Wednesday DE: But then my ego swelled to the size of a wildebeest

[angry_friendship_wolf]

How does your character react to receiving praise? On the other end of the spectrum, how do they react to receiving criticism?

Comments

[thebattycakes]

Barry doesn't actively seek praise, but he does need it. Sometimes his confidence can be a shaky thing and just hearing from others, especially people he cares about, that he's doing well, or the right thing, helps. He's very humble and modest in accepting praise, and is often quick to turn it around into gratitude towards the person giving it; willing to share his success with them if they had any part in helping him at all.

Criticism varies. If it's regarding something he's already uncertain about himself, than that criticism can sink in deep, especially if it comes from someone he cares about or has a high opinion of. Again, his troubles with self-confidence. If it's criticism regarding something he thinks he's doing fine with he'll react by trying to disprove the other person (often proving them at least partially if not fully right in the process). And if it's someone just putting down on him for being who he is it generally just rolls right off. It's very hard to bait Barry and for people who want to try he generally doesn't have time for them and will turn the other cheek and walk away.


Cisco has no idea how to accept praise. Growing up he was very underappreciated by the people around him like his family and had to deal with a lot of backhanded compliments. Now, any praise he gets immediately turns into false bravado and mock bragging. He'll play himself up in a unserious, joking-like manner, tooting his own horn, one because his social skills aren't excellent and he doesn't know how to actually accept a compliment, and two so that if the praise turns around to bite him he can brush it off like he hadn't taken it seriously from the start.

Criticism will start an argument. Sometimes Cisco will argue to defend himself, but most of the time he'll come at the person with smack talk and playground comebacks ('your face', your mom, etc.). This is also a way to brush things off, not taking them seriously so they won't hurt.


Lawyer Matt takes praise and criticism with a grain of salt.

Vigilante Matt is incapable of accepting praise and is immediately defensive (and maybe sometimes violent, depending on the other person) towards criticism. Especially when it involves what he's doing in the mask.


Logan is stoic towards praise. His reactions to criticism range from more stoicism on to he will kill you.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato is never entirely sure how to take praise. His self-worth is extremely low, so when he actually receives praise he tends to get very embarrassed and sheepish, or deflect if he can rather than accept it. Part of him always questions whether praise is actually genuine, and it usually takes hearing it a few times before he starts to believe it.

On the flip side, he pretty much always believes criticism is genuine, and he takes it to heart very easily. If it's something he can improve upon, he'll obsess over trying to improve on it to the point of perfectionism, and if it's not, he'll either retreat into himself or lash out. He always more easily believes that people think badly of him than that they think well of him, so he holds onto criticism much more than he does praise.


Eden will react to praise with delight or embarrassment, and to criticism with a somewhat dismissive nonchalance, but it's all fake. Both praise and criticism are water off a duck's back for him, because he just isn't capable of caring about what other people think.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee is an entertainer so he is used to receiving both praise and criticism on all levels. With praise, his first reaction is to often literally take a bow and thank the person graciously. It genuinely pleases him that something he did has pleased someone else, and he appreciates them taking the time to tell him.

How he reacts to criticism depends on what kind of criticism it is. If it's constructive without any malice, he'll still thank the person and say that he'll take their advice into consideration (even if he won't). He can also be rather self-effacing if they make a good point, and he'll say so. However, if it's condescending, unnecessary, unhelpful, or just downright insulting criticism, he'll either turn it right back around at them, or channel it into doing something even better. (He has yet to hear anyone tell him, "You suck!" Because his comebacks for that one would be endless.)