“	You, my little Hay Lin, will be free and light as the air!	”
—Yan Lin to Hay Lin, The Power of Friendship

Hay Lin is one of the five teenage girls who are chosen to be the new Guardians of Kandrakar. Their mission is to protect Kandrakar; the center of the universe and the other planets from evil. Hay Lin is the Guardian of Air just like her paternal grandmother Yan Lin was before her.

Hay Lin was born on June 4th and was raised in the town of Heatherfield.

Appearance

Hay Lin's family is of Chinese origin. Hay Lin has a fair complexion, long thick Blue-Black hair that sometimes appears purple, which she usually keeps tied into two low pigtails and has brown eyes. In terms of wardrobe Hay Lin often wears bright-colored clothes. Partway through the series, she begins to wear dental braces,^[1][2] which she later had removed.^[3]

Guardian outfit

While Taranee's uniform is more fit for mobility (as are most of the Guardian's except for Cornelia's which is very elegant), Hay Lin's seems to put emphasis on grace and freedom. However, it is also the most revealing. It consists of a small, teal, cropped top whose sleeves curls around her shoulders, and a purple, knee-length skirt with slits at the sides, revealing most of her legs. A beaded cord is tied around the waistband, similar to how she decorates her civilian outfits with shoelaces. Hay Lin sports purple Mary Janes as well as turquoise and green-striped below-the-knee socks instead of tights like her fellow guardians, though in the Television Adaption she has the same tights as the other members of W.i.t.c.h.

In the New Power Arc, her uniform seems to be loosely based on a cheongsam. Hay Lin's top appears to be the upper half of a cheongsam mixed with a halter top. Her skirt has grown longer, and her beaded belt is replaced with purple ribbons that wrap around the abdomen. In addition, Hay Lin also has teal ribbons wrapped around her arms, thigh-length socks, and black, fingerless gloves. Hay Lin's hair has grown longer, too, with parts of it are styled into traditional Chinese topknot buns and the rest flowing loosely. The only thing that has not changed are her shoes.

Personality

Hay Lin is something of a free spirit: she's absent-minded, but at the same time extremely creative, talented protective, full of energy, and very optimistic, determined and insightful when it comes to people around her.^{[citation needed]} Hay Lin loves to draw, paint, and sketch. It is no surprise that her favorite subject in school is art.^{[citation needed]} The Air Guardian has a sense of humor rivaling that of Irma's.^{[citation needed]} The youngest Guardian is also a slight comic-alien geek because of her love to collect comics and alien collectibles.^{[citation needed]} In addition also enjoys just about anything related to science fiction, air, or art. Quirky personalstyle spills into dialect as well, with idiosyncratic expressions like "cosmic", "spacious" and "weirdific"(in place of more mainstream options like: "cool"). In the orginal italian version of the comic, she often exclaimed: "Yap!"^{[citation needed]} Hay Lin is not superb at Physical Education, as shown when she herself once says she shall need to get into shape after running.^{[citation needed]} Hay Lin was Born on the 4th of June whitch makes her star sign Gemini.

The Lin family owns a Chinese restaurant called The Silver Dragon where she often works at to help her family out. It has been shown a habit of writing people's names, dates, numbers, and anything else that might come in handy on the back of her hand, or arm so she does not forget anything important during one of her creative brainstorms.^[4] In both the show and the comics she has a huge crush on the new boy in town, Eric Lyndon, who likes her just as much. Hay Lin had her first kiss with Eric.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

Hay Lin works at her family's restaurant and goes to school at Sheffield Institute. Quite often she would goof around in her classes.^[5] Once, she was assigned the task of making a simple kite for a school project. Hay Lin decided to make an overly fancy Chinese dragon kite and spent all night working on it. Unfortunately her teacher failed her before Hay Lin even had a chance to fly it because her teacher assumed it would not fly on its own and that it was far too heavy to even lift off the ground.^[6]

Powers and Abilities

Main article: Hay Lin/Power development (TV series)

Hay Lin has the power over air and can manipulate and control various aspects of said element, including wind and clouds,^{[citation needed]} she can even turn her breath into a weapon for both versions.^{[citation needed]} Hay Lin can move objects using her elemental power,^{[citation needed]} and in the comics, she is the only member of the group who can fly^[5] until Arc 7: New Power, both in and out of her Guardian form, but can temporarily give others the ability to fly. In the TV series, Hay Lin is the one who can fly the highest and quickest among them.^{[citation needed]} Hay Lin can conjure clouds^{[citation needed]} and even use her power to soundproof rooms,^{[citation needed]} as she did in the Arc 2: Nerissa's Revenge and Arc 1: The Twelve Portals, respectively. Hay Lin has shown an ability to control the temperature of the air, and often uses this power to freeze enemies.^{[citation needed]} Additionally she can also create air bubbles for traveling underwater^{[citation needed]} and can hear things on the wind because of the sound waves that travel through the air.^[7]

