Welcome to Joel's Hiding Place
Why hello there! I'm Joel - the coder of computers, the writer of words, and the listener of songs.
I write songs with my cousin and sister, wish I could sing, and jam out on the piano. (That sounded cooler in my head)
In my free time, I drink coffee, write stories, and program games.
What I'm Doing Now
👨💻 Programming: This website, a game called One Last Time, and a little Minecraft
tool called mDirt.
✍️ Writing: Bloodstained Honor, the first novel set in the Echoverse. I am also plotting a Sci-Fi anthology.
📚 Reading: Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson, and America the Beautiful by Ben Carson, M.D.
🎵 Music: I am working on writing a song called The Pocket Thief. Listening to whatever Josh throws in our playlist: lots of TOP, Half Alive, AJR, etc.
🎮 Games: Lethal Company. Repo. Peak. Basically anything that has proximity chat.
Last updated: August 19th, 2025 | Inspired by nownownow.com
Now Playing
Track Name
Artist Name
This widget displays what song I am currently listening to.
Thanks to Josh for the idea.
Writings ✍️
A place to share my writings and worlds.
Bloodstained Honor First Draft
A dark fantasy of blood, power, and political strife.
Project Overview
Progress: 30% complete (30,463 / 100,000 words)
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Themes: Control, power, political drama.
Synopsis: Edvin Fairbairns is a killer by trade, bound by contracts and sharpened by years of violence. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't miss. And he never breaks a deal. But when a shadowy noble hires him to assassinate the Emperor of Lorthenor Edvin begins to realize this job is unlike any he's ever taken before. Political tensions are rising. Old alliances are breaking. And someone is watching his every move. Pushed to the edge, Edvin must decide if he's just a weapon for hire - or something more. Because the deeper he goes, the more he realizes that this isn't just another job. It's a war.
Current Chapter: Chapter 13 - "The Power to Persuade"
Recent Milestone: Completed Chapter 12, a major turning point where Edvin awakens.
Main Characters
Edvin Fairbairns
Role: Protagonist, Assassin
Age: Late 20s
Edvin is a merciless assassin forged by years under the brutal tutelage of Kelton Blaine. Once a starving street orphan, he was shaped into a weapon that lives only for contracts and the blood they spill. Outwardly cold and efficient, he carries deep scars from a life where survival always outweighed morality. His eyes sometimes flare crimson, a hint of the darker forces within him, though he resists believing it means anything more than madness. His struggle lies between remaining a blade for hire or finding redemption in a world that has never shown him mercy.
Kael
Role: Edvin's mentor
Age: Unknown
Kael is a Bloodweaver, a mysterious figure who consumes sentient blood to manipulate the Primal Rhythms of existence. To most, he appears as a phantom who slips through shadows and bends the laws of nature. His motives are rarely clear, though he has a tendency to nudge events forward as if he alone sees the wider song being played. He carries an otherworldly presence, sometimes speaking in riddles, sometimes with piercing clarity that suggests he knows far more than any mortal should. His interest in Edvin is both as a warning and as a test, pushing the assassin toward choices that could shape the fate of empires. Whether ally or manipulator, Kael remains a figure impossible to ignore.
Duke Raymon
Role: Primary Antagonist
Age: 52
Duke Raymon is the shadow at the center of the Irae’s conspiracy, a noble whose ambition long ago eclipsed any sense of morality. Cunning, ruthless, and utterly convinced of his own destiny, he views human lives as pieces on a board to be moved or sacrificed as needed. Behind his schemes lies the mysterious benefactor across the sea, but Raymon himself is more than just a pawn-he is a man who thrives on power and the thrill of control. His voice carries the weight of authority, his anger sparks fear even in his closest allies, and his threats are rarely empty. Where others see chaos in bloodshed, Raymon sees opportunity, and he has no hesitation in wielding assassins, spies, or forbidden magics to bend the world toward his will. To Edvin, he is not only an employer but a looming reminder of the web of power and corruption he cannot escape, and perhaps the most dangerous enemy of all-because he believes wholeheartedly that the world belongs to him.
World Building
Astural
Known as the City of the Gods, Astural is a sprawling metropolis of towering stone buildings and glittering spires that seem to reach for the heavens. Built on sacred ground, it is both a center of faith and a hub of trade, where temples rise beside taverns and whispers of divine favor mix with mortal ambition. To outsiders, it feels eternal, as though the gods themselves laid its foundation, yet beneath its grandeur lie alleys of secrets, hidden guilds, and a constant struggle for power.
Empalinor
The City of Kings rests within a vast valley, surrounded by sheer rock walls that serve as natural fortifications. At its heart stands the imperial palace, a massive fortress of stone and steel, teeming with guards and advisers devoted to the Emperor’s protection. Unlike Astural’s spiritual aura, Empalinor exudes authority and order-its streets are carefully laid, its soldiers disciplined, and its walls seemingly unbreakable. It is the seat of Lorthenor’s power, and thus the most coveted-and most dangerous-target in the known world.
Bloodweaving
Bloodweaving is the forbidden art of consuming sentient blood to tap into the Primal Rhythms, the underlying forces that bind the world together. Practitioners experience surges of strength, speed, or even stranger powers, but each vial carries a cost-the rhythm of the blood threatens to consume the weaver as much as they command it. The practice is shrouded in secrecy, dismissed by most as myth, yet those who wield it can bend the natural laws of body and spirit. To some it is power, to others corruption, but to all it is a reminder that blood itself carries more than just life.
Story Excerpts
These excerpts are from chapters 1, Interlude II, and 10 respectively.
All word counts are pulled from my Google Drive every 30 seconds.
Weekly Devotional
"For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."
- 2 Corinthians 1:5
As I have begun reading 2 Corinthians, this verse stuck with me. It shows us that we will suffer as Christ did, but because of Christ's sacrifice, that suffering will not last forever for those who have placed their faith in him.
We have something to look forward to, even in the hard times. Especially in the hard times.
Devotional published once a week.
Programmings 💻
My recent programmings. From applications to websites to backend tools.
Retro Website
This very website! A CRT 80s vibe!
Tech: Vanilla HTML, CSS, and JS.
Bitpad
A developer-focused text editor for notes, ideas, and inspiration built with PySide6. It features session persistence, find-replace, and everything else you'd expect from a notepad-like tool.
Tech: Python, Qt6.
mDirt
A desktop application that provides a UI to make Minecraft Datapacks with - no code required.
Tech: Python, Qt6.
About Me 👋
Hello! I'm Joel - a developer, writer, coffee-drinker, and procrastinator.
- 🚀 Started coding at age 8 with Scratch
- ☕ Coffee consumption directly correlates with code quality
- 🎮 Retro gaming enthusiast - nothing beats the classics
- 🌟 I love Git. I hate Git. - Every programmer ever
- 🎸 I also write songs. I cannot sing, sadly
- 🎮 Games get made when I find motivation
When I'm not programming, writing, or thinking about programming and writing, you can usually find me playing games with friends, solving a Rubik's cube, or doing card tricks.