#especially the bit about noahmio and senamio parallels bc YES

[adeptarcanist]

um... what do you think about mio and sena u-u they might b my favorite pairing....

DO LOVE THOSE GIRLS. VERY MUCH.

I think they've got an interesting vibe going on, like, Mio doesn't really treat anyone the way she treats Sena, she kind of has Sena up on this pedestal where she is the perfectest girl that Mio adores :) her favourite :) her bestest girl :) but is failing to really communicate anything about what it is that makes Sena so loveable to her.

And the answer, I think, is pretty straightforward -- Sena is very loyal and sincere in her affection in a way that flatters Mio's ego in a good way -- but since Mio's attempts to get Sena to reveal herself to her the same way Mio feels seen by Sena keep falling flat, she can only really go back to those shallow compliments to return the affection. Talking to Sena is like talking to a mirror, Sena knows how to give Mio the positive reinforcement she needs but doesn't know how to let Mio get to know her, in turn.

And Sena's rock-bottom self-esteem and the idea that she has to be someone likeable to validate her own existence holds her back a lot, and masks that Mio does love Sena for reasons that are entirely unique to Sena. Sena uses sincerity as a mask, and while that leaves all her relationships quite shallow before she learns to communicate better, it's a shallow understanding of the real Sena.

Everything both Mio and Sena do is very heartfelt, Mio with her strong sense of self and Sena with her strong sense of compassion. I think Mio is ultimately good for Sena, because she's like a puzzle, she's someone Mio gets to figure out, someone she gets to have agency with, everything she learns about Sena is new and exciting and it keeps the high of the chase up.... as long as she feels like Sena wants her to do that. And when she doesn't, Mio just goes back to trying to flatter her way into Sena's heart, paying compliments because that's kind of all she can do what with Sena trying to keep her out of her heart.

And Sena does really want to be seen, be validated, she just doesn't know how to get that from people, she just knows how to do the things she wants to others and hope that one of them catches on and does the same thing back. She's just gotten so good at sincere effusive validation that it completely blocks out the part of her that wants that for herself, too. I think people can see that she is quite awkward and anxious, they just misplace that anxiety to be about how she's, like...... bad at things, when that's not her problem, Sena knows she's hot shit, she just doesn't think her skills are worth anything to anyone.