Meet Bayan! Known as ‘MortallWarlock,’ she is a 21-year-old artist and fandom member from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Describe yourself in three words.
Weird. Sincere. Grumpy-but-it’s-actually-the-drama-queen-vibes-in-my-blood [laughs].
How long have you been drawing?
Since I was very young. I stopped and got back at it in middle school, but since then, I’ve been going back and forth because school and stuff, so this fandom actually brought me to life after two years of almost not drawing at all.
What kind of equipment do you like to use when you draw?
For digital painting, I use a Wacom Intuos tablet and the program I use for drawing is Paint Tool SAI.
How did you get involved in the Shadowhunters fandom?
Funny story actually. I was traveling with my family when I passed by The Infernal Devices series and decided to pick it up knowing nothing of the Shadow World whatsoever. So, when I was reading it, I fell in love with Magnus the moment he was introduced, and I discovered that there was The Mortal Instruments to read, too, which – MORE MAGNUS – and while I was searching the internet for more info about the chronicles, I saw that there was a TV show of it; so of course, I binged-watched the whole show in two days, then read the books. Turns out I had already seen a gif set of the “Malec” episode, but I hadn’t made the connection [laughs]. Yeah, that month was a roller-coaster of emotions!
Who is your favorite character to draw and why?
First, it’s Magnus Bane because there is this feeling of freedom, liberty, and pride whenever I draw him. Drawing him is so soothing on so many levels – his relaxed features, what he stands for, his strong will, his humanity. I don’t know, I just love him so much and he is the reason I started drawing again, even though I didn’t dare drawing him until recently. I was afraid I wouldn’t do him justice, and he means so much to me and to a lot of people for many reasons. He was – and still is – this perfect human that I was afraid of ruining.
Second, Ragnor Fell, so that I can channel my grumpiness through my dear little cabbage! Also, his BROTP with Magnus is everything.
What ships do you ship, and why you love them so much?
Malec – beautiful, unique, totally imperfect humans trying their hardest to overcome everything for each other. They are just on another level. They feel real. Sizzy – they are just so precious and adorable! Jimon – because they are so cute in so many ways. Clizzy – who are killing it, to be honest. Lucelyn – the romance and the struggle.
And then there’s my favorite BROTP of all time: Magnus/Catarina/Ragnor. This trio is the Golden Trio. They are basically family. They’ve known each other for centuries! They can always count on each other and, of course, their silliness and playfulness! I just love imagining their adventures and drawing it!
What has been the best part of your fandom experience so far?
I’ve not been active in this fandom for a long time, but to be honest, the acceptance of the fans and the lovely amazing cast. I just love interacting with everyone! I constantly learn new things about different people, and their cultures and how this fandom brought us all together. It’s just fascinating and the acceptance of them is overwhelming and beautiful.
I am so happy that I chose this brilliant fandom to get back into drawing fanart with. You guys are awesome.
Like what you see? You can follow Bay on Twitter and Tumblr!
