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On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

Reader mode
Okay, what if Tanya convinces herself she has no racing talent, quits, and gets job as a camera uma. Every race she hauls a heavy camera on her shoulder and runs on the inside to the track, keeping her heavy equipment focused on the lead uma of that particular race while somewhat keeping up with her.

All day. Every day. Each and every race from morning till dusk.

Eventually someone notices and she becomes an instant media sensation and an internet darling.
 
Thank you for the chapter!

WrandmWaffles said:
Over the course of her brief tenure at Tracen so fair,
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Is this supposed to be "far" instead of "fair"?

WrandmWaffles said:
You and a host of other well-wishers, it seems. Many of them probably cared because her success would make them look good,
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WrandmWaffles said:
It made it more difficult to stomach her inferior talent.
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WrandmWaffles said:
"I will make sure not to disappoint you."
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I can see Shirogane pushing herself too far because of multiple failures. Especially since she's in a situation where she was given this opportunity vs getting in through her own merit.

I wonder if some bitter umas are going to comment on this. Something along the lines of "why couldn't I have gotten in instead of her?"
 
It's kind of sad that the teacher takes Shirogane winning as the time to end the race training. Sure, it's an accurate indicator that the other girls are so tired it is affecting their performance, but it also tells Shirogane the teacher knows she can't win without the competition being handicapped by exhaustion.
 
Mythantor said:
I wonder if Shirogane will be able to just flat out sprint for longer which could be a real tangible benefit of her massive stamina.
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It would also have the nasty side effect of causing other Umas to panic and start sprinting too early to keep up, leading to more racers running out of Stamina.
 
Dissimilate said:
Thank you for the chapter! I really am looking forward to seeing how Shiro finally figures out how to overcome her limits.
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I think that would be the part where inheritence and the 3 godesses comes to part that and the power of friendship (Shirogane would be so confused seeing that is an actually valid power up jeje).
 
WrandmWaffles said:
You've been doing these high intensity intervals for like an hour and a half, isn't it about time to start winding down, at least?"
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...90 minutes of repeated sprint.
When a sprint race usually lasts under 5.

Tanyorse: "I'm not managing to increase my top speed; am I really that untalented?"
Kiseki: "That's a monster, I literally cannot believe my eyes?!"
 
It makes sense, but it's interesting that Shirogane is seemingly somewhat bored by standard racing, as opposed to the more chaotic and mentally-challenging deliveries and street-running (not racing) that she's used to. Yet another point for Shiro performing better under worse conditions, along with showing how she really isn't the standard race horse. Hoping she finds a way to get the mental enrichment she clearly wants and needs.
WrandmWaffles said:
"I…don't think you were supposed to get those emails, but there's nothing stopping you from looking at those posters…" Sensei paused for a moment.
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I'm confused here. I get how Shirogane saw the posters, but how did she get emails she apparently wasn't supposed to get? Is someone intentionally including her in them for some reason, or was there some sort of weird accident? I'm not sure what the point of this little bit of the exchange is, and why it's included rather than just discussing the posters and talking with Tojou-san
 
I wonder if shiro will try and petition for more non standard racing? 10km Obstacle course? Maybe she could try organise some street racing? All start and end at the same areas but the racer decides the route. Know the place and you can cut the distance and avoid delays.
 
Uma Bi/Triathlons would be fun to watch. Shirogane would be good at the rifle bits, naturally.

shikamarurulez1 said:
I want her to win a race and have the "idol" song just be something from Sabaton. Did they do a song about Poland?
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I haven't watched the anime, but in the game it seemed like the idol bits have like, specific songs tied to specific races? There wasn't any choice in the winning lives. I wonder if that's different in the anime? Would give the character songs a good reason to exist.
 
uioor1 said:
It makes sense, but it's interesting that Shirogane is seemingly somewhat bored by standard racing, as opposed to the more chaotic and mentally-challenging deliveries and street-running (not racing) that she's used to. Yet another point for Shiro performing better under worse conditions, along with showing how she really isn't the standard race horse. Hoping she finds a way to get the mental enrichment she clearly wants and needs.

I'm confused here. I get how Shirogane saw the posters, but how did she get emails she apparently wasn't supposed to get? Is someone intentionally including her in them for some reason, or was there some sort of weird accident? I'm not sure what the point of this little bit of the exchange is, and why it's included rather than just discussing the posters and talking with Tojou-san
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The Emails may be have been forwarded by her Trainer. Remember her Trainers team has a lot of the student council etc on it so she might just be forwarding relevant staff emails to her team.
 
Mentos said:
Uma Bi/Triathlons would be fun to watch. Shirogane would be good at the rifle bits, naturally.


I haven't watched the anime, but in the game it seemed like the idol bits have like, specific songs tied to specific races? There wasn't any choice in the winning lives. I wonder if that's different in the anime? Would give the character songs a good reason to exist.
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Oguri cap does get to select her dance in the anime but only in regional races which ended with only her dancing and considering that if it was by choice of the winner that would mean every contestant has to practice for every other contestant songs it's probably tied to specific races since the other option is practicing for 18 different songs
 
🤔

A thought occurs.

If uma exist as distinct breeds in this setting (ie, draft horses being a thing), then what are the odds that Tanya is a warhorse or something approximating one to the point that a inside observer couldnt tell the difference?

I'm no expert on the subject, but my understanding is that warhorses were bred for, among other things, incredible stamina and being hard to spook. Raw speed mattered less than being able to carry a knight or heavy equipment over long distances, and being steady enough not to freak out because an artillery shell went off next to them or someone started yelling and waving a sword in front of its face.

Not to mention that her actual startle reaction is apparently attack rather than something more normal like spooking or skittering away. And there have been comments from the author iirc that once she she gets on the track shes going to start making WW1 everyone elses problem...

Kinda interested to see what sort of reactions people might have to that sorta realization and all the pieces start falling into place.
 
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LuridThrone said:
🤔

A thought occurs.

If uma exist as distinct breeds in this setting (ie, draft horses being a thing), then what are the odds that Tanya is a warhorse or something approximating one to the point that a inside observer couldnt tell the difference?

I'm no expert on the subject, but my understanding is that warhorses were bred for, among other things, incredible stamina and being hard to spook. Raw speed mattered less than being able to carry a knight or heavy equipment over long distances, and being steady enough not to freak out because an artillery shell went off next to them or someone started yelling and waving a sword in front of its face.

Not to mention that her actual startle reaction is apparently attack rather than something more normal like spooking or skittering away. And there have been comments from the author iirc that once she she gets on the track shes going to start making WW1 everyone elses problem...

Kinda interested to see what sort of reactions people might have to that sorta realization and all the pieces start falling into place.
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Warhorse isn't really a breed, more of a category, with lots of different goals. Plus those lines didn't just die out they moved into racing and got better. Selective breeding and training means racing horses are getting better and better over the years. Modern horses are simply better at racing than an older breed could be. So being a descendant of a warhorse would not be a bonus.
 
Mythantor said:
Warhorse isn't really a breed, more of a category, with lots of different goals. Plus those lines didn't just die out they moved into racing and got better. Selective breeding and training means racing horses are getting better and better over the years. Modern horses are simply better at racing than an older breed could be. So being a descendant of a warhorse would not be a bonus.
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I mean sort of? Racing is different. I'd certainly believe that most of the breeds that were traditionally used for war and didnt die out either ended up as racer or workhorse breeds. Its not like people went 'well thats over with, kill all the horses'. But a race horse only needs enough stamina to run the track, as long as they meet that threshold then all that matters is speed. Modern race horses are faster, no doubt, but i cant imagine that a hundred years of breeding speed hasnt cost them something else along the way. So yee oldie warhorses and modern racing horses probably shouldnt be considered the same thing even if one lead to the other?

Also in terms of this fic, most Uma (which are race horses) are shown to be much more risk-adverse and skittish compared to Tanya, half of whos claim to fame so far is how stone cold and quiet she is. Everyone keeps looking at her like shes crazy for running through street traffic and cutting so close to the fence and similar such things, when they arnt missing the fact shes there at all. Her general serious demeanour and low emoting also play into this. The other half is her stamina, which is borderline insane by the standards of her peers, which is also more emblematic of pre-modern warhorses as i understand it.

Now if you imagine most Uma being fueled by memories of racing a track, while Tanya is racing through no mans land with artillery raining down, suddenly Orzel's whole everything makes a aweful lot of sense.
 
