Compliments

[Nemopedia]

This has been at the back of my mind for a while now, but I won't bore you with the story.

How do you feel about receiving compliments? Can you take them in grace, or do you brush them off embarrassed, or are you the sort who starts gloating?

What about giving them? Are you careful in complimenting people, or do you like to throw them out, or do they pass your lips with great difficulty?

And last. What is the greatest compliment you have received and or given? How did you feel about it?

Bonus for anyone who wants to compliment someone right now. It can never hurt to hear a good word!

 

[Shiri]

Depends on the compliment but it's usually brush off while embarrassed for me.

I compliment my friends often without really thinking about it. It just happens.

 

[Spekkun]

I tend to take compliments with a cheesy grin and "Thanku, thanku!", maybe return the favor. It feels good to have something nice said about you or something you did :3 one little compliment can change a whole day for someone like me xD

 

[Aero Blue]

Receiving: wide smile, 'thanks!'. It's not really genuine from me, but I've been corporate for long enough where I can fake it more or less perfectly. If I'm a bit closer to the person whose complimenting me I'll get a bit jokey, which is either the Han Solo "I know", or just teasing them.

Giving: I'm really good at fake compliments and expounding on them to make it seem like it was a genuine thought I had. I don't really do that though, since I don't have to pander at work anymore. I'll usually only give compliments if 1) something genuinely impresses me and I feel compelled to say it or 2) if the person seems extremely down about something and I think they need a strategically placed happiness boost.

Greatest Compliment: old high school friend I saw about 4 years after high school said I used to always make his day because I'd just be smiling 24/7. It was nice, cause at the time I was generally more of a cynical, pragmatic person and didn't do much of that smiling shit. (read: ew, fucking disgusting)

@Me for a compliment (we're going to ignore that that's a real member wow)

 

[Joan]

Receiving compliments...it depends. I'm usually somewhat embarrassed, but I try to receive them gracefully. I'm better at receiving them gracefully from people I know than people I don't, for some reason.

Giving them...l like complimenting people. It's nice.

 

[junebug]

I'm awful at receiving compliments. I don't like the spotlight, so I get embarrassed easily and am not always sure how to take it. I don't give out compliments often, but when I do, they're genuine. :)

 

[Diana]

How do you feel about receiving compliments? Can you take them in grace, or do you brush them off embarrassed, or are you the sort who starts gloating?

Once upon a time when I was small and insecure, I would do that "No, that's not true" any time someone payed me a compliment. I'd undermine the compliment with self deprecation and relay all the ways I actually suck.

I'm not sure when it happened, but one day someone else did that to me when I was giving them genuine compliments and it made me mad. When someone is paying you a genuine compliment, they're wanting you to feel good about yourself or what you've accomplished.And something just kinda clicked in my head that I myself was being silly when people compliment me.

After that I have ALWAYS made sure to say THANK YOU regardless of what my inner demons think, and try to let the compliment sink in to give me the warm fuzzies they were intended to give. Surprisingly (or maybe not so) it's actually made conversations go better? And I feel a lot better too vs trashing myself.

What about giving them? Are you careful in complimenting people, or do you like to throw them out, or do they pass your lips with great difficulty?

I absolutely give compliments the second something pops in to my head. Even to strangers at the grocery store, employees of places, or peeps on the internet. I don't do it a lot, but sometimes something will stun me for a second and it pops out. It's really fun with strangers because you can see it light up all over their face. I love spreading sparkles. O,O

What is the greatest compliment you have received and or given? How did you feel about it?

I know I've gotten a lot of amazing compliments and I am having a hard time digging them all up. But the first one to come to mind, is when I was working at Fred's as a cashier. My boss told me that one of HER bosses had come in to the store incognito and that I rung her up. She said I was genuinely nice and made her feel welcomed and comfortable. And that was a really big deal to me, cause I am super duper scared of strangers and cashier was my least favorite job in the store because I had to interact with people. T_T So that gave me a huge boost of confidence.

 

[Greenie]

How do you feel about receiving compliments? Can you take them in grace, or do you brush them off embarrassed, or are you the sort who starts gloating?

I honestly love compliments, even if they embarrass me. They make me feel good, and validation is always a nice thing. How do I take them? Depends on my mood. Sometimes I brush them off, sometimes I totally act smug and gloat. I guess it also depends on who I'm taking them from. XD

What about giving them? Are you careful in complimenting people, or do you like to throw them out, or do they pass your lips with great difficulty?

I throw around compliments quite a bit, but only if I feel they're actually deserved, or for encouragement purposes to my littler students.

And last. What is the greatest compliment you have received and or given? How did you feel about it?

I honestly can't think of any off the top of my mind ^_^'

Bonus for anyone who wants to compliment someone right now. It can never hurt to hear a good word!

Nemo is adorably scary! <3

 

[Jorick]

I used to do the embarrassed and awkward inability to take compliments with grace thing. I'm just a fucking dweeb and didn't know how to respond to them without it being awkward. Just saying "thanks" always felt weird to me. But more recently, starting like... idk, around when I was 20 probably, I shifted into the smug and gloating jerk method of receiving compliments. It serves multiple useful purposes: it's a non-awkward way to respond, it's accepting the compliment rather than being weird and denying it, it's fun and can be amusing to both the compliment giver and anyone else witnessing the exchange, and if they hate that kind of response then they'll stop throwing dumb compliments at me in the first place.

