Shifting Worlds/Tear Jerker


 * SDM is a self-admitted "asshole writer", "sadistic dungeon master" and Troll who thrives on inducing reactions in his readers and their characters. One of his favorite tricks is to create developed, very likeable characters and then kill them off in sadistic ways, masterfully writing their death scenes to ensure that the death hits the players as hard as possible. The Hellgate saga teems with soul-crushing moments. What makes them so powerful is hard to describe... read them for yourself if so you wish. SDM eventually decides to weaponize his Tear Jerkers: in Hellgate 2 part 2 the ultimate attack of the Black Spawn is to force the characters to experience every painful moment in their lives, but especially in the Hellgate Saga, at once.
 * In the very first Hellgate roleplay, the one Tear Jerker that started it all: the death of Flandre of the future. Especially since two of the participants were Flandre fans.
 * In the same roleplay, the Heroic Sacrifice of the original Scarlet Devil Mansion to thwart his Evil Counterpart Hellgate.
 * Hellgate 2 Part 1 has the destruction of Eientei and all its inhabitants and the death of the unnamed rabbit girl. Both come off as definite Kick the Dog moments, but fail to receive enough development to be true Tear Jerkers. Also narrowly averted when the heroes manage to bring Hellgate down without having to kill off his power source Patchouli (unlike in the first Hellgate roleplay, where the power source was Future Flandre already mentioned above.)
 * To make up for this lack of Tear Jerkers in the previous part, Hellgate 2 Part 2 is VERY heavy on Tear Jerkers.
 * While not too developed, the death of the unnamed Infected youkai girl in the beginning is rather depressing, though it's nothing compared to the multitude of high-powered Tear Jerkers awaiting in Coronai.
 * Then we have Mia's crowning followed by the emotional death of King Gustaf. Even though the King does not get much screentime, he had been established as a highly competent and caring monarch and the scene is well-written enough to hurt. Made that much emotional by the use of this song.
 * And then as the Black Spawn comes we are treated to a series of those: the end of the Three Goddesses (Ami is the only one whose death we see, but it's more than enough). Then there's Zoruff's Heroic Sacrifice, and then, last but not least, the death of Mia, made that much worse by the fact that she dies with the feeling of having failed her kingdom and her father.
 * And then Hellgate 2 Part 3. Oh gosh, where to start...? First off, Gensokyo has been pretty much destroyed, along with the barrier separating Gensokyo from our world, which caused humans and youkai to invade each other's worlds. SDM and Aurion's family were kidnapped by The General having who-knows-what done to them. The ruins of Gensokyo, the homeland of pretty much everyone who wasn't part of the Rebellion at that time had to be abandoned, never to be rebuilt or repopulated. And that's all during only the beginning of the story!