Ian Kabra Supremacy

Enemies to lovers is about:

The drama

The angst

The extremely complex layers of human nature

The yearning

The realisation

The first ever kiss

The exhilaration that comes afterwards

The “youre not alone” cmon guys this is textbook by now

The hasty kisses afterwards

This is an expansion and continuation of many of the ideas expressed in my previous meta ‘Chasing the Ghosts of Season 8.’ You may wish to read that first if you haven’t already, though it is not necessary to understand this meta.

Herein is contained all the actual textual evidence  I’ve gathered of Voltron Legendary Defender, Season 8 having been edited post-production, as well as a handful of circumstantial conclusions I feel have strong enough textual evidence supporting them to stand up to scrutiny. This is as ship-neutral as I can make it, given a number of the most highly edited scenes are ones that in the edited version of s8 are played as distinctly romantic in nature.

Dad: That's seriously still a thing?

Me: I was born Amian trash. It's an integral part of my identity, Dad. You cannot take that away from me.

Dad: ...The series didn't exist when you were born.

Me: I was BORN Amian trash, and I shall DIE Amian trash!

Dad: ....... Where did I go wrong?

Me: Around the time Day of Doom came out is when you went wrong. You still think it was a good book somehow.

Dad: It WAS a good--

SPOILER ALERT!

If you're a Clue Hunter and is reading this post, when you finish it reblog it and do your ranking of The First Season books(please I need to know I'm not alone on this fandom)(Please someone tell me I didn't get to this fandom too late). Also this is only my opinion. If you think different feel free to share your thoughts(respectly). So let's go:

My Personal Favorites:

10-Beyond The Grave(Book Four written by Jude Watson):

Honestly this book is overall good and I really wanted to go Egypt but that's only in this place because Ian and Natalie don't show up in person, they're only mentioned by Amy and Dan sometimes. It may seem like a stupid reason but Ian and Natalie were the biggest enemies of Amy and Dan, arch-enemies since the two understand themselves by person and their appearances have always been so iconic, the chases, the talks, the fights, the teasing so the fact they weren't in this book just didn't feel right. The Cahills and the Kabras have a lot of chemistry, both as enemies and as much something more(if you get me, lovers cough cough), and the Kabras have been sorely missed in this book(at least by me).

9-The Emperor's Code(Book Eight written by Gordon Korman):

I don't know compared to the other ones, this one just look kinda forgettable. Maybe because Amy and Dan spend a good part of this book apart. But of course the story has its good moments which are when Dan gives an autograph for a girl (D. Cahill is priceless), when Dan tells the Wizards that he is a Madrigal (as we say in Brazil: Iconic, Memorable and Timeless) (Dan was very amazing in this book, if you disagree, disagree in silence) and when Amy saves Ian(aka Love of her life) from falling off Mount Everest.

8-The Viper's Nest(Book Seven written by Peter Lerangis):

I love that one but the other ones are just better. I like the ending with Isabel(and everyone) thinking that the Clue was Diamond and It wasn't. I also like the scenes with Kurt because I wanted Ian to meet him and Kurt make Ian jealous of Amy(don't judge my dreams). Another thing that I really like is the history. I really like studying history and I learnt so much about Shaka Zulu. And was also with that book that I realized that Isabel had arrived to stay and that she would be the Main Villain in the end somehow. Maybe That's another reason why I don't like much The Emperor's Code:Isabel didn't show up and I thought she would appear in all the other books after In Too Deep. Natalie on Storm Warning said that Isabel didn't trust Ian and her to handle the Hunt without Isabel anymore since Russia so that just doesn't make sense. Maybe she didn't appearead to give Cora Wizard the spotlight but anyway let's continue.

7-The Black Circle(Book Five written by Patrick Carman):

I love this one so much. Probably because in this book we see that Ian is also in love with Amy. On Book three he seemed to like her but then he and Natalie let Amy, Dan and Alistair locked on the cave and we only see Amy Side of this story. Her sadness. But we didn't know if Ian was sorry, if he regreted his actions. And when they come back on this book we see Ian still likes Amy and the fandom goes crazy. I mean even if you are a Jamy/Carian shipper or shipps another shipp you probably shipped Amyan before because they were the only promising couple on the series(at least on series one). Back to the book I Love The Holts defeating the Kabras and Amy and Dan doing an Alliance with Hamilton(Dan envying Hamilton for driving a Kamaz will be Forever iconic). Also this book was when I realized Irina wasn't bad. I didn't like her in the other books and I didn't notice much of her but everything changed on this book and I started to love her. * sad sigh * Moving on!

