The founder and leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Makoto Niijima, has been arrested in the midst of their latest heist. The drugs and beatings her captors had already inflicted on her was bad enough, but having to detail her past year of crimes to her own sister on top of that... Can Makoto actually bridge the gap that's formed between them, or will her story only serve to further push Sae away?
A story set in an alternate universe where Makoto was chosen to be the Wild Card rather than Ren Amamiya. How will things change? What will remain the same?
The story can be read here
. It has been formally cancelled.
Not to be confused with the Frozen (2013) fic, The Queen of Hearts.
Queen of Hearts provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Makoto retains this trait.
- Adaptational Badass:
- Makoto is this due to being the Wild Card in this continuity.
- Ren's persona Arsene is also this. In the game, he's a relatively low-tier persona. In this continuity, he's capable of taking down
the Archangel in Kamoshida's palace easily, and Word of God mentioned that his weakness to ice skills was removed.
- Adaptational Early Appearance:
- Played with. While Makoto appears as a NPC in the first story arc, she doesn't get fully introduced until the second. Makoto is introduced in the first scene of this story due to her being the protagonist instead.
- Played straight with Haru however who is introduced during Kamoshida's arc and joins the party shortly afterwards, whereas in the game she doesn't make an Early-Bird Cameo until the fireworks festival and doesn't fully appear until the beginning of the new school semester.
- Futaba makes an Early-Bird Cameo during Chapter 39 which correlates with the end of the Madarame arc.
- Adaptational Jerkass: While Ryuji gets along with Ren as he does in canon, he buys into the rumors about Ann whoring herself to Kamoshidanote and is openly hostile to Makoto to the point of requesting a change of heart on the Phan-site.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Due to the different circumstances of this story's beginning compared to canon, Makoto is notably nicer to Ren when they first meet.
- Adaptational Wimp: Ren is proven to be capable of fighting in this story when he gains his own Persona powers, but his power won't be nearly as great as it was in Canon due to not having the Wild Card.
- Alternate Universe: Bar the course of fanfiction, but this story changes who the chosen one is of the Wild Card.
- Arc Welding: The Kaneshiro and Futaba arcs are folded together.
- Ascended Extra:
- Played with. While Makoto is part of the main cast, she more or less has a cameo appearance as a NPC during the Kamoshida story arc. Here she is in the main cast from the start.
- Similarly, Haru is introduced far earlier and overhears the Phantom Thieves plotting against Kamoshida, causing the Okumura arc to start far earlier.
- Shiho and Nakanohara were merely minor NPCs in the original game. Here, they are both promoted to full-blown Confidants.
- The Shujin Student Council are confidants in this story, whereas the original game has them as simply generic NPCs.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Ren makes it clear this is one of his main motivations he will see things through regarding the Kamoshida Palace situation.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Haru is sweet and polite, and doesn't hesitate to blackmail the Phantom Thieves into stealing Sugimura's heart.
- Blackmail: Haru threatens to tell the whole school about the Phantom Thieves unless they steal Sugimura's heart.
- The Cameo: Yukari Takeba shows up during Shiho's Rank 4 Confidant.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: In Iwai's confidant, Makoto goes undercover in a club. She accidentally orders an alcoholic drink, and could barely take a few sips and ends up waking with a hangover. Justified since it's her first time drinking alcohol, and is unaccustomed to its effects.
- The Chosen One: Makoto is selected to be the Wild Card in this story.
- Comically Missing the Point: The exchange between Makoto and Ann has this when Ann confronts Makoto about potentially using Ren. Rather than trying to clear up the misunderstanding right away, Makoto mumbles about the exact wording that was used.Makoto: I haven't a clue what you mean by trap.
Ann: I heard some of what you said. Protecting the students by having him do something that's "totally not illegal." right?
Makoto: I don't believe I said 'totally.' - Cutting Off the Branches: During their conversation in chapter 38, Yukari indicates that the female protagonist was the leader of S.E.E.S. in this timeline.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Ryuji goes from party member to minor NPC during the Kamoshida arc.
- Some of Makoto's Confidants are different from the ones Ren gets, implying this for those replaced.
- Ren Amamiya becomes the Fool Confidant and displaces Igor to the Moon Confidant, replacing Yuuki Mishima.
- Shiho Suzui replaces Toranosuke Yoshida as the Sun Confidant.
- The Phantom Thieves of Hearts replace Tae Takemi as the Death Confidant.
- Kunikazu Okumura replaces Ichiko Ohya as the Devil Confidant.
- Natsuhiko Nakanohara replaces Shinya Oda as the Tower Confidant.
- The Shujin student council replaces Sadayo Kawakami as the Temperance Confidant.
- Dirty Old Man: As revealed in Kamoshida's palace, he enjoys checking out all the female students who catch his attention, including Makoto. His shadow attempts to force her to sleep with him in exchange for Ren's life. Makoto does not take that well.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": A variation. In the present-day segments, Sae refuses to let Makoto refer to her as 'Sis' but as Prosecutor Niijima.
