Well, at the minimum wet eyes that need a swipe with a tissue so ya can keep reading.
Throughout the Living Two Lives series by Gruinard, I've had to wipe away some moisture from time to time.
https://storiesonline.net/a/gruinard
What stories create this condition for you?
Lellan McLemore's Tiny Dancer
dotB's The Fir
Don Lockwood's Rewind
There are some places that choke me up in the second and third books of Sea-Life's Worlds of Light stories
Tedbiker's The Goth and the Geek
There were a couple of places in Janna Leonard's Nollie
Heathen57's A Friend in Need
Doors by E.Z. Writer.
https://storiesonline.net/s/39881/doors
A Blossom Fell by Dag123.
https://storiesonline.net/s/52031/a-blossom-fell
There is a story published on its own website called "The Wandering Inn." It is about a bajillion words, published serially over several years. My stock saying about it is, with props to the Eternal Emperor, "Reading this story will help you with PTSD. And if you don't have PTSD? You will."
The story is a LitRPG-ish isekai type story, where a bunch of "real world" 20-somethings are transplanted from a range of places on Earth to a range of places on not-Earth. The initial story follows nice middle-American girl Erin, and even in that first season there are a bunch of tear-jerker moments. As the story evolves, other transplantees get added, and some of them end up in very unsavory places. (For SOL readers: There is very little sexual content, or even sex-adjacent content. But there are plenty of war crimes. Also a fair amount of comedy, so it's not a total downer -- it wouldn't have so damn many readers and so damn many words if it were.)
If you read it, keep a box of tissues on your desk. But it can be the small square box, for facial use.
A Few More Tomorrows by Beebop3. It's flash fiction. Less than 1000 words. But if it doesn't hit you in the feelings then you are made of stone.
Then don't track down "Hop on the bus Gus" gets me every time. I wish he would bring back, but I think he published it, so no freebees for me.
Throughout the Living Two Lives series by Gruinard, I've had to wipe away some moisture from time to time.
https://storiesonline.net/a/gruinard
What stories create this condition for you?
Funny you mention Living Two Lives - it's what I'm reading right now. Great stuff so far!
There's aroslav's https://storiesonline.net/series/1454/the-transmogrification-of-jacob-hopkins
As he mentions in his blog, some people didn't like that particular plot twist.
-FB
There's aroslav's https://storiesonline.net/series/1454/the-transmogrification-of-jacob-hopkins
He telegraphed the event in book 3 of that series. But it still hit me like a punch in the gut.
What got to me was at the end of chapter 115 of "A Fresh Start" by rlfj. Carl Buckman gives the eulogy for Carter Henry Task.
As is the one for Mrs.South by John Carter. I really liked the comments about the "chiseled" lines.
Lazlo Zalezac's Solutions Incorporated did it to me, the chapter with the mother coming in to see why her son is there and Magus talking about her own mother.
"She's not famous."
"She will be."
(I know the posted version has "She will be," Magus replied. but I prefer the simple bare statement instead)
From Barbar: First Times. Short and powerful. I've heard it described as 'brutal'. Even just thinking about this one gives me damp eyes. ETA: Don't let the low-ish score put you off - I suspect it's due to people objecting to the tagged rape, or to the lack of salacious details.
Another of Barbar's that has a similar (but lesser) effect on me is The Wrong Wardrobe, the fourth part of the Lost in the Maze universe/series
A.A. Nemo's "There Is a Reason" https://storiesonline.net/s/58800/there-is-a-reason/1. A lot of Nemo's stories bring tears, but find happiness in the end.
There are three flash stories by Ernest Bywater that always hit me emotionally. Coincidentally, they are his three highest scoring stories.
Always a Marine
Fun Run
Coming Home
Many of his stories deliver emotional hits as the overwhelming theme of his stories is people overcoming adversity and or tragic circumstances in their lives.
Story that gets to me every time i read:
Thunder and Lightening by Lazlo Zalesac
The main Charakter could be my twin; large (2,04m),strong (300kg lifting)and a temper, and bad luck so far with women. Also the mentioned book "Of mice and Men" leaves a bad taste
