Reddit Reposting, Episode 6: Body Language · 5:27pm Jul 27th, 2022
This one is shorter than the prior few entries and, as such, has had a lighter 2022 editing touch. It's also largely already contained in the extended cut on my previous post on biplane pegasi posted here.
On the original Reddit post, I found someone commenting that they’d love a compiled Google Doc of all the threads. Too bad this is five years later, and they’ve since deleted their account.
Earth Ponies
In Equestria, Earth Pony body language is seen as the standard set of body language that pretty much all ponies understand instinctively. Although certain gestures may take on additional meaning or emphasis among Earth Pony communities, there aren’t any gestures that are only used by Earth Ponies.
Unicorns
Unicorns have two primary unicorn-specific gestures, but they are obvious and common enough that other types of ponies know their meanings clearly:
- Ears pinned, horn pointed at you: you’re about to have a bad time
- Horns touching: romantic trust or (in the case of parent to foal) reassurance. Sort of like a kiss but closer.
Pure unicorn towns (such as Canterlot) are more reserved in the use of their physical gestures, though it’s not obvious until pointed out. Unicorns elsewhere match the touch rate of their surrounding community.
Pegasi
Pegasi are a very high-touch society with many subtleties to their interactions. This leads to all kinds of strange rumors about them, such as pegasi practicing free love and raising their foals communally (Unicorns don’t realize that magic school isn’t really any different from flight school in terms of letting somepony else teach your foal their most basic skill—Earth ponies used to think this about both other races). (Consider how popular those fan theories were until we found out that both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash come from relatively normal family structures, and the rest of pegasi probably aren’t that different)
Despite popular opinion, most of their gestures have a strictly platonic meaning.
Biplanes
Previously discussed in its own full thread
Preening
Most non-pegasi assume that preening another pony typically is a romantic gesture. Although preening is used as a sign of closeness and affection between couples, many situations call for platonic preening.
- Outside of military & racing circuits, mares are much better-preened than stallions. Stallions tend not to preen until they notice they are not flying as well as they should.
- Because of this, mares usually have a larger circle of platonic preening partners.
- The main ways pegasi acquire platonic preening partners after being a foal at flight school are the military, race teams, and performing arts groups. When you have 24 wings to preen in only half an hour, the benefits of a circle-preen become readily apparent.
Feathermaking
There is one “true” feather mark, which is strictly romantic. However, non-pegasi use the term “feather marking” to refer to any time a pegasus touches another pony with the wingtips. The meaning strongly differs depending on the location on which the receiving pony was tapped.
[2022 edit: Fimfiction's BBCode implementation apparently does not support tables]
- Cutie Mark The true feather mark: romantic possessiveness
- Wing while flying one or both ponies were not paying attention
- Wing on the ground or side if to a non-pegasus reassurance
- Tail dock Erotic intent, (military contexts)
GO!!!!!!!!!, or carelessness - Nose gentle nose boop
- Muzzle hard “Back off or I’ll fight!”
- Side of neck shoulder tap
- Back Let me hold you close (can be either romantic or protective)
- Shoulder or mane general affection
- Tail tip “You’re flying too slow!” or “You moved forward before I could tap you in the intended spot”
Wing Flare
Eyes front & center: I’m important
This one is a favorite of Princess Celestia. You can see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy use it in “Into the Gala” during the final chorus. Historians consider its use to be the silent successor of the Royal Canterlot Voice. It’s the best-understood pegasus gesture among non-pegasi due to Celestia regularly using it in public appearances.
Wing Dexterity
Somewhat related, but it’s shown in the show that pegasi have relatively dexterous wings and can use their feathers to pick up light objects. Unless the object in question is specific to a unicorn’s cutie mark, pegasi moving general light objects (objects that aren’t related to their cutie mark) are more dexterous than unicorn levitation. Unicorns excel at levitating heavier objects or when the objects are cutie mark adjacent (closely-related field to their special talent) or closer.
