History Main / OurElvesAreBetter

** In general, Craftworld Eldar don't act too much like standard fantasy Elves. Rather than being loose and free-spirited, they live highly disciplined and regimented lifestyles [[FantasticCasteSystem as dictated by the path they have currently chosen]]. Not that this is without good reason, since we've [[NegativeSpaceWedgie seen]] what happens when [[ImmortalityImmorality they]] ''are'' loose and free-spirited.

** As for the Dark Eldar, they're a race that make Drow look like saints -- their home city of [[MeaningfulName Comorragh]] is less Valinor and more ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}''. Practically everything they have is decorated in SpikesOfVillainy and their only goal aside from survival is to [[AlwaysChaoticEvil screw around]] and [[ForTheEvulz make others suffer]]. Dark Eldar sustain their immortality through torturing as many people as possible.

* In ''Literature/TrashOfTheCountsFamily'', Elves live in [[HiddenElfVillage isolated villages]] that are usually hidden with [[MasterOfIllusion illusion magic]] from most of humanity. Elves use magic by bonding with [[ElementalEmbodiment elementals]], which are [[NatureSpirit nature spirits]]. They also keep a branch of the {{World Tree}} in each village. They're magical, in tune with nature, and mostly peaceful, but they're also noted to be incredibly frustrating, haughty, and uncooperative with anyone who isn't an elf. Dark Elves also exist, but because have to consume [[UnholyNuke Dead Mana]] to stay alive they're ostracized and even more hidden.

*** Under the Basic/Expert/etc. system, half-elves don't exist on Mystara. Human/elf pairs aren't very fertile, and their descendants are either humans or elves, depending on which parent is male and which is female. Oddly, Mystaran elves and ''ogres'' have proven genetically compatible, giving rise to a hybrid race of Giant Ugly Half-Elves.
*** Under the original ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules, "Elf", "Dwarf" and "Halfling" races had significant class restrictions. Elves could choose once a day whether to be a fighter or a magic user, and were subject to the weapon and armor restrictions of whatever class they chose -- elves who were in fighter mode could use any weapon, wear any armor and use any shield, but if they were in magic-user mode, they couldn't use any armor (unless it was magical armor, which human magic-users could not use) and were limited to the weapons of a magic user.

* The gigantic Zentradi from the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' series are a combination of this, OurOrcsAreDifferent and OurOgresAreHungier. They are effectively immortal, generally disciplined, remained in stasis in terms of technology & development, and have been retconned post-[[Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove Do You Remember Love?]] to sport pointy ears. At the same time, the Zentradi do not shy away from physical combat, they have no concept of beauty or art, and their only observable resemblance to culture prior to meeting humans was war.

* The gigantic Zentradi from the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' series zigzags this trope. They are effectively immortal, generally disciplined, remained in stasis in terms of technology & development, and have been retconned post-[[Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove Do You Remember Love?]] to sport pointy ears. At the same time, the Zentradi do not shy away from physical combat, they have no concept of beauty or art, and their only observable resemblance to culture prior to meeting humans was war.

-->-- ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''

Compare TheFairFolk, ScrewYouElves (when you don't believe in their betterness), ChristmasElves (for the other kind of elf), OurFairiesAreDifferent, OurNymphsArePrettier WitchSpecies.

Compare TheFairFolk, ScrewYouElves (when you don't believe in their betterness), ChristmasElves (for the other kind of elf), OurFairiesAreDifferent, WitchSpecies.

* Gha'alian elves in ''Visualovel/EbonLight'' are able to see better in the dark than humans, and are implied to be physically stronger and have more endurance.

* '''[[ElvishPresley Rock Elves]]''': They play guitars.

* Podcast/{{RPGMP3}}: The ''Runepunk'' podcast series features a character called Kieron Hammerfall, an [[OurElvesAreBetter Andari]] [[InstantRunes Rune]][[SquishyWizard caster]]. Kieron is imbued with [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards momentous arcane power]], as well as the [[GlassCannon durability of a dry twig]]. He's a member of the Andari race, which means he's [[TheAgeless blessed with immortality]] (barring any unfortunate accidents -- which, considering his [[OneHitPointWonder virtually non-existent toughness]], could involve [[ScratchDamage being knocked over by a stiff breeze or something]]). Furthermore, [[WalkingTechbane Andari and technology don't mix]].

