Well...I finally saw Finding Dory this week. It was GREAT! Well worth the long wait! Although it wasn't as brilliant as Finding Nemo and there were some parts that seemed rushed or weren't explained much it was still a wonderful film! And that ending scene...Aww! Multiple shipping story opportunities! It was also very emotional. I was crying like a baby at most scenes, god damn it Andrew Stanton why are you so good at writing emotional moments? Anyway, I have a few ideas after watching the film so I'm all up to date. Enjoy and don't forget to review! (Unless you're Dory in which case, I understand!)

There are certain sea creatures who once being released from captivity or transferred to another facility will eventually adapt to their surroundings. They will make their home in the coral or the sand or small caves to hide from predators. Some will use their camouflage abilities to their advantage by transforming themselves into dainty strands of seagrass or covering themselves in mud mimicking the menacing stonefish or showing off their flashing vivid colours to fool predators into thinking they were poisonous. Whatever their option they eventually adjusted.

Hank was not one of those creatures.

The septopus, who had spent his days inside a glass box filled with fresh saltwater and loaded with food every day and a sandstone hut to hide from the interfering eyes of visitors and the prodding hands of small children was needless to say not settling into life on the reef very well. For one, Dory had somehow convinced him to follow her and her two orange fish friends all the way across the ocean which included a day of travelling through the most unbearable current with the most insufferable sea turtle who let his children do whatever they pleased, including constant questions of "how did you lose your tentacle?" and "why are you so squishy?" The latter accompanied by constant touching which he despised. Hank never thought it possible to be seasick underwater but then again he never thought that outsmarting his carers would involve hijacking their ridiculous modes of human transport (seriously they had legs, why on earth did they feel the need to travel in such horrendously hard to drive vehicles?)

For whatever reason he had agreed to stay on the Great Barrier Reef, mostly because Australia seemed to appeal more to him than Cleveland. A place existing on the other side of the world which promised peace and quiet was certainly a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of marine life institutes. Hank would have been lying if he said he didn't receive some help from the doctors at the institute but even so he found it insulting that they assumed he couldn't look out for himself.

On this particular day he was sheltered inside a cavern he had made his domain, doing nothing but resting and occasionally chasing away unruly children. He was about to drift into sleep when a familiar voice disturbed him.

"Excuse me? Hank?"

His turquoise eyes shot open and he slowly emerged from his rocky abode to see Marlin the clownfish hovering in front of him.

"Oh. It's you."

"I'm really sorry to wake you, but have you seen Dory at all today?"

The septopus groaned. Was that all? "No, I haven't. Now move, Buddy you're blocking the sunlight."

"You're not even in the sunlight!" protested Marlin as Hank began to wriggle back into the darkness. "Please you've got to tell me at least where she might have gone."

"I told you!" snapped Hank, "I haven't seen her since yesterday. Why do you wanna know so badly anyway? Are you both an item or something?"

Marlin blushed furiously. "No. Actually I wanted to speak with her about how she feels about her parents living on the reef."

Hank shrugged. "She probably doesn't want to be bothered about something completely overwhelming," he sighed, but with an air of concern in his tone. "Just like I don't want to be bothered by other fish. So Scram!"

Hank retreated. Marlin rolled his eyes grumbling to himself. "Thanks for nothing."

As he turned to swim away, a scarlet tentacle appeared out of the cave pointing in the direction of the Drop Off. "If it helps she's probably on the edge of the reef. I wouldn't count too much on it but I'll bet she's out there fooling around. Have fun trying to get her to pay attention to you."

"T-Thanks," said Marlin as the tentacle shot back into its hiding place. He swam through the tubed coral fronds and anemones patterning the reef until he reached its edge. He peered behind a large rounded peach-coloured coral and cautiously looked around. Sure enough, there was Dory swimming around in circles and humming to herself on the ledge where the reef met the open water. She didn't appear to look flustered or distressed but Marlin knew that sometimes her joyful mask could slip. Carefully he emerged from the coral and swam next to her.

"Ahem!"

Dory wheeled around smiling. "Hey!"

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Oh! Nothing, I just thought you might like some company is all."

Dory gave a smile and paused at the edge, staring straight out into the vast blue. Although the smile never left her face there was a certain look of longing in her magenta eyes. Marlin presumed she hoped to see a whale pass by or a manta ray or even a diver. Divers still came to explore the reef, meaning drills for safety were regular ever since Nemo's kidnapping. Marlin had warned Dory to stay inside her brain coral while he and Nemo stayed put in the anemone until the divers had passed over but she never managed to remember the instructions. She would swim right up to them introducing herself, nudging their masks and swimming through the tubes of their tanks. Marlin almost had a heart attack the first time this happened. Luckily the divers weren't nearly as keen to grab at fish as P Sherman had been. They would hold their gloved hands out instead to touch her fins and then go back to scouring the seabed. "Hey everybody! I made human friends! Mammal pals! I made Mampals!"

"I saw," Marlin had hissed.

