How do I make JTH's story?

Instructions

I was having a conversation with @TheSillyCookie and this thought came up in my mind. I've also been watching a lot of SunnySpiel's content lately on Warrior cats, and she's right, because it's a lot of stuff I've noticed myself. Journey to Hope, as you probably know, is inspired by Warrior Cats. It's about talking animals living in a forest who live in groups. You have a leader for each group, but that's about where the similarities end. Warrior Cats takes place in the UK in a fictional location, while Journey to Hope takes place in an imagined, semi-fictional location based on a real place in Rome, Maine. Beyond French Mountain is Watson Pond (They call it The Brightlake), the center of the home the mongooses call "The Paradise Place." I was inspired by @Wildflight to base The Paradise Place on a real location. Some places are certainly made up, but I do have a few images of the top of Dusk-pack territory that I could share with you all someday. (Wildflight and I are both college-aged adults and that's why we shared what locations they're based on, but remember to stay safe online!) Now, Journey to Hope's main differences from Warriors are here: +The books start out with a journey to a new place, and that's one book. It's called "The Great Journey," and that location is where the rest of series takes place. +The different packs live in peace and do not fight each other, they act more as different factions that join together to fight against larger threats. +Inspired by @Wildflight's series, each pack has a different way of living. +The way the mongooses live over the generations change over time. There are (roughly) 18 generations that we know of, starting with Crystal's grandparents and ending with Pounce Swiftleap's children. The mongooses learn new skills and go through hardships. +Throw in a zombie apocalypse near the end because why not? (With a happy ending that I won't spoil). This is Journey to Hope's version of The Great Battle, believe it or not. +Originally, there were three packs. We start the series on how the packs were founded, not the middle of the pack's history. (Imagine if Warriors started with Dawn of The Clans.) Then, the story goes on from there. New packs are added slowly. Dusk-pack, then Shade-pack, then Forest-pack. (Mystery-pack doesn't count for spoiler reasons) +The mongooses eventually learn how to get different jobs and become builders, crafters, travelers, and merchants! It becomes more of a fantasy story that way, I feel. +The mongooses go through different eras in their history. One of them is called "The Builder's Revolution," where Dusk-pack invented most modern systems that the Paradise Place uses today. +The mongooses actually document their history rather than just telling it. They have an underground cave called "The tunnel of history" where they paint with berry juice and charcoal, and inscribe mongoose runes in stone. I also decided to rid of multiple ableist and sexist themes in Warrior cats. Well... not entirely. You see, the mongooses started out with a messy system at first that reeked of ableism and sexism, a lot like the Warrior code. Mongooses of the same gender couldn't be recognized as official mates (homophobia,) mongooses with disabilities had to either retire early or be healers (ableism,) and mongooses who were healers couldn't have mates or pups. They were dismissed as healers and their pups were taken away if they were female (sexism, and ableism again.) This was gradually but eventually fixed thanks to Amber, who saw these injustices in the system and worked to help change them. Now, let's talk about mates and romance. This is a huge issue in Warrior cats I really want to address. SunnySpeil is right. Why is it that EVERY cat in Warrior cats NEEDS to have a mate? And better yet, why do they need to have kits? I don't know if this is because of my asexuality, but this bothers me, and always has. Even before I came out as asexual. I've always known people IRL who didn't want kids and/or a partner. My Nana's friend, for example, is perfectly happy with her dogs and friends. Rosemary in Amber Flame Version 3, for example, doesn't have a mate or pups. Neither does Dawn! It's like she said. Because of the drama. Hate (love) to break it you, but Journey to Hope is not a romantic drama. It is a fantasy story about talking mongooses who live in a forest. Romance does exist, but it's usually a subplot. And I'm not one who cares for romantic drama, I love putting my characters in healthy relationships. That, or, have a character who was previously in an unhealthy relationship migrate to a healthy one! I really don't like when a story advertises itself as one thing, and turns out to be another. +