Ivory
Ivory is a Turing-complete esoteric programming language and 64-bit hybrid Virtual Machine. It was created by Kavindu Widyarathne in February 2026 as a Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend, notable among esoteric languages for incorporating its romantic origins directly into its temporal pacing.
Architecture & Memory Model
Unlike standard Trivial Brainfuck Substitutions (TBS), Ivory extends the traditional tape-memory computational model into a hybrid 64-bit architecture.
Ivory manages data through a hybrid model that pairs a sparse-memory tape with a dedicated LIFO stack.
- The Tape: A bi-directionally infinite, dynamically allocated hash map of 64-bit signed integers (
long long). Memory is allocated in O(1) average time only when a cell is accessed. - The Stack: An infinitely expanding LIFO (Last-In, First-Out) stack of 64-bit integers used for O(1) state preservation and retrieval, operating independently of the tape pointer.
The Whisper Constraint
Ivory is intentionally slow. The language enforces what the author calls the "Whisper Constraint". Every time a character is outputted to the standard stream, the host thread is suspended for exactly 50 milliseconds. This hardcoded delay ensures that the output is generated at a deliberate, human-like typing pace. This was originally intended for the dramatic delivery of a compiled poem.
Instruction Set
Ivory's logic is driven by 19 romantic keywords that act as the language's opcodes. Every unrecognized word is completely ignored and functions as an implicit comment, which allows the source code to read like stream-of-consciousness prose.
Core Turing Operations
adore: Increment the current cell by 1 (+).miss: Decrement the current cell by 1 (-).hold: Move the data pointer right (>).release: Move the data pointer left (<).
Flow Control & I/O
whisper: Output the current cell's ASCII value (triggers a 50ms thread sleep).listen: Accept a single byte of input to the current cell.promise: Jump past the matchingalwaysif the current cell is 0 ([).always: Jump back to the matchingpromiseif the current cell is non-zero (]).
Stack Operations
cherish: Push the current cell's value onto the top of the LIFO stack.reminisce: Pop the top value from the stack and overwrite the current cell.
Temporal & Environment
breathe: Suspend thread execution for exactly 1000ms.clear: Clear the terminal screen using ANSI escapes.
QoL & Architecture Power Features
passion: Add 10 to the current cell.heartbreak: Subtract 10 from the current cell.forget: Instantly set the current cell to 0.confess: Output the raw 64-bit integer value of the cell natively.destiny: Absolute pointer dereferencing (teleports the pointer to the address equal to the current cell's value).wonder: Injects hardware entropy (assigns a random 64-bit integer using a Mersenne Twister engine) into the current cell.fade: Gracefully terminate the process (exit(0)).
Implementations
The official reference implementation, ivoryc, is a single-pass Ahead-of-Time (AOT) transpiler written in C++. Rather than interpreting the code, it lexes the source into a temporary C++ Intermediate Representation (IR), and invokes the local system's g++ toolchain to compile an optimized native binary (ELF/PE).
Examples
Hello, World!
Due to the bulk arithmetic opcodes (passion and heartbreak), Ivory source code is significantly more compact than standard Brainfuck. An optimized "Hello, World!" program is as follows:
passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper whisper adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak miss miss whisper passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore whisper passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore adore whisper fade
Cat Program
A standard `cat` program that echoes user input back to the terminal until a null byte is encountered. This demonstrates the `promise` and `always` loop structures alongside the `listen` and `whisper` I/O opcodes.
listen
promise
whisper
listen
always
fade
The Fibonacci Sequence
The following program calculates and prints the first 50 numbers of the Fibonacci sequence as a demonstration of the 64-bit capacity of the tape. It prints each term natively with a second of pause between calculations.
clear
passion passion passion passion passion
hold forget
hold forget adore
hold forget
release release release
promise
hold confess
breathe
promise
miss
hold hold adore
release release
always
hold
promise
miss
release adore
hold hold adore
release
always
hold
promise
miss
release adore
hold
always
release release release
miss
always
fade
99 Bottles of Beer
This program prints the lyrics to "99 Bottles of Beer". A standard implementation that shifts between cell 0 (counter) and cell 1 (lyric buffer)
clear forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore promise confess hold forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper passion adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore adore adore whisper whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper passion adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore whisper whisper passion adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak miss miss whisper miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak heartbreak miss miss whisper passion adore whisper whisper forget passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion whisper release confess hold forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper passion adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore adore adore whisper whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper passion adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore whisper whisper passion adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper passion adore adore adore whisper passion whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion whisper passion adore whisper adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak miss miss whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion whisper heartbreak miss miss miss miss miss whisper passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore whisper passion adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore whisper passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper miss miss miss whisper adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper heartbreak whisper forget passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion whisper release miss confess hold forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper passion adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore adore adore whisper whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper passion adore adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper adore adore adore whisper whisper passion adore adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper forget passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore whisper miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak miss miss whisper miss miss miss whisper forget passion passion passion adore adore whisper passion passion passion passion passion passion passion passion adore adore adore adore adore adore adore whisper heartbreak heartbreak miss miss whisper passion adore whisper whisper heartbreak heartbreak heartbreak heartbreak heartbreak heartbreak miss miss whisper forget passion whisper whisper release always fade