Focus on Lin Jing: Villain or hero?

[starandrea]

Lin Jing in Episode 1





Lin Jing is a monk in the novel, and a scientist in the drama. The novel is based on a creative interpretation of folk religion, where the world is filled with magic and supernatural beings. The drama is based on a creative projection of scientific discovery, where the world is filled with aliens and advanced technology. Lin Jing’s character fills the same role in both: he’s the expert in the foundation of their world, the one with answers to whatever questions they face.

Zhao Yunlan: “三年. 三年啊! 你一直都在装吗?” （“Three years. Three years! Were you pretending the entire time?”)
Lin Jing: “有些是. 有些不是.” (“Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.”)

Like many of the Guardian characters, Lin Jing is morally ambiguous at best. Like Chu Shuzhi, Sang Zan, Wang Xiangyang, and Sha Ya, he’s portrayed as both a criminal and a hero, sometimes at the same time. Like Zhao Xinci, Ya Qing, Cong Bo, Professor Ouyang, and Minister Gao, he justifies his actions as a means to an end. He questions Zhao Yunlan when he tries to separate those who are with the SID from those who are against it. “If not loyalty, then betrayal?” Lin Jing asks. “Is it really that simple?”

Lin Jing in Episode 40





In the final showdown with the Haixing government and the Dixing rebellion he chooses a side, but it’s never clear that he chooses the SID because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. Instead he refers to his relationships with the team as the best part of his life, arguably joining them instead of joining their cause. This is consistent with the majority of Guardian characterizations, driven as they are by their relationships as much as (if not more than) their morality.

Lin Jing: “我,林静, 生是特调处人死是特调处的尸体. 值了.” (“I, Lin Jing, lived for the SID and I died for the SID. It was worth it.”)

Questions about Lin Jing

1 - Is his character more often a hero, a villain, or a neutral force for progress? He helps and he hinders, but his most consistent contribution is technology (or magic, depending on the narrative).

2 - Is he human? He never self-identifies, nor do the other characters label him, aside from Xiao Guo comparing him to an alien from Dragon Ball Z when they first meet. (I had to look up “Saiyan,” apparently it's the hair.)

3 - The nightmare master sends him a dream that causes him to lower the SID shield in order to fix it. Was he more upset at the idea that he'd let his friends down (he has several nightmares about being called a traitor), or by the idea that his inventions aren't reliable?

4 - What are he and Da Qing doing during the SID’s year without cases? He isn't wearing his lab coat and he mentions working with the SID, even though Da Qing seems to tell him things he would have known if he were on-site with the rest of the department (like the name of Xiao Guo’s dog).

Lin Jing Fanworks

(Just a few of the excellent stories I've read featuring Lin Jing. I know there are many more, and I hope you'll share what you've seen, heard, created, or otherwise enjoyed!)

♥ unexpected problems with the protocol, fic by Teaotter
Lin Jing is good at his job.

♥ Quantum Immortality and the Timeline Convergence, fic by china_shop
“There was a climactic showdown. We won, but at high cost. We can definitely do better.”

♥ Turn Your Watch Back, fic by demitas
Lin Jing, Li Qian, and Professor Ouyang get stuck back in Ye Olde Haixing Era and have to find a way back, while trying not to mess up the timeline too badly.

Do you have other thoughts or stories about Lin Jing? Pictures, meta, fanworks, about the novel or the drama or any AU in between? Please feel free to recommend yourself or others, in any medium! Anything you want to say or link to about Lin Jing is welcome. ♥

Comments

I may have kind of a lot to say about Lin Jing...

[nnozomi]

