The Power Rangers Code

Copyright © 2006-2008 Jarel Jones
Inspired by The Geek Code and The Sonic the Hedgehog Code
Last code update: June 6, 2007 (added a divorced option to Relationships. Version remains at v1.1)
Last page update: July 8, 2008 (added Jungle Fury characters up to ep 20, and episode titles up to 25)

Intro

I was browsing the internet the other day and stumbled upon the old page for the Geek Code, which hasn't actually been updated in quite a while. And with Power Rangers being 15 seasons old, it occured to me, "Why the heck hasn't anyone made a Power Rangers version of the code yet?" And so I did.

For those unfamiliar with the Geek Code or its knockoffs, the PR code is an attempt at a descriptive block of code that every Power Rangers fan can modify to their own interests. By creating your own personal PR Code, another PR fan can look at your code and instantly (or at least, after a few minutes of backchecking against this page) tell information about you, such as your favorite seasons, episodes, and characters, how much money you've spent on toys and DVD's, what aspects of the fandom you're involved in, whether you've been to cons and met show actors, and so on. You can then place this code in your e-mail/message board signatures or AIM/LJ profiles so that everyone can see what type of a fan you are.

This code, as noted in the disclaimer above, is based on the Geek Code and the StH Code. So much thanks to Robert Hayden for creating the original monster back in 93, and thanks also to John Johnston for having an abstract Geek Code parody that was quite a bit easier to adapt.

Index/How to Display Your Code

The following is an example of the Power Rangers code (not mine). Click on any particular section of the code to go to that section's explanation below.

PRv1.1 Gm A! Ltx K- H+ R++ Wt S09 E417 C13bc+ P01to/kh B+blrf Dao $+++ T12el+sp F13bk!p

After growing familiar with the code, you would quickly be able to tell that the imaginary person above is a 20 to 24 year old male who lives in Texas, US, has finished high school and lives on his own, and has a significant other. He watches PR episodes primarily on TV, and his favorite season is Time Force, with "The End of Time pt. II" being his favorite episode. He's fond of the character Bridge Carson, likes the Tommy/Kimberly pairing, and has posted a few times in various PR message boards/blogs. He has an account at Blogspot and LiveJournal, and hangs out at Rangerboard and Fuñaroboard. He draws fanart and has spent between $100 and $1000 on PR merchandise. He has also personally met Emma Lahana (Kira Ford/Yellow Ranger from Season 12) and Bruce Kalish (Executive Producer from Seasons 13-15). And now you know!

As far as displaying the code goes, it's fairly simple. Go through the page below, taking each category that applies to you and "compile" your code, leaving spaces between each category. You should come out with something much like the above, but here it is again as normal text instead of links:

PRv1.1 Gm A! Ltx K- H+ R++ Wt S09 E417 C13bc+ P01to/kh B+blrf Dao $+++ T12el+sp F13bk!p
Then just copy/paste your final version into your signatures/profiles. There's also the option of using the Geek Code method to make it stand out a bit more, but that's up to you: 
    -----BEGIN PR CODE BLOCK-----
    PRv1.1 Gm A! Ltx K- H+ R++ Wt S09 E417 C13bc+ P01to/kh
    B+blrf Dao $+++ T12el+sp F13bk!p
    ------END PR CODE BLOCK------
Please note that you're supposed to list any category that applies to you. This means that you can leave sections out if you don't think they apply to you, don't think they're necessary, or don't want to reveal that information. Unfortunately, anyone who leaves housing out will automatically be assumed to still be living with their parents. Sorry.

Decoder

For people who don't have the time to manually figure out what a code means when they see it, the page offers the following decoder. Simply paste someone's code in the box and hit Submit, and the page will return a section by section explanation of their code. It's also good to keep in mind that this decoder will let you know if a PR Code has incorrect syntax, so putting your own code in as you make it is a good way of checking to make sure you're doing it right.

Enter code here:

Variables

For all of the following sections of code except the starting section, you can attach variables to indicate a degree of feelings.

Please note, however, that the decoder currently ignores > and [] and returns only the rating on the left. Support will be added for these two variables at a later date.

Starting Identifier

Every instance of the PR Code must start with PRv1.1. This is not optional! It's vitally important because it separates our code from codes of other fandoms, and allows us to keep track of newer and older versions of the code. The number will increase with each new version of the code, obviously.

Real Life

G: Gender. Ratings are as follows:

For example, a woman would use the code "Gf".
A: Age. Ratings are as follows: Eg: A 23 year old would display his age in the code with "A!".
L: Location. The format is Lx, where x is an added identifier. For the 50 states of the US or associated territories, the identifier is the lowercase two-letter postal abbreviation. For example, a New York native would be "Lny". A Californian native would be "Lca". Someone from Puerto Rico would use "Lpr".

For other individual countries, the identifier is the collect calling code. This is your country's overall calling code, not your individual area code. For example, an Australian native would be "L61". A Canadian native would be "L1". A person from Ecuador would use "L593". A useful list of calling codes can be found at Wikipedia.
K: Education. Ratings are as follows: A person who has already gotten the lowest level college degree would show as such by using the code "K+".
H: Housing. Ratings are as follows: Remember, if you leave this section out of your code, we'll all assume you're an "H*"!
R: Relationships. Ratings are as follows: You're on your own with that one.

PR Specifics

W: Method of watching episodes. Modifiers are as follows:

Lower case letter modifiers used by the PR code can be strung together. For example, if you watch PR both on television and download episodes as well, you'd list "Wtd" in your personal code.
S: Favorite season. Format is S plus the two digit season number. Obvious enough, but for the record: Feel free to list multiple seasons by using S multiple times. For example, "S02 S06 S09". Note that if you list Jungle Fury as your favorite season prior to February 18, 2008, PR fans may look at you weird.
E: Favorite episode. Format is E plus the three digit episode number IN AIRING ORDER. Both Wikipedia and TV.com are good resources for checking airing order numbers. For example, "E293" would show that "Countdown to Destruction pt. II" is your favorite episode. If you would like to list one of the movies as your favorites, you can use "EM01" (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie) or "EM02" (Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie).

As an alternative, you can use EXX-YY, where XX is the two digit season number, and YY is the two digit episode number, though this still must stay in airing order. You can also list both, as noted back in the Variables section, by using =. For example, the Ninja Storm episode "The Samurai's Journey pt. III" could be displayed as "E476=11-17".

Again, feel free to list multiple episodes by using E multiple times. For example, "E021 E078 E188".
C: How you feel about specific characters. Format is C plus XXyy, where XX is the two digit season number they starred in (your preference for multi season characters) and yy is their lowercase first and last initials. You can list any characters you'd like; heroes, villains, one-shots, whatever your choice. If a character only has a one-word name, or their name is an acronym (ex: S.O.P.H.I.E.), use the first two letters of the name/acronym. If a character has a title in their name, use only the name (Zedd instead of Lord Zedd, or Collins instead of Mr. Collins, for instance). For ease of recognition, if you're using the first two letters of the one name, make the second letter uppercase. For example, "C01sQ" would be Squatt, whereas Rita Repulsa would be "C01rr". Ratings and modifiers for characters are as follows: As an example, a squealing fan might label Tommy Oliver as the following: "C01to+++sm"

The following rules/exceptions apply to character names: For a full list of character names, see the Characters article at Rangerwiki. And just like seasons and episodes, you can list as many characters as you'd like. For example, "C04ap+m C05tj++s C09js+i".
P: Pairing. Format is P, followed by XXyy as shown in Characters, then a slash and another yy, as many as needed. If you're a fan of relationships, feel free to use this category. For example, a fan of the Taylor/Eric pairing would use "P10te/09em". If the characters are from the same season, you can leave the unnecessary XX's out. For example, Tommy/Kimberly would be "P01to/kh". Same deal as seasons, episodes, and characters; list multiple pairings by using multiple P's. For example, "P01js/04kh P09wc/em P12cm/kf/ej".

The Fandom

B: How often you make PR-related posts on forums, blogs, or LJ. Ratings an options are as follows:

As an example, "B++ldo" would be a person that posts in forums regularly, has a LiveJournal account and a deviantArt account, and visits a minor PR message board.
D: Things you've done for the fandom As an example, "Dafr" would be a person that draws fanart, writes fanfiction, and has roleplayed in the past.

Fan Behavior

$: How much money you've spent on the PR merchandise. Includes purchasing DVD's, toys, video games, clothes, electronics, etc. Each + indicates an order of magnitude. This is money you've spent, not money your parents spent for you.

T/F: Show-related staff. T is for actors, while F is for production crew. Use TXXyy or FXXyy, where XX is the two digit season number they starred/worked in (your preference for multi season workers) and yy is their initials. Ratings and modifiers for actors/crew are identical to characters, with the addition of a new modifier for cast and crew you've personally met: The following rules/exceptions apply to actor names: For a full list of actor names, see the Actors article at Rangerwiki. As usual, you can list as many actors/crew as you'd like. For example, "F13ks+p T14fd+ip T14mv++sp".

Final Notes

As pointed out back in the "How to Display Your Code" section, at this point, you should have something like the following:

PRv1.1 Gm A! Ltx K- H+ R++ Wt S09 E417 C13bc+ P01to/kh B+blrf Dao $+++ T12el+sp F13bk!p
This, or your version of it at least, is your complete PR code. Place it in your signatures and profiles, and ask your friends to compile their own personal codes so you can see what their particular fan-level is like. And thanks for taking the time to try the code out.