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Changed line(s) 20,21 (click to see context) from:
* AdultsAreUseless: {{Zigzagged}}; several adults prove reasonable and willing to listen, but a few play this painfully straight:
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears. That said, even ''he'' is clearly disgusted by Bustier's blatant favoritism.
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears. That said, even ''he'' is clearly disgusted by Bustier's blatant favoritism.
to:
* AdultsAreUseless: {{Zigzagged}}; several adults prove reasonable and willing to listen, listen (Marinette's parents, Cole's mom, and her Grandpa), but a few play this painfully straight:
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears. That said, even ''he'' is clearly disgusted by Bustier's blatantfavoritism.favoritism and [[spoiler: winds up suspending her for trying to punish Cole for defending herself from an attack that damaged her eye socket even further. The only reason why he doesn't outright fire her for this offense is that teacher employment lies in the power of school board, and they still have to review the case before they come to a decision]].
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears. That said, even ''he'' is clearly disgusted by Bustier's blatant
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* CaughtOnTape: Thanks to Marinette telling Cole about Lila, she audio-records every confrontation with Lila and also geotags pics of her and her friends whenever they're doing something fun together. For example, she takes a picture of herself, Chloe, and Marinette when they are eating lunch at a fancy cafe and geotags it, which proves to Principal Damocles that they did not threaten Lila in the girls' bathroom at the same time. So far, the collected evidence has been used to expose Lila's lies to Nino.
* CrimeOfSelfDefense: When Alya attacks Marinette and Cole with deliberitely-sharpened nails, Ms. Bustier immediately takes pity on Alya and blames Cole for the incident. She doesn't even bother to get medical attention for Cole [[spoiler: despite the fact that her eye socket sitiches got ripped out becuase of it]]. It's immediately deconstructed when everybody else immediately sees that Ms. Bustier is clearly showing favoritism. Not only does [[MamaBear Cole's mom]] utterly rip Ms. Bustier a new one for victim-blaming her daughter, [[spoiler: Damocles winds up putting her on forced leave as punishment and the school board is currently deciding whether or not to fire her because of her actions]].
* CrimeOfSelfDefense: When Alya attacks Marinette and Cole with deliberitely-sharpened nails, Ms. Bustier immediately takes pity on Alya and blames Cole for the incident. She doesn't even bother to get medical attention for Cole [[spoiler: despite the fact that her eye socket sitiches got ripped out becuase of it]]. It's immediately deconstructed when everybody else immediately sees that Ms. Bustier is clearly showing favoritism. Not only does [[MamaBear Cole's mom]] utterly rip Ms. Bustier a new one for victim-blaming her daughter, [[spoiler: Damocles winds up putting her on forced leave as punishment and the school board is currently deciding whether or not to fire her because of her actions]].
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Changed line(s) 75 (click to see context) from:
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats. These recordings help Nino realize how badly Lila's been manipulating him and the others.
to:
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats. These threats and save them in her electronic cloud. So far, these recordings help have helped Nino realize how badly Lila's been manipulating him and the others.others when he talks to Cole on Discord.
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Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* EyeScream: Alya attempts to inflict this on Marinette, [[spoiler:but gets Cole instead, ripping open several stitches]].
to:
* EyeScream: EyeScream:
** Cole somehow lost her right eye sometime before moving to Paris.
** Alya attempts to inflict this on Marinette, [[spoiler:but gets Cole instead, ripping open severalstitches]].of stitches that were on her eye socket and pushing back her recovery by a few weeks]].
** Cole somehow lost her right eye sometime before moving to Paris.
** Alya attempts to inflict this on Marinette, [[spoiler:but gets Cole instead, ripping open several
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
* FairWeatherFriend: The bulk of Marinette's classmates are characterized as this, due to how easily they turned against her.
to:
* FairWeatherFriend: The bulk of Marinette's classmates are characterized as like this, due to how easily they turned against her.
Changed line(s) 68 (click to see context) from:
* HeelFaceTurn: Before Cole's arrival, Chloe decides to solidify hers by standing with Marinette and making sincere effort to become a better person rather than falling back into her usual habits.
to:
* HeelFaceTurn: Before Cole's arrival, Chloe decides to solidify hers by standing with Marinette and making a sincere effort to become a better person rather than falling back into her usual habits.
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats.
to:
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats. These recordings help Nino realize how badly Lila's been manipulating him and the others.
Changed line(s) 77,78 (click to see context) from:
** Adrien himself reveals to Cole and the rest of Marinette's GirlPosse that he already knew Lila was lying.
** As of Chapter 7, Cole's parents have been made aware of just what their daughter has been dealing with at her new school. Nino also contacts her to get her side of the story, and [[spoiler:Alya has been grounded by her parents]].
** As of Chapter 7, Cole's parents have been made aware of just what their daughter has been dealing with at her new school. Nino also contacts her to get her side of the story, and [[spoiler:Alya has been grounded by her parents]].
to:
** Adrien himself reveals to Cole and the rest of Marinette's GirlPosse that he already knew Lila was lying.
lying in Chapter 6.
** As of Chapter 7, Cole'sparents mother and Grandpa have been made aware of just what their daughter has been dealing with at her new school. Nino also contacts her to get her side of the story, and [[spoiler:Alya has been grounded by her parents]].parents when they discover what's been going on]].
** As of Chapter 7, Cole's
Changed line(s) 88 (click to see context) from:
*** The students of Bustier's class besides Chloe and Marinette are put under prohibition once Damocles learns about how they've been behaving.
to:
*** The students of Bustier's class besides Chloe and Marinette are put under prohibition once Damocles learns about how they've been behaving. The temporary teacher, Mendeleiv, also puts her foot down on their behavior and is clearly planning to make sure Lila and her followers can't hurt Marinette and Cole anymore.
Changed line(s) 106,107 (click to see context) from:
** Ms. Bustier does this ''for'' Alya after said assault, fussing over the former and only giving her medical attention... and when called on this, replies that she was more concerned with the 'victim'.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur. She later thinks of her using the same term.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur. She later thinks of her using the same term.
to:
** Ms. Bustier does this ''for'' Alya after said assault, fussing over the former and only giving her medical attention... and when called on this, replies that she was more concerned with the 'victim'.
