Hugo Wandschneider

**Hugo Mitchell Wandschneider**, along with Marco Mendoza and Luckystar, is one of the three primary protagonists of the Flux Destiny series. He's a teenage Escape Artist with a unique power: "Automate." His Clockwork Karmastry allows him to control fundamental forces like karma, light, gravity, and electricity using temporary gear-based constructs.

## Biography

### Early Life

Hugo was born on March 23, 1976 A.C. in Big Dipper City, located in southeastern Fortuna. His middle name comes from his maternal grandfather, Mitchell, a tractor store owner in northern Fortuna.

He was born nearly two weeks late, originally estimated to occur between March 7 and 15. His late arrival is sometimes teased by his older brothers, who call him a "mama's boy" and joke that, if he could, he'd have stayed in the womb, reading books forever.

He's the youngest son of Owen Wandschneider, a building contractor, and his wife Heidi, a special agent with the Karmic Crimes Agency—a Fortuna government agency that investigates and apprehends rogue Escape Artists who practice illegal karmastry.

Hugo's the younger brother to Claus and Felix and elder brother to Gretchen.

At around age 10, Hugo's issues with self-control only got worse as his family began to fall apart, turning to his obsessions to escape the resulting pain. This led to a period of weight gain as he looked to food for comfort when his father's business collapsed. Hugo was given the nickname "Huge-o" by bullies, which didn't help his personal issues. But it was meeting Marco that saved him around the age of 14.

Hugo felt he could look up to Marco and talk with him about anything he needed when Claus and Felix left him alone, while Marco took the opportunity to enjoy being a surrogate big brother to Hugo. Marco also taught Hugo all about karmastry, flux destinies, and Escape Artists. Marco helped Hugo lose weight and pull himself together before they both entered Wolfgang Academy, though their friendship would soon begin to crumble.

### Current Day

At the start of the mainline series, Hugo (15) finds himself stuck. Growing up in Fortuna isn't easy. "Destiny" is all anyone talks about. "What're you going to do when you grow up?" adults around him always ask, sometimes even skipping the usual pleasantries.

Hugo's oldest brother, Claus, became a famous TV star at only 12 and after five ratings-smashing seasons is about to make the jump to the big screen. Felix, his second oldest brother, is a star athlete at school, insanely popular with girls, and is starting his training to be a championship Ink Fighter. His little sister, Gretchen, has won so many awards at school they've run out of ribbons and trophies to give her. She's 4 years younger than her big brother Hugo and has already saved enough college money thanks to her little side hustles.

The Wandschneider's Trophy Room sits filled with his siblings' accomplishments. A lone, little trophy for the one time Hugo won the physics award at school cowers in the shadows of his siblings' achievements. Sandwiched between his super confident older brothers and his overly competent, bossy little sister, Hugo feels like he's never really fit in.

But there's something he's definitely sure of: he not only wants to be an Escape Artist when he grows up, he wants to be one of the greats. He feels that if he can do this, he'll be able to design a better world than the one he's growing up in.

Given his middle-class upbringing, you'd never suspect that Hugo is the grandson of Walter Wandschneider—world famous Great Escape Artist, and television and movie producer who founded of one of the world's most prolific film studios and flux destiny workshops in the world.

## Appearance

Hugo is a pale-skinned young man with light blond, swept-back hair which is shaved at the sides and blue eyes. He typically wears grey shoes, white socks, black jeans and a dark gray shirt beneath his purple Wolfgang Academy jacket.

Hanging from the jacket's front is a large golden torus ring.

## Personality

Hugo is the most intellectually curious of his siblings and can get rather obsessed with topics that interest him such as Mu manga, Escape Artists, and karmastry. Where he lacks in physical strength, Hugo makes up for in brainpower. This positive trait can sometimes turn negative, getting him in trouble, especially when it's paired with his defining fault: lack of self-control.

Hugo's problems with self-control manifest in a number of ways. For example, when he's cornered, he becomes a smart mouth, delivering snide remarks that reveal his inner feelings. This often ends with him getting grounded by his parents, or worse, physically injured by bullies or other antagonists.

Obsessions also fall into this category, and they can lead him to focus single-mindedly on things that interest him, often at a social cost. For example, spending a lot of time reading, playing video games, or watching television. This only becomes worse in his childhood as he turns to his obsessions to escape the pain and discomfort of his difficult family life that he's not equipped to deal with at the time.

## Relationships

### Parents

* **Owen Wandschneider**, 44, building contractor, and owner of Real McCoy Custom Homes
* **Heidi Wandschneider**, 42, Special Agent with the Fortuna Karmic Crimes Agency

### Siblings

* **Claus Wandschneider**, 20
* **Felix Wandschneider,** 17
* **Gretchen Wandschneider**, 11

### Marco

Marco is Hugo's best friend. While Hugo and Marco have a very close relationship, they are not without their conflicts. One of the downsides of their dynamic is that Marco's ego can clash with Hugo's own sense of self. Marco tends to be dominant and opinionated, and he can easily dismiss Hugo's ideas or feelings if they don't align with his own. This can cause tension between them, especially when Hugo feels like his thoughts or emotions aren't being taken seriously.

