#edge would look like a knight but in the way kris looks like a knight. but red and with Big Meaty Claws

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Just felt like tossing this out: I still don't trust Ralsei. He's slowly getting better in Ch2 but Ch1? I flat out don't trust him and I have very good reason not to. He's cute and genuinely sweet, but...

The Prophecy was displayed in such a way that we are led to think that the Lightners and Darkner Prince are the party. They could be. Hell they probably are. But... Ralsei's kingdom is desolate. Even the castle grounds itself is quite literally a ghost town (both in terms of design being similar to the Blook family houses and in how barren it is of people). We're not allowed in the castle at that time or even into the inn or shops.

With how many Darkners and how long their history is implied to be in Spade King's area, I find it more probable that that Fountain is older. Our entry to the Dark World felt more like a summoning or a newly formed Fountain creating that connection. The place we first appeared is too broken up and empty in comparison to any other area of the game to be anything but the outskirts of their world's edge. Hell, the game even calls it in the Legend: "three heroes appear at world's edge".

Ralsei promised he'd be there to help seal the Fountain. It was suggested that we needed three people there. And guess what? We only had two people of the three to seal it because Lancer was busy (whether you kill Spade or not) and the throne room area was blocked off. But when Ralsei whipped off his hat this spooked Susie because he looks just like a young Asriel. We were, both Kris and the Player, were rushed out.

So instead of sealing the Fountain, the player's SOUL was... bathed in the dark? And the two Lightners saw the Deltarune world for what it was: a collection of toys. Yet we still were able to go back and this time and while it was barely a day for Kris and Susie, I'm not entirely sure that Ralsei was joking when he said he waited "so long" for them to return.

Lancer was even the first Darkner we see in the Dark World. But he attacked us. Which... isn't really something that'd keep him from joining, but his father Spade King just like Jevil was manipulated by the Knight. There's also the assumption that the Knight is the same entity that manipulated Spamton. So Lancer thinking he has to be the bad guy just goes to show how much the Knight has twisted everything up.

And then there's the fact that Ralsei said he was given the prophecy "by time and space", and when you speak with Seam about being heroes he is amused. Jevil could've seen some portents of the future but given his actions only Seam gave them any thought as time went on. And Ralsei straight up knows the mechanics of the world. He knows where the "Light World" forms of everyone are. And of course it is from him we learn about the Roaring and the consequences of making too many Dark Fountains.

I still think that Ralsei is the red horn headband Kris had as a kid. Which raises so many questions on why an artifact of Kris's childhood would be so sketchy. Clingy I understand given he lives alone and the whole macaroni manual is right out of a little kid's playbook around where I live.

So everything both in the backstory and right now as you play is being set up to either consolidate the Dark World into Ralsei's domain for whatever reason, or just plain destroy the other Dark Fountains and their surroundings. If Spade King was set up by the Knight to become just a villain in the game, to make the Card Kingdom's Fountain the target instead of the true newly formed one..

Ralsei thinks the new fountain was Spade's but it just doesn't make sense. The fountain gives substance to the land beneath them. And the fountain seen "on the horizon" isn't necessarily the one you think it is.

Ralsei clearly knows more about the Dark World and how it connects with the Light World but I have no idea if he's aware of the endgame. He just wants friends.

#deltarune #ralsei #just talking #i don't trust ralsei #character acting sus #deltarune meta #deltarune speculation #dark fountain #player deltarune #lancer is the prince of the legend #assuming the prophecy is even real #overthinking again #undertale

[bonetrousledbones]

hmn.. have you considered any possibilities for your guys in a Dark World? i guess design-wise?

i have, but only briefly! i actually do plan on having the boys go to deltarune after they leave mishap, but i’m gonna keep them in the light world because i dont know nearly enough about dark worlds to make up one of my own 😔 you can bet your ASS i’m gonna squeeze a heavily implied knight papyrus with Anxiety in there tho

#trousled rambles #atbb #literally came 2 that decision THE night chapter 2 came out lmao #i said if toby wont give me papyrus ill do it MYSELF #buuuuut sadly that whole world wont matter much to the entire story 😔😔😔 i just needed a Location #if i were to think about dark world designs anyway. hmm. #fluff would probably have a ch1 ralsei / susie thing goin on. no eyes only darkness #colors would be mostly bright purple + yellow probably #edge would look like a knight but in the way kris looks like a knight. but red and with Big Meaty Claws #stretch already has more fantasy-inspired designs planned for him in canon atbb future lmao so this one ain't hard #he'd have like a half-poncho thing. flowy pants. flip flops probably. all various brighter oranges & yellows. biiiig summer vibes #russ? to be completely honest i have No Fucking Clue #something slutty 👍 #pprobably shoulda put all that in the main text but i started puttin it in the tags so thats where it is now lmao whoops

[transamus]

So we might have known, or at least had hinted to us in the stupidest way possible, who the Knight was, as early as chapter 1.

[Major Deltarune Chapter 2 spoilers]

This isn't as solid as some other theories floating around, & definitely is a bit silly, but it is a pretty fun one.

In Chapter 1, there's a secret area here after the bake sale. If you walk between these two maps, you have the chance to end up at a tree. This room also shows up in Chapter 2.

In this room, there's a few important things to note:

1) Ralsei & Susie are not there with you. You are alone.

2) You can walk off the edges of the map.

If you check the tree:

If you check behind the tree:

& then interacting again...

Here's the egg, a Key Item:

and when used...

If this is just any random NPC, this would be able to be completely disregarded as just a silly joke, however: you can walk off the sides of this map, are completely alone, and this map is encountered in a way that has led a few people to reasonably believe this might either be, or be related to, W.D. Gaster, + the room has some Vaguely Spooky music. In Undertale, trying to relate everything to Gaster got a bit old very quickly, but more & more, it's looking like Deltarune is where he'll have a bigger (albeit still quiet) role to play.

There are also a few... interesting, bits about it, such as this from the wiki:

Unlike other items in the party's inventory, the Egg does not disappear or change into something else after Kris leaves the Dark World.

Additionally: the song played in the room is titled "man.ogg", & the sprite that most people have come to know and recognize as Gaster from Undertale is simply named "Mystery Man".

Given this, well, what if we look at what Egg spells out in Wing Dings?

And why the fuck does this even matter?

#deltarune chapter 2 spoilers #dr #deltarune

[thyrosus]

It never quite ceases to feel strange, going about his day-to-day life alongside friends and peers as if he had not witnessed their untimely ends mere months prior. As if time itself had not been sundered apart by a power beyond imagining, reverting all to how it was at the year's beginning with only the echoes of memory to prove that it was real, once. Kris may be ever grateful for the second chance granted to them as a result of what can only be described as divine intervention—Katarina comes to mind, always—but the heart cannot help what it feels. Cannot help what it recalls having seen.

When he directs his gaze upon Lorenz, for all his lukewarm feelings regarding the other man ( he remembers 'Sir Amsel', remembers backhanded praise in a looping script ), there is a feeling of regret all the same: that he should not have had to die for their victory then. This time will be different, surely—he swears it on his oath as a knight, if nothing else. "It looks like we're working together again," Kris says in lieu of a greeting; they've already done their introductions, after all, even accounting for their prior acquaintanceship. "I'll be counting on your knowledge of Derdriu for the task ahead of us, Lorenz."

“AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, WE STAND TOGETHER AGAIN.”

What a strange feeling. Lorenz can forgive letting proper greetings go to the wayside—redundant thrice over for the both of them—but a pang of guilt strikes him then. Still untangling the haze surrounding one final blow in startling clarity, it dawns on him what might have been seen. Kris had outlasted Lorenz’s final stand, could hold a candle to where Lorenz’s own memory ends.

He hopes they won. He hopes that Kris brandished every last ounce of strength with the rest of them for the will of everyone left behind.

There is a temptation to ask. Lorenz elects not to invite any more doubt.

Lorenz should take the fact they both still stand as a good sign. But—it never does well to rest on laurels. (He may not well rest again, until he’s laid eyes again on the Oghmas splitting the horizon into a jagged edge.)

“I will work tirelessly to assist in canvassing every last inch of Derdriu, if need be,” Lorenz responds in turn. “Our instructions could have stood to be clearer, but—if that message truly came from Duke Riegan himself, I am not surprised. Discretion.”

(The last word comes out more than a little bitter.)

“Either way. I look forward to our fruitful collaboration. I plan to count on you in equal measure.

“Derdriu is vital to the continued prosperity of the Alliance. Should anything raise concern, be swift in letting me know.”

#❝ＨＭＭ， Ｉ ＤＯＮ＇Ｔ ＲＥＣＡＬＬ ＭＩＳＰＬＡＣＩＮＧ ＡＮＹＴＨＩＮＧ．❞ 【ｉｎｂｏｘ．】 #ToaFantomLoews2022 #flderdriu2022 #unsungblade #[ kris!! :') ]

[scandalsavagefanfic]

I LOVE your "Jason bangs the JL, and also the World" series SO MUCH, seriously. But now I'm also thinking about an AU in which Jason sleeps his way through the JL, the Wayne Board, various Gothamite socialites, etc. just to get Bruce's attention. Bruce is seethingly jealous and VERY bad at hiding it.

Hi there! I’m so glad you like that little verse!

I wrote something for this ask but it… well, it ended up going a much darker direction than anticipated 😬  So I’m going to post up to the point where things take a turn here and maybe add something nicer later, just so we can all pretend that I didn’t ruin this happy, lighthearted verse with angst and horror. But I’ll post the link to the whole thing on Ao3 so everyone interested in the dark ending can enjoy.

We’re also going to just go ahead and call this an AU of the “Jason bangs the JL and all the villains” AU so that that one can remain untainted 🤣

So here you go.

PART 1     PART 2     PART 3

Darkest Knight - just the good stuff 

[Read the whole darker story on Ao3!]

Words: 1110

Rating: Mature

Warnings: None for the following, but check warnings and tags if you follow the link.

_____________________________________

It was already bad enough, knowing about the villains and his colleagues. But then Bruce sees a blurry picture with the unmistakable silhouette Vicki Vale and Jason’s signature jacket in a tabloid.

Still, he tries to stay calm. Tries to examine why he’s so angry about this when no one else seems bothered. 

Then he walks into Fox’s office to find Jason sitting on the edge of the desk, Lucius standing between his spread legs.

They’re not doing anything. They’re both fully clothed. But the flirty tilt to Jason’s head and the soft, affectionate smile on Lucius’s lips would have been damning even without Jason’s finger looped between buttons on the older man’s shirt, and Fox’s hand on the younger man’s thigh. Not to mention the way Lucius takes a quick but dignified step back and Jason flushes pink.

His first thought is that maybe Jason is purposefully flaunting it. Shoving Bruce’s face in his exploits just to get under his skin.

But Bruce had come to Fox’s office to let him know his “business meeting” in Norway had ended early and Bruce was back two days ahead of schedule. They couldn’t have known.

After an extremely awkward moment where they all just stare at each other, Bruce turns on his heel and leaves as quickly as he can.

This is ridiculous. He needs to get a hold of himself. Needs to find a way to let this go.

If he were smart, he’d try to encourage the obvious mutual feelings between Jason and the youngest Green Lantern. Try to nudge Jason into something more committed and… norm—healthy.

But something stops him. Something won’t allow him to entertain thoughts of Jason being serious with anyone.

Those feelings and anger boil inside him, getting hotter and hotter at every little hint of Jason’s… relationships. The way Clark can’t seem to look him in the eyes anymore. Jordan’s smug grin. Slade’s and Talia’s and Lex’s pointed jabs. 

The way Rayner seems to always just… be there now.

It’s Tim who makes him realize.

“Jesus Christ, Bruce. Stop acting like a jealous ex lover. Jason is an adult and he’s not being taken advantage of. You read the report from Ra’s. You know that.”

Bruce didn’t hear anything after “lover”.

As per his modus operandi, he spends the next couple weeks obsessing over Tim’s words. 

Then he plans.

——————————

Batman hides in the shadows, waiting for Jason’s guest to leave, and is unsurprised to find it’s the cocky Green Lantern (not that all of them aren’t cocky. Honestly, Stewart is the only one Bruce even kind of likes).

He doesn’t go in immediately. It takes another hour, give or take, to steal his nerves for what he’s about to do.

When he finally does, Jason’s security is fairly easy to bypass. Like he didn’t even bother to lock things down after Kyle left. 

Hovering over Jason’s bed watching him sleep is creepy. Bruce knows that. Especially with the smell of sex somehow still thick in the air. 

It does nothing but make that something in him go feral.

But he takes a deep breath, keeping his cool, and steps back. Just in case.

“Jason,” he growls. It’s a low, gravely rumble. Not quite Batman’s voice—he’ll only use that if he has to—but not his normal one either.

The younger man positively leaps out of bed, lights from the city beyond the windows glinting off the curves of his meticulously sharped kris. It’s wielded with obvious skill and comfort, despite being jolted from the middle of a REM cycle.

The light also casts flattering shadows across Jason’s bared form, cutting dark valleys in the dips of his muscles and glistening peaks at the swells. His ebony curls are sleep tousled and sticking up in different directions. 

“B?” Jason asks, voice thick and a little slurred with sleep. He straightens out of his fighting stance, eyes narrowed in confusion. Then he tucks the knife back under his pillow and runs his fingers through the streak of white at his forehead.

Bruce can’t stop his own gaze from flicking down or the way he licks his lips.

Even in the darkness, he can see the color bloom across Jason’s face as he realizes he’s fully exposed.

There is no conscious thought to move. Jason reaches for the sheet on the bed and suddenly the room blurs, a surprised yelp rings like sweet music in his ears. And when things clear, Bruce has Jason up against the wall, the younger man’s wrists in a steel grip.

Jason stares at him with wide, bright eyes, breath coming in short, shaky puffs that make his chest heave. Which draws his attention down to the dark metal bars pierced through Jason nipples. He hadn’t even known they were there.

It’s mesmerizing, watching them move slowly up and down.

“Bruce… wh-what are you doing?”

Jason’s voice is soft, breathless. Usually Bruce is good at reading people but he can’t tell if Jason is excited… or scared.

He steps closer, eyes traveling over the warm, scarred skin, connecting the dots from bite mark to hickey to fingerprint. 

“I want you stop,” Bruce finally demands. “I want you to call off all your arrangements and dates.”

“And when have I ever cared what you want?” Jason smirks but his body language, the tense line of his shoulders, out his continued discomfort. 

Bruce steps closer, takes both of Jason’s wrists in one hand and raises the other to lightly cup Jason’s neck, thumb caressing over the younger man’s chin and inching towards his lips. He feels it when Jason gulps.

“You used to. Once. When you were younger,” he purrs, enjoying the way Jason shivers when his breath wafts over the boy’s face.

“That was a long time ago, Bruce. I was different person. You were a different person. Things have changed. We’re not close anymore and I need—“

“I’ll provide everything you need,” Bruce rumbles. “Whatever you need. Anything you ask for; no questions, no strings. Weapons, intel, cash, Kryponite,” he slots his thigh between Jason’s legs, slides it high to feel the younger man’s cock, making Jason gasp and squirm. “Feeding the hunger the Pit left inside you.”

Jason freezes for a moment, eyes going wide again.

“You-you can’t be serious,” he grumbles and starts wriggling harder. Like he’s making a real effort to get out of Bruce’s hold.

Bruce just tightens his grip; squeezes Jason’s wrists hard enough he can feel the bones grind against his palm. “I am. Very.”

#Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #BruJay #JayKyle #Jason/Justice League #Jason bangs the justice league #and villains #and everyone #chthonicjason

[curiouslich]

..When the Moon Vanishes

Finally free of his bed, free of the infirmary Itrius let out a relieved sigh as he managed to climb up to his feet. Half stumbling along the cold wood floor he walked over to the mirror. The shadows began to stretch and hide with the first few rays of the coming dawn. Staring at his reflection he counted the myriad of problems with his appearance. Things his mother would have scolded him for.

“...mother….”

It had been nearly two years since Itrius left Goldsea to pursue the rumors of the Crimson Sun. Eighteen months since he found himself in the middle of a war between a people wanting to live their lives and the forces that wanted to push their own agendas. Mouthing his apology to this reflection he silently prayed to hear her chastising voice.

Knowing it wouldn’t come he reached for the brush nearest the mirror. Dragging it through his long locks he flinched every time he ripped a knot open. How much of his life had he given to the people of Kris. How much had he missed while on this mission. How much more would it take? Each question lasting only as long as another stroke before fading and a new one replacing it.

Hair combed he tugged the tie free from his wrist and bound it behind him in a loose tail. Moving his fingers down the buttons of his sleeping shirt. Exposing toned muscles and tan skin he looked every bit the soldier he had trained to become.

Itrius had risen to the rank of Phoenix Captain. A promotion that he never once took for granted, it wa a mantle that not even Irigir had managed. His rank was why he was even in Kris, this was his first mission. To determine if the rumors of an uprising were true, and if the State had to quash them.

What he had found were a people scared and abandoned. Stories that Quel’thalas had forsaken them to the Amani. That no one would come to help them and it was on their hands alone they would have to defend themselves. What he found was not the flames of rebellion, but merely fuel ripe for a spark. It fell on his shoulders to stop a war before it started. At least that was what he told himself. Help the people of Kris, find out what is causing their fears, stop it, and restore faith in the State.

Nothing is ever that simple.

Every morning as he opened his shirt he was reminded of these complications. The pink edges of the scar outlined Sperro’s final acts. A searing light pushed Itrius out of harm’s way and branded him in the same moment.

When he learned of the growing influence of the Nightmare in Kris he had called back home for support. Six Phoenix Knights made their way down to Kris. Six seasoned soldiers that comprised his task force. The seven of them were supposed to fight back the darkness and dispel the despair of this land… It sounded like a faerie tale the more he told it to himself… Seven knights to save a land…

Now there were only 2 left on their feet.

Dawnshield and the others returned in the early morning. When the Sun and the town still slept they burst into the clinic carrying scores of wounded.

The mission with the Suncasters was labeled a success, the nightmare portal was sealed, the Druids of the Vein lost another battle in this war. To the Captain of the taskforce this was phyric at best.

The Sunguard and his men had once again encountered Wargod Zo’kar. The ruthless beast of a man had taken Darrion’s life. His passing still caused a hitch in Itrius’ breathing. Perhaps it was this desire for revenge that spurred them on. The Wargod had killed one of the Phoenix Guard already, and if it wasn’t for quick thinking he would have killed three more.

More disturbing than the butchery of the Wargod was the tale after the portal was stabilized. The Grand Archanist’s plan worked perfectly, the balancing foci calmed the rift. What wasn’t accounted for was that was also the plan of the Archdruid.

To Dawnshield’s recollection it was the Druid’s plan to stabilize the portal to bring the most powerful magic users of the Sunguard into the Nightmare. There he would use them as regents to complete his ritual...whatever he was planning. Shaking his head Itrius closed his eyes and tried to think on everything he was told.

Everything has a reason. Uncle Isilos and the Ardents taught him of cause and effect. “For the Sun to set it must first rise… First they took the neighboring lands extending their reach. Then the druids attacked Allamar. They claimed every life in that city for their abomination of a world tree.” Again shaking his head Itrius pushed back the memories of being in Sin’drassil’s shadow.

“They took Allamar. They marched forward, burning, and saccing, and taking everything north. Dawnshield said they were the final regents. Which means that everything up until now was gathering, feeding something.”

Moving a hand to his chin Itrius stroked the growing stubble. It had been to long since he shaved. “Something, probably this ritual that was almost complete if they were the final. The druids were trying to summon something on the farm. We stopped them, but they were summoning something. They called it… the Vessel.”

“The Pathfinders were able to dispatch the beast, but that still means the Druids wanted something to do with it. Clearly it was unstable because it caused that rift with its death. Stabilizing the rift though, was part of their plan?”

Closing his eyes he let go of his chin and tapped at his forehead. Come on its dawn, he always thought best at sunrise. “We stopped the summoning early, we halted them from pouring all the magic they needed…” eye shooting open it made more sense now. “Which is why the Suncasteer were the regents, they need more magic for their ritual. More energy… For what though?”

What else had Dawnshield told him about the Nightmare. They fought twisted reflections of themselves… that was a whole other mess he’d have to come to terms with later. When their reflections were vanquished by Eclipse though there was a roar. A creature in the Nightmare screamed out and the Archdruid left.  There was more though, something the druid had told them.

Perhaps you are safer in here. For when the moon vanishes, your world will burn

“Safer in the Nightmare? They tried to summon something to our realm once already so that is their plan. To try that again, seems logical enough if they have the resources, but what does the moon have to do with anything?”

The night before had been bright. Itrius recalled looking down the path to the south. Where the Suncasters and his soldiers had gone to face off against the Druids. “So, does this have to do with the lunar cycles? The Moon vanishing, are you talking about the new moon? Why is this one so important then?”

“What does the Nightmare have to do with the moon? Druids half worship the moon, its part of their cycle. It’s not too different then Goldsea and our views on the Sun. The night is a sacred time even for us, it can’t be anything that mundane though.”

“When the moon vanishes, it vanishes every morning, it returns every night.” No that isn’t it… “It vanishes once a month in cycle.” Shaking his head again, that wasn’t it….

Once again exhaling his thoughts he smiled as the warmth of the sun reached through the window and fell on his face. Like the touch of an old friend.

“Shadows…” the idea shook him as he turned from the sun to see where it cast his own on the wall. “The druid summoned a nightmare reflection of me, a shadow. When Azeroth runs over the moon and casts its shadow… Oh by the Sun, when is the next eclipse!”

@thesunguardmg

@stormandozone @captainswingbeard @sakialyn

#Nightmare Returns #Night of the Blood Moon #Finale #Itrius' Mystery

[jodyedgarus]

The Super Bowl’s Best Matchup Is Gladys Knight vs. The Clock

Super Bowl LIII is not only about two of the league’s best offenses squaring off against one another — New England and Los Angeles — it’s also about America’s other favorite pastime: gambling. The total amount bet on the Super Bowl1 has risen from $40 million in 1991 to more than $158 million in 2018, and much of that growth has come from “props” or proposition bets.

For readers who aren’t degenerate gamblers, prop bets are wagers you can place on events during a game that don’t directly involve the final outcome. This year there are the standard prop bets, like if the Patriots will score a touchdown in the first quarter (they never have in a Super Bowl), or if the Rams will rush for more than 127.5 yards (they averaged 143.3 yards per game in the regular season and the playoffs). But there are also more exotic prop bets on things like whether Donald Trump will tweet more than six times during the game. (The implied probability on one offshore book is 58 percent that he will hit the over.)

Another interesting wager is on the length of Gladys Knight’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Several offshore books have set the total for the anthem at 1 minute 47 seconds, and the implied odds for both the under and the over were set at one book at -115 — a 53.5 percent implied probability — on both sides.2 The implied probabilities being equal indicates that the book has no real opinion on the length of Gladys’s performance — they just want to take a percentage from each side of the wager and hope bettors will place their bets evenly on both.

But is Knight performing the anthem in over/under 107 seconds really close to a 50 percent proposition? Or is there evidence that might convince us that the oddsmakers got the probabilities wrong?

To find out, I went to Youtube and watched 40 Super Bowl national anthems from 1979 to 2018. I eliminated any anthems with trumpeters (there were two) and then started timing the anthem from the moment the singer first started to sing and ended the timer after the completion of the first utterance of “brave.”3 Using this methodology, the 40-year average of all national anthem singers4 is 106.1 seconds, roughly in line with the total set by the books. So the total is correct so far as the average goes, but it also seems lazy. Surely there are other factors that might help us better predict how long Gladys might sing.

For starters, the performance time of the anthem has changed as the Super Bowl has grown to become the unparalleled cultural phenomenon we now enjoy each year. As the pomp, circumstance and viewership have increased, the time anthem performers spend on the stage has also risen.

So while anthems have gotten longer over time, the 40-year average is not fully accounting for that trend. When you do account for it5 the best forecast for the 2019 anthem is actually 119 seconds, 13 seconds over the 40-year average.

Gender of the anthem singer is also significant. Men tend to sing the anthem more quickly than women — though not many men have sung the anthem in recent years, when the anthems have been getting longer overall. Still, the all-time shortest anthem performance was by a man — the incomparable Neil Diamond — who got in and out like a boss in a cool 61 seconds. And the longest anthem ever performed at a Super Bowl was by the unforgettable Natalie Cole in 1994, which clocked in at a diva-esque 148 seconds.

Finally, Knight herself appears to be a singer who knows how to stretch a note. Using whosampled, I identified 31 covers performed by Knight and timed the cover performance of each using similar criteria to the anthem timing. Knight’s covers were 7 percent longer than the originals on average, good for a bonus 12.7 seconds of soothing soul per track. In perhaps the best comp to the national anthem — “Ave Maria,” a soaring, vocal-heavy standard covered by hundreds of artists — Gladys’ performance was 37 percent longer than the standard version.

Gladys Knight takes her time with interpretations

Difference in song length between Knight’s covers and the original songs

Song Original Artist Difference Feel Like Makin’ Love Roberta Flack +129 sec. The Look of Love Dusty Springfield +85 Yesterday The Beatles +70 Help Me Make It Through the Night Kris Krisofferson +66 Ave Maria Anna Moffo +65 For Once in My Life Barbara McNair +50 Midnight Train to Georgia Cissy Houston +42 The Way We Were Barbara Streisand +36 Fire and Rain James Taylor +33 I’m Gonna Make You Love Me Dee Dee Warwick +30 Groovin’ The Young Rascals +27 The Need to Be Jim Weatherly +13 Average +13 Everybody Needs Love The Temptations +8 You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me Ray Price +8 Goin’ Out of My Head Little Anthony and the Imperials +7 All I Could Do Is Cry Etta James +2 Baby I Need Your Loving The Four Tops +1 Tracks of My Tears Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 0 Yes, I’m ready Barbara Mason -1 Baby Don’t Change Your Mind The Stylistics -1 I Wish It Would Rain The Temptations -4 Cloud Nine The Temptations -9 Keep an Eye Diana Ross & The Supremes -9 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ The Righteous Brothers -14 I Feel a Song (in My Heart) Sandra Richardson -19 Let It Be The Beatles -21 Is There a Place? The Supremes -34 Wind Beneath My Wings Roger Whittaker -34 Heard It Through the Grapevine Marvin Gaye -39 Thank You Sly & the Family Stone -45 Every Beat of My Heart The Royals -49

Sources: YouTube, Whosampled

Taking a larger view, only two anthems in the past 15 years have been performed faster than the 40-year average of 1 minute 47 seconds. And when I looked at the age of the anthem singers, I found no significant correlation between age and performance time.6 On the other hand, we can look at one of Knight’s previous performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” itself, which is solid piece of evidence against the over, running for 92 seconds. It was, however, performed 28 years ago. All things considered, the bookmakers appear to have this line wrong on Gladys, and her upcoming anthem performance is probably going to go over 107 seconds.

Researching a single prop was a lot of work, and it’s understandable why books might not want to put this level of effort into each and every bet they publish. But it does imply that there are profitable edges for some Super Bowl props. Using the Twitter machine, I threw up a bat signal for a gambling expert to help me confirm my priors. Rufus Peabody, a professional sports bettor and former ESPN contributor who is well-known in gambling circles for the scale and volume of his Super Bowl prop wagers, agreed to help.

“The time and effort to accurately value props is pretty high,” Peabody said. “Some books put more effort into their props than others, and for some props there’s almost no data. Books will move the lines aggressively when sharp bets are made though, which helps them adjust.”

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Gladys anthem line, and it hasn’t moved all week. I was tempted to bet the over, but when I was confronted with the prospect of having to convert real money into Bitcoin in order to place a bet on an offshore site, I decided to abort. When I looked around for somewhere to place the bet in Las Vegas — where they accept actual money — I struck out. Peabody explained that prop bets like anthem length are illegal in Las Vegas because of restrictions on the types of sources casinos can use to “grade” or determine the outcome of a bet.

Even if it won’t net me any cash, I’ll be pulling for Knight to go over regardless. I want her to belt out that last note in “home of the brave” for an egregiously long time. After all, my Twitter credibility is on the line, and that’s serious business.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-super-bowls-best-matchup-is-gladys-knight-vs-the-clock/

[junker-town]

We imagined how an NBA expansion draft would look today

All 30 SB Nation NBA blogs joined in to imagine a future where the league adds to expansion teams. Here are the results.

The NBA is approaching a 14th season existing with 30 teams, the longest period of time that the league has gone without adding or losing teams. Ever since the Charlotte Bobcats — now Hornets — joined in 2004, the 30-team league has been a happy, if flawed, default.

The NBA is also experiencing a global boom. It’s making more money than ever before, highlighted by a record-breaking nine-year, $24 billion television deal that kicked in last season. It’s rapidly growing in popularity both in the United States, where 29 of the 30 teams are located, and globally, where more and more international players are introduced to the league. Given the way this world works, and how quickly the NBA is rising, it was no surprise when NBA commissioner Adam Silver said this about expanding to 31 or 32 teams:

“I don’t want to put a precise timeline on it, but it’s inevitable at some point,” he told C.J. McCollum. (Yes, that’s Blazers guard C.J. McCollum).

Inevitable. That’s a strong word, but that’s where the league is headed.

SB Nation’s Tom Ziller is all over the logistics. You can read this explainer about what would need to happen for the NBA to vote for expansion, and also 13 places where the NBA could expand to, including two international options. (Not London!)

All those things have to be worked out by the smart people in the NBA before any expansion could be approved. We at SB Nation don’t have those same limitations, and we also know that there’s one especially fun thing about the process: The Expansion draft.

So, we are doing one of our own.

The concept is simple: all 30 teams can protect eight players off their roster, and the two expansion teams (it might just be one, but we’re going with two because it’s more fun) can pick from the remaining pool. They’d also get a top draft pick, but that’s not a major factor for this exercise.

We asked all 30 of our SB Nation NBA team blogs which eight players they would hold back from the expansion draft, and had them answer why.

Here’s who they protected and why:

Peachtree Hoops (Atlanta Hawks): Dennis Schroder, Taurean Prince, DeAndre Bembry, John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala, Ersan Ilyasova, Kent Bazemore

Celtics Blog (Boston Celtics): Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Ante Zizic

Nets Daily (Brooklyn Nets): D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert, Allen Crabbe, Jarrett Allen, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeMarre Carroll, Jeremy Lin

At the Hive (Charlotte Hornets): Kemba Walker, Dwight Howard, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, Malik Monk, Marvin Williams

Blog a Bull (Chicago Bulls): Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis, Cristiano Felicio, Paul Zipser, Jerian Grant

Fear the Sword (Cleveland Cavaliers): LeBron James, Kyrie Irving (for now), Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Cedi Osman, Kyle Korver, Richard Jefferson

Mavs Moneyball (Dallas Mavericks): Harrison Barnes, Dennis Smith Jr., Seth Curry, Nerlens Noel (assuming he re-signs), Dirk Nowitzki, Yogi Ferrell, J.J. Barea, Salah Mejri

Denver Stiffs (Denver Nuggets): Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, Juancho Hernangomez, Will Barton, Emmanuel Mudiay

Detroit Bad Boys (Detroit Pistons): Andre Drummond, Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Stanley Johnson, Luke Kennard, Henry Ellenson, Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson

Golden State of Mind (Golden State Warriors): Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Patrick McCaw, Shaun Livingston, Jordan Bell

The Dream Shake (Houston Rockets): James Harden, Chris Paul, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Zhou Qi, Nene

Indy Cornrows (Indiana Pacers): Myles Turner, T.J. Leaf, Glenn Robinson III, Cory Joseph, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young, Lance Stephenson

Clips Nation (Los Angeles Clippers): Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley, Austin Rivers, Milos Teodosic, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell

Silver Screen & Roll (Los Angeles Lakers): Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Brook Lopez, Larry Nance Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Grizzly Bear Blues (Memphis Grizzlies): Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Ben McLemore, JaMychal Green (assuming he re-signs), Deyonte Davis, Wayne Selden, Tyreke Evans, Brandan Wright

Hot Hot Heat (Miami Heat): Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Bam Adebayo, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk, Justise Winslow

Brew Hoop (Milwaukee Bucks): Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell, D.J. Wilson, Sterling Brown

Canis Hoopus (Minnesota Timberwolves): Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, Tyus Jones, Jeff Teague, Nemanja Bjelica, Justin Patton

The Bird Writes (New Orleans Pelicans): Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Jrue Holiday, Solomon Hill, Cheick Diallo, Frank Jackson, E’Twaun Moore, Rajon Rondo

Posting & Toasting (New York Knicks): Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Frank Ntilikina, Carmelo Anthony, Damyean Dotson, Kyle O’Quinn, Courtney Lee, Ron Baker

Welcome to Loud City (Oklahoma City Thunder): Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, Patrick Patterson, Alex Abrines, Enes Kanter, Raymond Felton

Orlando Pinstriped Post (Orlando Magic): Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, Arron Afflalo, Elfrid Payton, Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross, Jonathon Simmons, Marreese Speights

Liberty Ballers (Philadelphia 76ers): Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, J.J. Redick, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarot, Richaun Holmes

Bright Side of the Sun (Phoenix Suns): Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, Tyler Ulis, Eric Bledsoe, T.J. Warren, Alan Williams

Blazer’s Edge (Portland Trail Blazers): Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Zach Collins, Caleb Swanigan, Maurice Harkless, Noah Vonleh

Sactown Royalty (Sacramento Kings): De’Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Justin Jackson, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Harry Giles, Malachi Richardson

Pounding the Rock (San Antonio Spurs): Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, DeJonte Murray, Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, LaMarcus Aldridge, Davis Bertans, Kyle Anderson

Raptors HQ (Toronto Raptors): Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell, Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl, O.G. Anunoby, Jonas Valanciunas

SLC Dunk (Utah Jazz): Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum, Rodney Hood, Donovan Mitchell, Derrick Favors, Joe Ingles, Joe Johnson

Bullets Forever (Washington Wizards): John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris, Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre, Tim Frazier, Mike Scott

Then there’s the actual draft.

Using the players our team communities left unprotected, SB Nation’s Kristian Winfield drafted one team, while our Seattle Supersonics blog Sonics Rising — a hopeful and extremely likely expansion team whenever it finally happens — selected the other. They will unveil their rosters at noon ET.

NOTE: Per expansion draft rules, each new expansion team is limited to one selection per NBA team. Hence, some of the picks.

Remember the time we last did this?

Tom Ziller will take a stroll down memory lane to 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) entered the league. There were some odd players left unprotected and some fascinating ripple effects.

Who would you pick?

Now it’s your turn. Here are the five most notable players left unprotected at each position.

And here’s the full list. Pick four from each category (but not two players from the same team) and let us know your 12-man rosters in the comments section:

GUARDS: Malcolm Delaney, Terry Rozier, Isaiah Whitehead, Langston Galloway, Lou Williams, D.J. Augustin, Derrick White, Derrick Rose, Joe Young, Jawun Evans, Troy Daniels, Jamal Crawford, Frank Mason III, Michael Carter-Williams, Kay Felder, Darren Collison, Wade Baldwin, Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Knight, Fred VanVleet, Cameron Payne, Devin Harris, Jameer Nelson, Tyler Ennis, Andrew Harrison, Tyler Johnson, Matthew Dellavedova, Jordan Crawford, Shabazz Napier, Tomas Satoransky, Sean Kilpatrick, Briante Weber, Jose Calderon, Mario Chalmers, Shelvin Mack, T.J. McConnell, Pat Connaughton, Bobby Brown, Ian Clark, Semaj Christon, Randy Foye, Tony Parker, Archie Goodwin

WINGS: Jeremy Lamb, Dwyane Wade, Iman Shumpert, Corey Brewer, Chandler Parsons, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kyle Singler, Alec Burks, Dwayne Bacon, Dorian Finney-Smith, Luol Deng, Nik Stauskas, Evan Turner, C.J. Miles, Tyler Dorsey, David Nwaba, Malik Beasley, Nick Young, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Sindarius Thornwell, Josh Hart, Wayne Ellington, Quincy Pondexter, Lance Thomas, Doug McDermott, Evan Fournier, Brandon Paul, Thabo Sefolosha, Jodie Meeks, Luke Babbitt, Johnny O’Bryant, Reggie Bullock, Omri Casspi, Troy Williams, Bojan Bogdanovic, DeAndre Liggins, Mindaugis Kuzminskas, Michael Beasley, Jerami Grant, Garrett Temple, Bryn Forbes, Marco Belinelli, Abde Nader, Justin Holiday, Wesley Matthews, Wesley Johnson, Okaro White, Darius Miller, Jared Dudley, Bruno Caboclo, Nicolas Brussino, Marcus Morris, Joe Harris, Treveon Graham, Eric Moreland, Rodney McGruder, Rashad Vaughn, Furkan Korkmaz, Jake Layman, Vince Carter, Semi Ojeleye, Jeff Green, Justin Anderson, Derrick Jones Jr., Rudy Gay, Mario Hezonja, Terrance Ferguson,

BIGS: Dwight Powell, Kenneth Faried, David West, Ryan Anderson, Kevin Seraphin, A.J. Hammonds, Spencer Hawes, Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, Jahlil Okafor, Tyson Chandler, Meyers Leonard, Georgios Papagiannis, Pascal Siakam, Ian Mahinmi, Miles Plumlee, Jon Leuer, Gershon Yabusele, Quincy Acy, Robin Lopez, Trey Lyles, Jon Leuer, Zaza Pachulia, Chinanu Onuaku, Udonis Haslem, Greg Monroe, Alexis Ajinca, Joakim Noah, Nick Collison, Bismack Biyombo, Alex Len, Pau Gasol, Jonas Jerebko, Chris McCullough, Aron Baynes, Timofey Mozgov, Josh McRoberts, Boban Marjanovic, John Henson, Cole Aldrich, Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, Daniel Theis, Trevor Booker, Edy Tavares, Khem Birch, Lucas Nogueira, Ekpe Udoh, Mason Plumlee, Anthony Tolliver, Kevon Looney, Tarik Black, Ike Anigbogu, Ivica Zubac, Mirza Teletovic, Dakari Johnson, Kosta Koufos, Tony Bradley, Channing Frye, Darrell Arthur, Damian Jones, Brice Johnson, Thomas Bryant, Joffrey Lauvergne, Joel Bolomboy, Jason Smith, Tyler Lydon, JaVale McGee, Al Jefferson, Willie Reed, Zach Randolph