On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[Greatazuredragon]

Awesome chapter, thanks for update.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

This seems like one of the most unusual recruitments any Tracen trainer has had. Most Umas would jump at an opportunity to get scouted for the most famous racing school in the country, and Shirogane is having to be convinced.

 

[Kept12345]

Is there a picture of how Shirogane looks like?

 

[Acerer]

"In part, the scholarships I mentioned are in hopes of finding a runner like Oguri Cap, or Tamamo Cross."

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Nice story, what year will Shiro be racing in? Since Tamamo and Oguri are mentioned, I assume they have moved on from Twinkle to Dream Cup and it's currently Teio's generation. But by the time she trains and gets to race, it would probably be a few more years down the line due to her age. Maybe Biwa or Brian's generation. Though having the similar small but genki Mayano Top Gun as a rival would be fun. She even has a pilot dad which would be a funny scene when Tanya's love of flying crops up and Mayano misinterprets that as her gunning for her dad.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

One of the patrons suddenly busted a gut.
"Oh! Haha! Little Shiro's mad!"
In another location
"Look at her smile. Didnt reach her eyes. Haha!"
At the station
"I've never thought I'd see her embarrassed."

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Shirogane: "Why is this a thing?? Why?!"

For her G1 outfit, I could see her wearing the uniform of a winged hussar.

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The wings would probably not be allowed. Wearing armor would probably also not be very practical for a race. Though she can apparently have a sword, since a couple umas have them. Taiki Shuttle has a freaking revolver for some reason.

Also, I liked the little sign of PTSD with the thunder storm, it humanizes her that she was not uneffected by the war

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Thunder makes her twitchy, but not spooked. Kind of like a police horse hearing gunshots.

This seems like one of the most unusual recruitments any Tracen trainer has had. Most Umas would jump at an opportunity to get scouted for the most famous racing school in the country, and Shirogane is having to be convinced.

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Most people around her are interpreting her hesitation with not wanting to put a financial burden on her parents. Because she does intense physical training and runs so much, not to mention they typical stereotype of umamusume, it's rather difficult for most people to wrap their heads around the fact she is not actually obsessed with racing and finding other ways to go about it due to it being out of her reach financially.

Is there a picture of how Shirogane looks like?

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I don't exactly have artwork commissioned for her, but Shirogane looks vaguely similar to a Stay Gold sized Gold Ship with redder eyes. She also has a couple white streaks in her mostly gray hair.

Spoiler: Goldshi no hat

Shirogane is also quite muscular in contrast to most other umamusume her size.

 

[FilthyDegen07]

I don't think Shiro is prepared for Goldshi

 

[gralrj]

​

Hideo blinked as the wind hit him. That was some serious acceleration on that girl. If he saw her again he might have to check if she was speeding…which felt a bit crazy to say about a middle school filly carrying a pack about two thirds her size, but it might have to happen.

Something told him that she'd be running right at the speed limit.

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Her movements were practiced and smooth. So smooth that her pack did not bounce at all with her motion.

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The only thing we're missing here to get Initial U are the up- and downhill deliveries.

 

[Acerer]

For her G1 outfit, I could see her wearing the uniform of a winged hussar. Now I don't quite remember everything I learned when I last looked into them, but one of the reasons for their wooden wings was to scare other horses. Which very much fits her vibe. Also it would get her running compared to flying

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The bigger question is, for her non G1 racing outfit which is a gym attire, does she get bloomers or shorts. Cause its based on the real horse being male or female and Shiro here was both.

 

[manatherindrell]

The bigger question is, for her non G1 racing outfit which is a gym attire, does she get bloomers or shorts. Cause its based on the real horse being male or female and Shiro here was both.

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One side has the bloomer cut and the other side has a shorts leg. Everybody thinks it's ugly, but the idea of her wearing anything else is unthinkable for some reason.

 

[FluffyVoid]

Shiro needs her own boss music theme song for when she makes a name for herself.

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Shirogane will be so perplexed when she properly twigs on that she'll be expected to sing and dance.

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Maybe isn't of the typical umamusume song she would suddenly belt out a heavy metal song.

View: https://youtu.be/tMDFv5m18Pw?si=r7NFaRlixsjkqLbi

 

[WastelandWendigo]

The wings would probably not be allowed. Wearing armor would probably also not be very practical for a race. Though she can apparently have a sword, since a couple umas have them. Taiki Shuttle has a freaking revolver for some reason.

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Well Tan-shiro would definitely be willing to arm herself when charging into battle!

But instead of full on armor she could instead use an outfit inspired by the hussars.

After a quick search I could imagine a stylish cropped jacket in silver with bronze accents over a black top. Add an animal pelt over the shoulder or some fur along the collar and cuffs if you want to really get fancy.

