Farrows Guide to Flares
Flares are a special power that people in the world of Beruna acquire as they develop. When a child experiences their first identity-shaping surge of emotion, of an ideal or state of mind or sense of being, they create a bond with that moment.That untapped surge of raw energy courses through their entire body and changes them. It creates a bond with the exact moment the feeling flared up, and whenever one is linked to that moment, they can harness this power. If a person has a Flare that's tied to a feeling of Fear, the more terrified they feel, the stronger their Flare becomes, and vice versa. Flares can only affect things that have bodies and brains, things that are living. As such, a Flare could never destroy non-living matter like rock or stone, but it could make someone strong enough to destroy it themselves. It is possible for individuals with strong enough personalities to have multiple Flares, and it is even possible to entirely lose ones Flare and gain a different one as they mature.
Flares are put into categories for simplicity's sake. Many Flares have attributes from multiple categories, and are categorized based on the category they receive the largest number of benefits from. These categories are Detachable, Elemental Manipulation, Power Enhancers, Body Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Nullifying Flares, Sensory Flares and Erratic Flares.
Detachable- Any Flare that creates a power, shape, essence or item that can detach from its user and keep its strength is considered a Detachable Flare. Whether the Flare can be controlled remotely, acts based on patterns and instincts or is inert until specific conditions are met is entirely based on the Flare in question. When dealing with a foe with a Detachable Flare, fast fights are preferred, as the longer the fight drags on, the more likely they are to overwhelm you with a volume of things to keep track of.
Elemental Manipulation- Any Flare that lets one create, manipulate, resist and/or destroy elements freely is considered an Elemental Manipulation Flare. Typically tied to a singular element like fire, water or lightning, these Flares tend to have High destructive power. On rare occasion, a Flare may allow the manipulation of multiple elements, When dealing with a foe with an Elemental Flare it is best to focus on avoidance to assess the situation first, then engage them at the optimal range. If it is a close range Elemental Flare, dealing with them from range can nullify their Flare. When dealing with a mid-long range Elemental Flare, your best bet is to find a window to get in close and take them down in hand to hand combat where they can't utilize their blasts. Targets with both close and long distance should be considered extremely dangerous and dealt with extreme caution.
Power Enhancers- Any Flare that enhances ones physical capabilities, such as speed, strength, perception, durability and agility is considered a Power Enhancer. Power enhancing Flares are almost uniformly internal and close range, but the different types of boosts they provide can lead to a large type of fighting styles to be cautious for. As such, when dealing a Foe with a Power enhancer, your best bet is to identify what types of boosts it provides and react appropriately to capitalize on their weak points. One that boosts strength should be relatively safe to deal with at a distance, whereas a speed enhancing Flare is best dealt by capitalizing on their increased speed to land an attack at an unexpected time when their attacks leave them ill prepared to dodge. Durability based Flares require patience and quickly identifying their weak points, whether it's an unprotected body part like the eye, or by attacking the Flare itself to weaken their defenses enough to punch through it. As a side note, the Worry Flare I possess would be categorized as this rather than a Sensory Flare, because it enhances my physical capabilities and my ability to perceive my surroundings, rather than giving me an extra sensory ability.
Body Manipulation- Any Flare that allows its user to change the shape, composition, physiology or characteristics of their body is considered a Body Manipulation. These Flares have an almost impossibly wide scope for what they can do, and are one of the hardest Flares to properly identify the exact capabilities of. What may appear as simple limb stretching can turn out to be rubberizing, and what may appear to be extra limbs can also include limb regeneration and/or weaponizing said limbs. As such, when dealing with a Foe with a Body Flare, information is crucial. If you go into a fight with a body manipulator blind, your chances of creating a successful attack plan are drastically decreased due to the strange qualities they tend to have. If forced into a fight with no information, observing your foe is your best bet. Since it's not likely you'll identify the exact properties of their power, you should instead focus on the emotion the Flare is tied to and attempt to disrupt it.
Detachable- Any Flare that creates a power, shape, essence or item that can detach from its user and keep its strength is considered a Detachable Flare. Whether the Flare can be controlled remotely, acts based on patterns and instincts or is inert until specific conditions are met is entirely based on the Flare in question. When dealing with a foe with a Detachable Flare, fast fights are preferred, as the longer the fight drags on, the more likely they are to overwhelm you with a volume of things to keep track of.
Elemental Manipulation- Any Flare that lets one create, manipulate, resist and/or destroy elements freely is considered an Elemental Manipulation Flare. Typically tied to a singular element like fire, water or lightning, these Flares tend to have High destructive power. On rare occasion, a Flare may allow the manipulation of multiple elements, When dealing with a foe with an Elemental Flare it is best to focus on avoidance to assess the situation first, then engage them at the optimal range. If it is a close range Elemental Flare, dealing with them from range can nullify their Flare. When dealing with a mid-long range Elemental Flare, your best bet is to find a window to get in close and take them down in hand to hand combat where they can't utilize their blasts. Targets with both close and long distance should be considered extremely dangerous and dealt with extreme caution.
Power Enhancers- Any Flare that enhances ones physical capabilities, such as speed, strength, perception, durability and agility is considered a Power Enhancer. Power enhancing Flares are almost uniformly internal and close range, but the different types of boosts they provide can lead to a large type of fighting styles to be cautious for. As such, when dealing a Foe with a Power enhancer, your best bet is to identify what types of boosts it provides and react appropriately to capitalize on their weak points. One that boosts strength should be relatively safe to deal with at a distance, whereas a speed enhancing Flare is best dealt by capitalizing on their increased speed to land an attack at an unexpected time when their attacks leave them ill prepared to dodge. Durability based Flares require patience and quickly identifying their weak points, whether it's an unprotected body part like the eye, or by attacking the Flare itself to weaken their defenses enough to punch through it. As a side note, the Worry Flare I possess would be categorized as this rather than a Sensory Flare, because it enhances my physical capabilities and my ability to perceive my surroundings, rather than giving me an extra sensory ability.
Body Manipulation- Any Flare that allows its user to change the shape, composition, physiology or characteristics of their body is considered a Body Manipulation. These Flares have an almost impossibly wide scope for what they can do, and are one of the hardest Flares to properly identify the exact capabilities of. What may appear as simple limb stretching can turn out to be rubberizing, and what may appear to be extra limbs can also include limb regeneration and/or weaponizing said limbs. As such, when dealing with a Foe with a Body Flare, information is crucial. If you go into a fight with a body manipulator blind, your chances of creating a successful attack plan are drastically decreased due to the strange qualities they tend to have. If forced into a fight with no information, observing your foe is your best bet. Since it's not likely you'll identify the exact properties of their power, you should instead focus on the emotion the Flare is tied to and attempt to disrupt it.