Worst Kick in the Gut Moments in the Series

[jeditigger]

We have the Favorite Moment of the Series thread, which I really adore, but a discussion earlier this week with Priscilla made me think more about the parts of the series that really got me emotionally from a "oh, poor so-and-so!" perspective. Mine are:

• Red Court vamps ripping off Harry's clothes and tormenting him at Bianca's in GP because he is so, so, so helpless;
• The Denarians subduing Ivy at the Shedd in SmF and the despair Harry and Kincaid suffer from it;
• Harry unleashing the bloodline curse at Chichen Itza (especially as read by James Marsters);
• And, of course, Tessa blowing a kiss at Harry before opening fire on Michael in SmF.

What else?

[Snaps At Fireflies]

Harry watching Ivy laying in the Aquarium, groggy from knockout gas, and then seeing the girl get a canister of the gas to the mouth.  Watching her eyes open wide in shock and panic, then weakly try to escape, only to pass out at the hands of literal Hell's Angels.   It sucked from 2 angles,  Harry's for being forced to watch it and unable to do anything.  And mainly from the viewpoint of Ivy, helpless and at the mercy of beings she knows damn well have no mercy.

[TheCuriousFan]

The scene where Harry was at his absolute lowest midway through Ghost Story, he even considered just dooming himself to oblivion by jumping into the river as a ghost for a bit without anyone getting into his head to make him that way.

[Serack]

The first line of Changes.

Molly's trial right before Harry insists that the Gatekeeper gets a vote.

When you find out that the leader of the Ordo Lebres (forget her name) had been killed.

When Charmicael dies (Followed immediately afterwords by one of the series biggest smackdowns when the Loup Garu gets fire blasted through 2 buildings)

When the troll changeling dies in SK.  (so bad with names)

Not kick in the gut emotional, but probably the most emotional scene in the series for me is:  The soul gaze scene with Thomas.

[Ziggelly]

Thomas near the end of Turn Coat.
The dead kids at Camp Kaboom.
Shiro.
Michael getting shot.

Oh, and because they were two of the first things about the series to really make me sad:
Linda Randall dying. The scene at the kitchen table with Monica Sells.

[Paladino]

I think Linda Randal death on S.F and when Harry find Kim dead on F.M too strong moments.

Also Charmicael death on FM, and I find particulary strong, but short, Elaine betrayal on SK, I mean Harry wanted to trusth her so much and she sells him to Aurora outside the Mother cabins.

Molly trial is also one of the strongest moment on the series.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

When Charmicael dies

That was the moment that sold me on the DF; it told me this was a series where things had real, serious, no-do-over consequences, for a character who up to that point had looked like a perfectly plausible ongoing cast member.  A couple of the other ones being quoted here are ones I admire, and found very satisfying as a reader, for pretty much the same reason.  (If a series wants me to remain emotionally engaged, there has to be the possibility of serious negative consequences to characters it wants me to care about; if defeat never happens victory is meaningless.)

[Quantus]

May of mine have already been mentioned, but:

a lot of the emotional interplay with Susan and Harry in Changes, also how they ended...

Harry describing Elaine to Murphy in SK, and the fact that he burned her up (or believed it anyway)

Ivy in the cage on demonreach

When he broke his back

Also, not really a -kick-in-the-gut moment, but poignant:  Charity calling Harry family in SmF

[ItsallSuesfault]

Shiros death. Mister in dresdens apartment when it's getting burned. Butters getting kidnapped. “I used the knife.
I saved a child.
I won a war.
God forgive me.”

[big_bear]

When Marsters read

I used the knife.
I saved the child.
I won the war.
God forgive me.

[Raptor]

Probably:
1) When ghost-Harry has to leave Mouse.
2) The ending of Turn Coat. You spend the first 3rd of the series hating Morgan, then you start to gain respect for the bastard, then he dies a suspected traitor on a road in the Nevernever. Felt a lot like the ending to The Dark Knight to me.

[Quantus]

When Thomas almost ate Molly and harry had to kick him out. 

When Thomas used a footrace to explain the Hunger to Harry

[Chiana]

When Michael was shot...that brings me to tears every time I re-read that book.  Also, what the Denarians did to Ivy was heartbreaking.

[Serack]

People are listing all kinds of great ones that I forgot, but this one sure was a kick in the gut

1) When ghost-Harry has to leave Mouse.

[spiritofair]

Susan getting turned and leaving Harry.

(I just got done re-reading Grave Peril.  The "I love you" letter at the end is pretty poignant.)