6-The Maze of Bones(Book One written by Rick Riordan):

Uncle Rick(we call him like that on Brazil, in portuguese is Tio Rick) did a really great job on this one. For a series that has several authors writing, the beginning is very important and it is a great responsibility for the first author because those who will write later have to understand what you wanted to convey in the beginning to make a coherent continuation. Rick Riordan did it flawlessly. We can identify ourselves in the characters and we get really connected to the plot, the history, the riddles about Benjamin Franklin and after finishing the book we wanna know more about what happens next. So Rick Riordan absolutely slayed this introduction and no one can tell me otherwise.

5-One False Note(Book Two written by Gordon Korman):

This book is just unforgivable. I love this with all my soul. Probably because It talks about Mozart and his history and I really love arts. Also because the writing of this book is so satisfactory and so well done. I mean I really thought Fidelio Racco was a real person. What I also love about that book is the fact that every character get to shine. Amy and Dan are the Main characters but the appearences of all the other characters are really remarkable so yeah That's it. Deserves this spot on the Top 5 for sure.

4-In Too Deep(Book Six written by Jude Watson):

Going now to the four horsemen of the apocalypse from the best books of The 39 Clues. In Too Deep It's just something so perfect It's inexplicable. Something I don't like much about In Too Deep is that when Isabel was fighting to Irina and Ian and Natalie were watching Natalie was like:Irina is going to get Shoot on the head, That's gonna be so good. Like she wanted Isabel to do this, like she would be disappointed if she didn't, like she was used to seeing this type of thing. Then, In Storm Warning she was soft like:Not blood. It's so repulsive(several authors series problem but the series is good anyway). About that book I love the start, I love the middle, I love the apex and If It wasn't for Irina's death in the end this would probably be even higher than already is. Why Irina, Jude? Also:Why Pony? Why Erasmus? Why McIntyre? Why Alistair? Why Lester? Why Natalie? Why Evan? Why everyone? Why not Jake or Cara? Back to the story Jude Watson is Just a genius for transforming a dream(or a nightmare) in Isabel Kabra and adding her to the book. I don't wanna cry today so I'm just going for the next one.

3-The Sword Thief(Book Three written by Peter Lerangis):

If this book was a part The Plastics of Mean Girls, The Sword Thief would be Karen Smith of The 39 Clues, because let's face it:Amy and Dan were really dumb of accepting an alliance with Alistair and the Kabras. Principally with the Kabras. I mean they already were kinda used to temporary alliances with Alistair but not Ian and Natalie but they should have expected that It would have been bad on the end. I mean yes they needed Ian's coin to open the cave to find the clue but they look so surprised when Ian and Natalie leaves them on the cave and they shouldn't because that was obvious that they were going to betray them in the final. So they should have accepted the alliance but being more distant to the Kabras. But at the same time, I'm glad they didn't because AMYAN IS JUST MY ENTIRE LIFE(And even a little bit of Danatalie this book is Just a masterpiece). Just like In Too Deep, I love everything about that book, except the end. And I am a Kpop fan(not the cringe obssessed type) and I really like to study about North and South Korea and their history but South Korea's caves just left me depressed. I'm gonna cry so let's change the subject.

2-Storm Warning(Book Nine written by Linda Sue Park):

I love everything about this book. Literally everything. The start, the middle, the apex and the end. I love this book mainly because Natalie got the spotlight that she deserved. I don't know why I like Natalie so much since the start. Maybe because when I started Reading the books I was eleven, just like her. And Maybe because she was pretty, rich, savage and sassy wich I always wanted to be. But there is something more that I don't know how to explain that is really relatable about Natalie even with my reality being too different from hers and this book was the confirmation I needed that Natalie would be my favorite character Forever. I Also like it because it happened on Bahamas and Jamaica(two places I really want to go in the future) and It got a lot of revelations and twists in the end(wich I love more than everything on a book). If Storm Warning was a person and slapped my face I would probably say:Thanks, Could you do that again?

