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Love them or hate them, The Elven race is probably one of the most prolific of the fantasy races. That being said, there are so many different takes on the "fae folk" and how they are portrayed. Obviously, there are differences in race. (High elves, wood elves, dark elves, etc...) But, I'm also thinking of differences between things like WoW and LOTR where they are more of a mystical elder race. In contrast, you have multiple series (Dragon Age and elder scrolls) where elves are considered just another race (or even less than a race). So my question is which version of elves do you like best and why? Do you think they are overused in general and should be avoided?

Personally, I never really enjoyed Elven races in games or literature. They almost always seemed too restrictive. Until I read R.A Salvatore's books. Ever since then, I always try to play and enjoy reading about a Dark Elf/Drow/Dunmer, They are so much more fun and unorthodox than other races.

Personally I don't really have anything to say about them. I neither like them nor hate them; they're just normal, I guess. Still, they can be quite enjoyable to play if done correctly. As you said, the "Dark Elves" of common fantasy are often great to write about since they're almost always deemed outcasts in fantasy games, and they receive a lot of shit. Additionally, High Elves can be fun, too, with their inflated ego and royal-esque mindset. I roleplayed as a High Elf once before, and I must admit, it was fun trying something different (especially since I was supposed to be the healer/cleric type character, though I didn't quite act like it sometimes, hehe!). 

I guess I just see them as any other race. Maybe due to their use, I see them a little... plainly? I dunno, they just don't tickle my interest very much. 

I have always assumed the Fae Folk to be my least favorite race among any races in fantasy. In most literature they are restricted from lying, and yet they are extremely tricky and untrustworthy. To me, this is a lie in itself.

They also are sneaky and underhanded.

Then again, in other literature, they are grand and royal, like in LOTR, and are my favorite race in literature like that. I guess it depends on which aspect you look at them with.

Which stories can they not lie? I think I might've read that they can't lie in the Inheritance cycle, but no one could lie while speaking the "true language." 

Actually, I take that part back. I was getting it mixed up with the Fae Folk (Faeries).

I liked the way the elves are portrayed in the Witcher world. They were once a great power and now they're pretty much reduced to having to live with humans and put up with them because they're so thoroughly beaten. Either that or living a hand to mouth existence by waging a hopeless guerilla war with them.

Of course I also liked the Wild Hunt who were basically elves from an alternate world where they were the dominate race and were appropriately just as ruthless and looked down on humans because they saw them as lesser beings. (Just like humans did with elves)

Either way, I liked that they weren't supposed to be "special" or "better" (Not fond of Tolkienesque "perfect elves").

Haven't played through the witcher series, but that description sounds very much like how Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls deal with them too. Fallen civilizations are always a great opportunity for the hero to find the ancient, mystical doo-dad of power.  

Good sir, please don't mistake Elfs with Elves. Besides, it's the gnomes that provide santa with your coal. ;)

I just see them as humans who view humans as humans view humans without being humans per se.  They've got their own fancy-shmancy stuff, but they're just as every bit analogically ignorant and deserving of death as the next "intelligent" race.

Just hope Ragnarok sweeps their original versions clean off the earth.

I never particularly liked the elf races. They were always quite ignorant when it came to matters of the world, even though they made it seem like they were the wise nobility type. As for the enslaved elf races, they always just seemed too resigned to being a slave, despite the fact that they used to be a wise and noble race.

In general elves tend to be annoying mainly because they tend to be written/designed as doing everything better than humans and then being preachy and condescending on top of it. They usually come off as a bunch of passive aggressive assholes that do a lot of scolding.

I don't mind dark elves because they're at least more direct with their dickery before they try to murder you.

One of the most dastardly things you can do playing as a city elf in DA 1 is in the prologue, you let your bride to be and her bridesmaids all get raped and/or killed by the human noble, take the bribe of 40 gold coins to not kill him, (then hide the gold before he calls the guards on you anyway) then blame everything on your friend before Duncan takes you to be a Gray Warden.

Later when you return to the city, you can retrieve your bribe and kill the noble anyway (who you find in jail).

More dastardly than making a deal with a desire demon to let the son of a duke be possessed in an indefinite amount of time in return for blasphemous powers that toy with people's blood and soul?

Depends on the kind of elf / elf-like creature, I guess. I liked both WoW's interpretations and LOTR. (Though, dammit Hollywood, nobody needed that subplot in The Hobbit. Nobody.) I'm fine with the Elezen in FFXIV, though I strongly prefer the Au Ra and Mi'quote races. Hell, even the Hyur, which are basically human, appeal more to me and that's saying something. Human is usually the last race I'd wanna pick in a game.

I guess, if anything, I appreciate elves for their comparison to angels in that they're a race of widely believed to be good folk, but the truth is closer to "people are terrified to speak ill of them and they're actually scary as hell" and demons, considered some of the worst beings spiritually to ever exist, are actually just angels who figured "screw this 'nice' shit, I wanna destroy people and take over heaven." Likewise, dark elves are often preeetty twisted, blood thirsty, and power-obsessed.

....I clicked on this expecting to hear about Santa...

You know, just once it would be funny to see the hero or whoever not be entranced by unnatural elven beauty and he ends up going with a dwarf woman instead. Lol.

what are you trying to say about Dwarves? Those shield maidens have very...er...sturdy features.

I, personally, prefer sturdy-featured women when they're tall. If they're really short, you don't get to appreciate that shit. The song is "She's a Brick House", not a Brick Chicken Coop. Orcs all the way!

Not gonna lie, the female orc I had in WoW was a fine lookin' lady...

Orcs? It would probably be fun...once....

You might survive dating an Orc as long as you never try breaking up with her, so I dunno, but trolls? That, uh... yeah, that's would be "fun once" and then you'd probably wind up in a literal stew. But hey, you presumably died happy, right?

Ogres are more of the people-eating type. Trolls are more likely to beat you to death during sex because they think you looking them in the eyes is a territorial threat.

Oh Gods you're all on the topic of doing it with other species, this gets creepy fast......though I would totes do a Tauren....or perhaps a female of a reptilian variety.

Hey, you're the one who brought furries into this. I mean, I know that's ironic coming from a Penguinite, but the point still stands, if even if wobbly and made of rubber... Speaking of rubbery, who else here has fucked a mind flayer? It's like having three penisses done at once during a good dream.

Oi, no sleeping with reptillians! They already control the government, don't let them control your loins!

Of course I mean in some kind of life-or-death situation, much like you would an orc or troll. Though dwarves and elves are still at the top of the list, depending on the height of the dwarf.

Curses! Well, I can't have all my sexually perverted desires fulfilled now can I?

I'm instantly reminded of Headline Smasher.

Can't forget the Skyrim Orc women. Or at least the younger ones... Or at least the ones whose voice actors don't have smoker's lung... Okay, so maybe only the Player Character in the form of a she-orc is guaraunteeably pretty, but that just proves it's biologically plausible for Orc ladies to be hot.

Surprised no one has mentioned a succubus yet. Wait does that count as a mention?

Succubuses (Succubi?) are just demons specialized in sex and seduction to gain tasty tasty souls.

Well, I do seem to recall that horns, wings, and goat feet are involved as well. (at least in most images I've seen.)

All the images of succubi I have seen are not that abnormal until they show their true form, which is usually wings of a demon and pure evil when she eats you up.

Sounds kinky. 

Yes, but Hollywood would never go for it.

dwarven men don't seem to have that problem.

Tauriel went with Kili over Legolas.

In DA 2, everyone gets along with Varric way better than Fenris.