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Marellinh
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Marella Redek and Linh Song |
| Alternative name(s): | Linhella |
| Gender category: | Femslash |
| Fandom: | Keeper of the Lost Cities |
| Canonical?: | Potentially coded |
| Prevalence: | Popular |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | Fan wiki page |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Marellinh is the popular KotLC femslash pairing of Marella Redek and Linh Song. This pairing gained prominence largely for the opposed dynamic of fire and water abilities the two characters have, as well as for being believed to be the most likely queer ship to become canon. They canonically work together to help each other learn to control their abilities, since they can cancel each other out.
Canon "Coding"
As of the release of Unraveled (book 9.5) in 2024, there were three incidents that led fans to believe a queer ship, and in particular Marellinh, might become canon.
In the eighth book, Legacy, Sophie asks Marella if Linh has a crush on Keefe, then quickly says she shouldn't have asked. Marella replies "Probably not, but maybe not for the reason you're thinking," then says, "And on that bombshell—I'm out!" Though Marella and Linh were shipped before this, this was the first thing that made fans believe the ship could actually become canon, despite no prior queer representation.
The ship continued to gain in popularity, but it wasn't until five years later that fans claimed more evidence. When the paperback edition of Stellarlune (book 9) was published in 2023, a short story from Marella's point of view was included. In this story, where Marella and Linh speak with Fintan at his prison, Marella describes Linh as looking "peaceful and pretty and perfect." Many fans believed this fit the style Shannon Messenger typically described characters' crushes in. One photo of the excerpt, captioned "CANONICALLY GAY MARELLA REAL," gained hundreds of notes on Tumblr, quite a lot for the fandom at the time.[1] The user defended her claim in one reblog in particular:
arcadialedge
I really hope this is intentional on Shannon's part and not her unintentionally queerbaiting... and not realizing how gay this is.
sophitz
I’ve seen a lot of people unsure about whether we as a fandom are looking too close into this scene or if it’s actually implied to be a crush.
Having spent an embarrassing amount of time dissecting Shannon’s writing through the years, I strongly think it’s the real deal.
Also: “unintentionally queerbaiting” is an oxymoron. Queerbaiting is a marketing technique in which LGBT characters/ships are teased to draw in an audience. The word you may looking for is subtext or queercoding, which can be unintentional.[2]
Lastly, in Unraveled, when Keefe Sencen travels to the human world, explicitly gay characters appear for the first time in the series. Though none are main characters, only being encountered briefly, this was hugely exciting for many fans (and for their belief in the possibility of Marellinh).
Fanon
Fanworks around the two often contrast their personalities and abilities. Linh, with water abilities, is often characters as gentler and calmer; Marella, with fire abilities, is often characterized as bolder and angrier. Not all fans agree with these interpretations; in particular, some say that characterizing Linh, an East Asian character, as shy and gentle is racist. Whether this racism comes from canon, fanon, or both is another topic of debate.
Fics and artwork often depict the two using their abilities and lean toward being fluff. Protectiveness and pining are common themes. It isn't uncommon for fics to tackle homophobia as well, whether coming from internal or external sources. Fans may use the characters to work through or reflect their own experience with homophobia or heteronormativity, or to imagine an idealized relationship or life.