That's an artifact from a past era. Likely from BBSes, gaming or IRC. I think it should come off as the equivalent to a dialect that just provides some insight

That's an artifact from a past era. Likely from BBSes, gaming or IRC. I think it should come off as the equivalent to a dialect that just provides some insight to the poster. I know when I use it it's usually unintentional and subconscious. And, of course, there is the implication that if you don't like swear words then read it as such and don't be offended. I remember it being used often in moderated fidonet[1] though that may have been limited to local and regional forums. Also to avoid the swear word filters on BBS chat in the 80s and very early 90s. And in some MMORPGs for the same reason circa 2000 to present. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FidoNet