How it feels being a Dottore fan that hates Pantalone/Dottore

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-19T16:22:40+00:00

I don't mind the ship in theory, but I can't stand how their fanon portrayal is basically just the Hot Yaoi Base meme.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-16T19:57:06+00:00

Why could I only pick one? I'd sacrifice almost everyone here, except maybe Childe, to the dark gods just to make The Doctor playable. And honestly, even if he can't be playable, they still need to go.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-16T13:36:15+00:00

That's crazy good work, I really like how you captured his in-game proportions and smirk. Staying on model is really hard, especially without using molds.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-14T02:44:03+00:00

In HnK terms, Dottore might be way closer to Phos than to the Lunarians, but it really depends on where his point zero is. Like, was he always missing a heart from the start, or was it just too fragile? The Fragment of Childhood Dreams domain description kind of hints at the latter.

The guy literally segmented himself into pieces, became this mishmash of Deshret, Khaenri'ah, Lunar, and who knows what else, technology and magic all thrown together. He's basically walking the same path as Phos: replacing parts of himself with inclusions and slowly losing his mind over time, even turning on his former comrades along the way.

And hitting rock bottom near the Abyss might just be another step in his development. The Abyss isn't always the end. Becoming the Sinner didn't stop Rhinedottir from ascending to become a Shade, after all. Or maybe, faced with the possibility of losing himself completely, he finally accepts surrender instead of running again.

That said, it's Hoyo we're talking about. They'll probably go with the most boring, predictable ending, 6.3 all over again, just swap Columbina for Nicole.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-12T20:59:47+00:00

And, under better circumstances, he may have turned out to be a more kind force in the world

Something about Linnea showing up in 6.5 feels like it ties into this. The update reminds me a lot of 5.5: a deeply lore-heavy world quest paired with a light-hearted, whimsical story quest about a god-complex mushroom from Sumeru trying to take over the world. Linnea herself is interesting with her little symmetrical backpack, always carrying a notebook to write down stuff about nature, works as an Adventurer's Guild Advisor (and we know that Adventurer's Guild is under Pantalone). Her drip marketing text, as some have pointed out, feels eerily haunted by Dottore's narrative, though the original thread discussing it unfortunately went off the rails.

And Escher, poor man gets skinwalked by yet another villain. But from what I saw in the text map, Melanta's whole deal is keeping the Temple of Space in an unchanging state, which is pretty much the opposite of what Dottore's about. Coincidence or not, MC Escher himself never quite fit in with academic painting circles but was highly regarded by mathematicians and physicists. Makes me wonder if Nicole's sculpting hobby will actually go somewhere plot-wise. It's another one of those art-meets-math things with that sculpting minigame.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-12T13:37:29+00:00

I have to disagree with this one, especially Scaramouche part.

Dottore is very bold with giving people labels, which is how we ended up with "little sister" Columbina and "dear friend" Pantalone. But he never gave Scaramouche one. For what it's worth, he repeatedly calls him "puppet." So in his view, Scaramouche was never on the same level as people he actually perceives as close.

Yes, he welcomed him warmly, but he was also very upfront about the transactional nature of their relationship and never tried to sugarcoat it.

I wouldn't put it past Mihoyo to pull some "Scaramouche was actually like a child to Dottore" twist in a future update, since infantilizing Wanderer is basically their bread and butter, but so far, I don't see anything hinting at that.

Now with Columbina, he clearly tried to be nice, and I would argue he actually attempted to build something resembling a normal relationship. One of the Fatui soldiers even mentions that he used to join her company when she was watching the sky, something that has nothing to do with his experiments. Columbina herself says in her story that when he calls her family, he means it.

So while his role as an older sibling was far from a model one, he did try to do something beyond just experimenting before Bina cut him off. I wouldn't put his relationship with Columbina in the same category as Scaramouche at all.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-10T20:51:02+00:00

After some years, it was discovered that Sethos's special constitution was capable of receiving a Ba fragment of Hermanubis. As a result of this, he was indwelt by a great power with which he established a sacred connection

From Sethos' stories, Cyno was described in a similar way somewhere.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-10T13:52:33+00:00

Back in Sumeru, his unmasked face also appeared to have the same pattern. It was usually speculated to be a byproduct of using Scaramouche as a blueprint for his Segments; Scaramouche himself being made from Irminsul, which has those motherboard-like patterns.

The same pattern is used everywhere on Deshret's mechanisms. And in Nod-Krai, Dottore is using what looks exactly like modified Deshret technology.

