History Foil / TheKarmaOfLies

** Adrien also believes that he can speak for those who have been hurt and forgive villains in their place, while Ladybug makes clear that even if she ''wanted'' to, she can't forgive Hawkmoth ''on behalf of'' Paris. Putting it another way, Adrien attempts to override others and force his views upon them, while Marinette want them to make their ''own'' decisions.

* Marinette cares deeply about others, worrying about how much Lila's deception is hurting her classmates. By contrast, Adrien cares more about appearances, and the concept of having friends without having to actually ''do anything'' to strengthen or maintain those relationships. He [[LackOfEmpathy lacks empathy]] for how they're being tricked; so long as [[ItsAllAboutMe it's not impacting him directly]], he doesn't see any problems with it.
** Both are hampered by their false friendships in different ways. Marinette's 'friends' exploit her kindness and take advantage of her, while Adrien's [[SkewedPriorities prioritizing his reputation over his responsibilities]] causes him to get caught in a social trap [[HoistByHisOwnPetard of his own devising]] when he can't leave a party ''he'' chose to throw despite knowing Ladybug would be calling on him shortly.
** Marinette [[StoppedCaring stops caring]] about [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]] after realizing how poorly they treated her, finding others who [[TrueCompanions treat her far better]]. Adrien never truly cared about his classmates from the start, despite his 'NiceGuy' veneer, and [[spoiler:loses them after they discover his BetrayalByInaction]].

* Adrien insists that good people [[EasilyForgiven forgive others for their misdeeds]], and pressures Marinette to TurnTheOtherCheek. However, once Adrien ''himself'' is wronged, he swiftly becomes obsessed with getting 'justice' by any means necessary. Marinette, by contrast, rejects the idea that people are ''entitled'' to forgiveness, but is willing to work with those who actually show remorse and put real effort into correcting their mistakes/changing their ways.
** Adrien also believes that he can speak for those harmed and forgive villains in their place, while Ladybug makes clear that even if she wanted to, she can't forgive Hawkmoth ''on behalf of'' Paris. Putting it another way, Adrien tries to override others and force his views upon them, while Marinette wants them to make their own decisions.
* Despite Marinette being their 'Everyday Ladybug' who went out of her way to help them however she could, the whole class effectively abandoned her in favor of Lila's promises. Adrien, on the other hand, [[BetrayalByInaction stood by and let them get scammed]], yet his classmates stick by his side even as his fortunes sour, even when this causes them to suffer by association.

!!!Chloe vs. Adrien/their classmates:

* Adrien and his classmates are SecretlySelfish, taking for granted the notion that [[EntitledBastard they'll get everything they want]]. Chloe is ''openly'' entitled, used to having things go her way... but when Ladybug makes clear that she will '''not''' get to benefit from helping her again, ultimately concedes that she ''needs'' to do what's best for everyone, even knowing that [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold she won't be recognized for it]]. This contrasts sharply with Adrien and the others failing to recognize how their selfishness has ruined their own prospects.
* Both Chloe and Adrien were shielded from any serious consequences for their actions for years. Getting called out by Ladybug serves as a wake-up call for Chloe, who becomes TheAtoner and [[CharacterDevelopment works to become a better person]]. Adrien, meanwhile, takes the exact opposite tactic; faced with actual consequences for his actions, he doubles down on the very same behavior that got him into trouble in the first place, [[DiggingYourselfDeeper digging himself ever deeper]] while insisting that it's the ''rest'' of the world that's wrong.
* Chloe also realizes that she screwed up and starts taking tentative steps to atone ''before'' learning that Marinette is Ladybug, a revelation that makes Adrien and the rest try to [[FairWeatherFriend flock back to her side]] and expect to be EasilyForgiven for their treatment of her. Marinette states outright that the only reason she's willing to tentatively give Chloe a chance is because she isn't acting ''entitled'' to her forgiveness.
* Chloe doesn't parade her efforts to atone in front of Marinette, even going behind her back to volunteer at the bakery without her knowledge. Alya and the rest of the class, meanwhile, try to tug on her heartstrings with tales of how horribly they're faring thanks to Lila, making no effort to address their actual issues.

* Both Gabriel and Amelie are very controlling of Adrien; the former micromanaged Adrien's schedule and made him work as a model from a young age, while the latter places Adrien under virtual house arrest and threatens to ship him off to military school if he steps out of line. But while Gabriel extravagantly provided all the material luxuries Adrien could ever want, Amelie forces him to live a more middle-class lifestyle, which from Adrien's perspective might as well be outright poverty.
* Amelie and Gabriel are also more concerned about how Adrien would affect their reputations than about loving him and raising him as a family member; Gabriel exploited Adrien's good looks, putting him to work as a model and making him the face of his company. However, at home he was distant and neglectful, not even bothering to teach Adrien how to manage the company he would one day inherit. Amelie keeps Adrien at arm's length because she doesn't want her own reputation to be tarnished by association with Hawkmoth's son. She'll provide for him until he's legally an adult, but otherwise wants as little to do with him as possible.

