>> Very apt! I'd like to see more of this storyline. <<

Thank you! I am currently working on a sequel to show the town meeting.

>> Good advice about how to negotiate disagreements. <<

:D I'm happy to hear that.

>> Also, it should be noted that everyone has a preferred "fighting style", but this is not fixed; it usually develops at first into something like what is modeled for the person at home, but frequently needs to change when you enter a new relationship. <<

Good point. Apology languages differ, too. I lean strongly toward concrete apologies rather than verbal ones, although the verbal aspect is a nice adjunct.

>> I learned my parents' fighting style, but that didn't work so well between me and my ex, so it got modified. Then that style in turn was a disaster when I moved in with Russ -- it heterodyned badly with his style and just made matters worse -- so I had to adapt again.<<

Wow. I admire your flexibility.

>> I like the idea of overtly checking to see how fixed the other person's opinions are, and I like the way we get to follow Lawrence's thought processes as he works his way thru the discussion. <<

Yay! They really needed those skills, because Stan is so far ahead of Lawrence on moral considerations, and Stan doesn't want to bulldoze his boyfriend.