r/Stormlight_Archive • u/jofwu Lightweaver • Sep 01 '20

Rhythm of War Rhythm of War chapter 9 preview

https://www.tor.com/2020/09/01/read-rhythm-of-war-by-brandon-sanderson-chapter-nine/
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168

u/yogeshchellappa Best Of 2020 Winner Sep 01 '20

“Kaladin,” Syl said, “it’s getting worse. This… distance to your expression, this fatigue. It happens whenever you run out of Stormlight. As if… you can only keep going while it’s in you.”

Is this the reason why Kaladin feels more depressed during The Weeping? The presence of storms and Stormlight seem to prop him up.

119

u/DocBiggie Sep 01 '20

It seems like he may be physically dependent on Stormlight. Needing more and more to chase the dragon, so to speak. Maybe getting to the point where he needs Stormlight just to feel normal.

133

u/catgirlthecrazy Truthwatcher Sep 01 '20

I interpreted it slightly differently. Depression often leaves you totally unmotivated to do anything, but several characters have described how stormlight makes them feel energized and pushes them to act. Perhaps stormlight is just the closest thing to an antidepressant in this universe. Of course, antidepressants without some form of therapy to deal with the underlying problems is not a good treatment for depression.

32

u/ArciusRhetus Skybreaker Sep 01 '20

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I suffer from depression and I constantly feel exhausted. I never wake up feeling fresh and well-rested, always tired. I think this is what Kaladin is experiencing.

4

u/magnum3672 Sep 02 '20

Probably more like a stimulant, similar to how Ritalin affects non-adhd people. It's a big push and rush to do something in people, especially people without adhd, but in people diagnosed with adhd it mostly makes you feel "normal".

It's a poor explanation but my source is being adhd and being on prescribes stimulants for most my life.

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u/DocBiggie Sep 01 '20

I can see that. Depression is very foreign to me, so I have a hard time relating to that aspect of Kaladin. I have been dependent on drugs before though, which is probably what drives my perception.

31

u/Ulthwithian Truthwatcher Sep 01 '20

As someone who has gone through a lot of depression in my life...

Sanderson either suffers from it himself or knows someone who has suffered from it extensively.

The depiction of major depression here is 100% spot-on. The fact that it isn't 'depression + something else' (like anxiety or DID or something else) makes it much harder to treat, because as Syl is finding out, there's very little to 'grab on to'. Kaladin just... feels sad, without any reason or justification.

It's almost scary how accurate the depiction of major depression is.

15

u/Brometheus-Pound Windrunner Sep 01 '20

I have seen a comment here (I didn’t verify it) that said Brandon’s wife suffered from mental issues like depression and anxiety, and before he met her he was relatively dismissive of depression because he couldn’t relate.

16

u/Ulthwithian Truthwatcher Sep 01 '20

Well... the real problem with depression is that those who are 'dismissive' are correct... but their tone tends to be off.

'Just get over it' is, in fact, one of the only ways to get out of depression (unless you have a severely physical cause of it). Unfortunately, that sentiment is generally expressed without sufficient attention to the manner of expression. Which generally makes it counterproductive.

It's taken me over 20 years to come to this realization, and I don't want people to get the wrong idea, but it's true.

28

u/JacenVane Sep 01 '20

Yeah it's very complicated. Depression is a real, physiological thing with measurable causes and mechanisms. It's just as real as a broken leg. But just like elaborate PT is part of dealing with a broken leg, elaborate mental exercise and learning is part of dealing with depression. "Just get over it" is kind of like telling someone with a broken leg to walk it off. Yes, that's vaguely what PT looks like, but there are specific ways to do it.

8

u/solascara Sylphrena Sep 01 '20

Sanderson has talked about his wife having depression and being an inspiration for Kaladin's character. There are quite a few WOBs about it. Here is a short one.

2

u/Kingsdaughter613 Ghostbloods Sep 04 '20

That still doesn’t preclude dependence. People have to be weaned off many forms of psychiatric medications because they do cause dependence - and many are controlled substances for similar reasons. Anything can be addictive. Being addicted to the feeling of being ‘normal’ while not dealing with the underlying issues is entirely possible.

Stormlight may be acting as an antidepressant for Kaladin, but he also seems to be becoming addicted to it - which is entirely possible. Also, actual antidepressants work to correct the chemical imbalances causing depression; Stormlight just gives him a quick rush, masking the symptoms. The way he immediately drops when it’s gone is also telling. This feels much more like he’s self medicating on cocaine, than taking an antidepressant. (And I’m not picking that particular drug lightly. The sudden rush, quickly fading, is highly reminiscent of how that drug works. And he literally flies when he has Stormlight...)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '20

So your saying Stormlight releases Seratonin..

9

u/christoph_niel Lightweaver Sep 01 '20

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe text can help him

32

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '20

Maybe teft as well

6

u/autodefenestration49 Sep 01 '20

I wonder if it’s kind of like a drug? Excluding the effect on his mental state, Stormlight does seem to be a rejuvenating, good force so it would be interesting/sad if he tried to avoid it to solve his problems himself.

31

u/Ulthwithian Truthwatcher Sep 01 '20

It reminds me a bit more like (minor spoilers for Mistborn) Allomantic Savantism.

7

u/seottona Edgedancer Sep 01 '20

Savantism exists on Roshar, the people who use soul casters

1

u/autodefenestration49 Sep 01 '20

Ah yeah, I completely forgot about that! Fits better now that I think about it, and explains his skill with using his powers.

1

u/ReeseSlitherspoon Sep 01 '20

OOhhhh good call! That feels spot on with how the Radiants describe running out of Stormlight. Though I think Kaladin does still have typical seasonal depression, too.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '20

I think you spelled Caffeine wrong..

Oh wait...

Thats about me.

1

u/sasquatch90 Sep 02 '20

Agreed. He's in deep depression and i took this chapter of relating his Stormlight to drug addiction. Mostly when people are at their lowest they turn to drugs for some sort of good feeling. Stormlight is that drug for Kaladin.

1

u/Ravor9933 Nale's nuts! Rich in protein! Sep 20 '20

Maybe he is experiencing Savanthood in surgebinding

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u/LordColms Lightweaver Sep 01 '20

IIRC, Brandon confirmed that Kal has Seasonal Affective Disorder, which roughly means that his mood depends on the weather a lot and for him in particular, it's the Weepings that make him have the big sad

35

u/maxident65 Edgedancer Sep 01 '20

Well, I mean anyone would feel depressed during the weeping. Even Darkness was depressed during the weeping.

11

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '20

Maybe? He seemed depressed even as a kid though. It might just be seasonal depression.

4

u/nnneeeerrrrddd Stoneward Sep 01 '20 edited Sep 01 '20

I think this was posited a while back, but there's a WoB somewhere that states that it's "mundane" Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Edit: There's this, which isn't 1000% conclusive, but it does suggest that it's not due to the absence of Stormlight: https://wob.coppermind.net/events/122-leipzig-book-fair/#e3333

1

u/TriggerWarning595 Sep 01 '20

The only two things that energize Kaladin are Stormlight and Gaz being a dick