On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[Wild Transient]

Who's actually about the same height as Shirogane. Her eternal rival in shortness!

Click to shrink...

Wait really? The Terrorist of the Racetrack,the wandering hobo is Shiroganes height???

They should meet.

Shirogane would theoretically be an effective trainer for certain kind of personality, but overall she's probably too intense for most umas to handle.

Click to shrink...

*Recalls how she handled the candidates for joining the 203'rd*. Okay yeah that tracks.

I imagine her support card (which would be Guts) is a very powerful one in terms of the stats and skills it gives, but many of the card events cause large energy expenditures and cause mood drops in exchange for large stat increases or skill points.

Click to shrink...

Tazuna approves of all this Guts training.

It might be of questionable legality to do something like that. Cygames has said that betting on races isn't a thing in the world, but I find that to be very unlikely, given that betting is kind of half the reason horse racing is still a thing in the first place. Her family isn't really the type inclined to do that kind of thing, but there are quite a few people in Fujisawa who would bet on her.

Click to shrink...

Back on SB on a ongoing Umamusume Quest I'm in some of the discussion was on that very topic. I think we agreed on that Uma race gambling would likely be akin to pachinko parlors or game arcades.

You pay for tokens, you get more tokens if the Uma you bet on wins. Then you exchange said tokens for a prize. Then you pawn it for cash at "certain" pawnshops.

They were cowardly enough to Retgone the Queendom of Ireland so Fine Motion is now just a foreign student I doubt they ever will do that

Click to shrink...

Its less cowardice and more prudence. With the global version of Umamusume Pretty Derbys popularity Cygames prudently decided to nip a potential controversy in the bud. They really,really don't want to take the chance "certain" groups in Ireland don't use Fine Motions character for local political purposes.

For fanfic purposes no author is obliged to follow that retcon. But for Cygames they most certainly have to do so to not get dragged into trouble.

 

[IbnAurum]

Though it's heavily implied now, instead outright saying it because of recent rewriting. Very weird since it's still imply she is still Irish royalty.

Click to shrink...

I just ignore the retcon, Cygames just wanted to play it safe with Global

 

[Jubjub3000]

I wonder if shiro will be in the race where that uma breaks her ankle? Maybe she stops to help her pass the finish line piggyback style? Turning around at the last second so the injured uma goes first.

Would be really good sportsmanship.

 

[MHEmpire]

There's also the fact that the communists tended to kill most of their umamusume population for being genetic bourgeois.

Click to shrink...

This just seems unlikely to me. I could see it massacres of Umas being something that happened as a result of initial revolutionary fervor, but couldn't see it extending beyond 'just' discrimination and persecution when it came to official doctrine. In the case of the Soviet bloc specifically, which is most relevant to Shirogane, one of Stalin's closest allies was Marshal Semyon Budyonny, a veteran cavalryman and experienced horse breeder who even ended up establishing a whole new breed of horse (the Budyonny, named after him). Horse cavalry also played a critical role for the Red Army from the Civil War through the Second World War—for instance, the 1st Cavalry Army was one of the most elite formations in the Red Army until it was disbanded after the Soviet-Polish War, future Marshal Zhukov himself being a veteran of it—with warhorse breeding being maintained as late as the 1950s.

As for actual left-leaning Umas, Sirius Symboli is deliberately set up as a foil to Symboli Rudolf, as both seek to help out their fellow Umas, but in very different ways—there's even an event where Sirius and Rudolf get into a debate over the topic of equality and equity, with Siruis opposing Rudolf's rigid, top-down management which leaves people slipping through the cracks in favor of more proactive, specialized action specifically intended to help those who can't work with Rudolf's methods (Sirius specifically brings up the financially unstable and the chronically ill, see the translated event here: https://youtu.be/avk_3M2-Ysg?si=duU1jN6Xpzr-WVKl).

I suspect Sirius's attitude may have something to do with how the real Sirius Symboli won a single G1, then was promptly sent overseas where he was heavily abused by his staff, run ragged on a grueling schedule (14 races in 22 months is kinda fucked), and performed miserably, all the while being massively overshadowed by Symboli Rudolf, who was only a year older.

As for Tanya's hypocrisies, personally I would put that down to Carlo Zen being very much a left-leaning author who deeply disagrees with her capitalist fangirling (as evidenced by his other works, especially Yakusoku no Kuni and Yakitori, as well as what little online presence he has), and not being able to entirely stop that from bleeding through.

