I’m really invested in the idea of elves having twitchy ears that reflect their emotions. I’m also invested in the idea of elves having a hard time reading humans because their ears don’t move—and really, that’s like talking to someone who never moves their eyebrows for them.
There’s an idea in dog training that the reason certain breeds are more vocal or aggressive is because they are unable to use certain cues like flattening their ears or moving their tail. Now I just imagine elves whispering to each other, “be careful around humans. They can’t use their ears to warn you they’re irritated and go straight to yelling.”