own body. The major differences between this and the brick form are improved hardness and the fact that it will boost Paige's strength. She literally hits like a rock when she is in this form. She can easily render average men unconscious with a single punch (which could be gauged at somewhere between 750 and 2000 pounds of force), but her movements will also tend to be slowed by the cumbersomeness of her own body. As well, the rock has the same heightened resistance to fire and cold as brick.

Skills

+ Show Skills

Student Activism: Paige is exceptionally smart and candid in her opinions. She will argue with just about anyone about practically everything — though her two primary focuses seem to be environmentalism and humanitarianism. After being raised to believe in the principle of social responsibility, Paige is intent on being an activist wherever she can.

Childcare: When you spend a large portion of your childhood looking after younger siblings, you learn a thing or two about kids. Paige is a natural with children. While some of the higher level students might try to foster bad habits in the younger school kids, Paige can always be counted on to take care of them almost as a big sister would.

Computer Literacy: Paige takes computer classes at Xavier's. While not what would be termed a "master of technology" (she doesn't do computer hacking as most of what she has learned has been teacher-approved) Paige can operate computers, troubleshoot and install software. She is not the computers expert she is in the comics, for the reason that events have not evolved in that direction.

Farm Knowledge: Paige Guthrie grew up on a working man's farm in Kentucky (and spent very little time off of it, in their traditionalist farming community). She was raised to believe in time-honored farming methods, but Paige has knowledge of a whole whack of things related to the family business. This includes horticulture and animal husbandry. No lie, she once helped birth a cow.

Horseback Riding: The Guthries have a couple of horses on the farm. Paige has learned how to ride Western style. She's never done it competitively, but she'd be better at it than, say, someone getting on a saddle for the first time.

Book Smarts: Besides having a fair amount of knowledge when it comes to her coursework, Paige is keen to understand her own power. In addition to her studies, she does a fair amount of independent reading. Some may think Paige is destined for a Chemistry Nobel Laureate. A self-proclaimed chemistry wiz, she can tell you about biochemistry, organic chemistry, and any number of topics that hold her interest. On some weekends, she travels by train to New York City to attend public seminars in the protected areas. Strangely, she finds it all just fascinating.

Flaws

+ Show Flaws

Overconfident: Paige has confidence like you wouldn't believe, and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to trouble when a girl believes she can take on the whole world without so much as batting an eyelash. Paige also has difficulty working as a team with anyone. She responds badly to directions and attempts to take too much on herself.

Accent: Paige has a thick 'country girl' accent. Unlike some members of her family she's not comfortable letting it out around those born in big cities (though people from small towns and, even better, farming communities can put her entirely at ease). While it doesn't bother her personally, it can make her seem uneducated when her I'ms become Ah'ms and her if and whens become iff'ns. She knows it, and she is determined not to be seen as a 'dumb Kentucky girl' or 'hick' by anyone. During her time at Xavier's she has learned to concentrate on her speaking and sounds almost identical to everyone else at school, but when she is angry or stressed, her accent will sometimes unwittingly slip out.

Holier Than Thou: Slackers and self-hating mutants exasperate Paige. She is proud and unashamed of her mutated genes. She'll get up on a soapbox about how great being a mutant is and the evils of being whiny or lazy almost every time. Having worked hard her entire life she respects effort and doesn't get when someone sits around all day twiddling their thumbs; neither does she understand why someone would hate being a mutant. Granted it can get frustrating at times, you have the ability to do Big Heroic Things. Who wouldn't want that? Under normal circumstances there's no way that she'll sympathize.

Obsessed: Call it ambition. Call it something else. Paige is something of an overachieving workaholic. She is dedicated to being at the top of her graduating class, and strives to get straight A's while reading almost every academic textbook she can get her hands on. Most people have written her off as a total bookworm (though she is capable of having fun when she wants to).

Unfortunately it's not just studying that Paige is addicted to. She also exercises every morning. In fact, she even owns her own copy of Cindy Crawford's latest workout video (because even in her forties, that woman is built). It's scary just how obsessed Paige is, but she truly wants to be the best.

Slob: While organized and prepared when she wants to be, Paige can never be bothered with finding the time to clean up after herself when she has been on a studying binge. Even grosser is the fact that sometimes, when Paige husks, she leaves bits and pieces everywhere. Sometimes she notices. Other times she doesn't. And you thought toenail clippings from a roommate were bad.

Girl Troubles: Lipstick. Mascara. Blush. Eyeliner. How in tarnation do you put on the stuff on without looking like some rodeo clown…? Paige has tried it on occasion and ended up with eye globs, bright pink cheeks, you name it! She just fails on the girl front. She joined Xavier's looking like a country mouse who had done most of her shopping in her church basement and even after managing to 'fit in' she still finds it hard to dress like everyone else. Call it the result of growing up on a farm during a time when they were especially short of money, or spending so much time looking after her younger siblings and less time worrying about impressing the boys at school. Not everybody used to spend their allowance buying copies of "Teen Vogue"!

Farsighted: It probably wouldn't surprise people if Paige only wore the glasses to seem worldlier and mature for her age, but the truth is she's farsighted and needs corrective lenses to read things up close.

Resources

+ Show Resources

The Guthries: How do you not have family support with a family this large? Paige can always count on mom Lucinda and the rest of the Guthries back home in times of trouble. This includes spiritual and financial aid.

Xavier's School: Her shelter from the storm in New York.

Tutoring: Paige has a couple of hours each week that she commits to tutoring other students. Most of the time is spent explaining math to jocks desperate enough to spend time in her company to improve their grade. She normally charges between $12 and $15 an hour (the scale of which depends on whether or not she likes the person). However, she has been known to help the kids in the lower levels free of charge.

Savings: Paige has about $1100 squirreled away in her room. No, she won't be blowing it all in one place, all you bad influences, but it's there if she needs it.

Logs

Storylines

• None.

Watch For

• Her efforts to make the grade.
• 4-H Club.
• Activism.
• Her driving other students batty to get them to commit to her causes. Beware her petitions.
• Her inexhaustible supply of confidence.
• Her painful ignorance when it comes to hair, makeup and everything else that's girly.
• Her nonexistent teamwork skills.

Quotes

"If'n ya is gonna make me inta a mutant do it soon, or ah swear ah'm gonna tear right outta muh own skin!"

Journal

Note: Paige keeps a journal in her room. Like in the comics she uses it to record her experiences at Xavier's.

2015

• WIP

March, 2016

• WIP