What happens to main characters when they are no longer needed? Part 1? by Topazpaw

Topazpaw wonders how Sandstorm’s character changed over the course of the series.

(Spoilers for AVoS!)

Hello! I’m Topazpaw and I would like to talk about what happens to the main characters when they’re no longer protagonists. I wanted to write this article after a conversation with Thistletooth on the BlogClan discord which you should join if you can! Anyway, I reference that conversation for some points I made.

This article will be about Sandstorm, the fierce warrior, or is she?
We know she was bold in her prime, what about when she was older? As an apprentice, she was Firepaw’s childhood bully but fell for him after he saved her from falling off the cliff. They both fell deeper in love after she stopped bullying him, and the rest is history. However, she’s barely mentioned after that, except in series four and Firestar’s quest, when they went to find SkyClan in series four and passes away.
But I feel the few interactions we have with her in series three she didn’t feel like the fiery, passive-aggressive cat anymore. She felt more like a side piece to Firestar’s character. When she talked, her words were, more gentle? They didn’t sound like the Sandstorm I knew in TPB and Firestar’s Quest. Now, this could’ve been that she was getting older and going through motherhood, but would that stop Sandstorm from being feisty?
So, what was Sandstorm’s purpose? It’s a simple answer, character development. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but, after they were done with her character development, it seemed like she was no longer what she was known for. She was mean to Firepaw so he learned determination so he could become a better leader. When they fell in love, she was used to inflict emotional turmoil on the readers. Then, she gave birth to Firestar’s kids, who became protagonists a bit later. After that, there wasn’t much else she could do. We didn’t have much use for her until series four, which I already talked about. Thist said, “Firestar was the only kept her alive as long as they did tbh.” Which I think sums it up perfectly.

So, let’s answer the question that’s in the title: What happens to the main characters when they are no longer needed? In the case of Sandstorm was pretty much stripped of her character and became an add-on for Firestar.

Anyway, that’s it for this article! I may write an article like this for Ivypool depending on what happens in the series next. See ya!