''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'' sets up many foils among its characters:

* Marinette is a sincerely NiceGirl who goes well out of her way to help her friends, supporting their dreams as their 'everyday Ladybug'. Lila, meanwhile, is a BitchInSheepsClothing whose extravagant promises are TooGoodToBeTrue, stringing her victims along with false promises.
* Marinette cares about others to her own detriment, with her classmates [[TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity taking her generosity completely for granted]]. While she gets exploited by her [[FairWeatherFriend Fair-Weather Friends]], Lila [[FatalFlaw turns that against them]], exploiting their attempts to exploit ''her''. What's more, Lila actively ''sabotages'' their prospects through her self-serving schemes.
* Lila is an extremely savvy judge of character, which she uses to manipulate others. Marinette starts out unable or unwilling to see the toxic aspects of her nominal 'friends', but comes to realize she deserves better after finding ''real'' friends in Luka and Kagami.
* Both girls effectively [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their 'happy endings']] through hard work and determination, though Marinette's goals naturally benefit others as well, while Lila is [[ItsAllAboutMe purely self-focused]]. Marinette hits a KarmicJackpot, while Lila is a KarmaHoudini [[NiceJobBreakingItHero thanks to Adrien shielding her for so long]], though it's suggested that might not last if she continues pressing her luck.

* As Chat Noir, Adrien blithely throws himself into harms' way and commits several {{Senseless Sacrifice}}s, banking on the idea that Ladybug will save the day by herself and bring him back with her Miraculous Cure. Viperion/Luka proves more strategically minded and doesn't just throw his life away.

* Once their [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Karma Houdini Warranties]] are threatened, Lila immediately recognizes the danger and starts working on an exit strategy, having [[CrazyPrepared already prepared some contingencies]] to work with and {{Batman Gambit}}ting her way through the rest. Adrien, by contrast, keeps blindly insisting that he hasn't done anything wrong and that everything will keep working out the way he wants with minimal effort on his part, dismissing Plagg's [[IWarnedYou attempts to warn him]] about the coming karmic backlash.

* Amelie and Gabriel are also more concerned about how Adrien would affect their reputations than about loving him and raising him as a family member; Gabriel exploited Adrien's good looks, putting him to work as a model and making him the face of his company. However, at home he was distant and neglectful, not even bothering to teach Adrien how to manage the company he would one day inherit. Amelie keeps Adrien at arm's length because she doesn't want her own reputation to be tarnished by association with Hawk Moth's son. She'll provide for him until he's legally an adult, but otherwise wants as little to do with him as possible.

* Gabriel micromanaged his son's schedule and made him one of his models, with Adrien lamenting how little freedom he had. Once his aunt Amelie becomes his guardian, however, she shunts him back into homeschooling and strips away the luxuries he was used to, making him live a normal, unpampered life.

* Both Chloe and Adrien were shielded from any serious consequences for their actions for years. Getting called out by Ladybug serves as a wake-up call for Chloe, who becomes TheAtoner and [[CharacterDevelopment works to become a better person]]. Adrien, meanwhile, takes the exact opposite tack; faced with actual consequences for his actions, he doubles down on the very same behavior that got him into trouble in the first place, [[DiggingYourselfDeeper digging himself ever deeper]] while insisting that it's the ''rest'' of the world that's wrong.

* Adrien believes Lila is a SmallNameBigEgo who vastly overestimates what she's capable of achieving. In reality, [[PsychologicalProjection that description applies more to Adrien himself]]; he believes that the world's naturally inclined to go his way and others just have to fall in line with whatever he wants. Lila deliberately ''encourages'' Adrien to view her this way, since [[ObfuscatingStupidity his underestimating her makes it easier to spin her webs unnoticed]].

* Despite Marinette being their 'everyday Ladybug' who went out of her way to help them however she could, the whole class effectively abandoned her in favor of Lila's promises. Adrien, on the other hand, [[BetrayalByInaction stood by and let them get scammed]], yet his classmates stick by his side even as his fortunes sour, even when this causes them to suffer by association.

* Marinette cares deeply about others, worrying about how much Lila's deception is hurting her classmates. By contrast, Adrien cares more about appearances, and the concept of being friends without having to actually ''do anything'' to strengthen or maintain those relationships. He [[LackOfEmpathy lacks empathy]] for how they're being tricked; so long as [[ItsAllAboutMe it's not impacting him directly]], he doesn't see any problems with it.

