On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

Tiypo · Tuesday at 9:30 PM

WrandmWaffles said:
I find that a bit silly, and likely more of a product of English's tendency to adopt foreign words. From a lore perspective, English could not possibly have adopted that word from Japanese because of the distance culturally. If English did adopt a word for umas it'd likely be from Latin or French, but since irl horse derives from the Germanic, it makes more sense just to have 'horse' apply to 'horsegirls' the same way 'umamusume' is.

There's actually a surprising amount of nuance to their efforts to dodge words for "horse". Even in Japanese, they use ウマ, phonetically spelling uma, rather than using 馬, the character meaning horse (also pronounced "Uma"). Basically because horses do not exists, the concept of a horse cannot exist and the word for horse as we know it does not exist.

I think, given that all uma share the same 3 goddesses worldwide, that the word "Uma" in setting is more likely of divine origin rather than linguistically developed. So in the west, "Uma" would probably exist as a standalone word much in the way that "Fay" or any mystical race typically exclude identifiers like "girl" or "boy". In modern society "umakind" would probably be the correct identifier much in the way "humankind" is for us.

SEKALE · Tuesday at 9:33 PM

Love this new chapter, though i honestly hope to see Shirogane interacting with Haru in the future, trying to understand why this girl who never won any race and could be called "weak" by professional uma racing is somehow popular and loved by so many others.

Meanwhile, i've decided to give a try at making an omake, i apologize for any spelling mistake since english isn't my first language.

"Old Classmates"

It was after a new day of training have passed, her classmates already spent almost all of their stamina that they decided to end after she started to win more and more races.

Shirogane, leaning against a rail and drinking from her water bottle, gazing upon her classmates laying of the turf resting and panting for breath after running almost all day, was the first to notice the steps. Her ears, who many have mentioned had the tendency to move more than others always searching new sounds, turned to her side before her head followed them.

A young man was walking towards her, looking to be around 25 or 30 years old. Secretary Tazuna was some meters behind him looking curious at the man action but not alarmed which at least made clear to Shirogane that this man was not an stranger that sneaked into the academy, maybe a new trainer or at least one she never saw before.

Only a few seconds later he stopped right in front of her. Shirogane lowers her bottle and keeps her eyes on him, aware of how her classmates are all watching her and this stranger(she makes an effort to ignore the whispers of some of them about "fan" or "a confession?"). This close she is able to see more details. He's wearing a suit, the kind an office worker would use, with a mix of black and dark purple in it with some gold on his sleeves, the most eyecatching detail is that in place of a regular tie he was using some sort of ornament in the shape of a small crimson sphere. His face, unlike the rest of his appearance, was what she could only call the most regular face she could imagine, the kind that coud be lost in a crowd easely.

For some reason Shirogane felt as if she could recognize him even though she knew she never met this man before.

"It's been some time" he said, and just like his face his voice had nothing that she could call special, just another voice of many, yet Shirogane could feel how his tone carried a nostalgic feeling and his eyes saw her as if he was meeting an old friend after so long.

Shirogane decided to ignore the weird feeling of familiarity he gave him, "Do i know you?", she asked, watching as the man gave a resigned smile at her words as if saying 'of course you would say that'.

"Yeah, there's no way you would recognize like this, those two didn't either until we got to talk", saying this the man put his hand inside his jacket as if looking for something, only the fact that Tazuna remained calm while looking at him kept Shirogane from bolting, ignoring the instinct of running in case this man had some sort of weapon she remained in place waiting for him to take out what he was looking for.

"Can't believe that Kazuma actually convinced me to try this", he finally took the object out and Shirogane saw that it was a mask, like the type one could get on a carnival. The man started to put on the mask while Shirogane started to notice the mask details and the feeling of familiarity returned even stronger.

"Maybe using this from now on will be easier, after all, i really wanted to speak with you since i notice you were here", finally he put on the mask and Shirogane coud see it clearly, a skull mask was staring at her, "after all, we are old classmates, isn't that right, Tanya?".