### Lucky Star

Lucky Star is Marco's Clockbot, but Hugo has a good relationship with it.

## Skills

### Karmastry

Hugo specializes in Clockwork Karmastry, allowing him to control fundamental forces like karma, light, gravity, and electricity using temporary gear-based constructs. His unique form of Clockwork Karmastry is called "Automate."

Hugo can use Karmastry to access the Great Machine. By controlling fundamental forces, he can change the way the world works. To use his powers, Hugo channels positive karma from his environment through a large golden torus he wears on his chest.

But as with all karmastry, there are risks. If Hugo doesn't use his powers carefully, he could attract negative karma and face payback, from mild malfunctions to catastrophic consequences. That's why he has to be careful and understand the cause-and-effect relationship of his work, relying on advanced math and mindsight to reduce the risk of attracting payback.

### Combat Karmastry

* **Practical Use: Gear Constructs** - Hugo can use his Automate karmastry to create temporary gear-based constructs by siphoning positive karma from his environment. These constructs are non-living and have limited functionality, such as a simple lever, a clockwork mechanism, or a gear-based lock. Hugo must have a clear mental image of the construct he wishes to create, and it must be small and relatively simple. The constructs last for about 30 seconds before evaporating and can be erased with negative karma. The payback risk for this ability is very low, usually taking the form of mild mechanical malfunctions or setbacks. However, these inconveniences can become problematic if he is in combat.
* **Locomotion: Whiplash** - Hugo can channel positive karma from his karma ring and use it to create karmic bumps that propel him forward, allowing him to move fast and jump to great heights. The karmic bumps distort the ground he's standing on, giving it a trampoline-like consistency, allowing him to perform acrobatic feats and make quick getaways. The payback risk for this ability is mild to moderate, potentially causing injuries or exhaustion from overexertion. Additionally, the karmic bumps can destabilize the environment and create hazards for other people or objects nearby. Hugo must be careful to use this ability sparingly and avoid attracting unwanted attention or causing unnecessary harm.
* **Basic Defense: Shield Wall** - Hugo can create a variety of gear-based shields or barriers to protect himself or others from harm. These shields can be shaped and sized to fit the situation but have a very short lifespan of no more than 10-to-15 seconds. Payback is minimal to moderate, possibly causing minor malfunctions to his shield or personal injury. Additionally, prolonged use of this technique could drain Hugo's positive karma and summon payback, making its use less effective over time.
* **Payback Resistance (Basic)** - Hugo can temporarily create simple decoys or illusions using his simple gear constructs to divert payback, such as creating a brief burst of sparks or sound from a different location to distract it. He can also manipulate the environment around him to create obstacles or change the terrain, making it more difficult for payback to reach him. These basic decoys may require a moderate amount of positive karma to maintain and have a limited duration before they need to be recharged. While effective against weak or moderate payback, they may not be strong enough to withstand a sustained or particularly powerful payback attack.
* **Basic Combat:**
	+ **Torque Strike** - Hugo can create temporary karmic gears from siphoned karma and release physical attacks with them by tapping into the torque generated by the Great Machine. The recoil from the attack creates a significant amount of payback, potentially causing injuries, exhaustion, or even knocking Hugo off balance. However, with enough training and positive karma, Hugo can reduce the severity of the payback and become more proficient in using Torque Strike.
	+ **Glitch** - Hugo can remove, damage, or displace Gears of Destiny to irritate the Great Machine and create minor glitches in reality within his general vicinity, frustrating his enemies. Payback is moderate, causing Hugo to experience a similar glitch or malfunction in his own gear-based constructs, or even his own body, which can temporarily hinder his own combat or movement capabilities.

## Trivia

* Hugo is left-handed.
* Hugo can play the piano quite well.
* Hugo hates pork. If he eats bacon, it's got to be nearly burned to a crisp.
* While waffles are often mentioned as Hugo's favorite breakfast food, he loves pepperoni and pineapple pizza.
* Hugo gained a lot of weight when he was around 8 years old. School bullies constantly mocked him, calling him by the cruel nickname "Huge-O." It was thanks to his friendship with Marco that he got into shape a few years later.
* He's a very good chess player, with Marco being the only other Wolfgang Academy student able to put up a legitimate challenge.

## Gallery

Hugo sitting in a pile of gears of destiny.Hugo reaching through a tear into the Great Machine.How Hugo’s hair works.Hugo in his boxers