On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[zecorezecron]

I'm just not sure why Shiro would even want to race internationally. She doesn't care about fame, and she's probably going to be raking in plenty of money with Japanese races.

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More long races that she has a better chance of getting the winner's purse. I think it was mentioned earlier in story that the Arabian races have huge prize pools.

 

[MARch Of Time]

The funniest legacy I idly imagined today at work is Shirogane running an extra-long Stayer race and her extra stompy heavy metallic boots dig into the track super deep. Then she wins it so many times that her footsteps have physically carved a graded ditch along the rail from just running the same way every single time with her "Sledgehammers for legs"

After like the 5th year it becomes a tradition and they stop repairing the track, leave the carved depression in the track as a 'terrain feature' or something and then move the actual racecourse to a different length. The 'Silver Circle' or the 'Eagle's Flight' or whatever is the central monument in the racecourse because no Uma ever so dominated a track for a decade straight

 

[bucketbot129]

Not gonna lie I was kinda disappointed when the last chapter had them donning their G1 for practice but then we didn't have the pay off.

Shirogane has a very good chance to win the 1998 Yushun Himba, because the fillies that year are very weak at longer distances compared to the colts. The top 12 places at the 1998 Japanese Derby, on the same track and similar date and conditions, all finished faster than the winner of the 1998 Yushun Himba. She would probably have a harder time winning the 1999 Spring Tenno Sho because Special Week and Mejiro Bright are just that strong, both finishing within 1 second of the record previously set in 1997 by Mayano Top Gun.

The fillies are competitive at 2000m and below. Egao o Misete wins the 1999 Yomiuri Milers Cup (1600m), beating Matikanefukukitaru and Symboli Sword; Phalaenopsis gets 2nd at the 1999 Sapporo Kinen (2000m), 1/2 length behind Seiun Sky, but only gets 8th at the 1999 Arima Kinen (2500m) while being the fastest mare.

Shirogane would really show off her unflappable consistency and utter lack of race fatigue if she won the Himba on 5/31/1998, then came back the next week on 6/7/1998 and finished the Derby with the same splits and total time.

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Yeah the author has mentioned a few times both in story and comments the weakness of the tiaras. If you're right with your times, Shiro very likely wins the Himba which I long suspected the two ornament wearer gets one of each and Himba and Kikuka were the ones. Not quite a true great without a third but still a standout achievement.

At that point with the military uniform and insane racing presence if people learn from an interview she's got the Empress at her residence frequently being an excellent senpai even not as an official title people will be joking about the Imperial Scion.

 

[ndh]

races in Poland

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Polish races

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Poland didn't get a graded horse race until 2023, so she its unlikely she would race there thought that, being said, her racing in the Wielka Warszawska the race that got graded though it being in last week of September, may make possible as a third year option as the Kobe Shimbun Hai is that week in Japan.

 

[Jostev]

Poland didn't get a graded horse race until 2023, so she its unlikely she would race there thought that, being said, her racing in the Wielka Warszawska the race that got graded though it being in last week of September, may make possible as a third year option as the Kobe Shimbun Hai is that week in Japan.

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I originally had 'Polish Races' in quotation marks to highlight how vague the phrase was, but decided to remove them because I was worried it may come across as disrespectful or dismissive to Poland/Polish races


Besides The Great Warsaw Race which you mentioned, there's also the Warsaw Derby, neither of which Shirogane has any reason to participate in (especially the derby). The only real reason Shirogane would have to run in a Polish race is either for sentimental reasons or to strengthen a public association between her and Poland (so grade and prize pool matter a lot less), and both 'motives' are out of character. For example, she would not need to use the race as a pretext to visit her grandparents, as she is straightforward enough to simply visit her grandparents. Put plainly, I don't think Shirogane will run internationally much due to the opportunity cost, and I don't see her racing in Poland outside of Omakes.


Basically, my point was more that it seemed like the person I was responding to thought that either Shirogane wanted to achieve decisive victories in Japan in the hopes that doing so would convince Polish race officials to invite her to Polish races, or Wrandmwaffles was planning to have Polish race officials invite her, and she needed a good performance in the triple crowns and tiaras to make it believable, both of which are unlikely.

 

[AngstyAceAnon]

Not to sound like a bitch to those who have forgotten but Shiro IS A WARHORSE. Her umamusume brain is not geared towards racing. It is not really fair to expect her to truly put her all into something If it's not really life and death. Especially with the actual war memories she does has of being the soldier. [If any of that does trigger, I'm pretty sure she's gonna get disqualified, not win. ]

This type of story can actually work. Have some faith. Please? Tropes can be subverted and it might not be something everybody's gonna like and that's okay.

 

[Jomasten]

Not to sound like a bitch to those who have forgotten but Shiro IS A WARHORSE. Her umamusume brain is not geared towards racing. It is not really fair to expect her to truly put her all into something If it's not really life and death. Especially with the actual war memories she does has of being the soldier. [If any of that does trigger, I'm pretty sure she's gonna get disqualified, not win. ]

This type of story can actually work. Have some faith. Please? Tropes can be subverted and it might not be something everybody's gonna like and that's okay.

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Are you the co-author? Because unless you are, I don't think you really have the right to control expectations like that.

 

[Neo3932156]

Not to sound like a bitch to those who have forgotten but Shiro IS A WARHORSE. Her umamusume brain is not geared towards racing. It is not really fair to expect her to truly put her all into something If it's not really life and death. Especially with the actual war memories she does has of being the soldier. [If any of that does trigger, I'm pretty sure she's gonna get disqualified, not win. ]

This type of story can actually work. Have some faith. Please? Tropes can be subverted and it might not be something everybody's gonna like and that's okay.

