Favorite bits of in-game writing

Many of us usually complain about the low quality of writing, dialog, and story that goes into the game.

Not all of it is bad though, there are some pretty good little gems in the game that stand out.

What line of dialogue, story narration, or maybe description in the game is you're favorite?

I'll post mine later because I'm having trouble loading the wiki to get the exact quotes, but basically mine are the badge descriptions from Monster Island (especially Roar of the Beast) and the scene in Twilight Son's TF where the old-timey retired hero tries to stop the Circle of Thorns sorcerer (I always thought his dialogue was a little corny but oh so heroic)

Edit: BTW, anything good you found in an AE arc counts.

In the Villain morality mission where you meet your future self, you aren't just a god, you're specifically the god. That's a brave bit of writing there and I was pleasantly surprised by it.

WARNING: I bold names.

One that will eventually make it here if I don't say it.

"Nemesis is definitely down with the street. Word up, my homey, as it were."

See my Guides and Tutorials

"Oh, what has science wrought? I sought only to turn a man into a metal-encased juggernaut of destruction powered by the unknown properties of a mysterious living crystal. How could this have all gone wrong?"
-Doc Buzzsaw

@Oathbound & @Oathbound Too

"You, obviously, are not a mutant. I, obviously, am not a mutant. That building over there, is obviously not a mutant."
- Dmitri Krylov.

The end of Jenni Adair's arc. Between the music, the dialogue, and the general look of the cutscene, I get choked up each time.

Fave dialogue though includes almost anything out of Vernon von Grun's mouth. (Which is why I love writing for him in AE arcs. "HURRY! Who knows what's transpiring in my lab at this very moment? My mind is seething with the need to know, but fortunately for us both, my sense of self-preservation is marginally stronger than my curiosity.")

And while it's not quite 'in-game' writing, some of the letters from the Omega Team Time Capsule just really get to me.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

"This is the last, best, final program by Aaron Walker himself"

"It's up to you...You have two worlds...to defend now..."

Just about every bit of dialogue from Doc Buzzsaw and Vernon von Grun. I love those two, they crack me up.

Also, Dmitri Krylov has a few good lines: "What you wait for! Krylov wants those notes before scary supermodel leaves!"

What's the one where the guy acts like the thesaurus? It's very Bored of the Rings, but I laughed out loud when I read that one.

I loved the Arachnos temp contractor terms and conditions I ran into in a rogue tip mission, especially rule 6, which one villain notes as his reason not to attack you in the mission itself. :

Operative Vargas reaches into his belt and pulls out a folded piece of paper. He unfolds it and hands it to you. You read it over...

ARACHNOS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This document will outline the terms and conditions regarding your temporary work for Arachnos. Please read over them carefully and then sign your name on the bottom line.

1. You will follow all instructions given to you by the highest in command in Arachnos, unless an Arbiter should intervene, in which case the proper rules for following Arbiter laws shall be enforced.

2. You shall utilize all of your abilities to their fullest extent in order to complete the task given before you.

3. You will be paid in full once said assignment has been completed.

4. If you are captured, Arachnos will spend no less than 1 day and no more than 2 weeks to rescue you.*

5. In the event of being captured, you will deny any affiliation with Arachnos.

6. Do not attack any members of Arachnos, even if they 'have it coming to them'.

If you are satisfied with everything in this agreement, please sign on the line below!

*Time of rescue will depend on how quickly the operative in charge can file the proper papers to be reviewed by a council of Arbiters.

Im sorry but it all fails to this

Actually, one of my favorites is one that I suspect few people see any more due to the much faster leveling and the low number of newbies in the game.

The Patient Zero arc is the first mission that pits you against an Arch-Villain (though it's much easier nowadays that it used to be) and I thought it was quite shocking to realize that Doctor Vahzilok wasn't actually spreading the plague intentionally; he realized that he had caused it and he was trying to find a way to stop it.

THAT was the the real first "shade of grey" in the life of my first Hero.

I loved the surreal writing in the Television arc.
The premise is that the characters in a television show are talking to me, and they're asking me to do things to help Television. So the way I figure it, that mushroom pizza I just ate must have had some funny mushrooms on it. I mean that's the only explanation I've been able to come up with.

Definetly the Red Cap "Poem"

We've gone and done the greatest crime,
We've captured little Baby Time!
We'll hold him 'till he's old and ill,
To keep the world in winter's chill!

So shiver, witches, in the cold,
And pumpkin-heads will rot with mold!
The human world will freeze and slow,
And people will be filled with woe!

For human time will be like Fey,
Unchanging! Always time to play!,
They'll know that this was Snaptooth's plan,
We'll terrorize the world of man!

We've gone and done the greatest crime,
We've captured little Baby Time!
You'll never save the little year
For Red Caps are the ones you'll fear!


...and Snapptooth getting mad about his minions´ constant rhyming.

@Redcap

Snaptooth's gnomes are good at crimes,
But Snappy just can't stand their rhymes!
He makes them hack and slay and chop,
But when they rhyme he hollers STOP!
Snappy always loses his temper
When faced with iambic pentameter!
Rhyme at him and he'll beat on you
Maybe he'd like a little haiku?

A retort used by my ex-Redcap character (The Laughing Gnome/Freedom).

Ok, I've managed to look up mine:

**SPOILER**

CV, that arc was taken from the City of Heroes comic book arc written by Troy Hickman. If you go to the Kings Row train station in-game, there is a statue of Cyrus Thompson, a/k/a Breakneck, in front of it.

For me, the very best of that writing comes right after the part you like, but it is in the comic. Cyrus has blown his weakened heart to bits but taken Baron Zoria and friends down, and is on the floor when the Freedom Phalanx arrives.

Cyrus (as Statesman cradles his dying body): Is it okay? Did you manage to stop them?

Statesman: No, sir, we didn't. But you DID.

Gets me every time.

End of page 21 and start of page 22 in the online comic.

Troy's arc in the comic is, to me, the very best ideal of what City of Heroes is really all about.

"If there is anything worse than being sacrificed, it's being sacrificed incompetently."

An open letter to NCsoft