Try copying horses' ear emotions! There’s a quick guide here, but I’ll provide my own rundown of what to do in an Ethuverazin context:
Ears pinned back: either fear or FIGHT ME (stiff)
Ears pricked forwards: interest, curiosity (loose)
Ears drooping: sadness, dismay (stiff); relaxation (loose)
Ears up: haughtiness (stiff); enthusiasm, excitement (loose)
Faking an ear position would be stiffer than having it be a natural product of the emotion experienced. Stiffness vs looseness is kinda arbitrarily defined by me, but ear motility does affect the emotion conveyed. (Stiffness of ear = "stiffness" of mental state, I suppose?)
Ears pinned back: either fear or FIGHT ME (stiff)
Ears pricked forwards: interest, curiosity (loose)
Ears drooping: sadness, dismay (stiff); relaxation (loose)
Ears up: haughtiness (stiff); enthusiasm, excitement (loose)
Faking an ear position would be stiffer than having it be a natural product of the emotion experienced. Stiffness vs looseness is kinda arbitrarily defined by me, but ear motility does affect the emotion conveyed. (Stiffness of ear = "stiffness" of mental state, I suppose?)