A Mix of Black and White

Writers don't have to be careful about too many things.  We say what we want in public and ask ridiculous questions in the name of research, we take pictures of people without their consent and have notebooks filled with the effects of neurotoxic snake venom.  But one area in which we must exercise caution is the area of creating characters.
It's a temptation to make characters either completely good or completely evil.  Let's take Lukas--he's a multilingual genius and expert swordfighter, with the spiritual gifts of discernment and prophecy.  He loves pretty much anyone who's not trying to kill him.  I found myself wondering, is there anything this guy can't do?
See, if a person in real life is good at everything, we tend to hate them.  Why?  Because they're perfect.  We can't relate to them because we have flaws, and characters are the same way.  In fact, we love fictional characters because of their flaws.
On the other hand, it's entirely too easy to paint villains as pure evil.  While creating Konar, I was tempted to make him an evil maniac who's constantly about to murder somebody.  I forced myself to step back, give him a sinful smile, and see what else I could do to make him relatable.  And also frightening.  He's gotta be frightening.
Lukas has his drawbacks.  Unless he's one-on-one with somebody, he has practically zero social skills.  He needs time alone, although he hates being lonely, and there's a fine line between the two.  He's more likely to punch a hole in the wall than admit he's afraid.  And Konar has his good points--he's charismatic, a strong leader, and can be quite charming when he wants to be.
If you were a fictional character, people would love you because of your weaknesses.  Keep that in mind as you go throughout your day.  What sorts of weaknesses would you love to see in a fictional character?  I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!  God bless you, and have a wonderful day!