Åke Stevensson

"I'm sorry, I'm just not that man anymore. I no longer thrive on bloodshed."

- Åke Stevensson

Åke Stevensson (スティーブンソンオーケ, Sutībunson Ōke) is a Shinigami of Nordic descent and currently the 7th Seat of 8th Division, and has refused numerous offers for promotion. Åke and his partner, Nkosi Mubarak, are the heads of the mission sub-unit of the 8th, and are in charge of assigning and scheduling the everyday missions (such as normal hollows and Soul Burials), for the 8th and other Divisions. He is currently dating the 12th Seat of Division 6, Sasaki Rei, and has two young children, Anna and Joel Stevensson

Appearance
Åke is a stocky Shinigami of Nordic descent. He is thick and barrel-chested, and has a fair amount of muscle kept on from his years of hard fighting. His build is softened by a layer of fat, most evident around his middle, and he has long limbs for his body. Typical of a long-time warrior, Åke's body is scarred, mostly evident in the numerous laceration scars around his chest, shoulders, and legs. Most notably is the large puncture wound over his liver, through to his back, which he received upon his human death.

Åke’s face is square and heavy-featured. He has a wide, long nose with a slight downturn and a bump on the bridge. His thin lips have a very slight pout to them, with deep laugh lines framing them. He has heterochromia- his left eye is brown and the right is pale blue, and they are downturned and deep-set, almost always sleepy looking. Åke’s hair is straight and a rich golden blonde. He always wears it loose, and it hangs past his chin in messy layers, parted in the middle of his head. He will sometimes pull it back into a loose bun when working. He has a full, shaggily trimmed beard and mustache, and has an average amount of blonde body hair, mostly on his chest and arms. He occasionally keeps his beard or hair braided during long-term missions.

Åke wears an unmodified shihakusho with his sealed Zanpakuto tucked into the left side of his obi, and in gigai, he dresses simply, mostly in jeans or khakis and loose fitting flannels or button-ups.

Personality
Åke, at first glance, is not a terribly interesting individual. He prefers to fly under the radar, doesn’t speak much unless prompted, and doesn’t show much emotion outside of ‘somewhat bored’. The only thing most people know about him (the few that do), know that he is exceedingly lazy, and can often be found napping at his desk. He is peaceful and calm, and even in a conversation doesn’t betray much emotion. His calm and energy level come from raising his kids, and they are one of the few things he gets excited about speaking about. Åke wasn’t always like this, however. For all of his human life and years into his Shinigami career Åke was a rowdy, combative, and forceful, and used to relish battle and conflict. Over the years, however, Åke just got sick of the constant fighting, making enemies, and pissing people off- and though he tried to ignore it, he also dearly missed the family he left behind. He tried to escape the memories by delving deeper into combat. Previously a member of Division 11, he decided to leave after an extremely bloody battle that left him with a distaste for war, and a desire to try to settle down. Over the years following, Åke relaxed, became much more soft-spoken (halfway due to laziness, halfway due to a newfound taste for quiet and solitude), and discovered he was an introvert. Now, he is rather mellow, and those who get to know him find he is an easygoing and mature person, though still much on the quiet side. Under it all, Åke also misses his family, and though he rarely shows it, does develop a deep fondness for people that he becomes close to- brothers and sisters on the battlefield. In his mind, his peers and subordinates are just as good as blood family, and he regards his current partner as a close sister.

Åke’s long history of experience makes him a mature and somewhat wise person to speak to with many stories and experiences to share-when you can get him talking. However he is the exact opposite of social, and prefers to either ignore or observe the people around him. This makes it difficult to get to know him, and it’s a very rare occasion when he will make the first move in a conversation- often it’s only when he needs something, needs to issue orders, or, on rare occasion, when he is drawn to someone (often a kindred, lazy spirit). However, despite his desire for solitude and little effort, he often finds himself approached by younger Shinigami for advice, thanks to his position in the Gotei and the fact that he gives off a mature and approachable aura (despite his best efforts). Åke never brushes these hopeful Shinigami off because of some very latent paternal instincts- even though he was a brutal warrior, Åke was a caring and attentive father, and can’t help but try to help people asking for it.

Åke has gone through a lot of growth through his time as a Shinigami. Where he once was proud and stubborn- and maybe a little arrogant towards what he regarded as unnecessary traditions- he is now much more accepting of other views, t the point where he is continually frustrated with his stubborn younger self. He is still rather stubborn, and his recent streak of utter laziness hasn’t helped that. His partner often has to get on his case about training, and he only ever really seems motivated to pursue his interests of beer crafting and architecture. Despite this, Åke does have a sense of duty and responsibility, and rarely leaves work unfinished if he can help it. His stubbornness also lends to a major internal conflict about how he approaches relationships- on the one hand, he is lonely and has a familial streak that causes him to reach out to who he considers family (family in battle). On the other hand, he doesn’t want to bother getting too close to people and having that responsibility to them- as an emotional support and everything else that comes with being a friend. His family side often wins out, and he has many more people he cares about than he is willing to admit, and more than he is comfortable being responsible for.