His recorded message to the SID leaves me in tears, even knowing he’s going to survive in the long run. I think part of its effectiveness is that when we see him centered up until then it tends to be with high (if sometimes trivial) emotion—his initial mad-scientist appearance, his passionate speeches (and fanboying) in the webnovel episode, falling head over heels for Sha Ya, and even the extreme tension of his encounter with Zhao Yunlan in the bathroom—and yet when he records that message and sets off to face Ye Zun, he’s so calm, visibly relieved at being free of the burden of double- and triple-agenting, even if it means his death. It seems to me that for both Lin Jing and Li Qian, the brawl in the lab with Professor Ouyang and Xiao Guo was a snapping point of sorts, marking an end to focusing blindly on science regardless of ethics and giving them both a kind of moral solidity. (Which he holds onto even after being swallowed by Ye Zun—a moment I love is the way he braces himself over the mortally injured Shen Wei to protect him, something which would have seemed out of character earlier on.)
Lin Jing’s relationship with Zhu Hong is one of my favorite things about the drama. They act like siblings who annoy the hell out of each other because they’re just that close—he laughs himself sick at her dressed up in her fancy red dress as a decoy, she shares Wang Zheng’s malicious pleasure when his bonus gets cut and smacks him hard enough to unseat his glasses when he bugs her—but she has his back when he needs a wingman, and for all her crush on Zhao Yunlan it’s Lin Jing’s side she takes when she thinks he’s getting fired. I was thinking of this friendship as something that just happens because it’s who the characters are, not a plot point in the overall story or in their respective emotional arcs, but your comment above that in his recorded message “he refers to his relationships with the team as the best part of his life, arguably joining them instead of joining their cause” makes me think that his friendship with Zhu Hong is also something built up gradually over the drama to be a part of his decision at this point.
As you say, “…driven by their relationships as much as (if not more than) their morality,” but it seems to me that Lin Jing is a good illustration of the way the relationships of the SID and environs come to shape its morality, with Zhao Yunlan’s basic human decency at the core and the same tendencies coming out gradually in everyone around him, developed through their connections with one another.

Other points: Sha Ya is kind of a long series of Bad Life Choices on his part, not to mention her own, but Lin Jing’s instant devotion is honestly pretty adorable. I am also probably almost the only person ever (except for the Japanese lady who livetweeted her Guardian binge over New Year’s, bless her) to imagine Lin Jing and Cong Bo having intense hatesex, as suggested below.

Edited: I may have failed to post the damn image I want, if so please try here

(I may also have posted about 10K worth of fic about post-canon everybody-lives-AU Lin Jing. I did not expect to get that fond of this particular character out of everybody.)

[china_shop]

but it’s never clear that he chooses the SID because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. Instead he refers to his relationships with the team as the best part of his life, arguably joining them instead of joining their cause.

Oh, that's interesting! I feel like part of what he loves about the SID is its cause -- that its vision (and the team itself as it personifies that vision) call to his better nature. But that may totally be wishful thinking on my part. *g* (Anyway, in the absence of a strong moral stance, well-placed loyalty is often a good second best. :-)

There's also the fact that his big crush is on a woman from Dixing, though as you point out, we don't know for sure whether or not he's human. (Excellent point! But I still assume he is!)


Other random thoughts from a vague, really-need-to-rewatch drama-only perspective:

1. This post made me notice how Lin Jing and Shen Wei (and Lao Li) all wear glasses, and all are hiding an important part of themselves when they do. Clark Kents all over the place! Now I need to rewatch and see when Lin Jing stops wearing his so much.

2. At the beginning of the first episode, Professor Ouyang says to Shen Wei, "I have a favourite pupil of my own. When there's a chance, maybe you can talk to each other." Presumably he's talking about Lin Jing there? (I love how the drama sets so many things up so early in ways that only click when I'm rewatching.)

3. My first watch, I found Lin Jing to be kind of a tech dude bro, with his "all the girls love this pretty man of science" schtick, and I didn't really care for him until quite near the end. In particular, IIRC, he puts a tracker on Sha Ya? And then manipulates her by proxy into shouting that she loves him (albeit not directly to his face), despite her saying she doesn't feel that way? I didn't like either of those things, or the sex doll byplay. I think it's fandom that's helped me come to appreciate him more, particularly depictions of and discussion of his friendship with Zhu Hong (which I think is totally canon, especially given she accompanies him to Sha Ya's gig) and his developing bravery and loyalty. Also particularly, the Lin Jing chapter of teaotter's time travel fic/series, spoilers don't do as they're told (which informed my own Lin Jing time travel fic in pretty obvious ways). :-)

Re: I may have kind of a lot to say about Lin Jing...

