Click on any element of the (sample) Dragon Code below to jump immediately to that section of the Code.

Dragon Code News

Race Update: A whole slew o' suggestions have come in, and we've now got DC.'s for: Dolphins (Do), Dwarves (Dw), Elementals (e), Merfolk (M), Demons et.al. (N), and felines (C). The shapeshifter tag has been expanded, too! (Were-creatures -- those who switch between human and animal -- should now use the shapeshifter tag.)

New Page: I'm now keeping a page of Proposed Tags, for folk who think the Dragon Code isn't extensive enough. (They're all highly optional ... but if you like 'em, use 'em.)

Under Consideration: The new Ubiquity element, for dragons with (or without) a history as long as their tail.

Under Consideration: The DragonHold DC added a Gender code after the Race section. If you think this would be a positive addition to the Dragon Code at large, send me a tag proposal! (The format that they're using conflicts with the shapeshifter information.)

The promised CGI-based decoder is still in the works.

What is the Dragon Code?

Using the Dragon Code, you can convey a paragraph's worth of standard information about your persona in a single line of text. The code is traditionally used in your "signature" when posting to Usenet or answering mail.

The Dragon Code is not just for dragons! It got its name from its place of origin, the alt.fan.dragons newsgroup on Usenet, but is by and large designed to be used by beings of all races.

How does it work?

How'd it get started?

As for its history, the creator of the Dragon Code explains...:

        Well, the whole history is very simple. I was on afd around the
time
    the geek code became very popular. I decided to alter it a little to my
    own purposes and create the dragon code. I did that, and posted it... a
    few people noticed it and still use it, then I left afd for a while
and,
    other than a couple of e-mails a few months later, that was it. Then,
    suddenly, I find it widely in use... *grin* I must say I'm flattered.

What's with all the changes? How do I get a change proposed?

However, please remember that the Dragon Code is designed to express information about who you are on AFD. Not all AFD'ers are the same person in Earthly life as they are in the newsgroup, so codes on human information (for instance: political leanings, time spent on the Internet per week, or religion) are not appropriate to the spirit of the Code.

What about this or that or the other thing?

Enough already. So, what is this code?

DC.H f+ s- df+++ h--- CF a(d- h++) $-- m** o+ d+ WL++ Fr-- L^ Bnone e+ g+ i- u+

Kind of Being Starts with a capital "DC" for Dragon Code, then the code for your race:
DC.D For a dragon DC.A For an angelic being DC.C For a cat/felinoid DC.dg For a dog DC.do For a dolphin DC.dw For a dwarf DC.E For an elf DC.e For an elemental (specify type) DC.F For a fox DC.f For a fish (a fish?!) DC.G For a gryphon	DC.Go For a goblin DC.H For a human DC.M For a merfolk DC.N For a demon (or devil, or imp) DC.O For an orc DC.P For a pegasus DC.R For a roc DC.U For a unicorn DC.V For a vampire DC.W For a wolf DC.X For a phoenix
For Mixed Races/Shapeshifters: DC.D/H For a half human dragon (You can have any breed mix there) DC.? For a shapeshifter Shapeshifters who want to specify what race this particular Code describes: DC.?(D) For a shapeshifter in dragon form (Etcetera.) Were-creatures (those who shift between human form and another) are, for these purposes, shapeshifters. DC.! "I don't know WHAT I am!" If your race is not represented here: Please mail me, and I will add your code to the list as soon as possible. This section of the Dragon Code has been added to and enriched by so many people that I just can't list all of the names. So, if you've contributed to the Code by suggesting a code for a race, thank you. You know who you are. *bigdraconichugs*

Diet Most dragons eat ... something. This is to determine your favorite foodgroups. f--- I'm a vegetarian dragon. (You are?) f-- I eat Caesar salads garnished with small furry animals f- I live off of small rodents and grubs f I eat whatever I can catch f+ I eat mostly dairy products, like cows... f++ I eat large game and the occasional human f+++ I live exclusively off of town maidens

