#city hunter rundown chapter 3

[lavenrain]

Chapter 3 - The Shooter in Darkness

It's a little difficult pretending this is my first run through, so we'll be more honest with the wording from now.

and by that I just wanted to talk about how bangin' beautiful Kaori is.

Whom Ryo is.... less than warm to. You'd think the mere mention of his siter would have him drooling by now, but I guess it's because he doesn't know just how beautiful she is. Although, despite not knowing, wouldn't your partner's worry take precedent over work you're pretty much doing for free anyway?

Hm. Nothing to say about that image since that's obviously not Kaori, but Ryo's spotted her! Something I can really appreciate about this intro to her character is-

This. So, the girl is coming on Kaori who is mistaken for a boy, except... what exactly did Kaori show the woman for her not have the realization before the last page? Was the horny clouding her judgement? I guess with all those layers one truly can't tell the existence of booba. But Ryo clocked her as soon as he saw her face it seems?

And then there's the slap. I'd've made at least $300 for this manga to have a true authentic smackdown between these two. Like, I know the obvious winner, but it's funny to think about it sometimes. I also believe this might be the only time he's physically assaulted a woman.

Gohan??? Also, Ryo? Personal space.

Bankrupt that brute! The best aspect of this ship is their "they don't know I know" antics. I don't know why, but sometimes I read Kaori's slyness with Susan Egan's voice.

So, the shopkeeper for some reason also confuses Kaori as a boy, which at this point, it says more about Ryo in the end that he's fallen in love with this look eventually. Hojo-sensei is great at many things but selling me on her androgyny is not one of them, cause if Kaori's a butch, well. Anyway. Ryo turned Makimura down in the beginning to investigate another case, and it's pretty obvious he's using Kaori for it. Whether or not he planned this from the get-go in anyone's business because who the hell was he going to use as bait?

Yes, she is, now run along.

I unironically have a fear of changing rooms now because of this page. And Ryo, she could've died from that height what are you on about, you louse.

The anime (kind of) does this more justice in conveying how dark it is through color/lighting, but it's supposed to be pitch black.

Which is why this is so fucking cool.

But those hands do. I've grown quite accustomed to the last panel because of the scanlations team.

He ends up shooting the guy in the eye through the fancy high key monocle. Very brutal I might add.

This made me giggle.

Overall review.

Kaori best girl. The end. Seriously, once this review is done, I want to compile a master list of all the amazing feats she's accomplished and talk about her character progression and how 80's sexism and misogyny probably rob us of more, and her multiple love int4erests throughout the story are 10 times better than Ryo but also not really, and-

*shotgun*

Prev | Next

[nitewrighter]

if you still need an OBAB distraction would you be willing to continue your destiny AU?

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3

Mercy stumbled as they transmatted out of the ship and Genji-3 moved to help her, but she righted herself as McCree transmatted out with his hands on his hips. Mercy had opted for a mostly-white version of her Braytech robes with accents in black, gold, and rusty orange. Maybe to match the solar form her light seemed to lean towards? A poor choice for the EDZ, Genji thought, but then again, Warlocks tended to draw attention to themselves no matter what, so who was he to judge? Trostland was the same as ever–a city square long overtaken by nature with buildings only standing up to the ravages of time, the elements, and Fallen and Cabal squabbles by virtue of their golden age architecture.

“Good ol’ EDZ,” said McCree, taking an exaggerated deep breath despite his face being covered by his helmet.

“It’s beautiful out here–” Mercy started looking out over the woods with the Traveler looming moonlike over the pines tinted bluish by its light. But then she turned her head and her shoulders slumped slightly at the sight of the ruined buildings. “…so the city around the tower really is the last city…”

“I mean there’s still people–” McCree started when a blue energy bolt whipped past them.

“And Fallen,” said Genji, drawing his knife as several vandals crept out from the crumbling remains of one of the buildings framing the square.

“…Good ol’ EDZ,” said McCree with a bit more resignation this time as he drew his hand cannon in a smooth action.

Mercy, seeing both of them had drawn their weapons, went “Oh!” and quickly drew her sidearm.

They stood ready as the first few dregs rushed out into the square, but then there came a crack and the dreg at the forefront of their attackers head apparently exploded on one side. He dropped to the ground, the momentum from his run sending him tumbling. Mercy gave a ‘did you do that’ look at McCree but both McCree and Genji gauged the direction of the shot by its exit wound. Another dreg, bewildered by the sudden shot at his companion from the side, turned in the direction of the shot and the back of his head exploded. The other few Vandals rushed back into the shadows of the ruined buildings, one of them being taken out by another shot before they all disappeared into the ruined building.

Genji moved to pursue them, then stopped at the sound of a short, shrill, whistle. The three of them looked up in the direction of the sound to see a crumbling old church and the barrel of a rifle poking out of one of the topmost windows of the steeple.

“Devrim,” said McCree, “Of course.”

The three of them hurried over to the church and passed under the awning. There was a familiarity in Devrim’s church, and a tension in Genji’s stomach. The scent of earth, greenery and the dampness caught by the pines made Genji all the more aware of how much time he had spent hopping between Mars and the Tangled Shore.

“Wow…” murmured Mercy, phasing her helmet off to get a better look around.

The building was pre-golden age, the floors dense with moss and rubble and what grass could manage to grow in the patches of light shining through the church’s bones. Both Genji and McCree easily leapt up onto the high scaffolding that would lead them up to Devrim’s perch without a second thought. They started moving up the scaffolding, but Zenyatta suddenly nudged Genji’s shoulder, and Genji turned around to see Mercy still on the ground.

“How did you…?” Mercy said a little helplessly, looking up at the scaffolding.

“You’re a warlock, just glide,” said McCree as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Glide?” Mercy repeated.

“Yeah! Glide!” said Engel, materializing out from behind her, “Y’know, like I said earlier? Before you died?”

Mercy made a face and then looked nervously up at the scaffolding.

“Just jump and… uh… keep the jump going?” Engel suggested, its plates whirled with excitement,  “You can do it! You can do anything! You’re a guardian!”

Mercy gave a determined nod.

Genji and McCree watched as Mercy uselessly hopped and landed on the ground several times.

“…wow,” said McCree, with a quiet chuckle, low enough so that Mercy couldn’t hear them as she kept jumping, “She is definitely going to die.”

“You die all the time,” said Genji a bit bitterly, “Every guardian was new, once.”

“I’m just giving her some shit. Look at you all feisty!” said McCree with a smirk.

“I’m not feisty–” Genji started but cut himself off as Mercy managed to get several feet off the ground, letting out a surprised squawk and flailing her arms to try and maintain her balance in the air.

“Now you’re getting it!” said Engel.

“Just don’t overthink it!” McCree called to her.

“Try to feel the light guiding you through the air!” Genji called to her. McCree and Zenyatta both gave Genji an odd look and Genji cleared his throat and said, “But–uh–don’t overthink it?”

Mercy finally managed to push herself off the ground into a slow, graceful arc, not flailing her arms, but her eyes flicking around wildly as she tried to keep her breath under control. A giddy breathless laugh escaped her as she reached her apex and slowly descended. 

“Always thought Warlock glides were good for getting shredded by shank-fire in mid-air,” muttered McCree.

“Don’t be rude,” hissed Echo, materializing next to him.

Genji stepped forward to the edge of the scaffolding and stuck a hand out to her. They grabbed each others’ wrists at the end of her arc and he pulled her onto the scaffolding.

“Um–thank you,” said Mercy, pushing her hair back.

“You should–um… keep practicing,” said Genji. He realized he was still holding her wrist and quickly released it.

“Are you coming up or not?” a warm, rumbling British-accented voice spoke from above.

—

The three of them stood around Devrim Kay in his little perch up near the steeple. McCree was peering out of Devrim’s window, hand hovering over the hand-cannon at his side and hardly listening to Devrim as he spoke. Devrim Kay was a handsome man himself, with sharp blue eyes, squarish features, and no small amount of gray dappling his hair and beard. He had apparently taken more of a likening to Genji’s ghost than Genji himself, and both Devrim and Zenyatta seemed to be dominating the conversation more than anyone else in that little church. Genji’s eyes flicked back to Mercy. Despite all her disorientation in becoming a Guardian, she seemed to be listening to Devrim quite intently as he gave her a brief rundown of the area as her own Ghost eagerly bobbed between them. The light from one of the church’s last-remaining stained glass rose windows cast a rainbow onto her, all pinks and blues and greens splashed against the white of her warlock robes and orange catching in her flaxen hair. He didn’t realize he was staring until Devrim said his name and Zenyatta nudged his ghost shell against Genji’s helmet to get his attention.

“What?”

“The Winding Cove?” said Devrim, “As I recall you had quite the sortie with some pike-mounted Fallen there a few months after we reclaimed the City.”

Genji briefly wondered if being a guardian made all his memories blur together, “More Pikes, then?” said Genji.

“Well, as I was explaining to your lovely recently-awakened Awoken friend here, Lar Spurius, a particularly nasty captain of the Red Legion has shored up in the Weep. He’s causing quite a disruption in supply lines to the Farm.”

Genji gave a glance to Mercy. “Maybe we’d be best off running a few minor patrols before we headed after that kind of target–”

“But, your friends here told me you’ve been spending a healthy amount of time on Mars,” said Devrim, readjusting the scope of his rifle. Genji shot a dirty look at McCree and McCree just gave him a smug nod. “I’m told there are lots of Cabal on Mars,” said Devrim, looking back out the window, “And it would give our mutual friend here a chance to muddy her boots.”

Mercy looked at Genji with an earnest smile and Genji immediately felt self-conscious. As far as what she knew of him, he was a well-seasoned veteran and while, yes, he hadn’t exactly been a slouch in the Red War, pretty much every Guardian was flying by the seat of their pants—especially hunters. McCree was proof enough of that.

“Don’t you worry, Dev. We’ll take out this Larkspur guy,” said McCree, putting his hands on his hips.

“Lar Spurius,” said Mercy.

“Gesundheit,” said McCree.

—

“So…Winding Cove, huh?” said McCree, materializing his sparrow, “Hate getting my boots wet…”

“It’s not too far from here,” said Genji, materializing his own sparrow.

They both looked at Mercy.

“Is this a guardian thing?” said Mercy, “Can I just… make a bike?”

Both Genji and McCree looked at each other, then back at her. “You didn’t get a sparrow from Holliday?”

“Who’s Holliday?” said Mercy.

“Well what ship did you come in on?” said McCree.

“Genji’s?” said Mercy. 

McCree shot Genji a ‘Really?’ look and Genji just glanced off awkwardly.

“Oh I knew I forgot something!” Engel burst out, “I guess I got distracted after I saw you splat on that concrete. Sorry, Guardian.”

“It’s okay,” said Mercy, “I guess we’re both still figuring things out.”

“…we could go on foot,” said Genji, “Take out any fallen patrols on the way…”

“Nah, this Larkspur guy should take priority–” said McCree.

“Lar Spurius,” said Genji.

“Sure is. Y’know Merce, my sparrow’s got room on the back if you don’t mind getting close,” said McCree, gesturing at his own sparrow.

“I won’t slow you down?” said Mercy.

“Not at all,” said McCree.

Genji nearly blurted out ‘My Sparrow has room, too!’ but self-control, the fear of making things weird by making Mercy have to pick between frankly arbitrary options, and the fact that the first priority was getting to the Winding Cove managed to stay his metal tongue. “We’d better get going then,” he said, swinging his own leg over his sparrow.

McCree hopped astride his sparrow and Mercy clambered on after him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Genji took off on his own sparrow with them close behind.

“You know, your sparrow has room in the back too,” said Zenyatta, his voice barely audible over the sparrow’s whirring.

“I know,” muttered Genji before turning his engine up to full blast and blazing ahead.

[lives-depend-on-this]

Chapter 2; Survival is Fake

Aka. The jerk that kidnaps you then forces you to tell your brother you’ll never see him again.

“Let me go home!” Geno struggled as the skeleton tugged him through the streets.

“Nah. You stole from the store I claimed. Therefore that stuff is mine. If you want it to go to your little brother then in trade, you’ll be my pet until further notice.” The other gripped Geno’s wrist and continued to tug him through streets, now pulling him onto a back street or two.

“I’m. Not. A. Pet.” Geno hissed, finally managing to escape his grip.

“Oh but how wrong you are. Not be good or that food won’t go to your little brother and he can starve to death wondering if his elder brother abandoned him.” He smirked and Geno stopped struggling.

“Can I explain it to him?” Geno asked.

“And how old is this little shit you're so worried about?” The hooded figure turned upside down. Geno snarled.

“1, don’t call Fresh a little shot, 2. He's 15.” Geno balled his fists and the other shrugged.

“Well he seems like a little piece of shit. I call them as I see them. Anyway, if he’s 15 then he was raised in this world. He can handle being alone. Monsters have been in the horrid city for over 30 years.” He shrugged and Geno wanted to snap. He so wanted to snap at him and tell the rude skeleton how wrong he was. He couldn’t snap. He couldn’t tell him that Fresh wasn’t in this city until he was 3. That none of their family were born in the city and that their ‘mom’ wasn’t their real mom but she was the only one they knew. 

But he couldn’t tell them that. He couldn’t. It was the agreement their mom made with the watchers when she was taken back to the lab. Watchers were afraid to kill Geno, as he was their ‘special’ test subject, but they would kill his brothers. He couldn’t lose his other brother, he just couldn’t,

“Where is he?” Fresh whispered as he curled up more so in a ball. He had pulled his small blanket over his shoulders more and curled around Errors old pillow. His stomach growled again and he whimpered as the wind blew through the alleyway he lived in.

“Fresh!” His head shot up as he saw Geno running towards him, carrying a bag over his shoulder.

“Geno bruh!” Fresh pushed himself up and threw himself into his brother's arms. Geno pulled him closer and breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly Fresh yelped and jumped backwards as another being, a person in a large black cloak, walked into their ‘home’.

“Calm down Fresh! It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.” Geno shrugged off his supply bag before handing it to his little brother with a frown.

“What’s going on Geno bro?” Fresh asked quietly. Geno grabbed his brother's face and stared into his eye sockets.

“You need to listen to me Fresh, really listen. I can’t stay with you anymore. This guy here has threatened you because I took from ‘his’ store. He allowed me to bring you this food and tell you what’s going on. I’ll still run food to you once a week. They can’t kill you, just stay in the alley and stay safe okay?” Geno whispered and Fresh’s eyes widened and pushed back.

“No way bruh! That’s so unrad! You can’t just leave me all alone!” Fresh yelped and Geno grabbed his brother's arm.

“You can’t come with us. I’ll be safe, the watchers don’t allow hunters near me so it will be fine. They know not to mess with you either, not with what happened after they took Error. You will be fine and I will be too.” Geno whispered and Fresh shook his head.

“No-“

“Fresh I’m sorry! I need to leave!”

“Geno-“

“I love you so much Fresh. Don’t forget that. Mom loved you and Error did too.” 

“Wait-“

“Goodbye Fresh.”

“You're a terrible person.” Geno huffed as his capture, who he knew the name of but refused to call by name, tugged him away from his terrified brother.

“Oh hush it. You're fine and so is he.” He snarled and Geno groaned. He secretly wished that for once in his life Watchers would intervene. 

“You know what. I’ve been in this city for 12 years and I’ve never hated life here until you took me.” Geno huffed, a lie obviously, and his capture stopped and pulled down his hood.

“What?” He pressed and Geno suddenly felt nervous sweat forming on his brow bone.

“Nothing-“

“Monsters have been trapped in this city 30 years, your younger brother is 15, and yet you’ve only been here 12 years? That’s not possible,” he snarled and Geno pulled up his scarf.

“It’s not your business. Just forget I said anything.” He hissed and his capture frowned.

“Okay. Let’s go,” he pulled Geno away, towards a rundown apartment building. Geno followed begrudgingly and it very much annoyed the other skeleton.

“Would you stop? We need to hurry.” He hissed and Geno suddenly froze.

“Why?” He asked and the dark hooded figure sighed.

“I’m not the only monster in this area. The others are in one big group. They don’t like me that much, especially the glitchy one,” he huffed and Geno froze.

“The glitchy one?” He asked his eye sockets wide.

“Yes, dark boned, blue strings from his eyes,” The capture looked angry and Geno covered his mouth.

“Error’s alive?” He whispered before darting the other way making his capture yelp.

“Error! Error!” Geno began to scream and just as a door opened the dark hooded skeleton grabbed Geno, raising a scythe to his neck.

“Geno?” Error called but his eyes widened when he saw Geno’s capture with a weapon to his elder brother's throat.

“Error,” Geno was in tears at seeing his younger brother alive and well.

“Let him go!” Error yelled.

“And why would I do that?” The capture smirked

“I swear! Let my brother go or else!” Error yelled and Geno struggled before Error opened his mouth.

“Did you hear me? Reaper I told you to let him go.” And like that Reaper teleported away with Geno still in his grasp.

[dragonfics]

Dark Pleasures - Chapter One

On AO3 if you’d like to skip my gushing.

This fic goes to @cheapbourbon - for inspiring me with all of their wonderful Cash art. It’s only going to be 3 chapters long, but holy hell, I really want to write more of Cash after this. I just need to yank myself away from Spicyhoney for a minute, dear god.

This is just a silly little ExpensiveSpicyHoney (SpicyHoneyMoney?) Vampire AU (not, in fact, the vampire AU I promised to write when I did that poll the other week). Chapter one isn’t too heavy on the sexual content, but the next chapter is going to be VERY explicit - just a fair warning.

Also, Warnings for this chapter: non-consensual biting, seduction of an intoxicated person (no actual sex), mild sexual coercion. I would also like to point out that as far as the “non-con” parts of this chapter go, the characters themselves do not perceive it this way. Basically, they’re assholes. Mostly Rus.

This is my contribution to the petition to GiveCashMoreLove2k18. So naturally, he, uh, isn’t exactly in the first chapter??? I’m so sorry, Cash. Don’t worry, he’ll be making an appearance soon.

Anyway, here you go, Bourbon! I hope you enjoy this. The first chapter is almost exclusively Spicyhoney sexual tension.

Chapter 1: Dinner Date

The city, though small, was never quiet. Even now, in the dead of night, young party-goers and labourers returning home late from work swarmed the streets. Music could be heard from within almost every shop, home, or rundown warehouse. The streets smelled of alcohol and something a little fouler, and lights flashed at every turn.

Edge was grateful when he reached the outskirts of the city, the streetlamps growing dimmer, and the people scarcer. Soon, he was passing through a narrow underground pass, and he felt himself relaxing considerably. It was dark, but the shadows had never been a hinderance to him. On the contrary, he was rather fond of them. They gave him a distinct advantage when it came to hunting.

He could see his prey only twenty or so metres ahead. Not so close as to alert him to Edge’s presence, but not so far that Edge might lose sight of him. And Edge could smell him. Stars, he smelled good. Edge could feel his fangs extending of their own volition. Not yet, he urged himself. But he was hungry. He was so hungry, as he often was these days. But he kept his head ducked and remained in the shadows as he followed his target. The last thing he needed was to scare the other monster away. Edge wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his hunger under control if he didn’t feed soon, and experience had taught him that a ravenous vampire often led to more than just one dead monster. This. This was necessary.

Edge trailed the figure for another ten minutes or so. He was thankful that the monster was heading away from the city. It certainly made him an easier target; out of reach of prying eyes and curious ears. Even from this distance, Edge could hear the steady beat of the monster’s soul. It served only to amplify his hunger, and he conceded to leave his fangs extended, no longer able to keep them at bay. The figure turned a corner into an alley wedged between two buildings. Perfect. Perhaps the universe had decided to make this easy for him.

But when Edge rounded the corner, he was met by nothing but an empty street, the alley deserted but for scattered litter and a few rotting crates. Edge crept forward hesitantly. He was in no mood for a trap, but then again, what could a mere mortal do to him?

Perhaps he had turned too soon? Or perhaps the monster had left the alley somehow. Though a quick glance around revealed no exits but for the way Edge had come…

The cold press of steel against Edge’s throat halted him, and he gasped as the metal burned at his vertebrae. Silver. He dared not struggle or fight—one quick slice of the thin blade and Edge would be dust. He felt a hand grip at his shoulder, the blade stinging against his bone as it dug a little deeper. “care to enlighten me as to why you were following me, vampire?” a smooth voice said. Edge couldn’t see the speaker, but he could smell him, and immediately recognised the scent of the monster he’d been trailing. Trust his luck to draw him to a vampire hunter of all people.

“I—” Edge rasped as the knife dug deeper. “Please, I-I won’t—”

“turn around slowly,” the monster said. “any sudden movements and this goes straight in your throat, got it?”

Edge would have nodded if he’d dared move his neck, so he gave a low grunt of understanding instead, slowly shifting to face the other monster. He was stunned upon realising it was another skeleton monster. His features were smooth—almost pretty—and his eye-lights were a deep shade of gold. A scarf was wound around his neck, but Edge could still sense the magic coursing through his bones. Perhaps what startled Edge most though, was the fact that he was smiling. “oh, you poor darling,” the skeleton crooned—sounding somehow sympathetic, despite the burning press of his blade against Edge’s throat. “look at you, you’re starving.”

Edge blinked in bewilderment. Was this some sort of trick? Or perhaps this hunter just had a twisted way of killing his victims. Either way, Edge wasn’t convinced. He bared his fangs, which dripped with salivary magic. “If you don’t let me go, hunter, I’ll—”

“hey, come now, there’s no need for that. i’m not a hunter.” The skeleton smiled sweetly, raising his hands defensively and holstering his knife. “i’ll feed you, if you like.”

Edge could only stare, frozen in utter perplexity as he rubbed the still stinging bones of his neck. “You—” His gaze darted unwittingly to the skeleton’s cervical vertebrae, barely concealed by his scarf. He was suddenly reminded of the consuming hunger searing his soul.

The skeleton’s light laughter broke him from his brief daze, and he quickly glanced up. Amusement coloured the other monster’s features, and he shook his head. “not from me, precious. that… might rub my master up the wrong way.”

He grinned at Edge’s bewildered stare. “Your… master?” Edge swallowed, glancing around anxiously.

The skeleton seemed at ease however, and took a step closer, a playful smirk dancing across his face. Edge cringed away as the smell of the other monster flooded his senses and reignited the burning hunger in his soul. But if the skeleton noticed Edge’s discomfort, he gave no sign, instead resting a hand on Edge’s arm. “i’ll take care of you, if that’s what you want, love.” His fingers traced idle patterns over Edge’s bare ulna, and Edge struggled to suppress a shudder. The smile on the skeleton’s face was almost sickly sweet, but Edge found it … inviting. There was no rationality remaining in his mind—he was a slave to his hunger. He nodded, the movement feeling stiff and automatic—but not reluctant by any means. The skeleton intertwined their fingers, a warm pulse running through Edge’s entire body.

“excellent,” the skeleton breathed. He looked nothing short of delighted at the prospect of helping Edge find his next meal. Any amusement Edge felt at the notion however, was immediately snuffed out as the skeleton pressed his teeth against Edge’s cheekbone. “and if you behave, perhaps we can even have a little fun of our own.”

If he’d had any magic left to spare, Edge would have blushed.

 ****

  The skeleton introduced himself as Rus as he guided Edge back towards the city’s centre. He made idle chatter as they walked, speaking of his master, his home, the joys of metropolitan nightlife (and the pleasures). Edge tuned most of it out. In fact, he found himself rather distracted for a large majority of the journey. He couldn’t keep his focus off Rus’s slightly exposed neck and clavicle. His heightened senses allowed him to feel the flow of magic through the other monster’s bones; all he needed was to reach out and—

“here we are.” Edge froze, gaze quickly darting up to Rus’s face. He thought he caught a glimpse of the silver blade again at Rus’s belt, but he couldn’t be certain. “don’t worry, love,” Rus murmured, taking Edge by the hand and guiding him through the swinging doors of the establishment. “there’ll be plenty to eat in here.”

Rus wasn’t joking. As soon as they entered the bar, a thousand different scents hit Edge at once, and for a second, he was stunned into immobility. But as he came to his senses, he felt the fierce urge to feed reawaken tenfold, and he had to bury his claws into his femur to restrain himself.

Thankfully, Edge’s dwindling self-control didn’t escape Rus’s notice this time, and he quickly guided the vampire to a less populated corner of the room. A roaring fire burned in the hearth beside their table, and Edge tried his best to focus on the smell and sound of the crackling logs, and not the tirade of magical scents and soul-beats assaulting every ounce of his conscious. He gripped the edge of the wooden table until he felt something crack beneath his fingertips. Rus observed him—appearing more curious than concerned.

“how long has it been since you last fed?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. Edge found his complete lack of fear extremely uncanny. He seldom came across mortals who weren’t at least a little intimidated by him—much less when they learned what he was.

“I-I don’t know,” Edge admitted, shakily.

Rus cocked a brow bone. “you don’t know?”

“A month, maybe,” Edge muttered, trying to avoid Rus’s gaze. He felt uncomfortably scrutinised beneath the deep gold of those eyes, and he opted instead to stare at the grubby table. The wood had split beneath his fingers.

Vaguely, he registered the sound of Rus releasing a sigh. It wasn’t weary though, or even exasperated. The word that came to mind was ‘empathy’, but such an emotion didn’t seem fitting, directed at a vampire. “alright, look around,” Rus instructed, after a pause.

Edge frowned, but glanced up, gaze wandering the room. “What am I looking for?” he asked in confusion.

“pick someone.” When Edge conveyed his misunderstanding with a tilt of his head, Rus laughed softly. “someone to eat,” he elaborated.

“Oh.” Edge swallowed, though his throat still felt dry. His brow furrowed as he scanned the room, until at last he settled on a squat bunny monster, nursing her drink alone in a far corner. “Her.”

Rus glanced over his shoulder at the monster, and chuckled. “she may appear appetising, but i promise you—try to touch her, and she’ll break your pretty fingers.”

Edge flinched slightly, frowning at Rus. “Oh really?”

“really. i’m good at reading people. and i can tell you with certainty that she’s not the type to sit idly while a vampire sinks his fangs into her.” Rus leaned in, voice dipping as he added, “and i might need those fingers of yours later.”

Edge tried to hide his embarrassment with a scoff, crossing his arms indignantly. “Very well, since you’re so perceptive – why don’t you tell me who would be willing to serve as my food source? I don’t exactly have time to waste on guessing games.” The last part came out sounding a little more desperate than Edge had intended, a ravenous bite creeping into his tone.

Rus seemed unfazed however, his smile widening. “you want my advice, vampire?” He turned, surveying the room for only a few seconds before nodding in the direction of the bar. “him.”

Edge followed Rus’s gaze dubiously. A muscular monster sat at the bar, torn jacket barely concealing his chiselled chest and biceps. A broad grin stretched his long face, white teeth flashing as he flexed, much to the delight of the small crowd of monsters surrounding him. Edge turned back to Rus, ensuring the doubt was plain on his face. “That bravado of scales? Are you serious?”

“over-confidence makes him the perfect target,” Rus countered, shrugging. “don’t go for the quiet ones. they come here anticipating a fight; they’re wary of strangers. those ones—” Rus nodded over his shoulder with a smirk “—the ones with egos larger than their muscles – they’re your ideal targets. they love attention, and if you give it to them, they’ll be eating out of your hand—so to speak.”

Rus’s words were punctuated by a loud bark of laughter from the muscular monster at the bar, who took a long swig of his drink before shamelessly shrugging his shirt off and tossing it over the barstool. Edge grimaced in distaste. “Well, that’s all well and good, but surely it would be easier to simply pick someone off the street?” he contested. “Why go to all this effort?”

“picking someone off the street went well for you tonight, didn’t it?” Rus was grinning at Edge, who dropped his head with a scowl. “besides, fear taints the magic. pleasure your prey first, and the feed will be even sweeter.”

Edge felt Rus’s fingers find his own across the table, and he flinched away abruptly, pushing down the sudden curl of heat in his mouth that couldn’t be entirely attributed to hunger. Lacking the energy to argue, he sighed in resignation. “Fine,” he grunted, rising from his seat. But he was stopped by Rus’s hand on his wrist. He looked down at him with a frown. “I thought—”

“not yet. wait until the bar has emptied—closing is in an hour, so you won’t have to wait long,” Rus added, at the stricken expression that must have crossed Edge’s face. “we don’t want to make a scene if this goes awry.”

“If it goes—” Edge slumped back into his seat with a huff, trying to keep his composure. “I thought this was supposed to be a foolproof plan?”

Rus seemed unconcerned, shrugging and pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “no plan is foolproof. it always takes a fool or two to execute a good plan.” Edge had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as Rus chuckled quietly to himself, lighting the cigarette between his teeth. Edge may have tried to argue if he wasn’t feeling quite so unstable, but he didn’t trust himself not to snap.

So, he conceded to wait until the patrons began to scatter, every moment sending fresh waves of agony to his starving soul. Not once did Rus show any sign of agitation however, his smile ever-present as he watched Edge across the table, smoke curling from between his teeth. Edge began to find Rus’s placidity more and more off-putting as the night wore on. What mortal would be so relaxed around a vampire? He certainly hadn’t met any who behaved this way; most would try to run screaming the moment they discovered the true nature of his being.

And the longer they waited around, the more intoxicating Rus’s scent seemed to become. Edge was almost thankful for the slight mask of his cigarette smoke, but more than once, he caught himself transfixed by the other skeleton’s pale bones. He could almost perceive the magic rushing through them, golden as their owner’s eyes.

When Rus finally stubbed his cigarette out against the table’s corner and rose to his feet, Edge was certain he’d left scars on his legs where his fingers had been clinging. Rus nodded in the direction of the bar, his eyes flashing. “ready for supper?”

Edge could only nod in response, too famished to chastise the phrasing. He trailed after Rus as they approached the scaled monster—now sitting alone with his drink at the bar. Edge was thankful that his shirt was back on, at least. As they drew close, Rus turned to murmur, “follow my lead,” before sending one of his sweet smiles in the direction of the muscular monster. As he leaned against the bar, Edge caught a glimpse of his iliac crest, peaking just above the waistband of his pants. Edge had to wonder if it was deliberate. It probably was, but Rus’s languid movements and easy smile betrayed no sense of effort on his part.

Needless to say, the boisterous monster appeared impressed, a lascivious smile crossing his face as he glanced up at Rus. “Can I help you, sweetheart?” he asked, voice marginally slurred.

“oh, i’m certain you can,” Rus said. “what’s your name, love?” Edge may have mistaken the brush of Rus’s fingers over the monster’s arm as affection if he hadn’t known better. There was a twisted glint in Rus’s eye that was almost alarming.

“Aaron,” the monster replied, grinning. He certainly hadn’t missed the deliberate touch of Rus’s fingertips (though undoubtedly, he was missing a lot, or he wouldn’t have been nearly so eager to accept Rus’s affections).

“well, aaron,” Rus purred, leaning close and touching his teeth lightly to Aaron’s ear, “my friend and i are in search of some company for the night, and you seem rather well… equipped for the task.” Edge heard Aaron release a low hiss as Rus’s fingers grazed over his crotch. “are you up for it?”

Edge decided it was worth rolling his eyes at the pun.

Rus’s expression remained painstakingly dispassionate as Aaron gripped his exposed iliac crest, yanking him forward so that he almost toppled into his lap. Rus released a husky laugh, even as Aaron began to trail his hands further down his ilium. “careful there. my friend tends to get a little jealous, don’t you, love?”

Edge could feel himself growing abashed as the other two monsters turned their gazes on him. Aaron’s eyes raked over him lecherously, and he had to push down the urge to cringe. “Aw look, he’s shy,” Aaron mused. “C’mere, sweetheart. I won’t bite. ‘Less you ask.”

Edge almost laughed at the sheer irony of the comment alone. He caught Rus’s gaze, and was thankful when the skeleton turned to Aaron to whisper, “perhaps he’ll find his confidence if we take him upstairs? i warn you though, he tends to get a bit vocal when properly motivated.”

Rus shot an impish look in Edge’s direction, which Edge returned with a scowl. Rus’s words had the intended effect however, because Aaron willingly obliged, sliding off his stool and casting a glance over his shoulder at them as he marched for the stairs. “Never fucked a skeleton b’fore,” he told them, stumbling slightly at the foot of the stairs. “You two’d better have something more than bones underneath all them clothes.” He chuckled, clearly amused by himself.

“we’ll be sure to send apology notes to all your suitors if we disappoint you,” Rus said pleasantly, sweepingly indicating the almost-empty bar with a flick of his hand. The subtle mockery seemed lost on Aaron, who just chortled as he led them up the wooden stairs, clinging to the railing for support. Rus turned his smile on Edge, looping an arm around his waist. “this is the fun part,” he whispered. “for you, at least.”

Edge felt almost queasy with hunger, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to pin Rus against the banister and sink his fangs into him. Soon, he promised himself. Just hold on a little longer.

They came to a corridor at the top of the stairs, and Aaron turned at the first door, extracting a key from his pocket and fumbling slightly with the lock. Clearly, he’d been anticipating company. Edge felt nerves arising as they entered the room, and he frantically looked at Rus for support. In truth, he’d never done this before. All his past meals had been snatched from the streets. No planning or strategizing—simply spontaneous enactment of his urges.

Seeming to sense his anxieties, Rus gave his hand a gentle squeeze, tracing his teeth lightly over Edge’s cheekbone. “i promise you’ll enjoy yourself, love. just relax.”

From across the room, Aaron chuckled, drawing Edge’s gaze. He had already kicked off his shoes and was removing his shirt as he watched them. “You two gonna give me a show?”

Rus’s exceedingly saccharine smile returned as he observed Aaron, and he released Edge’s hand to stride over to the scaled monster. “only if you behave, darling,” he murmured, trailing his fingertips over Aaron’s exposed chest. He circled the monster for a moment, smile still firmly plastered across his face. He caught Edge’s gaze over Aaron’s shoulder deliberately, before stepping close and kissing the monster.

Aaron immediately growled, gripping Rus hard and grinding into him. Edge watched them with uncertainty. He was reminded of the aching lack of magic in his soul when he caught the mingled scents of the other two monsters in the air, and he clutched onto one of the bedposts to keep himself subdued. “don’t be shy, my love,” he heard Rus call. Aaron was latched onto his vertebrae, half-pinning Rus to the wall as he tore the scarf away from his neck. Rus was watching Edge, gaze steady. A small—but deliberate—inclination of his head made his meaning fairly clear.

Gathering his resolve, Edge approached them slowly. His fingers trembled as he moved the monster’s hair away from his neck. A fire seemed to scorch his soul inside his chest, and he grit his teeth, willing himself to hold off for just a few more seconds as he looked to Rus for reassurance. Over Aaron’s shoulder, Rus smiled, whispering, “go for it, precious.”

With no more strength to deliberate, Edge ducked his head, and ran his teeth over Aaron’s neck. His skin was cold, as it was with many aquatic monsters, but Edge could sense the heat of the magic beneath. Aaron groaned against Rus, muttering, “Fuck, someone’s gained his confidence.” With nothing left to hold him back, Edge allowed his fangs to extend to their full length, sinking them into the soft flesh of Aaron’s neck.

Immediately, Aaron went stiff, a gargled scream escaping him. Any further noise was stifled however, and Edge vaguely registered Rus holding him still, hand pressed firmly over his mouth. Hot magic flooded between Edge’s teeth, and he moaned in appreciation as his soul sparked to life. He sunk his teeth deeper, and Aaron writhed weakly. Edge felt euphoria washing over him, and he began to relax, sinking into the feeling.

“good boy, you’re doing so well. that’s it.” It took Edge a moment to register that Rus was speaking to him. Soft words of praise and encouragement spilled from his mouth, and his fingers stroked deftly over Edge’s spine. Edge shivered pleasantly, sighing as his soul began to fill with magic.

Aaron had gone limp, and Edge faintly noticed the flow of magic growing weaker. “alright, love, that’s enough,” Rus whispered, his fingers still resting on Edge’s spine. But Edge was in no mood to stop. His soul demanded he continue. He needed more. He couldn’t bring himself to break the pleasant haze clouding his mind, or the ecstasy of the feed.

A sharp pain suddenly cut across his cheekbone, and Edge pulled away, hissing in surprise. Rus was giving him a bland look, knife balanced between his fingers. “Why did you stop me?” Edge demanded, wincing as he touched his injured cheek.

“we don’t kill monsters that are kind enough to spare their magic for us,” Rus said coldly, heaving Aaron over to the bed and lying him atop the covers.

“We?” Edge stared at Rus, incredulous. “You—you’re not even—I was the one drinking from him!” He couldn’t believe how much audacity this monster possessed. This mortal monster.

Rus seemed unperturbed by Edge’s outrage however, sighing without a word and disappearing into the en-suite bathroom. Edge stared after him, disbelieving. He glanced at Aaron, unconscious on the bed. Magic still trickled from the small bite wounds at his neck, staining the white bed sheets. Rus returned promptly, a damp cloth in hand, and began to dab gently at Aaron’s wound. He looked up at Edge for a moment, but his expression was plain, and he remained silent until all of the spent magic on Aaron’s neck was cleaned away. “well, he’ll probably wake up with a headache, but he’ll be fine. and i doubt he’ll remember anything.”

Edge frowned, observing Rus doubtfully, but held his silence. His cheek still stung, and he wasn’t eager for a repeat. Rus retrieved his scarf from where it had been discarded on the floor. He wrapped it back around his neck, but not before Edge caught a glimpse of two small puncture wounds piercing his vertebrae. He narrowed his eye sockets, but made no comment. Rus’s honeyed smile returned as he approached Edge, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “how do you feel?”

Edge’s soul was abuzz with fresh magic, and he felt considerably less jittery than he had a few minutes ago. He nodded briskly, straightening the crinkles from his pants and wiping away any remaining magic at his mouth. “Good. I feel… better.”

Rus’s smile widened, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he leaned in, touching his teeth lightly against Edge’s. Edge tensed immediately, but Rus withdrew after only a second. “wonderful,” Rus breathed. They were both quiet for a moment, and Edge swallowed heavily as Rus gazed at him, as if searching for something beneath Edge’s cool demeanour. “i never did ask, love,” Rus said at length, “what’s your name?”

Edge blinked. “Oh, um…”

“or would you prefer that detail be kept confidential?” Rus’s smile didn’t waver, but there was a hint of something considerate beneath the look.

“Not—it’s fine, um… Edge. My name’s Edge.”

For whatever reason, this seemed to spark an excitement in Rus, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold as he regarded Edge with upraised brow bones. “edge?” His tongue danced briefly over his teeth, and Edge could already feel heat rapidly rising to his cheekbones. “well, edge, you did very well tonight. while you lack restraint, that’s easily learned.” He touched Edge’s arm. His fingertips barely brushing the bone, but a shiver ran through Edge nonetheless.

“Th-thank you,” Edge stammered, “for… helping me.”

“of course, love. though i’ll admit, my intentions weren’t entirely pure. i never was good at resisting monsters quite as… delicious as you.” Rus’s teeth were parted, and Edge caught sight of warm golden magic pooling in his mandible. He swallowed against his own magic and quickly looked away. “my master will be very pleased to meet you.”

Edge looked up at this, eyes widening. “Your… m-master?”

Rus cocked a brow bone, releasing a small laugh. “of course. be advised though, he tends to get a little… possessive. so…” Rus leaned close, voice dropping to a murmur, “some details we ought to keep to ourselves.” Without warning, Rus cupped Edge’s jaw, kissing him gently. Edge could only gasp softly in response, melting beneath his touch. This time however, the kiss didn’t remain chaste, Rus’s tongue trailing lightly over Edge’s teeth. Edge opened his mouth without a moment’s pause, holding back a moan as the taste of Rus flooded his mouth. He could feel his soul stirring with excitement, and it took a great deal of willpower to keep his fangs retracted.

All too soon (though perhaps just on time) Rus withdrew, his cheeks glowing softly. He rubbed his thumb over the thin cut on Edge’s cheekbone, the touch light, but still painful. Edge held back a whimper, though he wasn’t sure it was entirely the product of pain. “though, who can say?” Rus mused, gazing at Edge as if entranced by him. “perhaps if my master finds you impressive enough, he’ll decide to share.” Rus leaned in again, and Edge held his breath. “i should warn you though, i taste exquisite.”

[animesavior]

"I wouldn't write us off just yet, Supreme Kai. I mean, sure, his power is off the charts. But I'm not looking at this as an unwinnable fight just yet."

-          Gohan, Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters (Ep. 26/124)

The Toonami Trending Rundown for July 15-16, 2017. Some big changes are coming about with several shows are reaching the end of their respective seasons/story arcs or are beginning anew, as Frieza unleashes his new Final Form to counter Goku’s, while Kaneki defects to the Aogiri, and Hunter x Hunter’s Yorknew City arc comes to a close, to say nothing about Attack on Titan season 2 at its penultimate episode.

On Twitter, Toonami and every show successfully trended on Twitter save for Ghost In The Shell during their respective East Coast airings, as well as #DragonBallSuper and Toonami during its West Coast airing. On Tumblr, Toonami would trend as would Dragon Ball Super.

DBZ Kai also produced a character trend in Majin Buu as he gains enough energy to be hatched out of his egg. While everyone (except Shin) was thrown off by Buu’s “goofy” appearance, they would learn very fast that looks are very deceiving as Buu proceeds to pummel everyone.

Finally, Dragon Ball Super’s buzz would help get the show on Nielsen Social’s top 5 most talked about shows on Twitter and Facebook on the day for the 13th time in the show’s run so far, making it to the #2 spot. This is the 26th time a Toonami show has reached this list since we started recording this feat.

This week’s feature was a review of the shoot 'em up video game Nex Machina. It received a 8.5 out of 10 score.

Comic-Con is coming up this week, and yes I will be going once again as a member of the press representing Toonami News and the Toonami Faithful. With another live episode of Toonami Pre-Flight planned on Thursday night, we’ll be hearing some info regarding the next Total Immersion Event as well as some other potential surprises ahead. We’ll let you know if anything news or announcements come about, so stay tuned and for those headed down to San Diego, have a great time and I’ll see you around the convention halls.

Tune in next week as Attack on Titan showcases the season 2 finale while Hunter x Hunter begins the Greed Island story arc, among other great moments. And of course, the countdown to the premiere of Stardust Crusaders is only 2 weeks away. See you again next week, and we do wish a Happy 20th anniversary to the One Piece franchise. Perhaps one day, we’ll see you back on the better cartoon show, but regardless thanks for the memories, and here’s to many more to come.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

United States Trends:

Toonami/#Toonami [#4]

#DragonBallSuper [#10]

#DBZKai [#6]

Majin Buu (From DBZ Kai) [#19]

#AttackOnTitan [#4]

#TokyoGhoul [#22]

#HunterXHunter [#3]

#LupinThe3rd [#3]

#Shippuden [#7]

Tweet Counts:

Toonami [6,157 tweets]

#Toonami [2,980 tweets]

#DragonBallSuper [2,604 tweets]

#AttackOnTitan [1,012 tweets]

#HunterXHunter [1,399 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#toonami

#dragon ball super

Notes and Other Statistics:

#DragonBallSuper: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @Mike_Daniels76 and @ProSiebenMAXX started the trend in the US.

#AttackOnTitan: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @MikeMcFarlandVA started the trend in the US.

#HunterXHunter: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @tsunderica started the trend in the US.

#LupinThe3rd @WhoTrendedIT reported that @AlphaOmegaSin started the trend in the US.

Special thanks to @mmorse1017 and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Who Wants Some? Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

[animesavior]

"Majin Buu was ridiculously strong, there's no way I could've stopped him on my own. And you never know, one day someone even stronger can show up. So I've got to keep training, to keep you guys safe."

-          Goku, Dragon Ball Super (Ep. 01)

“Toonami and Dragon Ball. We go together like peanut butter and jelly.”

-          Sonny Strait, the voice of Krillin and TOM 1.

