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In Depth Q&A
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➺ What, in the most concise terms, is Albtraum?
A Sandman, and the first Sandman at that. A Sandman without a heart.
➺ Is there more than one Sandman?
Absolutely. They aren't a very common race, though. At any given time there is maybe around three or four since they are capable of being in more than one place at a time. This ability though, along with everything about them, becomes less with age.
➺ How is a Sandman born?
Out of need. If a Sandman is aging and cannot be as many places as it could before or perform its duties as well as it could and needs to take more time to do them, another is born. If one dies, another is born. As the population grows, another is born.
➺ Does a Sandman have a name?
No, not usually. They are simply Sandman. Sometimes they are given names by the children and adopt those names.
➺ Why does Albtraum have a name now and what does it mean?
Because its not fully a Sandman anymore. While technically Sandman is still its race, it is more a manifestation, spirit, or entity now. One that has effects similar to a Sandman. Albtraum simply means Nightmare in German.
➺ Why is Albtraum not fully a Sandman anymore?
Because it's dead, sort of. While a dead Sandman disappears, it still exists because its heart hasn't stopped beating its just not IN its person. So this puts it in a weird place between being a Sandman and being a Manifestation/Spirit.
➺ How does being Heartless affect a Sandman?
Well, typically it kills them but its heart is still beating. It just isn't beating within its own chest. Without a heart, The Sandman is unable to make pleasant dreams, stories, or songs.
➺ How did it lose it's heart and why did it happen?
Death took it because she loves Sandman but is no longer prominant among the young, with its heart she can always have Albtraum with her.
➺ Where is Albtraum's heart?
It's unknown. Some think Death has hidden it away and others think she carries it on her person.
➺ Does Albtraum love Death in return?
Absolutely, It fell completely head over heels for Death many years ago. It loves her still to this day and likely will until its heart stops beating.
➺ What are those scars?
Guess.
➺ Kind of sounds like Albtraum is a masochist...
That's because Albtraum is a masochist.
➺ What did Albtraum look like before when it was a Sandman?
Like this.
➺ Why does Albtraum sometimes cry blood?
Its Death's way of communicating with Albtraum. When it cries blood, its her whispering to it about a young life it just took away.
➺ Why do they not see one another anymore?
It's not particularly clear why Death avoids Albtraum, but it IS known that Death's presence around young children is becoming rarer and rarer as Humankind advances.
➺ What is the difference between Albtraum and a Mare?
Mares are malicious and aggressive. They sit on the dreamer and force them into nightmares. When one wakes from them, they force the dreamer into a state between the waking world and the dreaming world which results in temporary paralysis. The anxiety and fear that comes from this effect is feasted on until they are full and they disappear. A Mare can be incredibly violent, and it's not unheard of a Mare to physically harm a dreamer in search of stronger fear.
Albtraum occasionally visits those it has grown attached to and they often experience it's visit as sleep paralysis, but Albtraum does not cause it. It's more of a result of the adult mind not particularly being open to the concept of Albtraum being real which typically throws the dreamer into a panic, attempting to wake before the body is ready.
➺ Where is Albtraum most prominant?
While many cultures have a creature like Sandman, The Sandman as its known in this tale and many others hail from Germanic countries. It's prominent in places like Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
➺ Can or does it travel to other parts of the world?
Not really, no. For the sake of roleplay, I often go with the idea that whomever it speaks with is dreaming at the moment whether they're aware of that or not. In places like Nexus, where worlds collide or creatures can manifest outside of their normal parameters this matters less.
➺ Can Albtraum manifest anywhere or anytime?
No, it exists in the dreamworld and only comes into the waking world when someone nearby is about to sleep, sleeping, or just waking up.
➺ Does a Sandman age and can they die?
As mentioned above, yes they can die and yes they age. They age incredibly slowly, but they do age and they can die. For an example of how slowly they age, Albtraum was born shortly after Germanic tribes started singing lullabies and remembering dreams. It has only now started looking up there in age.
