I love working on my Mermaid Tales project because I'm just lifting my favorite bits from every other aphverse series and a spattering of other things I like.
Aphmau was born a mer, but let Tavari change her. She was the last experiment he ran and the magic stuck, so he's VERY displeased that she ran away before he could figure out what tweaks to his magic made the effect last.
Zane is a crab. He was not born a crab. He was not born a mer. He is very unhappy about both of these facts, but sticks around because Tavari has promised he can change him back.
Mer are made when a human dies at sea while harboring a particularly strong feeling. This is called being "claimed by the sea" and mer call themselves "children of the sea" and "ocean touched" and have a robust community. Virgil's was rage, Lowan's was grief, and Sasha's was betrayal. This doesn't occur in natural-born mer.
Aaron has been captain of the privateering/pirating ship Fenris for ages. He's a middle aged father and every single crewmate is his child. Garroth was recruited when he stowed away on the ship after running away from home following his brothers' deaths.
Mariana isn't completely impenetrable, but it is VERY hard to escape once you've been taken in. There are ways to sneak around the barrier if you know the right people.
I'm trying to make consistent progress on the project so I can maybe put it on AO3 later this year.