* ''TabletopGame/BurningWheel'': The elves go back to their [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Tolkien]] roots, with the split between wood elves and high elves being primarily reflected in the Wilderlands vs Citadel/Etharch settings. It is not, however, that difficult to move between the settings -- an elf born in the Wilderlands could easily grow up in the Citadel setting. On the whole, however, they are [[OurElvesAreBetter simply better]] than the other stocks (Men, Dwarves, Orcs). Their main drawback is an inability to use Sorcery, instead depending on a system of magical songs that represent their closeness to nature and the world as a whole. The game does avert most of the tropes associated with dark elves, who are described in the ''Paths of Spite'' supplement and are just like normal elves except the mystical Grief the normal elves suffer from has been transmuted to Spite.

* ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders'' has both the Wood and Dark Elf variants, both of which tend to have their share of attention over the series despite the existence of up to 13 other races (as of ''Shadow Magic''). Wood Elves are good and like Light Magic, Dark Elves are evil and like Death magic. Go figure. The "[[OurElvesAreBetter High Elves]]" and "SpaceElves" roles are filled by the High Men/Archons and Syrons, respectively. Perhaps.

** Moondshadow elves, the first ones seen, have skin in a range of human skintones and white hair ,and can become invisible and extremely fast and powerful under the light of the full moon. For self-evident reasons, they are known to be fearsome assassins. Some also possess illusion-based magic, as the moon arcanum focuses on manipulating appearances and blurring the line between the real and the illusory. They also tend to have noticeable Scottish accents.

*** The same thing is true of the night elves. The males especially are built like [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation four brick shithouses stacked together]] and have often quite bushy facial hair. The females are much more slender, but still quite muscular, like Olympic athletes.

* The now-defunct ''TabletopGame/MageKnight'' miniatures game had the standard Three as well, played fairly straight. The High Elves were a race of {{Knight Templar}}s, the Wood Elves shared power with a consortium of Centaurs and other woodland critters, and the Dark Elves were vampires-in-training lumped in with the 'undead faction'.

* The sidhe of ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming'' are the closest thing the setting has to elves. They're inherently beautiful, and are considered to bear the "divine right" of rule after returning to Earth in the late '60s. This is a bit of a sore spot for some commoner fae, who spent centuries trying to fight off the tide of Banality while most of the sidhe faffed about in Arcadia.
** The Fairest of ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' are in many ways the spiritual successors to the sidhe.

* The elves of the world of Yrth in ''TabletopGame/GURPSBanestorm'' were evidently ''much'' better than humans at some point in their history; they're still a little more dexterous, smart, attractive, and magically talented (and physically weaker) than humans on average, and they can be extremely long-lived, but their once-impressive culture has declined to the point that most of them live in tiny villages far from major cities, InHarmonyWithNature (of course), and they're pretty much a DyingRace. The oldest elves are all brilliant but seem to have no real ambition. In this setting, "dark elves" are an aggressively paranoid cult within elf society that wants to magically expel all non-elven life from Yrth; the titular [[NegativeSpaceWedgie Banestorm]] was the fault of a group of dark elf mages trying to banish all the orcs. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero They ''summoned'' humanity and a bunch of other races instead.]]
* Very deliberately subverted in an article dealing with the elves of ''{{TabletopGame/Greyhawk}}''. The author, given that he hated both the MarySue depiction of elves '''and''' the vicious backlash against them which often depicts elves as the ButtMonkey of any given setting, instead depicts the elves of Greyhawk as being truly gifted and exceptional in a variety of areas... but they've never managed to parlay these talents into widespread power or even unity. When it comes to magic and nature, elves are rightly known for their amazing skills... but they've always been extremely fractured and divided, due largely to infighting among the elven gods when they were first created, which prompted the newly born elven race to split into several factions.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': Elves have [[HornedHumanoid short horns]] and four-fingered hands along with the usual pointy ears and lithe build. Rayla also has a fairly thick Scottish accent. They are divided into six tribes, each attuned to one of the six sources of magic -- the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the earth and the ocean.
** Moondshadow elves, the first ones seen, have pale lilac skin and can become invisible and extremely fast and powerful under the light of the full moon. For self-evident reasons, they are known to be fearsome assassins.
** Sunfire elves have dark brown skin and appear to be a more militant culture than other elves seen. They can make blades that always remain [[HotBlade as hot as the day they were forged]] and can cut through regular ones like butter, and can draw on the destructive power of fire and the sun to enter a state where they become extremely strong and powerful, but also berserk and uncontrolled.