Memories of another life came to Shirogane, not his life as a salaryman or as a too young soldier sent to battle, but those of a school, of others like her.
Memories of a guy on a tracksuit, an overlord and a pervert. Memories of a big red button.

"...Ainz?", Tanya Degurechaff, the Devil of the Rhyne, asked to her old classmate.

"Glad to see you again, Tanya", Ainz Ooal Gown, Overlord and King of Nazarick, smiled at his friend question.

So, this is the short Omake i though of, the idea is that the other Isekai Quartet protagonists are also here, or at least Ainz, Kazuma and Subaru since i don't really know much about the other isekai protagonist introduced later. Kazuma and Subaru, being still students close to Shirogane age are still studying for their training license(cause i don't have any other idea to get them close to the academy, maybe they are shown as apprentices of other adult trainers), meanwhile, Ainz is already a licensed trainer, considered a sort of young prodigy, even though he doesn't have the same amount of experience as other trainers he has shown his abilities with some great trainees, but again that role is just to have an excuse to get the group to interact while Tanya is still an student.

reborn1303 · Tuesday at 10:09 PM

Buddhahobo said:
To be fair, she also isn't Tanya.

One of these stories where the next Tanya-reincarnation is actually their own person with shadows of their past selves coming through isn't especially normal in Youjo Senki, where typically it's just Tanya picking up wherever she left off. Shirogane is her own person, and regardless of her particular eccentricities very much loves her life. A loving mother and father? Three meals a day? A roof over her head, education and plentiful safe careers she has a choice in? Shirogane doesn't quite know why she considers this such a blessing, but cherishes it all the same.

I've seen this kind of comment in several Youjo Senki fanfics.

And in all those situations, I don't see where it comes from. Shirogane is clearly aware of her past lives. She knows perfectly well why she values peace and her family.

So where does this whole "it's not Tanya" thing come from? Is it because of how she accepts her identity change? Or because of the differences in behavior? Or is it simply something people assume changes with reincarnation?

I mean, we have that whole "salaryman" and "soldier" thing from the beginning, but otherwise, she's not different from the standard Tanya, besides the fact that she doesn't have to fight for her life or feel cornered into combat.

Sorry if I sound rude. I'm just curious.

ScarletFox · Tuesday at 10:39 PM

reborn1303 said:
snip

There are several ideas on what "Tanya" is supposed to be. Several writers and readers believe that Tanya should be far more callous / driven then some writers like to portray her as. Several would define her as a psychopath that wouldn't have PTSD and is just a full battle junky killer. You'll then have others play with her more utilitarian tendencies and just want her to be playing Stellaris, or just running a country. Using Tanya as a basis also gives a pre-emptive backstory that fills in someone that has or had a grudge against God, and has to come to terms with new situations in a usually competent manner without making their own hypercompetent self-insert type character as well.

And, because people are divided into those that think they are right, if you don't agree with their evaluation, you must be wrong and therefore whatever you wrote is also wrong.

