fluffle

An IRC/IM emote term representing a playful, non-sexual sign of affection. The usual physical analogy is a ruffling of someone's hair, though in the medium of text-based electronic communication, the term does not require physical form and remains equally valid as an abstraction. Indeed, at the very highest level of abstraction, a fluffle not only need not have a physical analogue, but need not be directed at a specific individual. Used in this way (3), fluffling becomes a general outward radiation of affection.