Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re barreling through a fresh episode of Rock is a Lady’s Modesty, as Lilisa continues to balance her determination to become the Noble Maiden against the burning fire of her Rocker’s Soul. Though she tried her hardest to abandon the guitar and the spirit of rebellion it embodies, Otoha’s entreaties eventually broke through her defenses, forcing her to admit that rock is simply too essential, too intrinsic to her identity to be tossed aside.
Thus our heroes find themselves in a fledgling rock band, with their single agreed-upon rule of mutually respectful discourse not even lasting through their first official practice. But given the restraint they must exercise in their every public appearance, I suppose it’s not too surprising their collaboration has become a vehicle for exorcising all their violent, uncharitable feelings alongside their melodic fury. Though there have been gestures towards the inherent class-conscious ethos embodied by rock and roll, our girls have mostly embraced it as a vehicle for personal indulgence, a passion Otoha has specifically defined as “for her own satisfaction.” But is it truly possible to separate rebellious art performance from genuine rebellion, to seek excellence in the court of nobility even as your soul sneers at its every value? Let’s find out!
Episode 4
We open back at Lilisa’s home, or more precisely Lilisa’s stepfather’s home. Once more at violin practice, once more being shown up by her trueborn stepsister Alice. This house is no sanctuary to her, just another stage demanding constant performance
I do wonder what role Alice will play long-term. It feels like a waste of dramatic resources to have her just be another straightforward antagonist; presumably music will eventually become a link between them
Oh shit, we’re actually diving into her perspective! Didn’t expect to investigate her before Otoha, but I’m here for it
She reveals how horrified she was a year ago, upon learning she now had a stepmother and stepsister intruding upon her and her father’s sacred home
Interesting that she says “a year ago,” considering we learned in the first episode that Lilisa had only been at the academy for a month. Either significant time passed across these first few episodes, or there was a pronounced gap between Lilisa’s arrival at the mansion and her enrollment in the academy
“She’s so full of lies! Both she and her mom make me want to puke!” A forced distance between them, because Lilisa cannot afford to break her poise, and Alice naturally judges her for being so insincere. Lilisa’s lies are lent all the more significance given they’re praising Alice’s musical performance – a clear contrast between this and the “your playing is shit, you have no energy” diatribes shared by her and Otoha. So Lilisa honestly articulating how she feels about the violin might be the key to connecting them; Alice certainly doesn’t lack for rage or scathing sincerity
Alice throws the first volley with an understated “what an unpleasant sound.” In this show’s parlance, that’s practically a gesture of friendship
Aaand I’m just now noticing Alice in the OP, happily rising up from the pool beside Lilisa. Did they just add her there, or has that always been a clue to her destination?
Lilisa attempts to keep things pleasant after practice, and Alice just glares at her. From the stultifying perspective of adolescence, I can see how even these small gestures towards social propriety might rankle both these characters, seeming “inauthentic” in an aggravating, almost intolerable way. Once you find avenues to truly express yourself, this stuff tends to feel less frustrating – society wouldn’t work if we all unloaded our most uncharitable thoughts at every opportunity, and treating each other kindly in superficial social situations is less an “intentional falsehood” than simply a method of ensuring we can all peaceably coexist. A misunderstanding of this tacit social agreement fuels a whole lot of “I’m not like those phonies” adolescent angst
We really emphasize her mother’s dead-eyed commitment to the noble life through her direct contrasting of the violin and guitar, and her emphatic declaration that the passions of the past are dead. Is there anything to her beyond her pursuit of high society life?