1-Into The Gauntlet(Book Ten written by Margaret Peterson Haddix):

I usually don't like the endings of books because I'm sad that it's over and as all the other books were good I usually demand a lot from the endings, even more than the beginnings (for me the final impression is the one that stays, not the first). I generally like the endings but I've never looked at a ending book and said: This one overcomes all the other books. I normally like more the start or the middle books. But man Into The Gauntlet caught me off guard. DoD is already a trash ending, comparing to Into The Gauntlet, DoD(fanfiction-forced-canon) seems even worse(if That's even possible). Everything about that book It's just top-notch, high quality, god tier, flawlessly perfect. Stan Haddix. We believe in Into The Gauntlet Supremacy.

10. Beyond The Grave

Don’t get me wrong even if I put this at 10 I loved literally all the books in the series and it was rather difficult to rank them but after long thought and consideration I had to put this at tenth. My reasons for doing so are mostly the same as yours, the Kabras weren’t in this book. Some may think that’s a very surface level reason well what can I say, I’m a Kabra Supremacist lol. They really are such an Iconic Sibling Duo and I really would’ve loved to see some fun banter with them and Amy and Dan in this book. After I read The Sword Thief I was high on adrenaline from that Amian scene and really hoped Ian would make an appearance in this book. He did not and I ended up suffering severe Ian withdrawal symptoms, yes it’s a real condition. I still loved the book nonetheless and found the plot surrounding Egypt really interesting. Not to mention Nellie being an absolute girlboss. I don’t remember her exact words but after she was betrayed by Theo she said something along the lines of “I’m not gonna cry over him I’m too fabulous for that.” YES NELLIE 👏. Amy take notes. I would’ve placed this book WAY higher if we had even a couple lines of dialogue from Ian’s Perspective of how he felt after leaving them in the cave. The Kabras have been sorely missed don’t worry it’s not just you.

9. The Emperor’s Code

Don’t have much to say about this one. It didn’t resonate with me as much as the other books did and I would’ve put Beyond The Grave higher than this one if they didn’t have that scene in the end when Amy saves Ian from falling to his death on the ledge of Mount Everest. I also didn’t like Dan and Amy being separated but that might just be me having seperation anxiety. Jonah though, I like him. he’s a fun character and I wanna see more Jonah moments.

8. The Vipers Nest

Infiltrating the Tomas Stronghold was exciting to read about and took balls. Dan really said “okay I’m gonna graverob this influential figure’s tomb while surrounded by hundreds of Tomas agents who love the guy. Oh and yes I did see these guys fight some large animal, and yes I do know they have been cultivating martial arts skills for years maybe even decades but fvck it imma do it anyway.” Dan Cahill. You are a Madlad and I respect that. I also liked the backstory of the Ekat scientist who was engaged the the Lucian agent but betrayed them for the a clue. The Scientist couldn’t even be happy afterwords and ended up losing their sanity after realizing they betrayed the love of their life for the clue “water”. It showed that inter branch relationships were a thing but the Cahill’s obbsession over the clues and fighting over them always got in the way of forming meaningful relationships and even tore already existing ones apart. I don’t know about you but that couple kinda reminds me of another pair if you know what I mean.

7. One False Note

I really enjoyed this one. It was perfect. I learned more from this book about Mozart than I ever learned in school. Also my heart goes out to Nannerl. She was never appreciated for her talents because back then gender was prioritized over skill. Obviously that’s sexist and wrong and I like how the book addressed this and Amy and Dan had talked about it. I agree with you again this book did a fantastic job balancing the spotlights between the characters. I like all of them and while I do enjoy reading about Dan and Amy I wanna get to know the other characters too.

6. The Maze Of Bones

Phenomenal. This got me hooked to the series. I’m really picky about books it needs to be interesting and catch my attention from the get-go otherwise I’ll get bored of it but Uncle Rick did us a great service with The Maze Of Bones. The story building, introducing the Cahills, getting you attached to the main characters. This book had it all. I was so excited to finally find a series I could get myself invested in after reading the Percy Jackson series my standard for books were high and The 39 clues did not disappoint. After reading this book I immediately scoured the library for more of the series I ended up taking them home and reading all night. Seriously this was an astonishing start to a sensational series.

