Two internet lingo questions for you

[mollyringle]

Because I'm a total square and rely on you guys for my education...

1) For those knowledgeable about slash fiction: I've gathered that when describing the mood or behavior or condition of a character in the story, you can write it with an exclamation point--for instance, "wounded!Frodo" or "bitchy!Legolas" or "botanicalcliche!Sam." What I'd like to know is, why the exclamation point? What's it for? Where did this come from? I agree it sort of helps capture the defining characteristic nicely, but is there any other reason for its being there?

2) The -0r suffix in things like "r0x0r," "sux0r," "hax0r," etc. What's that about? I'm sure there's a perfectly obvious reason that I'm failing to see, so please, someone point it out for me. (Including, if possible, why it's supposedly entertaining to use a zero instead of an "o." Yes, yes, I've seen "porn" written "pr0n," but no, I don't quite get that either.)

There was some acronym relating to fan fiction that I couldn't figure out, as well, but now I can't remember what it was. Guess I'll ask later, if I can't find out on my own. Over the years I did manage, gradually, to figure out the meanings of "Mary Sue" (thank you, lush_rimbaud, for explaining that in the most memorable terms) :), "PWP," "BDSM," "yaoi," "AU," "MST," and "H/NC"; and also learned why certain people were called "shippers." (I even learned that I am a shipper, for some pairs.) But there is always more to learn; always.

P.S. 88 on the friends-of list now! Two weeks ago (i.e., before that parody) it was about 24. Also, over 280 comments on that little entry, and still climbing. I mention this only because I have never, ever, ever gotten this much feedback for any piece of writing in my life, and I'm stunned. Even if you added up all the feedback from everything I'd ever written up to that point, I don't think it would equal this. Now, if only I were getting paid for it... hehe. (Just kidding, Tolkien estate.)

Comments

I can't say how it got into fandom, but

[yduras.livejournal.com]

A "bang (http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/html/entry/bang.html)" (!) as a separator dates way back, in computer terms, at least.

You see, once upon a time, children, not all email addresses had an "at" (@) in them. Instead of user@foo.bar, you might see foo.bar!user (read "foo dot bar bang user")

I have a feeling that that's where the practice's root comes from.

Re: I can't say how it got into fandom, but

[semielliptical]

Thanks for confirming that use of the ! - I thought that was a possibility but my memory was fuzzy. I agree that the use in email addresses is the most likely source.

I spent a bit of time trying to find early uses of this in fandom, but searching for punctuation marks online appears to be nearly impossible without a specific example. The earliest reference I could find in usenet/google groups was an "Action!Mulder" from Dec. 1997, and interestingly, in March 1996 an "Action! Mulder" with a space. No earlier examples of that kind of phrasing used the !, but I didn't search all that thoroughly, just Star Trek and X-Files references since that's what I'm familiar with.

I'm sure this is more than anyone else wanted to know but I was curious, anyway.