symbolic rudolf

Potential History

"Hero, villain, these are meaningless titles. The only one that matters is..."

The Centurial Overlord. The Conqueror of Century's End. T.M. Opera O.

Who would have guessed she came from humble beginnings, given the egotistical facade of royalty she presents to the world?

Born to a working class family as the eldest of two sisters, T.M. Opera O's parents ran a grocery store. A somewhat meek girl with a calm disposition and a big heart, she would run with her sister while her parents were working, playing games like 'royalty' while their babysitter watched over them.

Even then, she had potential, her determination and her speed both standing out. But it wasn't until a really bad night that she truly realized what she wanted to do, overhearing her parents stressing over finances during a slump period.

If the family didn't have smiles, didn't have cheer, she would create it. If they didn't have what they needed, she'd get it. And when she asked herself how she'd do that, she knew in her heart as an Umamusume what the only answer could be

T.M. Opera O would run.

She started training, using pocket money and anything she could gain from odd jobs around town to support her progress.

Her confidence grew as she met more people, and to some, it swelled. She crafted the persona of the Overlord, though it was never a lie - simply a side of herself she was never confident enough to share until she felt it was necessary.

Opera O simply decided she'd always wear positivity, for the sake of her family. She would shine the brightest, and bring others with her toward glory. If she was going to become the greatest, she would have to act like she was the greatest.

Scouted by Tracen as a teenager, T.M. Opera O failed her first two maiden races, getting second and fourth. A bad start for an Overlord, as her nerves got the best of her, causing an injury. It was a call from her family that led to her deciding to lock in, that this is what she wanted for all of them, as they supported her so wholeheartedly.

She won her third race, and then immediately signed up for another, winning handily. Then, she entered her first G3, the Mainichi Hai, and won it dominantly. She immediately decided she'd go for the Classic Triple Crown.

However, she had not registered for the Satsuki Sho due to her injury, and if it hadn't been for Oguri Cap in the past, she would have not been able to enter. Having to pay her savings for a late entry, she gambled everything on the Satsuki Sho to start her reign, deciding to race in a G1.

She won the bet, coming ahead neck and neck with the next competitor. She was a G1 winner, with the 200-million-yen prize that came with it, a significant portion of her share being sent home.

She didn't need money. She had what she wanted - the thrill and prestige of a crown.

The Overlord never let her mask down, never let herself break the show. She would smile and bear it, even as Admire Vega and Narita Top Road foiled a Classic Triple Crown victory, winning the Derby and Kikuka Sho respectively. Instead of begrudging them, she chose to try and befriend her rivals, as well as Meisho Doto, another in her division who looked up to her, even if her attempt at befriending was to drag them into her antics.

She lost her next race, the Stayer's Stakes, at second, before deciding to go for the Arima Kinen. The problem was that Grass Wonder and Special Week were racing, two bright stars. While she did her best to catch up, getting third and making many fans, T.M. Opera O was not yet bright enough as her Classic Year came to an end.

At this point, she had made enough money that sending home finances wasn't what was important anymore. It was something else she hungered for. She wanted to be unstoppable. She wanted to be the brightest of them all.

She wanted to be legendary.

The Kyoto Kinen was her first race she won since the Satsuki Sho, dueling Narita Top Road once again. Then they met again twice more, at the Hanshin Daishoten and the Spring Tenno Sho, both of which Opera O won. On the latter, she went brilliantly fast, and people noticed.

She started being called a powerhouse, undisputable in talent. It wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed to lift herself and those around her up on the stage of history, to forever be remembered.

Opera O took to the rain during the Takarazuka Kinen, defeating Grass Wonder for the first and last time, as an injury sent Grass to retirement.

After a period of summer training and without even breaking a sweat, Opera O defeated Narita Top Road casually in the Kyoto Daishoten after a fierce challenge from her friend, before entering the Autumn Tenno Sho. The pessure was intense, and Opera O felt it.

No favorite had won the race in over a decade.

Despite the jinx, Opera O knew why she raced. It was no longer just for her, but for her fans, the younger generations, and those around her. Opera O crushed it, before going on to break a similar jinx in the Japan Cup, though she got injured clashing with another racer in the process.

The pressure was building. She was the highest-earning Umamusume in the world. Young children wrote to her from across the world, and she was monumentally famous.