In combat Åke lets his old, more familiar personality push through, and can be quite aggressive and brutal. This is more in order to end things quickly; if it’s not a friendly spar or match Åke doesn’t care for battle anymore. More often than not, there is an air of dissatisfaction, and a little regret, showing through his aggressiveness whenever he fights.

Åke can be rather grouchy when overly tired, which shows as him talking even less and ignoring people even more. His newfound circle of friends, and following of subordinates, causes him more stress than he thought it would, and combined with his sense of responsibility to actually do his work- though he’d much rather sleep- he is often grouchy and overly tired. Interacting with people wears him out, and he often forces his way through the day, leaving him quite emotionally drained by the end of it. Åke is not very satisfied with his life at the moment, but he’s unsure of what he wants or needs that will improve it.

History
Under construction

Very brief overview:

-Born in Viking-era Sweden, raised and lived as a typical warrior of the era. He had a wife and a son, and performed his share of village-burning. He was a rather prolific warrior from his village, but on a campaign in Great Britain he was stabbed through with an enemy spear and bled out as he attempted to continue to fight.

-He was sent to a lower class district in the Rukon, where he proceeded to join a gang and get into as many fights as possible, until their rowdiness attracted the attention of the Gotei and Shinigami were sent to intervene.

- One of the officers saw potential in Åke, and invited him to try to get into the academy. Åke, however, failed the first time he took the test. A little enraged at the failure, he buckled down and got serious in training, and managed to pass it the second time.

- As a student Åke was a mess- he was only good at, and only showed interest, in brawling (not even the formal fighting styles). He almost got kicked out several times, but managed to finally pass after an extra year.

- He was recruited to Division 11 right out of the academy, and thrives there. However, after many years of brawls and hard living, Åke starts to grow tired of the constant fighting. This feeling is solidified during the Second Shinigami Civil War, and after the dust from the conflict settled he requested a transfer out of the 11th.

- He ends up in the 9th, where he begins trying to learn more formal ways of battle. However, he is just plain tired, and starts to develop a lazy side that only grows worse over the years. Despite this, his superiors respect his experience (and the fact that during his time in the 11th he mellowed out considerably), and constantly offer him promotions, which he refuses.

- A year before the Shadow Invasion Åke meets his future partner Nik, when they are assigned a mission together. Despite first impressions, the two work extremely well together and begin requesting missions together.

- He is relatively unharmed during the Shadow Invasion, and during the rebuild he joins Division 8 with Nik, continuing to take a promotion to a seat. - He continues to serve with Nik currently, though his refusal to take a promotion hasn’t saved him from getting extra responsibility, and he was eventually forced to take a promotion, ending up as the 7th seat.

Natural Abilities
Master Brawler: Despite never really having paid attention to the finer art of battle at the academy, Åke’s typical Viking style of combat is a force to be reckoned with, accentuated with his own natural physical strength and power. Åke’s fighting style is wild and unpredictable, albeit a little linear. He shows patterns in his attacks, but his swings have so much power behind them it’s difficult to counter properly.

Experience: Åke has been a warrior for many years, starting as a brutal Viking, and has fought in countless battles. The experience he gained helps counter his relatively weak skills in traditional Shinigami arts, and he has a natural aptitude for fighting that makes him a dangerous opponent, even against those who have a more refined style. He is apt at working alone or in groups, and more often than not finds himself directing his peers or subordinates in battle, having a higher ‘battle IQ’ than many that lack his experience.

Zanjutsu Expert: It’s a little inaccurate to describe Åke’s swordsmanship as ‘zanjutsu’ since it is highly unorthodox and sloppy compared to what they teach at the academy, but Åke is still highly adept at wielding both his sealed and Shikai blades. His ‘style’ often gives him an advantage over his peers, since they don’t quite know how to handle his swordsmanship; despite looking unrefined and unconscious, Åke does weild a blade with purpose, and lets on that he’s simply barreling towards his opponents with no subtly, and his actual tactics often throw opponents off-guard.

High Strength and Endurance: Åke, despite his relatively unathletic appearance, is incredibly strong and durable. He has let himself slip a little in the past few years, but can still manhandle large objects with ease, and can fight on for very long periods of time. His endurance extends to extended use of his shikai or spiritual pressure, and he can also fight on sustaining numerous injuries. Åke’s human life lent him a freakishly high pain tolerance, and he often appears to not even notice most injuries.