Social Life Some dragons live in secret, but many have told their friends. This element describes how open you are about your involvement with draconity. s--- No one knows, period. s-- If anyone finds out, I eat them. s- One person knows, but they skipped town. s My closest friend knows. s+ A few of my closest friends know. s++ All my friends know; so do my parents. s+++ All my friends knew, but didn't believe me, so I ate them. Many dragons have different levels of secrecy with their local circle than they do with their Internet acquaintances. If you wish to split your 's' code to reflect this, give a rating for both Real Life socialness and Virtual Reality socialness, like so: A dragon who told nobody except for some Internet friends might be sRL--- sVR+, or s(RL--- VR+). The RL/VR split was suggested by The Drachinhaber.

Dragon Friend Applies primarily to non-dragons under the dragon-code protocol. (All this from the dragon's perspective, of course!) Dragons (DC.D) should most likely skip this section. df++++ Have you noticed? You've started growing scales... df+++ Popular with dragons; you exchange overnight visits df++ Reasonably popular; you exchange social visits df+ Polite acquaintance; you exchange social pleasantries df Tolerance; they don't eat you, you don't try to slice them df- Irritant; they think about having you over for lunch df-- Maddening; they think about a quick snack; now! df--- Infuriating; you're not good enough for a snack. df---- Cold fury; they're gonna hunt you, and find you, and then...

Hoard Size Needs no explanation. h++++ Governments quake when they hear you're going to sell h+++ You really *_can't_* tell when someone stole one item! h++ You're comfortable; but you wouldn't mind some more h+ You're not down to your last copper, but ... h You've got your own lair, unfurnished h- You and the bank own your lair h-- The lair is rented, and cramped h--- No money, no lair; at least you aren't starving

Coloration Up until early 1997, the way to show your color was to write C followed by the color, like Cred or Cgreen. Cerulean (no address available) suggested a revision which codified the most common colors into single letters. As before, the colour code will be preceded by a C. Following the C will be a letter or letters representing the dragon's colour or colours:
R red O orange Y yellow G green J jade a aqua c cyan B blue b brown I indigo V violet P purple p pink m magenta t tan	K black E ebon (If you don't like K) W white g grey F flesh (for our humanoid friends) A gold S silver C copper Q mercury/quicksilver k chrome Z bronze Mb brass (see below)
If your color is not on the list, go ahead and write it out. If your color is on the list, but you're not the basic hue, these might help: MODIFIERS M Metallic prefix. (for instance, MB=metallic blue.) (Don't bother using M in front of what is obviously a metal.) T Transparent. Can be a prefix. (TG=green glass.) H Luminous/glowing. Can be a prefix. (HR=glowing red.) [<Gr.halos] f Flame/fire. D Dark prefix. (DB=dark blue) L Light prefix. (LB=light blue) - Colourless. For crystal, ice, or invisible dragons. Multi-coloured dragons may wish to specify the ways in which their colours are combined with these symbols: | stripes W|K means white with black stripes. . spots W.K means white with black spots. @ mottled W@K is black mottling on a white base. ^ dorsal points W^K is a white dragon with a black pointy spine. w wings WwK is a white dragon with black wings. ~ tail W~K is a white dragon with a black tail. * stars Astrals may prefer this to "spots" : eyes Oh, come on. You don't need to, do you? # plaid Greffindel only. #G to be precise. Those transitioning from one type to another: > CW>K is a white dragon whose color is changing to black. (Theslin suggested @ for mottled.)

Age Not all dragons age at the same rate, as Auryanne has noted. This category has been changed slightly from its original version to reflect this diversity. If you prefer to go by your human age rather than your dragon age, here's a simple formula: Teenagers are a-, a is 20 or up, and every 20 years beyond that adds one +. If you really want to be thorough, you can include both ad and ah (both a dragon and a human age). Format is either: ad+ ah-, or, using the Distributive Property, a(d+ h-). a++++ Ancient a+++ Venerable a++ Old enough to know better a+ You're been around a Mature adult a- Young adult a-- Still under Mom's wing a--- Hatchling a---- An egg (nearly hatched!)

Money Different dragons have different attitudes about their money. How would you describe yourself? Some people have noted that they see having both "h" and "$" as redundant. I don't think so; h describes horde SIZE and $ is ATTITUDE. $+++ The coinage has my likeness on it. I own the whole kingdom. $++ Besides humans, I kill other dragons for their wealth. $+ Investments in human businesses. I do reposessions **CHOMP** personally. $ Take your hands off my hoard or I'll take your hands. $- Bought up the weapons smiths. No more dragon-proof armor or vorpal swords! $-- It was all stolen while I was out hunting hobbits! $--- I'm a philanthropist. Gave it all to the poor. I think I'm a duck. QUACK!

Those eight elements made up the original Dragon Code. Starting in September / October 1996, many new revisions were proposed. The following have passed the test of time:

Mating Status by Nazaroth and Baxil (me). Sure, there are those lucky dragons among us who are mated in reality (code m**), but what about those who have a Special Someone on the newsgroup? Or are looking? Or are hiding from the lookers? m+++ Am I mated? Ask my hatchlings! m++ Ask my significant other! m+ Ask my mate-to-be! ]:=8) m Ask me, PLEASE! *hopefulsmiles* m- Don't ask! ]B=8P m-- Ask my poker/football/bowling/etc. buddies! m--- Here's my XX/XY Conspiracy Card. Any questions? m+-+ Single with hatchlings m(w) Widowed {:=8{ (m) Ask me, and I'll ask your snout to meet your kidneys. m** Ask my other half, who is at the keyboard with me! :-) Narlaq has suggested an additional category: m ++ (for those who are mated, but are separated from their mate temporarily due to geography, lack of ISP, or whatever.)

Offspring Designed to be used as a supplement to the Mating code, above, this would measure the number of offspring separately from mating status. It would only be used, obviously, by beings who wished to acknowledge their young'ns in their Dragon Code. Tephra explains the intent of the 'o' tag: Aury, Quen, and I made a fuss about including hatchlings in the mating status portion of the dragon code. I *think* the final out come was that there should be no reference to hatchlings in mating status because of the implication that you aren't *really* mated unless you have hatchlings. One of us, perhaps me *shrug*, suggested a hatchling section (designated 'o' for offspring or some such) with +'s for the number of hatchlings. Those with large numbers of hatchlings may shorthand the +'s with the number of hatchlings. There was some noise over distinguishing 'real', 'RP', 'adopted', etc, but I pointed out that hatchlings are hatchlings and they all should be loved equally and it sort of died off. Maybe someone else bothered to note all this stuff down somewhere. This is still in the experimental stage, but if you do have offspring and you think the 'o' tag is a good idea, feel free to put it in.

Draconity Index Please!! read the extra information available on this. Your Draconity Index mainly measures real-life draconity. A good guideline is to think of d+++ as "I am a dragon spirit, stuck in a human body," of d as "I'm really not sure," and of d--- as "Look, I love dragons, but I'm not one." d+++ Wanna see my scales and fangs? :=8) d++ I'm just waiting for my wings and tail to grow in! d+ Ask my Inner Dragon. d I have draconic tendencies d- It is possible a distant relative was a dragon d-- Certified greggil d--- Now, I like dragons and all, but don't you think y'all are taking this a little too seriously? (d) Don't ask, don't tell.

Wings / Legs Shadowdragon offered a format for information on your dragon's number of limbs. (You can mail him here, if the homepage link is down.) You use symbols after WL to 'add' wings and legs, like + for a pair of legs and * for a pair of wings. Since examples explain better than words: WL No wings or legs (can we call you Slither?) WL++ Two pair of legs; no wings (Earthbound wyrms or Eastern dragons) WL* One pair of wings; no legs (e.g., Quetzalcoatl) WL++* 4 legs and 1 pair of wings (The traditional Western) WL** 4 wings, no legs (A butterfly dragon?) It has also been suggested, by Kaijima, that the caret ("^") be used to represent a pair of arms. Therefore, a winged human could be represented by either WL++* or WL+^*. Limbs which are used for walking should still be counted as legs, even if opposable-thumbed.