As for giving compliments, I'm very sparing with them... unless I'm reviewing someone's creative writing stuff or art or similar, in which case I'll try to find something to compliment even if I generally dislike it. Outside of that circumstance though, I don't care to give bullshit compliments and complimenting minor things seems rather frivolous. I'll compliment people when they earn it, and no sooner.

 

[Kitti]

How do you feel about receiving compliments? Can you take them in grace, or do you brush them off embarrassed, or are you the sort who starts gloating?
I'm a bit shy but I appreciate compliments when they're given in good faith so I usually say thanks and try to chat about whatever it is a little bit to show that I really appreciate it.

What about giving them? Are you careful in complimenting people, or do you like to throw them out, or do they pass your lips with great difficulty?
I feel like I'm not quite either, I give compliments when I feel like something has been done that is noteworthy to me. When I'm reviewing something, I will usually try to find things to at least mention went well because a solidly bad review can be disheartening. I also will compliment things that are less one-off noteworthy items, like overall positive personality traits, if the person in question seems to be feeling down and needs to know that they're cool.

And last. What is the greatest compliment you have received and or given? How did you feel about it?
I got a nice note from a teacher on an exam once that said something like "Even though I think that this comes easy to you, I know that you have also worked hard and I'm impressed with your work." I might have teared up a little.

 

[Noctis the Devious]

This may come as a surprise but I cannot handle compliments at all. For me it's easier to accept a compliment over the internet because then I can go my process without anyone baring witness and boy is it a process ;^; First I go through "but what about this and this?" phase then I just get all embarrassed and flustered and melt. But as anxiety inducing as they tend to be they do make me happy and thank you ♡ is the simplest thing I come up with (and less words means less typos ;^;)

I love giving compliments but I'm awkward and I will absolutely agonize over if it will be well received, if it's the right time, how long do you actually have to know someone to compliment them? Like how do people do it? I think I've gotten better but it's still difficult. I still rather prefer abusing the hell out of rating systems than out right saying I really fucking enjoyed this thing you did!

The best compliments I received are always on my writing and art. I don't get them often and it's just makes me so happy when I do. I still remember one of the best comments people have left on my earlier works (way before Iwaku) and it was someone fangirling and saying how it was like when they were college and able to curl up with tea and just read. It was dorky little story called Shadow Relm (not nearly as edgy as it sounds honestly) and each chapter was about 500 words long because I wanted a break from writing lengthy works. Too bad that site closed down. I want to go back and read it now ;^;

Another one of my favorites was someone saying say how they would see me at my desk going "yes, this is my calling" and it was just hilarious. It was on a minecraft crossover fic I did for fun x)

Honestly the best ever compliment I received on my art still remains from you. You absolutely made my day with that one ♡

(I still remember when Asmo called me a special snowflake like what does that even mean)

 

[Dipper]

I know how great I am you damn well better give me some compliments. Compliments get a thanks because they truly do mean a lot, and I give them out with just as much ease. Watching people get flustered when you compliment them is kind of fun, provided it isn't the totally embarrassed and uncomfortable sort of flustered.

 

[Nemopedia]

To answer my own questions.

I'm pretty bad at taking compliments. I usually smile timidly when I receive them, but apparently my smile is so timid that no one really sees it. I try to say 'thank you' as often as I can, when I remind myself, but it remains hard to take compliments for what they are for me. 8D;;

Online I can be pretty cool about it, ignoring or just typing up a belated 'thank you'. Most of the times I'm just squinting and wondering how genuine the compliments are.

I like giving compliments, though! I usually give them to let others know that they are doing good, to note progress, or that I appreciate them. Those are genuine and I feel often best received. I used to be a brat about it and only compliment when I needed something, but I remember back in college (and this immediately ties in the story of my favourite compliment given, ever) there was this big dude who always stuttered and seemed afraid of me. He just had really low self confidence and the likes, but was working hard to better himself. At the end of the year I had noticed that he seemed more comfortable in his skin and mentioned that. His smile went huge and he started to beam at me, it was really amazing. I really hadn't known him anything other than a stuttering mess until then. To me it was the truth, to him it was the greatest compliment ever.

Reading @Noctis the Devious's story reminds me of that time again. It is really amazing how one compliment can just change one entire person. It also lifts up my mood to see someone else so happy, so that's a double bonus.

Also @ everyone stay sparkly you guys. //finger guns

 

[Lightning]

When I'm around friends, I gloat, because why not. I take it with more humour too, because of the comfort zone.
When a stranger gives it, I am completely bamboozled about it because I am very awkward. I don't often expect compliments from strangers, so it makes me both happy and surprised. These are a bit more special to me, and I tend to overthink how to say thank you.

I don't often give compliments, but when I do, I 100% mean it. I don't believe in just complimenting for the sake of complimenting, because I'm really bad at lying about stuff like that and you will see it on my face. LOL. That last part doesn't always end well.