“Don’t embarrass your father and me, okay, honey?” A cruel thing to say to your daughter in any case, here with the added impact of deliberating framing her stepfather as her only father
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just can’t give up guitar!” I presume she wasn’t always so monstrous – she married Lilisa’s original father, after all. Perhaps the unstable life afforded by his passions fostered a sense of resentment, such that she grew to hate everything he embodied
After school the next day, Lilisa dazzles her classmates with her appreciation of nature. Also curious how this peanut gallery will evolve; we’ve already seen some variations on their standard gags, as they prove capable of appreciating the eccentric appeal of Lilisa’s paintings and whatnot
“We’re on the hunt for a bassist and keyboardist.” Interesting that Lilisa frames a keyboardist as essential for their band. The most default rock band format is lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums, with rhythm guitar generally doubling as the vocalist. A keyboardist certainly expands your sonic palette, but also carries a certain expectation in terms of song structure and melodic focus; you can’t just be composing songs of chugging chords and spiraling guitar riffs if the keyboardist is supposed to be making an impact. For a neat example of this principle in action, check out the evolution from The Hold Steady’s “Separation Sunday” into “Boys and Girls in America,” as keyboardist Franz Nicolay became less of a guest and more of a core contributor
“We gotta at least fill those two positions to make a decent instrumental band.” This makes sense – without vocals as another “melodic instrument,” keyboard is more essential to play counterpoint to guitar
Now it’s Otoha framing jam sessions as sex. Feel like that’s just an authorial mandate at this point, not really an actual expression of intimacy
Some nice superdeformed flourishes for their exchanges here
Elsewhere, Alice is fuming that she’s being forced to validate Lilisa’s lies
Nonetheless, she is swiftly defeated by the allure of a passing kitty cat. This black cat appears to be the show mascot; it also shows up in the OP, essentially announcing the band
“Will you listen to my woes, little black cat?” Hard not to like her. “Loves animals” is an excellent shortcut to building audience sympathy
“My beloved mother passed away from illness, and now all I have is my father…” Her perspective is perfectly understandable, particularly since it doesn’t seem like she has any close friends. Lilisa and her mother would feel like impositions on her grief, attempting to steal the one precious bond she has left
A certain irony in her asking a black cat to help her banish witches
Lilisa sees that a group called “Red Familia” is searching for a drummer and bassist to spot in for a live performance. Conveniently, most bass parts are just simplified guitar parts; there are bass-driven songs and exceptional bassists that play them, but as far as rock music is concerned, most bass parts could easily be played by any accomplished guitarist. I actually played bass myself on a few of my band’s covers (like Kiss the Bottle), mostly so I could belt out the vocals from the front of the stage rather than being pinned behind the drum kit
“You gotta remember we’re playing in a group this time!” Otoha is clearly a pretty selfish musician, which is in most cases a massive detriment as the drummer. The rhythm section’s top priority is holding the song together and maintaining the pace; if they’re constantly rushing ahead in tempo, they’re not “playing more intensely,” they’re failing in their core duty
The cat leads Alice to the old schoolhouse, where she spies Lilisa through the window. As ever, windows and mirrors are portals revealing alternate selves
But by the time she has reached the practice room, Lilisa and Otoha have switched to violin and piano. Honestly, a violin can make for a terrific addition to a rock band; there’s no actual delineation between “high” and “low”-class instruments, there’s just whatever works
“What do you think of your mother? She’s always desperately putting on the fancy act, trying to appease my father and make sure he doesn’t kick her out.” I wonder if there’s any truth in this, or if it’s just Alice’s bitterness talking; so far, it’s seemed like Lilisa’s mother is genuinely committed to the values she associates with high society, to the point of prioritizing them over her own daughter
“Alice, please have a little compassion. We will be family for many years yet to come, after all.” Lilisa retaliates with the sharpest barb she can throw while still maintaining propriety, emphasizing that Alice’s peace is gone forever
Later, Alice runs into a classmate named Hiyori Himejima, fully equipped with star-eye pupils and a flesh fang. Presumably she’s going to get Alice to Lilisa’s concert venue somehow
Then our leads meet Red Familia, a friendly group whose motto is “have fun together.” Otoha is going to tear these people apart
And Done
Thus our brave rockers step out onto their first public stage, prepared to bring down the house with the Symphonic Music Family Fun Band. I am quite curious as to how our pair will adjust their sound for this group; Lilisa’s obviously excellent at masking her passion, but Otoha plays with a selfishness and ferocity that has so far proven uncontainable, dragging her partners into her pace or leaving them scattered in the dust. As a trueborn lady with the freedom to indulge her private passion, Otoha has never had to compromise on anything, and seemingly thus never learned to sublimate her immediate desires into the needs of a larger group. I can’t imagine this will be the moment she learns music is a team sport, but I’m eager to see the fallout!
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