I can’t believe it’s been ten years since you started this. I saved this a long time ago but didn’t get around to reading it until a few years ago and boy am I glad I gave it a chance. This is my second time going through and rereading the whole thing now and it’s just as good as I remembered. I want to be a writer like this. I saw a fair few typos and jumbled sentences (I could still tell what was meant in those areas) and yet; I didn’t care. It was a minor thing to notice, make sense of, then keep going, because I was once again too enraptured by the story.

The way you weave this story is masterful. Even having read this whole this before I was sucked in and didn’t want to stop reading. Having so many chapters, so many words to read was exciting, because I knew I’d be able to read something amazing for a long while. Unfortunately you always eventually have to catch up and I once again did, much to my disappointment. There’s so much meat to this story, so much to digest and theorize and I just couldn’t get enough.

The way you write the characters is astounding. I already loved all the characters from just the game but this really brought them to LIFE. It gave them so much more personality than the games did and made me care for them even more. I have fallen in love with this version of Robin and everything you have added to this wonderful game world we all love. And I feel like we’ve barely gotten through the plot! It feels like we have so much further to go! Despite having over 60 chapters! And yet I already love it this much already! I can’t wait to see where else this goes. It has so much potential and you’re an awe-inspiring writer. And even if you don’t do anymore, as it seems you’ve burned out on this (understandable after 10 years writing it) I will treasure what you HAVE given us.

I have so many theories, some of which have now changed since rereading it because I picked up on things I missed the first time. The General is definitely Risen King Chrom, something I’ve thought since he first appeared, but I feel like that’s easy to guess for anyone that knows that exists in another game. I think the other generals are trying to gain power for themselves through Grima, although in what way I’m unsure. Algidus, I used to think wasn’t bad either, but then I reread it and realized she was actually very manipulative. And our Robin… the biggest mystery of all. Original Robin you can pretty easily guess the general idea of what she’s doing from the interlude. She’s trying to weaken them with the war so they’re easy to conquer later. But our Robin’s background is the tricky part.

Before I thought she might be Grima that purposefully tried to start over and leave the bad behind. Now I think she’s actually her own person, that she was from Blackwater and her mom had twins and our Robin was taken with her to another world to escape Validar. Why only her? My theory is she was the one with power, that she was the one Validar wanted to use as the vessel. He had to settle for the less powerful twin when the other was taken. Or he didn’t realize it was the less powerful one. Or the original Robin WAS going to be taken too but somehow accidentally got separated. Why are they both named Robin though, if they’re twins like I’m almost certain they are? Because of a mix up. I think that they both thought they had the one named Robin. The mom would probably know who was named what so it was probably that Validar that got the name wrong. Or something along those lines. Otherwise it’s weird to name twins the same name. XD

There are two things that could’ve happened to Grima; one, Grima DID go to our world (our Robin’s world) and did something there? Maybe tried to take over our Robin? Passed along some power? Cause there’s some sorta fragment of Grima attached to our Robin, at the very least. How, I’m unsure, but there’s definitely some Grima thoughts. And yet… rereading it, I found that the Grima voice only SOMETIMES acted like Grima. Other time sit seemed like they were good. Like a Grima that’s still violent and angry, but has changed their tune and now wants to be good. The other thing that coulda happened to Grima is that they will appear in Origin Peak at the end of the ‘game’ as the final boss. Would be fitting, for sure. I’m unsure which direction this might take as of yet.

When I originally read this the moment Robin saves Emm from the risen I felt like was the last ditch effort of the timeline to kill her and that things had changed now, her future subverted. Rereading this made me think that wasn’t quite the case, that there will still be attempts on her life sometimes, but it still felt like a turning point, not just for Robin and the plot, but for Emm’s future too. It felt like, while there may still be attempts, they’re not as likely to succeed. Like that was the moment where, if she was gonna die in this timeline, that was the most certain point. Idk if that makes sense, it’s hard to put into words.