Embroider those iconic wings on the back of it (arranged to form a heart if you want to add some cute factor ) for a unique and striking look!

Then maybe even pair it with white leggings and bright red shoes (to reference her mixed ancestry as both Polish and Japanese )

I'm sure that even just someone mentioning the Hussars as a possible inspiration in story would get the Uma-stylists to go nuts with the design.

 

[The Unicorn]

Can someone provide a summary or explanation for the crossover setting? I'm familiar with YJ and Tanya (and good job on giving them a new name for the third life), but this is the first I've heard of the crossover.

I've managed to figure it's a setting where there are some bipedal horse-girls who are a small percentage of the population, and no actual horses...but no idea about the specific characters...

 

[manatherindrell]

Can someone provide a summary or explanation for the crossover setting? I'm familiar with YJ and Tanya (and good job on giving them a new name for the third life), but this is the first I've heard of the crossover.

I've managed to figure it's a setting where there are some bipedal horse-girls who are a small percentage of the population, and no actual horses...but no idea about the specific characters...

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I can try and do some bigger characters later, but the tldr for the setting is this.

It's an alternate earth that mostly shares our own history except that horses are horse girls instead. These horse girls are reincarnations of IRL horses from our world. The characters that show up in the main franchise are all horsegirl versions of IRL racehorses, mostly Japanese, and their in-setting careers usually mirror their IRL careers quite closely.

Horsegirl racing is a huge sport, eclipsing how we treat soccer by miles. For example, national-level races can have crowds of 150,000 spectators.

 

[Mentos]

Taiki Shuttle has a freaking revolver for some reason.

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It's extremely culturally insensitive to deprive an American of their firearm.

I wonder what would appeal more to her now for a signature racewear a militar one like Symboli Rudolf, a suit like a salaryman or a restaurant uniform with the name on the chest.

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NASCAR jumpsuit, corporate sponsorships ahoy! Just rock up to the starting gate with HOOTERS across her chest.
Jokes aside, I suspect she'll get talked out of that one, and get something that isn't a billboard.

While Shigeru would admit to feeling a thrill at the thought of his daughter competing, perhaps winning at a national level, he had never quite been able to pin down if her expressed disinterest in racing was due to genuine disinterest, or if it was because she felt uncomfortable voicing a financially unfeasible course of action.

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I do hope they sit down and talk about this before she goes. Not necessarily on screen, but even just alluding to a sit down about this with a "You don't have to if you really don't want to" would be good.

 

[BorBludfyr]

Maybe isn't of the typical umamusume song she would suddenly belt out a heavy metal song.

View: https://youtu.be/tMDFv5m18Pw?si=r7NFaRlixsjkqLbi

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She should sing Primo Victoria by Sabaton.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

She should sing Primo Victoria by Sabaton.

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That song actually hasn't been written yet at this point in time. (Also are some of Sabaton Umas?)

She'll probably sing a Polish song so it's less obvious if she messes up.

 

[manatherindrell]

As another example of how big Uma racing is in this world, Tracen Academy has multiple full-size tracks, swimming pools, concert venues, and any other features you could expect from a world-class institution, likely occupying somewhere between 50 and a hundred acres, and it's located inside Tokyo.

 

[Stranger1950]

Can someone provide a summary or explanation for the crossover setting? I'm familiar with YJ and Tanya (and good job on giving them a new name for the third life), but this is the first I've heard of the crossover.

I've managed to figure it's a setting where there are some bipedal horse-girls who are a small percentage of the population, and no actual horses...but no idea about the specific characters...

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There is actually more to the whole horse girls things. Uma at the surface looks like a funny cute horse idol game, but in reality is a sports/historical drama. A lot of the girls in the game are designed based on their actual irl traits/achievements, which are fun to spot on. In the game, you play as a trainer that is dedicated to training a specific Uma to achieve their dream by planning out their training routine and ensure they mentally + physically healthy. Said dreams can go from wanting to race because they can (Oguri Cap), to getting closer to their Oshi (Agnes Digital) or trying to find the reincarnated version of their irl Jockey (Neo Universe). However, while trying to achieve their dreams, Umas tend to go through several issues that can range from physical, to mental, to supernatural. Usually, those issues are solved thanks to their help of the Umas trainers and their friends/rivals.

As for character, Uma at the moment has tons of characters, but the most relevant ones are:

Symboli Rudolf: Triple Crown Winner (a series of three races that has a large amount of prestige and can only be attempted once) and 7 G1 (the highest grade race) record holder. Eternal student council president, personafied version of dad jokes, and is generally very wholesome (yet overworked).