"Dory you could have been hurt!" Nemo wailed, "those humans could have taken you away, and we wouldn't be able to find you again!"

"Please never do that again!" Marlin told her firmly.

Marlin joined her staring into the sea, the two of them saying nothing, doing nothing and occasionally partaking in short grins and glances. It was one of the best aspects of their friendship. Finally Dory spoke.

"Memory is weird isn't it?"

Marlin was hesitant since he could sense the drop in happiness in her voice but agreed "I suppose it is, yes."

"It's like, you think you remember something only to grow up believing you made it up until one day you realize it did happen and you remember it again!"

"Very true. Memory is a strange thing," said Marlin. He paused looking for something else to say. "How are you liking it?"

"What-? Oh the view's great! I mean I always forget it's here, like, I'll be swimming along and I'll go "Ooh look at that!" and then remember that it's not the first time I've- "

"No Dory, not the view," chuckled Marlin, "I mean about your parents living on the reef with us."

"My parents live here?!" she gasped, "Oh my Gosh! I haven't seen them in years I've got to go say "hi!"

"You saw them yesterday Dory."

"I did?"

"Yes, right after we dropped Nemo off at school."

Dory shrank. "Oh...I'm Sorry…I just….I should've remembered, I mean I was there and you-"

"Dory don't worry about it," said Marlin gently, "It's okay. Nobody's perfect."

Dory sniffed. "Yeah."

There was silence until Marlin broke it.

"Do you want to know what I like most about this part of the reef?"

"What?"

"That," said Marlin gesturing to the surface. "When the sunlight comes through and it hits everything and the tide is low and there's nothing but peace and quiet. That's what I like most."

"Huh." Dory nodded. "Yeah it's pretty. Needs a whale or two though."

"Dory, I said I liked it when it was quiet."

"Pilot whales are pretty quiet."

"Yes, and stingrays don't have barbs."

Dory smirked. "You're no fun. You don't like anybody. You don't like sharks, whales, dolphins, crabs, birds. You're such a grump!"

"That's not true. I like you and Nemo. I just don't like being digested."

Dory went back to staring into space. "Sometimes, I think that maybe the reason I'm so forgetful is because I wasn't meant to be here."

Marlin's eyes opened wide and he brought her face close to meet his. "Dory? Why would you say that?"

"Because back at the Institute they teach everyone that fish should be protected. But sometimes there are fish who don't belong in captivity or the ocean. And those fish don't survive. Even Mr Ray says it "Survival of the Fittest."

Marlin continued to blink dumbfounded at her. "Dory-"

"And since I suffer from Short Term Memory Loss, it means nature didn't want me to exist. I should have been eaten or stranded long ago."

"Dory don't talk like that!" said Marlin taking her fin, "Nature is insane. You and I both know that. We've faced it. But it also has a way of fixing things. You see that coral over there? How it's all white?"

"Yeah?"

"Well it's bleached. Damaged and colourless. It looks like it's beyond repair. But it's okay. It is able to revive itself. It may take time to heal and in some cases it might never heal at all. But they try. They're resilient. Just like you. And I've never met anyone who is as resilient as you. It's true that nature picks on weak fish. But you are not a weak fish Dory. Just because you forget doesn't change your ability to survive and conquer."

Dory blinked shaking off the tears she knew would come. "That's the nicest thing I've ever heard."

Marlin nudged her side. "See?" he said, "You do belong here with us. I don't know how I would have found my son if it wasn't for YOOOFFF-"

He was cut short as Dory pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you Thank you Thank you I feel so much better!"

"Ugh! That's great Dory," he wheezed, "But can you let me go please? You're on my gills!"

"Sorry!" said Dory releasing him from her grip immediately. "You're right! I am needed here! I do have friends don't I? Friends who would miss me if I left?"

"More than you know Dory," Marlin replied. "Nemo looks up to you like an Aunt. Then you have your parents and Hank and Bailey and Destiny and Bruce and Mr Ray and-"

"Sigourney Weaver?"

Marlin pouted. "Well I was going to say me. Besides you don't even know this Sigourney Weaver."

"Yes I do, we're best friends!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she was the first real friendly voice I heard when I was looking for my family!"

"Dory, you don't even know what she looks like."

"Well, she sounds nice and polite. She answered my Hello and told me all I need to know about the Institute."

"Dory just because you grew up in an aquarium doesn't mean all humans are our friends. Not all of them want to coddle us. Some of them want to eat us!"

"Well not all of 'em," Dory replied sulkily. "If not all humans are friends then that means not all of them want to eat us either."

"I guess that's true," Marlin sighed.

The two of them stared into the glorious vastness of the Pacific Ocean for a long time, going back into their usual routine of no conversation except when they felt like it. There were no boats, so the ripples were calm. There were no shadows, so predators weren't near. There were no worries, so everyone was safe. They had both never felt so content.

"You know there's one thing I'll never forget," said Dory at last.

"What's that?" asked Marlin.

"This view."

Marlin followed her gaze, seeming to see far beyond any ocean.

"Yeah."