So, I've recently begun writing a novel where the general concept is as follows: due to a paranormal phenomenon of unknown origin known as Tulpa Phenomenon, humans and mythical entities (which include: gods, legendary creatures, folk heroes/demigods, urban legends, and cryptids) are able to bond and interact with one another in ways unlike anything seen before. Humans capable of using the Tulpa Phenonmenon are known as "Incarnates," while those who they bond with are known as their "Familiars." The two share one body that houses their two individual souls, and the two thus switch who has control of the body at any given time, with the one not in control serving as a sort of "inner guide/imaginary friend" to the one in control of the body. This unique phenomenon has led to many advancements in society, but, there are just as many problems. Beyond discrimination and stigma towards Incarnates due to the constant worry of who the god next door might be, the main concern hanging over everyone's head are Wraiths, eldritch monsters also connected to the Tulpa Phenomenon and Familiars capable of using their powers wantonly, and often cause mass destruction in the process. Though many militaries against many countries have tried, Wraiths just can't be killed by conventional means due to their nature, and thus, a new organization known as "Pantheon" was formed to eradicate the Wraiths while simultaneously researching the Tulpa Phenomenon. All, however, is not as it seems, and as our main characters find out, this organization, as well as others, all have a dark secret which links everything together. (Also, if this sounds like an anime, it is: I got inspired by Dislyte and Kaiju No. 8)
So, that's the synopsis, now onto the main thing. The main character, Alden Cannon, is a 20-year-old guy who's "alive on the outside but dead on the inside." He's weary with the world, and though he says he's content with things, he's really just lost all interest in changing them due to feeling like he can't. He's the type of person who goes through the motions of things with a sort of smile you can see through, and while they seem happy, you can tell that there's a slimmer of sadness beneath their mask. Because of this feeling of lostness, I decided to make his Familiar Xolotl, which fits to me because Xolotl's role in this story is that he's meant to be the opposite of Alden, "dead on the outside but alive on the inside." Despite his appearance as a anthropomorphic skeleton hellhound and fearsome lightning abilities, he's quite the emotional person who cares for those closest too him, while still holding a menacing edge to put people in their place.
My question to you is this: what are some things I should consider when portraying Xolotl in this story, especially when it comes to personality and design? I plan on giving Xolotl some traits synonymous with tricksters in mythology (such as charisma, cunning, etc.) since this, from what I understand at least, seems to be the role he fills in the mythos, though I plan on doing more research on him to get a better understanding of his role. Also, the reason for his emotionality is because of this from Wikipedia: "His empty eye sockets are explained in the legend of Teotihuacan, in which the gods decided to sacrifice themselves for the newly created sun. Xolotl withdrew from this sacrifice and wept so much his eyes fell out of their sockets." I sorta took this to mean that he was sad about his own cowardice, and had a pretty volatile emotional state, hence his emotionality.
