As you said, it’s largely for fun. I think there are a lot of interesting contradictions in Dottore’s depictions in the webtoon, the in-game lore, and the dialogue that I find that makes him interesting to dissect. I’m similarly draw to the ways Pantalone is spoken about (the lore, Yelan’s character story, the other Harbingers’ dialogue).

True, a lot of the writing we do is speculative (i.e. fanon, fanfiction). I come from a background in English literature where I brought a similar kind of analytical approach to Brontë novels and Shakespeare plays. I find enjoyment in media—whether “classic” texts or videogames—through acts of interpretation. Am I sometimes incorrect in my readings? Absolutely, yes! But I adore the process for what it is.

Now, would I be as into Dottore and Pantalone if I didn’t ship them? Probably not. That plays a huge part in this for me.

When it comes to interpreting and exploring Genshin characters, I almost always do so in the context of analysing how they work together, simply because that appeals to me. In no way do I ever want how I personally see Dottore and Pantalone to be read as any sort of fundamental truth about them, and I'm sorry if I come across as though I do. Frankly, one of the limitations of Twitter is that I don’t have the character count to preface every sentence with a big “I think that…” It’s all my own opinion based on my own interpretations. And the endgame of my thinking is nothing more or less than the fanfic I post to Ao3.

I take your point that fandoms do tend to focus more on male characters for various reasons; these range from internal biases to the way that they’re presented within media to begin with. This isn’t to say that this analytical and interpretive work isn’t being done for the women in the game (or not-yet-in-game—Columbina and Arlecchino are just as fascinating as Dottore and Pantalone; call it my Harbinger favoritism). I don’t want to do a disservice to the people who write about them by saying that no one does; the fanworks about them are out there even if they’re less popular.

At the end of the day, I’m just a tired queer overanalyzing fictional men because I want to write different ways to get them to kiss. I try to be thoughtful about it and treat them with nuance; I know I don’t always succeed in doing so. But this is a hobby for me.

So much of my life is politicized; so much of my day-to-day is spent advocating for myself and others like me to be able to claim space. Just because I share thoughts and theories about Dottore and Pantalone on the TL in no way means I see women as less deserving of analysis. That’s the furthest thing from my truth. But the ships I write are the current focus of my posts.

I’m sorry that this is a really long and probably not super satisfying answer.