Random Pet Family Appreciation Thread 7: Wasps!

[Wassa]

Former threads:
Moths - Warp Stalkers - Crocolisks - Monkeys - Wolves - Core Hounds

Random pet family appreciation thread is where I roll a random pet family every week for everyone to share their pictures, their stories, their love for that pet family. Please no hate or rants. This is an appreciation thread. If you dislike the family, don't post! Hopefully with some love we can get some hunters to try out new pets they never would have thought to tame before.

Our seventh family is the buzzing wasp family!


Image from WoW TCG.

Wasp facts

~Wasps became a tameable family in Wrath. Silithid wasps have been around since Vanilla and firefly wasps were introduced in Burning Crusade.

~Wasps have three different models and 21 different skin combinations.

~Wasps have four rare members: Nix, Qirot, Rex Ashil (also unique skinned), and Zora (also unique skinned).

~Wasps have 5 unique skinned named members. Besides Rex Ashil and Zora above the others are Blacksting, Princess Huhuran, and Stinglasher. While other wasps have Princess Huhuran's and Stinglasher's skins, they are unique to that model.

~Florawing Hive Queen is another unique skinned named member, however she is currently untameable due to her being level 86.

~Wasps have one color changer.

~Back in Wrath, wasps were tamed by 1.2% of level 80 hunters. Placing them at number 15 on the list, tied with both scorpids and turtles. (Source)

~Back in Wrath, silithidwaspbossskin3 (boss model) was the most tamed skin at 47.9%. Fireflyskinblue was the least tamed at 3.1%. (Source)

~Sting, the wasp's special ability, used to reduce the armor rating of the target (similar to Faerie Fire and Sunder Armor) and caused nature damage. While the debuff was up on a rogue or druid they could not stealth.

~For a short while, Black Qiraji Resonating Crystal was bugged and changed into a wasp mount in flyable zones. This happened in patch 2.2 if one logged on after updating to the patch while on the mount and in patch 3.0.2 PTR.

~Two minipets are firefly wasps called Captured Firefly and Tiny Flamefly. The Captured Firefly previously had the vanity text "Still flying..."

~Underbelly Elixir has a chance to turn you into a wasp.You can fly while transformed as a wasp!

~Silithid wasps come in two models, a normal model and a larger boss model. Silithid wasp skins are interchangeable between these two models.

~Silithid boss wasp models used to be huge, even after taming, making them one of the biggest hunter pets in game. This was hotfixed in patch 4.1.0.

~Ayamiss the Hunter and Princess Huhuran are two raid boss wasps that can be tamed.

~While many different colored wasps in Zul'Gurub are named Florawing Needler, they are individual mobs with four separate NPC IDs, meaning they are stable skin colors. Three of their skins you can only get from this mob which are silithidwaspbossskin (non-boss, red), silithidwaspbossskin2 (non-boss, purple), and silithidwaspbossskin3 (non-boss, blue).

~Rex Ashil used to be a turquoise ant model silithid before he became tameable.

~Sapphire Hive Drone used to be a boss model silithid wasp. They were changed to the smaller non-boss model in patch 3.1 while keeping the same skin.

~Sapphire Hive Queen was made untameable in patch 3.0.8 for an unknown reason, but probably due to her large size and that she was a quest mob. She became tameable again in patch 4.0.3.

[Wassa]

"My dear Ptay, I will always be by your side..."

I love this screenshot I got so much. It really shows how loving Ptaysanwee's wasp, Hototo, is to her.

Hototo is the Hopi name meaning "warrior spirit who sings; he who whistles." His "whistling" is his constant buzzing noise. I love this noise wasps make. It actually has a calming effect for me. If I ever had a bad day, I just need to take Hototo out and listen to him "sing" for me.

I didn't plan to tame a wasp on Ptay. Wasps just don't fit for a cold weather Taunka, but I came across Qirot while leveling. I killed him at first, but that night I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to tame him. Thankfully when I checked the next day he was up. He's been by Ptay's side since.

I've tried a few different wasp skins for Wassa, but I haven't found the wasp for her yet.

[TygerDarkstorm]

For as much as I love wasps and all of their beautiful colors and styles, only three of my many hunters have them.

First and foremost is my most used and beloved wasp, Sting (formerly known as Zora). Sting is Rosaliah's companion. I always knew that I wanted to tame this wasp, I just didn't know on which hunter until I took Rose out questing in Silithus and went looking for this beauty. It was love at first sight, and while she isn't my most used pet on Rose, she holds a special place just for being so gorgeous and mesmerizing.


The next wasp belongs to my 85 hunter, Ruffley. I honestly don't think I've hardly ever used this guy other than to admire his awesome coloring from time to time. His name is Dorito as the color is suiting and fitting to Ruffley's food names theme.


And my third wasp is Amber, belonging to my tauren hunter Merla on Nesingwary. I just had to have Nix and ever since the very long run out to get her, she has been a pretty constant companion for Merla when I was more active on the server. Never thought I would like the firefly style wasps until I met this pretty gal.

[Ana]

DeKuyper is Kahluas beloved red Wasp. Its named after an alchoholic beverage just like all Kahluas pets. DeKuyper is full of personality and i really love his brigth colors. He is a good companion in raids where he really stands out between the wolfs and cats

=

[starkittens]

Wasps! I admit, I love their skin, though I don't have one yet. I just haven't found the right one I like....

[Rhapture]

I love my wasp Ink

[GormanGhaste]

My main's Zora, named Kaolin, is one of my favorite pets; I have her with me most of the time. Being a Firefly fan, the yellow firefly was the first one I ever tamed, named her Kaylee!

I've tamed all the fireflies at one time or another; currently my troll and orc have green ones, and my dwarf with a booze theme tamed a red one named Buzz.

I'm not usually much for taming rares, but I do love searching silithid mounds for them; my belf has a Qirot named Ace, and my worgen has yet another Zora named Sumner.

I'm still waiting for a wasp mount!

[Miacoda]

Oh you all look so cute with your wasps! I have a fear of irl ones so I've never really given one a good chance but I think I will now! ^.^

[Vephriel]

Oddly enough, I'm terrified of wasps in real life, but that fear doesn't transfer into game at all. I'm not sure why, as sharks strongly affect me in game, but the wasps don't bother me at all.

I've been drawn to wasps since WotLK when I became completely bonded with one of the Sapphire Hive Wasps from Sholazar Basin. Back when that 'boss' model was enormous even after taming, I had one named Hypnotik who was one of my prime pets through that expansion. I can't really say what happened exactly, at some point we just drifted apart and lost the bond.

I knew I still wanted a wasp at some point, and it wasn't until Rex Ashil came back with his beautiful new inky blue look that I felt he was the one. I just adored the dark colours, and the original models always had a certain appeal to me.



I named him Scimitar since all I could think of when I looked at him was a blade, and the Arabian sword just seemed to suit perfectly with Ahn'Qiraj.

[Melentari]

I had no idea how much I would like wasps until, on a whim, I tamed one of the green and red ones down in Uldum on Mel. It inspired me, and the next thing I knew, I was rolling a hunter who would tame nothing but bugs. And my bug hunter? Now she has three. One of the green fireflies from Loch Modan named Shine, Rex Ashil, renamed Caedes, and Zora, renamed Sicaria. I adore those wasps and I can't imagine not having them.

[Lisaara]

Rex Ashil is definitely my fave!

[Mozag]

I have never been much of a wasp fan...or so I thought until I actually went through my hunters and found that six of them have wasps of some kind. And to be fair, they ARE beautiful.

[Lupis]

Joining the Rex Ashil crowd. ^.^ I only tamed him today, but he's certainly staying. I, uh, I needed a Sherlock to go with my John. >.> (John is a turtle.)
I've been trying to find the right Sherlock for a while. My first thought was to get a panther, but I already have a cat and I think a panther would be too normal - not at all like the detective himself. I then wondered if he would make a good owl. He would, undoubtedly, if they had a smoother flight animation. They do not, however. Another thought was to make him an eagle, but there are no black or dark colored eagles.
Rex Ashil was one of two wasp choices. The other was the purple boss wasp. I tamed that first, and it lasted roughly ten seconds. Boss wasps have the most clunky flight animation in the world. Rex Ashil, in the meanwhile, flies smoothly, elegantly. Perfect.



Of course, the name "Sherlock" was reserved. I swapped the "L" out for a capital "i". Nobody will know.

[Serendipity82]

I fail at posting screenshots, but I love Myri's wasp Rainbeau. Tamed him in ZG a few months ago along with the blue/brown one. Have to say, even though the blue/brown one matched Myri better, I loved the more brightly colored Orange/purple one. He's definitely a keeper and won't be leaving Myri's stables for a long time to come XD

[s1ncer1ty]

I do miss my horrifically purple wasp Aubergine, but he had to go in order to make room for pets needed for my guild's raid, on top of my pile o' rares. Perhaps I'll find room in my stable for him again... My blood elf Lourain has an affinity for insects and reptiles, and honestly wouldn't have a wolf or a cat, if my raid didn't need 'em for buffs.

[Finduilas]

I love wasps. I have the pink firefly on Nerdanel. First I tamed the yellow one but once she reached the level for Zangarmarsh I tamed the purple one because I have a purple/pink pet theme going on with her. I wasn't very fond of this pet at first, but she completely took me in. Now I love having Nyx at my side. I do a lot of pvp with her and I love how long I can keep my enemies occupied with her stun followed by intimidation Her glowing and big appearance just adds to my love of her. Now I want to tame wasps on my other hunters too.

[Ana]

Since I needed a pet to stun the zappes on normal DS i desided to fianlly bond with a Wasp on Tårnfalk


Meet Lightyear (bonus point if u get the pun - not many do - if u dont.. answer below pictures )







BUZZ lightyear... comeon thats fun

[Rhyela]

I had tried wasps several times on several hunters, but never really could find the right one. Then, one night, our guild randomly decided to do AQ. I knew Huhuran was in there, but I had sworn I wouldn't tame her because I hated how big she was. Well, when I saw her, I asked the guild if I could try her out. And then, once I tamed her and she hovered to my side, I was in love. I named her Kybele, and she has the cutest little eyes! I admit I am actually sad that they shrank her down, as I was surprised to find just how much I had come to like how big she was. It gave her personality, somehow, or made her seem more regal (fitting to her name). When she shrank down, I thought about releasing her because I was so bummed, but I just can't do it. Regardless of her size, I just like her way too much to let go.

"Love meh!"

[Galaxy]

Oh my, it was the Sapphire Hive Wasp that started, in Wrath, the joke with my guildies that I "need a bigger pet".

Amethyst was my rather large angel. So large he could not fit even remotely in my character selection screen.

I so wish my old fried hard drive would boot up so I could pull the many hysterical screen shots lol

I used to send him in to battle in pvp and everyone couldn't see what was going on, so they started attacking Amethyst (Like Clockwork). My team loved it b/c picking off the opposite team was cake at that point.

He was HUGE. HUGE. HUGE.

My beautiful worm didn't even come close to his size!!

Then..one day... I logged into Cata and summoned my prized Amethyst and choked on my soda. He suddenly was the size of the smallest wasp I'd ever seen.

*sigh*

I miss you, Amethyst.

[Neilaren]

Ah, Queen Mindy.


"ALL HAIL QUEEN MINDY!"

I daresay Mindy was the first pet to establish a personality in my raiding guild, established by other people. She was rather infamous because of her size. I used to tease people who claimed to always click on her instead of an enemy ("Just tab target!"). My raid leader observed that Mindy would go into her idle animation (where she preened herself) a lot... Soon, it was common knowledge that "Mindy wants to always be clean!" "Mindy must clean EVERYTHING!" "Mindy just wants Patchwerk to be clean!" and so on and so forth...

Queen Mindy, the germophobe.

The first person to take a liking to my wasp was my boyfriend. To this day, he doesn't call her Mindy, he calls her min-DYYYYYYYYY!



Sometimes, other people would see that glitch where the pet regains its pretame size. the Sholazar Hive Queen model is HUGE.



It was such a bummer when she shrank in 4.1 ... big time. My explanation for it is that she got into Neilaren's tinkering experiments somehow and had a bit of a fight with the Gnomish World Shrinker... Well, it decided to shrink Mindy instead. Poor girl.

She got to be her (real!) old size again in MoP beta... for a little while...



--

Like others, I'm terrified of wasps out of game. Heck, I'm terrified of bugs in general. Neilaren seems to really like them, though... and Koushiro, well, Koushiro pretty much has most, if not all bugs in her stables, out of principle. She similarily adores her Kabuterimon, even if she can't ride him like a mount like she should be able to.



Make a Wasp mount, oh please, oh pretty please, Blizzard!