How Not To Upset Your Mage

Just because the mage crowd-control may be the most reliable and least fickle of them all, it does not mean that the mages themselves are the least easy to upset. In fact, in some cases, insulting one's mage may just be the last thing one gets to do... (Until one gets one's body back, that is.) Now how does one avoid irking their mage? Well, without farther ado, here's a list of things one really ought not to do...

• -Never, ever tell them that they are sheeping too slowly. Unless the mob has already hit you, the mage is doing his/her job. Tell them that they're not doing it fast enough will more than likely make them consider letting you get hit by the sheep a few times before sheeping it. That is what we consider slow. Letting them run closer to us so they won't pull a pat waaaaay out there isn't slow -- it's being cautious. Or you pulled while they were drinking and they wanted to get as much mana as possible before they have to sheep and fight. If that's the case... wait for your mage.
  
• -You know that Ritual of Refreshment you helped them summon at the beginning of the instance? Yeah, the one that looked kinda like a summoning portal? Yes, yes. They don't do it for themselves. Or to waste a few seconds of your time. They do it so you can have food/drink whenever you want throughout that whole instance and not have to ask them to stop and make more for little ol' you. Make use of it. We would like to think we didn't spend 17s for you to ask us to make you some individually. You aren't that special.
  
• -Three: If you like the poke the pork, go ahead. They dare you. It's not their concern when the pork decides that it doesn't like it, becomes whatever big, bad, scary thing it once was before they made it into a cute little bit of pork, and kills you. They did warn you, after all, and you should know better.
  
• -Four: Look at three, but change pork into a baah. [ Kestrel says they're "mutton", which works as well. I personally like "baah"s. ]
  

These ought to be able to help you maintain a healthy relationship with your mage. Outside of an instance, however, different rules apply.

• -While asking a random mage for water, keep in mind that he/she is not obliged to stop and create water for you so you won't have to get it from a vendor. If the mage chooses to provide you with refreshments, always thank the mage. Tipping them is a good way to show your thanks, and lets them know that they did not just stop whatever they were doing to save you a few silver, or a run to town, for absolutely nothing.
• -The same applies to a portal, and even more so, for [Rune of Portals] doesn't grow on trees, but, rather, costs them 20s per, not to mention their time.
• -Note: If they're traveling to you, especially, so you can sit around and look at the Auction House/bank/mailbox/finish trading, pay them travel fees to let them know you appreciate their kindness, and, this way, when you are in a tight spot and need their services again, they are more inclined to stop and aid you.

Keeping mages happy will save you a lot of long runs and flights (Darnassus to Stormwind, anywhere, really, to Theramore, from Azeroth to Shattrath) and a bit of gold too, in the long run (for buying food/drink, while not terribly expensive, isn't all that fun to want to spend money on either).

And, once you've befriended them... the chances of them letting you pay them for their services will probably disappear, and they'll offer them for free!

It's a win-win situation all around.