An altered
onomatopoeia, derived from "sniff", as when one is overcome with emotion.
An utterance used to convey emotion, most commonly
representing tears.
When preceded by a " / "
or enclosed by two " * "s
The phrase could be a variation of an "emote" used in
online games to express to other players (via text) being overcome by emotion, as evidenced by a supposed runny nose, and possibly hidden tears.