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Wrong, she's an Uma Musume, from the Uma Musume series. All of them are born to love racing in general even if, and for this fic particularly, they're not really suited to it. Even Shirogane is not immune and acknowledge her body racing inclination, she's just not putting it to a top personal priority like the rest of her peers. She's only in this gig for the dollar sign and paid-for education.

 

[AngstyAceAnon]

Are you the co-author? Because unless you are, I don't think you really have the right to control expectations like that.

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Ah fuck what'd I do wrong??? The war horse angle is really interesting to me.

 

[AngstyAceAnon]

Wrong, she's an Uma Musume, from the Uma Musume series. All of them are born to love racing in general even if, and for this fic particularly, they're not really suited to it. Even Shirogane is not immune and acknowledge her body racing inclination, she's just not putting it to a top personal priority like the rest of her peers. She's only in this gig for the dollar sign and paid-for education.

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I mean that Shiro is an umamusume of a war horse? I thought born to "love racing" was japanese perception of umas that "if given the chance, all umas would take it." You know, actuality, it's more akin to running. The reason I thought so was that Shiro polish grandfather was shocked that she took racing on because his sister wouldn't have done it. Then, again strong possibility that you're right and It really was just ability that's preventing 'war umas'.

What i'm trying to say is that. I don't think it's racing... i can't put my finger on it. But it's not racing that's getting Shiro excited?? It's something that racing is giving her that is almost like it, but it's not what she's actually wanting.If that makes sense?? It's close. it's close enough that she's enjoying her time racing.

 

[heralding_bubble]

What i'm trying to say is that. I don't think it's racing... i can't put my finger on it. But it's not racing that's getting Shiro excited?? It's something that racing is giving her that is almost like it, but it's not what she's actually wanting.If that makes sense?? It's close. it's close enough that she's enjoying her time racing.

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Flying?

 

[AngstyAceAnon]

Flying?

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there might be something more to it, but that does sound like 90% of the answer. Thank you very much.
So it's individualistic reason, not her Uma brain. Unless the Uma brain is feeding into the desire to fly?

 

[Impstar]

The author has stated that Shiro does not have a love of racing. She has a love of running. She doesn't particularly care if that involves racing or not.

 

[Jostev]

What i'm trying to say is that. I don't think it's racing... i can't put my finger on it. But it's not racing that's getting Shiro excited?? It's something that racing is giving her that is almost like it, but it's not what she's actually wanting.If that makes sense??

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I get what you're trying to say, and totally agree. The first time Shirogane runs in the story (after being bribed with being taught how to cook), you can really tell that it isn't the competition that's exciting her, it's the act of running- to the point that she sees her 'competitor' as an obstacle in the way of her running rather than something to be surpassed. In every race where we have her perspective, it further reinforces the fact that while she is trying to win, her attitude towards racing is actually rather ambivalent. This also extends to her training: when running with Silence Suzuka, she is perfectly happy to run behind her without competing/trying to overtake, as Suzuka prefers. As Impstar said, her passion is running not racing, and it shows.


As some others have said much earlier in the thread, Shirogane's relative ambivalence is a major selling point for the story (though naturally, that isn't a universal opinion). Regarding this, there are two main routes for the story to take: either Shirogane changes as a person and becomes more passionate for racing, or she doesn't. Personally, I'm hoping for the latter. For one thing, Shirogane doesn't really need to change. She's happy as who she is, and is already getting everything she wants out of racing without changing- in other words, she has no real motive to to change. For another, Shirogane remaining who she is would be much more faithful to the source material. Every horse is someone's favorite, and part of the reason for that is the distinct personalities each one has. In careers, your trainee will grow as a person, but they're still fundamentally the same person, with the same interests and passions. In Hishi Akebono's career, one of the major plot points is Akebono deciding not to change her running style against doctor recommendations for this reason. King Halo's career is all about her showing she is more than her mother's daughter, eventually deciding to focus on short distances even if it risks disappointing her mother's fans. Even in the carreers where you're managing/reigning in a more eccentric personality (e.g. Matikanefukukitaru, Sakura Bakushin O, etc.), the primary focus is on reigning them in or encouraging them, not changing their personalities, passions, or goals (Matikanefukukitaru still does her fortune telling and divinations, but learns to have self confidence while not over relying on divinations/Shiraoki. Sakura Bakushin O still aspires to longer distance races, but still runs in her distinctive all out style).


Some people may argue that Shirogane needs to change because having her remain unimpassioned towards racing would indicate a lack of growth or would be boring, but I disagree strongly. I think it's much more interesting if throughout the story, Shirogane's top priority remains family. There's a lot of interesting things that could be done with things as they are (for example, Shirogane beginning to focus too heavily on money and needing a reminder that she's only trying to earn money for her family's sake, or her classmates coming to realize how different her mentality is from theirs and learning to accept her, etc.), but on a fundamental level, I don't think this story has the foundation built for Shirogane conforming into a more conventional uma, the story has given no indication of heading that way, and is fundamentally much better for it.


With all that said, I'm confident that even if the author did decide to write Shirogane changing to be more passionate about racing/competition (though I don't think it's necessary or likely), it would be done in a well written and interesting manner that remains faithful to the character they have created. In other words, WrandmWaffles has shown themselves to be a skilled writer, and I am looking forward to whatever they have planned for the story, no matter what it may be.

 

[zecorezecron]

But it's not racing that's getting Shiro excited?? It's something that racing is giving her that is almost like it, but it's not what she's actually wanting.If that makes sense??

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Prize money.

 

[Winged One]

The opening cutscene I saw said Umas are born to run. Racing is just how they commercialize the fuck out of it and we follow professional athletes following their dreams of dedicating their lives to running instead of just doing it on the side.