Shades Of Forever (STUBBED)

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2023

Author

Loate

• PUBLISHING AND STUBBING ANNOUNCEMENT
  Dec 16, 2025
• Chapter One - Survivors and Starflies
  Apr 4, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• visionjdRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I started reading this cold with no idea of what it was truly about.  This was enjoyable from beginning to end.  It was true to itself throughout.  6 stars.  I don't care if you only see five.  In my version of reality, there are definitely six.
  Thank you for the ride.  I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with next.
• AThinkingCubeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I saw this fic was stubbing soon so I gave it a binge. Holy wow folks!!! What a curious and fun book! Perfect for fans of Dr. Who wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff, as well as readers who are sick of the cliches in the litrpg and post-apoc genres.
  I seriously love the village and the characters, the dialogue is fun and fresh (sassy blue boxes abound) and the story really pushes back on the assumptions we make to live in an often violent capitalist society.
  Please go give it a read! 10/10 would recommend.
  PS There is a cat!! :D
• CrouchingWombatHiddenDropbearRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: This captured the feeling of eldritch weirdness very well without going full horror. It also captures the cyberpunk setting such as it is in a great way. Evil soulless corporations, extreme wage slavery, power games etc. On top of that we have apocalypse survival almost a bit like dust but if the people in charge are the opposite of egomniacal psychopaths. Earth got fucked left and right and the environment that we find on it is so different it is mostly unrecognizable. But little hints still tell you that this is earth.
  Story: It is a page turner and yet manages to be wholesome in a lot of ways. There is pain grief and violence, but there is plenty of love, joy and humor to balance it out. There is some plot armor but it doesn't feel forced or make the story boring.
  Grammar: Rock solid pretty much no complaints some small little glitches here and there but doesn't affect the experince or the immersion in a noticable way.
  Character: Oh my this is where this story really shines. OP is complex and acts both his age and not but in a way that is natural. He is also equipped with some pretty amazing tools and a supoport network that many would envy. So his growth and introspection make sense in thr overall plot. He is still a moody teenager and makes mistakes but he learns from them. Box is another great character and develops in suprising ways which makes it a joy to watch. All of the major characters have layers and complexity and it is fun to get to know them more;
  Spoliers:
  I love the concept of the Idiots as well as the amazing approach to mental health in the village.
  Also seeing the trees from an outsider's perspective. What do you mean the leaves shouldn't be bleeding red light down around the trees?
  Also I love Dirt.
• Gender RevolutionaryRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Full title: NOOOO YOU CAN'T JUST OPENLY SATIRIZE LITRPGS WHILE WRITING A PROG FANTASY COMPLETE WITH BLUE BOXES
  Box: Haha number go up
  This is a shockingly well written story detailing the story of a small group of survivors of some form of climate apocalypse/nuclear war along the lines of A Canticle for Leibowitz. The premise, however, quickly diverges into an eldritch comedy-horror where our protagonist, Sky, bonds with a weaponized Litrpg system he names Box (Sky is very literal minded).
  Box is a rather sublime satire of a so-called typical LitRPG fan, in that he is all about making number go up. Combine that with Sky's culture being heavily steeped in dialectic behavioral norms, the reader gets a pretty unique take on the pathology of common litrpg tropes while still indulging in the trashy fun that goes along with it.
  If I had to make one criticism, it would be that the characters' voices sound very much straight out of present day in terms of dialogue and tone at the start, but that has been lessening as the story progresses.
  This story is absolutely worth a read and a follow, especially if you find yourself getting annoyed with the typical, well, progress of a progression fantasy.
• HailfireRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Absoulutely an interesting story, these sort of post-post apocalypse stories are always great, gives me huge Battle Angel Alita/ The Quantumn Thief vibes with the obscenly advanced technologies crossing back into a sort of primitive reality.
  The main characters additude is hugely refreshing as well, a nice calm and substantially divorced from every situation he finds himself in.
• HyrielRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Saw the stubbing notification and said "Oh, have I read that? Can I finish it before the first?" Answer: Yes, but! Turns out I've read this before and forgot to rate it (my system for remembering RR stories I read, probably made after reading this back in 20xx when I found this). This was a great read again. Box is great, Sky is an ambiguous figure which is great cause they can be whatever you want. The Eldritch Reality system is very cool. Wordsmith did a great job twisting my brain to see things I really shouldn't have. (Thankfully my eyes didn't bleed.) Good luck Wordsmith with the audiobook recording and stuff, people should enjoy this immensely. I'll give your other story a look-see too.
• Jsutdog48Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Wow! Just wow! How do I even start. For one this novel pure gold! The style is smooth, silky, and crisp. The flow strong and the atmosphere is one of a kind!
  As for the story, what can I say. It's completely unique and fresh! The integration of the System is unlike any I've seen before. The eldritch aspect is spot on and is a lot of fun to behold!
  I'm not really here to judge grammar as I'm not the best speller but I haven't seen anything that stands out. There are some novels on RR that it's blaring but not even close with this one.
  As for characters there is not a huge amount. Not even close to the novels that swamp you in names, but Loate writes them all with care and passion. I feel for each and every one and in this novel, the deaths hit hard!
  All in all a very well written novel that is one of a kind. I'm sticking with it to the end and you should too. Come and read this tale and don't mind the shogoth on the roof!
• KlippethRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Read this!
  (not the review - the story!). The author's done a great job of making a science fantasy world that hits you with the right details to keep you hooked.
  Characters are genuine, lovable, and setting appropriate - and setting is a huge strength here. You learn piece by piece with the mc as the plot accelerates, and the whole thing is a smooth read.
• MrBookLRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Characters are fantastic. All of them filled with life and love and actual thought that makes sense.
  World building is massive, yet fantastically intertwined with the characters and the plot in a way that just works.
  Plots a little simple, yet in such a complex world with complex issues, and a lot of things happening, the end goal of the main character is honestly pretty reasonable.
  The ending is fantastic. Slightly rushed, but otherwise fantastic and it makes perfect sense. Kinda wish there was more,  but I am more happy with the ending we have than the potential of what could have been.
  Thanks for writing this one!
• 7whitewolf7Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The story pulls you along, I finished the entire thing in one day on my day off.
  I quite like the mix of humor and general flow, as well as the vocabulary and descriptions. It does not at all feel too dense, or hard to read.
  I hope the author writes another eldritch story, as they seem to be really good at it!