So, don't take anything said by those that say "It's not Tanya" as anything worth listening to. They are the type that don't tend to listen to others, and are most likely to just rant at someone for being "wrong".

``` · Tuesday at 11:01 PM

Wild Transient said:
Heh! SteGo is both curious and concerned about the quiet kohai.

You know what? I ship it.

This ship is pretty gold, if I do say so myself.

reborn1303 · Tuesday at 11:02 PM

ScarletFox said:
There are several ideas on what "Tanya" is supposed to be. Several writers and readers believe that Tanya should be far more callous / driven then some writers like to portray her as. Several would define her as a psychopath that wouldn't have PTSD and is just a full battle junky killer. You'll then have others play with her more utilitarian tendencies and just want her to be playing Stellaris, or just running a country. Using Tanya as a basis also gives a pre-emptive backstory that fills in someone that has or had a grudge against God, and has to come to terms with new situations in a usually competent manner without making their own hypercompetent self-insert type character as well.

And, because people are divided into those that think they are right, if you don't agree with their evaluation, you must be wrong and therefore whatever you wrote is also wrong.

So, don't take anything said by those that say "It's not Tanya" as anything worth listening to. They are the type that don't tend to listen to others, and are most likely to just rant at someone for being "wrong".

First of all, thank you for responding.

My question was a bit more specific than the comment I quoted.Sorry for the confusion

Specifically, this part:

Buddhahobo said:
One of these stories where the next Tanya-reincarnation is actually their own person with shadows of their past selves coming through

I've seen many people mention Tanya's next reincarnation, talking as if they were different people, and even at the beginning of the fanfic, the author seems to allude to this.

My problem is that the rest of the fanfic doesn't seem to support that. Shironage IS Tanya, simply adopting a different name and acting according to her environment, just as she had done before.

Rock1244 · Tuesday at 11:09 PM

WrandmWaffles said:
Meanwhile Cafe is trying to figure out what's so scary about her aspergers friend.

As someone diagnosed with Asperger's, I find this description hilarious.
and hope it comes up in the story

ScarletFox · Tuesday at 11:14 PM

reborn1303 said:
snip

Ah! My mistake...in that case....I have no idea ^_^

LordPanther14 · Tuesday at 11:25 PM

Personally I'm always appreciative of Tanya stories that don't just call her Tanya in her 3rd life no matter how out of place that name would be in the new setting. Strikes me as an odd conceit for a character that clearly wasn't named Tanya in his first life.

Lyrista · Tuesday at 11:30 PM

I assume because calling her Salaryman would be a tad awkward

macdjord · 2026-01-14T00:20:05+0000

Miriallia said:
Now that I think about it, wouldn't Shiro-chan be very popular with bookies due to her scrambling the results? Same with those running the races, even if she's just gate filler for higher races, her tendency to force mistakes would shake up the monotony of races that might otherwise be too predictable.

You've got it backwards. If her presence scrambled race results, she'd be very unpopular with bookies. Their whole business model depends on them being able to accurately forecast race outcomes so that they can set the payouts to match the odds. That way, no matter the actual outcome, the winning and losing bets all cancel out, leaving just the house percentage as their profit.

Buddhahobo · 2026-01-14T00:30:30+0000

ScarletFox said:
So, don't take anything said by those that say "It's not Tanya" as anything worth listening to. They are the type that don't tend to listen to others, and are most likely to just rant at someone for being "wrong".

If you're gonna incoherently rant about how wrong I am, you could at least quote the damn post.

reborn1303 said:
I've seen this kind of comment in several Youjo Senki fanfics.

And in all those situations, I don't see where it comes from. Shirogane is clearly aware of her past lives. She knows perfectly well why she values peace and her family.

So where does this whole "it's not Tanya" thing come from? Is it because of how she accepts her identity change? Or because of the differences in behavior? Or is it simply something people assume changes with reincarnation?

I mean, we have that whole "salaryman" and "soldier" thing from the beginning, but otherwise, she's not different from the standard Tanya, besides the fact that she doesn't have to fight for her life or feel cornered into combat.

Sorry if I sound rude. I'm just curious.

In a lot of fan works, it's literally just Tanya.

As in she looks the same, keeps the same name, half the time still has her magic, it functions more as a crossover that has dropped YS Tanya into some other world than a continuation or further incarnation.

Not so here, partly because Uma Musume already has established lore on reincarnation.

Shirogane is Shirogane, in the same what Haru Uraha is Haru Uraha. The Solider and the Salaryman are there in her, but it's in the same way within Haru Uraha the horsegirl is…Haru Uraha the horse.

It's a refreshing change of pace from other YS fics, along with the Salaryman being given equal weight in Shiro's head to the Soldier. There's a strict dissociation here. These are her parents, her grandparents, her Great Aunt's uniform. Not her "new" parents or anything like that. The Soldier nor the Salaryman are transplants into this world, Shirogane just has some of them in her head.

Or to point to a different character in the story so far, Air Groove has a tendency of being maternal to other Uma and has a specific appreciation for Chopin. Air Groove the Uma is her own character, but these character traits are partially based off whispers and echoes of her previous life as Air Groove the horse. Certainly we don't know if Air Groove the horse had any particular interest in classical music, but Chopin was the name of her last foal that she died giving birth to, and thus that subconscious connection is made in this new life.

ScarletFox · 2026-01-14T01:14:33+0000

Buddhahobo said:
If you're gonna incoherently rant about how wrong I am, you could at least quote the damn post.

I have no idea who you are, and I don't really care at all; so you'll just be on my block list. I answered a post not by you, so, who is the one 'incoherently ranting' at someone that wasn't being addressed?

wtdtd · 2026-01-14T01:35:45+0000

ScarletFox said:
I have no idea who you are, and I don't really care at all; so you'll just be on my block list. I answered a post not by you, so, who is the one 'incoherently ranting' at someone that wasn't being addressed?

To be fair you were reacting to a post that was reacting to him. Without considering whatever is being discussed, I think he is a part of said conversation.

