Lorne (Buffyverse)

Lorne is a character on Angel the Series. He first appeared in Season 2, and first appeared in the opening titles part of the way through Season 4. After the series ended he appeared in several of the comics. Lorne is a demon from Pylea with empath abilities, who owns a karaoke bar in Los Angeles. He often helps the Angel Investigations team and eventually joins them.
 
==History==
Lorne gradually gained popularity over the course of the show despite not having a major role in many episodes, being well-liked for adding humour to an otherwise dark show. After actor Andy Hallett died on March 29 2009, some fans decided to wear green on March 29 in memory.
Meta and analysis of the series has been known to mention Lorne as "queering" the series. For instance, "Outing Lorne: Performance for the Performers" states that "Lorne became a metaphorical representative of the entertainment industry: an immediate contrast to the dark, brooding Angel. He is colorful, flamboyant, articulate, witty, and the consummate performer. He is, in other words, camp." The fact that Lorne is both heavily queer-coded and often used for comic relief has been the subject of debate.
==Common Pairings==
Lorne is not commonly shipped with anyone as while he flirts casually with nearly everyone, he never shows serious interest in anyone. Andy Hallett described Lorne as asexual but has also made comments that could be interpreted as him being panromantic. However, there are at least a few fics shipping him with nearly any character in the Buffyverse.
The biggest pairings for Lorne are Angel/Lorne (24 fics on AO3), Lorne/Lindsey (9 fics on AO3), and Lorne/Spike (7 fics on AO3). Fics also exist shipping him with Wesley (6 fics on AO3), Fred (6 fics on AO3), Cordelia (4 fics on AO3), Xander (3 fics on AO3), Ethan Rayne (3 fics on AO3), Faith (2 fics on AO3), Rupert Giles (1 fic on AO3), Andrew Wells (1 fic on AO3), Kennedy (1 fic on AO3), and Willow (1 fic on AO3). There is one Angel/Cordelia/Lorne fic. The tag "Lorne/Sweet" exists but has only been used for a wallpaper and not for fic. Many of these characters have never met Lorne in canon, and some of these could be considered crack ships. There is also one fic for the crossover pairing of Lorne with Hank McCoy.
==Fanon and Common Tropes in Fanworks==
In many fanfics where he appears, Lorne plays a minor role, often providing comic relief. In shipping fics where Lorne is not part of the pairing, his reading often allow him an insight on character's feelings and he sometimes provides relationship advice or plays a matchmaking role. However, some fics give Lorne more focus.
There are a lot of songfics featuring Lorne, as he owns a karaoke bar and can read people when they sing. 
After Lorne killed Lindsey in Not Fade Away, there was a brief phase of Lorne-bashing among Lindsey fans, but this quickly died down.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
* Taking Vegas by Storm by Blodwyn, a Groo/Lorne fic (2003, post-season 3 fic)
* Out of Water by likeadeuce. The Lorne/Hank McCoy fic. Interesting as an example of a crossover ship involving Lorne, a character who isn't often represented in fic in general. (2010)
* One Night Outside of Destiny by angelus2hot, Giles walks into Caritas (Songfic, 2010)
===Fanart===
* Lorne by thedothatgirl. A fanart of Lorne posted in 2019, showing that he was still popular years after the series ended.
===Fanvids===
* God Bless the Child is a fanvid by Laura Shapiro that focuses on the character of Lorne.
===Meta===
* The Host and Angel (archived link) an essay on writing Lorne at Love Lorne
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Love Lorne, a Lorne centric fanfiction community
* Destiny's Voice a Lorne/Andy Hallett fansite
* The Girls/Guys who Love the Host defunct message board 
* Have you met me? a defunct Host-centric fansite
* Songs of Mercy an Angel/Host shipper site
==Links and Resources==
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorne_(Angel) - canon resource 
* https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Krevlornswath_of_the_Deathwok_Clan - canon resource
Category:Buffyverse Characters