There are a couple that I have on the brain!

1. Childe will get a new transformation. Since Childe's strength and skill has constantly increased over the course of the story, it's only a matter of time until he gets an entirely new transformation altogether. I have my own personal vision as to how that transformation will most likely look, but since it ties into larger theories I'll have to keep that tidbit to myself lol. In any case, maybe if we'll lucky, that potential new version of him could even end up being a playable unit...who knows.

2. Skirk will acknowledge Childe's strength and deem him worthy. This particular one is both a prediction and a wish, one that I've had for years. In Childe's voice line about Skirk, he mentions how he hopes that he can get her to use both of her hands to beat him someday (implying she only ever had to use one). Ever since then, I had an ongoing prediction that we'll eventually get an on-screen spar between Skirk and Childe, where Skirk is forced to use both hands during the fight. Not only would it be a wonderful and exciting indication of Childe's growth, but it would also positively impact the dynamic of their relationship.

3. Teucer will witness the Foul Legacy Transformation. Childe's act I story quest served as massive foundation for his future character development as well as heavy foreshadowing for his future role in the story, but it also set the course for the relationship development between Childe and his family, especially Teucer.

The majority of Childe's story quest entailed "protecting" Teucer from the true, darker nature of his position as a Harbinger, by playing the role of a "toy salesman". He goes to great lengths to prevent Teucer from learning the truth, and it eventually ends with consequences for Childe himself, injured heavily from having to undergo a second transformation...while still recovering from his previous transformation during the events of the Liyue archon quest.

There were strong implications sprinkled throughout the story quest that Childe wouldn't be able to hide the truth forever; even the consequences of his actions delivered via the narrative appear to reflect this. Childe's ideal to protect childhood dreams and innocence -- especially Teucer's in particular -- is only a temporary solution to prolong the inevitable. The story quest even teases us, in a way, by creating the scene where Teucer turns around, only to find broken ruin guards, while Childe had already quickly hidden himself where his little brother couldn't find him.

But Teucer uncovering the truth, either by accident or by Childe's own admission, wouldn't be a bad thing. In fact, it'd be a step in Childe's own development, while also strengthening the bond between him and Teucer even further. After all, there are significant, blatant parallels drawn between Childe's Foul Legacy transformation and "Mr. Cyclops", Teucer's beloved toy. He'd love Childe's transformation, that much is clear; he'd get those starry eyes just like in his official art. And my prediction within a prediction is that Childe would not expect a reaction like that at all. Going by Childe's behavior and his determination to hide it, he presumably thinks Teucer would most likely be afraid...and doesn't want to risk finding out the reaction. He most likely assumes that his little brother would no longer idolize him after learning the full truth. Getting that opposite, positive reaction however, will show Childe that he can be a bit more honest around the ones he loves, without the fear of losing them completely. In other words, he'll have the opportunity to experience the beauty and warmth of unconditional love.

1. Childe will play a significant role in saving Teyvat. This one's a bit of a loaded prediction and I won't go very deep into all of my reasons for this since it connects to certain major theories, but there are about 100,000 reasons as to why I'm absolutely convinced of this and just sitting back waiting for it to happen. What I will say, though, is that this ties back into my previous statement about Childe's act I story quest, and the heavy foreshadowing it contains about Childe's future role. Outside of the factory, Childe and Teucer had a brief conversation:

Teucer: "Brother...someone was saying that Mr. Cyclops is a killing machine..."

Childe: "Were they, now? What a silly thing for them to say...And you shouldn't go repeating it either, Teucer, you're far too young to be talking about such violent topics."

Teucer: "Yeah, I knew that they were lying anyways. Mr. Cyclops is here to defeat the bad guys and protect the world. He's my favorite toy!"

