SPOILERS AND LONG REVIEW AHEAD! (like, an abnormally long length, and 90% of it is just a love letter to Lane, am I allowed to post a comment this long? I don't know, please help)
Lane is SO ANNOYING AND DISTASTEFUL BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM ANYWAY and I really have to applaud you for that. I'm honestly amazed at the fact I still love him after all his bs. The way you characterized him is so perfect and stays true to his essence—he's awful in the exact way he should be. He's the type of guy that would ruin me in real life because I'll never be able to put my foot down the way MC does, yet somehow, I'm still so down bad for him lmfao. That little moment we had before BB enters the store in Shift 2? "I like how it feels," yeah, if it was me I wouldn't be able to resist and we would've kissed right at that moment lmfao
Still, despite his vulgar words and prickly exterior, I feel the only time Lane is being the most himself is when he goes quiet. He said he already discarded that soft part of himself when his ex broke his heart, but honestly, you can never get rid of your nature and who you truly are at your core, it will always show. The way he treats MC when she blacked out was so soft, everything about him was so soft—his hands when he cradled her face gently, when he put her hair in a ponytail, and when he tucked her in bed SOFT BOY LANE I KNOW YOU'RE STILL IN THERE, AND I'M GOING TO BUST YOU OUT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
I hope there'll be a future branch where if you call him out on his behavior enough, he might actually reflect on them. Because contrary to what he believes, he's really not that far gone. I've seen worse men, I'm not giving up on him, HE CAN STILL CHANGE I SWEAR!
He honestly overall just seemed like a normal guy who's flawed and has baggage, but then that graffiti made me do a double take, "I know what kind of guy he is and I hate that you give him attention." I had initially thought that Lane was the designated normal guy LI and BB was the yandere, but who said BB was the only yandere LI in this game? Lane's obsessive tendencies completely flew under the radar for me because BB's overt obsession completely stole the show, but truly, Lane might not seem as normal as he appears to be and I'm REALLY excited to see more of that side of him.
I admit I actually was initially a bit on edge around him since he seemed sleazy, but once I realized it's really all just bravado I just felt bad </3 I'm never going to ignore you Lane, stop acting like a prick just to get my attention, you already have it! I loved the small glimpses we got into his life—his ex, his old bartending job, and his home life. I really wanna know more about his home life especially, I feel like that's where most of his behavior stems from, which is honestly crazy considering Amelia is his sister. The contrast between him and Amelia is so intriguing, but they're almost like two sides of the same coin, what exactly happened there to make them both have such extreme viewpoints?
Lane almost gave me a conniption during that show down, like babe I love you but STOP THIS, LISTEN TO ME! I thought he was being so unreasonable but honestly, after you confront him about it, the way he reacts is so raw that I realized there was something more to this and that it wasn't just him running his mouth. I feel like in his own, fucked up way, he was trying to protect MC the only way he knows how—by barking. I don't feel intimidated by BB because I'm viewing this from the lens of a player, through a character that he likes, but I get that from Lane's point of view, a random 2 meter tall man just suddenly started hanging around, staring, and flirting with the girl he likes. If I was him, I'll probably be concerned too, especially since we don't even get to see BB's face. He could do absolutely ANYTHING and he'd get away with it because there'll be no one to identify him, that's TERRIFYING, he's definitely someone you should be on your guard with. After all that though, my take away is that sorry Lane, but I still want BB to keep hanging around <3 lmfao
BB reminds me of that quote that goes, "I'm not a violent dog, I don't know why I bite." He's usually really sweet, but he's TERRIFYING if you go down Lane's route. I know he'll never hurt MC, but I'm scared for Lane more than anything. When the lights went out I almost had a heart attack, I thought he was going to murder Lane in the dark or something LMFAO I should've trusted him more, if he wanted to murder Lane of course he'd do it when MC is not around, he wouldn't want Lane's blood to get on her after all lol. On a serious note, unlocking that hidden branch where I get to play in his POV had me reeling with excitement, it gave me a lot of material to analyze about BB. His thought process and the way he handles jealousy is so interesting—he contemplates murdering Lane but then he backs off because he thinks MC would hate it, I CHEERED he's the EXACT type of yandere I like. Lane you gotta hold onto my hand tight because there's a HIGH possibility that BB might steal me away if this keeps up lmfao. This branch definitely left me with a lot of questions (WHO THE HELL IS THE RED HELMET? Is this another sinister guy or is it BB since he also has a red helmet?) my curiosity is eating me alive and I'm waiting in bated breath for the answers!
I don't know if it was obvious (it was) but Lane is my favorite dog—which is very shameful considering how I really connected with Amelia's view on men lmfao I'm sorry Amelia I've failed you </3 I just can't help it, I feel like he really shined in Shift 2 and someone who gets me to talk about him for this long (whether positively or negatively...) is definitely someone special. He's so layered, complex, and interesting, I want to peel him like an onion until I get to his core. I'm so excited to see more of him and BB in Shift 3! Hopefully no more scuffles though... Boys, please get along. As MC once said, "I'd date both of you if you were one person."
This game is definitely gonna be my new hyperfixation and I can already feel that it'll stay in my head 24/7 for a good while. I'm so sorry for the long review but this game really gave me so much to yap about, so many branches, so many theories, and so many things to think about... You've really crafted an intricate world here and I'm super excited to dive deeper into it <3