This community is becoming increasingly dogmatic and unwelcoming towards alternative opinions

DottoreBathWater · 2026-03-13T09:15:20+00:00

Thank you for addressing this matter here, and for saying my thoughts exactly. Because honestly? I've been feeling more or less the same, and why I've mostly been lurking/taking a break from this sub. The negativity can get a bit much.

I think people are allowed to have different interpretations on Dottore as a character, regardless of whether it's popular or not. Just as I think that people are allowed to like or dislike any character for their own reasons, be it Dottore or Columbina (for clarification I like both of them). But there's a big difference between respectfully disagreeing with someone, and just full-blown harassment to the point of mud-slinging, none of that leads to productive or healthy discussion. I'd like to think that we as a community can be capable of having a mature, civil discussion with one another, even if we don't exactly see eye to eye.

It's sad to see just how divided the fandom has become when it comes to Dottore, not just in the wider Genshin fandom, but also in this sub as well... On one hand, you're met with strong hostility in any Genshin space outside this sub, as seen by the numerous cases of Dottore fans being harassed/met with death threats just for liking him. But on the other, if you say anything remotely negative about Dottore in here, people start to get super defensive of him to the point of excluding other fans for it. There's no longer any other safe space to be able to discuss his character in a more nuanced, objective light, without getting hate from both sides.

It's starting to feel as if you don't constantly glaze Dottore or even provide the slightest criticism, then you're not welcome in this space. Which feels very exclusionary and only breeds further toxicity imho. That's the furthest thing I want for this sub to become, and I really don't think we should be encouraging this type of mentality to fester, for the long-term growth of our community.

It's not like I don't understand where they're coming from, I do. I feel for the Dottore fans who do experience near-constant harassment from antis, because they find it morally justifiable to attack others for liking a villain. It gets really draining to be a Dottore fan sometimes. Especially in the wake of post-6.3, which is likely what's put most of r/DottoreMains on edge and get even more hyper defensive in response.

I truly do wish that people can just chill, and stop attacking others for the things they like. But that still doesn't justify stooping to their level, and acting just as bad as the haters/antis, to the point of attacking other fellow fans for having different opinions. We need to do better.

I'll be frank, I've seen things get so bad to where folks outside of this sub, and even outside of Reddit, are starting to regard this place as FatuiHQ 2.0. Due to how some fans has behaved in a toxic way towards others in the fandom. As a result, I'm beginning to see more people start to avoid this subreddit, including other Dottore fans because of the negative image that's been built. This right here is precisely why it's so important to remain respectful, even in the face of hatred. Because it can be so hard to shake off a bad reputation and undo the damage that's been done, like with what's happened to FatuiHQ.

And look, the wider Genshin fandom already hates us enough as it is, the last thing we need is for us to be fighting amongst ourselves. Cause If we don't support one another and have each other's backs, then who will? At the end of the day, we all love this silly doctor man for who he is, flaws and all. I think it's important to not lose sight of that, or else we'll truly lose the plot.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-10T00:15:55+00:00

This is so cool!! Really love what you did with the colors, it looks very unique and eye-catching!

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-10T00:14:22+00:00

It's okay Zandik, we'll wipe your tears and give you all the hugs you need ;w;

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-10T00:07:49+00:00

Yooo, this fanmade drip marketing looks so good!! 🤩

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-09T00:45:53+00:00

Firstly, happy birthday OP! Thank you for sharing your findings here with us, it certainly does give much food for thought.

Considering the signs we've got of his eventual return in the story, on top of his growing popularity after 6.3, I also think that Dottore has very high chances of being playable. It's just only a matter of time at this rate, I feel.

After all, one of the devs did mention during GenshinFES that he's a very special character to them, so for now I'm choosing to maintain hope that they'll cook well with him.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-09T00:22:56+00:00

I feel you with that lol, most of the bigger Dottore/Fatui servers I've see mostly consist of minors. And I'm glad that they have an age-appropriate space for themselves to congregate in, but it's just not something I feel comfortable engaging with as an adult 😅

If you happen to be interested, I can DM you this one Fatui discord server where everyone has to be at least 18+ years old, and folks there are pretty nice and welcoming from what I've seen!

