"I would prefer the main characters aren’t police officers"
Hmmm.... Well, it's your jam, but could you say why? Seems a little arbitrary to me
I'm at a loss. This depiction of the "police" (y'know, woodland animals in a fairy tale parody...) is wholly positive. If you insist on this I will withdraw from the competition. I've no doubt you have good intentions, but I'd like to remind you that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I don't live in the US, and I don't feel bound by the political situation there. Please do not use the Lupinanny poem in any way.
You’re right; their depiction in the poem is positive. It sounds like they’re not really meant to reflect the real world at all; is that correct? If that’s the case, I’ll still be willing to do this if we make it clear they’re their own thing. I don’t know about the situation in your country and I’m sorry for projecting my own political context there, but I admit I still wouldn’t be comfortable basing them on a real police force even if it isn’t the US’s.
If you’d rather withdraw, that’s perfectly within your right. I don’t want to make any changes to your work you don’t want. And we can always switch to the second place option, Beauty and the Beast.
This is like one of those discussions about cartoon violence and its relevance to the real world. There is very little relevance to the real world -- it's fiction. How could it be based on a "real police force"? They are fictional anthropomorphic woodland animals... I feel ridiculous having to explain this. Are there going to be trigger warnings for fairy stories? No, of course the story is not meant to reflect the real world -- a child could see that. I'm so mad about this -- it's been a negative experience when it could have been enjoyable. Please use Beauty and the Beast -- I don't want to take part any more.