* Creator/JRRTolkien's Middle-earth (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''), being the {{Trope Maker|s}} for high-fantasy elves in general, often superficially looks like a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion of this, but it is really a case of an UnbuiltTrope. His Elves are [[TheAgeless immortal and ageless]], tall, beautiful, musical, highly skilled, and physically far healthier and enduring than humans. Only two are specifically mentioned to have facial hair. They even get different afterlives: Rather than dying of old age, they sail to the Halls of Menos and remain tied to the world. In spite of all this, they can be as stupid or flawed as any human. [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-Human Hybrids]] are extremely rare, but do exist. Their various communities [[TropeCodifier codified]] the Wood Elves / High Elves distinction. Although their kind includes Dark Elves, it has nothing to do with being evil.

** The Alfar of the Nine Realms are (possibly were in the case of the Svartalves - it's left ambiguous) fairly Tolkien-esque High Elves, who're biologically immortal, naturally very good looking, slimmer than humans and Asgardians, and excellent marksmen -- though Clint Barton is a match for even their best. Like the rest of the Nine Realms, they've also got extremely high-end {{Magitek}}, and even more than most: they're a match for Asgard. Unlike most depictions, their morality and egotism runs the spectrum. They are - or were - divided into two tribes that ultimately differed on ideological grounds.
*** The 'Light Elves' of Alfheim. Function as TheLancer to Asgard in the Nine Realms, being their most loyal allies. Particularly Tolkien-esque -- InUniverse, their Prince, Faradei, was the inspiration for Legolas. One of them, Algrim (who's purple due to a rather strange skin disorder) is Odin's Chamberlain and one of his best Advisers, who helped raise Thor and Loki and now advises them too. However, they're not all good: Gravemoss, arguably the vilest member of the first book's BigBadEnsemble, was banished for necromancy and being a CompleteMonster. He's functionally a HumanoidAbomination and permanent resident of the UncannyValley who regards life as being wasted on the living, and dreams of ruling over a universe of the dead.
*** The 'Dark Elves' of Svartalfheim aren't, in fact, classic Dark Elves. Instead, they're a faction of the Alfar as a whole who, under their leader, Malekith the Accursed, weren't content with being second to Asgard. They felt that they should be at the top of Yggdrasil and leading/ruling the Nine Realms, which they intended to rearrange by force. Considering their power (they were more or less on par with Asgard) and that Malekith had the Aether a.k.a. the Reality Stone, they came dangerously close to succeeding, and the only way they could be stopped was by pounding Svartalfheim a.k.a. 'the Dark World' flat, resulting in a ruined DeathWorld from orbit.