A lot of people hated her guts.

She had crushed seven races in a row, four of which were G1s. People had started booing her during them, and once, a rock was lobbed at her as insults were hurled, injuring both her pride and her brow.

But despite that, the Overlord didn't stop. She never showed weakness. She never stopped smiling. She never stopped laughing. Because people needed her to be perfect.

If she was to be the heel, so be it. Hero or villain, it didn't matter. All that mattered was she didn't give up.

The Arima Kinen was her final race that year, and she declared to herself before it started that she'd do it, the perfect year.

Her fellow Umamusume, however, had made a pact. They blocked her in as the race started, refusing to let her win. T.M. Opera O's reign had come to an end... or so it seemed.

But there was no perfect defense. As long as there was a chance to win, she'd seize it, and win she did, breaking their blockade and claiming an undefeated year.

In the voting for the Umamusume of the Year, no one could deny she was the greatest. As her Senior Year ended, it came to a conclusion with a unanimous win for Opera O, the first since Symboli Rudolf herself.

But she was tired. And even though she won a few more times, she could not maintain the victory streak. In the end, she retired after the next Arima Kinen. Opera O would be remembered as an overlord for all time.

Personality

T.M. Opera O is not defined by her ego or her pride, not by any stretch. Even if that is superficially the most telling part of her, the most defining feature of the Overlord is her heart.

It is a grand heart that loves the world, the people in it, and the thrill of racing. Adoration and support makes her feel loved in turn, and so, the persona of the Overlord was formed, the confidence needed to be a champion racer.

Lifting others up with her, but always behind or to the side, never in front, Opera O seems like she has delusions of grandeur, but in reality, the world is her stage. Loving theater and opera and the arts, she simply took on the role of the artist to bring joy and beauty, first to her family, and then to those around her.

Opera O is smart. She may not seem it with her foppish affect, but she does well in class when she applies herself, and her antics have a layer of cunning and strategy to them, being what others or herself need most in the moment.

Even so, the actor acts with genuine passion. She loves herself. She loves the attention. She thinks she's the greatest to ever stand on that stage. But she is not alone on that stage, either. The starring role always knows to lift up the supporting cast with her. That is her charm.

But scars lie underneath, especially when hurting. She cannot break the mask and ruin the show. She cannot reveal her pain, her struggles, her sadness, because all it will do is break the Overlord's perfect reign. If a rock hits her brow, she must accept that. She must smile and laugh it away, because the alternative is to show that she wasn't who she said she was.

People are counting on her, looking up to her, and they need to see the light shining back on them.

And despite this, despite her occasional nerves, the occasional anxiety of if she can put on a good show, she's there every performance.

As a normal girl from a normal family, Opera O knows what it's like to think you won't achieve your dreams. The Symbolis and Mejiros of the world have all the advantages. That, too, is why she shines so brightly, so that someday, the next T.M. Opera O of the world can rise and do the same, looking back to her success.

Her rivals mean the world to her, even if they might not entirely realize that. Ayabe, Doto, and Top Road are precious to her more so than anyone else at the academy, and she'd move heaven and earth to aid them. Her underclassmen, too, are important, the Digitals of the world.

Opera O doesn't do anything by halves. The script says 'be the brightest', therefore she is. She loves, hates, and cries brilliantly. To fall in love with something or someone means to give them everything that is yourself. And yet, such a person is one who may see past the mask to the truest Opera O, the one who is just a young woman trying her best to be a beacon.

Even if she might burn out in the process without support. But whoever supports the Centurial Overlord in the end will find someone who'd burn down the world for them without asking for anything back but their love.

Fun Facts

Opera O eats small portions most days, though she's not averse to treating herself or eating at a buffet or feast. This is related to how meals like that were 'special treats' usually, and her mild food insecurities.

She saw her first opera at a community theater as a child and fell in love with the art form immediately. She's a patron of the finest Tokyo opera house and is always notable when she attends premieres.

She enjoys singing as such, and looks forward to every Winning Live. Her undefeated year's Winning Lives never got boring for her.

She used to put on miniature 'operas' for her family, and still does when she returns home for the holidays.

She trends towards dressing nicely even casually, with classy blazers and dress shirts being her go-to.

Her cheery mask was partially developed by her family's own good cheer in the face of adversity.