10/1/25

If you've been following my femslash files, you've seen me post about Lands Beyond Games' single work, the f/f dating sim A String Between 10 Years Ago And Today (2004). I'll admit, it was the first f/f dating sim I ever played, so it mayyyy be just nostalgia talking xD But the characters are really captivating, and the main conceit- jumping forward and backwards through time to experience different sides of the story- was ambitious, if not always intuitive. It's definitely dated by now, but it absolutely captured my heart, and I've always been sad that the promised sequel ( website link is here!!, it's worth checking out!!) never ended up being completed. It seemed like a really cool idea- an alt universe with a new POV character and a mix of new and old characters to date! There were a lot more CGs too, and they were promising spicier content than the first game... we could've had it all.

It's also been hard to track down the individual team members- I believe all of them used pen names, and while you can still find their old blogs, deviantArts, etc from back in the day, the trails go cold in the early 2010s.

But! Yesterday! Something incredible happened :)

I saw a post circulating from an artist and programmer looking for work, (I'll reblog some of her art soon!) and she mentioned being a background artist on String! I mayyy have gotten a little too excited.... and I mayyyyyy have used the email in her bio to reach out (her asks are closed T_T). Maybe it was a little forward of me, but fortunately she was super cool. For your reading pleasure (posted with her permission. At her request, I've changed all names and cut some information):

Me:

Good morning, Ms. O (name redacted)! I hope you're doing well! I'm so so sorry if this is super rude of me, but- I couldn't help but notice you worked at Lands Beyond??? I still replay A String Between 10 Years Ago and Today to this day, it made a huge impression on me at the time and it's lived in my heart forever. Your backgrounds were really unique, too! So I wanted to say, thank you so, so much for being a part of something so important to me!!

But also, by any chance, do you know what happened to the sequel? The site makes it look like it was so close to being completed.... :( Do you think it might be out there somewhere?

Thanks, and I'm really sorry to bother you!

Bubblegum of Femslash Files

O:

hi, bubblegum!

cute name haha.

you're correct, i was a background artist ('unique' is a nice way to put it.... i was 17 at the time i did not know how perspective worked LOLLL) on string and cg artist on web (RIP). you came to the right girl, i try to keep my online presence strictly professional these days (my big mouth has gotten me in trouble too many times before oooops) but between u and me i love to gossip, especially about LB. that place was wild. almost no one knows about it these days. but im really happy you do!!! im really glad our project was able to reach people's hearts to this day ;w;

essentially, LB was a bunch of friends/partners completely new to games working on games together in their spare time, and when relationship drama came up the studio imploded. i'm amazed we lasted the 8 years we did (tho tbf the web team was almost completely new people aside from me, L, and M) (due to previous drama.) (i maybe shouldve packed my bags and run then but i stuck around oops lol)

I'd say the game was probably about 75-80% done (i'm pretty sure I have all my cgs on a cd somewhere in my parents' house lol- if i ever find it, i can email it to you!) when the drama went down, and finally M (our programmer) wrote up a big angry F You post, took her ball (the program), and went home. that's actually what got me started learning to code lol, but unfortunately LB closed way before I was good enough to be of any use. that was basically the beginning of the end- everybody fights, nobody wants to work together, and some money stuff that was kept from part of the team was coming out into the open too.

so the company formally shut its doors (L's apartment doors, to be specific), in may of 2008 (a month before web's expected release) but i think around january as we half-heartedly made a plan for the year it was clear that thing was not happening. to this day it makes me sad, those characters were like my kids. :( part of the ultracasual nature meant we'd all end up sitting around L's kitchen table talking about, like, whos the worst at kissing (it's green just so you know) and writing fics about weird noncanon pairings (crimson x green mostly lol. ahhh i guess you wouldnt know who crimson is... ) and so on and so forth. i still miss them sometimes.

i think i may also have some merchandise at my parents' house too, i remember L came in fuming one day and was smashing up whatever she could find and M and i were like, grabbing boxes and putting them in my car. i think i saved some CDs and a prototype t-shirt? man, now i'm wondering how much is actually saved... my dream would be getting everything we can back together and releasing it. most of us are in our 40s now, surely we're all mature enough to do a group project :p L i haven't a clue what she's up to or if she's even alive but i know the person who was our musician is still at least on speaking terms with basically everyone else, she actually got married to another former LBer recently! so i trust if anybody can get the band back together its her lol. (i went to the wedding but i was the only other former LBer there and her husband STILL won't talk to me so it was kinda awkward hahaha.)

anyway! thanks for reaching out, i mean it!

O

OMG!!! You have noooo idea how excited I was to come home from work and see that email *w* I also hope that game can be released someday.......

Let this be a lesson to never give up hope!

-Bubblegum

PS: go look at the website for The Web Extends Further Out!

31 Notes

sweetvioletsmain-moved liked this

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rev0lutionarygirl---uten4 liked this

rev0lutionarygirl---uten4 replied: I REMEMBER THIS GAME OMFG they took my fucking preorder money. O landsbeyond give me my 40 dollars back im serious. paypill.my/G_Ryan lets go

revolutionarygirlutena replied: @rev0lutionarygirl---uten4 you want my url so bad it makes you look stupid

refrigerator replied: 2000s version of all or nothing

smoldragon liked this

formilo liked this

dean-in-the-tardis-with-sherlock liked this

aziracrowleys reblogged this and added: it would be so awesome if they got together and finished it!!! O even said in the email she wants to so im holding out hope!!!

s4pph0 reblogged this and added: me too!!!

puppypaws reblogged this and added: no way are they gonna finish it lolol hold out your hope for something better

aliceindeepforest reblogged this and added: never say never, i've seen dead franchises come back before 🙏

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yuriduty reblogged this and added: 🙏💖🙏LB revival 2k25🙏💖🙏 likes charge reblogs cast

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detectiveerika replied: ngl the art looks like shit, dont know how they even sold a first game looking like that

withoutloveitcantbeseen liked this

framingdevice replied: @detectiveerikas cmon be nice. personally i think it looks really charming

anthy liked this

anthy replied: childhood memory unlocked

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