Titney's Guide to the World of Smilies ;p
V1.2 2002-04-09

Think cartoon facial expressions
Smilies are simple text representations of facial expressions
they do not fuction as replacements for words
when you see a smilie you're not supposed to think of a word,
you are supposed to think of a face
smilies are used as an add on to the text, not replacement for it

- Western smilies
The most common kind in the western world.
Turn your head sideways to "read" them.
You can reverse them to be original :) becomes (: 

:) regular happy smilie, just plain smile
:( plain frowning face
:D very happy, laughing, but not in a smug way, just happy
:p tongue out, neener neener :P capital slightly stronger

:] somewhat ironic and smug smile
:[ kinda bummed out
:} also ironic or something
:> ironic/mischievous
:| disappointed
:I disappointed with the corners of the mouth slightly tense
:\ disappointed/sceptical
:/ variant
:x i did not say that, tongue tied, foot in mouth :X for emphasis
;) winking, just kidding, does usually not imply flirting
>:) devilish, the > are actually frowning eyebrows
:~( crying

Variations
:o) cute smile with a nose
=) cute smile with cartoony eyes
:`( :´( :'( variations of crying

Combinations
>:] devilish AND smug
;p teasing and kidding
>;] devilish smug and kidding (yep they can get quite elaborate)
=o gaping mouth with cute eyes

Emphasis
Most of these can be amplified by simple repetition
:))) very happy
:((( very sad
:(((((((((((( seriously sad
>:]]]]]]] very smug
etc

Obscure
:Þ :þ clever ascii variants of :p
XD big grin with eyes closed tight
¦] future's so bright i gotta wear shades

- Asian/Japanese smilies
These are horizontal
I find them to be more expressive as they focus more on the eyes than the mouth
Mostly based on japanese anime/manga symbolism
Can be a bit hard to understand if you're not familiar with manga or anime imagery
They were originally made with () for cheeks ie (^_^)
but those are mainly left out in casual use

^_^ happy smiling
-_- eyes closed, tired, don't wanna hear it, etc
u_u sleeping
^_~ winking
O_O staring eyes
O_o staring skeptically
o_o staring blankly
._. small sad/disappointed/shocked eyes (in anime when characters get real stunned their eyes turn small, not big)
>_< eyes shut tight
@.@ confused, eyes spinning
^_^; the ; is a sweatdrop, which in manga implies inner tension, embarrassment etc
;_; crying, the upper dot of the ; is eye, the lower tear

Variations
^-^ extra cute happy smile
^o^ cheering with open mouth
. can be used for mouth to be more cute
^.^ -.- u.u
T_T crying
+_+ confused to death

Combine freely
o_O; staring in nervous disbelief
>_<; shutting eyes out of embarrassment

Emphasis
You can repeat the eyes but the result is often more alien-like than expressive
OOOO_OOOO staring a LOT

Elaborate
These can get extremely elaborate
Some use obscure ascii characters not found on a regular keyboard
¬_¬ shifty eyes, a personal favourite, glaring at someone sideways in a mocking fashion
-_-.oO (u.u).oO (-.-)·° sleeping, in manga bubbles are used instead of zzz to mark sleep
{{(>_<)}} shuddering with eyes closed tight
\(^o^)/ cheering with arms in the air
^_^v V-sign
(;_;)/~ waving goodbye
©_© ©.© variants of confusion
ó_ò i'm sorry
ò_ó i'm mad
º_º º.º this looks a bit hungover
=^.^= cute kitty or red cheeks
ø(._. ) the ø is actually a hand with a pen, so this is a smilie taking a note
(°-°)-~~ so cool i'm smokin (ahem)
(_/=^_^=\_) a cabbit
(".) staring up in amazement
(.\/.) evil
<·>.<·> staring vacantly

¯º¯ as elaborate as u want
ê¿ê or ugly


More than a face:
('.')y-~~~
\o/ arms in the air
O-~ smoking
<3 heart aka love
8====> ~° ~° ~° tooooot