Rolyat loves cosplaying. She sat down with us to discuss her favorite fandoms, why she’d never ghost anyone, and more.
Playboy: Where were you born?
Rolyat: I was born in Ontario, Canada — in a city called Mississauga. It was very cold all the time, and we didn’t have much to do there (except complain about the cold). But, I was able to find a ton of dumb things to do in the area with friends.
Back when I was growing up, you kind of had to make your own fun with what you had. But, I remember really enjoying exploring and going outside with friends.
Once, when I was five years old, I just took off on my bike (with training wheels) one day without telling anyone and went on an adventure. I saw some frogs at a random pond, went down a lot of probably dangerous trails, and when I got home my dad was so mad at me. I have no regrets.
Playboy: What did you most enjoy in school?
Rolyat: I mostly enjoyed just hanging out with friends and anything that revolved around art. Even though I never really felt like I was amazing at it, I still loved to draw and paint all the time. That’s probably what drove me to the career path I have now. I still get to express my artsy side a lot when making cosplay costumes, which has been really fulfilling for me.
Playboy: What was the first thing you dreamed of achieving?
Rolyat: The first goal I can remember having when I was finishing my schooling was that I wanted to become a special FX makeup artist. I was really into scary movies (and still am), and seeing all of these really intricate, practical effects on monsters and victims made me want to learn how to do it.
Part of why I enjoy cosplay so much is due to that early love I had for prosthetics and the makeup process. Even though I never eventually achieved that goal, I think the way I pivoted into costume creation really helped scratch that itch for me.
Playboy: What are you passionate about?
Rolyat: I’m a very passionate person overall, so everything I pursue in life is always done with maximum effort and with everything that I have. I like to give it my all when it comes to everything I want to do in life. If there’s something I don’t know how to do that I’m really passionate about, I get this intense desire to learn it and master it. But if I were to give some examples, I would throw out the obvious things like cosplay, video games, and horror movies. But, on a more personal level, I’m very passionate about my friends and family. I like to make sure that I’m always there for people in my life when they need me.
Playboy: What turns you on?
Rolyat: When people give me their full attention when I’m talking to them, it helps me feel connected to them. I like people with high emotional IQ, because I think it’s important to always have consideration for someone’s feelings when interacting with them, and be able to empathize and sympathize in different circumstances. I’m turned on when someone is actively responsive and doesn’t let a conversation go flat. I really need someone to play off of my responses and can create a dialogue with me. This is especially true for humor and stuff, because there’s no bigger turn on than when someone laughs at a joke I make, and can make me laugh in turn. People who don’t judge me… non-judgemental people make me feel comfortable; talking to them and opening up to them is easier if I know it’s a safe space. I like having people around me who are understanding and compassionate. I love when someone gives me constant and generous validation for who I am. It’s not just about my looks, but about making me feel like my whole being is loved, and that I have a place in their mind with who I am (not how I appear).
Playboy: How about what turns you off?
Rolyat: For turn-offs? I do not like it when someone cuts me off mid sentence. It comes across like what they had to say was more important than what I was saying. People who are stuck up or entitled? Huge turn off. Jealousy in general from anyone is a huge turn off for me. It’s unattractive when someone is overly jealous about a situation. With the work that I do I can’t be with someone who can’t trust me to not be faithful. I like to be around people and date people, who are confident enough in themselves (and in me) that they don’t allow feelings of jealousy compel them to be nasty or controlling. I don’t like it when someone has no ambition in life. Being able to envision a future with you is important to me, and I can’t be the only one looking forward. I feel like I’m a very ambitious person, and I need someone to match that energy.
Playboy: What would make you ghost a potential love interest?
Rolyat: I never ghost potential love interests. I think that ghosting people shows a lack of care or emotion. If I ever truly consider someone as a potential love interest, I would have the
decency to be transparent with them about my feelings. But, closer to that line of questioning: something that makes me reconsider someone as a potential love interest? Well, I think that it really depends on the person. If someone changes who they are or how they act around me and aren’t that person in their normal life, it worries me that they are putting on a mask – even if it’s just for me.
I like knowing that in six months I’ll still have the same person I liked in the beginning. Early on in the “before relationship” phase, if I notice someone has lied to me, it can make me instantly skeptical of them morally. A person’s morals are very important to me when I’m considering dating someone. Also, just check my list of turn offs.
Playboy: What people inspire you, and why?
Rolyat: I have always held a lot of people in high regard, like my mother and my friends. My friends inspire me every day to better myself. I also see how hard my mom worked, and still works, to take care of her family – and I always try to take that work ethic and apply it to everything that I do myself.
Playboy: What’s the title of your autobiography?
Rolyat: Well, first off, autobiography means that I would be writing an entire book about myself… and I honestly think I don’t have the patience for that. So, it would need to be a biography that I have someone write for me. But, the title of my autobiography would be:
Life is Hard, Let Me Make it Harder By Over Analyzing Every Interaction Ever. I feel like I have a very crazy backstory and a lot of interesting and dramatic things that have all led to me getting to where I am in life. Thinking about it now, I’m so surprised that I;ve ended up being as well adjusted and having had the success that I;ve experienced. I tend to think too much about a lot of menial things, which has led me to not being able to take on bigger tasks and wasting a lot of time and energy in my everyday life. If I could cut out the part of my brain that overanalyzes, I would probably be the president (that’s a lie).
Playboy: What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Rolyat: The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given was by one of my friends: comparison is the thief of joy. It means that in a lot of situations where you would normally feel happy or proud about something, you can end up comparing your experience to someone else; and it ends up ruining your perception of something you did. For example, I can finish a costume and be really proud of the work I did on it, but as soon as I would compare it to someone else’s who I thought did a better job, that pride and feeling of accomplishment might turn into something lesser and create self-doubt. So, I always try my best to not compare myself to others in everything I do, but it’s a struggle I deal with on a day-to-day basis – even now.
Playboy: What inspired you to get into cosplay?
Rolyat: I have always been into the “nerdy” stuff in life. I played video games and devoured nerd culture for as long as I can remember. When I was old enough to start going to conventions – maybe 13 – I saw people dressed up as characters from some of my favorite media, and I was instantly hooked.
My first cosplay was Kairi from Kingdom Hearts. It was very quickly put together, but I remember that it felt so cool to dress up as a character I was fond of. I had even cut and dyed my hair to look like her for the convention (Anime North).
Playboy: What was your favorite cosplay that you’ve done so far?
Rolyat: This question is always a very hard one for me to answer, because it makes me feel like someone is making me choose between which of my children is my favorite, even though I have no children. But, we all have a favorite child, and my favorite is my Ebon Blade cosplay from Blizzcon 2018. I also really like the Korok character that I did for Anime Expo 2023.
For both costumes, I made them from the ground up and I’m super proud of how they both turned out. I just wish I could have gotten better photos of my Ebon Blade cosplay because my make-up was not the best that day.
Playboy: What is your dream cosplay costume that you haven’t done yet?
Rolyat: I would love to do a couple characters who have always seemed very intimidating or time-consuming to make. One is Lilith from Diablo 4. The details on the design for her are so beautiful and intricate, it would be such an insane build. I’ve always wanted to create something like that for myself, and doing so would make me feel very accomplished in the realm of cosplay.