Post by Esdeath on May 9, 2017 1:25:38 GMT
Hello, Ishtarian fam! Thank you all for your patience with the release of this week's KYU. I won't begin to explain what in the world's been going on that delayed it so much because it would sound like I'm just making excuses. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much spare time to study waifus. We have a lot to cover, so let's get started!
Last week, we covered the background of the game's title character, Ishtar. That information can be found here (ad-free mirror here). This week, we'll be looking at the Ishtarian unit and how it ties into that mythology. There are currently 7 different Ishtars (still no P7) commemorating a variety of events.
In-Game Description
Original
To her, the meaning of Life is Love, and nothing but. It is said her infinite love is able to quell even the strongest of hate or sorrows. But those who somehow still manage to refuse her love must face the wrath of her furious love. 'Love you to death' never had a stronger meaning.
This is the first Ishtar we had the pleasure of meeting. Back when she was first released, she was a great unit and you saved your medals so you could get her +2. She hasn't aged well at all. Now that all players get a free 7* unit, most players probably don't even try to get her. That aside, let's look at that description.
If it isn't abundantly clear, Ishtar loves love and expects you to love her love lovingly. She borders on yandere, demanding that you love her forever or face certain death. Given the impulsive and violent nature of Ishtar from the tales we looked at last week, this fits right in. It particularly resonates with the tale of Gilgamesh, who only survived her wrath because of his superhuman strength, and his friend, too.
Christmas
The Goddess of Love has... fallen in love! Yes, even the most holy of powers was smitten so hard that she's more than happy with spending eternity in the innocent warmth of her lover... Who on Earth could have her head over heels?
Again fixated on love, Christmas Ishtar is described as being in a committed relationship with the Knight (as per the quotes). Nobody told the Knight he's in this relationship, so I guess that makes Ishtar a stalker and a sexual predator. Even so, being in her favor has served us well so far, preventing us from dying many times over.
Valentine's Day
His eyes on my skin. The sound of him calling my name. His hand in mine as we walk through town... Be still, my heart. I want to hold you so close... But... I-I'm doing all I can to not... rush into this. All of me... loves all of you.
This one's somewhat strange. We already know from the mythological background of Ishtar as well as her 2 other prior versions that Ishtar is not a shy lady in regards to sexuality. In fact, she borders on degenerate with how freely she uses her body, so why is she so timid all of a sudden?
Swimsuit
Even the Goddess of Love knows that Paradise is the place to go for your summer get away. It just so happens that her best friend is the queen of that small summer island. When Ishtar arrived the queen had but one request. "Watch the island while I'm away." Ishtar had another idea...
This one is one of the richest descriptions of Ishtar the game has to offer and is definitely the most in-depth at this point in time. Although it doesn't directly reveal any new traits about Ishtar (it does solidify that this Ishtar is impulsive just like in the source material), it reveals her relationships to other deities. The queen of the island, Atra, is her best friend. What's so special about that, you ask? It was in the Epic of Atrahasis tells the story of Noah's Ark as if it originated in that culture. Just as Noah found after the flood, so did Atrahasis, an island in his case. That island is the island Ishtar is "watching" over. We'll get into this more when we cover the Tales of History for this unit.
Idol
Do you have any idea how much I love you!? Why won't you love me back!? TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!? Oh... Now I get it... It makes perfect sense... Don't worry! I will destroy all that come in the way of our eternal love...
Idol Ishtar's description focuses entirely on the Yandere aspect of her character, and it seems as though all the other ladies that the Knight is involved with have finally caught her attention, and they're all about to die a horrible death. Sorry, Ishtarian waifu. You'll be missed dearly.
New Years
Ishtar reflects on another passionate year. A year full of all different forms of love. For love surpasses time and space - it has no boundaries. Whether it be the love of a young couple, or the love radiated from the blooming flowers, it cannot be contained. She hopes that this new year will be as lovely as the last.
Because Ishtar is the goddess of love, her times of reflection will undoubtedly focus on love, past and future. For some odd reason, the description gives me a Mirai Nikki feel if it's read as a new year being a truly new beginning. I can totally see Ishtar creating a new world to live in it with that world's Knight until his death, then creating a new one to repeat the process indefinitely. I might be looking too much into it (I am), but it's just an observation.
Remix
Let us erase all who rob love from others.
Let us erase all who reject feelings of love.
Let us erase all who are scared of love.
