They're Apophysis renders that are blended with the main render. It's actually pretty tricky to get the hang of, I had to make 15 Photoshop layers because I applied the image a whole stack.
I use Photoshop CS2, I'm not quite sure what you mean by Flares.
BTW, nope, my other Forum name 'Bholt' is engraved in the Okami one. Better luck next time.
Play Donkey Kong 64, after that you won't mind the color.
Anyway I don't make Signatures as much as I used to so I decided to browse through my Photobucket and find my best... Well at least I think it's my best, god I was a Graphics Douche: