Tamaputians

Tiny biologist with a special interest in island biosecurity. “Kahu” is short for Kahutaroa.

Wears denim jackets and comfortable shoes. Has freckles, plus a loose braid kept in one side of her hair.

Native speaker of Tamaputian. Fluent in Ceannic, but it's all scholarly Ceannic, which means she talks like a textbook. Happy to go by “she” or “they” in Ceannic (since Tamaputian doesn't have gendered pronouns). Only knows enough Islander to say “no Islander.”

Ask her about fun animal facts!

• Coming-of-age tattoo: Kiwi
• Age (first appearance): 23
• Debut: In The Same Boat 6/44
• In The Same Boat: tries to alert the authorities to a wildlife-smuggling operation, then investigates herself, gets captured, and is rescued by Agent D10

In the comic: Matatuhi Kaihanga

Engineer, Pato's husband. (How they met.) Chatty and optimistic. Trans man, with an elaborate peacock-feather tattoo across his chest, which draws attention away from the top-surgery scars.

Skills include hydraulics, pneumatics, spellcraft, structural analysis, metallurgy, casting, welding, sintering, drafting, aerodynamics, geotechnical engineering, acoustics, tribology, instrumentation, and hardware design.

Fluent in Tamaputian and Ceannic (mostly technical Ceannic).

He and Pato engineered the device that rescued the miners in the Juniper Mining Company collapse, and, later, the machinery to stage the Tamaputian entry at an otherwise-human-size Kolpovision. (It worked out pretty well.)

• Maiden name: Kaimahi
• Coming-of-age tattoo: Beaver
• Age (first appearance): 25

Major appearances

• Debut: Landslide Bring Me Down 7/75
• How Mata Met Pato: fell in love via an engineering forum
• Landslide Bring Me Down: makes friends with Tansy Lavande, co-designs the drilling equipment that rescues the miners, sleeps in a tissue box in Tansy's tent
• Party Prep: hangs out in Tansy's kitchen playing with the giant appliances; discovers that Leif doesn't know Tamaputian Sign Language
• Plus Ones: watches Kolpovision, roots for the team from Tamapoa

In the comic: Patotara Kaihanga

Engineer, Mata's husband. Silent and tech-savvy. Has been the co-lead on all the same projects as Mata since they got married.

Pato has permanent mutism as a result of viral vocal cord paresis contracted in infancy. In short, he can't talk. Most of his communication is through text-based devices. With his husband, a lot of the time it just takes a gesture or an expression and Mata will get the whole idea.

Reads/writes in Tamaputian, reads/signs in Tamapoa Sign, understands spoken Tamaputian and Ceannic.

• Maiden name: Waihanga
• Coming-of-age tattoo: Duck
• Age (first appearance): 24
• Major appearances: Same as Mata's

Same as Ceannic mages, but smaller.

Tiny mage with a lot of “you talkin' to me, huh?” attitude. Involved in exotic-animal smuggling, and will sacrifice subordinates to protect the mission if necessary.

Native speaker of Tamaputian, understands limited Ceannic and Islander, can fluently insult you in all three. Happy to go by “he” or “they” in Ceannic (to the extent that he's happy with anything).

• Domain: Water
• Coming-of-age tattoo: Crab
• Age (first appearance): early 30's
• Debut: In The Same Boat 22/44
• In The Same Boat: fends off Agent D10, but it takes long enough that he gets caught and fitted with power-blocking bracelets

In the comic: Pania Kaitangata

Archmage of Tamapoa. Genderfluid intersex panromantic asexual, which may or may not ever be relevant. Not on any hormones beyond his/her/their naturally-atypical baseline. Great workout routine; good abs.

Started as a magical girl with a nature affinity, then their powers expanded. Prone to spontaneously sprouting flowers.

• Domain: Stars
• Coming-of-age tattoo: Butterfly ray