Merfolk AU

Summary
The Merfolk AU is one of several AUs on the Alternate Universe Masterlist with more than one variation. In one, the entirety of the crew are merfolk, and in the other, approximately half the crew are merfolk able to transform between a "land" form (with legs) and a "water" form (with a tail, fins, gills, etc), and the other half is human.

Variation A
All members of the crew live in the Phœnix Reef, a small and fictional section of ocean. Each one is based on, and has the tail or body of, a different type of fish or other sea-dwelling animal:


 * Kailani's inspiration is a currently unspecified type of shark, and she possesses more siren-like abilities than other members of her school.
 * Clarence's is a leatherback sea turtle.
 * Clancy's is currently unspecified.
 * Hezekiah's is currently unspecified.
 * Poe's is currently unspecified.
 * Augustin's is not determined, but current ideas involve anableps anableps or the barreleye.
 * Joshua Galen's is currently unspecified.
 * Cook is not based on an existing fish; like in most universes, they came into spontaneous being without warning one day and is composed entirely of meat.
 * Henrique's is currently unspecified, but current ideas include deep-sea animals that live around hydrothermal vents.
 * Jack's is likely a catfish.
 * Zachariah's is currently unspecified, but current ideas involve the white marlin or the Atlantic flying fish. Gall may be a parasite living in tandem with, or having replaced the brain functions of, Zachariah, in a way reminiscent of the cymothoa exigua.
 * Lyon's is currently unspecified, but is likely a shark of some species, or a sailfish.
 * Micah's is currently unspecified.
 * Eli's is currently unspecified.
 * Providence is likely a catfish.

Disclaimer
Yes, I know it's not technically possible for all these species to be living in the same patch of ocean, shut up.

Variation B
The crew inhabits a small coastal town, and several of them are, in fact, merfolk. As much as they attempt to keep this a secret, inevitably, the secret gets out, and the group of them need to learn to work together to keep more dangerous beings from putting them all in danger.