[china_shop]

It seems to me that for both Lin Jing and Li Qian, the brawl in the lab with Professor Ouyang and Xiao Guo was a snapping point of sorts, marking an end to focusing blindly on science regardless of ethics and giving them both a kind of moral solidity.

and

(Which he holds onto even after being swallowed by Ye Zun—a moment I love is the way he braces himself over the mortally injured Shen Wei to protect him, something which would have seemed out of character earlier on.)

Ooh, both excellent points! ♥ ♥ ♥

I may also have posted about 10K worth of fic about post-canon everybody-lives-AU Lin Jing.

Link? *hopeful face*

[winter_blossom]

Okay, so first of all, I'm a fan of Lin Jing's. He's one of my favourite SID members, and, imo, underwent some of the best character development in the show: going from a bratty nerdbro who only cares about Science and Experiments and showing off for the ladies, to someone who realises that messing around with science is not something you do for fun, and that his actions can have serious consequences for their worlds. He went through a horrible experience (being devoured by Ye Zun), lost someone very important to him (Sha Ya) and had to make several tough choices in quick succession (siding with the SID over the government that employed him, spying on the DoS for Zhao Yunlan, killing Shen Wei) and came out the other end considerably calmer and more mature.

About the questions:

2. I've always thought he was Haixingren, myself. Since their "species," as it were, in the drama correspond to those in the novel, and in the novel he's a human, right? At the very least, we don't see any indication that he's Dixingren or Yashou, and since they usually make it pretty clear who's what, I don't see any need for them to hide Lin Jing's species alone. And then there's his drive to understand/replicate/counter Dixingren and Yashou powers, physiology, etc. via experiments, and the fact that he works for Prof Ouyang, who I'm pretty sure would never allow a non-Haixingren on his staff.

1. I'm actually very fond of spy characters in fiction, and imo you can't really label a spy as a hero or a villain by themselves; they're neutral because - by the nature of their job itself - it's not up to them to question whether the side which employs them is right or wrong, kind of similar to army soldiers. (And I mean, he was Prof Ouyang's employee first.) But the fact that he did, in the end, help out the SID, means he felt enough allegiance to them to actually break free of his neutrality, renounce his "duties," and pick a side. Yes, it was probably more strongly motivated by his personal feelings towards them than his dedication to their cause. But I think that's okay? Like was mentioned in the OP, a lot of the characters in the cast are driven by emotion and loyalty rather than morality. The way I see it, Guardian isn't really a series that places a strong emphasis on Good vs. Bad in the first place, probably because it's about three different species jostling for space on Earth, to live and use resources for their own people, and there's no right or wrong in that kind of scenario, only the struggle for survival. (Now, Ye Zun is different, since he's vengeful and power hungry and cares as little for Dixingren as he does for Yashou and Haixingren, which imo is what makes him a villain in a series full of anti-heroes, but I digress.)

3. I think he was definitely upset that he let the SID down by lowering the shield. I didn't at all get the impression that he was thinking about the integrity of his technology, there.

4. I've also wondered a lot about the "one year later" scene. I'd like to think he went back to the SID, but it could also be that he's working with the new-and-improved DoS as a liaison with the SID, and the reason he and Da Qing meet up often is because, having both lost their loved one in the war, they'd found common grounds for conversation. And I like to think that all the former SID members as still close, regardless of where they ended up working/living.

Apart from the ones already mentioned, for fic there's also:

Pushing the Envelope series by nnozomi. Lin Jing is the protagonist of part two, but part one has to be read beforehand or it won't make much sense. It's a lovely little series so this is definitely no chore.

Changing & Belonging by 020104isme - Da Qing starts to move on with his life with a little help from a friend.

[winter_blossom]

I feel like part of what he loves about the SID is its cause -- that its vision (and the team itself as it personifies that vision) call to his better nature.

This is a great theory! I didn't think of it before, but now that you mention it, it does fit nicely. And after falling in love with a Dixingren, he'd definitely come to appreciate the SID's attitude more than the DoS's, though I'm sure the change in his allegiances started long before that. Hell, you might even say that he changed his mind about non-Haixingren - to the point where he could fall for one - because he spent so much time with Da Qing, Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi, and saw beyond their species to the people they were.

At the beginning of the first episode, Professor Ouyang says to Shen Wei, "I have a favourite pupil of my own. When there's a chance, maybe you can talk to each other." Presumably he's talking about Lin Jing there?