Kill... KILL! Put them out of their misery. For only then will we be able to live in a world filled with nothing but love.
Idol Ishtar was successful in annihilating all of the Knight's ladies, but her awakened bloodlust wasn't satisfied. Now that those women are out of her way, she must destroy anyone who doesn't want her to essentially rule the world.
Images
Original
The original Ishtar has a good amount of symbolism, all of which pertains to the description. She's wearing a white dress with black ribbons around her waist. White is the symbol of purity, and her love is pure (insanity). Because black is the symbol of corruption, her belt refers to the impurity of her character. While she is the goddess of love, this chick is nuts and will destroy you if you reject her advances. The ratio of black to white is a sign of her priorities. Love all things, destroy what doesn't love you back, but loving all things is the top priority. Her violent insanity is only a small fraction of who she is (in this form). The jewelry about her waist follows the same symbolic train of thought as the sash belt, only adding to the elegance of her looks. It's important because she's known as she 'lady of the gods'. Red, the color of passion, is perfect for her eyes since passion is her passion. More importantly, her hair is exactly the right shade of blue that a goddess should have.
Her evolved form is more on the seductive side, sporting a black lingerie set tied together by a bow presumably made from her old dress, which has been reduced to nothing more than an open skirt held together by metal rings on her hips. These rings are crucial to the outfit. They hold the skirt on her body, provide a tying point for her black ribbons, and hold her bottom piece in place. No longer pretending to be a lady but revealing her identity of a seductress, she has taken up her crown and scepter to rule her land in a lovingly violent way. In this form, she also has angel wings, because that makes sense, right? (it doesn't)
Christmas
Christmas Ishtar takes on a Santa Claus theme like many Christmas units. Her clothes are reminiscent of a Christmas caroling outfit (the easiest example to think of is in Christmas with the Kranks), although it's tighter and shorter than what a normal caroler would wear. She's retained some of her traits from her original card, such as those red eyes and that perfect blue hair. Her black ribbons have been replaced with red ribbons containing the same white stripes. They've given her a tan to make her look less like a specter and more like a living person. This is a trait that carries over to all other cards with the exception of the Remix. Evolved, she takes up her scepter again and again slips into lingerie for the "gift" of fanservice. She's got a bell tied around her neck, Somewhat similar to Christmas Vodyanoy.
Valentine's Day
V-Day Ishtar is seen in an elegant yet low-cut dress that is marked with similar symbols to those found on Christmas Ishtar's outfit. These become a common site on this and future Ishtars. The striped bows return in the form of a scarf wrapped around her neck and tied in a bow in the back. This one is purple and gold, the colors of royalty. As with the evolved original, there are also bows attached to her dress at the hips. If you look closely, she's holding a gift bag behind her back, presumably filled with the chocolate she plans to give her lover later on in the date. As for her evolved form, I'll let you observe for yourself since it's overkill on the fanservice to the point that young eyes need not look. What I will say is that, like the original, she finds a way to keep her key items in their place even the clothing it was attached to is gone.
Swimsuit
Swimsuit Ishtar offered a (deceptively) nonsexual change in pace, pretending to be an innocent young lady in a cover-up. The cover-up has some of the iconic symbols seen on her Christmas and Valentine's version. She has a barely visible red bow tied either in her hair or on the choker around her neck. The hair accessory seen in the evolved Valentine's unit makes a comeback as well. We also see another common theme that started with the Christmas version's evolved form: Victorian-esque ruffled sleeves. Evolved, the cover-up is removed, revealing a school-girl swimsuit fitted to her figure. The inner tube she's riding on has the same ring configuration as her Valentine's Day dress. She has borrowed the theme of flowers in this version just like so many other summer units like Ampelus and Beatrice.
Idol
Idol Ishtar is a throwback to the evolved original, sporting a variant of the same lingerie, the same scepter and crown, and angel wings. In addition to the items from the original, she's wearing purple arm-length gloves that match her ribbons. A small detail difference is the material of the furniture on her clothes. The original's accessories were made of silver, while these are made of gold. This gives her the theme of royalty once more. Evolved, she reaches her awakened world-destroying state with her outfit having an emphasis on feathers. She's about to kill the world dead, and she's going to do it with that adorable psychotic smile on her face that only Yanderes have.
