Furcodes and Furcode 2.0

Date: [31st Dec 2024]
Categories: [From Cohost], [Furry]
Tags: [furcode], [furcode 2.0]

Back in mid 2023, I made some posts on Cohost about Furcodes - coded strings of info that folks can decode to get info about you, your relationship to furry, your interests, and so on. I remember encountering these way back, I believe on FurAffinity, back in... the late 00s, early 10s? Not very long after I started embracing furry somewhere around 2007 or 2008 and started exploring. Found a bunch of folks with codes in their profiles. Even though the code was already outdated at that point (the original code is from 1998, a full 10 years before my first forays into furry!), it was still relevant enough that folks found use for it.

They seem to have very much fallen out of fashion in the intervening 15-odd years (brb while I wither up and perish); I almost never see them in the wild anymore. I don't even really remember what brought them back into my mind a year and a half ago when I made my posts on Cohost about them. That does seem to have jogged a lot of folks' memories about furcodes though - there were a bunch of rebugs with folks making codes, a lot going "wow, it's been forever since I saw one of those". That brought me some joy. I had brainstormed some changes that could be implemented in a furcode revision, but I didn't really have the resources to commit to making one (especially since I wanted to make an encoder/decoder to go with it, like on winterwolf's site).

However! Reth / Voidlynx found my posts, and was inspired to put together the (unofficial) version 2.0 of furcode! She kept much of the code close to the original, but added in some semantic changes and new modifiers (like the Text modifier, where you can add in your own additional information in square brackets, something the original code rather sorely lacked). This does mean that v2.0 is not backwards-compatible with the original version, but given it's been over 25 years since the last update to the original, and so much has happened in the meantime, I feel that was inevitable, and completely acceptable.

It's an honor to have been a catalyst for this. In truth, seeing the furcode updated has been a small hope of mine for a very long time, and having in some small way contributed to that makes my heart full. I do not know the current status of the original furcode author, Captain Packrat, but I hope he is doing well, and I do wonder what he would think, to see this now.

Here is my first v2.0 Furcode: FFD&DDmp3ad A>+ C->+ D? H- M! P+++ R+ T+++ V++ W Sn[Agender]d RLAT a+ c++w f- g++ i++ j! m++a p+ sn[Agender]d

(Coincidentally, this is the first one I've done by hand! I always used the Winterwolf en/decoder for the original version!)

There is an additional purpose to this post, beyond highlighting Furcode 2.0. Cohost is no more, and my personal account where I made those initial posts about the furcode, the one that Reth links to on her page, was logged in users only, and thus is not archived, and so things referencing it point nowhere now. I also initially made the posts under my old username, A Strange Cat, which further breaks the links. I wanted to grab those posts and back them up here, where I expect them to be visible for much longer.

An issue: There were several reply rebugs to these posts that, due to some of Cohost's design choices, I can't easily find anymore. If I'm able to find them, either from other folks or from my cohost exports, I'll add them here.

My first post, from June 15, 2023:

you know what i just remembered for the first time in forever?

furcodes / furry codes

for example, here is mine: FFDmp4a A+ C- D++ H+ P++++ R T+++ RLAT a+ cn+++ e++ f i++ j p+ (decoded)

edit: i have made a shorter one: FFDmp4ad A+ C- D H+ P++++ R T+++ RLAT a+ cn++ f i++ p+

more info about the code here: http://captainpackrat.com/furry/furcode.htm

you can decode / make your own code here: https://winterwolf.co.uk/furcode

they were originally made for usenet(!), but back in the days when i used furaffinity regularly, folks still had em in their profiles pretty often. i think they're fun! i'd like to see an updated version of the code - the one i've been able to find was pretty old old when i was still new in the fandom¹, some of the language is a bit dated, and there are some new stuff that i'd add in (i'd add a section for VR)

making a program / site / webapp idk the words for this doesn't look to be too difficult, either. build a string based on user selections; parse the string and display its decoded meanings. it's not something i feel i could currently make though²

if nothing else, i hope you enjoyed learning about a lil bit of furry history :3

according to the website i linked up there, v1.3 of the furry code (the most current version that i can find) is from 1998. a lot has happened since then!!

i understand the concepts, and could probably write some web code to do it, but thinking about hosting a webbed site makes my brain hurt. also i can't afford the hosting fees lol

My second post, from June 20, 2023:

ideas for a furcode revision

A bunch of folks in comments and replies to the original post have expressed interest in a furcode revision / update and that's really hecking cool!! Also super hecking cool that a lot of y'all still use it!!

EDIT, please read:

A lot of folks have pointed out (and I realized, after posting this) that enough time has passed and enough things have changed that it might be for the best to break compatibility with older decoders and make a fresh, new code. Truly a version 2.0, as I called it later in this post, lol. (My recommendation for a Version Number field would be especially beneficial here even if just to denote that it's the newer code at a glance, I think.)

This post is written from the view of revising the code, but you can look at it as "here are things that would be cool in the new code, compared to the old one".

I wanted to use this post to share some changes I think would go over well in a new revision. I'm glad I got a conversation started, and I hope I can contribute more, but I'm not in a position to really... organize a proper formal revision, you know? But I do strongly think if folks are keen on making revisions, we should all get together and agree on a new, formal revision (a proper Revision 2.0!).

I want to share some sections that I think would go over well in a new revision. Also, very tentatively, some updated wording and sections for the original FurCode (The original decoders have some failsafes in place to account for future revisions, but changing existing sections would break them, and I do not want to do that, but I do feel some wording could be updated. You'll see what I mean)

Also, I want to add because I feel this might escape containment™, my page right now is currently not viewable to folks without a Cohost account. I feel like adding this reply via my public account would leave out essential context. But if y'all want to share it with someone who doesn't have Cohost, feel free to copy paste or screenshot this post! I can write up a revised post on my public account if y'all need, too, just let me know.

Furcode: New Sections

Revision Number: This might help with compatibility. Older decoders will discard this information; newer decoders could use this to differentiate between old furcodes (no revision number) and new ones (revision number) and decode accordingly.

New Species: The OG Furcode has a ton of species to choose from but it lacks almost all custom species, since the last revision was from so long ago.

Sergal, Nevrean, Protogen, Avali, Yinglet, Kobold etc would all be good choices, I think. Aiming for ones with a large number of users / high popularity.

A custom text field would be beneficial if your species is not listed, or is part of a massive data set where it is not feasible to include all of them (e.g. Pokemon, Digimon)

Also there's no Alien section, like at all? Not just talking xenomorphs, talking like, any broad alien species. That'd probably be a good idea to add

Some folks have mentioned that the taxonomy of some included species is not accurate anymore - this is a valid concern, and should be addressed, but I am not familiar enough with the taxonomy to mention any specifics, and also this might break compatibility

VR: a lot of furries use this, a lot are interested, and I'm pretty sure enough are aware of it enough to have an opinion about whether they would like to or not

Would VTubing fall under VR, or should it have its own section, or neither?

Roleplay: The MU* section is the closest the current code has to roleplaying, but I think a "general roleplay" section would be beneficial

I'm not sure if you'd want to put TTRPGs or LARPing in here somehow, maybe as a modifier, or just leave it as general roleplay

Mobile Phones: Thinking about having this alongside "computers" - how much you use your phone, what kind of phone (smart / feature), what your mobile OS of choice is

Video Games: A broad section about Video Games would be useful - maybe also multiple choice sections about preferred genres / platforms?

The Doom/Quake section could be repurposed to this, since having 2 video game sections might be redundant, but I do not want to change a section that drastically

Furcode: Existing Section Adjustments

Emphasis: Changing existing sections too much will break compatibility with older decoders and should probably be avoided. That said, I feel some of the wording could probably be refreshed - that'll break things minimally, I hope (older decoders will put out the old text, assuming the code itself did not change)

TinySex: This could probably be reworded to "cybersex" or something, ~~I have never heard anyone actually call it tinysex outside of the furcode~~ This is apparently in reference to MUs; I'm not familiar, but I do think a general cybersex field would be beneficial

Herm: This could probably be changed to "intersex" (though I would like some intersex folks' input on this)

Also add more gender options, and probably a text box in case you need to add something that isn't there (Also if feasible, pronoun options would be neat)

What you do in Real Life: There are some job fields that could be added, e.g. Game Development perhaps

Computers: There have been a lot of Windows releases since the last revision; the 95/NT section could probably be adjusted to refer to newer Windows releases, and 3.1 could potentially be adjusted to refer to older Windows (like, XP an older)

Human sex: Probably swap "sex" to "gender" and add intersex, nonbinary, etc labels (or possibly a text field). Also if feasible, pronoun options would be neat

(my cat has decided i am done typing so i think thats all for now - eager to see what yall think!)