1) Nigredo here would be where we turn an Abno into a Sapling.
2) Albedo would then correlate with getting the 3 Concepts that we have to gather before the EGO can be extracted.
3) Citrinitas would then be whatever is necessary to increase the Synchronization so it gets from "Very High" to "Integrating"
4) And Rubedo would then be what is currently happening with Pinks and A Sword Sharpened With Tears, with the result of the integration being whatever would be their Philosopher's Stone equivalent.
So it seems X is attempting the 4 step process with every Sapling we gain.
And in relation to that: Chapter 11 is called "The Alchemist and God"
wherin X faced Blue Star.
As a religious Abno this would make Blue Star the "God" in this scenario.
And by process of elimination X the Alchemist.
Maybe I am stretching here, but it is interesting how the Sapling mechanics can be somewhat mapped to the steps to completing The Great Work.
And sorry if this is somewhere obviously wrong. Am currently tired, but just really found the similarities I saw worth pointing out.
I don't see anything wrong with it, and I sure as hell didn't notice The Alchemist and God being such a fuckhuge foreshadowing until you pointed it out. Also, did some more thinking and read some of the discussion between my posts and now I have more crackpot theory thoughts:
Alkahest is the universal solvent, that which consumes and reduces all things to a base state. As an Abnormality, it seems that its nature is to cause widespread rot, decay, and destruction wherever it is present. Alkahest The Abnormality rather explicitly
doesn't want to do that. It wants to be able to exist in the world
without destroying everything. In order to do that, Alkahest has to render itself incapable of causing decay in a most permanent fashion.
Problem: How does one render a solvent useless?
Solution: Find its saturation point, the point where it's consumed as much as it conceivably could, and can contain no more 'base essence' within itself.
Problem: Alkahest is
The Universal Solvent. The Universal Solvent is by design capable of subsuming anything and everything, and might not even
have a saturation point.
Solution: Preform the acts of Alchemy necessary to create the Philosopher's Stone. After all, a true Philosopher's Stone can do
anything, even the impossible, like permanently filling a void which consumes all it touches...
...Right???
...Problem: Alkahest cannot preform Alchemy without interacting with the world. Alkahest will destroy the world if it attempts to do so. Alkahest's ambitions require there to be a world to live in once all is said and done.
Solution: Light is both non-toxic to the material world, and immune to the corrosive nature of Alkahest. A higher form of alchemical glass. Use it to forge a vessel that can contain that which ordinarily cannot be. A set of metaphorical gloves to wear, all in order to act without tainting the environment Alkahest will complete The Great Work in.
And that's... pretty much all I have thought-wise. Don't really have a full idea of why X isn't fully synched with her Alkahest-self but maybe that's just a side-effect of wearing the metaphorical gloves or something??? IDK. I didn't get enough sleep. Also I forgot to vote for listening to the childe. So I shall do that now.
[X] Hear out the strange child.
