And I would have taken it. 
Agreed, though I think rudeness should be met with solid boundaries.
And sharp objects.
I agree. Some people in incubus’ common area obviously don’t have such respect for boundaries, and it would be an uphill (and I predict fruitless) battle to attempt to teach grown adults such things barring the ‘fork-in-the-hand’ or a limited nuclear strike.
I think you and tdn are assuming that the general public were brought up with the same instruction that you, tdn and I were: that you just don’t do that. However, this is simply not the case. . . Common values aren’t so common.
You’re right, bringing an object doesn’t make it community property, but it makes it community accessible. It’s much easier to grab the proverbial purse off your shoulder if you’re walking down the street, versus if you’re wearing it inside your house behind a closed door or on a table in your garage next to the 2d6.
Being that common values aren’t so common across the board, the only thing I see as a possibility is that incubus just leaves his delicates at home. It’s been demonstrated before someone’ll fuck with 'em. By bringing them again, he just invites more frustration on himself. Conversely, if he smacks someone with a spoon, he’ll just invite more attention in gawkers of the spoon-smack, and those people will then, in turn, want to play with his toys too.
Discretion is the key, here. I’m not saying he and his friend can’t discuss or even read about Warhammer 40k. I just don’t think he ought to play with his toys in such a hostile environment.
Tripler
Quote Paul Newman in Slap Shot, “They brought their toys! They brought their fuckin’ toys!”
But did it open more than an inch?
:smack:
Guilty as charged!
Yup. I loved it. Kept it open in all weather. Learned my lesson one day when I opened it when there was three inches of snow on the roof…
If everyone was messing with everyone’s shit, then yeah, I’d kind of have it coming if they messed with mine, and their own behavior would dictate whether it was worth it to spend my downtime getting some models put together/armylists drawn up for a game.
But they don’t bother the woman knitting some strange article (is it a bag? a scarf? who knows!) in a wierd pattern, or the guys playing dominoes who are obviously very into their game because they are yelling and screaming at each move. Nor are they standing behind the guy playing texas holdem with work friends and saying, “Oh wow, bad luck, huh?”
Its annoying and a violation of my personal space because they’ll respect other people’s space, but not mine. I don’t mind answering questions about what I’m doing, and people are welcome to look at my little plastic spacemen if they ask me. Given that they seem so fiercely guarded about their own personal space in regards to passengers and stuff I would have assumed they’d be respectful of others.
Those other activities are somewhat familiar to people: the knitting, the dominoes, the cards. People know from a distance what they’re doing. But painting spacemen is different and they don’t know. Of course they’re going to be curious. You stick out like a sore thumb, and people don’t know why. It’s so unfamiliar, they can’t associate it with anything familiar, like playing cards or reading a book. You have unanticipated and unintended publicity. One can’t cure their curiosity, but one can remove their reason for it.
I have had a similar problem walking through an airport in uniform. Unintended, unanticipated attention. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanted to come over and thank me for whatever–I was highly uncomfortable. Nobody touched me (except to shake hands), nobody messed with my things. It was just annoying. And that was the last time I ever went through an airport in uniform.
Tripler
I belabor it, but I think you see my point. Agree with it or not, it’s your break room–do as you please.
The other thing I do is ‘distraction toys’. I keep a couple Kid’s Transformers on my desk at work, so people don’t touch my more expensive widgets.
Incubus, I think the Miss Manners suggested response would be an exaggerated gasp as soon any anybody touches anything, followed by something like, “Please don’t pick that up, it’s fragile/it’s freshly painted/I thought it might have been one of the ones I just painted/etc.” Basically, you’re giving them a polite social cue for “ask me before you touch my fucking shit, asshole.”