'victim'. [[spoiler: Unsurprisingly, she got suspended from her job]].
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a homophobic slur. She later thinks of her using the same term.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a homophobic slur. She later thinks of her using the same term.
Changed line(s) 112 (click to see context) from:
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Principal Damocles is clearly taken aback at how Ms. Bustier mishandled Alya's assault attempt. While he punishes both girls involved, Cole's punishment is ''much'' less severe than Alya's, and it's suggested that he only did so reluctantly.
to:
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Principal Damocles is clearly taken aback at how Ms. Bustier mishandled Alya's assault attempt. While he punishes both girls involved, Cole's punishment is ''much'' less severe than Alya's, and it's suggested that he only did so reluctantly. [[spoiler: He also suspended Ms. Bustier from her job as a teacher and notified the school board about the incident, with strong indications she's gonna lose her job]].
Changed line(s) 114 (click to see context) from:
* TheScapegoat: While Cole's arrival ''does'' shake things up, she finds herself getting blamed for ''all'' the drama that starts unfolding in her new class after she transfers in. Not just by Lila and her followers, but by Ms. Bustier, who even goes so far to blame her entirely for Alya assaulting her and her cousin and neglecting to give her medical attention.
to:
* TheScapegoat: While Cole's arrival ''does'' shake things up, she finds herself getting blamed for ''all'' the drama that starts unfolding in her new class after she transfers in. Not just by Lila and her followers, but by Ms. Bustier, who even goes so far to blame her entirely for Alya assaulting her and her cousin and neglecting to give her medical attention. [[spoiler: She winds up temporalily losing her job for it]].
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Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
** Ms. Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].
to:
** Ms. Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]]. Unsurprisingly [[spoiler: she winds up getting suspended from her job for it]].
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*** The students of Bustier's class besides Chloe and Marinette are put under prohibition once Damocles learns about how they've been behaving.
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* MamaBear: When Alya attacks Cole, Bustier tries to blame Cole for defending herself. Adelaide outright ''reams'' Bustier for it and makes sure she gets suspended from her job.
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* GullibleLemmings: Most of Marinette's classmates prove to be this, as they follow Lila's lead and turn against Marinette and Cole, ramping up their behavior as the story progresses.
Deleted line(s) 68 (click to see context) :
* HeelRealization: Nino has one while texting with Cole under an alias, as she lays out all the evidence of Lila's actions and he sees the actions he and the others took under her influence in a whole new light.
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* JerkassRealization: Nino has one once he decides to contact Cole on Discord and get her side of the story. The more evidence he's presented with of just how Lila's been manipulating them, the harder he's struck by just how badly he and the others have been behaving.
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* AdaptationalVillainy: Alya crosses over into this when she sharpens her fingernails before outright ''assaulting'' Marinette and Cole, aiming [[EyeScream for their eyes]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Principal Damocles is clearly taken aback at how Ms. Bustier mishandled Alya's assault attempt. While he punishes both girls involved, Cole's punishment is ''much'' less severe than Alya's, and it's suggested that he only did so reluctantly.
* TheScapegoat: While Cole's arrival ''does'' shake things up, she finds herself getting blamed for ''all'' the drama that starts unfolding in her new class after she transfers in. Not just by Lila and her followers, but by Ms. Bustier, who even goes so far to blame her entirely for Alya assaulting her and her cousin and neglecting to give her medical attention.
* SharedFamilyQuirks: Like her cousin, Cole proves to be highly creative and resourceful, with a penchant for planning things out and putting a lot of thought into matters.
Deleted line(s) 114 (click to see context) :
* SketchySuccessor: Alya naturally sees Vexxin as one for Rena Rouge, responding to her debut by writing an article accusing her of ''stealing'' the Fox Miraculous.
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Changed line(s) 39,41 (click to see context) from:
* CastFullOfGay:
** Marinette is Pansexual.
** Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
** Marinette is Pansexual.
** Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
to:
* CastFullOfGay:
** Marinette is Pansexual.
**CastFullOfGay: [[AdaptationalSexuality In-spite of their canon-counterpart's sexualities]], Marinette's circle of friends are all portrayed as queer, Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.being lesbians and Marinette as pansexual.
** Marinette is Pansexual.
**
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* TheHeavy: Lila considers Alya to be something like this to her, having manipulated her into being her "most proactive attack mutt."
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* TheStarscream: Even as she patiently waits to be akumatized, Lila considers the idea of taking Hawk Moth's miraculous for herself.
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Changed line(s) 112 (click to see context) from:
** Adrien lectures Marinette about how she needs to stop 'antagonizing' Lila by attempting to expose her, claiming that her lies aren't hurting anyone... while ''also'' telling her that Lila turning their class against her with said lies is her own fault.
to:
** Adrien lectures Marinette about how she needs to stop 'antagonizing' Lila by attempting to expose her, claiming that her lies aren't hurting anyone... while ''also'' telling her that Lila turning their class against her with said lies is her own fault. He also chooses to believe Lila's claims that Cole is faking her vision problems despite knowing exactly how she operates.
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** Lila tells her classmates that she's going to be traveling during summer break, only to realize a little too late that unless she comes up with a good excuse as to why she's still in Paris, she's going to effectively be stuck inside the whole time.
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* LaserGuidedKarma:
** After turning on Marinette, slandering her and her cousin, Alya sees herself replaced as the Fox Heroine. Her reaction to this ensures that she will never be trusted with a Miraculous again, due to [[spoiler:outing herself as the former Rena Rouge]].
** Not long afterwards, when she outright ''assaults'' Marinette and Cole in class, she's given a ''much'' more severe punishment (three weeks' suspension once school restarts along with seven weeks of detention, versus Cole getting a single week's suspension). Her parents also get involved, [[spoiler:grounding her and posting an announcement on the Ladyblog that it would be on hiatus during her grounding... as well as ''why'' she'd lost her right to maintain her blog. Meaning that all of her readers know that she attacked another classmate]].