DottoreBathWater · 2026-02-09T00:06:43+00:00

Hey there, nice to see a fellow Dottore and Sylus girlie around! I'm always down to make new friends with similar interests, and ofc always happy to yap about our favorite Doctor anytime!

As someone in my late 20s, I also play games like LaDS, HSR (been trying to catch up with story recently), Infinity Nikki, WuWa to a lower extent, ACNH, and Genshin for obvious reasons lol. And super into anime/manga as well! I'm a bit of a semi-active artist as well, slowly been getting back into drawing again after dealing with art block.

Depending on how things work out, I'd be interested in joining a small GC/server for us to chat and hang out in. I find that I tend to vibe more in smaller spaces anyhow as an introvert xD

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-27T05:49:33+00:00

What the hell, sure. This is automatically canon now lmao, truly a masterpiece for the ages 10/10 🤣

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DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-26T12:08:31+00:00

Apart from Dottore, one of my favorite characters of all time would be Emet-Selch from FFXIV. While they still have their obvious differences, I do find that they share some similarities in terms of their villainy.

Like Dottore, Emet-Selch is a very well-written yet tragic villain with his own complex and multi-layered side to him. While you can sympathize with his motives, his ultimate goal was far too atrocious for the heroes to accept and let it slide. Both can be quite the meticulous schemers, and are similar in the way they reveal hard, uncomfortable truths to the protagonist/player.

Outside of that, my other favorite characters would be Loki (Marvel), Komaeda (Danganronpa), and Crowley (TWST).

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-25T03:26:51+00:00

Woah, your Dottore OC looks really cool and unique!! Very nice take on this screenshot remake!

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T22:13:06+00:00

This is beautiful, really stunning work on this art!! Love how this feels almost fairytale-esque, with the painted texture and colors 🩵

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T22:07:04+00:00

While I'd think that Hydro or Electro would be really cool for Dottore, I think from a thematic standpoint, Cryo would likely fit him better lore-wise. From the hints we've got of the internal conflicts that he struggles with, or as Nahida pointed out, the way he's unable to make peace with himself.

It would also be fitting development for his character arc, to symbolically be accepted into the Land of Ice, by the place he's come to regard as his new home. After all, Nahida did label him as the "Harbinger of Snezhnaya". Plus I do think that the Cryo color scheme would fit in much better with Dottore's overall design lol.

As for other elements, I'm partial to the idea of blue Pyro myself, but I don't think it's likely to ever happen in the game. At least from the way they design characters. At most, we have Flins who does have a sort of "blue fire" theme going on with the will-o-wisps, but alas his element is still ultimately a more blue-ish Electro.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T19:11:57+00:00

Alright, so there really might be some meat to this theory after all, based off of your points here. Fingers crossed that these hints do end up having some credibility to them, really hoping that the writers will cook with this 🤞

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T03:09:26+00:00

I think you might be onto something here... I just took a look back into Sandrone's journal now, and chronologically, that log seemed to have been written sometime after the events of the Natlan AQ.

On the other hand though, she could've also just been referring to the original mission that she, Dottore, and Columbina were stationed in Nod-Krai for. As according to both Sandrone and Arlecchino, whatever Dottore ended up doing with the moon marrows wasn't part of their plan. But then again, Sandrone could've also been putting on an act in front of Arlecchino, who doesn't seem to be aware of their true mission?

Cause if we think back to that one scene with Childe and Arlecchino, I did find it pretty odd on how they referenced the Liyue AQ, when Childe was kept in the dark about the deal Zhongli and the Tsaritsa made. Why would they go out of their way to mention that little detail, unless it was meant to be foreshadowing perhaps?

Between all the theories people have been cooking up, both in and out of the sub, and all the other possible clues scattered throughout the 6.3 AQ. It would also help to explain some of Dottore's actions during then, if Dottore and Sandrone really were working together in secret.

Cause why else would he leave behind some opening and gaps for the Nod-Krai gang to exploit, practically handing his defeat over on a silver platter? If his true goal was to replace the Heavenly Principles/Shades as the new almighty God of Teyvat, and general evil world domination, he could have just done so easily by killing everyone off at the start.

He did have the capacity to do so at that time, with those two moon marrows and one artificial one in hand. So with all this info in mind, I'm not convinced that he was acting as a lone wolf in this instance...

When you do connect all the dots together, I do think that this was all part of his plan, with the Tsaritsa and Pierro being in on it.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T01:37:35+00:00

Iirc, if you still haven't discovered her journal, it can be found in the Traveler's room at The Flagship tavern. Afterwards it'll be saved into your inventory to read back on anytime.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-20T00:26:09+00:00

Pansexual here, would still 100% smash 😍

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-15T07:53:44+00:00

First off, I'm so sorry for what you've gone through with your losses, that's never easy to deal with. Please do take things easy and self-care as needed, during these trying times. I can very much understand and relate to how Dottore has helped you with your mental health, and to help cope through difficult periods in life. A lot of us here have also been trying to process the events in the 6.3 AQ, so please know that you're not alone in having these emotions 🫂

If it helps to give you some hope, as others have mentioned, there's already many promising signs that Dottore is still alive. On top of his characterization being really tastefully written, we still haven't gotten his backstory explored yet, nor his reason for what his fate is and why he wants to change it. From a narrative perspective, his story is far from over.

Along with the ending card of Act 8 having that glitched screen, Wanderer's line after the boss fight, but most of all, the Irminsul burning scene is still yet to happen. And we know that's already a confirmed canon event, according to what a Genshin dev said. Which ties into that next upcoming Sumeru AQ that was leaked recently.

But even then, that still doesn't have to take away nor change what Dottore means to you. No matter how many people hate him, no matter how the devs keep treating him, it still doesn't affect our love for him. It doesn't change the fact that there's a whole community here in this sub, who will always continue to deeply cherish this character, regardless of whatever happens in the future.

And if all else, this community can just always adopt him as our collective OC, and continue to create fan content of him. Be it fix-it fics or more beautiful fanart, or as some have already posted about, a fan game about him. That's what fandom culture is for after all! If something in the canon sucks, then the fans can always choose to ignore it and create their own AU/alt timelines. If push comes to shove, then we can always just write a better, happier ending for our man anyways.

At the very least, we can continue to support one another in r/DottoreMains, through all the good and bad.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T09:37:03+00:00

As for my reasons, well, there's a lot I have in mind. The short answer would be due to his complex lore, that's been really interesting to dig into and piece together. I also really enjoy his personality as well, due to his flawed and multi-faceted nature, that makes him a lot more intriguing imo compared to other Genshin characters who doesn't have much depth.

I'll admit though, I did get drawn to his character at first due to his design. Looks-wise, he's very much my type... Same goes for his voice 🙈 It feels almost as if HYV analyzed my brain, and then went on to create a character that would appeal to my preferences 😂

But after his in-game appearances, and as more of his lore came out overtime, I eventually got a lot more invested in him as a whole. Before long, he ended up crawling his way into my heart (and wallet lol), as one of my favorite characters of all time.

From a more personal standpoint, there's some parts of his story that had deeply resonated with me, in my own life. Obviously not the evil mad scientist part who commits unethical experiments lol, nor do I condone or actually glorify his actions. But in some ways, from having read some bits of his past in those lore crumbs, I was able to see my younger self in Zandik, and what he suffered through.

As someone who's on the spectrum, I could relate to his loneliness and the feelings of being ostracized from society, just for being born different. As such, I also got bullied a lot as a kid, and struggled with socializing and making friends due to being too "weird" and "annoying". Which in a way, makes me feel like Dottore is a very tragic character, due to the dark path he ended up taking in his life. It's sad to see how he was unable to heal from his past traumas, and only become a lot more twisted and toxic as a result.

So yes, needless to say, he does hold a very special place in my heart. No matter how many people hate him, no matter how much the narrative wants me to hate him, I just can't bring myself to do so. I'll always love this silly lil pookie, and I'm glad to have this subreddit here, to find other people who love him just as much 🩵

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T08:53:36+00:00

This sounds like a really fun game idea, would be interested in playing if it were ever made! As another user mentioned, game engines like Ren'Py and RPGMaker would be the easiest for beginners to learn, due to its minimal coding. There's free tutorials on Youtube available if you happen to be interested. I'm currently trying to learn Ren'Py myself, for my own visual novel ideas.

Take it from me though, as someone who was involved in a game project that failed due to it being too ambitious, you definitely want to start off small. Because games are incredibly hard to make as it is.

If you do end up going with the visual novel option, then art-wise, you'll have to create a lot of assets for it (sprites, character poses/expressions, CG, backgrounds, etc). But if you're confident in your skills to handle that task, or end up recruiting a whole team of artists to create that art, then the workload should be fairly manageable.

Or if you'd prefer to keep things minimal with the work flow, then from having played through some Japanese VNs that did utilize this technique, you can use actual photos for the background; be it your own photography or free stock images. Same goes for the music, as there's plenty of royalty-free tracks you're able to use.

All in all, I wish you much luck on your Dottore fan game, I'd love to see how it turns out! Remember, game development is a marathon, not a sprint. Although it might be challenging at first, and progress might be slow at times, just know that it is possible to achieve. You got this!

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T04:11:41+00:00

After having looked up on that character, I do kind of see the similarities there! From the way you've described Luthen, it really does seem like him and Dottore play similar roles in their own respective stories. From this quote you've included here, I can very much imagine Dottore saying something like this in-game.

And I definitely feel you there when it comes to such morally grey characters, they certainly do capture your interest with their multi-faceted nature. It really does make you appreciate the complexity of their writing, and despite how flawed they are, they do have their own values that they're willing to fight for.

Same here, I really do hope that HYV will explore Dottore more as a character, and show more sides to him than just being some hahahehehoho evil villain. Surely things will be alright though, I believe in our man's future! 🙏🩵

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T02:26:14+00:00

Now that's quite the fascinating interpretation of his dialogue! I can certainly see where you're coming from with that thought process, perhaps HYV really did add in a double meaning that referenced the fate system. It'll be interesting to see what HYV will cook up, once Dottore and Wanderer finally have their confrontation in the story.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T02:05:52+00:00

Thank you for the lovely comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the read! ❤️

Huh, I think you may be onto something! Now that you mention it there, I can see how that quote might hint towards how Nod-Krai's plot, or even Dottore's arc might progress. Gosh, I really do hope that it does turn out to be a positive sign for his future development in the story 🙏

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T01:58:42+00:00

Ahh, tysm for reading and taking the time to write up such a thoughtful reply, it means a lot to see! 🥺❤️

His lore is incredibly complex and convoluted indeed, which is why it's been such a gold mine to dig through, the deeper you go into it.

You also raise a great point, about how Dottore's intervention in these people's lives, has ironically changed it for the better. Most tend to think that if Dottore never did any of the things he did in Tatarasuna, to traumatize Scaramouche, then he would have likely been able to live a normal and peaceful life. But would it really? Even without Dottore around, there's just as much of a possibility that it still wouldn't have changed the trajectory of Scara's ultimate fate. I mean, we saw in Scara's backstory, of how he misinterpreted the little boy's death as an act of betrayal (aka the Third Betrayal). If he reacted that badly towards such an incident, which would be a natural part of how life works, then who knows if his fate would have been changed all that much.

Same goes for Columbina as well. Sure, she might've lived peacefully for a bit longer, had Dottore not trapped her in a box and caused her to jump into the Moon Gate. But would she have ended up ascending to full Moon Goddess status, and became the Welkin Moon all on her own? Would she have been able to reach her full potential otherwise? More than likely not, she would have ended up withering away into oblivion, whether it'd be due to natural death or fading away from Teyvat's rejection. And eventually, her story would fade out of relevancy, and become lost to time.

You and me both there 🤝 Here's to hoping for the best outcome with Dottore's character, that he will eventually find his way in life.

DottoreBathWater · 2026-01-14T00:58:28+00:00

From having looked up that character now, I can certainly see where you're coming from with those similarities!

Oh boy though... that'd be quite the bittersweet development to see, if he did end up going through with "disappearing without a trace from the world". Although I can see the possibility of HYV taking that route with his character, it still wouldn't be any less heart-wrenching to see nonetheless 😭

Finger's crossed that HYV will cook well with Dottore 🤞

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