reading221b | Discussion Post: Sixteen and a Half Months (rare pair) (Reply)

Title: Sixteen and a Half Months
Author: emmagrant01
Characters/relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Rating: Explicit
Archive warnings: Creator Chose Not to Warn
Word count: 13, 467
Author's summary: The world thinks Sherlock Holmes is dead, but Molly Hooper is one of the few who knows the truth.

So I just want to start by saying how much I *love* this story. I'm a multishipper who takes pleasure in a zillion different ships, but I admit I had some trouble finding Sherlolly fics that resonated with my own understanding of the characters. This was the first Sherlolly fic I read that made me think, "YES! This relationship totally makes sense to me." I love that the feelings expressed in this story are complex and sometimes uncomfortable for the characters, and I love that the story ends with them in a positive place, but without being an overly-neat "happily ever after". Most of all, I love how utterly relatable this Molly feels to me, as she makes choices that aren't always the "healthiest", but she's self-aware enough to own those choices and make the best of them.

But on to the discussion questions:

1. Molly
Even though this is a fic about Molly's relationship with Sherlock, Molly is really front and center here, and it's very much her story. What did you think of her characterization? Did it ring true for you? Expand on her on-screen character convincingly? Was there anything that felt "off", or that other stories might handle differently?

2. The relationship
What did you think of the way the relationship is portrayed in this fic, and the way it develops? Did anything about it surprise you? What about the way both Molly and Sherlock change over the course of the story? Did that feel consistent with developments we've seen in canon, or like a different direction?

3. Sherlolly
If you've read other Sherlolly fics, does this one feel different to you? What tropes or conventions does it share with Sherlolly fics as a genre, and what sets it apart? If this is your first Sherlolly fic, what did you think? Did it surprise you at all, or was it what you expected? (And if you didn't read this fic *because* it was advertised as Sherlolly, feel free to talk about that, too – why is this ship such a turn off or squick for some people?)

4. John
What did you think of the role of John in this fic? He doesn't play a large "on-screen" part, but Molly spends a bit of time thinking about Sherlock and John's relationship relative to her own relationship with Sherlock. And Sherlock's revelations of his feelings for John (and how they are shifting) represent a key turning point in the story. Did that bother you? Sometimes rarepair shippers can be very protective of their ships, and any reference to something that smacks of Johnlock is considered an unwelcome intrusion in a fic. Was that the case here, or did it work for you?

5. Ending
What do you think is the status of Sherlock and Molly's relationship at the end? Are they openly dating? Friends with benefits? Friends with a past? I think it's open to interpretation, and I feel a little different about it each time I read. How did the end fit with your expectations of how a "ship fic" usually works?

And as always, if there's anything you'd like to discuss that you don't see mentioned here, please feel free to start a new thread!