Community Spotlight: Xyce (Xycestraza)
MEET: Xyce
Hello all! This is Xyce (Xycestraza), your friendly neighborhood scaredy-tank!
I’ve been a part of VALOR for a little over a year now. I am one of the dps/backup tanks for the VALOR Rainbow Unicorns M+ Team, and I dabble in raiding with VALOR Silver Raid Team (as dps), when time allows.
As for me, I currently live in Tampa, FL, but originally hail from Scranton, PA (wooo Dunder Mifflin!).
Yes…I’m a Florida man… but not a “stand in a hurricane in shorts with an american flag” one LOL
I am also a musician. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 16, and while I’m no Eddie Van Halen, I can play.
I was in a band up until about a year ago where we just couldn’t move forward anymore, so it was time to end it. It was sad, but I got a lot of good memories from it.
I opened shows for a lot of great bands (Overkill, Symphony X, Obituary, Unleash the Archers, just to name a few), and met a lot of cool people.
Eventually I’ll probably get back to that, but for now I’m just doing my own thing.
I work as a coordinator for a scripting department in a call center. I’ve been there about 5 years now, and I truly love it, especially since I work from home. So I’m in my home office A LOT. Lol
I’ve got three kids, two daughters who are in their twenties from a previous (and super toxic) relationship, and then a son from my wife.
My son takes after me, as he’s glued to his computer playing Roblox and Fortnite (and others) all day. Haven’t been able to get him into WoW yet though. Yet.
I’m old enough to say that I got into video games with Atari 2600 that my dad bought for himself. Which moved into the original NES, and onward. I’ve always enjoyed Blizzard’s games from Orcs and Humans, to Starcraft, and Diablo, but oddly, originally hated the idea of an MMO.
My first experience with MMOs was Everquest, where I bought it, installed it, then it asked for credit card info… which made me think “WTF, I already bought the game, why does it need MORE money?!?!”… and when I realized it was a monthly sub, I nope’d out, and returned the game.
Then a few years later a friend suggested I try this game, World of Warcraft, which was in free Beta at the time. And that was all it took. I played that for a week, and when the servers shut down because release was imminent, I had to have it. And I’ve been an addict since.
I started as a shaman on Medivh, and eventually raided with the guild Ascent (they are credited with the world first Rag kill. I was not in the guild at the time though) as a healer. I left the guild when they transferred servers (which was oddly enough to Thrall), and pretty much stopped raiding seriously for a long time.
I bounced around for a bit until I made a home on Vek’Nilash, and was there until some unfortunate events occurred with the guild I was in, which ultimately brought me to VALOR, and that has been one of the better things to happen within the game for me in a while, as the guild is full of chill peeps.
I’m a Horde player through and through.
I have the Horde symbol EVERYWHERE in my house. From banners, to posters, cups, mugs, jackets, shirts, shot glasses, blankets.. You name it, it’s there. I even have it tattooed on my arm.
My wife, thankfully, is supportive of my addiction, and has even bought me probably half of the merch that I own of it.
Sorry this was so scatter-brained… but it’s an accurate portrayal of how my brain works. 😛 If you read this far, good for you, if not… I don’t blame you.
Safe travels!
Xyce has been the person who inspired me to be myself. Constantly positive and supportive of everyone and their goals. He’s made a large impact on those around him and I cannot think of a person who has shown more growth in the time I’ve known him. From doing one key a week to keep people off his back to the heart and soul of Rainbow Unicorns.
-Puffin
