Same same same about the kids thing. I also love the complexity that comes with William loving his children in his own fucked up and flawed way. The generic āi hate everything and im just 100% evil tropeā is boring to me.
Here's the thing.
At this point the canon consists of three-to-five conflicting continuities (with a sixth on the way with the movie), many of which have been subjected to repeated retcons, reboots, and recontextualizations. Trying to force all of that stuff into one singular, "correct" timeline or interpretation is impossible. Especially when it comes to fanworks, it's practically begging you to pick the stuff you like, ignore or rework the stuff you don't, and have that be yours.
I like the story best when it's about ghosts and grief and loss breaking already broken people and driving them to do horrible things, so that's what I choose to focus on. I find the idea of an Afton who was so traumatized by the death of his child that he deluded himself into thinking he could beat death with more death more compelling and disturbing than the other options, so that's what I explore. And the canon's such a gnarled mess that you can dig up and stitch together evidence for whatever interpretation you like best: the traumatized father, the obsessive business partner, the mad scientist, the unhinged lunatic operating on alien morality, whatever the fuck Dave is. They're all vital parts of the Afton ecosystem.
Just. Have fun. It's a story, that's what it's for. Explore the things you like, ignore the things you don't, and don't be a dick about it.