** After turning on Marinette, slandering her and her cousin, Alya sees herself replaced as the Fox Heroine. Her reaction to this ensures that she will never be trusted with a Miraculous again, due to [[spoiler:outing herself as the former Rena Rouge]].
** Not long afterwards, when she outright ''assaults'' Marinette and Cole in class, she's given a ''much'' more severe punishment (three weeks' suspension once school restarts along with seven weeks of detention, versus Cole getting a single week's suspension). Her parents also get involved, [[spoiler:grounding her and posting an announcement on the Ladyblog that it would be on hiatus during her grounding... as well as ''why'' she'd lost her right to maintain her blog. Meaning that all of her readers know that she attacked another classmate]].
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Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* CriticalResearchFailure: InUniverse, Ms. Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
to:
* CriticalResearchFailure: CriticalResearchFailure:
** InUniverse, Ms. Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
** [[PlayedForDrama Used more dramatically]] when Lila exploits Alya not checking her own sources by feeding her [[ExactWords carefully phrased information]] about an article she found regarding [[spoiler:a child abuse case, making it sound as though Cole was the ''perpetrator'' rather than the ''victim'']].
** InUniverse, Ms. Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into
** [[PlayedForDrama Used more dramatically]] when Lila exploits Alya not checking her own sources by feeding her [[ExactWords carefully phrased information]] about an article she found regarding [[spoiler:a child abuse case, making it sound as though Cole was the ''perpetrator'' rather than the ''victim'']].
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Changed line(s) 40,41 (click to see context) from:
** Marinette is Pansexual
** Cole,Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
** Cole,Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
to:
** Marinette is Pansexual
Pansexual.
**Cole,Chloe, Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
**
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* FairWeatherFriend: The bulk of Marinette's classmates are characterized as this, due to how easily they turned against her
to:
* FairWeatherFriend: The bulk of Marinette's classmates are characterized as this, due to how easily they turned against herher.
* FalseFriend: Lila in regards to Alya and all of her other pawns. At one point, she pretends to be listening to her vent, but secretly has her muted and only turns it back on so she can pass on some 'juicy' cherry-picked info.
* HeelRealization: Nino has one while texting with Cole under an alias, as she lays out all the evidence of Lila's actions and he sees the actions he and the others took under her influence in a whole new light.
** As of Chapter 7, Cole's parents have been made aware of just what their daughter has been dealing with at her new school. Nino also contacts her to get her side of the story, and [[spoiler:Alya has been grounded by her parents]].
Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur.
to:
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur. She later thinks of her using the same term.
* TheoryTunnelvision: {{Downplayed}}; when Lila's spin on the Vexxin situation doesn't jive with Alya's immediate assumption that the new Fox ''stole'' her Miraculous, Alya still hears her out, even seeming to calm down as she hears her version of events. However, she snaps back to her original theory once her anger overwhelms her, opting to ignore how this fails to line up with anything she's being told or shown.
Changed line(s) 121 (click to see context) from:
to:
* YouAreGrounded: Following a violent confrontation, [[spoiler:Alya has been grounded by her parents, who also posted an announcement on the Ladyblog about it being put on hiatus... and why]]. This is noted to have caused several akumatizations as a result.
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Added DiffLines:
* {{Badass Gay}}: Cole is Vexxin and a lesbian. Marinette is, of course, Ladybug and a pansexual.
Added DiffLines:
* CastFullOfGay:
**Marinette is Pansexual
**Cole,Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
**Marinette is Pansexual
**Cole,Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle are Lesbians.
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Added DiffLines:
** Kim gets the most focus of their other classmates due to his willingness to get physical with his bullying. One of his very first actions in the story is to attempt to trip Cole on her first day, and he only gets worse from there. Like Alya, he's operating under the presumption that ''Cole'' is part of the problem and 'deserves' to be treated poorly.
** Adrien's dogged pursuit of Ladybug's affections as Chat Noir escalates to the point where he is willing to stand aside and watch her get hurt in hopes that this will force her to 'admit how she ''really'' feels' about him. He also stands aside and watches Lila turn the rest of the class against Marinette and Cole, blaming ''them'' for it... and buying into her lies enough to believe that Cole ''is'' faking her vision issues.
** Adrien's dogged pursuit of Ladybug's affections as Chat Noir escalates to the point where he is willing to stand aside and watch her get hurt in hopes that this will force her to 'admit how she ''really'' feels' about him. He also stands aside and watches Lila turn the rest of the class against Marinette and Cole, blaming ''them'' for it... and buying into her lies enough to believe that Cole ''is'' faking her vision issues.
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Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* AdaptationalHeroism: While Chloe is canonically Queen Bee, she's shown to be taking her HeelFaceTurn more seriously in this series, working on improving her behavior. She also acknowledges that outing herself to all of Paris makes giving her the Bee a risky move.
to:
* AdaptationalHeroism: While Compared to her {{Canon}} counterpart, Chloe is canonically Queen Bee, she's shown to be taking her HeelFaceTurn more seriously in this series, by working on improving her behavior. behavior. She isn't especially interested in mending fences with her ''other'' classmates, but isn't bullying them anymore, has reached out and apologized to others, and is already tentatively building a better relationship with Marinette before Cole shows up. She also acknowledges that outing herself to all of Paris makes giving her the Bee again a risky move.proposition.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Lila's influence makes most of Marinette's classmates significantly worse, with Alya, Kim and Adrien's worst traits getting amplified.
** Alya goes from Marinette's '[[FairWeatherFriend best friend]]' to Lila's personal [[BetaBitch attack dog]], fully buying into her lies. Her strong sense of justice and willingness to pursue answers is negatively focused upon Marinette, and she refuses to accept any truths that clash with [[TheoryTunnelvision her assumptions]].
* AdaptationalJerkass: Lila's influence makes most of Marinette's classmates significantly worse, with Alya, Kim and Adrien's worst traits getting amplified.
** Alya goes from Marinette's '[[FairWeatherFriend best friend]]' to Lila's personal [[BetaBitch attack dog]], fully buying into her lies. Her strong sense of justice and willingness to pursue answers is negatively focused upon Marinette, and she refuses to accept any truths that clash with [[TheoryTunnelvision her assumptions]].