New Year's
This is the least sexual of all the Ishtars, showing her in the modest garb of a Shrine Maiden. Still blushing her typical kawaii blush, she reminds us that she's still the character we've been looking at so far. There are just things to do to prepare for the coming year, and you can't do that if you're spending all your time with your lover, can you? If you love this unit enough to go for the +2, you'll get an Ishtar who's in a different role at the festival. Instead of a ceremonial garment, she's wearing a festive kimono, meaning that she's now a bystander. Her complexion has passed kawaii at Ross point and is probably more indicative of an illness likely brought on by exposure to the elements (i.e. being naked most of the time).
Remix
Remixed Ishtar brings back a feature from the original that we haven't seen since. Her skin is back to being a pasty white usually reserved for the dead. Other than that, this version is essentially the Idol edition drawn in a different situation and in a different style.
Skills of Note
Passive Skill: Ashen's Grace- This is a reference to Ashen (Asherah), the "mother goddess". Why this skill is on the Valentine's version is a mystery.
Multi Skill: Liebestraume's Malice- Keeping in mind that this skill is unique to the Idol Ishtar, Liebestraume is German for "Dreams of Love", the name of a skill associated with Ishtar. This one is malicious because Idol Ishtar is the Yandere that'll destroy your waifus to keep those love dreams happening with her.
Rush Skill: Rage of the Heavens- 3 words: Bull of Heaven
Passive Skill: Neith's Aid- Neith is an Egyptian god of war. Considering that polytheistic religions blend over time, it would make sense for the gods of those religions to have each other's backs, right?
Passive Skill: Grace of Anat- Yet another god(dess) of war being invoked in Ishtar's cards, you'd think Ishtar was a war goddess or something (she is).
Passive Skill: Ashtaroth's Authority- Ashtaroth is the Great Duke of Hell, most likely a close friend of Remix Ishtar since she's giving him so many customers (by killing them).
Bonus
Imgur gave me this little gem when I was uploading the images. The longer you observe, the funnier it gets.
Announcement
This KYU taught me something. Doing these every week isn't going to work. When I released the first one, I suggested that they be weekly or bi-weekly, but weekly has been leading in increasingly lower quality posts. That in mind, and with the increasing workload at work, I will have to start doing these bi-weekly. Don't be sad though, fam. This is a good thing! Why?
-Better posts
-Deeper detail
-Room for expansion
It may sound like excuses right now, but it's something I've been contemplating a lot lately. This is for the best.
Last week, we covered the background of the game's title character, Ishtar. That information can be found here (ad-free mirror here). This week, we'll be looking at the Ishtarian unit and how it ties into that mythology. There are currently 7 different Ishtars (still no P7) commemorating a variety of events.
In-Game Description
Original
To her, the meaning of Life is Love, and nothing but. It is said her infinite love is able to quell even the strongest of hate or sorrows. But those who somehow still manage to refuse her love must face the wrath of her furious love. 'Love you to death' never had a stronger meaning.
This is the first Ishtar we had the pleasure of meeting. Back when she was first released, she was a great unit and you saved your medals so you could get her +2. She hasn't aged well at all. Now that all players get a free 7* unit, most players probably don't even try to get her. That aside, let's look at that description.
If it isn't abundantly clear, Ishtar loves love and expects you to love her love lovingly. She borders on yandere, demanding that you love her forever or face certain death. Given the impulsive and violent nature of Ishtar from the tales we looked at last week, this fits right in. It particularly resonates with the tale of Gilgamesh, who only survived her wrath because of his superhuman strength, and his friend, too.
Christmas
The Goddess of Love has... fallen in love! Yes, even the most holy of powers was smitten so hard that she's more than happy with spending eternity in the innocent warmth of her lover... Who on Earth could have her head over heels?
Again fixated on love, Christmas Ishtar is described as being in a committed relationship with the Knight (as per the quotes). Nobody told the Knight he's in this relationship, so I guess that makes Ishtar a stalker and a sexual predator. Even so, being in her favor has served us well so far, preventing us from dying many times over.
Valentine's Day
His eyes on my skin. The sound of him calling my name. His hand in mine as we walk through town... Be still, my heart. I want to hold you so close... But... I-I'm doing all I can to not... rush into this. All of me... loves all of you.
This one's somewhat strange. We already know from the mythological background of Ishtar as well as her 2 other prior versions that Ishtar is not a shy lady in regards to sexuality. In fact, she borders on degenerate with how freely she uses her body, so why is she so timid all of a sudden?
