You giving more development to you Neverfell AU is ✨✨ especially on Ozpin, I remember you once said that Oz was like this before, but when you introduced Oscar and he becomes a student at Beacon that Oz kinda had a realization/epigyny after spending time with him and bonding with him (Ozdad hehe~) and is actually working to be better and less morally grey
Please expand on that I love the concept of Oz actually being morally grey and then Oscar being the one to open his eyes because they bond 👀
Mm, now I know why I held off on answering this one for so long...I really didn't have anything to add to that concept at the time, and to this day I still don't. ^^;
People seem to like asking me about Ozpin, and I guess I have presented some fun ideas about him, but just FYI I don't really spend that much time thinking about his character. He's pretty easy for me to write; just giving him a more fun personality automatically fills in a lot of the holes in his background, and provides opportunities for growth that aren't present in the canon. TL;DR, it's not hard to make him interesting, so I really haven't done much.
HOWEVER, since I'm here, I might as well try to come up with something...I can spitball a few ideas:
I think it'd be cool if both Ozpin and his daughters (the other members of Oscar's team, if you remember) could develop together, in a sense. Like, from the beginning they're kind of indifferent towards him, and going to his school and seeing his shady behavior firsthand probably lowers their opinion of him even more. ⚆u⚆; They might feel like giving up on their mission entirely; deciding their dysfunctional family is just beyond repair...but then, when Oz starts to turn himself around thanks to Oscar's influence, they in turn regain their hope. Maybe even enough to tell him who they really are.
^That would probably be the best possible ending to Oz's character arc, to be honest. ^^; To finally be reunited with his children after so long, and to hear that they originally came to find him just for convenience's sake (wonder where they get that from...), not even intending to interact with him unless they had to, but eventually saw enough good in him to decide they want to be part of each other's lives again. I think that would be very heartwarming, and it would encourage him to keep going~
Pedaling back a bit: I think one reason why Oscar could have an effect on Oz that other students (like Ruby for instance) did not is because he can't really gain anything from him. Oscar isn't particularly smart or talented; he hasn't been blessed with special powers or parentage; probably barely passed the entrance exam and doesn't even know how a Semblance works, let alone how to unlock one for himself. All he really has is that 'simple soul'.
Of course, innocence also has its uses (like in the story I wrote for Gretchen), but at this point in the narrative, Ozpin doesn't have time for experiments anymore. ^^; Salem's already coming for him; anyone or thing that can't protect him isn't worth worrying about. So, instead of being tempted to make Oscar into a pawn, all he can really do is allow their relationship to grow organically.
Speaking of relationships, there are other characters that contribute to Oz's character arc: like Glynda, the one who started it all by being the first one to forgive him after the Lost Fable fiasco, and ask him to stay. She's his oldest friend, and truly believes in him, and would probably be the first one to see what a good influence he and Oscar have on each other.
There's also Qrow, whose reaction in Neverfell is the complete opposite of the canon. I mean, he does get upset at first, but eventually he comes around (thanks to something Raven says, believe it or not) and realizes that the life he's led as a Huntsman still has value outside of whatever Ozpin was using him for. He even goes on to try to help Oz and protect him from WTCH...which is largely unsuccessful and mostly played as a joke, but it's the thought that counts. ^^
Finally there's Ironwood, who's a bit of a special case. He's honestly the one hurt the most by Ozpin's revelation-- as a leader of a kingdom, he's potentially destroyed a lot of lives by following Ozpin's advice, and for a while the guilt eats him alive. :T
He doesn't really come around until after he meets Watts again and has his own epiphany...but I think after that, he and Oz could probably reconcile and become even better partners. I haven't thought that far ahead, though. ^^;