* The Alteriens from the ''{{Literature/Alterien}}'' series are similar to elves in appearance. In addition, they have many abilities that could be perceived as magic. They can, for example, fly, teleport, time travel, manipulate energy and see possible futures.
* The Elves (the main family of fairies) in Creator/EoinColfer's ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series are pure {{Space El|ves}}f even though they live underground as they carry plasma rifles and their wings are [[ILoveNuclearPower nuclear-powered]]. There are fat ones, sweaty ones, ones with skin problems (on those pointy ears, no less), a ''lot'' of foul mouthed ones and facial hair. The trope is still played pretty straight in that Elves (as well as all the other Fairy races) see themselves as better than humans.
* Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' series has the Dragaerans. They stand an average of seven feet tall and have lifespans exceeding 1,000 years. They have slender builds and do not grow facial hair. The race was created when the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Jenoine]] combined human stock with various animals to create various strains, which organized into Houses of the Dragaeran Empire. Some of these strains have pointed ears, though not all. Interestingly, they refer to themselves as humans and practice FantasticRacism towards actual humans, whom they refer to as "Easterners." In some areas, they're called "elfs" and call humans "dwarfs."

** A number of distinct elven ethnicities exist separately from the main elven culture, and largely descend from groups of elves who chose not to flee to Castrovel alongside the bulk of their civilization. These include the highly reclusive Ilverani, also called the Snowcaster elves, whose ancestors sought refuge in the far north of the world; the aquatic elves who live in seclusion beneath the oceans; the elves of the Mordant Spire, who left and returned alongside the rest of their kind but cut themselves off in the eponymous fortress-tower soon after the elves' return and now guard ancient secrets; the elves of Jinin, descended from the same group that fled underground to become the drow but split off early on, traveled east to emerge in [[{{Wutai}} Tian Xia]] and eventually forged a Lawful civilization based on the traditions of the {{Samurai}} of Minkai; the dark-skinned Mualijae wild elves whose ancestors sought refuge from Earthfall in the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse and who are in the modern day split between the Alijae, Ekujae and Kallijae tribes; and the desert elves descended from wild elves who traveled north to settle Garund's deserts.

** Half-elves are also common, and can have different traits depending on which kind of elf they descend from. Most half-elves are half-human, but in ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'' it's more common for them to be half-triaxian (triaxians being the main humanoid natives of another plant in Golarion and Castrovel's solar system). They mostly live within elven or human societies, but can [[TrueBreedingHybrid breed true with one another]] and at least one town, the port of Erages in the elven homeland of Kyonin, is majority half-elf.

They are also quite aware of that fact and [[CulturalPosturing will let you know it, again and again]] and you [[CantArgueWithElves won't argue about it]] [[ScrewYouElves (most of the time)]]. After all, they've quite often [[{{Precursors}} been around for a lot longer]] than those upstart humans. The flavor of this betterness will vary across stories and authors between all-natural, magical, or just plain nasty. Some of them might even be ''humble'' and will make sure you know about it.

* ''[[http://www.well-of-souls.com/outsider/ Outsider]]'' features a [[FishOutOfWater lone human's]] contact with the Loroi, who are [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Blue-Skinned]] {{Space El|ves}}f [[{{Fanservice}} Hotties]], who happen to be locked in a genocidal war with [[BigCreepyCrawlies Bugs]], and have no problems with [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill glassing planets]] that get in the way.

!Examples

* ''Literature/RoguesOfTheRepublic'': Nature-loving MagiTech cyborgs who [[TranshumanAliens might have been human once]]. They were a servant race of the ancients and helped maintain their machines, but now that the ancients are gone and their technology is not properly maintained, the elves try to stay away from it because the malfunctioning energy has odd effects on the crystals implanted in their bodies.

* The standard modern version of elves may not come directly from ''Lord of the Rings,'' but rather descend indirectly from it via ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. ''[=D&D=]'' unabashedly copied Tolkien's elves and their cultures: it has high elves, wood elves, dark elves, and half-elves, and inspired decades of fantasy writing. There is a slight subversion in that D&D's elves are a foot shorter than humans, except in the Forgotten Realms setting which loves this trope.