* Juleka has a JerkassRealization over how she followed the crowd out of fear of being ostracized herself. Adrien ''claimed'' to have been worried about his own reputation taking a hit if he tried exposing Lila, but when he's finally motivated to speak out against her, fully expects to be believed simply because he's the one saying it. He also remains completely unrepentant, continuing to insist that he didn't do anything wrong.

* Both hurt others through their actions/[[AccompliceByInaction inaction]] and are extremely apathetic about the impact this has upon others, [[ItsAllAboutMe only caring about what benefits them most]]. But while Lila is fully aware of the amorality of her actions and [[CardCarryingVillain takes pride in it]], Adrien is ObliviouslyEvil, sincerely believing that he's [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality a truly good person]] and [[MoralMyopia always has the moral high ground]].

!!!Adrien vs. Alya:
* Both believe themselves to be righteous figures, with Adrien's belief that [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality he's the hero of this story]] and Alya 'nobly' GoingForTheBigScoop.
* Both are InnocentlyInsensitive and [[LackOfEmpathy lack empathy]] for others due to their self-centered SkewedPriorities. Adrien doesn't care about Marinette or anyone else in Paris suffering so long as he and his are protected, while Alya gets so excited about Ladybug's SecretIdentity that she barely acknowledges how Adrien just learned his father was Hawkmoth.
* Both consider ''their'' problems to be far more important than those others are dealing with, as evidenced by Alya's plan to guilt-trip the Dupain-Chengs into helping them by emphasizing how much they've suffered thanks to Lila... while blithely ignoring how much they hurt ''Marinette'' with their casual cruelty. Adrien is fully on board with said plan because it perfectly aligns with his own priorities, i.e. putting himself over everyone else.
* Both take Marinette for granted, believing their relationship with her has remained positive despite their neglect and mistreatment of her. Even when told outright that they've hurt her (or stood by and ''let'' her be hurt by Lila), they continue insisting that she ''owes'' them 'because they're friends'.
** Both care more about what Marinette can ''provide for them'' than Marinette herself, especially after learning that she's Ladybug. Alya expects exclusive interviews and other perks for being her 'bestie', while Adrien expects a RelationshipUpgrade and support in shielding his father from the fallout of his actions as Hawkmoth.

!!!Adrien vs. Gabriel:
* Both Agrestes are shown to be [[SmugSnake incredibly smug]], convinced that they're better than they actually are -- Adrien with his insistence that he's a 'good person' despite his [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered attitude]] and SkewedPriorities, and Gabriel believing himself to be a criminal mastermind despite constantly getting defeated by Ladybug. Both declare victory prematurely, and are shocked when they wind up [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Their Own Petards]], stubbornly sticking to their guns out of the belief that they can force things back onto their preferred track.
* Gabriel is a noted ControlFreak who micromanages his son's schedule and doesn't allow him to access the money he's earning through modeling. Adrien also shows controlling aspects in his relationships with others, trying to force Marinette to give bullies like Lila and Chloe free passes for their behavior and force Ladybug into a RelationshipUpgrade over her objections.
** This parallel is highlighted when Gabriel tries to convince Audrey to back down from her ultimatum by citing their friendship, much like how Adrien tries to dictate Marinette's decisions for her 'because they're friends'.
* Gabriel does not care who gets hurt by his terrorist actions as Hawkmoth. Adrien similarly doesn't care about Hawkmoth's victims, dismissing their suffering as unimportant and 'easily fixed' by the [[WorldHealingWave Miraculous Cure]].
** The same applies to their 'friends' -- Adrien lets his classmates get strung along and victimized by Chloe and Lila because he doesn't want to go through the trouble of dealing with the bullies, while Gabriel akumatized Audrey into Glitter Queen without a second thought. Both then turn around and try using their 'friendship' to manipulate others into forgiving them for how they wronged them.

* Adrien sees her [[WorldHealingWave Miraculous Cure]] as a magical ResetButton that ensures nothing they do has any long-term consequences, letting him goof off freely. Marinette sees it as a heavy burden to bear, as evidenced when she [[TheChainsOfCommanding has to make a call that could result in civilian casualties]]. Despite knowing that they'll be brought BackFromTheDead ''if'' she wins and uses the Cure, she's still haunted by having to make those sort of choices in the first place. Adrien, meanwhile, was perfectly happy to let all of Paris drown while he threw a hissy fit over being LockedOutOfTheLoop, and tries to argue that Hawkmoth shouldn't be charged with anything because the deaths and chaos he caused were wiped away by the Cure.

