MY BUBBLE

[Pumpkin]

How do you feel about people talking to you while leaving minimal space between them and yourself? Do you mind people touching you (putting their arm on your shoulder or whatever) when talking? Or do you prefer to have a good amount of space between you and others in conversation?

[Shorty]

I don't like close-talkers. A good two feet or so is acceptable.

People who I do not have a moderately close friendship with who touch me is weird. Sometimes my boss will pat my shoulder for a second after thanking me or showing appreciation for something. He does this with everyone, I've seen him do it. It isn't a creepy or hitting on kind of weird, it's something he does. Touching someone who you are not personally friendly with in anything other than a handshake is considered an intimate gesture reserved for people who are more-than-people-you-work-with and people who are more-than-acquaintances, so it throws me off when people break that barrier.

[Parker]

Im totally ok with friends touching me unless they're a little creepy.

I like the people who have blatantly just read a self-help or management book and like grip your hand during a shake and look you in the eye and like attempt to control your body by placing thier hand behind your arm and leading you in certain directions and its really great to just anchor to the ground and they realise they dont have a body language solution to the unwilling participant problem and they start to stammer

[Ayen]

I haven't had this happen often, but I wouldn't be too keen on someone I barely know or am not particularly close to touching me during conversation.

[~*~Celes~*~]

it depends on my relationship with the person and what kind of person they are. If they are an intense person or an unhygenic person, do not touch me.

[Shauna]

I suppose it depends on the person and my relationship with them.

But for the most part, arm's length away plz.

[Freya]

At work my bubble is smaller because closer quarters. And in public events it's smaller. It's super small when I'm drinking. I still don't like people touching me unless I know them really well. I find it really weird if they touch me. But my home? It's the entire property. I do not want people over. They pop my serene relaxing bubble. It's a huge pet peeve. Unless I say come over, then don't just show up. Don't call me and say "hey i'm coming over" or "Hey i'm in town want me to come over?" you're inviting yourself. The boyfriend is bad about inviting people over and not telling me. Or his little brother just shows up. It's a bother for me.

[blackmage_nuke]

For some reason I dont like it when people I dont like touch my shoulder/elbow during a conversation. I feel like theyre trying to manipulate me and if theyre trying to provoke an emotional response it works because I find my conversational passive aggression increases as a means of subtly informing them "I know what you're doing and it's not working" to counteract any upperhand they think they might have gained. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

[Christmas]

It was like

so I found out

so I decided that

[Colonel Angus]

You're only encouraging people, Christmas.

[Mirage]

If it's anyone I actually talk to because I actually want to talk to them, I'm fine with them touching me. If it's someone I talk to regularly and also because I want to, I'm fine with giving and getting massive hugs to/from them.

[Jess]

If it's my boyfriend, family or good friends then I don't mind. If I don't know somebody well then they can back the hell off. I find it difficult to keep eye contact with people I don't know, too. Shy!

[Shiny]

Little kids have no sense of personal space so they tend to stand to close to me...worse was when a little kid took my ass to his face because he was that close when I backed up after getting my drink at a store.

Oh I actually no! The worse was when I was at an improv comedy theatre and saw a teacher there from uni that I really disliked and it looked like he was dying of AIDS (long story). But needless to say he spotted me and then sat next me. He got right in my face to say how funny he thought a joke was and as he was doing this his saliva landed on my lip. I freaked out inside. And went to the bathroom to wash my lips off with soap.

[Yamaneko]

I don't mind people penetrating my bubble.

[fire_of_avalon]

Like others have said it really depends on my comfort level with a given person. I don't hug people I meet for the first time and I hate it when people I don't know very well leave their hand on my shoulder or back beyond a pat. I also hate it when people I don't know try to touch my hair or face if there's goop or schmutz on me.

I tend to cross boundaries without thinking if I'm comfortable with someone without thinking g about how it might make them feel. For example, I saw a cousin of mine recently and the way we were sitting I basically had my knee propped on her. When I realized it I moved but it was weird to me that I did that knowing how it can bu me.