** The Elves in ''{{TabletopGame/Eberron}}'' come in three cultures: the corporate ones, who are generally considered to be [[CorruptCorporateExecutive all-around backstabbing scum]] with a minor trade war going on between two of the houses; the arcane ones, who are ruled by the animated bodies of their dead ancestors; and the badass ProudWarriorRaceGuy elves, who may not be ethically better than you, but will gladly split you in half with a [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon double-bladed scimitar]] [[CantArgueWithElves if you point this out]].
*** Interestingly, half-elves have become an established minority who are more often born to two half-elf parents than a mixed-race couple. There are even half-elf noble families. This is partly due to an early attempt by shifty elves to capitalize on the short human lifespan by marrying aristocratic humans and outliving them to inherit their estates. At this point the two races were new to each other and the elves had no idea they could actually cross-breed with the humans. Embarrassed by the their children, the elves mostly ran for it. But as these first generation half-elves were usually born as heirs to noble houses, they did not end up being socially-ostracized by humans (just the opposite). Then when the Dragonmark of Storm appeared among the half-elves it was taken as a sign that they were destined to be a "race" unto themselves. An interesting aversion in ''Eberron'' is that ''orcs'' are CloserToEarth than elves, having a strong tradition of druids who saved the world from an extraplanar invasion.

---->'''Cullaris''': Tell me, what virtue do we not possess?\\
'''Mahlla''': Humility?\\
'''Cullaris''': Yes, perhaps.

** ''{{TabletopGame/Spelljammer}}'' has SpaceElves -- the motley collection of elves hailing from every world with an elven population. Most of which became so obnoxiously haughty that next to ''these'' groundling elves began to look nice.
** Elves in ''{{TabletopGame/Mystara}}'' mostly fall under the Wood Elf variant, although they make a lot more use of magic, owing to the Basic/Expert/etc system having given ''all'' elves spellcasting ability. The dark elf trope is partially averted, in that the subterranean shadow elves aren't black-skinned or AlwaysChaoticEvil, and are actually pretty naive if you get to know them. Too bad they're pissed at the surface elves for not telling them that the planet had recovered from a nuclear war thousands of years ago, never mind how the surface elves had no idea the shadow elves were still down there. Several elven populations on Mystara are actually well-integrated with their non-elven neighbors, particularly in Graakhalia (elves and ''gnolls'' as buds!) and on the Savage Coast.
*** Under the Basic/Expert/etc system, half-elves don't exist on Mystara. Human/elf pairs aren't very fertile, and their descendents are either humans or elves, depending on which parent is male and which is female. Oddly, Mystaran elves and ''ogres'' have proven genetically compatible, giving rise to a hybrid race of Giant Ugly Half-Elves.
*** Under the original ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules, "Elf" "Dwarf" and "Hobbit" races had significant class restrictions. Elves could choose once a day whether to be a fighter or a magic user, and were subject to the weapon and armor restrictions of whatever class they chose -- elves who were in fighter mode could use any weapon, wear any armor and use any shield, but if they were in magic-user mode, they couldn't use any armor (unless it was magical armor, which human magic-users could not use) and were limited to the weapons of a magic user.
** The ''{{TabletopGame/Ravenloft}}'' setting has High Elves in Darkon and Sithicus. The latter are more snobbish than the former, having a country of their own; the fact that the Land of Mists has only existed for ~400 years, and Sithicus for a fraction of that, means that their claims of "ancient heritage" tend to fall flat.

*** Drow, meanwhile, are... basically still drow. They're AlwaysChaoticEvil underground-living demon-worshipping backstabbing lunatics.
** Played straight in the alternative class rules from the canon product ''D&D Cyclopedia'' (the compilation of the Basic, Expert, Companion and Master set). Normally in the Basic system era, Elves and other demi-humans as well as [[BareFistedMonk Mystics]] get hosed as they can only reach limited levels (in the Elf's case it's Level 10) while the other classes can go up to Level 36. This was to [[AbsurdlyLowLevelCap "balance"]] the demi-humans' and the Mystic's abilities (like the Elf's combining Fighter and Mage abilities at once). With the alternate rules - everyone can reach Level 36. The Elf has all the Fighter abilities (but their fighting skill is now equivalent to a Cleric's) and they have access to all the Mage spells, including the Level 9 ones like Wish.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Elves are much like their ''D&D'' counterparts, with the usual isolationist forest kingdom, long lives, largely ChaoticGood natures and detached attitudes from the rest of the world, with the added change of MonochromaticEyes that are almost all iris/pupil. During [[ColonyDrop Earthfall]], they mostly avoided the devastation by fleeing to Castrovel, the setting's equivalent of the planet Venus. Those who stayed behind were forced underground and eventually became the drow. As it turns out, elves who become consumed by hatred and/or evil will turn ''into'' drow. Unlike the ''D&D'' kind, who worship Lolth almost exclusively, ''Pathfinder'' are demon-worshippers who do not tolerate the worship of true deities (meta-wise, this is due to Lolth being ''D&D'' copyright and thus not usable by ''Pathfinder'').