Swimsuit
Even the Goddess of Love knows that Paradise is the place to go for your summer get away. It just so happens that her best friend is the queen of that small summer island. When Ishtar arrived the queen had but one request. "Watch the island while I'm away." Ishtar had another idea...
This one is one of the richest descriptions of Ishtar the game has to offer and is definitely the most in-depth at this point in time. Although it doesn't directly reveal any new traits about Ishtar (it does solidify that this Ishtar is impulsive just like in the source material), it reveals her relationships to other deities. The queen of the island, Atra, is her best friend. What's so special about that, you ask? It was in the Epic of Atrahasis tells the story of Noah's Ark as if it originated in that culture. Just as Noah found after the flood, so did Atrahasis, an island in his case. That island is the island Ishtar is "watching" over. We'll get into this more when we cover the Tales of History for this unit.
Idol
Do you have any idea how much I love you!? Why won't you love me back!? TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!? Oh... Now I get it... It makes perfect sense... Don't worry! I will destroy all that come in the way of our eternal love...
Idol Ishtar's description focuses entirely on the Yandere aspect of her character, and it seems as though all the other ladies that the Knight is involved with have finally caught her attention, and they're all about to die a horrible death. Sorry, Ishtarian waifu. You'll be missed dearly.
New Years
Ishtar reflects on another passionate year. A year full of all different forms of love. For love surpasses time and space - it has no boundaries. Whether it be the love of a young couple, or the love radiated from the blooming flowers, it cannot be contained. She hopes that this new year will be as lovely as the last.
Because Ishtar is the goddess of love, her times of reflection will undoubtedly focus on love, past and future. For some odd reason, the description gives me a Mirai Nikki feel if it's read as a new year being a truly new beginning. I can totally see Ishtar creating a new world to live in it with that world's Knight until his death, then creating a new one to repeat the process indefinitely. I might be looking too much into it (I am), but it's just an observation.
Remix
Let us erase all who rob love from others.
Let us erase all who reject feelings of love.
Let us erase all who are scared of love.
Kill... KILL! Put them out of their misery. For only then will we be able to live in a world filled with nothing but love.
Idol Ishtar was successful in annihilating all of the Knight's ladies, but her awakened bloodlust wasn't satisfied. Now that those women are out of her way, she must destroy anyone who doesn't want her to essentially rule the world.
Images
Original
The original Ishtar has a good amount of symbolism, all of which pertains to the description. She's wearing a white dress with black ribbons around her waist. White is the symbol of purity, and her love is pure (insanity). Because black is the symbol of corruption, her belt refers to the impurity of her character. While she is the goddess of love, this chick is nuts and will destroy you if you reject her advances. The ratio of black to white is a sign of her priorities. Love all things, destroy what doesn't love you back, but loving all things is the top priority. Her violent insanity is only a small fraction of who she is (in this form). The jewelry about her waist follows the same symbolic train of thought as the sash belt, only adding to the elegance of her looks. It's important because she's known as she 'lady of the gods'. Red, the color of passion, is perfect for her eyes since passion is her passion. More importantly, her hair is exactly the right shade of blue that a goddess should have.
Her evolved form is more on the seductive side, sporting a black lingerie set tied together by a bow presumably made from her old dress, which has been reduced to nothing more than an open skirt held together by metal rings on her hips. These rings are crucial to the outfit. They hold the skirt on her body, provide a tying point for her black ribbons, and hold her bottom piece in place. No longer pretending to be a lady but revealing her identity of a seductress, she has taken up her crown and scepter to rule her land in a lovingly violent way. In this form, she also has angel wings, because that makes sense, right? (it doesn't)
Christmas
Christmas Ishtar takes on a Santa Claus theme like many Christmas units. Her clothes are reminiscent of a Christmas caroling outfit (the easiest example to think of is in Christmas with the Kranks), although it's tighter and shorter than what a normal caroler would wear. She's retained some of her traits from her original card, such as those red eyes and that perfect blue hair. Her black ribbons have been replaced with red ribbons containing the same white stripes. They've given her a tan to make her look less like a specter and more like a living person. This is a trait that carries over to all other cards with the exception of the Remix. Evolved, she takes up her scepter again and again slips into lingerie for the "gift" of fanservice. She's got a bell tied around her neck, Somewhat similar to Christmas Vodyanoy.
