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!