Abilities Overview

Preface
Abilities are often one of the things that sets individuals apart, giving everyone a distinctive flair and helping to contribute to their unique identity. Most characters end up with one or two abilities that are in many cases unique to them, and these are certainly one of the things that make them recognizable, and often memorable -- one would be hard pressed to forget of powers such as Yakumo Yukari's manipulation of Boundaries or Sakuya Izayoi's ability to stop time.

Classifiying abilities, however, is not necessarily as simple or straightforward as assigning each character something that they control, nor is it a simple case of everyone doing "magic", just in slightly different ways from each other. Several different things could classify as an "ability" - ranging from something as simple as great skill with a sword, to something as complex as bending reality to one's whims.

The most notable distinction to be made, is between natural and supernatural abilities. The former would be things such as martial arts, swordsmanship, basket weaving, etc, while the latter covers all abilities that can be said to be "magical" in nature (including Magic itself as a unique power). Finally, abilities intrinsically linked to a concept are considered to be in their own category entirely.

There is also a special category for abilities which are "intrinsic" in nature - these cover "attributes" (such as many youkai having enhanced physical capabilities), and "passive" abilities (like Hourai'in immortality).

There may, in some cases, be a degree of overlap between these categories (As an example, most conceptual youkai only have a single, intrinsic ability, namely: Having the conceptual ability: "Manipulation of ") but for simplicity's sake, we only consider the power-as-expressed for categorization purposes.

Skills
"Skills" are essentially the results of training, as most commonly seen. These are potentially the most common "powers" that people may have, as anyone can, in theory, begin practicing just about anything and develop a greater degree of proficiency in whatever they may be practicing. In theory, the list of possible skill is non-exhaustive, as just about anything can be practiced to the point of being considered a "skill".

Note that skills do not encompass things such as "magic" -- this section mostly pertains to things such as swordsmanship, dexterity and perhaps, gun-slinging. Skills in general are "learnt" after some practice or study, with the degree of mastery rising in proportion to the time spent on it.

Examples


 * Youmu's Swordsmanship.
 * Alice's incredible dexterity.

Intrinsic Abilities
Intrinsic abilities, as a category, encompass those powers or perks that characters have purely as a result of who/what they are. They can range from being rather mundane, to incredibly powerful, and in general terms, cannot be gained through training or study, although it may be possible to gain them via certain means, such as having them bestowed by a higher power, or fundamentally altering one's basic nature. As a result, these abilities are less likely to belong to individuals, and more likely to belong to entire categories of beings (for instance, all Vampires have greatly enhanced strength and speed, purely by virtue of being vampires), although exceptions do exist (such as Reimu having the ability to "float" - which is the result of her position's link with the great barrier).

Examples


 * A Hourai Elixir drinker's Immortality.
 * Yuugi's strength.

Note: Intrisic Abilities can be "To have " (Such as the case with Plant Youkai often having some degree of control over plants). In this case, however, the ability is 'NOT listed as intrinsic, but rather as whatever other category it might fall into.

Supernatural Abilities
The basis for all supernatural abilities could be said to be "magic", and indeed, supernatural abilities are all magical or spiritual in nature. Like the comparatively simpler skills, it is possible to gain and develop these types of abilities through training, study, and cultivation, but the process is often far longer and more difficult - a few decades of study can make one a master of martial arts, but it could take a lifetime to develop, let alone master, a supernatural power, unless one has a natural predisposition towards it (like almost all Youkai), or some special talent (like many human magicians).

Examples


 * Reimu's Onmyoudo.
 * Mokou's control of fire.

Partial Conceptual Abilities
In certain rare cases, supernatural powers tend to overlap with, or at least function much like, conceptual abilities. These powers, and those that posess them, could be said to have a certain "affinity" for the given concept they affect, or are in some other way linked to it. As a rule of thumb, though, it is incredibly difficult to develop such a power, and it almost always relies on a delicate balance of intrinsic nature and natural talent, although incredibly gifted and experienced magicians may be able to, at least temporarily, achieve such powers via certain spells.

Essentially, these are supernatural abilities that replicate conceptual phenomena.

Examples


 * Utsuho's Manipulation of Nuclear Fusion and Fission
 * Remilia's Ability to affect Fate

Note: For classification, these are still considered "supernatural" abilities.

Conceptual Abilities
The pinnacle of supernatural power - to the point where they can no longer be said to be "supernatural abilities" at all. Whereas supernatural powers are rooted in magical knowledge or spiritual attainment, conceptual powers operate on/via the concepts themselves. They cannot be acquired through training or study, and cannot be "developed" as such (although one's understanding of their own power and its uses can grow with time) - as a rule, the only way to gain such a power is to be born with it, although in rare cases, sufficiently powerful individuals or forces may be able to grant such power to individuals.

Examples


 * Yukari's Manipulation of Boundaries
 * Nue's Manipulation of the Unknown