Oh, yep, definitely! In fact, the moment Lin Jing's work for the DoS was revealed, I immediately flashed back to that conversation between Prof Ouyang and Shen Wei. Such a clever setup!

[china_shop]

In fact, the moment Lin Jing's work for the DoS was revealed, I immediately flashed back to that conversation between Prof Ouyang and Shen Wei. Such a clever setup!

Ha! Imagine how infuriating it must have been for Professor Ouyang to listen to Professor Zhou go on about Shen Wei and not be able to counter with talk of his own genius protégé.

[nnozomi]

Lin Jing and Shen Wei (and Lao Li) all wear glasses, and all are hiding an important part of themselves when they do
I never thought of that! I had the impression that Lin Jing wears his glasses in the lab/at work and takes them off to walk around outside (so, basically reading glasses), but it's a nice continuing nod to the overall theme of masks and of eyes being the window of the soul, as it were (see Zhang Shi, not to speak of, metatextually, Zhu Yilong in general).

Also particularly, the Lin Jing chapter of teaotter's time travel fic/series, spoilers don't do as they're told (which informed my own Lin Jing time travel fic in pretty obvious ways). :-)
I'm bad at commenting on AO3, but I love both those fics, in their very different ways, and it's neat to know yours was explicitly (er, as it were) in conversation with teaotter's.

(winter_blossom very kindly linked my Lin Jing fic below; now I kind of wish I could go back and edit it with some of the insights of this conversation. AM NOT WRITING MORE FIC, NO, forget it, brain.

[nnozomi]

You and I have already talked a lot about Lin Jing, but there are some really interesting ideas here.
And then there's his drive to understand/replicate/counter Dixingren and Yashou powers, physiology, etc. via experiments, and the fact that he works for Prof Ouyang, who I'm pretty sure would never allow a non-Haixingren on his staff
Lin Jing, at least earlier on, is kind of a good example of the idea that Pure Science and Knowledge is what matters, so who cares if anyone is Dixingren or Haixingren or Yashou--which is an idea that only a Haixingren can get away with having, maybe. It does seem to mean that he couldn't care less if Sha Ya is Dixingren; that particular kind of prejudice isn't his.

(and thank you for the fic link :) )

[winter_blossom]

Ha! That's true! And he's a huge braggart so it must have been doubly hard for him XD

drama Lin Jing

[extrapenguin]

Lin Jing mostly disappears into the background the lab for me. The Sha Ya thing was at times uncomfortable to watch, but in the end I'm strangely okay with it, if only because it was a clusterfuck where while Lin Jing might've planted a tracker on her, she tried to murder him. Though it's not like I'm ride-or-die for the ship by any means.

Is his character more often a hero, a villain, or a neutral force for progress?
I mean, he's part of the SID, so of course he's a hero? He's one of our heroes, despite the unsavoury backstory and moments of doubt, and in the end, he comes through amazingly on the side of good-as-it's-declared-in-the-show.

Is he human?
...this is a very weird question! I don't think I've ever considered this to be a possibility. In addition to what everyone else has said about him being Professor Ouyang's prize student, I'm 99% sure that at some point someone described the SID collectively as "Chu Shuzhi, Da Qing, Zhu Hong, and the humans" (or some other descriptor that folded Lin Jing in with the humans). His whole schtick of study and technology is also presented as something of a contrast to the natural instictual knowedge of dark energy usage Dixingians have. So I guess that giving him Dixingian ancestry he doesn't know about would be a cool fic idea, but not really something I see as a logical extension of canon.

Was he more upset at the idea that he'd let his friends down (he has several nightmares about being called a traitor), or by the idea that his inventions aren't reliable?
The former, absolutely. "Turns off when the power button is pressed" isn't unreliability, but expected behavior. The weak point of the system was very obviously him.

[winter_blossom]

...so who cares if anyone is Dixingren or Haixingren or Yashou--which is an idea that only a Haixingren can get away with having, maybe. It does seem to mean that he couldn't care less if Sha Ya is Dixingren; that particular kind of prejudice isn't his.

