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String Theory is a supervillain imprisoned in the Birdcage.

Personality[]

String Theory likely has a megalomaniacal personality, coming up with extravagant, over the top plans such as blowing up randomly selected locations in a scheme to make money and threatening to blow up the moon. Even during Gold Morning, she exited the Birdcage with a grin on her face.[2][3] When asked to minimize collateral damage, she was disappointed.[4] She put emphasis on thinking big, wanting to make a difference in the world no matter what that difference was.[5]

String Theory has been shown to have a fierce competitive streak with Lab Rat, constantly exchanging taunts and insults toward each other and their creations. She had a condescending attitude toward Lab Rat, though it's unclear whether this was meant to be playful or mocking.[6] When working on their individual projects during Gold Morning, String Theory visited Lab Rat through one of Doormaker's portals just to make fun of him.[7]

She had a bad relationship with Lustrum.[8]

Appearance[]

String Theory is a short, slouching woman with a petite build, her dark hair tied back into a braid. When she smiled, her lips pulled back into a wide expression halfway between a grin and a smile. She wears glasses.[2]

Her smirk was described as 'punchable' by Lab Rat and her glasses described as overly large for her face. She had very bad posture, constantly slouching and contorting herself into strange proportions in order to irritate Lab Rat.[9]

Abilities and Powers[]

String Theory is a Tinker similar to Leet in that she has very few limits or specialty restrictions on what she can build. Her creations worked on a countdown timer from the moment construction began, requiring careful time management and sufficient resources in order to achieve the best results. When the conditions of time or resources weren't met, her creations would backfire.[10][11]

She claimed to be able to work extremely rapidly as a result of having had four years to design new technology in her head while imprisoned.[6] As a result, she was able to complete the G-driver within the span of only forty-three minutes.[12] This was later expounded upon to be due to loaned time manipulator capes and her construction of specialized drones to do the construction for her.[13]

Her Driver weapons were extraordinarily powerful, capable of significantly injuring and even potentially killing Endbringers. As a result, the Endbringers coordinated their appearances so they would never face her devices in combat.[14]

F-driver[]

The F-driver, short for "Firmament-driver," was a powerful weapon created by String Theory. Not much else is known about the weapon other than that String Theory threatened to use it to knock the moon out of orbit.[3]

G-driver[]

The G-driver was a weapon designed for combating Scion. It was an upgrade of the F-driver, hence its name G-driver. The name was also meant to stand for "God-driver."[3]

The G-driver was operated remotely from a laptop during the oil-rig battle. It fired at Scion through one of Doormaker's portals, and targeting was further refined from the laptop using coordinates provided by Number Man. Due to the mechanics of String Theory's power, the firing time could not be changed and was set down to the second.

In operation, the G-driver's payload shot a beam that resembled a bug zapper. The shot was able to fling Scion out of the atmosphere, although it failed to damage him in any meaningful way.[11] The G-driver was incredibly destructive, being shown to destroy an area of a city a fifth of a mile wide with a single shot, pulverizing the buildings into small chunks.[15]

History[]

Background[]

String Theory auctioned off "safeties" to people who would be guaranteed not to be one of her random targets. Her target locations ranged from gas stations in Indonesia to a filled football stadium in Cardiff.[2] By 2006, she was making threats online of locations she could destroy, including government buildings, landmarks, and nuclear sites.[16] At the time of her incarceration, she threatened to knock the moon out of orbit with her F-driver, although this was not disclosed to the public.[3]

At some point in 2009,[11] she was incarcerated in the Birdcage. She became a cell block leader.[17]

Gold Morning[]

She was released to participate in the oil-rig battle in an attempt to gather more manpower against Scion. She was instructed to create a weapon that scaled up from the F-driver. As she was working, she inspired Lab Rat to finally think bigger, driving him to create his transformation serums.[18] She constructed the G-driver, which managed to knock Scion into orbit but failed to deal any meaningful damage. String Theory died when Scion shattered the oil rig.[19][11]

Ward[]

The G-driver was appropriated by Dragon and Defiant. It was installed on one of of the Dragoncrafts.[20]

Chapter Appearances[]

Worm Chapter Appearances
Monarch
1. Monarch 16.1 Absent
2. Monarch 16.2 Absent
x. Interlude 16.x Absent
3. Monarch 16.3 Absent
4. Monarch 16.4 Absent
5. Monarch 16.5 Absent
6. Monarch 16.6 Absent
y. Interlude 16.y Absent
7. Monarch 16.7 Absent
8. Monarch 16.8 Absent
9. Monarch 16.9 Absent
10. Monarch 16.10 Absent
z. Interlude 16.z Debut
11. Monarch 16.11 Absent
12. Monarch 16.12 Absent
13. Monarch 16.13 Absent
Extinction
1. Extinction 27.1 Absent
2. Extinction 27.2 Absent
3. Extinction 27.3 Appears
4. Extinction 27.4 Appears
5. Extinction 27.5 Death
x. Interlude 27.x Absent
y. Interlude 27.y Absent
Speck
1. Speck 30.1 Absent
2. Speck 30.2 Mentioned
3. Speck 30.3 Absent
4. Speck 30.4 Absent
5. Speck 30.5 Absent
6. Speck 30.6 Absent
7. Speck 30.7 Absent

Trivia[]

  • In one of her visions, Roulette saw a reality where half of the moon was gone. This is likely a reality where String Theory successfully delivered on her threat of firing the F-driver at the moon.[21]
  • The name F-driver is short for "Firmament-driver." The word firmament refers to the heavens, potentially referring to how the F-driver can drive the heavens (the moon) apart with its power.
    • The name G-driver, short for "God-driver," most likely derives from the name of its predecessor. It serves as a step up from the F-driver, shifting from targeting the heavens to targeting 'God' himself.