- Dramatic Irony: Ryuji accuses Makoto of doing nothing about Kamoshida's abuses of power and calls for her to receive a change of heart. He is unaware that she is the founder of the Phantom Thieves who stopped Kamoshida in the first place.
- Dying Declaration of Love: When Ann thinks she's going to be killed when Kamoshida's palace collapses, she declares she loves Shiho in a blind panic.
- Evil Teacher: Kamoshida as with canon. His palace reveals how much he enjoys preying on the girls while insulting and injuring the boys.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Makoto lampshades that after their 'mutual near death' experience she and Ren can be considered friends now.
- First-Name Basis: Makoto and Ren quickly become this after entering the Metaverse for convenience. After leaving the Metaverse, Ren observes that Makoto would rather stay on a first name basis. Makoto later becomes this with Haru after she joins the Phantom Thieves.
- For Want Of A Nail: The story explores how things could have turned out if Makoto has the Wild Card instead along with her meeting Ren weeks before they met in canon.
- Friendless Background: Makoto is confirmed to be this in Chapter 4 with the only two contacts in her phone being Ren and her sister. Ren even lampshades the fact she must not be used to being friends.
- Friendship Moment: Both Makoto and Ren have their awakenings when they wish to save the other respectively from death.
- Hero of Another Story: We get to see Yukari of Persona 3 fame make an appearance in Chapter 38.
- Hired to Hunt Yourself: Like in canon, Kobayakawa orders Makoto to investigate the Phantom Thieves. Unlike in canon, Makoto is not only already a member but the leader.
- How We Got Here: Similar to canon, the story is being told primarily in a flashback, but it is Makoto who is telling the story rather than Ren.
- I Gave My Word: Ren plans to fulfill his promise to help Makoto resolve the Kamoshida situation.
- I'm Standing Right Here: Ren says this when Ann is confronting Makoto.Ren: Um, I'm right here. Can we not talk like I'm-?
Ann: Stay out of this!
Ren: Yep. - Instant Costume Change: The Phantom Thieves experience this just like in canon.
- Jerkass: As with canon, Kamoshida fills this trait to a tee, especially his Shadow who immediately attempts to have Ren executed and force Makoto to have relations with him in exchange for Ren's life.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Ann absolutely fangirls out when she and Makoto meet Yukari Takeba in Chapter 38, who is a famous model and actor.
- Mundane Solution: Due to Kobayakawa figuring out that the Phantom Thieves might be Shujin students, Makoto elects to deal with the second Mementos target (Daisuke Takanashi, a school bully) through conventional means.
- Mythology Gag: During Iwai's confidant, Makoto dresses in her Dancing in Starlight costume and uses Kurusu as an alias.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Haru calls him out for his Greed, Shadow Madarame says that money is what is most important, pointing out Haru's own wealthy lifestyle under her father is no different than his desire he wants. Haru was left at a loss for words.
- Odd Friendship: The fact they are a year apart already makes Ren and Makoto's friendship odd. However, the fact the convicted criminal has befriended the Student Council President within a few days of his arrival due to a 'mutual near death experience' makes it even odder.
- Out of Focus: Ryuji isn't a main character during this story's version of the Kamoshida story arc.
- Parental Substitute: As their Confidant progresses, Makoto begins to see Iwai as a father-figure.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Makoto proves to be this in the first chapter. When Makoto hears all the students whispering horrible rumors about Ren, Makoto decides to bring him to the Student Council Room, so he can have a quiet place to study. After witnessing Kamoshida's distortion, she tries to see if something can be done about him before learning from Morgana about 'stealing his treasure'.
- Retcon: The fic was started before the trailers for Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight and Persona 5: The Animation gave the protagonist the name "Ren Amamiya", so the author changed his name from "Akira Kurusu".
- Sadist Teacher: Kamoshida truly enjoys more or less torturing the volleyball team along with making the lives of other students absolutely miserable since he sees himself as 'the King'.
- Scarf of Asskicking: Makoto retains this in this story. While Makoto isn't the biggest fan of her outfit, she does like the scarf. The Phantom Thieves logo in this continuity has her scarf designed into it as opposed to the top hat in Canon.
- Secret-Keeper: Outside of Makoto's inner circle, Mishima (as in canon) and Shiho have both deduced the Phantom Thieves' identities. Shiho goes a step further and is told all about the Personas and the Metaverse.
- Ship Tease:
- Ren and Makoto have various moments throughout the story, showing their growing feelings for each other.
- Ann and Shiho, since they are lesbians in this continuity. While outright confirmed on Ann's part, it's still implied on Shiho's side.
- Team Pet: Morgana takes this role in this story as well when he is in regular cat form. He still lives with Ren due to Makoto being sure Sae wouldn't approve of taking in Morgana.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Daisuke Takanashi. Although Makoto helped him deal with a bully, he sends a spiteful letter to her because he still got into trouble for his own bullying of other students.
- What You Are in the Dark: In Chapter 3, Ren chooses to try and help Makoto and Morgana rather than running away, which triggers his awakening.