5. Storm Warning

I love any book that features my girl Natalie so this gets top 5 spot. I AM SO GLAD YOU FEEL THE SAME. I’m gonna go off into a rant of why Natalie is the epitome of Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss so sorry if it’s irrelevant but I need fangirl and profess my love for her (platonically). SHE IS SUCH A QUEEN. Natalie is an Icon. Natalie puts Regina George to shame. Not to mention how she totally roasted Irina at the airport what a savage. After writing this I’m gonna find all her iconic quotes and make a compilation of them because there is no shortage of sassy comebacks and sharp tongue statements when it comes to Natalie Kabra. If you asked me what is it about her that makes my love her so much I’d probably have to pull out my 140 slide slideshow to properly express my adoration for her but for the sake of keeping this short I’ll try to summarize. Firstly it’s the confidence she is downright narcissistic and I can see why. Secondly the posh and snooty attitude she comes off elegant but mean and I approve. Thirdly it’s her comebacks and quotes that make her such a memorable character. Every line of dialogue she has adds flavor to to the story and just her presence makes chapters more interesting. She is just so relatable and just reading about her gives you a confidence boost. Wow that was a long rant I was supposed to be talking about Storm Warning my apologies you had to sit through that. Anyway for me Storm Warning kept you on your toes not really sure of what to expect which is what made it so dang good. S tier book.

4. The Black Circle

Cured my Ian withdrawal symptoms from Beyond The Grave and put me back into good health. In case that’s not a good enough reason to put it at number four I’ll expand on that. First time that Ian and Amy meet eachother after he left her in the cave. Ian still likes her and flirts with Amy literally 2 chapters into the book. Amy feels distraught and won’t forgive him which is a proper reaction to being betrayed and locked in a cave. here’s a direct quote from the book as an example,“Let go of my sister!” yelled Dan. “I think she likes it when I hold her hand,” said Ian. “Don’t you, Amy?” And then she kicked him in the shin BAHAHAHAHA. To be fair Ian deserved that one. I died during that part lol. In my defense I didn’t just like this book because of the Amian okay. A large part may have been the Amian BUT infiltrating the Lucian stronghold and the amber room was super cool. Oh also Dan and Amy getting help from one of the Lucian agents and flying the fastest helicopter to escape. This book had a lot of thrilling scenes + Amian = top 4 spot

3. In Too Deep

Ouch. The ending hurt me. Irina deserved so much better it’s not fair that they killed her off, and to this day I’m still mad about it. I was holding back tears while reading. Irina forever in my heart she will live on in my memory. R.I.P. Other than the ending everything else in this book was superb. Isabel is a fvcking nightmare and she needs to be stopped. This is why Ian and Natalie left your psychotic arse. I felt awful for Ian during the boat scene where Isabel kidnapped Amy and tried to feed her to the sharks because Amy refused to give up her clues and team up with them. Isabel sees her son as a tool to be used and manipulated in the pursuit of more clues. This book made you understand why Ian and Natalie act the way they do. Because they have a conniving manipulative sea witch for a mom. Ian doesn’t want to hurt Amy anyone can tell but because he’s afraid of the consequences of defying his mother’s authority he’s forced to do what she tells him to. We need to assemble a Kabra siblings protection squad. They need some love. This book also contains one of my favorite moments in the series. When Hamilton came to the rescue and scooped Amy up on a hanglider when she was on the verge of being pushed in by Isabel. Amy kicked over the bucket of fish guts and and Isabel tripped and got fish guts smeared all over her Chanel outfit, serves her right.

2. Into The Gauntlet

THIS BOOK WAS A WORK OF ART. A masterpiece I tell you. When they all teamed up for the better I did a little happy dance. From the beginning I’ve loved all of the characters and I wanted nothing more than for them to be happy and be good friends with eachother despite how naive that sounds. and in some other cases more than friends…ANYWAY THIS BOOK *chefs kiss* PERFECTION. What a way to conclude the series. First-rate, excellent, brilliant, superlative, marvelous, outstanding I cannot google enough synonyms to describe the absence ART that this book is. I’m totally with you #STANHADDIX.

1. The Sword Thief

Amian. It’s the Amian. I’m not even gonna try to hide it. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

cara: yeah

ian: do u know what else is beautiful

cara: (blushse) what

now I am just imagining a very early Egyptian encountering a wild cat for the first time.

human: what the fuck are you?

cat: mau

Is he, like, an Egyptian Mrrp?

Now tell me

chellenge

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Félix x Marinette (also, Félix x Bridgette)

•

Nick x Judy

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Ian x Amy

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Helia x Flora

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Eugene x Rapunzel

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Terence x Tinkerbell

This is why I respect any author who’s had the courage to include LGBT+ characters to a younger audience; because they had to put up with things like this.

“It’s not true to Hamilton’s character”

Admittedly, Mission Hindenburg did screw up Ian’s characterization quite a bit, but

1-> Hamilton’s entire character development arc has been about being less violent and admitting his internal insecurities.