The Toonami Trending Rundown for January 7-8, 2017. We kick 2017 off with a bang with the long awaited premieres of Dragon Ball Super and DBZ Kai’s Buu Saga in addition to the TV premiere of Gundam Unicorn. And what a night it was. As a result, Toonami and every show successfully trended in the US during their respective East Coast airings, in addition to Dragon Ball Super and JoJo’s trending during the West Coast airing.

And in the case of #DragonBallSuper, saying that it trended might be an understatement, as the show began trending in the US during the primetime airing at 8, and quickly going up to the #1 spot in the US trends, and continuing to trend through the Toonami airing at 11:30 (and all this despite the buzz of the first day of the NFL Playoffs going on at the same time), in addition to even trending worldwide briefly.

DBZ’s buzz would also create a character trend in Gohan as on Super, Gohan gets married to Videl, so Goten and Trunks look for a wedding present for them, while on DBZ Kai, Gohan enrolls to High School in Satan City, but on his way he stops a bank robbery. Though going Super Saiyan sealed his identity somewhat, the news about the “Golden Fighter” stopping crimes around the city ever since Gohan’s arrival and his early struggles in fitting in has made Videl very suspicious.

Finally, Dragon Ball Super’s buzz was enough to make Nielsen Social’s daily top five most talked about shows on Facebook and Twitter on that day, making it to #1 for the very first time. This is also the 8th time we’ve seen this occur for a Toonami show, the first time this has occurred outside of summer, and the first time this has happened since Facebook was integrated into their analytics. Overall, it’s definitely a great start, especially for a show that’s been long awaited in Dragon Ball Super, and here’s to many more weeks like this going forward.

This upcoming March will mark Toonami’s 20th anniversary, and among other things, Toonami will be showcasing the Production IG microseries, Sand Whale and Me. Directed by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell fame, the microseries is a 25-minute, 5-part short film, with each part to be shown weekly beginning on March 18th. In addition, Toonami is looking into having a throwback look for the month of March, with 4 options from four different eras during Toonami’s original run. The options can be seen below, and if you wish to cast your vote, comment on their Facebook post here.

Several Toonami shows will be making it onto the silver screen over the next few months, including One Piece Film Gold, which premiered in select theaters on Tuesday, with showtimes going through the 17th. If you’re interested and a showing is available near where you live, go check it out and give your support to the anime industry on the big screen.

Likewise for Ordinal Scale, as Aniplex is beginning to sell tickets for the upcoming film, which is set to be released in select theaters on March 9, 2017. Click here to check your local theaters for showtimes and tickets.

Those keeping up with simulcasts might know that on Friday, the season 2 premiere of Blue Exorcist premiered in Japan. The first season had a successful run on the better cartoon show back in 2014, and we could see this as a potential candidate to make it’s return when the show’s dub is produced in the months ahead. We’ll keep an eye on any further developments, but in the meantime if you want to check out the new season now, new episodes are available to watch legally at Crunchyroll and Daisuki. A little quick note for those planning to watch: since the last 8 episodes of Blue Exorcist season 1 considerably diverged from the manga, the new season ignores those events, so for those wishing to restart from episode 1, you only need to watch the first 17 episodes (or the first 4 volumes of the manga) to get caught up.

Finally, no word on Samurai Jack as of yet, though in preparation of the upcoming season, Adult Swim will rerun Samurai Jack episodes starting next week at 8:30pm Eastern, following the Dragon Ball Super prime time premiere.

2016 sure was a memorable one for the block, with the successful airing of Intruder 3, as well as the successes of all the great shows to have aired on the block in the past year. We revisited an old classic in Samurai Champloo as well as saw some new experimentation with the broadcast dub of Dimension W. We saw that good things indeed come to those who wait when the Gundam franchise made its grand return for the first time 12 years with Iron Blooded Orphans, and after many years of waiting, both Hunter x Hunter and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure respectively got over the hump to finally air on the better cartoon show. We saw that nothing is really impossible with the airing of Children Who Chase Lost Voices, which gives a glimmer of hope for the future prospects of movies on the block. And the success of One Punch Man among others continue to remind us of the potential of how big and great anime can be and that more great things may still be to come.

And with the successful premieres of Dragon Ball Super, the Buu Saga, and Gundam Unicorn, 2017 is off to a great start. Super finally got it’s English Dub and Toonami debut after a year and a half wait since the series started airing in Japan, bringing in the first new Dragon Ball series to US shores in since Dragon Ball GT aired on Toonami 11 years ago (movies and Kai aside). The Final Chapters meanwhile brings DBZ Kai’s Majin Buu arc to US shores, something long awaited since Toonami brought back DBZ in 2014, and even longer for those who watched Kai from the get-go when it originally aired on Nicktoons and the Kai DVDs. And the Gundam franchise now has it’s second title since Toonami’s revival in Unicorn, the newest addition to the Universal Century timeline and a title well requested since the original OVAs were being produced earlier in the decade, which has been converted into a 22 episode TV series for broadcast.

The new year always brings new beginnings, and we have some pretty exciting times ahead as the block reaches its 20th anniversary, with new shows and other surprises yet to come, in addition to the current arsenal of shows. And with Toonami back on the air for almost 5 years now and anime going back on the upswing, things are looking up and there’s plenty of anticipation to see what’s next in the year ahead. But of course keep watching as always and help keep those ratings and overall buzz up so we can keep this train going for years to come.

Until next week, congratulations to Clemson on winning the National Championship, and stay gold.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

United States Trends:

Toonami/#Toonami [#6]

#DragonBallSuper (Also during the Primetime presentation and the West Coast airing) [#1]

#DBZKai [#1]

Gohan (From DBZ) [#1]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure (Also during the West Coast airing) [#1]

#GundamUnicorn [#1]

#HunterXHunter [#1]

#Shippuden [#4]

#OnePiece [#3]

Worldwide Trends:

#DragonBallSuper [#10]

Tweet Counts:

Toonami [14.4k tweets]

#Toonami [6,013 tweets]

#DragonBallSuper [16.6k tweets]

#DBZKai [3,071 tweets]

Gohan (From DBZ) [12.6k tweets]

#JoJosBizarreAdventure [3,105 tweets]

#GundamUnicorn [2,705 tweets]

#HunterXHunter [2,612 tweets]

#Shippuden [1,013 tweets]

#OnePiece [4,899 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#toonami

#dragon ball super

Special thanks to @brezerkfury, @coreymbarnes, @jmb70056, @TheNextHokage and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

Edit 1/12 @ 5:10pm PST: Added image of #OnePunchMan trending in the US. Thanks to @jmb70056 for this.

Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.