Name: Pom
Canon: Monster Hunter
Age: 30ish (he's 31, but he honestly has no idea)
Height: ~ 6'1"/185cm
Gender: M
Species: Human

Aural: deep and melodic, with an accent that comes out on occasion.
Olfactory: a musky spearmint scent (a bit like catnip) and a hint of hair gel
Visual Refs: one ♫ two ♫ three
Credits: grimmhooke, artvalentinapaz, artofanodyne

♫ He's ambidextrous with a slight favor for his left hand. He never seems to write anything longer than his own name, and will 100% brush it off if asked to do so.

♫ He has a number of scars, some more visible than others depending on his outfit. He tends to keep the one on his right arm consistently covered, and those on his face are partially hidden by his facial hair.

♫ Unlike those in the icons, his glasses are dark to the point of his eyes being completely hidden by them. They also have side-shields to hide his eyes on the periphery.

simpledog
Born on the western coast of the Old World,                 and his older brother,                     were "conveniently orphaned" when their parents were killed by brigands while traveling northward. Deciding they had just enough scruples to be above child murder, the brigands took the two kids in, bringing them back to their camp. They were a part of the infamous poaching guild Brand, and while poachers normally wouldn't be interested in raising children, they did see potential in the two young boys to be a part of their pack.

While his brother took to archery,                 had an affinity for the dual blades, with which he showed potential even at a young age. Much like professional hunters, most of the poachers went by titles rather than names. With his fiery orange eyes and the vicious look he got when carving a kill,                 eventually became "the Wild-Eyed."

The Wild-Eyed was a teenager when Brand picked up an unusual Felyne. Ostracized for her vibrant fur color, which was said to be a bad omen among her tribe, the poachers took her in with the intent to sell her later. Rare colors did well with the right kinds of collectors, and until they found such a buyer, they could have her working in the camp as a servant. Nicknamed "Sweet Thing" for her good nature, she and the Wild-Eyed had a near-instant connection, bonding over their circumstances. She stayed in his tent most nights, and her soft demeanor — the gentlest that he could remember, given how young he was when he was taken in by the poachers himself — brought out a kinder side of him.

As the years passed, the Wild-Eyed came to realize that most everything he'd ever known was morally wrong in one way or another, and knowing what might happen to Sweet Thing if they didn't find a buyer — she'd likely be sold to an underground arena to either fight monsters, or be used as bait — he decided he wanted out. He first told the leaders of the gang, the individuals who'd raised him, as he thought he owed them that much; he announced he was leaving, and that he wanted to take Sweet Thing with him. The poachers weren't happy about the idea of losing one of their better hunters, but they were even less thrilled at the idea of him taking a valuable Felyne with him. Assuming he'd back down, they said he could go, but she'd have to stay; the Wild-Eyed indeed backed down... or he seemed to, at least. He went to his brother instead, telling him that he'd be leaving that night, and he was taking Sweet Thing with him, stealing her away under the cover of darkness. His brother tried to convince him to stay, warning him not to be impulsive, but the Wild-Eyed wasn't having it. His brother could come with them or not, but they were leaving, and that was final.

Unfortunately, his brother was right: his impulsiveness did get him into trouble, largely because his brother ratted him out. Caught soon after their departure, the pair were forced to fight - and then flee for their lives.

Though they escaped by the skin of their teeth, their flight came with grievous injuries, including an arrow to the Wild-Eyed's shoulder and a critical break to his right arm. Delirious with pain, he demanded Sweet Thing leave him behind, but she refused: she was property no longer, and if she wanted to stay to help him survive, then she would. Thankfully, her sharpness put some contrition into him, and she got to work on helping drag him somewhere safer. While Sweet Thing knew a fair amount about setting injuries, his wounds would largely have to heal on their own. Infamous poachers on the run from both the law and their former gang couldn't just go marching into town for potions, after all.

They remained in the swamps for some time, trying to hide from Brand while the Wild-Eyed slowly recovered. Once able, they moved further inland, hoping to avoid both the poachers and anyone who would recognize them on sight, particularly from his vibrant, telltale eyes; they sustained themselves with odd jobs, staying out of villages and away from civilization as much as possible. He was in his twenties by the time he could wield a weapon well enough to hunt again, but as his arm hadn't healed quite right, he found he lacked the dexterity for his dual blades. He needed to learn a different weapon. It was better that way — if they wanted to best hide themselves, they could no longer be the Wild-Eyed and Sweet Thing. They had to be completely different people.