``` · 2026-01-14T02:25:44+0000

WrandmWaffles said:
Shirogane and Manhattan Cafe in a dark classroom at night. Who wins the staring contest?

Several hours later, neither competitor has budged. The sun has long since set, and Shirogane is starting to reconsider the wisdom of engaging in this competition.

And then Cafe walks into the room.

Tamphithere · 2026-01-14T02:45:26+0000

ScarletFox said:
I have no idea who you are, and I don't really care at all; so you'll just be on my block list. I answered a post not by you, so, who is the one 'incoherently ranting' at someone that wasn't being addressed?

You replied to a post that was, itself, a reply; a reply to someone who said Shirogane "isn't Tanya," in reference to her being more her own character than a dyed-in-the-wool isekai version of Tanya. You then said this:

ScarletFox said:
So, don't take anything said by those that say "It's not Tanya" as anything worth listening to. They are the type that don't tend to listen to others, and are most likely to just rant at someone for being "wrong".

Now, you've made it clear it wasn't intended as a shot at Buddhahobo, you just weren't really paying attention to the post you were replying to, so that may explain why it seemed hostile out of nowhere: it was a reply to your seemingly directed hostility (which it looks like was meant to be undirected displeasure, since you didn't notice it was a reply to someone else?).

eager slacker · 2026-01-14T03:09:36+0000

``` said:
Several hours later, neither competitor has budged. The sun has long since set, and Shirogane is starting to reconsider the wisdom of engaging in this competition.

And then Cafe walks into the room.

Must've gotten the failed event instead of the hint for Dominator. Better luck next time and good luck with the mood down.

MikaShogo · 2026-01-14T06:34:43+0000

I wonder if Shirogane become an event character in Umamusume that your trainee have to race against her without losing, if your trainee lose, they get a stat debuff, with a mood down due to how much intimidation she lets out. (That probably would ruin the run that players would be doing)

Introverted · 2026-01-14T07:08:27+0000

MikaShogo said:
I wonder if Shirogane become an event character in Umamusume that your trainee have to race against her without losing, if your trainee lose, they get a stat debuff, with a mood down due to how much intimidation she lets out. (That probably would ruin the run that players would be doing)

Probably just a small event that lowers mood for stat gains to be honest

GarfRed · 2026-01-14T07:23:44+0000

Introverted said:
Probably just a small event that lowers mood for stat gains to be honest

Should be one of those events where she is part of the scenario and has a small but utterly ruinous Stat debuff with the uma you're using

Introverted · 2026-01-14T07:44:30+0000

GarfRed said:
Should be one of those events where she is part of the scenario and has a small but utterly ruinous Stat debuff with the uma you're using

The only one of those is on an SSR card Anshinzawa.
Its doesn't make sense on Orzel because it overlaps too much.

Chances are it would make more sense for her events to give a Mood penalty in exchange for stats meaning she is a good stat boost for non moody Umas but devastating in Careers with moody Umas like Rice Shower.

Cubbyhb1 · 2026-01-14T14:57:20+0000

WrandmWaffles said:
Shirogane is probably not going to win the Kikuka Sho, but it is one of the races she has a better chance at. Though that doesn't mean she can't block a favorite from winning the race.

I'm assuming this decision is based on real life, because in game otherwise mediocre career runs frequently win by Distance there just by having decent Stamina.

reborn1303 · 2026-01-14T17:22:07+0000

Buddhahobo said:
In a lot of fan works, it's literally just Tanya.

As in she looks the same, keeps the same name, half the time still has her magic, it functions more as a crossover that has dropped YS Tanya into some other world than a continuation or further incarnation.

Not so here, partly because Uma Musume already has established lore on reincarnation.