Note how Teucer's belief is that Mr. Cyclops will "protect the world" (What's even more hilarious about this blatant foreshadowing is that several months ago, we received an announcement that Childe's Foul Legacy would be getting a real-life purchasable action figure. As in Foul Legacy is becoming a toy. That's so fitting that I could scream. I did scream). Between Childe's hero coding, the implications of his story quest, and the curious foreshadowing delivered through various parts of Fontaine, it's definitely safe to predict that he'll play an integral role in saving Teyvat...that is if the planet isn't already lost.

1. Childe will have a second boss fight. This one's due to the implications of Childe's voice lines, as well as his line to the Traveler in his act I story quest. Many of his voice lines advise the Traveler to stay alive, because they can't exactly fight him in a "battle to the death" if they're dead. Then there's the SQ line, where he says, "Let's not forget our promise, now. Let's have a rematch when we get the chance. This time, with my honor as a Harbinger on the line."

I imagine that this potential boss fight would also lead to a shift in the Traveler and Childe's relationship, though the way in which it would change isn't something I can presently envision with clarity, since it'd be highly dependent on the circumstances surrounding the boss fight.

And that's about it! Technically. I have more than that but I'll save those lol. Hope these predictions give you something to brainrot about :) that is if you're not already brainrotting about all of these things.

Oh this is so hard...

And you're right, there's so many things I love about his character that it's impossible to pick just one aspect. I just love him in his entirety 😭 but I'll do my best to explain.

Childe falls into a character archetype that I've always enjoyed, the character that appears innocent and is far from it. He's constantly underestimated due to his age and innocuous appearance, whilst actually being extremely formidable. That's just one of the things that makes him so entertaining to watch.

The second thing — and maybe this is my absolute favorite thing about him, who knows — is that Childe constantly subverts expectations. Just when you think you understand him...you realize that you got something wrong. He's written to be unpredictable, and that unpredictability is executed extremely well in the story, from the very beginning that he's introduced. That unpredictability, paired with his paradoxical nature, makes him an exceedingly human character.

In fact, Childe is so human that it hurts, and that makes his self-dehumanization all the more painful. He's one of the most human characters in the cast.

The way I see it is this: Childe is a messy bundle of flaws, in the most beautiful and natural way possible. Someone who claims he wants to be feared but hates being distrusted, whose fierce loyalty puts both himself and others in danger. He has his own ideals and sense of justice, and has ended up in a position that directly conflicts with those principles. But even while in such an environment, he still does his utmost to adhere to those principles, as much as the situation allows for it. And all of these contradictions and more make up who he is, and serve as proof of his humanity, because humanity is not just about the good; it's about the flaws, the weaknesses, the mistakes and regrets. All of these things can be found in Childe's character, in both small and glaring ways.

And it's amazing, really, how Childe is caught between two worlds, successfully representing both the extraordinary and the mundane, darkness and light. He encountered the incomprehensible in the Abyss, is implied to have witnessed the fate of the world, wields an otherworldly power that even he does not understand, and for unknown reasons can awaken all manner of monsters with his presence alone...but it isn't all he is. On top of being a harbinger, a soldier, a wielder of Abyssal powers, the eye of the storm — he's also a loving, protective older brother. He loves cooking, he loves fishing and using it as an opportunity to reflect and meditate, he's a dancer and performer.

And as an ending note, I'd like to add that his character theme, Letter From Ajax, depicts the nature of his character and his many masks perfectly. Beneath the bravado, that electric guitar, the drums, the chants, is just the persistent looping of a gentle piano tune, even until the very end. Throughout the chaos, battles and bloodshed, that tune stays strong. And I think that captures his essence beautifully.

I hope I explained this well 🙏🏾 and I'm sorry it took so long to answer. I had a lot going on and I was like "How the heck am I gonna answer this in a coherent fashion bc I love him too much" but hopefully this answer was worth the wait!

Yes! A friend of mine and I always end up discovering new small details from the earliest parts of the story, and the level of foreshadowing that goes into building Childe's arc as well as the story of Genshin as a whole is staggering. I don't think people realize just how much they already planned ahead of time. Every detail matters, even the most seemingly unimportant ones that are written off as excess dialogue.

As for how things will play out for Childe in the future, I've always considered him the most capable of shaping his own destiny and breaking free from fate.

I'd mentioned this before in the past, but Childe is strongly associated with "destiny", and fate and destiny aren't necessarily interchangeable. In fact, they're slightly different concepts of predetermined futures. Destiny is a future that can be changed based on the decisions and actions you make, while fate is set in stone, even for the gods. It's quite possible that HYV is taking advantage of the slight differences between fate and destiny for Genshin's story and Childe's character.

Also, back during the 4.2 patch, I pointed out a significant parallel between Childe and Furina, and that's the "endless performance"

(Found here: https://twitter.com/BananaMilkBunni/status/1723082616075645332?t=tIIroLdqFbThs_wJME57DA&s=19)

One of Childe's boss themes is titled "Never-ending Performance", and his passive talent is even called "never-ending", and I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that they used the phrasing "endless performance" for Furina. For that reason, along with other evidence, I think it's safe to say that Childe's "never-ending performance" will be instrumental in saving Teyvat.

Also, it's wonderful to hear that Childe is your comfort character! :) He's certainly mine, too (though I suppose I make that obvious daily lol). I can't say too much atm, but you can look forward to some great things from our favorite character! There's lots in store.

Most difficult question I've ever been asked bc I love them all 😭

The wolf and the fox fit him extremely well from a thematic standpoint, but I also love the many lore implications that come with his narwhal associations. I suppose if I had to rank them, it'd be:

1. Fox (too dear to my heart at this point)
2. Narwhal
3. Redcrown Finch
4. Wolf
5. Duck

Honestly, I know they'd never do it, but I'd give anything for a Childe-themed Redcrown Finch plushie...but that's my plushie obsession talking. I'd seriously buy it.

Maybe if the Redcrown Finch thing gets popular enough an artist will make it 😂 that'd be so cool to see. There's already been artists that make their own versions of Fox Childe as plushies, so who knows.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Not because it's impossible for it to happen, though.

My personal belief is that Childe should not be defined according to whether he'll have a tragic ending or not. There are far more fascinating aspects of Childe's character to explore, and focusing on the potential death of his character only takes away from what makes him a wonderful character.

I can say, however, that I hope Childe does make it to the end. Not simply because I love his character, but because generally speaking, I do not enjoy character arcs in which a character suffers and isn't given an opportunity at happiness. There's enough negativity in the world as is, and I prefer fiction with hopeful narratives, stories that tell the audience, "Happiness is within reach."

It's what we need, now more than ever.

Since he's already experienced pretty much everything else in act one (belly of the whale, meeting the shadow self, descent into the Abyss, etc), I'd say that Childe is at least approaching the midpoint.

Following the Liyue archon quest, he's been "wandering" so to speak, on his own personal journey, similar to the Traveler. He's been everywhere except Sumeru (which I have my own personal theory about) so far, and there's only one region left between our current one and Snezhnaya. Act two will certainly kick into gear in Snezhnaya, and that will be...huge. And that's an understatement. There will be some incredibly significant reveals.

This is probably gonna be a biased response because I love how unique Childe's eyes are, but I don't think they'll ever change them from dark to light. They're just such a significant and defining part of his character.

But that part of the 4.1 cutscene is definitely interesting for sure. It makes me think a lot about the implications of his encounter with the narwhal and how it changed him in the past, as well as how the second encounter may have impacted him. He's quite literally Childe's constellation...makes me think about the various discussions surrounding the connection between Childe's constellation and his fate. What it means for his constellation to be a creature from outside of Teyvat.

Just kinda thinking aloud here, but I just really think that glow in Childe's eyes, that reflection of the primordial sea with its colors of the universe, is way, way more significant than people may think. Especially since there's so many unanswered questions about him.