BENEATH THE WOODS

Maxwell Kanbayashi is sick of being scared, so he chooses to face his greatest fear. He discovers something far worse.

BENEATH THE WOODS is a LGBT+ supernatural horror / fantasy novel series inspired by Gravity Falls, Oxenfree, and Kingdom Hearts. It follows trans teen Max as he searches for answers about his magical abilities and uncovers their unsettling origins. Ultimately, he must deal with the terrifying, cosmic ramifications for seeking the truth, wondering if the answers should've stayed in the dark.✦The series was originally released as a webcomic, but has since been turned into a serialized web novel. Updates are exclusive to Patreon and Ao3 for now, but will be released to Tapas and other platforms in the near future.

ABOUT

BENEATH THE WOODS is a LGBT+ supernatural horror / fantasy novel series created by ursachaotic. It follows the story of Max as he uncovers the mystery behind his magical powers while trying to keep the horrors locked away : ) Over the course of the story, he befriends an eldritch horror, falls into another world, and fights back against demons, monsters and long-dormant gods eager to remake the world into what they believe it should be.The series does delve into topics such as mental illness (primarily anxiety), emotional / psychological abuse and personal autonomy, and it has a decent amount of angst, but my goal is to give all of the characters a happy ending despite that.If you like Gravity Falls, Oxenfree, Stranger Things, The Owl House, or In Stars and Time, my hope is that you'll enjoy this story, too! Also, if you like codes and ARGs, there will be plenty of codes to solve, and I'm aiming to make an ARG as well 👀

✦Huge thank you to Alice, Parker, Sabrina, Snow, and Starship Lenzy for helping me with the story since I started working on this project! ❤️ (Alice is to thank for Richard as well lmao)

WHERE TO READ

BENEATH THE WOODS was originally a webcomic that was released from 2019 to 2024. You can find the webcomic version on Tapas.The novel version is currently being released only on Patreon and Archive of Our Own until the completion of Act 1. Following that, it will be released on Tapas, Tumblr, and other platforms. (This is so I can build a buffer and hopefully avoid the consistent update issues I had with the webcomic lol)

PATREON UPDATES

Chapters are not on a schedule and will be released as they are completed. Free updates will always go up on Thursdays!The first 6 chapters will be available for free members who are signed up to my Patreon. $5+ tier Patrons will get updates two weeks early, then the chapters will be available for everyone who has joined my Patreon. After the 6th chapter has been posted, the story will remained available for $5+ Patrons until I complete Act 1 (which is about 12 chapters). This may be subject to change, but I will do my best to share the chapters for free members as soon as I can!

AO3 UPDATES

Updates on Ao3 will be released after they've been on Patreon for a bit! I do not have a set schedule at this time, but I anticipate posting them at least a week after they're available for free Patreon members.

FAQ

Got any questions about the story, characters or the updates? Send me an ask!Q: Will you continue the webcomic?
No plans to do so at this time 🫡Q: Is the novel's story different from the webcomic's?
The premise is the same, but there's a greater emphasis on Max's powers and where they came from plus his friendship with Archimedes!Q: Are there any codes in this like in the webcomic?
Codes will be hiding in the illustrations! If you find them, feel free to post what they say 🥰Q: Any trigger warnings for the series as a whole?
Emotional abuse (specifically from parental figures) and body horror! I'll add more as I think of them, but specific ones for each chapter will be included before the chapter itself!Q: If I have a theory, can I send it to you?
Of course! However, I most likely won't be able to confirm it, but please know that I will be eagerly reading it lolQ: Do you have any plans to publish the story?
At some point! No concrete plans yet, though.Q: Can I dub any of the comics? (Webcomic pages or new comics for the novel)
Ask me first, please!

BONUS

ACT 1 PLAYLIST

Playlist for the first act of the novel! Will be updated as I post new chapters.

CHARACTERS

MAXWELL "MAX" KANBAYASHI

Birthday: 6/26 • Gender: Transmasc (he / him)
Orientation: Asexual grayhomoromantic

A 14-year-old trans teen who can see ghosts. He grew up unaware that this ability was magical, something he – a human – shouldn't have. He fights to get to the bottom of this, but ends up with more questions than answers. Max is a very stubborn, impulsive kid who can be blunt (to the point that it gets him in trouble) but is ultimately very compassionate and sweet.

ORION

Birthday: 5/21 • Gender: Male (he / him)
Orientation: Asexual homoromantic

A young man trapped in another dimension. He has a heart of gold and constantly puts others' needs before his own, always eager to help and always eager to ignore his own problems. He has fire powers and super strength. Over the course of the series, he becomes a big brother figure to Max.

ALICE ROBERTSON

Birthday: 3/28 • Gender: Demigirl (she / her)
Orientation: Bisexual

Max's best friend. Outgoing and headstrong, Alice is a popular kid in high school and the star volleyball player of her team – except all of it is a facade. She buries herself in school work, social events, anything so she doesn't have to deal with the grief of losing her brother years ago.Despite her reputation, Alice is a big nerd and is one of the weird kids. She loves the paranormal, even dabbling in witchcraft (in the hopes it will give her answers to what happened to her brother). But when she learns that Max can see ghosts and wants to overcome his fear of them, Alice eagerly helps, unaware of the horrors that await both of them.

ARCHIMEDES / "ARCHIE"

Gender: Agender (they / them)

A seemingly terrifying eldritch monster who is actually very timid and sweet. They befriended Max when he was younger but accidentally attacked him, creating his overwhelming fear of ghosts. When Max reunites with them, they take on a different form but are eager to reconnect with and protect their old friend.Although they are a very kind being, Archie can turn into a terrifying force to be reckoned with.

TREVOR

Birthday: N/A • Gender: Agender (he / him)
Orientation: Asexual aromantic

A being from another world, now taking on a more humanoid form. Trevor goes between a catty, overconfident, and cunning being to someone with terrible social anxiety and a very grumpy attitude. He spends most of his time alone and will push away anyone who tries to get through his standoffish exterior. However, as he spends more time with his new human friends, he starts to realize how lonely he is and how happy he is around his new friends. So much so, that he'll do anything to make sure they never leave him.Trevor isn't his real name (and he'll never tell you what it actually is!!), but he enjoys being called that more than his other names. He also hates feeling isolated and alone and is terrified of the dark.