As you can see, I’ve put a LOT of thought into this story. You’ve made me care so much. And you’ve inspired me. You’ve made me think that maybe, just maybe, I could do something like this too. That maybe I could try and emulate what you’ve shown here in my own writing. It’s like you’ve given me a blueprint to making amazing complex stories. So I’ve now been planning two fics based off this one. Neither are in this fandom (I would love to write one in this fandom sometime but I have never been able to come up with a story I want to tell) but they take things from this fic specifically. One is a Zelda fic that is going to try and dive deep into more of the lore and politics of that universe, much like you do here, and if I get even a little close to what you’ve done here I’ll feel like I’ve succeeded. The other is a Pokémon Sun & Moon fic where someone from our world accidentally takes the place of the main character and has to deal with all the events surrounding that. One emulates the plot of your fic more, the other emulates the background of your fic more, but both were inspired by this. I wanted to tell my own stories with some of the ideas you had here and they’re some of my favorite fics, although they’re still in planning and have yet to be written. (I’ve learned that for myself, I need to at least have an outline of the plot before I start writing it) But I’m so excited for the day I can share them with people and point back to this as my inspiration.

This fic is one of my favorite fanfiction of all time. If someone were to ask me to pick a favorite this would be among the first to come to mind. This fic has brought me comfort in hard moments, made me laugh when I’ve been stressed, and has reminded me why I wanted to be an author to begin with. You’re amazing, this fic is stupendous, and I hope wherever life takes you, you’ll live well. Thank you for all you e done for us and have a lovely day.

Oh great, the story is basically just Undertale now.

Also, I firmly believe that the Wyvern rider is Robin's, duaghter, the player self insert Robin and her own Lucina.

Well, where do I start? This has been a truly epic read. I really wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this fic as I did, but I did. The world building, the characters, the plot… I am dying to know what happens next. I specially love the relationships between Robin and everyone else (mostly Lucina and Chrom). So much, that I’d offer to serve as secretary if you needed someone to, tbh. In all seriousness, I hope there’s more of this to come; even if it’s a chapter a year, I’d take it gratefully. But, if for any reason, you decide not to write any more of this amazing story, I will still be grateful. You’ve really raised the bar with this one. Also, I know it’s been a while, but I hope your health is better and you’re doing well.

Clearly, Robin is going to have to introduce the Tango at some point.

Hi,
Dont know if you will read this review or anything, but i found this story in 2019, and it has been genuinely one of my favorite stories i have read in my life. Didnt expect that for a fanfic. Just want to thank you for writing it. Dunno if you will finish it or not, but ill keep coming back to it anyways.

Just saw your update, glad you're still with us! Looking forward to the next chapter.

Would inventing BBQ really take that long? My mom has a recipe for it that she whips up rather quickly. Can't remember the exact ingredients but I know it involves grape jam.

FIRST OF ALL that was CRAZY?! hello. this chapter goes in my top three thus far (44 & 59 being the other two) im so glad i dragged out reading these. breakfast lunch and dinner.

chapter was so good it had me taking NOTES. favorite part of this one had to be fredericks blessing... made me so happy i had to take a break. i love his and emmeryns support of chrobin theyre such proud parents. 'bill me from the cleaners, bitch' deserves to be on a plaque. i love robin's internal monologue so much.

and the chrobin scene at the later end im smiling just thinking about it. the throat bob when they finally see each other? the handshake? the LOOKS? theyre whipped your honor. everything was written so well. the dancing. the teasing. the tension. the poorly timed realizations. and OLIVIA my favorite character 3

& the poor general :( hes such a tragedy i hope him and lucina get to meet they share so much

ALSO i just wanted to congratulate you on getting better as of your last note & leave my best wishes for your future. i received a life changing dx a few years before covid broke out and it completely threw me off to the point where even trying to write up work for fun became a chore. things have been slowly rising back to a semi-normalcy despite thinking it impossible. i dearly hope for the best for you and that happiness and fulfillment finds you just like this fic found me. lots of love 3