High Spiritual Pressure: Åke’s natural spiritual pressure is very high, to the point that puts him on par with lieutenants. However, he is still working on refining control over it, and sometimes lets out too much in a short period of time, diminishing his endurance. Despite this, his high-level spiritual pressure helps with his natural endurance, and may lend itself one day to being able to sustain a Bankai for much longer than his peers.

High Spatial Awareness/Engineering Mind: Åke has a very high sense of spatial awareness, and an unusual aptitude for engineering that often ends up benefiting him in battle. He has an eye for structure, including strengths and weaknesses, and can often use the terrain of a battlefield or even the opponent’s own weapons against them. This aptitude is the reason he found himself a spot in Division 8 after the restructure of the Gotei. (Since it became the engineering and architectural division).

Weaknesses
Lack of Traditional Skills: In the academy, Åke simply didn’t see the need to learn traditional Shinigami talents, such as Zanjutsu or Hoho. This apathetic attitude had severely limited his skill set for a long time, a weakness he has only recently began to rectify. Though he can hold his own just fine in most battles on sheer will and experience, he has trouble with dealing with Shinigami well-versed in the arts.

Speed and Hoho: Åke was never particularly speedy, and as mentioned above previously felt no need to hone his Shinigami abilities. Even now, after he has been woking at it, Åke is far behind his peers in terms of Hoho capabilities.

Kido Practicioner: Kido is an area Åke could never quite grasp, and so he greatly lacks in this area. He can feasibly use the most basic spells, with an incantation, but past that he can’t use much without it blowing up in his face.

Laziness: Above all, Åke is currently highly unmotivated, and has only recently gotten back into the swing of training (thanks to his partner). Because of this, a lot of his skills have gotten rather rusty, and his lack of speed has been accentuated in his long period of inactivity. His lazy habits also lend to a huge struggle when it comes to doing just about anything.

Zanpakuto
Hilja (沈黙, Chinmoku, Silence) is Åke's Zanpakuto, and a melee type. In its sealed form, Hilja appears as a twenty-eight inch long katana with a plain blade and gold handle and rayskin. The handle wrappings are a deep maroon, and the tsuba is in the shape of a pentagon. The sheathe is the same color as the handle wrappings, and has a gold symbol near the top that resembles a letter out of the Norse alphabet.

Spirit: Hilja appears as a 6’1” Valkyrie woman, with flowing blonde hair and white robes and a gleaming winged helmet that covers her face with a face plate. Only her glowing red eyes can be faintly seen through the visor. She always carries a spear, with a fancy winged decoration adorning the base of the blade. Hilja, as her name implies, never speaks, and is quite mysterious, even to her master. Åke thinks they have a good relationship, however they don’t communicate often, and either spar or sit together meditating when he visits her. Hilja cares about Åke, but is unforgiving, and has expressed her displeasure at his lack of motivation in living up to the warrior he was in his human life.


 * Shikai: Hilja's command is Kuluttaa (むしばむ, Mushibamu, Erode). To release his Shikai, Åke points the blade at his opponent and utters the command, and Hilja silently and quickly reshapes into her Shikai form, a twenty-nine inch long ulfberht sword.


 * Shikai Special Ability: Hilja has only one ability designed to increase Åke's melee capabilities.


 * Tappa (下ろす, Orosu, Drop): is is a passive ability that continuously increases the force behind Åke’s swings. This increase in force happens each time Åke swings and hits something with Hilja’s blade, and is rather marginal. It takes at least ten contacts to notice a change. Due to this ability, Åke is often seen slamming his sword into an ally’s weapon or even nearby inanimate objects to increase his power before a battle even starts.

Quotes
“No.”

“There’s a beer for everyone… Trust me.”

“I need a nap…”

“''Maybe some of us just get tired of fighting. Also, maybe some of us would rather sleep than do paperwork.''”

Trivia

 * Åke's character song, according to [Snakes-on-a-plane], is Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin.
 * His face appearance is based on actor Fares Fares.
 * His heavy Old Norse accent, combined with his pechant to mumble and speak quietly, makes him almost impossible to understand half the time.
 * His favorite passtime, besides napping, is brewing beer. He is also a rather skilled beer connoisseur, and drinks for the flavor, not the alcohol.
 * Åke's favorite color is dark red.
 * Has the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere.
 * Åke's skill level should have seen his promotion to at least 4th seat by now. However, he has turned down every promotion offered to him because he doesn't want to deal with the responsibility.

Credit
Sasaki Rei belongs to XBrokenRiversX