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Eldar are [[strike:akin to Space Elves]] ElvesInSpace! to a "T", as the term Eldar was used by Creator/JRRTolkien to describe a subset of elves. Much like other denizens of the ''Warhammer 40K'' universe ([[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orks]], the now-defunct Squats, Necron), they are based on counterparts from the ''Warhammer Fantasy'' universe. Heirs to one of the oldest civilizations in existence, their hedonism and magical power created a Chaos God that [[ApocalypseHow almost destroyed their civilization]] and has plague the galaxy since. They even have two cousin factions: the Dark Eldar (who are dark elves RecycledInSpace with the dark aspect turned UpToEleven) and the Exodites (who are more or less planetary wood elves who prefer [[HiddenElfVillage isolation]] and [[MedievalStasis pastoral environments]]).

** While all the Craftworld Eldar are more or less analogous to high elves, each of the main Craftworlds embody different parts of the stereotype and often blow them out of proportion in the process. Biel-Tan for example, is the most [[WarriorPoet heavily militarized]] and [[FantasticRacism xenophobic]] while Ulthwe is full of [[WitchSpecies psykers]]. Other major Craftworlds include Iyanden (once considered [[ShiningCity the greatest of all surviving Craftworlds]], but [[VestigialEmpire is now in decline]]), Alaitoc (which produces a lot of the societal outcasts known as Rangers due to its [[HiddenElfVillage higly regimented lifestyle]]) and finally, Saim-Hann (whose warriors [[FragileSpeedster ride around on jetbikes]] and settle matters of honour among themselves through [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy non-lethal duels]]).
*** While Exodites are in some respects similar to both Alaitoc and Saim-Hann, they are generally more analogous to stereotypical wood elves in that they choose to [[MedievalStasis reject most forms of technology]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings live in harmony with the planet they settle on]].
*** As for the Dark Eldar, they're a race that make Drow look like saints --their home city of [[MeaningfulName Comorragh]] is less Valinor and more ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}''. Practically everything they have is decorated in SpikesOfVillainy and their only goal aside from survival is to [[AlwaysChaoticEvil screw around]] and [[ForTheEvulz make others suffer]]. Dark Eldar sustain their immortality through torturing as many people as possible.

* The web video series ''Edward the Less'' does an extended spoof of this trope with the Round-Stander People, as epitomized by the Noble One. He is tall, handsome, proud, arrogant, loutish, and craven, with an instinctive penchant for selling out his allies in a pinch, extensive knowledge of the shockingly vicious traps with which his people have so nobly strewn their forest, no reservations about using violent coercion, and is full of tales of his many "petty, conniving, yet selfless" deeds: Soapy: "So your shooting me in the leg was actually very brave!" Noble One (gallantly): "And I would gladly do it again!" Granted, he does offer a really nice topical salve to friends he's injured once he gets his way...

* Podcast/{{RPGMP3}}: The ''Runepunk'' podcast series features a character called Kieron Hammerfall, an [[OurElvesAreBetter Andari]] [[InstantRunes Rune]][[SquishyWizard caster]]. Kieron is imbued with [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards momentous arcane power]], as well as the [[GlassCannon durability of a dry twig]]. He's a member of the Andari race, which means he's [[TheAgeless blessed with immortality]] (barring any unfortunate accidents -- which, considering his [[OneHitPointWonder virtually non-existent toughness]], could involve [[ScratchDamage being knocked over by a stiff breeze or something]]). Furthermore, [[WalkingTechbane Andari and technology don't mix]].
* ''Literature/TalesOfMU'' plays around with this, most obviously by having dark elves who insist they're simply regular elves and it is the surface-dwelling "faint elves" who are the evil bizarro version. Half-elf Steff also both overestimates her keen elven eyesight and underestimates the nightvision of humans, on separate occasions.