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Changed line(s) 28,30 (click to see context) from:
-->'''Alya:''' "She's been nothing but trouble, Professor Damocles! She's been rude to Lila, lying about having a disability, and she was insulting the class!"\\
'''Damocles:''' "And that gave you the right to physically attack her?"\\
'''Alya:''' "Yes!" [Damocles sighs and presses the bridge of his nose]
'''Damocles:''' "And that gave you the right to physically attack her?"\\
'''Alya:''' "Yes!" [Damocles sighs and presses the bridge of his nose]
to:
-->'''Alya:''' "She's She's been nothing but trouble, Professor Damocles! She's been rude to Lila, lying about having a disability, and she was insulting the class!"\\
class!\\
'''Damocles:'''"And And that gave you the right to physically attack her?"\\
her?\\
'''Alya:'''"Yes!" [Damocles Yes! ''[Damocles sighs and presses the bridge of his nose]nose]''
'''Damocles:'''
'''Alya:'''
Changed line(s) 67,68 (click to see context) from:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
to:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are Are you threatening me?!"\\
me?!\\
'''Vexxin:'''"It's It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
'''Vexxin:'''
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' [after hearing that Vexxin is a permanent hero] "But why!? We were doing just fine." [folds arms] "Until you kept denying our love."
to:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' [after ''[after hearing that Vexxin is a permanent hero] "But hero]'' But why!? We were doing just fine." [folds arms] "Until fine. ''[folds arms]'' Until you kept denying our love."
Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
--->'''Cole:''' "I owe nothing to any of you. My respect is something to be earned, and you lot will ''never'' earn it. Once you stop thinking like a mob, then maybe I'll consider any of you worth my time. Now leave. Us. Alone. I'd rather not have my IQ lowered anymore than it already has."
to:
--->'''Cole:''' "I I owe nothing to any of you. My respect is something to be earned, and you lot will ''never'' earn it. Once you stop thinking like a mob, then maybe I'll consider any of you worth my time. Now leave. Us. Alone. I'd rather not have my IQ lowered anymore than it already has."
Changed line(s) 94 (click to see context) from:
** Chat Noir refuses to acknowledge Ladybug's repeated assertations that she's just not interested in him the way he wants.
to:
** Chat Noir refuses to acknowledge Ladybug's repeated assertations assertions that she's just not interested in him the way he wants.
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Changed line(s) 65,67 (click to see context) from:
* IsThatAThreat: When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
-->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
-->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
to:
* IsThatAThreat: IsThatAThreat:
** When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
-->'''Chat --->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''." "
** A similar exchange happens between Adrien and Cole when she warns him that by standing aside and letting Lila get away with lying, he's running the risk of going down with her once the truth comes out.
** When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''.
** A similar exchange happens between Adrien and Cole when she warns him that by standing aside and letting Lila get away with lying, he's running the risk of going down with her once the truth comes out.
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* ObfuscatingDisability: Lila accuses Cole of faking her vision problems, much like how she secretly faked her 'tinnitus'. Most of the class believes this. Including Adrien, despite knowing how much she's lied about other things.
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* RelativeError: Adrien dismissively refers to Cole as Marinette's girlfriend at one point, unaware that their closeness is because they're cousins.
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* AccompliceByInaction: Adrien knows that Lila's accusations are just MaliciousSlander, but opts to stand by and watch her turn the rest of the class against Marinette.
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* BrokenPedestal: Though Marinette's regard of Adrien was already weakening, the pedestal completely shatters on ''The Worst Day So Far'' when he tries to convince her that she's only suffering because she hasn't 'taken the high road' like him. Seeing just how determined he is to pin the blame on her leads her to lament her former crush, wondering what she ever saw in him in the first place.
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* NewTransferStudent: Cole enters Ms. Bustier's class this way.
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** Lila's constant claims that she's Ladybug's best friend gets her taken hostage by [[spoiler:Rena Rage]], who's convinced that this will bring Ladybug in faster.
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* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler:Rena Rage]] has the same outfit as their former superhero identity, just in black and purple.
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* MaliciousSlander: Lila does this to Marinette and Cole. Alya also aims towards Vexxin with this, attempting to paint her as a thief.
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* SelectiveObliviousness:
** Chat Noir refuses to acknowledge Ladybug's repeated assertations that she's just not interested in him the way he wants.
** Adrien lectures Marinette about how she needs to stop 'antagonizing' Lila by attempting to expose her, claiming that her lies aren't hurting anyone... while ''also'' telling her that Lila turning their class against her with said lies is her own fault.
** Chat Noir refuses to acknowledge Ladybug's repeated assertations that she's just not interested in him the way he wants.
** Adrien lectures Marinette about how she needs to stop 'antagonizing' Lila by attempting to expose her, claiming that her lies aren't hurting anyone... while ''also'' telling her that Lila turning their class against her with said lies is her own fault.
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* IsThatAThreat?: When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
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* IsThatAThreat?: IsThatAThreat: When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
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* BadassBystander: During Nightify's attack, Cole leaps into action to help protect other civilians, like [[spoiler:Master Fu]].
to:
* BadassBystander: During Nightify's attack, Cole leaps into action AttentionWhore: Chloe explicitly refers to help protect other civilians, like [[spoiler:Master Fu]].Lila as such. Rather accurately, given her tendency to make everything revolve around herself as much as possible.
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* CriticalResearchFailure: InUniverse, Miss Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
to:
* CriticalResearchFailure: InUniverse, Miss Ms. Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
* DidntSeeThatComing:
** During an akuma attack, Vexxin makes a Mirage of Marinette to serve as a distraction. This has the unintentional side-effect of the ''real'' Adrien going after the mirage, making matters significantly more complicated.
* DidntThinkThisThrough:
** Adrien/Chat Noir decides to stay out of akuma fights for a while, withholding his aid until Ladybug agrees to start dating him. He completely fails to consider how Master Fu might feel about this. Turns out the guardian doesn't approve, and appoints Vexxin as another permanent hero, giving Ladybug a more reliable partner.
