Tear Jerker / The Blackout Club

• As much as it is terrifying for the kids to be in the situation their in, it's almost just as sad. They're forced to mature and play smart as it's the only way to combat the enemies with their caretakers they so heavily depend on having turned against them.
  • Due to their light-hearted and joking behavior, it reveals the kids really have no idea really what they are really getting into. On the surface it may seem they are simply sabotaging the efforts and obtaining evidence, but really there is much more to it than meets the eye. When venturing down into the depths of the underground, kids always react with pure terror if not extremely unsettled.
  • The kid's terrified quips when the Shape is after them is heartbreaking when you realize that they're really just a kid being chased by a horrifying unknown entity that could very well (and very easily) end their lives.
• It's always a tragic thing to find or experience the death of the kids. It's unfortunate enough that some of the kids die extremely young. Remember, they're only about fifteen years old and they've already experienced enough sadness and horror to last a lifetime, and actually do if they are killed in the field.
  • During a rescue mission, there's a possibility of finding their captured friend dead. There's nothing, but pure sadness as the kids who risked their life to get there are forced to abandon their friend's dead body. How can one not get traumatized?
  Kid: He-...he was my friend..! Now he's...
  • The reactions of the kids finding the dead body of their teammate is even harsher than finding a dead missing persons. Remember, the other kids that the kids go on teams with are likely their good friends, since they teamed up with them. It's made even worse when you realize that they could experience their friend get strangled to death by the Shape. Their grief-stricken guilty apology to their corpse say it all.
  Kid: Shit! Shit! Shit! I'm...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...
  • Imagine the parents of the said killed kids. The adults have no idea what they've been doing at night and will likely return to their homes. If their child hasn't run away from home, they would have wondered where their child had gone, unaware that they might've been the ones who ended their own child's life.
    • Likewise, some kids have chosen to permanently run away from home and away from their parents until whatever's happening has blown over. According to some news clippings at the train car, there is numerous incidents of runaway children, all likely part of The Blackout Club or have been captured/killed by the enemies.
• Isabela almost manages to escape from the sleepers during the prologue story. Just as she's about to make it to the train car where her friends are waiting, she is captured.
  • Why did Isabela put her life on the line to obtain evidence? Because she was the only one brave enough. All the other kids were understandably scared for their lives.
• During some mission description logs for posting signs and posters, written by either Gwen or Dax, mention how the club needs to keep recruiting new kids, to help the cause...or to replace them (replace the kids who have died). These thoughts are not something young teens should be thinking about growing up.
• The Stalker, even though they work against the Blackout Club and don't seem to mind getting their fellow kids killed are incredibly sympathetic. They are just like the kids in the club, but they made a different choice. Instead of fighting the strange beings, they join them, not to protect themselves, but their family. All Stalkers are rightfully terrified of whatever strange beings hold power over them and decided that allying themselves with them was the best way to protect their family.
  • On the other side of things, the Stalker, like Lucids and Sleepers, also seem to be under the influence of SPEAK-AS-ONE's songs. In their messages, the poor kids have been kept from sleeping and have started to refer to themselves with 'we' (which people under SPEAK-AS-ONE) instead of 'I'. It's hard not to feel sorry for them despite the fact they may have lead their fellow kids to their deaths.
• The fate of the kids in the official Launch Trailer. The trailer follows a group of four friends: Jenny, Tink, Paulie, and an unknown fourth girl. They devised a plan and were supposed to rescue other club members, but kids except the unknown fourth member were caught and possibly killed. The lonely last survivor of the team returns home crying, alone, having lost all her friends. When she comes to the mirror to ponder about what happened, SAO's watcher symbol appears in the mirror to taunt her.
  • During the trailer, you go through the perspective of each of the three kids who were caught. All of them sound terrified out of their mind.
    • Paulie notably had the most tiring scene, having run across the entirety of the maze trying to escape the Shape but was unable to.
  • The final surviving member talks about how her friends would likely be replaced by new kids joining in.
• The fate of DANCE-FOR-US. She asks the kids present to never be afraid, and spits insults at the Hunter even as he closes in for the kill.