How deep did the mirroring go?

It's something we talk a fair bit about here and, while I wasn't at all familiar with the term and it's true meaning at the start of the relationship, it was something I noticed just at the edges of my awareness pretty early on.

So, like many of us, I would've made some vague references to them mirroring my phrases or quirks, picking up on my interests and definitely working hard to mirror me sexually but...

I was searching the media of a GC with friends, and ran across a few gifs of myself that I'd made to amuse these friends. Meaningless and I'd forgotten all about them, so I tapped on them to see what I was up to.

I was alarmed to see my ex reflected in my facial expressions. I actually reminded myself of my ex but it was in that moment that I realised how intense their mirroring had gotten. It wasn't that my expressions were like theirs, it was the opposite: I was so used to their expressions mirroring my own. Absolutely skilled and fluent in their imitation but because I wouldn't regularly watch myself this way, I didn't pick up on it until I watched those GIFs.

Those were my expressions, all laid out, that's my personality showing on my face and they wore them like a mask.

I was almost ok with the notion of them wanting to do certain activities out in the world or trying new things in bed based on my influence, but to basically try to steal my entire face?

It's too weird.

Weirder still is it's been a year now since we saw each other in person so I bet all those quirks have been erased, and replaced with whatever best mirrors their current supply.

I'm certain I'm not the only one, that's what this group is for. But I was so unsettled by those GIFs, I needed to post and make sure.

I don't think I've ever seen something so weird, but seen it so clearly.