goodbye phoenix, hello forks

35 years later, and this man is still triggered by the hose 😭

It wasn’t a bad life, just a pretty average one. And it’s not that Lorena doesn’t miss her old life. It’s more like, she’s been in survival mode since she woke up as Lorena and she doesn’t really give herself time to miss any of it.

Roses for you cause you’ve single-handedly dragged me into this fandom! I refused to watch Karate Kid for years, I barely heard about Cobra Kai existing and didn’t know it was in the same universe. Now I know the characters and care about them and might need to watch all of this stuff!

Genuinely your fic is so good and I love the characters and since I actually looked up stuff since I finished catching up I’m now super invested in them all but Robby and his dynamics with other characters especially. C+ parenting indeed. Hoping it works out for them!🌷

YAY!! Welcome to the fandom!! 😍

We're very happy to have you! And thank you so much for the roses! Here's a sneak peek:

I let the end of the sledgehammer thump down against the thick grass, leaning my weight against the tall handle. "You guys don’t need to look so spooked," I snickered. "It’s a little hard not to, with you waving that thing around," Sam said stubbornly, arms crossed over her chest. I shrugged dispassionately. "If you want the combined dojo thing to work, you’ll have to get used to it." Sam heaved a sigh, eyeing me with exhaustion. "I forgot you came with hazards."

For Bleeding Days

"Look, LaRusso wants you there," Sensei said. "And maybe, it’s time for you to move on. Haven’t you met any other chicks at West Valley? I’m sure Lorena could introduce you to a few." "No one I’m interested in." "I could introduce him to Tory?" "You mean Miguel’s psycho ex-girlfriend?" Robby deadpanned. "Yeah, hard pass. We’ve already met, and I don’t care for the encore." "Yeah, Lorena, bad call," Sensei tsked. "Geeze," I grumbled, "tough crowd."

For Bleeding Days

Aww congrats! You got your wish 🥰

And here's a sneak peek for you:

"If you’re done trying to steal the few friends I do have left, Demetri, could you go away already?" I said with a scowl, making a shooing motion. "You’re sucking up all the good air." "And that sweet, sweet attitude," Demetri said, already backing away, "is why you’ll never have a boyfriend, Lorena." With one last, sarcastic wave, he spun around and jaunted off towards Yasmine. I scoffed. "I could totally have a boyfriend," I grumbled, turning back in my seat. "Right, Dev?" Devon smiled and nodded quickly. "Right!" But neither Robby nor Hawk seemed to find any humor in this, both appearing equally irked.

For Bleeding Days

I didn’t go into the fic with a specific pairing in mind, because there was never going to be a pairing. But you lovely readers convinced me otherwise 😂

And I know not everyone comments on chapter updates, but from the ones who do, the most popular character readers shipped Lorena with, was Hawk, especially as I was writing season 3. It really is crazy how much I wrote them together during that arc, but the plot really worked out in their favor. And yes, some of it was planned, but most of it was not.

A huge part of the reason that it worked though, was Miguel’s absence. Writing Lorena and Miguel’s friendship during the first two seasons was a lot of fun, but between that, Lorena’s home life, and all the karate drama, it didn’t leave a whole lot of room for her to form any sort of romantic attachments. (I know quite a few did, and still do, ship her with Miguel, and while I did think it over for a while, I ultimately prefer to keep their relationship platonic!)

Famous last words, Amanda.

And yes, the dinner conversation would go something like this:

Thank you!!!

Hi, this is my first time posting here. I hope you are doing well. Bleeding Days is the GOAT.

How good of a fighter is Lorena compared to characters from the later seasons of the show? Also, now that Lorena is not practising karate as much, will the Kreese Cobras finally catch up to her in terms of skill?

Because of how long she’s been training now, I would say Lorena is easily one of the top fighters, in the same league as Miguel, Robby, and Sam. Probably not at Sekai Taikai level yet, but in-universe, that’s still a year and a half away.

And Lorena’s "break" from karate will amount to the length of about two months, since she’ll be getting back on top of it real soon. I don’t believe that’s enough time to undo an entire year’s worth of hard work. The only ones in Cobra Kai right now who could catch up in terms of skill are Tory and Hawk, since everyone else currently under Kreese are supporting characters who, canonically, never show the same level of skill as the main cast.

Thank you very much for the roses! Here’s a sneak peek:

"Lorena?" Miguel called. "What have you got there?" "A sledgehammer!" "What?"

For Bleeding Days

Yes, Daniel is, in fact, a victim to the misunderstanding. All thanks to Robby :)

And thank you for the roses! Here's a sneak peek for you:

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "Unless what?" "Lorena, I’m flattered really," Demetri said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "but need I remind you, I’m already taken." I whipped a fist forward, striking him in the gut. "Shit," he gasped, doubling over. "Damn it, Lorena, it was a joke." I crossed my arms. "Really? Because I don’t hear anyone laughing." Demetri glared and straightened back up with a wince. "I’m becoming less and less inclined to being available for you this Sunday."

For Bleeding Days

"There is one upside to this," I mused, and, balancing a palm against Miguel’s shoulder, leaned down to smooch the top of his head. "This is assault!" Miguel protested, ducking aside and batting my hand away from his shoulder. "Then maybe," I sang, straightening up and falling a step away from his wheelchair, "you should learn to stand up for yourself." Predictably, Sensei Lawrence snickered. "Nice one, Princess." Miguel scowled up at us. "I hate you guys." "You mean to say," I asked solemnly, "you can’t stand us?" Miguel dropped his head in defeat, while Sensei’s unrestrained laughter bounced off the concrete and echoed across the apartment complex.

DELETED SCENE for Bleeding Days