Oh, d'arvit

panda, could you tell us more about the Hero Observer AU? I love it, your honor

oh okay!! well, at the moment of the redraft (as far as i'm aware it'll stick like this but it is liable to change a lot) of my plot toshinori is actually next-door neighbours with izuku and inko. a lot of the plot for the first section of the au (ie. when izuku is free to do his crimes cause no one knows he is the one doing it) is centred around izuku and toshinori's relationship and the impact it has on izuku's morals and the way he catches heroes despite toshinori unknowingly causing that.

eventually though, a bit before the start of term when izuku would be starting at gen ed, he decides he is ready to trap all might and loses pathetically. toshinori and izuku have now realised wait a minute THAT'S YOU. and also izuku is now toshinori's ward cause hmm there's something suspicious about inko in a IS SHE OKAY WHAT THE FUCK DID ALL FOR ONE DO TO HER??? SUDDENLY IZUKU BEING ABLE TO BE THE HERO OBSERVER WITHOUT HER EVEN NOTICING MAKES SENSE way.

the au used to be dad for one but now it's not. inko may be a shimura. interesting...i guess that explains why afo decided to fuck them over.

For the hero observer au! All all might needs to do is put him on a good behavior chart, everyday of no crime is a all might sticker. Five days in a row means a hug. The more consecutive days, the better the prize. Last prize is secretly ofa.

anon how does it feel to be the cleverest person alive

Hero observer AU is so funny because it's like

All Might: My new villain son has very no morals, what could have made him like this?

*cue DFO reveal*

All Might: How did my new villain son grow up with only a mildly wonky moral compass and a special interest in kidnapping heroes, it's a miracle considering who is father is. He must have the innate spirit of a hero if AFO's influence did only this much

fun fact: at first it was dfo but after my redraft, afo still does dadding but he isn't izuku's biological dad or even married to inko.

funner fact: there is a reveal. a shimura one. afo just has it out for the shimuras.

i’m begging to know how izuku met all might in your hero observation villain au, he just? knows?? izuku plots his traps while he’s sitting beside him? asks for his input?? why doesn’t he do anything? how aggressively did this child imprint on him that he’s just willing to accept this behaviour

they met pretty much the same way as canon, except that instead of asking all might if he thinks he can be a hero, izuku asks for his input on how to get recognised as a villain and not a vigilante.

after that, it all diverges from canon. they get interrupted by kacchan and izuku saves him, which cements the start of his potential towards hero work in toshinori's mind. toshinori then loses him in the aftermath and can't intercept him like HEY WHAT DO U MEAN U WANT TO BE A VILLAIN.

they meet a few times after that (in like supermarkets and crossing the street and in parks), and toshinori loses izuku again and again at the end of every meeting. he can't exactly arrest this tiny adorable 14 year old who idolises him??

so instead he tries to lecture him on morals every time they meet and hope it works, and it DOES to some level.

izuku starts visiting heroes who accidentally got injured in their fights to give them apology flowers in the hospital and begins to employ the cookie reward for being so patient system.

GOTTA CATCH EM ALL

he's got to OKAY. he's got to,, otherwise they won't take him seriously as a villain