--->'''Professor Hart''': Good? Good? Ms. La Belle, elves aren't "good"... they are better. These people can run twice as fast as you can without making a sound. They can see to the farthest horizon on a starless night and they can hear the heartbeat of a mouse. They don't sweat. If they fart, you'll never hear about it. They can go into a human town and ''fuck'' everybody's wives, sons, and daughters for fifteen hours straight, they are going to live ''forever''... and can you imagine what would happen if the brand-new emperor had stood before his people and said, "Hey, these are the people who are going to be in charge of you." Do you think the people who had just thrown off one tyrant would have just rolled over and accepted that?

* Plain avoided in ''WebVideo/WarlockGames''. The elf is ''useless''.

* Subverted in ''Roleplay/ElfenHigh2''. The Fae are absolute monsters.
* ''WebOriginal/URealmsLive'': The elves, being one of the oldest races, are essentially the leaders of the Realm, housing seven powerful kingdoms and some of the most powerful warriors and wizards, including Virgo Sunsword of the illustrious Sunsword family. The other races that even attempt to be powerful or influential, like dwarves and gnomes, appear to mimic the elves.

* Ben, the creator of ''WebVideo/PuffinForest'', discusses this in ''"My favorite classes to play in D&D"'' and concludes that what makes elves so simultaneously appealing and aggravating is that they just like humans, but ''better at everything''. They have all the benefits of being very old and very young with the drawbacks of neither. To make a true pop-culture "superior" elf character, a player would need to use ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds''.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Disenchantment}}'': Elves are a race of pointy-eared, short humanoids who spend all day making candy... to earn candy. They sing all day, and have a tendency to freak out when one of them is not happy. They're essentially a combination of Victorian fairy tale elves and Christmas elves dropped into a parody of modern HighFantasy and HeroicFantasy.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Elves average a foot or more taller than humans, with a more-than-proportional corresponding increase in arrogance. They came into being around 2011 AD, when a noticeable percentage of human mothers began, apparently at random, to give birth to [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarf]] and elf babies. Dwarf/elf and either/human couples give birth to only Dwarf, Elf or Human babies; no half-races exist. Elf/elf couples breed true so long as there's enough available magic; when magic dips, they give birth to apparently human children. Thousands of years later, when magic rises again, their otherwise-human descendants give birth to elf babies. There's also a random genetic quirk that can make an elf ageless rather than the normal two-hundred plus lifespan. By 2050 AD, a handful of conspiracy-loving Immortal Elves who survived since the previous cycle of magic have organized many of their born-since-magic-returned-in-2011 brethren into full-fledged [[HiddenElfVillage Hidden Elf Nations]]. Generally speaking, the elves who live in normal human society know nothing about Immortal bloodlines or previous ages of magic and are frankly annoyed that the elf-centric countries exist, because it's fuel for FantasticRacism.
** But it gets subverted, as the Ancient Wise Immortal Elves are actually pretty useless. They have grotesquely strong magic ability, but their leadership is decidedly suspect: being a great statesman or economist wasn't what let them survive all those eons. Tir Tairngire (Oregon) and Tir Na Nog (Ireland) are both unusually repressive (even for ''{{TabletopGame/Shadowrun}}''!), and economic disaster areas -- kept running largely by property and laborers stolen from non-elves, run for the benefit of unusually selfish (even for ''Shadowrun''!) feuding elf leaders. They like to espouse philosophical/mythical/historical stories which they know for a fact are blatantly false in an effort to degrade the status of non-elves. In addition, a few Immortal Elves have a tendency to wreck things, usually by assuming that "magical power" is the same as "knows how to use it properly".