There is a 100% chance that if this moment had taken place three years in the past, it would have ended very, very, very, VERY badly.
That kid. That kid used to be petrified of large, furry things. PETRIFIED.
That is the kid who once spent half of a Penguins game trying to crawl her way back into the womb because Iceburgh looked at her. He was three sections away, but he locked eyes with little Alexis. It sent her into a sobbing tizzy because SOOOO SCARED OMG.
(There is a reason for her fear of mascot-type-things. It's the Pirates Pirate and he scarred her for life years ago.)
And yet, now that kid is CLEARLY not scared of anything. In fact, THAT kid stood at the Anthrocon parade and complained. She complained and complained and complained because watching furries march from afar was not as fun as getting to meet them just outside the convention. Alexis wanted to hang out at the Westin so she could meet every possible furry.
So we did that.
That kid stood on a street corner near Anthrocon and stopped every furry that walked by so she could get a photo. As in, she walked up to strangers and politely asked if she could get a picture.
I do not understand this thing where a kid completely overcomes a fear. It's weird.
It's wonderful, but it's weird.
Much thanks to all of the furries who were kind enough to stop and let Alexis get a photo with them.
Although, it is your fault that she had SO much fun that she begged to return downtown later that evening. It turned out to be a mistake to return later because that kid was EXHAUSTED. She had woken up at 5:00 that day, so by 9:00 pm, she was toast.
Which means I didn't get a good photo of about 50 furries that I really wanted.
Next year. Next year the kid that used to hate mascots will cooperate fully so I can get photos of even more awesome.