 

[Dr.Degenerate]

This just seems unlikely to me. I could see it massacres of Umas being something that happened as a result of initial revolutionary fervor, but couldn't see it extending beyond 'just' discrimination and persecution when it came to official doctrine. In the case of the Soviet bloc specifically, which is most relevant to Shirogane, one of Stalin's closest allies was Marshal Semyon Budyonny, a veteran cavalryman and experienced horse breeder who even ended up establishing a whole new breed of horse (the Budyonny, named after him). Horse cavalry also played a critical role for the Red Army from the Civil War through the Second World War—for instance, the 1st Cavalry Army was one of the most elite formations in the Red Army until it was disbanded after the Soviet-Polish War, future Marshal Zhukov himself being a veteran of it—with warhorse breeding being maintained as late as the 1950s.

Click to shrink...

I think it seems perfectly in character and even likely for the USSR to massacre umas, or at least send them all to labor camps. The very existence of umas represent a living contradiction to communist ideology (or at least the Stalin era ideology), and that could not be easily tolerated by Soviet leadership. Umas have hereditary abilities, and the USSR denied heredity and tried to push Lysenkoism for a while until they were forced to quietly surrender to reality. It's not hard to imagine early communist leaders seeing umas and the physical traits they inherit as a biological aristocracy and seek to destroy them, or at least send them all to labor camps.

In Youjo Senki, this is how the Alt!USSR dealt with their mages, until the war forced them to shift their ideology out of practical need.

 

[D'znn-Xy'lll MetaChthonia]

Personally I say that whatever the Real World anybody did is utterly irrelevant because a third visibly superhuman variety of human is viable to be born at any random time dashes any and all Ideologies regardless of what they are... Well, except the Nazi fucks. Unfortunately their stupid fucking "Ubermensch" bullshit stolen and corrupted from some Norwegian guy about natural born leaders just ends up being turned into the Uma-mensch instead. Anyway, would rather not think too hard about that especially when it leads into some darker places, Mount Rushmore Literally has Umas on it. Athena is an Uma if the Statue of Liberty is to go on (or maybe the architect's girlfriend was an Uma. Seem to recall it was supposed to be based on Athena but in the image of his girlfriend or something like that). There's probably more I can't remember. If we ignore the Meta Reasons it's a miracle it even vaguely followed as close as it has. Wouldn't be surprised if bulls were domesticated into being mounts without horses being a thing just to add onto that.

Although still expecting a Mod to come in because this is blatantly getting into Rule 8 (and Rule 5) Violating Territory. Doesn't matter if it's 20+ years old (because, again, I have been Infracted for this Topic before).

 

[The Unicorn]

I think it seems perfectly in character and even likely for the USSR to massacre umas, or at least send them all to labor camps.

Click to shrink...

Which USSR? Stalin? Sure, but he wouldn't be massacring them for being Ume, he'd be massacring them because of his delusions about conspiracies and traitors.
USSR under more sane leadership? No, not any more than they went around slaughtering jews.

Not that I can't imagine lots of Ume running afoul of NKVD/KGB/etc, but they'd be fined/imprisoned or killed for their specific (perceived) actions, not for being Ume.

The very existence of umas represent a living contradiction to communist ideology (or at least the Stalin era ideology), and that could not be easily tolerated by Soviet leadership.

Click to shrink...

This is wrong.

Umas have hereditary abilities, and the USSR denied heredity and tried to push Lysenkoism for a while until they were forced to quietly surrender to reality.

Click to shrink...

Not sure about this(I'd be interested in any cites you have for it), but one thing to keep in mind is that the last communist political leader who actually believed in the nonsense they spouted as propaganda and for public consumption by the masses was (AFAIK there may have been one or two more) Lenin. Pretty much everyone who was even close to the top of the USSR was (at best) a self-serving politician.

Added to that, Denying hereditary didn't make them go around slaughtering redheads.

Personally I say that whatever the Real World anybody did is utterly irrelevant

Click to shrink...

This. Very much this.
If you want a realistic depiction of how things would develop with Ume you'd need to start with a massive change from OTL around 10,000BCE, if not earlier.

Doesn't mean arguing specific cases isn't fun, but they don't actually matter for the story, because in any story the answer is "this is how it works because a wizard (or Gaddess) made it so."

 

[Neo3932156]

SNIP

Click to shrink...

Regardless, this is what OP has decided in Uma Musume background history, at least for this fic.

The Soviets were the main reason. Umamusume are biologically unequal with humans, making them inherently kulaks and thus enemies of the revolution. Thus, most countries that underwent a strongly ideological communist regime purged umas, though in Poland's case it was more the greater soviets doing it rather than the Polish communists, since a lot of Polish umas were involved in the Polish military.

Click to shrink...

 

[The Unicorn]

Regardless, this is what OP has decided in Uma Musume background history, at least for this fic.

Click to shrink...