References[]

  1. Doomsday Tinkers (Architect x Mad Scientist) work with a set countdown before deployment and activity, constraining their options because there will be megaproject activation and activity at the deadline’s end. Meeting megaproject goals take a higher priority not because they’re necessary for completion, but because they make or break the success of the eventual activation.
    [...]
    Architects in story include String Theory (doomsday machines) - TINKERS 2.0, document by Wildbow.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 String Theory and Lab Rat stepped out of the same portal. String Theory was short, shorter with her slouch, and petite, her dark hair tied back into a braid, her lips pulled back into a wide expression halfway between a grin and a smile. With her glasses, it made me think of a frog, or a small lizard.

    [...]

    String Theory had made her tinker devices and then auctioned away ‘safeties’. Not uses of the weapon or offering targets, but only guarantees that the owner of a ‘safety’ wouldn’t be one of her randomly selected targets. The targets had ranged from gas stations in Indonesia to a filled football stadium in Cardiff.

    As one could imagine, there had been a high demand for her arrest. - Excerpt from Extinction 27.3
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 “What was that?” Vista asked.

    “G-driver,” String Theory said.  She lowered her fists, then fixed her lab coat and glasses.  She turned around and gave us a smug, superior smile.

    Which is?” someone else asked.

    “Upgrade of the F-driver.”

    The Firmament Driver,” Defiant explained, over the earbuds.  “At the time of her arrest, String Theory was threatening to use her Firmament Driver to knock our moon out of orbit.

    “And we didn’t hear about this because-”

    Morale,” Defiant replied, as if that was explanation enough.

    “Would have done a lot for my morale to know we could do that,” Clockblocker said.

    “In case anyone was wondering, it’s G-driver for God-driver,” String Theory said.  “Obviously.” - Excerpt from Extinction 27.4
  4. “The F-Driver,” String Theory interrupted.

    “Yes.  Start from there, scale up.”

    “Oh,” String Theory said.  “Interesting.”

    “With a minimum of collateral damage,” Defiant added.

    “Less interesting.  Next question: when?  My work is one-shot, and my best work is on a timer.” - Excerpt from Extinction 27.4
  5. “I’ll tell you what,” she said.  “Before I go… a bet.”

    “What?”

    “Which of us makes the biggest difference?”

    “What are the stakes?” he asked.

    “Existing,” she said.  Her watch beeped, and she turned around.  “Take me back to my lab.”

    He watched her saunter off, through the portal that opened.  He could see the scale of what she was building, saw her turn to smirk at him in the moment before the portal closed.

    He was left in the animal shelter, the lights dark.

    This wouldn’t do.

    He was thinking small and he hated that she was right almost as much as he hated her guts in general.  Yet however much he hated her and however much she claimed to detest him, they ended up together, over and over again.

    This- it had been her saying goodbye.

    Couldn’t think small.  Couldn’t let the runt win. - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  6. 6.0 6.1 “I’m not an ordinary tinker,” String Theory said. She tapped her head. “I’ve had four years to think, plan what I’d build if I got out. All up here.”

    “Me too, seven years of thinking,” Lab Rat said. “Need a lab. Not sharing one with her.”

    “I wouldn’t let you, darling,” String Theory said, condescending. I could see Lab Rat’s lip curl, but I wasn’t sure if it was in irritation or amusement. - Excerpt from Extinction 27.4
  7. The inter-dimensional door opened nearby, and wind whistled in.  He made a face.

    “You’re working so small,” String Theory taunted him.

    With more force than necessary, he plugged his machine into another cat.  The machine bucked as it kicked in, nearly throwing the cat from the table.

    [...]

    “What are you making?” String Theory asked, sticking her head between his elbow and his body.

    He dug his elbow into her back, hard, and she squirmed her way out.

    “Let me be your rubber duck,” she said.

    “Shouldn’t you be building something impractically large?”

    “I set my servos to build.  Tools in motion, engines heating up.  I’ll go back in… two minutes and thirty one seconds.  But I clearly need to make fun of you before then.  What can you even do with that?” - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  8. His voice rasped, “That’s rich, coming from the runt of a woman who keeps her location secret and hides from the authorities while her weapons do the work remotely.  I know you’re not very bright, but put the pieces together.  It’s not a one man show.”