And so they were. The Wild-Eyed got some eyewear to cover his up signature feature, cut and dyed his hair to be more outlandish than his Felyne friend's natural coat; they started claiming she was dyed too, his look adding credence to the claim. He took up the hunting horn, and by the time they ran into members of the Hunter's Guild, they were Pom and Purl. Immediately enamored by the Guild’s values and how different they were from the life they came from, the two signed up on the spot. Pom in particular was excited for the chance to do some good for the world he'd wronged for so many years, the guilt of his old life heavy upon him.

Several years with the Hunter's Guild later, they were contacted to join the Research Commission. Known in his district for being one of the only dedicated hunting horn players – and a good one, at that – the Commission wanted him for their Fifth Fleet headed to a continent known as the New World. All the way across an ocean was as far as they could get from Brand, and ever-worried someone would recognize them for who they once were, the pair accepted the call to adventure. For them, the New World was also a new life.

Unfortunately, such dramatic changes – either in the world itself or those who inhabit it – are rarely without growing pains. In their time in the New World, Pom discovered that the Guild wasn’t all he imagined it to be, with a prominent poacher having infiltrated their upper ranks; however, he also managed to make a friend aside from Purl, another hunter he managed to bond with despite their vast differences. He just has to keep her from discovering his former life, lest she turn him in and he end up at the end of a noose - the usual fate for those who endanger the delicate balance of the natural world.

These days, he's just trying to keep his head down, his nose clean, and his past buried. He owes it to Purl to keep her safe, to be a better person – she's the reason he's alive, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to protect both the life they've built and the future they have yet to meet.

Pom is human, but he's a Monster Hunter variety of human — and specifically, he's a hunter, who are canonically noted for being tougher than regular people. While some of it can be chalked up to game mechanics, the fact that hunters are basically superhuman is referenced multiple times throughout the series, but there's no explanation as to why that is. A non-comprehensive list of things that are possible in Monster Hunter:

- falling from incredible heights without injury, even when the hunter lands on their feet
- focusing "energy" to enhance the dual blades, allowing the hunter to activate "demon mode" (and NPCs call it this)
- holding their breath for insane amounts of time, even when fighting monsters underwater
- wielding weapons and wearing armor that would make it nigh impossible to fight against monsters whose hides are too tough to injure with anything but those weapons
- being lit on fire by a dragon and not having all their skin burned off

Monster Hunter works a lot under the rule of cool, so I'll just say Pom is definitely tougher than the average human by a country mile, but has no actual superpowers. As for things he can do:

Combat: he knows how to wield a hunting horn in combat, as well as dual blades (though he'd prefer no one know about the latter). He's also proficient with his fists, though less trained and more scrappy. He tends to be a dexterous fighter, dodging and weaving rather than going for heavy blows.

Utility: in addition to what one gets with an unsavory upbringing like his, Pom is a tinkerer by nature, and can make a hunting horn from just about anything (including junk, like the Kulu-Ya-Ku horn of Monster Hunter World). He can also sew well enough to make his own clothes, because the blacksmith keeps telling him that a flashy coat of glittering scales and a feather boa are not appropriate for fighting flame-breathing monsters. As per the game, he spends a lot of time grinding herbs into potions, so he's picked up a thing or two on the medicinal front.

One of his items from home is his necklace made from an Anjanath gem. Sentimental as he is, he wears this gem under his clothes at all times. The gem gives him strong resistance to heat/fire, as well as giving his eyes a very slight glow, only visible in deep darkness. If you need someone to walk straight into some flames, he's your guy.

Languages: he speaks Monster Hunter's equivalent of "whatever the common language is," as well as Lynian (the language of Felynes). Despite his illiteracy, he's got a talent for picking up spoken languages.

Miscellany: Pom has what I generally call "animal magnetism," and tends to befriend wildlife (including monsters) easier than most. Though he has been encouraged not to do this by the Hunter's Guild, he does it anyway because he's not good at listening to rules.

→ changes/abilities related to his natural soul over here ←