Sure, and as noted that works for the story just as well as any other explanation, doesn't make it a realistic explanation.

 

[Neo3932156]

Sure, and as noted that works for the story just as well as any other explanation, doesn't make it a realistic explanation.

Click to shrink...

I just find it a bit odd that in a world where events just generally follow their IRL counterparts like horse races, the genocide of an entire different species for their characteristics that contradict their political ideology/message, in a time where that sort of thing is common, is where it breaks your SoD? Like, what's one more BS reason added on to a pile of them?

 

[MHEmpire]

Perhaps more relevant is that horse racing didn't stop under the Soviet Union. Not even when Stalin was in charge. There were only two interruptions, those being a few months in 1917 thanks to the revolution, and in 1941-42 due to the German invasion (notably, this means it had already started back up again both while the civil war was still ongoing, and before the Germans had been entirely kicked out). One horse even had significant international success—Soviet Derby winner Anilin, who not only ran all over the Eastern Bloc but came west as well, dominating the now-G1 (the grading system hadn't been developed at the time) Preis von Europa three years in a row from '65-'67, taking 5th in the '65 l'Arc, and then 3rd and 2nd in the '64 and '66 Washington D.C. International (the revived modern race is a G3, but before it was first discontinued after the '94 running it was a G1). If the world of Umamusume is one where horses are reincarnated by benevolent goddesses to have a second chance to run their hearts out, then the Soviets can't partially succeed at genociding their Uma population without fundamentally changing that aspect of the setting.

 

[Emsteak]

*Snip*

Click to shrink...

Fellas, find you a woman who defends you like MHEmpire defends Stalin.

 

[D'znn-Xy'lll MetaChthonia]

...here we go, the inevitable has started. Shit.

Everytime. Every single time. Here I am biting through cables trying to not directly slot my metaphorical dick into this power socket. I can feel the Mods' gazes crawling on my back. They Know me. I don't Know them but they already Know me. They Know what I want to say. They're waiting for me to say it. I won't! I! WON'T!

 

[The Unicorn]

I just find it a bit odd that in a world where events just generally follow their IRL counterparts like horse races, the genocide of an entire different species for their characteristics that contradict their political ideology/message, in a time where that sort of thing is common, is where it breaks your SoD? Like, what's one more BS reason added on to a pile of them?

Click to shrink...

It doesn't break SoD but it's also very much not in character or belivable for the soviets (other than Stalin) to go around murdering people like you propose.

Fellas, find you a woman who defends you like MHEmpire defends Stalin.

Click to shrink...

I seem to have missed where they defended Stalin. Mind providing a link?

 

[Lyrista]

What does any of this have to do with the fanfic itself?

 

[D'znn-Xy'lll MetaChthonia]

What does any of this have to do with the fanfic itself?

Click to shrink...

Closest you get is Discussion about some minor Exposition from a recent WoG on an insignificant Detail utterly irrelevant to the present of the Story up to the point of being easily replaced with simply the roulette table of Genetics taking till Shiro to land on Uma leading to History falling in a specific ways that's leading to... Conflict. This is why this Topic is informally forbidden under Rule 8 inspite of Rule... 1? I think? The one that says there's no forbidden Topics has an asterisk that isn't physically present. This is one of those asterisk moments. And I'm fighting a battle with myself to try and stay out of it.

 

[tacobowl8]

Closest you get is Discussion about some minor Exposition from a recent WoG on an insignificant Detail utterly irrelevant to the present of the Story up to the point of being easily replaced with simply the roulette table of Genetics taking till Shiro to land on Uma leading to History falling in a specific ways that's leading to... Conflict. This is why this Topic is informally forbidden under Rule 8 inspite of Rule... 1? I think? The one that says there's no forbidden Topics has an asterisk that isn't physically present. This is one of those asterisk moments. And I'm fighting a battle with myself to try and stay out of it.

Click to shrink...

You do all of this whining about things running afoul of Rule 8 and similar, as well as complain that things are being off topic, and yet I don't see a single report ever created for this thread. Come now, you have tools to use if you think things are breaking the rules.

As it stands, nothing has broken Rule 8, but we are fairly off topic, so please get back to the story everybody.

 

[RogueInquisitor]

While Shirogane is taking second-year classes, she also has classes with her fellow first-year students. Do we expect her to provide tutoring for her fellows who may be struggling? Academics are still required at Tracen.

 

[Nickballas]

I wonder what Shiro's reaction to the absolute unit that is Michelle My Baby would be... besides possibly mistaking her for a Heavy Draft Uma.

 

[MHEmpire]

Fellas, find you a woman who defends you like MHEmpire defends Stalin.

Click to shrink...

