By Ariana West
Photos by Jared Kocka
It takes big balls to gamble with your pocket. This is even more true if this money is your student finance. Nonetheless, Mariah Casillas, known on social media as Lavagrll, pitched the farm on a wild idea, and now she’s reaping the rewards.
“When I was in college, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do,” says Casillas. “I didn’t want to be defined by one thing or one degree. I actually got a whole bunch of financial aid and thought, ‘What if I used that money to buy a gaming setup instead of books?’ It was risky but it was worth it in the end because with this setup I was able to stream on Twitch and earn the money back.”
Some might describe Casilla’s decision to use her financial backing for a gaming setup as delicate at best and self-sabotage at worst, but she was raised to hustle. Her mother gave birth to her when she was 16, and Casillas was in foster care for a time. The experience has given Casillas a boost – she knew from a young age that she wanted to be able to provide for her family in a way her mother never could. “As soon as I started streaming, I realized that there was an opportunity for someone like me to get out there and just be myself,” says Casillas. “I always felt like I could entertain a room.”
Casillas didn’t want to become a professional gamer. Instead, she used it as a means to build a following. She knew she wasn’t the best player on the platform, but she didn’t care and neither did her fans. Becoming a successful Twitch streamer is about a lot more than just dominating game after game. Casillas’ fans know this and continue to show support no matter what type of content she releases.
“I was dating someone at the time and I was jokingly like, ‘I should start an OnlyFans,'” says Casillas. “He was like, ‘Actually, you should.’ I started streaming and OnlyFans at the same time and my Twitch fans wanted to see some sexy gamer photos. I started taking cute little pictures with my gaming setup and people absolutely loved it. Then I went from being a bit of gamer cosplay to being a girl next door on OnlyFans.”
Continuing OnlyFans proved hugely beneficial for Casillas, both professionally and personally. With many of her fans working from home during the pandemic, they flocked to the site and helped Casillas put some money in the bank. Posting on OnlyFans also helped her feel more comfortable with her sexuality. “It left me no choice but to be confident,” she says. “You know how people say, ‘Walk into a room and just imagine everyone naked so you’re not so nervous?’ Now, imagine you walk into a room and you are the only person who is naked. That’s what you have to put up with every day when you make OnlyFans. If I can do that and I don’t give a shit, that’s confidence.”
Photo by Jared Kocka
Anyone on social media or OnlyFans will tell you that it takes thick skin to persevere. People are mean, especially when they’re winning, and you often need a personal mantra to keep your head straight. The Beatles had “Let It Be”, Timon and Pumbaa had “Hakuna Matata” and Casillas has her “Fuck ‘Em” tattoo.
“It’s just my lifestyle these days,” says Casillas. “I feel like ‘Fuck ‘Em’ is a pretty good way of explaining how I feel about most things. I’ve tried only getting upset about the things I can control, which is easier said than done. But at the end of the day you just have to say ‘Fuck ‘Em’ and get on with your day.”
Casillas’ uncompromising attitude has taken her far in the content creation world. Not only does she stream on Twitch and post on OnlyFans, she’s even dabbled in reality TV. Casillas was cast in the third season of JC Caylen and Kian Lawley’s “Reality House” — a “Big Brother”-style house full of top TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram influencers sold at a cost of $100,000 compete. “Funnily enough, JC DMed me on Instagram and said, ‘Hey, you should come out with us one night,'” says Casillas. “So I came out and I was just a drunk idiot. JC saw that from me and was like, ‘This girl is a Tasmanian devil, she’s crazy. I’ll definitely have her on my show.’”
The bold impression Casillas made on Caylen that night earned her a spot on the show. And by the end of the season, she’d secured more than her first reality TV gig — she took home the $100,000. Although Casillas “was on one” when she first met Caylen, she was a smart competitor. Her personality got her in the door, but it was her tenacity and ferocity in challenges that earned her the crown.
Since appearing on Reality House, Mariah Casillas is no longer just a Twitch streamer or an OnlyFans model — she’s a multi-faceted content creator. Casillas vowed in college not to let one thing define her, and now she can say she did just that. She broke with the mold and never hesitated to be true to herself.