Itadaki no Hecate
is a Shakugan no Shana fanfic by John Peacekeeper.
It tells a What If? story if Hecate met Yuji Sakai instead of Shana. Currently dead.
Itadaki no Hecate provides examples of:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Hecate aside, the other Crimson Denizens are subject to varying degrees of this. While still morally dubious due to requiring human sustenance to continue existing, they are more willing to find workarounds and even work alongside other Flame Hazes if it means they can live peacefully at the end of the day. Notable examples include the manipulative Bel Peol becoming a big sister figure to Hecate and Yuji and the Snake of the Festival being the closest thing this story has to a Big Good.
- Adaptational Villainy: While this is generally averted for the Flame Hazes, Southvalley, who was originally a Blood Knight but ultimately a good guy, is being built up as the Big Bad of the fic.
- An Arm and a Leg: Flieder loses an arm to Yuji's sneak attack.
- Ascended Extra: The original Yukari Hirai became a Torch in the first episode of the anime and was already dead at the beginning of the light novel. Here, due to the lack of a certain Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, she becomes part of the main group in the first season and is among the first of the humans to actively befriend Hecate.
- Badass Family: The Bal Masque Trinity qualify as this, due to them all being direct creations of the Snake of the Festival.
- Badass Normal: Yuji's father, Kantaro Sakai. He fights one of the most powerful Flame Haze in the world for a few minutes with Trigger Happy. He lost, yes, but it is still something most people wouldn't be capable of doing.
- Big Bad: As of the second season, Southvalley is Yuji and Hecate’s greatest foe, as he plans to break the Masquerade and draw the entire world into the Haze-Denizen Forever War in a desperate attempt to finally win.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Hecate gives this to Yuji in Chapter 24, and since it comes after the latter peers into her memories and feelings, it doubles as a Love Confession.
- Big Good: The Snake of the Festival, since Yuji’s with Bal Masque from the beginning.
- Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: Hecate frequently does this with Yuji, signifying her growing affection of him. Unlike Konoe in the anime, which veered more to the ambiguous side, it's mostly played romantically here.
- Character Development:
- Hecate in spades, taking cues from both Fumina Konoe in the anime and her own growth in the original story. She starts off as a cold, emotionless, and merciless Crimson Denizen who has consigned herself to fulfilling her role as the Priestess. Over time, she becomes instilled with a desire to live now that she's had a taste of freedom and resolves to live out her last remaining days to the fullest while also spreading that philosophy to humans, Denizens, and Flame Hazes alike.
- For Sorath of all people courtesy of Yuji. Sorath actually performs a Heroic Sacrifice to save Tiriel.
- Cooldown Hug: What Yuji gives Hecate in the climax of the first season.
- Dual Wielding: Hecate wields Trigon and Blutsauger during the battle against Wilhelmina.
- Fanservice Pack: Hecate contemplates doing this with her shapeshifting powers but Yuji says he likes her the way she is.
- Foil: Hecate and Shana, something that actually gets discussed in-universe. They have opposite personalities and are associated with opposing elements, but they share similarities in their roles of serving a higher being and becoming a sacrifice to summon that being should the need arise. The main difference is that Shana had the liberty of choice and the potential to be more than "just a Flame Haze" but ended up letting her title consume her identity; meanwhile, Hecate was born into her role of Priestess and CAN'T be anything else despite wishing otherwise.
- Friendly Rivalry: The war to win Yuji's heart between Kazumi and Hecate has more shades of this compared to the heated rivalry between Kazumi and Shana in the original story. It helps that both girls are more similar personality-wise and Kazumi is just as supportive of Hecate's newfound emotions as Yuji is.
- Game Face: Hecate has one that can induce Oh, Crap! reactions from most people.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: Much of the hilarity leading up to the culture festival in the second season is seeing Hecate and Shana, a Crimson Denizen and Flame Haze, respectively, attending school together without trying to kill each other at every opportunity. Come the festival proper, and they are recreating the famous skipping scene from The Wizard of Oz. Even the Big Bad can't believe what he's looking at.
- Groin Attack: Margery deals one out to Wilhelmina during their rematch.
- Hidden Depths: Bel Peol, true to her nature as a strategist, reveals a fondness for board games like chess, shogi, Stratego, and Monopoly.
- Innocent Innuendo: By Hecate of all people, when she recounts her first kiss with Yuji.Hecate: "I only did it when he was inside of me, and we were together as one...I've never felt such contentment in my whole life as his warmth spilled into me."
- Love Confession: Aside from Kazumi and Hecate, there is one other character who notably gets one. Ogata, upon winning the Grand Prix for the culture festival, takes the opportunity to publicly declare her love for Tanaka in front of the whole school.
- Marshmallow Hell: Margery does this to Keisaku a couple of times.
- Mundane Utility: The Reiji Maigo, by virtue of replenishing Yuji's Power of Existence at midnight, is used to safely give Hecate the sustenance she needs to stay manifested without her having to go and drain it directly from other humans.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Tiriel invokes this to Hecate regarding their devotion to protecting Sorath and Yuji, respectively.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Pretty much everyone who has known Hecate as the feared Supreme Throne of Bal Masque comments on how cheerful, open, and...normal she acts now. It's enough to get even the most powerful of Crimson Lords scratching their heads.Alastor: "Th-the Supreme throne cooked for us?"
- Screw Destiny: Yuji's eventual attitude regarding Hecate's fate as Priestess.
- Shrinking Violet: Hecate, to those who don't know who she really is, is seen as a quiet, socially inept girl who has trouble opening up to people who aren't named Yuji Sakai.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Hecate. Initially, she's all sugar with Yuji and all ice with everyone else, but over the course of the first season she gradually opens up to the other secondary characters.
- Super Drowning Skills: Hecate suffers from this. Granted, this is remedied by the fact that she can fly, but it's still amusing to see the Supreme Throne of Bal Masque be horrendously incompetent at something.
- Supreme Chef: Under the tutelage of Chigusa, Hecate grows to become this. Seeing as she has no need to consume human food, this comes as a great shock to both her Denizen allies and Flame Haze enemies.
- Tsundere: Shana as expected, but it's especially hilarious when despite not being the main girl Yuji is still capable of triggering Shana's Tsun, during their first chat.
- Unstoppable Rage: Hecate after seeing that Yukari has been turned into a torch.
- When She Smiles: Hecate, whenever she allows herself to show her happiness instead of confining herself to her Priestess role. Just about every character agrees that she looks better when she smiles.
- Will They or Won't They? / Everyone Can See It: The Margery/Keisaku Ship Tease is a bit more blatant than in Canon.
- You Can't Fight Fate: The attitude of Hecate, the rest of the Trinity, and even the Snake of the Festival regarding Hecate's fate as Priestess. Notably, the Snake is shown hoping for a miracle that will free Hecate from her fate. Yuji aims to provide.
- You Shall Not Pass!: Yuji pulls this on Shana in order to buy time for Hecate and Bel Peol to retreat to the Seireden. He nearly gets sliced in half for his troubles but provides the crucial couple of seconds for them to escape unharmed.
