B. van Bodegom 📃is querying & writing
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bvbodegom.bsky.social
B. van Bodegom 📃is querying & writing
@bvbodegom.bsky.social
2.1K followers 3K following 2.3K posts
Emerging author of horror, sci-fi and more. Seeking representation. #Dis father of four. Gamer. 🇳🇱 Forever DM.

Querying DAD BODIES, a co(s)mic horror novel. (5 fulls out, Big 5 interest)

Writing MARK OF THE JESTER, a dark fantasy novel.

Born in the 80's.
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bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

The rat will be important.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
Not a soul in sight—unless he counted the fattest rat he'd ever seen. He raised an eyebrow as he watched the obese critter attempt to climb the handle of a broom leaning against the counter, only to fail and fall after a few inches each time. Potley's gaze followed the handle up, locking in on a wrapped package tied with twine. The fig bread.
January 11, 2026 at 11:39 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
Good day to you on this day two of #BluePitHype for the ever-astonishing #BluePit event!

During last year's #posterpitawards I won a custom moodboard. Instead of having one made for the book that won the award (DAD BODIES), I asked if I could have one made for my WIP. No problem.

#writingcommunity
Moodboard for the dark fantasy novel about a regicide jester: MARK OF THE JESTER, showing gritty and violent imagery of court jesters, string puppets, bloodied hands, a burning throne, masks with different expressions, and more.
January 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Worldbuilding through conversation.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #darkfantasy #horror
Potley smiled and bowed deeply. "Why would one, indeed? And may I say it's an honor to meet one of the Alkerai, Sir?" The man's eyebrows shot up. "You know of my people?" The other sailor, with frizzy, bright ginger hair locked the cage door and turned to his colleague. "You have a people?" The Alkerai man ignored his friend and approached Potley. "Have you been to the Eastern Empire, Nar?"
January 7, 2026 at 10:12 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Brr.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
At least the palace was warm. Well, warmer. His quarters in one of the towers were definitely better than the average house here in the city, where low, chilling fogs rolled over everything like a cold, humid blanket. Fireplaces and stoves worked overtime. The sharp smell of wood smoke was everpresent from late summer to early spring.
January 6, 2026 at 9:05 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Entered the new year getting sick and coughing my lungs out. 'Benefit' of having little gremlins 😌

#WritingCommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
Shrugging, he produced a wistful smile. He deserved that. There were folk more in need of that bread than he. Besides, he could go days without food and it wouldn't bother him in the slightest. Benefit from growing up as a street urchin in war time.
January 5, 2026 at 9:33 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Happy New Year and be safe all! @rosie-j-potter.bsky.social thank you for hosting wipsnips and creating a lovely little community 😃

Starch the rat will play a big role in Potley's arc.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
Starch attempted to break free from the tunic, but with Potley sitting, the fat rat was squeezed stuck in place. "Better stay where you are. Mister Carnigann isn't a strong supporter of pets, unless the pets are cats chasing rats." Potley giggled softly. He should write that down. Breaking off a soggy piece of bread, he handed it to Starch. "Here. Now stay put, or you'll end up as food yourself."
December 31, 2025 at 12:12 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

#Writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror

(The horror is mostly in Potley's psychological descent into madness and desensitization to brutal violence surrounding him.)
Potley couldn't help but be disappointed when it wasn't the Marquis who showed up to greet him. An older man with deep grooves in his weathered, leathery face from too much salt and sun glared at him. A respectable Captain. That was the first impression Potley got. And respectable people were the toughest to impress.
December 30, 2025 at 12:03 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Used glass, instead. But now I should replace a few instances with goblet, because that sounds way cooler.

#WritingCommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
Without making a sound on his descent through the sleeping building, Potley glided into the kitchen and nearly stumbled over his own feet. Sitting at the exact same spot he himself had occupied before going to bed sat Mister Carnigann. A large, crystal glass filled with a copious amount of aromatic red wine stood next to the old man. His reddened nose and ears told Potley this wasn't his first drink of the night.
December 24, 2025 at 9:40 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

I only have 'angle' as part of bigger words, like mangled, entangled, and this one.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
Mistress Carnigann let out a snorting laugh. She quickly pressed a hand against her lips, but no avail. For a moment, Potley feared the village pig wrangler would appear from thin air.
December 22, 2025 at 9:48 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

I wonder if I'll get any more requests for the full manuscript of DAD BODIES this year 🤔

#WritingCommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
Sylvara bit her lower lip as she stared into Potley's eyes. "I heard the Spy Master requested her presence." Her voice trembled slightly. Fear seeped through.
December 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Preparing the Masks Potley uses plays a big part in the narrative. Through it, we witness his growing instability as people keep dying wherever he goes.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
Potley opened a drawer and retrieved three clay jars and a glass phial, setting them on the desk. Removing the cork stoppers, he used a small wooden spoon to scoop measured amounts of the three powders into a mixing bowl. He pulled the cork from the phial and sniffed the contents. The grease had coagulated and needed to be heated.
December 17, 2025 at 10:02 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

The story begins in autumn.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
At least the palace was warm. Well, warmer. His quarters in one of the towers were definitely better than the average house here in the city, where low, chilling fogs rolled over everything like a cold, humid blanket. Fireplaces and stoves worked overtime. The sharp smell of wood smoke was everpresent from late summer to early spring.
December 15, 2025 at 1:29 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

#Writingcommunity #amwriting #darkfantasy #fantasy #horror
He stepped through the doors once they clunked to a stop and headed straight for the raised dais at the end of the cavernous chamber. Rows of carved cherry wood pews lined the red carpeted aisle on both sides. Grand crystal chandeliers hung on thick iron chains, heavy enough not to sway in the ever-present draft from the glassless windows above the rafters.
December 14, 2025 at 9:01 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
Late #WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Ever the entertainer.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror #darkfantasy
Bowing deeply, Potley began twirling the Fool's scepter before gliding up the steps. "Tarkahar seems to have matters well under control for now. Any decisive action from your Eminence might well scatter those pesky rebels." He threw the scepter in the air and pointed a finger up, grinning. "Or even embolden them." He caught the scepter while holding the King's gaze.
December 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

As a Court Jester to a tyrannical king, Potley has a few self-imposed responsibilities. (Until he snaps, of course.)

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
He hated this. Moving the King's cruel intentions toward anyone made him sick to his stomach. But he had to try. The alternative was a thriving fishing town full of innocent, hard-working citizens being tossed to the lions—or to the King's Magisters, in this case.
December 11, 2025 at 9:05 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Potley the jester has a vast collection of Mask designs he can apply with his make-up powders.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
He wouldn't have time for elaborate patterns or details. But he was trained to apply a Mask in mere moments in case the need arose. And such a case had indeed arisen, he figured.
December 9, 2025 at 10:22 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER

Potley lives his emotions through applying professional Masks.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
With his eyes squeezed shut, Potley's fingers caressed his empty belt where the pouches had been. A indescribable urge to paint his face and carry his heartwrenching emotions outward ploughed through his body.
December 7, 2025 at 9:45 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE NIN—... Eh... JESTER!

Potley is scaling down the outside of a palace tower using acrobatics.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
Potley reached up to the support beam and unhooked his legs, letting his body hang vertical. His grip was messy. Not something he was keen on having at this height. Hanging from one hand, he dug the other into a pouch strapped to his belt. The white talc was meant for touching up his face, but worked equally well to enhance his grip. Potley gently swung himself toward the wall and let go. He slid along the steep curve of the tower until he scraped damaged plaster with his feet. With a razor-sharp glance, he spotted a brick barely jutting from the wall and caught himself on it.
December 6, 2025 at 10:17 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER!

Updated graphic!

Potley is on the run.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
His injuries needed treatment. It wasn't his gut telling him, this time. Rational thought was returning with every moment that passed with him standing in the rain. The rain would provide cover. He needed new clothes. A way out of the city. The roads? Too easy to be tracked by loyalist Magisters. The salty air. The sea. Ships.
December 4, 2025 at 9:06 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
CABIN IN THE WOODS × JUMANJI × #D&D

When their detective friend is murdered during their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—and puns—to solve the crime before they're all killed off like NPCs in a badly written supernatural campaign.

#MiseryPit #A #H #M #Q
The image, made with free non-AI stock pictures, shows a horror-comedy novel cover titled "DAD BODIES." The top of the cover reads "THE GAME JUST TOOK A DAD TURN" with "DAD" in a different color. The background features a haunted house with multiple towers and illuminated windows against a dark backdrop. At the center is a 20-sided die (D20) used in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, with visible numbers including 1, 7, 13, and 19. The die is surrounded by red blood splatter effects. At the bottom of the cover are six men with expressions of terror and shock. One man is wearing a white shirt over his head. These men are the dads referenced in the title.
December 1, 2025 at 8:08 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER.

As a court jester, Potley must appeal to the tyrant king to keep his own head, but he still tries to redirect the evil man's intentions to get as few innocent people killed as possible.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror
Potley murmured fake understanding. He'd need to maneuver carefully. Pick his words. Despite his temper and vain character, the King was no fool. And he certainly didn't like being made one. "Certainly, opposing the crown is a dangerous endeavor at best." Potley swung his legs in the air and sprung to his feet on top of the couch. "But," he continued, "making a fist and slamming it down tends to scatter the roaches. They run and breed and return in greater numbers."
November 30, 2025 at 10:22 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER.

Potley has experience as the subject of his analogy.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #horror #darkfantasy
Guards were such a pesky aspect of life. Always in the way, never useful—at least in his experience—and as trustworthy as a begging child in a backalley.
November 26, 2025 at 10:29 AM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA × BEST SERVED COLD × THE BUTCHER BOY

When a Court Jester snaps and kills the tyrant king, he must joke and slay his way out of a kingdom in chaos while his sanity frays, hunted by loyalists, hailed by rebels:

MARK OF THE JESTER

#WIPPIT #A #F #H
Moodboard for a dark fantasy novel featuring a jester, regicide and a kingdom in chaos.
November 23, 2025 at 5:53 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA × BEST SERVED COLD × THE BUTCHER BOY

When a Court Jester snaps and kills the tyrant king, he must joke and slay his way out of a kingdom in chaos while his sanity frays, hunted by loyalists, hailed by rebels.

#WIPPIT #A #F #H
Mock cover of MARK OF THE JESTER, a dark fantasy by the author of Dad Bodies: B. van Bodegom
November 23, 2025 at 3:29 PM
bvbodegom.bsky.social
#WIPSnips from MARK OF THE JESTER.

A gilded cage.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #fantasy #darkfantasy #horror
He stepped through the doors once they clunked to a stop and headed straight for the raised dais at the end of the cavernous chamber. Rows of carved cherry wood pews lined the red carpeted aisle on both sides. Grand crystal chandeliers hung on thick iron chains, heavy enough not to sway in the ever-present draft from the glassless windows above the rafters. Potley's footsteps echoed faintly. Even his naturally stealthy gait in his cloth- and leather-wrapped pointy boots were no match for the acoustics.
November 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM