I haven’t posted anything for Midnighters fans in a while, so here are a couple of bits of fannish art and one document for obsessed scholars.
But first, the event at Kinokuniya was a blast. Our thanks to all of those who came, especially fan-mail deliverers and shameless flatterers Steph, Jaimee, and Christina/Mikey! Fun was had by all.
So, a few days ago I got this present from Kallie, my own anti-darkling coffee mug!
In addition to this triple-decker tridecalogism, the other side has stuff too intricate for my still-life photography skillz to capture. It features thirteen 13s in Phoenician numerals and the five midnighter talent symbols. Kewl.
Now here’s something for your CafePress pleasure. The tridecashirt!
Yes, it’s amazing how much free time I used to have. But what is this for? Well, I hereby give you all the right to copy, re-mix, and promulgate this image in all media in existence or yet to be invented, forever and throughout the known universe.
In other words, steal it to make t-shirts if you want. Or coffee mugs.
Click here for a much bigger file, and here if you want a vast Photoshop doc without the white background. (‘Save As’ under File after it loads, then open in Photoshop.)
And finally, for the truly Midnighters obsessed, here’s the chronology of events for whole series, from September 1 to October 31. Funny how October 6 in Blue Noon takes 100 pages to unfold!
I apologize for the formatting, but this is the stuff of novelist’s working documents. Page numbers refer to the hardbacks, btw, and may have shifted slightly since page proofs.
Massive Spoilers Warning!
Chronology, Book 1
p. 1 first day of school at Bixby High (Sep 1) Rex sees that Jessica has Focus; Jessica meets Dess in trig
p.17 that Thurs. (Sep. 4) Jessica’s first week of school almost over, she has first midnight experience with frozen rain
p.21 next day (Fri., Sept. 5) Jessica has lunch with Jonathan; midnight with cat, snakes, and panther
p.100 next day (Sat., Sept. 6) Jessica at Clovis Museum; midnight with Jonathan, flying, attack by slithers and darklings, busted by Sheriff St. Claire
p.177 next day (Sun., Sept. 7) Rex and Dess tell Jess at midnight about lore site
p.189 next day (Mon., Sept. 8,) Constanza invites Jess to party at Rustle’s Bottom on Fri.
p.201 next Wed. (Sept. 10) during midnight hour Melissa changes Jess’s parents’ minds about grounding
p.211 next day (Thurs., Sept. 11) Jess ungrounded, kisses Jonathan on top of Pegasus sign
p.231 next day (Fri., Sept. 12) party at Rustle’s Bottom, Jess discovers talent of flame-bringer
p.302 two midnights later (midnight of Sun., Sept. 14) right after midnight time, Melissa picks up on human thought threat to JessicaChronology, Book 2
p.4 Sat. night (Sept. 20) Jessica goes out at midnight although still grounded for another two weeks, Jessica has been in secret hour two weeks, two weeks later bruises from letting go of Jonathan’s hand just fading, Jessica has physics test on Mon., Jessica and Jonathan spot stalker with camera, Dess awakes early Sun. morning from dream, takes dad’s GPS
p.30 next day (Sun. Sept 21) Jessica had only felt secure in Bixby for a week before cameraman danger started, she and Jonathan visit Rex, Rex and Melissa touch, a week since drive back from Rustle’s Bottom; at midnight Rex and Melissa find Darkling Manor, see halfling
p.89 next day (Mon. Sept 22) Rex and Melissa skip school, ten days since Dess led Rex and Melissa across desert to snake pit, weekend before last found out Jessica was flame-bringer, Jonathan and Dess go back to Los Colonias, visit Darkling Manor, find bill for Ernesto Grayfoot, Jessica locks Beth in closet while out with Jonathan
p.157 next day (Tues. Sept 23) Dess finds Madeleine, Melissa and Rex go to Constanza’s house at midnight, Melissa finds out Ernesto is Constanza’s cousin, Madeleine puts directions to Constanza’s in Jessica and Jonathan’s heads, fight with darklings
p.206 next day (Wed. Sept 24) plan to meet at Constanza’s house on Friday, Beth resumes Beth Spaghetti night
p.235 next day (Thurs. Sept 25) at Madeleine’s, Dess realizes that runway is where halflings created
p.248 next day (Fri. Sept 26) Rex kidnapped, changed into darkling, Anathea released but dies, Jessica burns Rex back into human form
p.328 next day (Sat., Sept. 27) midnight hour, Jonathan meets Beth in Jessica’s bedroom, Dess, Melissa, and Rex at Madeleine’sChronology, Book 3
p.4 (Mon., Oct. 6) a month ago beginning-of-football-season pep rally, TEN DAYS ago Melissa invaded Dess’s mind to save Rex, blue time falls just after nine a.m., TEN DAYS since Rex’s transformation, Jessica’s grounding to end, a month from when police brought her home, Jessica’s last night of grounding, Dess at Maddy’s figures out Cassie captured by darklings, midnighters rescue Cassie
p.104 next day (Tues., Oct. 7) Rex found lore signs in kitchen this morning, at midnight Melissa mindcasts Cassie to make her forget
p.123 next day (Wed., Oct. 8,) Constanza tells group in a couple of weeks moving to LA with grandfather, Halloween MORE THAN three weeks away, another eclipse during lunch, Rex meets that night with Angie, then with ancient darklings, refuses their offer to join hunt
p.199 next Wed. (Oct. 15) Beth Spaghetti Night, Beth has Cassie over for dinner
p.210 that same night (Wed., Oct. 15) Samhain is SIXTEEN days away, Madeleine, Melissa, and Rex meld with old mindcasters, find out what darklings put in Rex’s mind about Samhain
p.224 next day (Thurs., Oct. 16) midnighters meet at Madeleine’s at night, to meet for experiments on Sat. morning
p.237 next day (Sat., Oct. 18) another eclipse, Rex does experiment with Caddy, ten days to Halloween
p.255 a week later: (Sat., Oct. 25) Halloween is SIX days away, Constanza to fly to LA day after tomorrow for a week
Samhain (FRIDAY., Oct. 31) Jessica stops rip by putting hand in frozen lightning on Mobile building
p.336 two weeks later (mid-Nov.) Beth taken by midnighters to remains of rip, meets Jessica
Wow. This is so cool. Thanks for the tridecashirt thingie. From your almost 52-year-old Midnighters librarian fan.
pretty intense chronology, really.
Im still wondering though if Zane was to come back and Tally and David had gotten back together what would happen would she have to choose would she not be able to chose or does she just runn away i cant stand the antisipation of !EXTRAS!
Scott I have a question who are the people on the cover of the Uglie books and if i may make a sugetion for the actresses of the movie for pretties and spetals i thing you should use the blond from 13 going on 30 for Shay and for Tally Keara Knightly cant thing of any uglie types for uglies sory.
So when’s the movie coming out then? I’m so excited! Whoo!
It makes me want another Midnighter’s book D:
Doesn’t it take years for movies to come out? I mean, really. They have to write it, find actors/actressess, film it, advertise it and much more! Plus, Scott can’t really tell them what to do for anything, so if the movie sucks it’s not his fault.
Judy Helms, see the comments thread for “Uglies Character Names” in which your question will be answered. Many, many times.
I would love another Midnighter’s book, too. I love the series dearly, and I miss it.
I’ve also reccommended it to my dad, and he’s reading it now. He likes it, too.
Anyway, thank you for this, and can we expect anything else Midnighters to come out?
Ahh, I love that shirt design! I totally have to make one now. Thanks, Scott! =)
man! i love the design. and i think you had a little too much time on your hands(like the people that make the crosswords in the newspaper-or the people that do them!)
oh na don the midnighters site ( http://www.geocities.com/thesecrethour/bixby.html ) someone made an uglies cast that we are all contributing too. check it out.
Dude, that shirt is pretty awesome…
One question: Do you have any input on the covers for your books? Because I’ve always wanted to know who the heck that is supposed to be on the cover of Pretties.
Pretties is apparently Shay and Zane according to someone’s comment in a previous post.
Most authors don’t pick the final cover of their book, but they may be asked about design or what they think of something.
I was asking who the people were in real life not in the book I know who they are supposed to be I just want to know if they are related to him or somthing sory for the comfution!
On the pretties bookcover it is Tally and Zane and on Spesials it is Tally and on Uglies it is Tally
*Squee*!(Otherwise known as fan-girlish squeal)
I love the ‘tridecashirt’! And I’m very jealous of your coffee mug, regardless of the fact that I hate coffee.
Question: Uglies movie? Are you people for reals? If so, that surely deserves many many “squees”, unless, of course, the movie people mess it up, as happens all too often (Eg. Ella Enchanted).
Yeah, a movie would be awesome. I am always confused when authors say there is going to be a movie. Or people on their blogs.
My dad makes shirts (for a living). I am so having him make that shirt for me! Capt. Cockatiel and I will wear it around everywhere and look like compleate idiots.
Compleate SCOTT WESTERFELD loving idiots.
Cha!
-Amber
Oh, yeah. I guess I’d need to give Piffs a shirt to, eh, Capt?
no, Judy, it’s SHAY and Zane on the pretties cover.
“Tridecashirt” has twelve letters… let’s hope all the tridecalogisms counteract the darkling-magnet name lol.
i love the shirt i hate haveing books made into movies well the movies
OMG that was me!!!!! Go team Scott Westerfeld!!
Squee!!!!
Laine-wa I thought that if that was shay she would have more tatues cause the beginnibg of the book sayes that she had just gotton another face lift i realy think it is Tally on the cover of the book. and why on earth would Shay be on the cover of a book with Tallys boyfriend that just dosnt make sence.
Kailyx there might be a movie coming out im not for shure but i asked scott and he said there might be and of all the other blogs ive seen it seems everyone knows that it is true!
haddy-la
if they do make amovie im pretty shure that Scott will be directing it so there shouldn’t be much difference between the movie and the book.
Laine-wa
since you seem to know so much about the uglies book maybe you can tell me what is in tallys eye on the cover of the first bookcause i cant seem to figure it out? Thanks!
Judy, um, I don’t think that Scott would direct it. That’s just not how it works. He might be there to check stuff and make sure they’re portraying it all correctly but directing is for directors. Because they know what they are doing.
And on the cover isn’t that a person walking through a door being reflected in her eyes? Or a person standing in light? I never noticed it until you mentioned it. So I went and looked.
yeah, i think it is a person. on the pretties i always thought it was her contacts with the backward clocks in them that shay had in the beginning and tally got later. but i dont know.
I want backwards clocks in MY eyes.
That shirt is fantastic – good job! – and that mug is adorable. Hurrah for the timeline. September is the best month – though I’m biased due to it being my birth month.
Um, really, shouldn’t you be WRITING, not creating t-shirt designs. Although it is kinda cool.
Tridecashirt may have 12 letters,
but TridecashirtS has 13
Happiness!!
5? well it would be cool if he could derect it but sadly he cant
Now, to be fair, you brought up the subject of Midnighters, and also the subject of chronology, so you’ve only got yourself to blame for the following post. Brace yourself.
I was wondering about Midnighters and aging.
Okay, so part of the reason why darklings live so long (from humans’ prospective) is because they are frozen most of the time and only unfreeze (and age) for one hour each day. It takes them 25 of our days to live and age one day in their lives. Judging from this, would it be correct to assume that daylighters, who are frozen during midnight, do not age during that extra hour? But that midnighters *do* age during that extra hour?