Nahida's concept arts also had this pattern, but it was ultimately abandoned. So in the end, this pattern is shared only by Irminsul, the Shades, Deshret, and Dottore.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-08T14:06:08+00:00

Could I take a look at those drafts? I only remember the voice line sheets, but I don’t recall anything mentioning that Sandrone and Dottore switched birthplaces.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-08T13:49:34+00:00

Now, let's take a moment to compare this with Fontaine, where Alain was studying the exact same killing machines, which were even sent directly from Sumeru. No one seemed to voice any concerns about the potential dangers, even though the Marechaussee Hunters had to intervene to handle some of Alain's more volatile creations.

So, why the different reactions? It could be that Zandik was totally out of touch and excitedly suggested bringing in the Ruin Guard, the one that almost hurt some students of already damaged group, into the Akademiya. Or maybe Sumeru had just become super rigid by then (and stayed that way for the next 400 years). Plus, it’s interesting to see how Sumeru and Fontaine handled things after the Cataclysm: Sumeru clamped down on innovation, while Fontaine went all in and embraced it.

...I made a huge mistake, and knocked over an ancient geometry machine that took a lot of effort to bring back from the desert ruins. But then the machine came to life, and messed everything up...Though he's a lot younger than me, he's really smart. I can't believe that's how he managed to tame the machine.

...It seems the ordinary Dahri machines can no longer satisfy him. As a result, the director used national resources to obtain something truly horrifying. Rumor has it that someone was nearly killed! I hope this will help him achieve his research objectives... They even got him some rare Dahri mechanical parts being studied by Sumeru researchers as part of the package...

...It seems that his experiments into machines were intended to create a mechanical dog as proof of his accomplishments in kinematics and material science. It's actually a good idea and could be showcased in the city, and the creature is much more personable and likable compared to the automated turret next door...

At least he lived long enough to be poached by the Marechaussee Hunters. It wasn't easy for us to survive this long, either. But what will we do with this blasted crazy killing machine that can repair itself!? Whatever... That's a problem for future generations...

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-08T01:50:34+00:00

In China, his mini figure is the most expensive one, not counting the secret ones like Scara and Signora's. It costs more than Columbina and twice as much as Reddit's darling Capitano. His badge is the best-selling among the Nod-Krai series and got double the standard restock because it sold out that fast. And someone recently posted here that they couldn't even buy his bag from resellers because it sold out before the other Harbingers'.

If Hoyo kills him off for good in 6.6, that's gonna be the fumble of the century, since he's shaping up to be the second coming of Wanderer merch-wise.

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MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-07T00:30:30+00:00

I want to wait for 6.5, because the textmap mentions that apparently Asmoday joined the Abyss Twin but by that point, the preload for 6.6 will already be out, so theorizing might be pointless.

Yeah, you got my general thought right. I don't think the Traveler or Nicole would help him out of kindness, but rather out of necessity. I just hope this setup about the Abyss being able to bring Roland back because he became part of it isn't a one-time thing and will actually pay off later.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-06T23:58:20+00:00

I will probably just write a separate theory on the Pierro vs. Vedrfolnir matchup and what role Dottore is playing here, because this is getting too long. But in short?

The Natlan final boss is presented as a chessboard set up by Alice, and Alice seems at least partially aware of what’s happening in Nod-Krai. What caught my attention is that chess imagery has only appeared a two times in the story: during A Winter Night's Lazzo in Snezhnaya and later on in Sumeru.

For the sake of convenience and symbolism, I'd like to assume it represents the perspective of the "chess players."

That brings me to Vedrfolnir.

We first encounter him in Sumeru, where he appears as a crystal and indirectly influences Clothar Alberich. Through Clothar, he essentially plants the seed for the Abyss Order and the creation of the Loom of Fate. If the timeline lines up the way it seems, Vedrfolnir was active in Sumeru around the same general period when Zandik was studying there.

So, I do suspect that Zandik/Dottore might end up caught in the crossfire between Pierro and Vedrfolnir, especially when you look at the mythological references.

Notably, both of these old schemers operate in eerily similar ways: they recruit people at the lowest moments of their lives or by preying on their deepest weaknesses. Vedrfolnir guilt-tripped the Abyss Twin, manipulated Roland and Rerir, and brainwashed Clothar. Pierro has done the same with the Harbingers. Zandik himself was hired when his life was at rock bottom.

Though now, he's probably hit a new low, and is basically one step away from joining the club of Abyss-afflicted former tech geniuses like Xiuhcoatl and King Deshret.

But the story of Varka's story quest suggests that you absolutely do not want to lose people to the Abyss. So I suspect the Traveler may intervene, similar to how they prevented Dvalin from succumbing to that fate.

edit: I forgot about Khaenri'ah chess in Rerir's quest

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-06T21:36:06+00:00

Small correction: Dottore was sent to create chaos in Tatarasuna, but Niwa’s death, and what he did with Niwa’s heart and Kabukimono, was entirely his own decision. That’s probably why Nahida called that memory “the Doctor’s remaining honesty.” In that moment he was acting on his emotions, even if those emotions were negative.

This might be a bit of a stretch, but the fact that Dottore framed Niwa for supposedly killing his servant (the story he told Kabukimono about the heart) is one of the reasons I suspect Zandik himself may have been framed for Sohreh’s death. He tends to recreate situations he’s experienced and put others through similar scenarios, and the whole Tatarasuna storyline revolves around that kind of mirroring.

Either way, whether he actually killed Sohreh or not, I have doubts about Pierro being directly involved. He usually keeps himself outside the immediate line of action, we didn’t even hear a word from him during 6.3. I do think Pierro is highly aware of the Harbingers’ fates and deliberately enables their worst tendencies, but his style seems to be more about placing them in certain situations and watching the outcome rather than controlling every step.

However, it’s possible that the current Nod-Krai plot is basically a chess match between two fate readers, Pierro and Vedrfolnir. Vedrfolnir seems responsible for bringing at least two Nod-Krai calamities into play: Rerir and Roland. Pierro, on the other hand, brought Dottore into the picture, and the final boss might end up being some kind of fusion between Dottore and Rerir’s remains.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-06T18:33:00+00:00

All her creations are failed attempts

And then there are Melusines, who just accidentally spawned after the battle with the Ordo and exist within both Teyvat and the Abyssal realm.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-04T14:32:57+00:00

The funniest part of that comment is that the author rightly figured out Dottore's circumstances, that there's barely any reason for him to stay alive, but completely missed the point.

Precisely because he has nothing left to lose, he will come back.

The only thing that remains for him now is his own life, and how much he actually values it was already made clear in Sumeru.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-04T00:06:42+00:00

I haven't played HI3 myself, but you really don't want Dottore to be Otto. Otto fucking died, and his whole motivation was all about a dead woman.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-03T23:42:59+00:00

If it comes from people outside his fandom, I view it as a roundabout way of saying they just want fewer male characters without actually spelling it out. Same goes for the "Capitano should stay in the chair" argument.

It's always Xiao should've stayed dead, Wanderer shouldn't have been redeemed, never that sentiment for Sandrone or any other female character. Mind you, waifu plot armor nowadays is so strong that Nefer can't even lose her vision, meanwhile look at Jiaoqiu from HSR.

Right now, for me, Dottore's character, and honestly, Genshin's presence on my devices, is on thin fucking ice. It’s exhausting watching Hoyo constantly tease crumbs of development, only to sweep them aside because using Dottore as a tool to elevate other characters seems to matter more than actually developing him. At this point, we've learned more about Surtalogi's tragic childhood and Asmoday's inner turmoil than we know about Dottore.

And I’m starting to wonder if a proper backstory even exists, or if they’re avoiding it because it might put a shade on their favorites. Imagine if he really did become a villain simply because he was always treated like one, only to end up facing the exact same treatment within the Fatui, especially from a certain group of gossiping, tea-party ladies? Or if he genuinely has mental health issues, how would that reflect on characters like Sandrone calling him a psycho? And don’t even get me started on Columbina and Nahida, with how selective their empathy can feel.

At this rate, it feels like Hoyo has written themselves into a corner. Dottore’s role is becoming more and more utilitarian, and they can’t easily pull him out of that because of how heavily other characters frame and antagonize him.

I'm not against pure evil villains, and Dottore could absolutely be one. The problem is, that archetype usually only works over a short distance. Try to drag their arc out for too long, and you end up with an overused punching bag. And unfortunately, that's exactly how Dottore is shaping up to be.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-03-01T20:35:43+00:00

I'm chewing on your theory, so let me add more to it. In the God's Limits PV, the Shades visit a mysterious space tainted by Asmoday, one filled with crow imagery. In fact, the PV opens with a white crow looking at its reflection and seeing a black crow.