Yeah, basically like humans vs. other species on our planet, or perhaps more accurately, humans vs. other sentient beings like vampires, werewolves, aliens, etc. in fantasy or sci-fi, I guess? Only the species in power has the luxury of thinking and acting that way. But that doesn't mean he can't have been biased towards Haixingren previously. As I mentioned in my reply to china_shop's comment, above, I kind of like the idea that his time in the SID and associating with Da Qing, Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi gave him the chance to see Yashou and Dixingren as their own people, rather than just test subjects for Haixingren scientists. And that him being so quick to accept Sha Ya, powers and all, was at least partly a result of that. I don't really have any in-canon evidence for that, though...

[extrapenguin]

his friendship with Zhu Hong
I knew I was forgetting something! :D I find it delightful, and a good little peek on the fact that he doesn't discriminate based on species. We also saw a bunch of other stuff, early on, that made clear he wasn't the standard sort of dude bro as we know them (he refused to zoom in on Li Qian's boobs despite his boss telling him to, was very judgy of the three rapists), so him genuinely being friends with Zhu Hong fits right into that. (One of the things I like about Guardian is that most characters aren't 100% pure archetype. Lin Jing not excepted.)

Re: drama Lin Jing

[winter_blossom]

The Sha Ya thing was at times uncomfortable to watch, but in the end I'm strangely okay with it, if only because it was a clusterfuck where while Lin Jing might've planted a tracker on her, she tried to murder him.

This, definitely. I'm always a bit puzzled as to why so many people seem to regard Lin Jing as a pervert, and as though he "doesn't deserve" Sha Ya. Sha Ya's tough as nails, is a very independent woman, and makes any amount of morally dubious choices herself - she's not some delicate maiden. And honestly, I think she grew pretty fond of him towards the end, if in a grudging, "tsundere" sort of way, which is pretty typical for East Asian fiction anyway. They're hardly one of my OTP's, but I'm actually pretty fond of it in a way, and under different circumstances I think they'd have had a pretty good chance of working it out.

Re: drama Lin Jing

[extrapenguin]

She was also conducting a honeypot operation! Of course she'd egg him along! And yeah, I do think she got a grudging respect for him by the end, but at the same time, she also needs at least a few months to fully digest WTF has been going on and all the revelations about Gu Ban and Hua Yuzhu. So physical separation at the end is fine. Her death was bullshit, though.

As for why people regard Lin Jing as a pervert, the best guess I have is that he (like everyone else) laughed over the sex doll Guo Changcheng ordered and took it home, plus expectation that the nerdy dude is a perv. His canon characterization, right from episode 2, isn't consistent with perviness imo. (Instead, he's completely willing to call out his boss for being a pervert and refuse when he thinks Zhao Yunlan wants a look at Li Qian's boobs.)

Re: drama Lin Jing

[winter_blossom]

Her death was bullshit, though.

Utter, utter BS. I was honestly more ticked off about this than any of the more major characters' deaths, because they had a reason, they sacrificed themselves for a heroic cause, etc. Sha Ya (and Hua Yuzhu), though? Just cheap shock value.

His canon characterization, right from episode 2, isn't consistent with perviness imo.

Definitely not. I mean, it never even occurred to me to think about him that way until I saw people automatically assuming it, and then I was just like ??? And as for laughing at the sex doll... I was cackling loudly over that myself XD

Re: I may have kind of a lot to say about Lin Jing...

[winter_blossom]

Lin Jing’s relationship with Zhu Hong is one of my favorite things about the drama.

Ooh, you know what, I never thought about this too deeply while I was watching, but I love your description of them a lot! Also how Zhu Hong actually stood up to Zhao Yunlan for Lin Jing - that was really beautiful, can't believe I didn't take much note of this scene before. (Should re-watch it sometime!)

Re: drama Lin Jing

[extrapenguin]

Didn't Hua Yuzhu survive? (The scene where Sha Ya sacrifices herself for her was so contrived, though. Just have them both make it to Haixing and join the fight offscreen or something!)

I'm pretty sure everyone was laughing about the sex doll! (Except Wang Zheng.) Hell, even Zhu Hong was laughing about it – is she a perv now, too? Sigh.

Re: drama Lin Jing

[winter_blossom]

Oh, she did? I always thought they both died... Admittedly, I don't remember the last few arcs that clearly, since I only watched them through once. Must rewatch sometime soon!

[undeadrobins]

I adored Lin Jing at the start, for reasons I didn't even know how to articulate.

But I was so disappointed in him when he started lying and stealing from the SID. If he'd been doing it for *love*, I'd probably have understood it, but there just didn't seem to be any real reason for his betrayal.

He redeemed himself in my eyes a little at the end, but I just lost so much of the love I had for him.

[undeadrobins]

Although in hindsight, I'm looking forward to rewatching the show, now I know where things are going (I literally finished ep 40 a couple of hours ago), to see if I have a different opinion of any of the characters.

[trobadora]

Lin Jing’s character fills the same role in both: he’s the expert in the foundation of their world, the one with answers to whatever questions they face.

Oooh, that's an excellent observation!

Like Chu Shuzhi, Sang Zan, Wang Xiangyang, and Sha Ya, he’s portrayed as both a criminal and a hero, sometimes at the same time.

I don't think he's ever portrayed as a criminal? He's someone with conflicted loyalties, but both parties he's (sometimes) loyal to are government agencies.

In the final showdown with the Haixing government and the Dixing rebellion he chooses a side, but it’s never clear that he chooses the SID because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. Instead he refers to his relationships with the team as the best part of his life, arguably joining them instead of joining their cause.

I do think it's because the SID's side is more in line with his own morals. He tends to be all "science!!!", but he does have strong convictions - look at the way he goes off on Lai Su, the webnovelist. He has a whole rant for the man about how terrible he is for not stopping his writing after realising they would be material for imitation murders. He believes strongly in personal responsibility. And Professor Ouyang is clearly being irresponsible by the time Lin Jing actually has to make a choice. I'm not sayign the friendships don't matter - of course they do - but I do think Lin Jing has an actual moral stance here.

1 - Is his character more often a hero, a villain, or a neutral force for progress? He helps and he hinders, but his most consistent contribution is technology (or magic, depending on the narrative).

I don't think he's ever a villain. He's mostly a hero; sometimes his conflicted loyalties get in the way.

2 - Is he human?

I don't think anyone not human could ever have risen to the position of Professor Ouyang's favourite student. Also, in Haixing human is the default assumption (even if it shouldn't be), so his species not being mentioned supports his being human.

Was he more upset at the idea that he'd let his friends down (he has several nightmares about being called a traitor), or by the idea that his inventions aren't reliable?

I don't think his invention is unreliable? He actively turns it off. And he's upset that he let himself be tricked into it.

4 - What are he and Da Qing doing during the SID’s year without cases?

Honestly, I have no clue. But maybe he's still working with Li Qian? She needs people she can rely on, and after everything, his loyalties aren't in question (any more).

Re: I may have kind of a lot to say about Lin Jing...

[trobadora]

It seems to me that for both Lin Jing and Li Qian, the brawl in the lab with Professor Ouyang and Xiao Guo was a snapping point of sorts, marking an end to focusing blindly on science regardless of ethics and giving them both a kind of moral solidity.

Ooh, yes, that's a good point! I said below that I think his speech to Lai Su shows that he firmly believes in personal responsibility, and at that point it becomes excruciatingly clear just how irresponsible Professor Ouyang is being.

a moment I love is the way he braces himself over the mortally injured Shen Wei to protect him

SUCH a good moment. ♥

I also love his friendship with Zhu Hong! They're really fun together.

but Lin Jing’s instant devotion is honestly pretty adorable

What sold me on his interest in her being more adorable than creepy, despite the tracker, was how sweet he was being about her trying to kill him. That scene is really lovely.

[trobadora]

I feel like part of what he loves about the SID is its cause -- that its vision (and the team itself as it personifies that vision) call to his better nature.

I agree with this! (And I think there are points in the show that support it.)

Also, great observation about the glasses!

[trobadora]

One of the things I like about Guardian is that most characters aren't 100% pure archetype.

This! And I think that's partly because of the underlying "things aren't as they seem" theme, so even minor characters end up with some complexity.

Re: drama Lin Jing

[trobadora]

And honestly, I think she grew pretty fond of him towards the end

I absolutely agree with this! There's that scene where she's pressured by Ya Qing to cut her ties, and she ends up throwing her phone off the roof. I think it's pretty clear she doesn't actually want to stop talking to Lin Jing. And she doesn't end up staying away, phone or no.