** Alya reacts to the appearance of a new Fox by leaping to all the wrong conclusions and writing an article accusing them of ''stealing'' the Fox miraculous. She then goes on a one-woman crusade against Vexxin that only serves to cement Ladybug's decision not to trust her any further, especially after [[spoiler:she compromises her own identity as Rena Rage]].
* DidntSeeThatComing:
** During an akuma attack, Vexxin makes a Mirage of Marinette to serve as a distraction. This has the unintentional side-effect of the ''real'' Adrien going after the mirage, making matters significantly more complicated.
* DidntThinkThisThrough:
** Adrien/Chat Noir decides to stay out of akuma fights for a while, withholding his aid until Ladybug agrees to start dating him. He completely fails to consider how Master Fu might feel about this. Turns out the guardian doesn't approve, and appoints Vexxin as another permanent hero, giving Ladybug a more reliable partner.
** Alya reacts to the appearance of a new Fox by leaping to all the wrong conclusions and writing an article accusing them of ''stealing'' the Fox miraculous. She then goes on a one-woman crusade against Vexxin that only serves to cement Ladybug's decision not to trust her any further, especially after [[spoiler:she compromises her own identity as Rena Rage]].
* HeroicBystander: During Nightify's attack, Cole leaps into action to help protect other civilians, like [[spoiler:Master Fu]].
** Adrien is so locked into this mindset that when two of their schoolmates get akumatized immediately after a heated conversation with him, he frantically searches for Marinette just so he can accuse ''her'' of causing it.
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** Adrien attempts this on Marinette after two of their schoolmates are akumatized, [[SelectiveObliviousness while opting to ignore]] any part ''he'' might have played in it. Both akuma turn it around on him.
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* FlowerMotifs: In ''Creation's Curiosity'', Tikki examines a list of flowers Marinette has been compiling for a project and realizes that all of them have meanings related to warnings or rebuke.
to:
* FlowerMotifs: FlowerMotifs:
** Marinette's favorite flower is noted to be the apple blossom. Fittingly, apple blossoms can signify good fortune, or the promise of better times ahead.
** In ''Creation's Curiosity'', Tikki examines a list of flowers Marinette has been compiling for a project and realizes that all of them have meanings related to warnings or rebuke.
** Marinette's favorite flower is noted to be the apple blossom. Fittingly, apple blossoms can signify good fortune, or the promise of better times ahead.
** In ''Creation's Curiosity'', Tikki examines a list of flowers Marinette has been compiling for a project and realizes that all of them have meanings related to warnings or rebuke.
* HoistByHerOwnPetard:
** Chat Noir's decision to stop helping Ladybug until she admits how much she needs him causes Master Fu to choose a permanent holder for the Fox in order to compensate for his inaction, while reevaluating his ability to serve as the Cat.
** Alya's single-minded crusade to get the Fox back from Vexxin causes her to unintentionally ensure that she can no longer use ''any'' miraculous, as she [[spoiler:outs herself as Rena Rouge during her rampage as Rena Rage]].
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats.
** Chat Noir's decision to stop helping Ladybug until she admits how much she needs him causes Master Fu to choose a permanent holder for the Fox in order to compensate for his inaction, while reevaluating his ability to serve as the Cat.
** Alya's single-minded crusade to get the Fox back from Vexxin causes her to unintentionally ensure that she can no longer use ''any'' miraculous, as she [[spoiler:outs herself as Rena Rouge during her rampage as Rena Rage]].
** Lila's love of EvilGloating only serves to create more evidence of her plotting and scheming, thanks to Cole making a point to record her threats.
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** Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mireille are all furious when they learn that Adrien knew all along that Lila was lying, but chose to stand aside and let her turn the others against Marinette while insisting that he was 'taking the high road'.
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* SketchySuccessor: Alya naturally sees Vexxin as one for Rena Rouge, responding to her debut by writing an article accusing her of ''stealing'' the Fox Miraculous.
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* SuperiorSuccessor: Vexxin is regarded as one to Rena Rouge by some, including Ladybug herself.
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* AchillesInHisTent: Chat decides to start sitting out of battles, watching from the sidelines and waiting for Ladybug to admit that she needs him... not just as a partner in akuma-fighting, but as a boyfriend. This blatant {{Blackmail}} does ''not'' go over well with Cole [[spoiler:or Master Fu]].
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* TheConfidant: Before Cole returned to Paris, she served this role for Marinette, via chatting online. Though she naturally didn't tell her anything about her work as Ladybug, she told her about how things were going at school, including how they were going downhill thanks to Lila turning her classmates against her.
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* FairWeatherFriend: The bulk of Marinette's classmates are characterized as this, due to how easily they turned against her
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* FlowerMotifs: In ''Creation's Curiosity'', Tikki examines a list of flowers Marinette has been compiling for a project and realizes that all of them have meanings related to warnings or rebuke.
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* HeelFaceTurn: Before Cole's arrival, Chloe decides to solidify hers by standing with Marinette and making sincere effort to become a better person rather than falling back into her usual habits.
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* SignificantWardrobeShift: ''On the Topic of Suits'' shows that Marinette is pondering one before the events of ''Burning Bridges, Building Confidence'', sketching out some designs to see what she likes most.
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** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears.
** Miss Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].
** Miss Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].
to:
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears.
CrocodileTears. That said, even ''he'' is clearly disgusted by Bustier's blatant favoritism.
**Miss Ms. Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].open]].
* AscendedExtra: Aurore and Mireille go from minor recurring characters to two of the members of Marinette's new circle of friends.
**
* AscendedExtra: Aurore and Mireille go from minor recurring characters to two of the members of Marinette's new circle of friends.
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** Ms. Bustier does this ''for'' Alya after said assault, fussing over the former and only giving her medical attention... and when called on this, replies that she was more concerned with the 'victim'.
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* TabloidMelodrama: The Ladyblog descends into this as Alya gets increasingly worse about not checking facts and letting her bias show. After Vexxin's debut, she posts an article claiming that the Fox was ''stolen''.
