BreakingTheFifthWall

Some writers try to be cute by modifying the text with some sort of gimmick so that it seems to jump out at the reader.

As Taurger tried to inhale the meat so he spent less time tasting it, Pitty-Pat, who'd gotten as close to him as he'd let hir, leaned over and whispered, "Slow down."(...) "I don't belch.""Everybody belches," Pat said, then took a bite of hir meal.'' "I don't. Never have. Might go out the other way but I just don't b . . ." \ \ \ / / / &gt; &gt; BELCH &lt; &lt; / / / \ \ \ ''Taurger's hand clamped over his mouth as the sound he'd made echoed in the cavern. -Taurger's Bad day by Wayne Cook (www.furry.org.au/chakat/Stories/Taurger.htm)

This same story also uses another gimmick, using a cutesy fake html coding to represent dream sequences: &lt;dream&gt; &lt;/dream&gt;