Shirogane is Shirogane, in the same what Haru Uraha is Haru Uraha. The Solider and the Salaryman are there in her, but it's in the same way within Haru Uraha the horsegirl is…Haru Uraha the horse.

It's a refreshing change of pace from other YS fics, along with the Salaryman being given equal weight in Shiro's head to the Soldier. There's a strict dissociation here. These are her parents, her grandparents, her Great Aunt's uniform. Not her "new" parents or anything like that. The Soldier nor the Salaryman are transplants into this world, Shirogane just has some of them in her head.

Hi, thanks for answering my question so clearly.

I was simply curious what seemed to lead to that conclusion. I still don't see a separation between the three lives. But it is quite refreshing to see how she develops in a different environment and continues with her life; it's pretty much how I think Tanya would be canon if she were to reincarnate. Just keep going and do your best.

Hope you have a good day.

Jetsmillion · 2026-01-14T21:55:19+0000

Opossum89 said:
IIRC in competitive racing with multiple contestants from each team, a suicide runner is someone who uses up their stamina early to goad or force other racers to tire themselves by setting a punishing pace while their teammate keeps a more normal pace and eeks out a win.

So, for those of us that play the game, Evil Nice Nature is an example of a suicide runner with all the debuffs.

2hupedia · 2026-01-15T01:04:04+0000

You know~ Thinking about it Tanya reminds me of this meme of Nice Nature lol

shargle · 2026-01-15T01:08:06+0000

tadej pogacar horse does not need the peloton

long range attacks are the best

PatUrgotten · 2026-01-15T01:44:09+0000

"Coming out of the final turn onto the homestretch Twin Turbo continues to lead by an impressive three lengths with Shirogane Olrzel in second! The two maintain a dominating lead over the rest of the pack!"

"Shirogane Olrzel is making her move and it looks like Twin Turbo is struggling to stay ahead! Shirogane Olrzel cuts the lead down to two lengths! One length! They're neck and neck with 400m to go!"

"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEAAAAA!"

"Whats this? Twin Turbo seems to have hit her second wind! One length! Two! Three! Four! With her turbo engine at full power Twin Turbo wins by an impressive five lengths!"

"...can somebody remind her that she can stop running now?"

------------------‐----------------------------------------------------------------

"Have you enjoyed your little vacation Tanya?"

"Being X you bastard!"

"Did you really think you could escape me Tanya? You can't outun fate."

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

"Oh still struggling after all this time? You know what you have to do. Now are you ready for a new li- Who? How did you intrude upon this realm?!"

"I detected something happening that was distinctly unMARVELOUS! Now begone!"

"As if a little girl could- What? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"MARVELOUS."

"...what?"

ShadowAngelBeta · 2026-01-15T01:56:13+0000

... Huh.

Was half expecting Gold Ship tbh.

``` · 2026-01-15T19:31:38+0000

Marvelous Sunday is a Mysterious Existence(tm).

Jubjub3000 · 2026-01-15T19:44:54+0000

Shiro knows what a horse looks like, what would happen if she and Goldship collaborated and placed a life sized bronze horse statue in a random place on the school grounds?

On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

Versed in the lewd.

Not too sore, are you?

No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta

Getting out there.

Versed in the lewd.

No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta

Know what you're doing yet?

Getting out there.

Experienced.

The Eternal Procrastinator

Well worn.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Getting out there.

Know what you're doing yet?

Versed in the lewd.

Snek.

Versed in the lewd.

Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?

Versed in the lewd.

Getting sticky.

Versed in the lewd.

Theoretically Capable of Sleep

No se que esta pasando, pero creo que me gusta

Not Gay if it is Cute

Making the rounds.

Getting out there.

Making the rounds.

Well worn.

Versed in the lewd.

Experienced.

Users who are viewing this thread