Word Clouds and Cool Hunters

First off, thanks goes out to Green Hunter, who is on my notable blogs section. I was flipping through my WoW related blogs gearing up for another play session. Feel free to note the time stamp... yes, I am playing very, very early in the morning right now; or very, very late - depending on how you want to look at it.

Anyway, I hit Green Hunter's blog and came face to face with a word cloud by Wordle. I thought it was the coolest thing... so of course I had to pop in Have Bow and see what it gave me.



How cool is that?!

Now, however I'm not sure where the word Collins or Joan shows up in the blog. I've noticed the word in several different renderings of my cloud... guess I'll have to dig through my post history and see if I can uncover it.


In other news, I've created a little gadget off to the side listing my hunters... I will eventually get them linked up so that they can be tracked, if people wish to do so. As I write this I now notice I'm missing at least one major hunter off my list... my Deathwing Hunter, whom I just created yesterday.

Anyone that is familiar with my travels through WoW will remember that (QD)Tzia originally came off Deathwing and I swore I'd never go back... well guess again - I guess.

No, Tzia is not moving back to Deathwing, for one you cannot move a PvE character to a PvP realm. No, my guy is playing again. He insisted that we play on Deathwing even though I hate the sound of snapping bones and screaming lowbies with a passion (hey this IS a PvP realm). And I left because I was sick of being jumped by over-geared jerk offs, but no... if I want him to play its going to be Deathwing. Ugh. We've reached a compromise. I get whatever pet I want... no exceptions, none, nada. If I want a friggen Sporebat... I get a Sporebat. The other compromise (which was more to get me to play on Deathwing than anything) was we will be perma-grouped. He's rolled a blood elf priesty, I, as previously stated, rolled yet another hunter - this one a blood elf.

This hunter will not be a main by any means at any time in the foreseeable future. Right now she's level eight and I am foaming at the mouth... I want ten, I want my pet. The guy is currently at work, and we left them in Newbie Blood Elf Territory.
I will probably post a lil blip when she hits 10, with a screen-shot of what I hope will be her first and final pet.

Yes, if you haven't noticed yet, I can't seem to stick with one pet... even though I try my hardest. Something new and shiney always comes along... but let's see if this alt can actually stay with one pet all the way instead of jumping through five or twenty thousand before hitting 70... if that even happens.

Memorable Tames: Helki

As I said in a previous post from many, many months back we have all had memorable tames, or just pets that stand out in our minds. Another one of those for me is one of my wolves. Specifically, my white wolf. I’m a big cat fan – as I’ve said before. I’m also a pretty big wolf fan, in total I’ve had four. Only one really stands in my mind. Helki.

I was level 28, in Ashenvale Forest, on Deathwing. I was hiding from a group of marauding Alliance on mounts that were trying to kill anything with a red name plate in site. Believe me; I was not happy at all. I had some temporary thing next to me that I had been using to test out the different families of pets. I am intently watching the road, knowing I’m far enough back to not be seen. I hear a growl behind me and suddenly I see blood flying and my health dropping. I flipped my camera right as I died to see, not the alliance, but a glorious white wolf covered in blood and starting in on my now lifeless body.

While I was running back to my body I stopped on the road and flipped to Petopia, I wanted to know what had just ripped out my throat… typical hunter reaction – I wanted it as a pet! I found out that I’d just been killed by a Ghostpaw Alpha. I also noted that it had Furious Howl and a new rank of Bite, so either way it was going to be a really good tame idea.

I found my wolf again, cleared every other thing that wanted to kill me from the area, ditched the temporary pet, dropped my trap. . . and died to alliance. Ahhh! Litterally that was my only comment. I ran back… and then sat there for about five minutes just waiting for the coast to be clear. I popped up, dropped the trap, tamed my wolf and then ran like hell for Splinter Tree. I got to Splinter Tree and then sat there, staring at my new companion, wondering what the heck I was going to name it.

Luckily for me, I was also playing a browser based simulation that allowed you to bred, train, and show both horses and several ‘types’ of dogs. I logged off WoW and logged into that game, found a cheap wolf for $10 in game currency, and then popped up an Imaging Program, and made myself a little image.



I didn’t tell anyone on that game that the name would be for a World of Warcraft pet, but I did toss out a two million dollar game cash prize. I got a ton of name suggestions, some of them completely and utterly stupid (its amazing what two million will draw out of the wood work) and some amazingly good.

A woman by the screen name of Embla gave me the best name. Helki : Native American for ‘to touch’. I loved it and ran with it… and I will admit for a while there I had a set of wolves… Vash and Helki. They didn’t amount to much, I’m ashamed to admit.

Here is what that Helki looked like:


I ran with Helki from 28 to 40 on the Deathwing Server in WoW, and then foolishly got rid of her. I’ve regretted that decision for quite some time, but now, I’m making up for it on (MG)Tzia. I went back at 36 and grabbed a Ghostpaw Alpha, and have named her Helki. I’m now 41 and Helki is 35.

Is she nuts?

This question has been asked several times by those that know me on WoW. The answer is invariably, "Of course. It's a hunter thing." I always smile at that and nod my head. There are hunters that want 'just the right pet'. No hunter of mine ever repeats currently held pets. I want a specific look for a pet, and I have the slot available? Somebody will pick up a new pet.

Diante (3x) of Quel'dorei has Armatu, the black RFK boar and Japhrimel, the black lion (Humar).

(QD)Tzia has Ruka, the Frostsaber Pridewatcher, Truffles, an Ashmane Boar; and Yikes, the Blackwind Sabercat.

Yazmin has Xavi, the brown RFK boar and Nova the white lion (Sian Rotam).

(MG)Tzia has Misha, a yellow maned boar from Westfall, and now Helki... who is the purpose of this post.

I'm nuts. I've managed to get to level 36, almost 37 with Misha. I want a Ghostpaw Alpha for my Helki... one issue... they are level 28. I've leveled up lower level pets before, cursed over it, but I've done it. See anything related to Yazmin and Japhrimel for proof!

But, I want a wolf, named Helki, California-based Native American tribal word meaning 'to touch' for reasons of sentimentality. On the original Tzia (QD) I tamed a Ghostpaw Alpha at 28 and brought it to 40 with me, then stupidly let it go. I had named her Helki. I want another one, and this one I will drag up to 70 with me by switching out the pets as I level. I know I can do it- even if it kills me.

The original Helki ran all of SM with me. It was me and the wolf, every single time I stepped into that instance. I want to try and avoid a cat... if I can on this hunter. The boar I won't side-step as a leveler, its one of the better pets out there in my oppinion for that task, but I want my wolf. And no other skin will do for me... so I guess its time for me to head off into Ashenvale, hunt down my new friend and go back to STV and start the wholesale slaughter of Mistvale Gorillas.

Why Mistvale Gorillas you ask? 1. They are not needed in any quest last I checked. 2 They are level 32-33, therefore an easy target to kill with a lower level pet. 3. They are skin-able. All around win-win situation... especially since I seem a bit stuck atm for leveling.

I hate the 30s did I mention that? Ah well, off to collect Helki and get down to business.