    “One woman,” String Theory said.  She looked around.  “Sad, that Lustrum isn’t in earshot for that.  It would have got me points with her.”

    “You’re so far into the negatives with her that it doesn’t matter.  We have eighty people with powers here.  Think for once.  I aim to multiply that power, or at least keep it in play.” - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  9. She smirked, and it was a really punchable smirk.  She slouched and rather than straighten up to smile at him, she twisted her head so her chin craned up, looking up at him with overlarge glasses and a forced smile on her face.

    Somehow more irritating than if she’d been looking down at him.  Not that he would punch that punchable face.  Maybe in the right situation, he could do something more creative.  Take the right formula, the right form, and claw that face off. - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  10. String Theory is like Leet, with few limits or specialty restrictions, but her stuff has a ticking countdown timer from the moment she starts constructing it. All about time management and having the funds/resources on hand.

    Want to freeze the Earth's oceans? Maybe doable, but it's going to take a lot of rare/valuable resources, three months of steady work, and it's going to happen 1 week and seven hours after the job's complete. Fuck up, don't have the materials, or lose track of schedule? Get out of dodge, backfire incoming.

    Except she leveraged the resources from initial threats/ransoms to ramp up and didn't stop until the authorities came down on her head. - Wildbow on Spacebattles
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Extinction 27.4
  12. “We attack in… thirty-nine minutes.  Time things for forty seven minutes from now.  Most of the combatants will be cleared from the field by then, and the rest can move to safety before you put your work to use.”

    String Theory nodded slowly, “You’ll hold out for eight minutes after the initial offense?”

    Defiant paused.  “Make it forty-three minutes from now.” - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  13. “You’re not working at all.  We barely have time.”

    “They found a way to give us time.  Time manipulators have been allotted to each of us.  If we can give a convincing elevator pitch.”

    [...]“Shouldn’t you be building something impractically large?”

    “I set my servos to build.  Tools in motion, engines heating up.  I’ll go back in… two minutes and thirty one seconds.  But I clearly need to make fun of you before then.  What can you even do with that?” - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II
  14. Not going to happen in any incarnation of the Wormverse, or Behemoth would be built stronger to counteract (Or, as in the case of String Theory, Endbringer cooperation/timing would keep her from ever being able to set up a proper hit). - Wildbow on Reddit
  15. An area of the city a fifth of a mile wide and a mile long was pulverized.  Buildings were driven into ground, and broke into chunks no larger than a human head.  The wavelength of the beam let those chunks lift up for a fraction of a second before the next wave of the beam thrust them down again with the same force as before.

    The Simurgh was almost, almost out of the path of the beam.  He clipped her, and she reoriented, pulling out of the way even as she was hurled back and down.

    Much of the lower body she had been building broke away from the force of the impact.  A wing shattered.  The remainder was lost in the plume of smoke that rose from the tract of land he had blasted.

    Dauntless, too, was in the path of the beam.  He had his shield, and he was rooted into the ground in a way that resisted being thrust away with the kind of power that could push a moon out of orbit, but the grazing hit still demolished one of his arms, tore out a chunk of the Titan’s side. - Excerpt from Last 20.a
  16. [Scharader] [...] "[phooey] doesn't know what they're talking about. The plants are designed to weather interruptions and this is no exception, but people need power."
    [...]
    Snowfall [...] "You could try making that argument in Earth Aleph, but here there are too many factors to consider. We aren't out to hurt anyone but there are others who might be."
    [...]
    It may also be that Snowfall is referencing String Theory, who made comments online in 2006, naming things she could blow up, including government buildings, landmarks, and nuclear sites. - PHO Sunday, FEY seizes reactors, leaving Millions without power
  17. All in all, there were twelve cell blocks with leaders. That meant that there were eleven leaders with eleven lieutenants arriving. Acidbath, Galvanate, Teacher, Lab Rat and Gavel were leaders of the cell blocks on the men’s side of the prison. Lustrum, Black Kaze, Glaistig Uaine, String Theory, Crane and Ingenue were the female leaders. There were other cell blocks, but twelve was generally agreed on as a good number. It left room for discussion without too much chaos, and it left enough cell blocks leaderless that they had elbow room to do business elsewhere. - Excerpt from Interlude 16.z
  18. Interlude 10.y II
  19. Extinction 27.3
  20. G-driver charging. 1:59:03

    Borrowed tech. Dragon had taken it and revived the project. He had integrated it into this model of the Marduk. He’d fired it five times today alone - Excerpt from Last 20.a
  21. "You know you're having a vision, then?"

    "Not usually. It's like dreaming. Sometimes you can figure it out. I use cues. Sometimes I notice colors are off, or there's some big part of the world that's different, like, half the moon is gone. Then I have a moment where I'm like, 'Yeah that isn't right', and 'duh, my power'."

    "Half the moon? You work from alternate histories?"

    "I think I work from alternate histories to alternate futures, but I dunno. The power testing guys always say different things when I see 'em. Like I said, my power screws around at my expense. There's usually a point of contact or something so it's close. It's never, like, crazy different. Same people, same place, things moving in the same direction." - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest thread i p29

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