Fruitiness What is a fruit? It's one of the great running jokes of alt.fan.dragons that there are two types of dragons: Old Fruits and Young Nuts. Nobody really knows what makes a Fruit (also variously called Olde Fruites); it's been the subject of much debate. Generally, though, if everybody knows your name, and people generally listen to your rants, you're a Fruit. I've been told I was a Fruit from the time I joined AFD, so fruitiness doesn't always come just with age. But nearly all of the dragons who have been around for a year are Fruits -- those who can't outgrow their Nuttiness generally leave. (Trust me, there are a lot of nutty fruits around, though.) ]B=8) Two fruitiness standards were eventually proposed. One is based on the length of time that you've been here, and one is based on general fruitlike attitude and tendencies. Both of them provide useful yardsticks, but I don't think one has any inherent advantages over the other, so I've kept both. My personal recommendation is that you choose the standard that works best for you, and then just give yourself +/-'s based on that standard. You are under no obligation to reveal which standard you are judging yourself on. :-) This is the first proposed Fruitiness standard (by Shim): Fr++++ I remember when humans ruled the newsgroup Fr+++ I remember Dalvenjah posting regularly Fr++ I've been here for well over a year Fr+ I've been here a year or so Fr old fruit people know my name and what i'm like Fr- my name is known, but that's about it Fr-- they're still responding to my welcome post Fr--- I haven't even posted yet, i'm lurking Fr---- I've never heard of a.f.d... (how'd you get the stupid Code???) Fr* I got flamed off the newsgroup for yelling at Shim ;) ...To which someone protested that fruitiness was a state of mind, not a number, and the following revision was suggested by Nazaroth: Fr+++ I am well into the fermentation process Fr++ I have accidentally been used in food fights Fr+ Friends have spotted me in fruit salads Fr Squeeze me! I'm ripe! Fr- Haven't fallen off the tree yet Fr-- It can be said I have appeal (a peel) Fr--- A squirrel tried to horde me the other day Fr---- Still tend to lurk Fr^ Have joined, left, returned (repeated as necessary) And I still like Fr* from above. :=8)

Length (Visit the Length Standard Page to see all of the originally-proposed standards and their history.) The Length tag has a great deal of flexibility: You can give your exact length by using the Wyrm System, below; the Baxil System, right underneath it, is for those who don't know an exact length and just wish to specify an approximation (or those who are sensitive about their height). Please note the tag is "L" (capital L) -- the lower-case L is too easily mistaken for Irritability's "i" or for the number 1. Numerical System (Based on Wyrm's proposal) L<number>f That number of feet (for mid-size U.S. dragons) The Metric System is highly encouraged: L<number>m That number of meters (1 m ~= 3.25 feet) L<number>c That number of centimeters (1 cm ~= .4 inches) L<number>k That number of kilometers. (1 km ~= .6 miles) Quantified System (Based on Baxil's proposal) L+++ Sorry, Mr. Battleship, I didn't see you! (Mistaken for mountains) L++ Can you say "jungle gym"? (Can't see own tail on a foggy day) L+ They look up to me. Literally. (Godzilla-sized) L About as normal as dragons get. (Draco-sized) L- Please, don't step on the tail ... (human-sized) L-- Please, don't step on *me* ... (dog-sized) L--- Please, don't sneeze ... (Pocket Dragon-sized or below) L* Whatever suits me at the moment L^ Long enough to reach the ground. Measurements are nose-to-tail. (If you want to be specific about how long your tail is, use a format like L40t15, for a forty-foot dragon whose tail was 15 of those 40.)

Breath Weapon There is also a "Breath Weapon" element: Wyrm suggested using a format similar to the original coloration tag: Bchlorine (chlorine gas breath weapon) Bskittles (Skittles breath weapon) etc. "No breath weapon" would be B- or Bnone. Cerulean (no address available) codified many of the more common elements into single-letter codes. (Credit goes to SoKhar for "P".) A acid R rot C cold/frost W wind E enchantment Sm smoke F flame/fire St steam I ice Su sulphur L lava/magma Z lightning/electricity P plasma At the moment, those who breathe Skittles or whatever will have to spell it out as per Wyrm's suggestion.