* Marinette cares deeply about others, worrying about how much Lila's deception is hurting her classmates. By contrast, Adrien cares more about appearances, and the concept of being friends without having to actually ''do anything'' to strengthen or maintain those relationships. He [[LackOfEmpathy lacks empathy]] for how they're being tricked; so long as [[ItsAllAboutMe it's not impacting him directly]], he doesn't see any problems with it. Eventually, Marinette comes to realize that she doesn't need [[FairWeatherFriend such shallow friendships]], moving on to build [[TrueCompanions stronger bonds]] with people who care about her ''personally'', while Adrien's [[SkewedPriorities prioritizing his reputation over his responsibilities]] leads to him [[LaserGuidedKarma being trapped by the former]] at a critical moment, contributing to his downfall.

* Adrien insists that good people [[EasilyForgiven forgive others for their misdeeds]], and pressures Marinette to TurnTheOtherCheek. However, once Adrien ''himself'' is wronged, he swiftly becomes obsessed with getting 'justice' by any means necessary. Marinette, by contrast, rejects the idea that people are ''entitled'' to forgiveness, but is willing to forgive those who actually show remorse and put real effort into correcting their mistakes/changing their ways.
** Adrien also believes that he can speak for those harmed and forgive villains in their place, while Ladybug makes clear that even if she wanted to, she can't forgive Hawkmoth ''on behalf of'' Paris.

* Their respective worldviews are heavily influenced by media. Adrien is a fan of series with BlackAndWhiteMorality where the 'good guys' always win and [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality are always right]], while Lila loves dramas like ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Film/SpyGame'', along with ''Literature/GoingPostal'' (while DramaticallyMissingThePoint of the latter). Adrien correspondingly sees himself as a 'good guy', while Lila is happily a VillainProtagonist.

* Once their [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Karma Houdini Warranties]] are threatened, Lila immediately recognizes the danger and starts working on an exit strategy, having [[CrazyPrepared already prepared some contingencies]] to work with and {{Batman Gambit}}ting her way through the rest. Adrien, by contrast, keeps blindly insisting that he hasn't done anything wrong and that everything will keep working out the way he wants, dismissing Plagg's [[IWarnedYou attempts to warn him]] about the coming karmic backlash.

* Lila also recognizes when she's in trouble and immediately starts [[XanatosSpeedChess readjusting her plans]] in order to try and save herself once her KarmaHoudiniWarranty is threatened. Adrien, by contrast, keeps blindly insisting that he hasn't done anything wrong and that everything will keep working out the way he wants, dismissing Plagg's [[IWarnedYou attempts to warn him]] about the coming karmic backlash.

* Marinette is a sincerely NiceGirl who goes well out of her way to help her friends, supporting their dreams as their 'everyday Ladybug'. Lila, meanwhile, is a BitchInSheepsClothing whose extravagant promises are TooGoodToBeTrue, stringing her victims along with false promises. She exploits her classmates being SecretlySelfish, encouraging them to [[UngratefulBastard take Marinette's efforts for granted]] until Marinette ultimately [[StoppedCaring gives up on them]].
* Marinette cares about others to her own detriment, with her classmates [[TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity taking her generosity completely for granted]]. Lila [[FatalFlaw exploits that very aspect]] of her 'friends', and uses that insight to actively ''sabotage'' their chances of achieving their goals for her own personal profit.

* Marinette cares deeply about others, worrying about how much Lila's deception is hurting her classmates. By contrast, Adrien cares more about appearances, and the concept of being friends without having to actually ''do anything'' to strengthen or maintain that friendship. He [[LackOfEmpathy lacks empathy]] for how they're being tricked; so long as [[ItsAllAboutMe it's not impacting him directly]], he doesn't see any problems with it. Eventually, Marinette comes to realize that she doesn't need [[FairWeatherFriend such shallow friendships]], moving on to build [[TrueCompanions stronger bonds]] with people who care about her ''personally'', while Adrien's [[SkewedPriorities prioritizing his reputation over his responsibilities]] leads to him [[LaserGuidedKarma being trapped by the former]] at a critical moment, contributing to his downfall.

* Both hurt others through their actions/[[AccompliceByInaction inaction]], and are extremely apathetic about the impact this has upon others, [[ItsAllAboutMe only caring about what benefits them most]]. But while Lila is fully aware of the amorality of her actions and [[CardCarryingVillain takes pride in it]], Adrien is ObliviouslyEvil, sincerely believing that he's [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality a truly good person]] and [[MoralMyopia always has the moral high ground]].

!!!Chloe vs. Adrien/the rest of the class:

* Chloe also realizes that she screwed up and starts taking tentative steps to atone ''before'' learning that Marinette [[spoiler:is Ladybug]], a revelation that makes Adrien and the rest try to [[FairWeatherFriend flock back to her side]] and expect to be EasilyForgiven for their treatment of her. Marinette states outright that the only reason she's willing to tentatively give Chloe a chance is because she isn't acting ''entitled'' to her forgiveness.

!!!Juleka vs. Adrien: