#I really doooo not vibe with how there are several situations where the writers treat people trying to keep important traditions alive--

[bonefall]

Thoughts on sandgorse? Out of all of the cats out there he deserves to get kickdropped into the dark forest. Don’t think Mapleshade would be too happy with how he treated Tallstar 🧐🧐

Jeez! He's a jerk but I don't know if I'd Dark Forest the dude!

On one hand, I think it's really obvious that Heatherstar and the rest of WindClan were looking to slowly kill tunneling as a practice, an ancient tradition, and I really don't fault him for being angry about it y'know?

Especially the part where ALL THREE of the Mist/Hare litter was made into Moor-runners with the "it's what the parents want" excuse, then the next three were also made into Moor-runners including Tallpaw... I would also call out Heatherstar.

Like, it's not just about Tallpaw. Sandgorse is looking at the extinction of a tradition he is extremely proud of.

The death of a tradition. Because it is being killed on purpose through tunnelers intentionally not being given apprentices.

ON THE OTHER HAND, he absolutely starts getting cold and distant from Tallpaw when he isn't becoming what he wants him to be, and pushes him into training waaay too young. I think the narrative does a good job at making sure you know that Sandgorse is absolutely in the wrong for how he treats his son, and the impact it has on Tallpaw.

It's a conflict I really enjoyed because it's pretty real; and Sandgorse isn't an abusive MONSTER like Rainflower or Lizardstripe. Just unsupportive. I really felt Tallpaw's pain when Sandgorse died in that cave-in, because Sandgorse wasn't an evil stereotype.

I think about that line from Bojack Horseman a lot, the one from the funeral. "It's like Becker!" How losing a shitty parent is like a TV show that you're waiting to get better, and then it ends before it ever does, and now it never will. That's how I feel about Sandgorse.