Comments - The Ninth Port: Blood, Ash and Parchment

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Jade

Hey! I really enjoyed reading your story. What inspired you to come up with the main idea?

6 days agoReply

ekremefe

Hi Jade! Thank you so much, I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

The main inspiration came from the city I live in: Bodrum. It’s famous as a sunny tourist destination, but it is actually built on top of thousands of years of ancient history and ruins (like the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus). I thought, 'What if a dark, gritty magical underworld was hidden right beneath these ancient stones?' I wanted to blend that ancient Carian mythos with a dark, neo-noir take on magical ministries. That contrast sparked the whole idea!

6 days agoReply

Jade

@ekremefe,That’s actually such a cool way to build a story. I really like how you took something real and familiar from your own city and turned it into this dark magical world. The contrast between the sunny tourist side and the ancient, gritty underworld sounds like it could make the setting feel really unique and atmospheric. You’ve definitely got a strong concept here!
Do you think the story would’ve turned out very different if you had chosen a completely different city as the inspiration?

6 days agoReply

ekremefe

@Jade, The story is deeply tied to Bodrum's specific history. The magic system relies on ancient Carian mythos, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, and real-life historical sieges (like the battles at the Myndos Gate) If I had chosen a different city the entire magic system, the lore, and even the villain's motivations would have had to change to fit that city's unique past. Bodrum's ancient soul is basically one of the main characters in the book.

5 days agoReply

Jade

@ekremefe,That actually makes the setting feel so much more alive. I love the idea of Bodrum itself almost being a character, especially with all that real history woven into the magic and lore. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into making everything feel connected. Did you always know the history would play such a big role in the story?

4 days agoReply

ekremefe

@Jade,Yes and no :) I knew I wanted to include some local myths from the start, but once I began digging deeper into the ancient history of the region and the sieges, it just took over the plot. The more I wrote, the more I realized the history couldn't just be a backdrop; it had to be the absolute core of the magic system. It kind of wrote itself.

4 days agoReply

Jade

@ekremefe,That honestly sounds like one of those moments where the story just starts guiding you on its own. I really like that the history didn’t just stay in the background but became part of the magic itself. It must’ve been really fun watching it grow into something bigger than you first planned. Was there a specific historical event or myth that ended up changing the story the most?

4 days agoReply

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