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* PlayingTheVictimCard:
** One of the ways that Lila turns the class against Marinette and Cole is by accusing the former of threatening her in the bathroom... just like she ''actually'' did to Marinette.
** Alya attempts to do this after attacking Marinette and Cole, blaming them for all the recent classroom drama and insisting that she was fully justified in attacking them.
** One of the ways that Lila turns the class against Marinette and Cole is by accusing the former of threatening her in the bathroom... just like she ''actually'' did to Marinette.
** Alya attempts to do this after attacking Marinette and Cole, blaming them for all the recent classroom drama and insisting that she was fully justified in attacking them.
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* AdultsAreUseless: {{Zigzagged}}; several adults prove reasonable and willing to listen, but a few play this painfully straight:
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears.
** Miss Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].
** When the GirlPosse is brainstorming ways to deal with Lila's threats, Mireille suggests talking to the principal. Chloe dismisses him as a pushover who'd cave in the face of Lila's CrocodileTears.
** Miss Bustier proves even worse. When Alya attacks Marinette trying to scratch her face with her specially sharpened nails and Cole intervenes, Bustier reacts with horror, only caring about the fact that she struck Alya while ignoring the fact that [[spoiler:Alya ripped some of Cole's stitches open]].
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* BluntYes: When Alya and Cole are both in Damocles' office:
-->'''Alya:''' "She's been nothing but trouble, Professor Damocles! She's been rude to Lila, lying about having a disability, and she was insulting the class!"\\
'''Damocles:''' "And that gave you the right to physically attack her?"\\
'''Alya:''' "Yes!" [Damocles sighs and presses the bridge of his nose]
-->'''Alya:''' "She's been nothing but trouble, Professor Damocles! She's been rude to Lila, lying about having a disability, and she was insulting the class!"\\
'''Damocles:''' "And that gave you the right to physically attack her?"\\
'''Alya:''' "Yes!" [Damocles sighs and presses the bridge of his nose]
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Ever since Lila Rossi returned to College Francoise Dupont, Marinette's life feels like it's been steadily sliding downhill. Despite her best efforts, Lila's [[CelebrityLie fabulous-sounding fibs]] have most of their classmates mesmerized, and she's got every intention of keeping her promise to ''ruin'' the fashion designer for the cardinal sin of standing up to her.
To make matters worse, Chat Noir is still persistently pursuing Ladybug, ignoring all of her efforts to get him to ease up on the flirting and take their work as superheroes even a little more seriously.
Enter Collette Sullivan. Another new addition to their class, but this face is both familiar and much more welcome to Marinette, as it belongs to her cousin, who's just moved back from America. And just in time, too, as with Hawkmoth still at large, Lila working hard to tear down all she's created and those she used to trust proving less than reliable, she's going to need all the help she can get.
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/1480772 Burning Bridges, Building Confidence]]'' is a ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfic series by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeanWritesStuff/pseuds/BeanWritesStuff [=BeanWritesStuff=]]]. Like [[FandomSpecificPlot many other fanworks inspired by]] [[Recap/MiraculousLadybugS03E01Chameleon "Chameleon"]], it explores Marinette having to weather the storm. In this case, she has [[OriginalCharacter her cousin Cole]] in her corner, along with forming a new group of friends.
----
!!This fanfic series contains instances of:
* AdaptationalHeroism: While Chloe is canonically Queen Bee, she's shown to be taking her HeelFaceTurn more seriously in this series, working on improving her behavior. She also acknowledges that outing herself to all of Paris makes giving her the Bee a risky move.
* BadassBystander: During Nightify's attack, Cole leaps into action to help protect other civilians, like [[spoiler:Master Fu]].
* BatterUp: Cole uses a baseball bat when assisting Ladybug with Nightify, and later carries one as Vexxin.
* BetrayalFic: Much of the main story revolves around Marinette dealing with being let down by her friends and classmates, with Cole's entrance back into her life providing a valuable ally and support when she needs it most.
* BlatantLies:
** Lila claims to have been the 'mysterious vigilante' that assisted Ladybug against Nightify, despite not bearing any physical resemblance to them at all.
** She also claims that Cole doesn't have any vision problems and is just faking it for attention. Despite Cole wearing an eyepatch over her injury.
** In fact, many of Lila's accusations are based off of things ''she's'' done -- and wanted to do -- to Marinette and Cole.
* BloodSplatteredWeddingDress: Lila appears in one during Marinette's CatapultNightmare, having just fatally stabbed her while her uncaring friends accuse the dead Marinette of 'faking it for attention'.
* BrutalHonesty: Cole does ''not'' mince words or sugarcoat anything. This, paired with her refusing to play along with Lila's tale-spinning and calling her followers sheep, doesn't make her many friends among her classmates.
* TheBrute: Kim gets the most physical in his efforts to 'defend Lila's honor' by confronting Cole, from trying to trip them to attempting to grab her while she's chatting with Marinette.
* CatapultNightmare: ''Burning Bridges, Building Confidence'' opens with Marinette having one where Lila hijacks her wedding and marries Adrien, with all her friends turning against her.
* CriticalResearchFailure: InUniverse, Miss Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
* ExtremeDoormat: Cole sees Adrien as one, describing him as having "the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair."
* EyeScream: Alya attempts to inflict this on Marinette, [[spoiler:but gets Cole instead, ripping open several stitches]].
* FailedASpotCheck: When Chat Noir bluntly informs Cole that he's not going to assist Ladybug until she 'admits that they're meant for each other', he fails to notice that [[spoiler:Master Fu is right beside her]].
* FairytaleWeddingDress: Marinette dreams about getting married in one... before Lila appears in a wedding dress 'made of dime store materials and hatred'.
* FlippingTheBird: Cole salutes Chat in this manner when they first meet. She does the same to Lila after she threatens her.
* GirlPosse: Marinette forms a new group of friends at school, including Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle.
* GreenEyedMonster: Alya is ''not happy'' about being replaced by Vexxin, leading to her posting inflammatory articles on the Ladyblog about her [[spoiler:and getting akumatized into Rena Rage]].