oh my god. i've been binging this for over a week now and for some reason thought it ended at chapter 60? got so excited when i realized i have two more i was sitting in my chair worrying about it ending. i started reading it on a recommendation? on a whim? havent been very into reading at all lately but i started the fic without realizing how utterly big it is. like. i dont know what im going to do once i catch up my daily routine has just been to wake up and read and essentially live in the world you cooked up its so crazy. i came for the chrobin but stayed for the novel length in depth analysis of character relationships and backstories and hot new takes on not only the fe:a (and beyond!) universe but also the isekai'd genre as a whole? hello? i love it so much. i love how you flesh out the characters and give them all so much care and depth. i love the dialogue & the attention to detail i could go on forever. reading through the fic and watching your own writing style evolve over the (many!) years has just further tethered me to the Cycle fanclub. is not usually my preferred of the fanfic sites but this might have me converting. i feel like i should be leaving this on the 62nd chapter but. over here depleting the worlds supply of adoration. ill stop before i break the socially acceptable review length but know that this fic has watered my crops & cleared my skin & for that i gotta thank you

I hesitated to post this since it doesn't have much 'value,' but I said fck it coz I love this fic so much it hurts. Rereading Cycle never fails to reignite the passion I had for this game (of which this Fic started) and for writing in general. In fact, I'm currently on my nth reread that I've honestly lost count! This isn't so much as a critical analysis of the fic as much as me just professing my heartfelt adoration for this fic and for you, the author, for bringing it to life.

Thank you for taking us on this journey, and hope to hear from you!

This is, like, my fifth read of the chapter, and every time that fist bump near the end kills me. God are Chrom and Robin dorks and do I love seeing them.

hello! I love your fic and your writing! It's cool to see a main character be Canadian for once. Regardless of if you decide to continue this, as elated it would make me, are you okay? I'm pretty sure that the last update from you, or the one you put on your profile was during COVID times. Are you alright? Are you dead? I hope that you are well and that your life is going well.

one fire emblem enemy boss that isn't ugly is yourself

At one point in time I intended to review every chapter of Cycle, but realized that that kind of thinking wasn’t fit well to the fic. Oh well, fourth or so reread of the thing I think I can summarize my thoughts.

I’ll be the first to admit, this fic is a slow, long slog, entirely limited by that fact as an impossible barrier unless you fully enjoy Robin’s characterization to the fullest.

As someone who absolutely adores every word, thought, and stray action Robin makes, however, means that I hold Cycle impressively close to my heart, in a title it most certainly deserves. This fic just *feels* like someone loved writing every word of it. No details left unnoticed on purpose, no character left in the shadows, this fic carries itself completely on fully immersing itself in Robin’s heart and mind, and I’m fully willing to read it over and over again.

Every chapter I have kept thinking that this can’t get more intense, the stakes can’t possibly get any higher without the entire work imploding on itself narratively. And yet, each narrative you’ve slowly woven have proved more fitting to the broader story than the last. Whether it be Gaius’ story in Themis, or whatever the hell Lucina’s going through on her path to deserve every god damn hug, this fic just *flows* with itself. The slow pacing allowing the dozen or so plotpoints to weave together into a tapestry that just leaves me in awe.

And this is all held most together by Robin herself, easily the best insert character I’ve ever read, her story is engaging, dynamic, and agent in a way that has been revolutionary in the fandom for literally a decade and still further. She god damn *cares*, and it’s a care that’s built up overtime in a natural way. Something I cannot appreciate as much as it deserves.

Then, there’s Chrom and Lucina. These two placing themselves in Robin’s most personal circle in adorable, heart-wrenching conversations of personal loss and finding. My only fault in them is that there isn’t so, do much more of them. I cannot thank enough Robin’s place in this story, and where she’ll continue to go.

Speaking of this story, *god* this intrigue plot you have! Every discovery for Robin and the Shepherds is just one step further into the seeming abyss. It’s terrifying, fascinating, and brilliant in a way I cannot put into any words besides “how?!” I’ve my own theories, especially for Valm with the most recent interlude, but I am immensely excited for wherever you go with Cycle.

So, thank you very much for writing this work. Already it’s brilliant, and makes waiting for more as easy as opening it up and glancing through whatever chapter I may want to reread once again. I patiently look forward to wherever you go from here!

Suddenly hit with the desire to re-read this story and sure enough I look at the calendar and see it's exactly a year off of the last chapter posting. I hope you've been doing alright- I know just how disorienting hospital stays can be to just about everything. Either way, I know I'll enjoy the repeat trip through years worth of memories.