Editing Heartless (section)

=== Mein ===
Removing aspects of the 'Self' with strips of paper and replacing them with some external source of power. 

The most basic practice on this path is called Citation; specially-prepared paper is touched to a body part and comes away with a part of the 'Self' (e.g. eye colour) attached. Starting with these sorts of external surface elements is essential to becoming strong enough to survive the more advanced techniques.

Advanced practices include removing abstract properties from yourself, removing injuries, stealing aspects from a human or Other, or inflicting your own removed properties on a target. The removed things can also be used for various non-Heartless purposes.<ref>The Citation practice is the basic ritual for the Mien approach.  A paper is prepared and laid into the skin to meet the Self, then removed.  Color may be pulled from a lock of hair, pupils from eyes, or scars from flesh.  This will weaken the practitioner in many ways, some not immediately obvious or intuitive.  The practitioner should then shore themselves up with power, with the awareness that the type and amount of power will affect just how the body fills in the blanks.  Each ‘surgery’ in this manner may strengthen or alter them in the longer term.  Advanced use of this practice can cite away more abstract elements, but this should be done with extreme care, on a sturdy foundation of healed physical changes done with this or other Mien practices.  Other advanced approaches allow citing away the qualities of another individual or Other, to be taken into oneself, forcing one’s own exaggerated, unwanted qualities into others, and treating one’s wounds by using the Citation to remove the damage.  Removed scraps will take on physical form as papers, mementos and/or things with small power to them, useful in various Visceral practices.  Note that restoration of what was sacrificed is difficult to impossible.  - [[List of Books#Quasi|Quasi]], quoted in [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/03 Bonus Material: Bedtime Reading].</ref>