* InternalReveal:
** In Chapter 4, Ladybug and Vexxin discover [[spoiler:each others' identities when they make a Discord server for communicating when not transformed, only to find that they already have that contact information saved]].
** Chapter 5 has Alya learning that there's a new Fox Bearer, and subsequently [[spoiler:outing herself as Rena Rouge while akumatized as Rena Rage]].
** Adrien himself reveals to Cole and the rest of Marinette's GirlPosse that he already knew Lila was lying.
* IsThatAThreat?: When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
-->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
* MeaningfulName: The new Fox Hero, Vexxin, draws their name from several terms: ''vexing'', ''vixen'', ''toxin'', and Trixx, with the latter inspiring the double-Xs.
* NeverMyFault:
** Chat's attempts to force Ladybug into a relationship with him directly lead to Vexxin becoming the new Fox, as [[spoiler:Master Fu heard him openly admit what he was doing without remorse]]. He immediately cops a condenscending attitude towards Ladybug, attempting to blame her for everything:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' [after hearing that Vexxin is a permanent hero] "But why!? We were doing just fine." [folds arms] "Until you kept denying our love."
** Even after Ladybug tells Alya that Rena Rouge and Carapace have been permanently retired due to her actions, Alya blames Vexxin for her misfortune.
* {{Omniglot}}: Lila claims to be one. Cole and Aurore make fun of this by making mocking comments in English, Spanish and German.
* OriginalCharacter: Collette 'Cole' Sullivan, along with others to help fill out the story.
* PeekABangs: Cole has these in order to cover her eyepatch.
* ThePerfectionist: Idealizer just wanted her family's Parisian vacation to be absolutely ''perfect''. Her dismay over her plans falling apart makes her prime Hawkmoth bait, and her powers allow her to alter her surroundings to be practically picture-perfect... including transforming anyone caught by her magic into living props.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** When confronting Alya after [[spoiler:she outed herself as Rena Rage]], Ladybug spells out for her just how far she's fallen, laying out every mistake she's made and how she's proven herself completely unworthy of any miraculous at all.
** When Kim and the others attempt to confront Cole, she gives a short one to Lila's herd:
--->'''Cole:''' "I owe nothing to any of you. My respect is something to be earned, and you lot will ''never'' earn it. Once you stop thinking like a mob, then maybe I'll consider any of you worth my time. Now leave. Us. Alone. I'd rather not have my IQ lowered anymore than it already has."
* ShipperOnDeck: Alya supports the idea of Ladynoir becoming canon so much that she fails to see anything wrong with Chat opting to sit out of fights until Ladybug agrees to date him.
* SkewedPriorities:
** Chat is so dead-set on getting together with Ladybug that he starts actively {{Blackmail}}ing her by sitting out of fights, claiming that he'll only step in to help if she 'admits her feelings for him'.
*** Disgustingly enough, when Alya overhears one of these threats, she actually ''agrees'' with him:
---->''Good ultimatium,'' Alya thought. ''She better do it quick, or else they might get her miraculous.''
** At one point, after [[spoiler:Kagami and Chloe]] are akumatized, Adrien decides to focus on tracking down Marinette over dealing with the threat... so that he can blame her for said akumatization.
* AStormIsComing: Side story ''The Storm on the Horizon'' has Master Fu comparing the distorted energy thrumming throughout Paris and the growing disruption between Ladybug and the other Miraculous holders to a storm.
* TrustPassword: When meeting Vexxin for the first time, Ladybug asks her the names of both of their kwamis, in order to affirm that she met both of them.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** During Nightify's attack, Chat Noir decides to sit things out in hopes that Ladybug will be forced to admit how much she needs him. He brazenly admits as much to Cole, who immediately calls him out on it.
** Ladybug gives him another dressing-down when he confronts her about Vexxin, claiming that they don't need any more help. Vexxin jumps in as well, declaring that he's only got his own inaction to blame.
----
To make matters worse, Chat Noir is still persistently pursuing Ladybug, ignoring all of her efforts to get him to ease up on the flirting and take their work as superheroes even a little more seriously.
Enter Collette Sullivan. Another new addition to their class, but this face is both familiar and much more welcome to Marinette, as it belongs to her cousin, who's just moved back from America. And just in time, too, as with Hawkmoth still at large, Lila working hard to tear down all she's created and those she used to trust proving less than reliable, she's going to need all the help she can get.
''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/1480772 Burning Bridges, Building Confidence]]'' is a ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfic series by [[https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeanWritesStuff/pseuds/BeanWritesStuff [=BeanWritesStuff=]]]. Like [[FandomSpecificPlot many other fanworks inspired by]] [[Recap/MiraculousLadybugS03E01Chameleon "Chameleon"]], it explores Marinette having to weather the storm. In this case, she has [[OriginalCharacter her cousin Cole]] in her corner, along with forming a new group of friends.
----
!!This fanfic series contains instances of:
* AdaptationalHeroism: While Chloe is canonically Queen Bee, she's shown to be taking her HeelFaceTurn more seriously in this series, working on improving her behavior. She also acknowledges that outing herself to all of Paris makes giving her the Bee a risky move.
* BadassBystander: During Nightify's attack, Cole leaps into action to help protect other civilians, like [[spoiler:Master Fu]].
* BatterUp: Cole uses a baseball bat when assisting Ladybug with Nightify, and later carries one as Vexxin.
* BetrayalFic: Much of the main story revolves around Marinette dealing with being let down by her friends and classmates, with Cole's entrance back into her life providing a valuable ally and support when she needs it most.
* BlatantLies:
** Lila claims to have been the 'mysterious vigilante' that assisted Ladybug against Nightify, despite not bearing any physical resemblance to them at all.
** She also claims that Cole doesn't have any vision problems and is just faking it for attention. Despite Cole wearing an eyepatch over her injury.
** In fact, many of Lila's accusations are based off of things ''she's'' done -- and wanted to do -- to Marinette and Cole.
* BloodSplatteredWeddingDress: Lila appears in one during Marinette's CatapultNightmare, having just fatally stabbed her while her uncaring friends accuse the dead Marinette of 'faking it for attention'.
* BrutalHonesty: Cole does ''not'' mince words or sugarcoat anything. This, paired with her refusing to play along with Lila's tale-spinning and calling her followers sheep, doesn't make her many friends among her classmates.
* TheBrute: Kim gets the most physical in his efforts to 'defend Lila's honor' by confronting Cole, from trying to trip them to attempting to grab her while she's chatting with Marinette.
* CatapultNightmare: ''Burning Bridges, Building Confidence'' opens with Marinette having one where Lila hijacks her wedding and marries Adrien, with all her friends turning against her.
* CriticalResearchFailure: InUniverse, Miss Bustier mixes parts of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' into ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
* ExtremeDoormat: Cole sees Adrien as one, describing him as having "the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair."
* EyeScream: Alya attempts to inflict this on Marinette, [[spoiler:but gets Cole instead, ripping open several stitches]].
* FailedASpotCheck: When Chat Noir bluntly informs Cole that he's not going to assist Ladybug until she 'admits that they're meant for each other', he fails to notice that [[spoiler:Master Fu is right beside her]].
* FairytaleWeddingDress: Marinette dreams about getting married in one... before Lila appears in a wedding dress 'made of dime store materials and hatred'.
* FlippingTheBird: Cole salutes Chat in this manner when they first meet. She does the same to Lila after she threatens her.
* GirlPosse: Marinette forms a new group of friends at school, including Cole, Chloe, Kagami, Aurore and Mirelle.
* GreenEyedMonster: Alya is ''not happy'' about being replaced by Vexxin, leading to her posting inflammatory articles on the Ladyblog about her [[spoiler:and getting akumatized into Rena Rage]].
* InternalReveal:
** In Chapter 4, Ladybug and Vexxin discover [[spoiler:each others' identities when they make a Discord server for communicating when not transformed, only to find that they already have that contact information saved]].
** Chapter 5 has Alya learning that there's a new Fox Bearer, and subsequently [[spoiler:outing herself as Rena Rouge while akumatized as Rena Rage]].
** Adrien himself reveals to Cole and the rest of Marinette's GirlPosse that he already knew Lila was lying.
* IsThatAThreat?: When Vexxin rips into Chat Noir, pointing out that he might be in danger of losing his own miraculous if he doesn't shape up:
-->'''Chat Noir:''' "Are you threatening me?!"\\
'''Vexxin:''' "It's a ''promise''. Because even though I don't have full vision, it doesn't take 20/20 vision to realize you are riding that line like a cowboy. And if you don't get off, ''you'll be thrown''."
* MeaningfulName: The new Fox Hero, Vexxin, draws their name from several terms: ''vexing'', ''vixen'', ''toxin'', and Trixx, with the latter inspiring the double-Xs.
* NeverMyFault:
** Chat's attempts to force Ladybug into a relationship with him directly lead to Vexxin becoming the new Fox, as [[spoiler:Master Fu heard him openly admit what he was doing without remorse]]. He immediately cops a condenscending attitude towards Ladybug, attempting to blame her for everything:
--->'''Chat Noir:''' [after hearing that Vexxin is a permanent hero] "But why!? We were doing just fine." [folds arms] "Until you kept denying our love."
** Even after Ladybug tells Alya that Rena Rouge and Carapace have been permanently retired due to her actions, Alya blames Vexxin for her misfortune.
* {{Omniglot}}: Lila claims to be one. Cole and Aurore make fun of this by making mocking comments in English, Spanish and German.
* OriginalCharacter: Collette 'Cole' Sullivan, along with others to help fill out the story.
* PeekABangs: Cole has these in order to cover her eyepatch.
* ThePerfectionist: Idealizer just wanted her family's Parisian vacation to be absolutely ''perfect''. Her dismay over her plans falling apart makes her prime Hawkmoth bait, and her powers allow her to alter her surroundings to be practically picture-perfect... including transforming anyone caught by her magic into living props.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: While threatening Cole with the same fate as Marinette, Lila casually calls her a slur.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** When confronting Alya after [[spoiler:she outed herself as Rena Rage]], Ladybug spells out for her just how far she's fallen, laying out every mistake she's made and how she's proven herself completely unworthy of any miraculous at all.
** When Kim and the others attempt to confront Cole, she gives a short one to Lila's herd:
--->'''Cole:''' "I owe nothing to any of you. My respect is something to be earned, and you lot will ''never'' earn it. Once you stop thinking like a mob, then maybe I'll consider any of you worth my time. Now leave. Us. Alone. I'd rather not have my IQ lowered anymore than it already has."
* ShipperOnDeck: Alya supports the idea of Ladynoir becoming canon so much that she fails to see anything wrong with Chat opting to sit out of fights until Ladybug agrees to date him.
* SkewedPriorities:
** Chat is so dead-set on getting together with Ladybug that he starts actively {{Blackmail}}ing her by sitting out of fights, claiming that he'll only step in to help if she 'admits her feelings for him'.
*** Disgustingly enough, when Alya overhears one of these threats, she actually ''agrees'' with him:
---->''Good ultimatium,'' Alya thought. ''She better do it quick, or else they might get her miraculous.''
** At one point, after [[spoiler:Kagami and Chloe]] are akumatized, Adrien decides to focus on tracking down Marinette over dealing with the threat... so that he can blame her for said akumatization.
* AStormIsComing: Side story ''The Storm on the Horizon'' has Master Fu comparing the distorted energy thrumming throughout Paris and the growing disruption between Ladybug and the other Miraculous holders to a storm.
* TrustPassword: When meeting Vexxin for the first time, Ladybug asks her the names of both of their kwamis, in order to affirm that she met both of them.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** During Nightify's attack, Chat Noir decides to sit things out in hopes that Ladybug will be forced to admit how much she needs him. He brazenly admits as much to Cole, who immediately calls him out on it.
** Ladybug gives him another dressing-down when he confronts her about Vexxin, claiming that they don't need any more help. Vexxin jumps in as well, declaring that he's only got his own inaction to blame.
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