A Sandman can also die by the hands of the divine or otherworldly. Humans cannot kill them. Death by an outside force is more common than old age given how slow they age. Mostly, this is by the hands of a particularly aggressive Mare.
➺ Let's talk sex and gender about Sandman?
Sure, they're all sexless. Some prefer being known by certain pronouns or present themselves as certain genders, but none of them have any reproductive organs. Albtraum itself doesn't care and will go by any pronoun one wants to give it. Due to its appearance, it is often called He but in my meta I will use It.
➺ What about romance?
A Sandman can love, and Albtraum is one who loves deeply. Much like humans, their relationship style varies. Some are monogamous, some poly, some have gender or sex preferences, some don't. Albtraum is monogamous and panromantic.
➺ Do all Sandman act the same?
No, they all have the same function but their personality and gained interests vary widely.
➺ What sort of interests does Albtraum have outside of stories, songs, and dreams?
Albtraum is a poet and loves poetry, it also loves visual art and theatre, it loves Opera and Orchestra music as well. It has an affinity for philosophy and philosophical conversations.
➺ What is the role of sand for a Sandman?
It depends on the Sandman. A Sandman has mystical sand that can help ease a child to sleep but it also has stories and songs in its arsenal. Each Sandman has a different preference. Albtraum prefers song first, story second, and Sand last. A Sandman is also composed of this sand and leaves it behind when they pass, or sometimes if they spend a considerable amount of time with a child traces of sand can be found in their room.
➺ How does Albtraum create nightmares?
By existing. They exist around it and it exists around them. Both happen, usually, simultaneously. The relationship between nightmares and Albtraum is symbiotic in nature.
➺ Can Albtraum force nightmares onto others?
Certainly. It does this sometimes on children that are particularly poor behaved, but generally not. Overall its a non-confrontational creature. It does whisper and lull children to sleep, though. Old habits. Unfortunately this will indeed cause them to have nightmares. It also hushes children who wake from nightmares and while its presense doesn't exactly help, it listens to them while they scream, or cry, or panic.
➺ What, in the most concise terms, is Albtraum?
A Sandman, and the first Sandman at that. A Sandman without a heart.
➺ Is there more than one Sandman?
Absolutely. They aren't a very common race, though. At any given time there is maybe around three or four since they are capable of being in more than one place at a time. This ability though, along with everything about them, becomes less with age.
➺ How is a Sandman born?
Out of need. If a Sandman is aging and cannot be as many places as it could before or perform its duties as well as it could and needs to take more time to do them, another is born. If one dies, another is born. As the population grows, another is born.
➺ Does a Sandman have a name?
No, not usually. They are simply Sandman. Sometimes they are given names by the children and adopt those names.
➺ Why does Albtraum have a name now and what does it mean?
Because its not fully a Sandman anymore. While technically Sandman is still its race, it is more a manifestation, spirit, or entity now. One that has effects similar to a Sandman. Albtraum simply means Nightmare in German.
➺ Why is Albtraum not fully a Sandman anymore?
Because it's dead, sort of. While a dead Sandman disappears, it still exists because its heart hasn't stopped beating its just not IN its person. So this puts it in a weird place between being a Sandman and being a Manifestation/Spirit.
➺ How does being Heartless affect a Sandman?
Well, typically it kills them but its heart is still beating. It just isn't beating within its own chest. Without a heart, The Sandman is unable to make pleasant dreams, stories, or songs.
➺ How did it lose it's heart and why did it happen?
Death took it because she loves Sandman but is no longer prominant among the young, with its heart she can always have Albtraum with her.
➺ Where is Albtraum's heart?
It's unknown. Some think Death has hidden it away and others think she carries it on her person.
➺ Does Albtraum love Death in return?
Absolutely, It fell completely head over heels for Death many years ago. It loves her still to this day and likely will until its heart stops beating.
➺ What are those scars?
Guess.
➺ Kind of sounds like Albtraum is a masochist...
That's because Albtraum is a masochist.
➺ What did Albtraum look like before when it was a Sandman?
