Welp. I guess a rant is gonna be my very last post for 2017. Again, there's potential spoilers in this rant so enter at your own risk. But then again, you don't have let my opinions waste your time nor do you have to agree. Fine, let's get this over with.

Now that there's been some more info on Season 8 out plus a little sneak peek over on YouTube, I have a bunch of thoughts over some stuff, especially the changes to the ninja's looks & one of the new characters. First up are the changes.

Now, I have nothing against the writers if they want to add some changes to the characters but if they wanted to make some changes to show they've grown up, they should've done something entirely unique to the show instead of copying & pasting the movie designs. I feel it was completely pointless & it just defeats the purpose of changing their designs in the movie in the first place. Also, the show & movie are in two different universes so it can cause a lot of confusion. I wouldn't have minded if they were going to add some quirks from the movie ninja to the show ninja but to change them entirely is more than a little jarring. But I have to say Sam Vincent still does a good job as the new voice of Lloyd.

While all the ninja changing is unnerving, I feel Jay & Nya fared the worst from the transfer.

First up, I have nothing against movie Jay's looks & I thought it would've been neat to give show Jay freckles but because their looks are one of the more drastically different in comparison, I sometimes feel like I'm watching a completely different person now. I feel that the current show Jay has absolutely no traces of his original appearance left so even if his personality is intact, seeing it in what is essentially the movie version of him, who also has a very different personality is more than a little unnerving to me.

Next is Nya. While I have come to terms with the movie ninja's looks, Nya, as well as Kai, are my least favorite when it comes to their appearances. Nya's hairpiece is basically the same as P.I.X.A.L. & Toxikita among others except for an easy to miss silver hairband & I can never look at Kai without thinking of Jimmy Neutron. Also, it's not just Nya's hair but even her clothes that makes her come off as one of those generic Wyldstyle clones from bad movies, including the one we shall never speak of. I think the creators really could've done better redesigning them for the movie. It's also kinda insulting that Nya had a much more unique hairpiece & an overall more unique appearance in the concept art but now, I have a headcanon that movie Nya's hairpiece would by like the one in her concept art if she puts her hair down but she keeps it in a ponytail because she's really happier with it that way. She'll just drink the haters' tears.

You know what? I'm just beating around the bush here & we'll talk about the new character. Of course, there's potential spoilers ahead so if you want to risk it, keep reading. If not, leave.

The writers recently confirmed a new character who's named Harumi, Princess of Ninjago.

Yes, you heard me. Harumi is the Princess of Ninjago, and yes, I'm far from impressed.

Ninjago had absolutely no hints of having a monarchy & Harumi being a princess is added just so she can attract young girls to the show and because the writers think everything's better with princesses. Harumi's probably gonna be another one of those bad Disney Princess copycats but for Lego.

Another major issue with Harumi that's been going around in the fandom is the possibility that she's gonna be Lloyd's love interest. I really really really REALLY REALLY REALLY don't want that to happen. No, I don't want it to happen for the same reason as some whiny fangirls going 'Lloyd's mine! Back off!'. I don't want Harumi & Lloyd to be a couple because I'm absolutely sick of the writers bringing in female characters JUST so one of the ninja can have a love interest & they can never write a healthy romantic relationship even if their lives depended on it. Just look at Pixane & Kailor. Pixane was codependency taken to the extreme & Kailor was formed by Skylor lying to & manipulating Kai and then getting no comeuppance for it. Also, the female characters end up being nothing but love interests & if that happens to Harumi… I don't want this part of the rant to take forever but her being a princess will make it an even worse case than P.I.X.A.L. & Skylor because of all the unfortunate implications it'll have. Also, Lloyd's real age will never make it not creepy & he's really the very last person in the show who needs a love interest, especially if that's all said girlfriend will ever be.

It's too early to judge Harumi's character but with her being a princess with no hints or foreshadowing of a monarchy, being confirmed to be younger than the ninja (a red flag that she's gonna be Lloyd's GF) while having pure white hair, some more info saying that she's gonna be constantly protected by the ninja, & pairing that with the writers' horrible record of writing female characters, I think she's already dangerously close to being a Mary Sue. Still, I've seen many characters who have a few Mary Sue traits but manage to avoid being Mary Sue's but Harumi already has a few too many traits. Also, if she becomes Lloyd's GF, that'll make him a prince & even more of a Gary Stu than he already is. Yes, I firmly believe show Lloyd's a Gary Stu & it's bad enough for him to already be a creator's pet.

On a side note, I can see why some say Skylor's a Mary Sue but I don't see her as such. Really, both she AND P.I.X.A.L. have some Mary Sue traits but I see both of them as less 'Mary Sue' & more 'horribly written characters'.

Finally, the worst thing about Harumi & Lloyd being an item, if they do, is not the relationship itself but Harumi's appearance. Other than her hair color, her hair is the exact same as Koko's & with Lloyd now looking like his movie counterpart, it's gonna look like movie Lloyd is dating his own mother. Seriously, it's gonna be such an idiotic move & it'll be really disgusting, especially for new fans who came in because of the movie but still haven't watched the show.

Now, I have some final thoughts. I usually don't like fandom theories because I feel the theorist's have their hopes too high & they're start jumping to conclusions way too easily but I have a couple that I REALLY hope will be true. Here it goes…

The writers also stated that Season 8 will explore the history of the First Spinjitzu Master. Back in the early days of the show, it's said that his wife is still alive. I don't know if that idea has changed but I wonder that if the FSM will marry someone, it's not gonna be some ordinary woman. What if his wife's family are the monarchs of Ninjago? Or Misako was a member of the royal family but something happened between them that caused her to lose all royalties, titles, and the like & she can never mention her ties to them ever again. Perhaps that's why she wears some green in her outfit, not just because she's Lloyd's mom but because she was part of the royal family. Either way, that'll make Harumi & Lloyd related & render any chances of them being in a romantic relationship moot. And maybe that's why Harumi has Koko's hairpiece? To foreshadow that she's related to him?

Again, I'm crossing my fingers & not getting my hopes too high but I personally would very much prefer Harumi to be a retconned relative Lloyd never had until now rather than an unnecessary love interest & nothing more.

I think I'm done now. You're also free to express your opinions, even if you disagree. As always, here's the drabble.

With Nya bedridden, it was up to Kai to take care of her and do all the housework. It all seemed mundane but for his sister, the fire ninja will do it. First, he had to make a call…

"Zane!" Kai called Zane.

"What is it, Kai? Do you need assistance?" The nindroid replied.

"...Can you tell me how to make a bowl of cereal?"

Zane gave Kai an expression that was the definition of 'You're joking, right?' Still, he'll never turn his back on anyone in need.

"It's simple, Kai. You just pour the cereal into a bowl and then pour in some milk."

"Got it."

Kai did just that… and the cereal burst into flames.

"...Oops..."