LuridThrone said:
I mean sort of? Racing is different. I'd certainly believe that most of the breeds that were traditionally used for war and didnt die out either ended up as racer or workhorse breeds. Its not like people went 'well thats over with, kill all the horses'. But a race horse only needs enough stamina to run the track, as long as they meet that threshold then all that matters is speed. Modern race horses are faster, no doubt, but i cant imagine that a hundred years of breeding speed hasnt cost them something else along the way. So yee oldie warhorses and modern racing horses probably shouldnt be considered the same thing even if one lead to the other?

Also in terms of this fic, most Uma (which are race horses) are shown to be much more risk-adverse and skittish compared to Tanya, half of whos claim to fame so far is how stone cold and quiet she is. Everyone keeps looking at her like shes crazy for running through street traffic and cutting so close to the fence and similar such things, when they arnt missing the fact shes there at all. Her general serious demeanour and low emoting also play into this. The other half is her stamina, which is borderline insane by the standards of her peers, which is also more emblematic of pre-modern warhorses as i understand it.

Now if you imagine most Uma being fueled by memories of racing a track, while Tanya is racing through no mans land with artillery raining down, suddenly Orzel's whole everything makes a aweful lot of sense.
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I think you are underestimating how much experience she has gained from her previous lives compared to her schoolmates who are actual teenage girls.
 
Mythantor said:
I think you are underestimating how much experience she has gained from her previous lives compared to her schoolmates who are actual teenage girls.
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Yeah but no one in the setting knows that. My whole point was 'how does this look to someone inside?'

No one is going 'gee this girl is really good at studying, she must have spent a previous life as a japanese salaryman and then another life in a ww1 ear war college!'

They see a Uma whos displaying alot of traits that are seriously distinct from her direct peers and uma in general, and people keep making guesses about why shes like that and coming up short. For example one of her teachers thought she was being pressured by her parents, only to be thrown for a loop when said parents were more concerned about her social life than her grades.

But sooner or later they are going to find a mental box that Tanya fits in. And the idea that Orzel is a reincarnated warhorse (particularly from ww1 rather than the middle ages) rather than a racehorse feels like something that someone might come up with before long, if her trainer doesnt suspect it already. And once you make that assumption, suddenly a lot of the things that are sort of aberrant about Orzel start making sense.
 
On the War Horse issue, remember that modern Umas are based on modern horses from our world. So war-Umas are not odd to read about in history books, but finding one in this age would be like finding a fully trained samurai that has dedicated their life to Bushido.
 
I'm kind of hoping that Tanya will get involved in some sort of drama theater extracurricular - whether it's a part-time club or something that the school does for a cultural festival. Specifically a play that involves someone dying/getting killed. Because I can imagine Tanya correcting people on poorly imitating how you die from wounds or kill someone, and calmly explaining how it actually sounds/works. Kind of like this bit from the alternate history A Hippie in the House of Mouse:

Even with such completely gorgeous people in the room as Helena, Winona, and River, Lee commanded all the attention. He'd been a commando in World War II. He had been in hundreds of plays and movies, making me embarrassed that I only knew him as a villain in one of the less amazing Bond flicks. He even freaked us all out by explaining to the voice actor playing the assassinated king the correct sound that a man stabbed in the back should make[2]. It wasn't that he knew the sound that freaked us out, it was how casually and nonchalantly he explained it, like he was teaching us the proper sound a kitten should make when it mews. Even when he did the voicework and singing (he'd almost gone into opera!) you had to suppress a shiver at times. Certain lines stuck with you, like "THAT'S MORTALS FOR YOU. THEY'VE ONLY GOT A FEW YEARS IN THIS WORLD AND THEY SPEND THEM ALL IN MAKING THINGS COMPLICATED FOR THEMSELVES." (I of course need to write that in all-caps, as anyone who's read the book knows).
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Jetsmillion said:
On the War Horse issue, remember that modern Umas are based on modern horses from our world. So war-Umas are not odd to read about in history books, but finding one in this age would be like finding a fully trained samurai that has dedicated their life to Bushido.
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So based on something that didn't actually happen? Considering the modern concept of a samurai is only vaguely historically accurate?
But yeh any Umas based on warhorses would be at least a century old considering Warhorses really died out as a concept in ww1 with the adoption of the machine gun. I guess she could be from a line that was originally bred for cavalry, but considering how many generations ago that would have been?

Edit: Thinking on it further due to the differences between Umas and actual horses there may be actual still be lines of War-Umas continuing on, much as there are military "families" IRL where the expected occupation growing up is to join the army. I can imagine a war-Umas in boot talking about how her great gran was "first off the boats at Omaha"
 
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