Valentine's Day
V-Day Ishtar is seen in an elegant yet low-cut dress that is marked with similar symbols to those found on Christmas Ishtar's outfit. These become a common site on this and future Ishtars. The striped bows return in the form of a scarf wrapped around her neck and tied in a bow in the back. This one is purple and gold, the colors of royalty. As with the evolved original, there are also bows attached to her dress at the hips. If you look closely, she's holding a gift bag behind her back, presumably filled with the chocolate she plans to give her lover later on in the date. As for her evolved form, I'll let you observe for yourself since it's overkill on the fanservice to the point that young eyes need not look. What I will say is that, like the original, she finds a way to keep her key items in their place even the clothing it was attached to is gone.
Swimsuit
Swimsuit Ishtar offered a (deceptively) nonsexual change in pace, pretending to be an innocent young lady in a cover-up. The cover-up has some of the iconic symbols seen on her Christmas and Valentine's version. She has a barely visible red bow tied either in her hair or on the choker around her neck. The hair accessory seen in the evolved Valentine's unit makes a comeback as well. We also see another common theme that started with the Christmas version's evolved form: Victorian-esque ruffled sleeves. Evolved, the cover-up is removed, revealing a school-girl swimsuit fitted to her figure. The inner tube she's riding on has the same ring configuration as her Valentine's Day dress. She has borrowed the theme of flowers in this version just like so many other summer units like Ampelus and Beatrice.
Idol
Idol Ishtar is a throwback to the evolved original, sporting a variant of the same lingerie, the same scepter and crown, and angel wings. In addition to the items from the original, she's wearing purple arm-length gloves that match her ribbons. A small detail difference is the material of the furniture on her clothes. The original's accessories were made of silver, while these are made of gold. This gives her the theme of royalty once more. Evolved, she reaches her awakened world-destroying state with her outfit having an emphasis on feathers. She's about to kill the world dead, and she's going to do it with that adorable psychotic smile on her face that only Yanderes have.
New Year's
This is the least sexual of all the Ishtars, showing her in the modest garb of a Shrine Maiden. Still blushing her typical kawaii blush, she reminds us that she's still the character we've been looking at so far. There are just things to do to prepare for the coming year, and you can't do that if you're spending all your time with your lover, can you? If you love this unit enough to go for the +2, you'll get an Ishtar who's in a different role at the festival. Instead of a ceremonial garment, she's wearing a festive kimono, meaning that she's now a bystander. Her complexion has passed kawaii at Ross point and is probably more indicative of an illness likely brought on by exposure to the elements (i.e. being naked most of the time).
Remix
Remixed Ishtar brings back a feature from the original that we haven't seen since. Her skin is back to being a pasty white usually reserved for the dead. Other than that, this version is essentially the Idol edition drawn in a different situation and in a different style.
Skills of Note
Passive Skill: Ashen's Grace- This is a reference to Ashen (Asherah), the "mother goddess". Why this skill is on the Valentine's version is a mystery.
Multi Skill: Liebestraume's Malice- Keeping in mind that this skill is unique to the Idol Ishtar, Liebestraume is German for "Dreams of Love", the name of a skill associated with Ishtar. This one is malicious because Idol Ishtar is the Yandere that'll destroy your waifus to keep those love dreams happening with her.
Rush Skill: Rage of the Heavens- 3 words: Bull of Heaven
Passive Skill: Neith's Aid- Neith is an Egyptian god of war. Considering that polytheistic religions blend over time, it would make sense for the gods of those religions to have each other's backs, right?
Passive Skill: Grace of Anat- Yet another god(dess) of war being invoked in Ishtar's cards, you'd think Ishtar was a war goddess or something (she is).
Passive Skill: Ashtaroth's Authority- Ashtaroth is the Great Duke of Hell, most likely a close friend of Remix Ishtar since she's giving him so many customers (by killing them).
Bonus
Imgur gave me this little gem when I was uploading the images. The longer you observe, the funnier it gets.
Announcement
This KYU taught me something. Doing these every week isn't going to work. When I released the first one, I suggested that they be weekly or bi-weekly, but weekly has been leading in increasingly lower quality posts. That in mind, and with the increasing workload at work, I will have to start doing these bi-weekly. Don't be sad though, fam. This is a good thing! Why?
-Better posts
-Deeper detail
-Room for expansion
It may sound like excuses right now, but it's something I've been contemplating a lot lately. This is for the best.