Air Groove: Japanese Oaks winner (one of the races for the Triple Tiara, the Triple Crown version for Mares) and the school strict mom. Would definitely be incredibly fussy when she sees Shirogane overworked like Rudolf.

Then there is Shirogane/ Tanya possible rivals:

Special Week: Country bumpkin who wants to make both her dead mother and adopted human mother proud. Sweet, naive, and a glutton, basically she is like your typical shonen protag. The anime plays up her relationship with Silent Suzuka (another famous Uma with a tragic end), while the game tend to focus more on her relationship with ther direct rivals. She also got the nickname Special Chud due to her irl version hating mares and hating chestnut horses. Her most famous achivement is winning the Japanese Derby (usually stated as the hardest Triple Crown race) and the Japan Cup (winning against the Uma who won the Grand Le Prix, a famous French race, which resulted in her being nicknamed the Supreme Commander of Japan).

Silent Suzuka: A quiet awkward yet sweet girl. She race to see the emphemereal view from the lead and she had a pretty good race record. Although she is rather spacey and introverted, the fandom likes to portray her as clingey due to her irl trait. Her irl version also died a pretty tragic death during a race and the game usually reference this by her breaking her legs mid race.

Grass Wonder: An american Uma who is obsessed with Japan and wants to be a Yamato Nadeshiko. Underneat the a gentle exterior lies a pretty strong will who would do anything to win (not to the point of cheating though). Fandom meme her as a weaboo and having a crush on Special Week due to an irl incident where Special Week was hating on Grass Wonder (chestnut horse) and Grass Wonder having a boner at seeing Special Week. Her famous achivement is winning multiple all star races (Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen)

El Condor Pasa: Another american Uma who is obsessed with being a wrestler and wanting to be the strongest racer in the world. Wears a domino mask to hide her insecurities and under the mask, she looks pretty cute (albeit somewhat generic). Almost won the French grand le prix and won the Japan Cup.

Seuin Sky: Very chill Uma who pretends that nothing matters, but secretly tries hard and tries her best to prepare for her races. Outside of her sly personality, she acts like a lazy cat and would prefer to sleep or fish whenever she can. Tend to be shipped with Nishino Flower (due to their irl relationship) and memed being cucked (some Umas breeding with Nishino family until 4 generational levels). A double crown winner and could have gotten the triple crown if it wasn't for Special Week winning the Derby.

King Halo: A seemingly haughty Uma who always claims she is first rate, but underneath it lies a pretty sweet girl who helps those who need it and got a lot of mommy issues. People usually consider her a nepo baby due to her strong lineage and quietly mock her for unable to reach her true potential. However, she never gave up and eventually managed to win a G1 race.

Tsurumaru Tsunoyoshi: An energetic and friendly Uma. Her irl version is a son of Symboli Rudolf and due to that admire the Uma version a lot. She is a good racer, but her poor health resulted in her missing a lot of races which is kind of a tragedy.

Mejiro Bright: A total airhead and very chill Uma who cannot be fazed by anything at all. She is essentially the last truly relevant Mejiro Uma before the family fully declined into irrelevency. She tends to be criticized from having a slow pace (due to her very chill nature), but she has a pretty good core and never give up attitude. However, while she did rather well career wise, she got overshadowed by her rivals.

Stay Gold: A short hobo like Uma that likes to travel around and act like a generally wise person. Her irl version is a total menace thought that did a lot of funny things like biting Special Week tail and suddenly stopping in front of NTR (Narita Top Road). Her irl descendants are also a bunch of successful but weird horses, with said descendants being Gold Ship (6 G1 winner and famous weirdo), Dream Journey (complete psycopath), Orfevre (Triple Crown winner and constantly aura farming), Nakayama Festa (gambling obssessed delinquent) and Fenomeno (intimidating looking Uma but is the most normal one). Stay Gold herself lost a lot of races, but managed to have an amazing final race, winning a G1 race in Hong Kong (which was rare at the time).

So yeah, outside of Silent Suzuka, these are the Umas that Shirogane/Tanya will most likely race against.

 

[Mentos]

As another example of how big Uma racing is in this world, Tracen Academy has multiple full-size tracks, swimming pools, concert venues, and any other features you could expect from a world-class institution, likely occupying somewhere between 50 and a hundred acres, and it's located inside Tokyo.

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One of the few negatives is that Tracen's mental health program consists of a hollowed-out stump you yell into.

 

[manatherindrell]

One of the few negatives is that Tracen's mental health program consists of a hollowed-out stump you yell into.

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That's still one more hollowed-out stump for yelling into than any school I've ever attended.

 

[Zweibach]

At least they have a mental health program. Low bar but one they pass nonetheless.