Advanced elemental abilities

Hay Lin can recall a person's memories by listening to their favorite music and creating sonograms with the sound to show them the images of their past, and also learn the history of an object by the sound it makes. When she does this, she is feeling the atmospheres the object was in and how it was touched.^{[citation needed]} In the TV series, Hay Lin is the only one who can become invisible and make other things invisible.^[8] In the comics, all the girls can become invisible.^[9] At some point, Hay Lin has managed to do shape shifting.^{[citation needed]} Also in the TV series, she was capable of Empathic Precognition; if she's thinking strongly of someone before she sleeps, she can see what will happen to them in the future, like she did with Elyon before her coronation.^[10]

When she becomes one with the air dragons in "Z Is For Zenith", she becomes an air-like being with her pigtails swirling around her like a cyclone.^[11]

Air powers

• Aerokinesis: She has the power over air and can manipulate aspects of said element. Capable of conjuring clouds, create (highly destructive) windstorms and tornadoes, control temperature of air, freeze people and objects, create air-bubbles for traveling underwater, create breathable oxygen, suck the air and wind out of living beings. Use her breath as a weapon. In simple terms she can manipulate any aspects of said element.
  • Aerokinetic Constructs: Create a multitude of shapes out of air such as weapons, animals, and creatures. She can also use air shields.
  • Atmokinesis (limited): Manipulate and control the weather and surrounding climate to an extent.
  • Flight: She has the ability to fly without transforming.
  • Oxygen Manipulation: She can remove oxygen in area.^[12]
  • Steam Manipulation: Manipulate and control steam (as it is a form of a gas element).
  • Telekinesis (simulated): Use wind to move objects.
  • Aerokinetic Blasts: Shoot air blasts at her opponents.
• Enhanced Hearing: Can use air to enhance her hearing or hear along soundwaves^[13]
• Invisibility: She can make herself and others completely invisible.
• Precognition: She can use empathic precognition and see future events through dreams and Premonitions.^[14]
• Superhuman Agility: She posses greatly strengthened and amplified agility.
• Psychometric Telepathy: Recall and read the memories and history of an object by touching it and closing her eyes.
• Empathy: Read and sense emotions.
• Aeromancy: She can see vivid vision or scene through air.

Hay Lin powers, as her status as a Guardian include

• Flight (both in the TV series and comics).
• Invisibility
• Glamouring.
• Teleportation/Teletransporting.

Weaknesses

The Star of Threbe: Hay Lin as well as the rest of the Guardians was rendered powerless due to the power of the Star of Threbe, used to find Elyon. The star renders powerless anyone who might prevent her from returning home. Ironically the star was created with the Heart of Kandrakar.^[15]

Relationships

Romantic

Eric Lyndon

Hay Lin experienced her first love when Eric Lyndon comes to town, though their initial meeting differs between the TV series and the comics. In the TV series, she saw him out on the street and became enchanted with him at first sight.^[16] As Eric was immediately popular in school, Hay Lin hesitated to approach him and doubted that she had a chance to catch his attention even as he showed a great interest in her.^[17] This changed when he was endangered by Nerissa and Hay Lin finally conquered her fears by kissing him, starting the relationship.^[1]

In the comics, the two met during a near collision between his motorbike and her roller-skating, though neither was hurt. He came to visit her at The Silver Dragon and they continued to grow closer to one another.^[18]

Their time together was cut short when Eric moved to Open Hill with his parents and though the separation was hard for Hay Lin, they continued on a long-distance relationship,^{[citation needed]} but Eric began to fade into the background of Hay Lin's life. Eventually, he stops appearing all together and Hay Lin moved on to a new crush^{[citation needed]} implying the two have grown apart completely. In the New Power arc, Eric is given a passing mention but later, Hay Lin is said to have not yet fallen in love, effectively writing Eric out of her past.

Liam

In the Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H. arc, Hay Lin became acquainted with Liam who secretly stayed in her home. Hay Lin admitted to her grandmother that the boy is handsome and she was the most upset when Liam betrayed them, going so far as to slap him when he turned to her for help.

Vincent Cohen

Hay Lin fell for rising rockstar Vincent Cohen, changing herself to fit the image of the girl he actually likes, Airin. This caused strain with her friends and her mother as Hay Lin threw away her previous interests and neglected her other responsibilities while in pursuit of Vincent's affections. Eventually, after sneaking out to his birthday party, she watched him and Airin kiss and was forced to accept that he doesn't love her. She continued to be friends with them both^[19] and later, seems to have caught the eye of another boy while studying in the library.^{[citation needed]}

Wesley Hampstead

Hay Lin began a new long-term relationship with flute player Wesley Hampstead. Their relationship progressed smoothly and after a small time apart while Wesley left to tour with his uncle's orchestra, he returned and the two became an official couple.^[20]

Appearances

TV series appearances
Season 1 appearances		Season 2 appearances
1. "It Begins":	Appears	27. "A is for Anonymous":	Appears
2. "It Resumes":	Appears	28. "B is for Betrayal":	Appears
3. "The Key":	Appears	29. "C is for Changes":	Appears
4. "Happy Birthday Will":	Appears	30. "D is for Dangerous":	Appears
5. "A Service to The Community":	Appears	31. "E is for Enemy":	Appears
6. "The Labyrinth":	Appears	32. "F is for Facades":	Appears
7. "Divide and Conquer":	Appears	33. "G is for Garbage":	Appears
8. "Ambush At Torus Filney":	Appears	34. "H is for Hunted":	Appears
9. "Return of The Tracker":	Appears	35. "I is for Illusion":	Appears
10. "Framed":	Appears	36. "J is for Jewel":	Appears
11. "The Stone of Threbe":	Appears	37. "K is for Knowledge":	Appears
12. "The Princess Revealed":	Appears	38. "L is for Loser":	Appears
13. "Stop the Presses":	Appears	39. "M is for Mercy":	Appears
14. "Parent's Night":	Appears	40. "N is for Narcissist":	Appears
15. "The Mudslugs":	Appears	41. "O is for Obedience":	Appears
16. "Walk This Way":	Appears	42. "P is for Protectors":	Appears
17. "Ghosts of Elyon":	Appears	43. "Q is for Quarry":	Appears
18. "The Mogriffs":	Appears	44. "R is for Relentless":	Appears
19. "The Underwater Mines":	Appears	45. "S is for Self":	Appears
20. "The Seal of Phobos":	Appears	46. "T is for Trauma":	Appears
21. "Escape from Cavigor":	Appears	47. "U is for Undivided":	Appears
22. "Caleb's Challenge":	Appears	48. "V is for Victory":	Appears
23. "The Battle of The Meridian Plains":	Appears	49. "W is for Witch":	Appears
24. "The Rebel Rescue":	Appears	50. "X is for Xanadu":	Appears
25. "The Stolen Heart":	Appears	51. "Y is for Yield":	Appears
26. "The Final Battle":	Appears	52. "Z is for Zenith":	Appears

Trivia

• Hay Lin is the only member of W.I.T.C.H. that doesn't have a sibling.
• She is in the same class 7B as Taranee and Irma.
• She is 12 years old and is the youngest of all the girls.^[21]
• The 2007 Annual described Hay Lin as enthusiastic, generous and optimistic - definitely the most positive of the group.^[22]
• Her hobbies are drawing, designing clothes, science fiction stuff, and collecting comic books.
• She likes flying, a good comic book, and when she got away from her braces (although she got very used to them after a time).
• Hay Lin's favourite colour is silver.^[22]
  • Other sources^[23] state that it is light blue.
• Hay Lin is born on June 4th making her a Gemini.^[22]
• Hay Lin's dentist's name is Karl Jank.
• She crashes against the fourth wall during the first episode when she flies for the first time.
• She is voiced by Liza del Mundo.
• She never has her hair down in the TV series, only in comic.
• In the TV series, Hay Lin is the only member of the Guardians to become a Trance Marcher more than once.
• In the TV series, Hay Lin is the first Guardian to appear on screen.
• In the TV series, Hay Lin snores, even when sleeping on her side. ^[24]
• Hay Lin is the character who had her Guardian outfit edited the most between the TV series and the comic, having her skirt lengthened, given stocking's like the other Guardians, and replacing the Mary Janes for slouch boots.
• In the TV series, she and Caleb are the only main characters to be descended from Guardians.
• It is slightly ironic that she is the Guardian of air. While the TV series and comics use the classical Greek elements (air, water, earth, and fire), and the Chinese elements do not contain air, but rather water, fire, earth, wood and metal.
• Hay Lin's name during the early production of W.I.T.C.H. was "Mai Lin". ^[25]

Gallery

Main article: Hay Lin/Gallery

Images of Hay Lin.

References

Guardians
W.I.T.C.H.			Will Vandom · Irma Lair · Taranee Cook · Cornelia Hale · Hay Lin · Orube
C.H.Y.K.N.			Cassidy · Halinor · Yan Lin · Kadma · Nerissa
Guardian elements			Quintessence · Water · Fire · Earth · Air
Items			Heart of Kandrakar · Aurameres
Background			Xin Jing · Four Dragons · Nymphs · Oracle · Kandrakar