Magical Experience Drekana has proposed the following structure for your experience in magery (or whatever you choose to call your control over the paranormal): e? What's magic? (none) e--- The hand is quicker than the eye! (Pre-school) e-- It just fizzles and dies. (Kindergarten) e- I did it and the neighborhood's still intact! (Elementary) e Most of my spells work, but who knows when ... oops. (Junior High) e+ Passed my magic final! (High School) e++ Building my own laboratory! (College-bound) e+++ Not quite there... (Bachelor's) e++++ Archmage (hehehe!) (Ph. D.) e! You can call me "Almighty One!" (Says it all! ];=8}) I am inclined to treat the "!" as a modifier to any of the other +/- elements, so someone who isn't technically an Archmage but considers themself at the top of their trade can add a "!".

Body Shape Just as humans, when they gain weight, grow both up and ... uh ... that other direction (*grin*), so do dragons. Ignightus proposed (half-jokingly) a Girth element ("in honour of Athelind"): g+++++ I AM Athe and my belly is now several galaxies wide ... while I'm only a few hundred feet long <G>. g++++ When my belly jiggles the orbits of planets shift out of its way. g+++ Planets have been known to crack in half with my arrival. >:) g++ My digestion of food has been known to cause earthquakes. g+ I move by rolling and flying has always been an effort for me. g What can I say ... I'm normal except for a few feasts here or there. >;) g- I'm slightly on the slim side ... g-- Ever heard of serpentine? g--- I've been known to slip into small places. >;) g---- Whoah! Whaddaya mean I look like a long string with wings? g----- I'm made of really long superstrings, ie i'm one dimensional, all length and no width or depth. Beware, I can even slip in between atoms >:)

New Proposals And Ideas

A great warning of who NOT to pick on!! Do you have a quick temper,
or are you slow to anger?

i---  You could stab me and I wouldn't blink 
i--   I take it all in stride
i-    Just don't call me lizard lips and you're fine
i     I will defend my honor, but I won't attack for no reason (unless it's
          a good no reason!)
i+    Call me grumpy
i++   Come too close and you're a cinder
i+++  I'd eat my mother if she looked at me wrong

Add ! for the statement "...and when I DO get mad, hope you like
barbecue!"

How much have you done prior to making yourself known around the dragon community? And how much of it can you still remember to brag about?

U--- : "I'm the Vanisher.  Odd beholder creatures of which I have no
       memory whatsoever fight holy wars over me.  I'm not a god!"
U--  : When I tried to do a past-life regression, I got a "404 not found --
       access denied."
U-   : I'm pretty sure I did something, somewhen, but I haven't much of a
       clue as to what it was.
U    : I've done some soul-searching, and got real results.
U+   : I can remember several past-life names, and am occasionally
       recognized.
U++  : See that book over there?  I wrote that in a different life.
U+++ : Not only do I remember everything I ever did, but I remember a
       few things about you, too.

U? : I have no idea what you're talking about.
U! : trick question - this is my first life.
U2 : My name is Bono.  ;-D

The link to the plain-text version of the Dragon Code page has been moved to the navigation tabs. It's up to date as of June 3, 1997.

I'm now starting to maintain an archive of tag proposals. I receive a lot of suggestions about the Code. Not all of them are completely appropriate to the spirit of the Code; some are good but unimplementable; a few just get into minutiae.
All of the tags in the archive are optional; if you find one you like, feel free to include it with your Code. (But don't be surprised if people have to look it up or ask you what it means.)

We're Looking For A Few Good Sapients!

Please ... non-animated and relatively small images preferred.

From The Rumor Mill

Feedback

Other DC Pages

Seraim maintains a mirror page of this Dragon Code information.

Dragon Hold Dragon Code: The Dragon Hold has a slightly different version of the Code for Hold members. It's maintained by Tserisa.

Related material

• The Furry Code can be found here.
• The Geek Code (version 3.1.2) is here. (The one that started it all!)

And finally