Like this.
➺ Why does Albtraum sometimes cry blood?
Its Death's way of communicating with Albtraum. When it cries blood, its her whispering to it about a young life it just took away.
➺ Why do they not see one another anymore?
It's not particularly clear why Death avoids Albtraum, but it IS known that Death's presence around young children is becoming rarer and rarer as Humankind advances.
➺ What is the difference between Albtraum and a Mare?
Mares are malicious and aggressive. They sit on the dreamer and force them into nightmares. When one wakes from them, they force the dreamer into a state between the waking world and the dreaming world which results in temporary paralysis. The anxiety and fear that comes from this effect is feasted on until they are full and they disappear. A Mare can be incredibly violent, and it's not unheard of a Mare to physically harm a dreamer in search of stronger fear.
Albtraum occasionally visits those it has grown attached to and they often experience it's visit as sleep paralysis, but Albtraum does not cause it. It's more of a result of the adult mind not particularly being open to the concept of Albtraum being real which typically throws the dreamer into a panic, attempting to wake before the body is ready.
➺ Where is Albtraum most prominant?
While many cultures have a creature like Sandman, The Sandman as its known in this tale and many others hail from Germanic countries. It's prominent in places like Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
➺ Can or does it travel to other parts of the world?
Not really, no. For the sake of roleplay, I often go with the idea that whomever it speaks with is dreaming at the moment whether they're aware of that or not. In places like Nexus, where worlds collide or creatures can manifest outside of their normal parameters this matters less.
➺ Can Albtraum manifest anywhere or anytime?
No, it exists in the dreamworld and only comes into the waking world when someone nearby is about to sleep, sleeping, or just waking up.
➺ Does a Sandman age and can they die?
As mentioned above, yes they can die and yes they age. They age incredibly slowly, but they do age and they can die. For an example of how slowly they age, Albtraum was born shortly after Germanic tribes started singing lullabies and remembering dreams. It has only now started looking up there in age.
A Sandman can also die by the hands of the divine or otherworldly. Humans cannot kill them. Death by an outside force is more common than old age given how slow they age. Mostly, this is by the hands of a particularly aggressive Mare.
➺ Let's talk sex and gender about Sandman?
Sure, they're all sexless. Some prefer being known by certain pronouns or present themselves as certain genders, but none of them have any reproductive organs. Albtraum itself doesn't care and will go by any pronoun one wants to give it. Due to its appearance, it is often called He but in my meta I will use It.
➺ What about romance?
A Sandman can love, and Albtraum is one who loves deeply. Much like humans, their relationship style varies. Some are monogamous, some poly, some have gender or sex preferences, some don't. Albtraum is monogamous and panromantic.
➺ Do all Sandman act the same?
No, they all have the same function but their personality and gained interests vary widely.
➺ What sort of interests does Albtraum have outside of stories, songs, and dreams?
Albtraum is a poet and loves poetry, it also loves visual art and theatre, it loves Opera and Orchestra music as well. It has an affinity for philosophy and philosophical conversations.
➺ What is the role of sand for a Sandman?
It depends on the Sandman. A Sandman has mystical sand that can help ease a child to sleep but it also has stories and songs in its arsenal. Each Sandman has a different preference. Albtraum prefers song first, story second, and Sand last. A Sandman is also composed of this sand and leaves it behind when they pass, or sometimes if they spend a considerable amount of time with a child traces of sand can be found in their room.
➺ How does Albtraum create nightmares?
By existing. They exist around it and it exists around them. Both happen, usually, simultaneously. The relationship between nightmares and Albtraum is symbiotic in nature.
➺ Can Albtraum force nightmares onto others?
Certainly. It does this sometimes on children that are particularly poor behaved, but generally not. Overall its a non-confrontational creature. It does whisper and lull children to sleep, though. Old habits. Unfortunately this will indeed cause them to have nightmares. It also hushes children who wake from nightmares and while its presense doesn't exactly help, it listens to them while they scream, or cry, or panic.