I'll drop this, but let me make one thing very clear:

Do not ever accuse me of defending that fuck Stalin, or his cohorts. The Bolsheviks were pseudo-fascist class traitors that have left a stigma on the left they presumed to be a part of ever since they swept into power, and the whole world has paid for it. Trotsky backstabbed the common people at Kronstadt and in the Free Territory, Lenin was a dictator who shut down the free Soviets that he claimed loved him because they were proving the opposite, and Stalin let Ukrainians starve in the Holodomor—not to mention those that came after all of them.

I am an anarchist, but I also pride myself on having an education in history, and so will condemn them for what they actually did and what the evidence shows they would likely do if given the opportunity, rather than make up crimes that do not fit their character. So, attempting genocide on a minority ethnic group for daring to not be Russian enough? Yes. Discarding an obviously useful military asset because of ideology? Trotsky personally saw the cavalry as an inherently aristocratic branch, but he wasn't a complete idiot, so he ultimately kept them around once they proved their use (Page 66, https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1209&context=cmc_theses).

 

[Jetsmillion]

What does any of this have to do with the fanfic itself?

Click to shrink...

It all started from the author's in story explanation for low Polish Uma population. As a result it also gives Shirogane an instant Polish fan base when her heritage and race uniform is revealed.

 

[eager slacker]

The only politics that should seriously come up in an Uma Musume story are if the power of friendship is considered doping, who is best Uma, and whether or not certain characters are Umas.

 

[Jubjub3000]

I wonder if shiro will be invited to join a boxing club? Maybe she could become a first responder? Could see medically trained umas being really good first responders, especially if they can run fast and steady.

 

[Lyrista]

So the new Unity Cup scenario dropped in the global version of the game who introduced a new character, an acting director who's quite the hardass in micromanaging the Uma's training.

Wonder how Shirogane would react to Riko's leadership style compared to the usual director's more carefree hands off style

 

[eager slacker]

So the new Unity Cup scenario dropped in the global version of the game who introduced a new character, an acting director who's quite the hardass in micromanaging the Uma's training.

Wonder how Shirogane would react to Riko's leadership style compared to the usual director's more carefree hands off style

Click to shrink...

Shirogane would operate well under that training but like the theme of that story she would hit a plateau and just mostly get bottlenecked eventually and like Salaryman convince herself that is all she can accomplish and eventually get a 9 to 5 job unrelated to racing.

 

[ReaperFish]

This just seems unlikely to me. I could see it massacres of Umas being something that happened as a result of initial revolutionary fervor, but couldn't see it extending beyond 'just' discrimination and persecution when it came to official doctrine. In the case of the Soviet bloc specifically, which is most relevant to Shirogane, one of Stalin's closest allies was Marshal Semyon Budyonny, a veteran cavalryman and experienced horse breeder who even ended up establishing a whole new breed of horse (the Budyonny, named after him). Horse cavalry also played a critical role for the Red Army from the Civil War through the Second World War—for instance, the 1st Cavalry Army was one of the most elite formations in the Red Army until it was disbanded after the Soviet-Polish War, future Marshal Zhukov himself being a veteran of it—with warhorse breeding being maintained as late as the 1950s.

As for actual left-leaning Umas, Sirius Symboli is deliberately set up as a foil to Symboli Rudolf, as both seek to help out their fellow Umas, but in very different ways—there's even an event where Sirius and Rudolf get into a debate over the topic of equality and equity, with Siruis opposing Rudolf's rigid, top-down management which leaves people slipping through the cracks in favor of more proactive, specialized action specifically intended to help those who can't work with Rudolf's methods (Sirius specifically brings up the financially unstable and the chronically ill, see the translated event here: https://youtu.be/avk_3M2-Ysg?si=duU1jN6Xpzr-WVKl).

I suspect Sirius's attitude may have something to do with how the real Sirius Symboli won a single G1, then was promptly sent overseas where he was heavily abused by his staff, run ragged on a grueling schedule (14 races in 22 months is kinda fucked), and performed miserably, all the while being massively overshadowed by Symboli Rudolf, who was only a year older.

As for Tanya's hypocrisies, personally I would put that down to Carlo Zen being very much a left-leaning author who deeply disagrees with her capitalist fangirling (as evidenced by his other works, especially Yakusoku no Kuni and Yakitori, as well as what little online presence he has), and not being able to entirely stop that from bleeding through.

Click to shrink...

Make sense since I think Carlo zen did say their a socialist. But anyways Sirius meeting with Tanya can be interesting since it can shock her expecting an equality argument but its the more practical equity one. Oguri cap is also interesting one too since even other horse girls are shock to see her eat that much and maybe that will convince Tanya to eat more.