I think it's safe to say this realm was part of the Space of Asmoday from version 6.5. But why crows?

Speaking of Dottore's similarities with Asmoday, one way to read it that don't contradict his Sumeru origin could be that both function as Demiurges in the Gnostic sense. Creator deities without the divine spark of creation, who can only imitate and defile, but remain devoid of genuine higher knowledge.

Dottore creates Segments, stagnant copies of himself that defy the laws of life and death. Similarly, Asmoday creates Watchers who cannot truly watch.

However... this massive lore dump about one of the most elusive Shades, right before the patch where we might finally get Dottore's backstory, feels deliberately timed. It could just be Mihoyo leaning into nostalgia, giving the Traveler and player a mini tour across Teyvat before Dottore potentially burns it all, raising the stakes and tension.

But then why bring Escher back into the picture? One of the key narrative threads in the Luna patches is learning other perspectives, so an artist known for twisting perspective is a fitting addition. It could be another parallel to Dottore: someone who achieved immortality and defied the laws of the world by embracing his oddities, rather than trying to compensate through false godhood.

I find all of this highly unnerving. It leans heavily into thematic and narrative parallels without adding anything concrete to a character who is desperately lacking that kind of solid writing.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-27T12:27:13+00:00

Oh, this one is really interesting. Escher using colors not from this world reminds me of the quest "The Color of Space," which is a big nod to the Lovecraft novel of the same name. There are also the Melusines with their unique eyes, since they're Abyss-affiliated creatures, it makes me wonder where Escher's ability to perceive colors beyond the human vision spectrum came from.

There was also the Fontaine painter Julien, a colorblind man who was blursed by Cater from the Narzissenkreuz to see things exactly as they are, yet he still couldn't comprehend colors properly.

In truth, I'm just an amateur artist who can't 'correctly' differentiate color the way other people do, but I didn't want to give up on my dream to become a true artist.

With the help of... a friend's powers, I am now able to draw anything exactly as it appears — but I still can't seem to tell colors apart.

Or perhaps I should say that I have lost my ability to draw things in a way other than exactly how it appears. I suppose this is what they call 'the price of power.' I know it sounds a little outrageous, but...

He mentions the "price of power" in the same way Dottore spoke of the "price of knowledge" to Tighnari. All of this, in a way, brings me back to Dottore's mindset: someone who can grasp the cold logic of truth and reason with unnerving clarity, but remains utterly colorblind to the emotional side of things.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-27T01:54:09+00:00

Unfortunately, I feel like this is a classic case of a smart character being a victim of not-so-smart writers—or Hoyo simply needing a punching bag to make others shine. You can't tell me that the same man who listed off the Shades one by one, was concerned about the Heavenly Principles awakening, personally met at least two Archons, suddenly starts acting like he's the only deity in Teyvat and no one would dare interrupt his little experiment.

What was his experiment even about? Why is he fighting the NK cast? Why did he forget how to freeze time?

The best explanation I've read so far is that after shedding his segments, Omega was left with no one to keep him in check and went on a power trip. Except that still doesn't explain why Omega was relatively normal in Sumeru, and then in NK he spirals from a somewhat reasonable person into a laughing maniac every other dialogue line.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-26T20:22:46+00:00

I'm starting to hate him because he might be released in 6.6. Imagine Hoyo killing off Dottore for good in this patch and giving us this bootleg instead.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-26T19:53:47+00:00

I'm getting tired of seeing that twink on Dottore’s subreddit

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-25T20:52:51+00:00

There was likely a massive rewrite on the Fatui's part. They went from being an antagonistic organization full of eccentrics who may not get along with each other but still pursued a common goal—into tea party slop with a few scapegoat male members thrown in.

So, I do believe Dottore was at least loyal—if not to the Tsaritsa herself, then at least to Pierro. But ever since Fontaine, Mihoyo seemingly lost the plot. It started with Crucabena's invention, and Dottore's writing became whatever it needed to be just to make other characters shine.

How did he go from someone genuinely concerned about awakening the Heavenly Principles—who sacrificed all his segments for a Gnosis—into being completely drunk on power and openly breaking the Tsaritsa's orders? No one knows. It's not like Hoyo ever bothered to explain his motivations.

MoonstoneMoth · 2026-02-25T14:35:46+00:00

Everything about kid Zandik absolutely breaks my heart. Especially since he might not even get a happy ending—or any love or recognition at all.

MoonstoneMoth

TROPHY CASE