So that means midnighters age one hour faster than everyone else, right?
‘Kay, so now you’re wondering why I’m asking about that extra hour.
Well, if midnighters age one hour faster than everyone else, doesn’t that mean their perceived ages are incorrect?
There are 8,760 hours in a daylighter year, but there are 9,125 hours in a midnighter year. So midnighters are 365 hours (15.2 days) older than daylighters for each year that they live.
None of this matters to anyone but a polymath, but my next point does.
If my theory is correct (you doubt me?!), then Rex, Melissa, Dess, and Madeleine, who have lived in Bixby all their lives, are all older than they realize. But Jessica and Jonathan haven’t been there as long, so midnight hasn’t aged them as much.
The end result: midnighters who live in Bixby have shortened lifespans.
A 16-year-old midnighter is 5840 hours (243.3 days) older than a 16-year-old daylighter. A 24-year-old midnighter is actually 25. And a 72-year-old midnighter is really 75.
Okay, so their lives aren’t shortened *that* much, but still. Why hasn’t anyone else noticed this? Why didn’t Dess?
Why are you looking at me like that?
Geez, people, do the math. *sulks*
~Mary S.
P.S. Scott, your books rule the world (mine, at least). So, thanks.
Um…I think Mary is right. I did the math just now (I hate math so that means I was REALLY motivated) and I got the same conclusions as her. And yeah, dosn’t it seem like Dess would have noticed?
Oh, well. Scott still rules. And he can’t really make a forth book in the trilogy so we’re stuck.
-Topaz
Oh, and Kris? Scott can do whatever he wants; write books, make t-shirt designs or create a army of bannana slugs and take over Santa Cruz.
But I agree, we’re all leaning towards writting books.
-Topaz
i say if you wright a GOOD book in the fist place youcan do anything even create a army of bannana slugs and take over Santa Cruz but i think i would takeover a tropical island (like hawii a mythical place thats spelled wrong..)
wow mary! you did alot of work. but it is a very good point. did scott think of that when he wrote the book?
(spoiler for blue noon!)
well, we know he kind of thought about it in blue noon, because dess talked about jessica and jonathan and how it would get gross after a while with her only living one hour a day. that was a run-on sentance!
Awesome t-shirt, I’m so going to try to make one! And great math work!
And then what?
Captin Cocateil I realy dont know what the thing in her eye is i always thought that it was just a person with a hoverboard or a sersion about to prefor sergerie or a speacial i really dont know and even if he dosnt direct the movie totaly i cant weight to see it i read uglies pretties and specials in 4 days and im realy excited about seaing it last time i talked to scott he talked to me ive also e-mailed him so ill see what i get back!
haddy-la
he told me that they were deciding wether him or someone elss should direct it who would be the best director they dont know yet.
captin cocateil
do you think maybe the thing in her eye is the peson who is taking the pic. and they left it in there for people who are very observent to find and wonder about i realy just dont know!!!
do yall live in India or something cause yall have a different time zone than i do todays date here is January 20, 2007 and it is 4:03PM and i was just wondering cause i live in the United States and Texas,if anyone wants to tell me where they live that would be cool.
Im sorry I just realized something I said January 20th its the 29th here
it the 29th here at 6:42 pm to be exact!
Scott lives in Australia.
That is so cool that he lives in Austrailiea but why does the thing say that it is tomarow and not today
Of course he may live in Ausie land but he realy lives all over the world cause he travels and he keeps us updated. Im at school right now so i’d better get TTYL
it weird that it can be the same time, buit its really a different time. ya know? IT MUST BE REALLY HAR TO DEAL WITH THE 12 HOUR JETLAG-oops caps log. i had trouble with a nine hour one from hungary to CA. it sucked.
ya i bet it did were do you live amy
I live in diana texas but im moving to harlton whitch isnt much difference cause it only 30 minuts away from where i am now