The Challenges of Zona
The Challenges of Zona is a webcomic by J.E. Draft, begun in 2005. It is a sequel to an earlier work, The Three Challenges of Zona. Despite the title, the viewpoint character is a second-rate busker called Mentl, who finds a Great Big Book of Everything and is transported to a fantasy world where he discovers both the love of the title character and the ability to cast magic through his music. He then becomes convinced that Zona only loves him because he inadvertantly enchanted her, goes back home, and Zona is left to carry on alone while Mentl gets drunk and farts around back on earth. After which the viewpoint splits into many.
Feel free to explore here.
Tropes used in The Challenges of Zona include:
- Amazonian Beauty: Zona.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Averted with the Erogenians, with the exception, so far, of Jerk Jock Pontagar. The Kivalians are a more mixed bag. Prince Maldik is The Caligula, Queen Yanora is a Magnificent Bitch, but Count Tethik is definitely one of the good guys.
- Badass Princess: Zona and Tula, natch.
- Bash Sisters: Zona and Tula. Although we haven't seen them in actual combat yet, Carshik and Brantik probably qualify as well.
- Battle Couple: Ipola and Zonn and, of course, Zona and Mentl.
- Berserk Button: Don't touch Ginsha. Just don't.
- Trying to bully Mentl or endangering Zona in front of him is also a bad idea.
- Best Her to Bed Her: Yatta-Ta thinks Zona is this. Boy is he wrong!
- Bi the Way: Word of God is that the Erogenians as a culture practice "situational bisexuality".
- Big Bad: Shuach, god of Fire
- Big Bad Wannabe: Maldik
- Blood Knight: Yatta-Ta is a parody of this.
- Break the Cutie: Done inadvertantly to Ginsha by Mentl
- Bullying a Dragon: Even A Gentle Giant like Keltan has [dead link] his limits [dead link]
- Cool Old Guy: Vito
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: The Church of Thrasu in Kivallia.
- The Dragon: Gruach
- Eccentric Mentor: Vito
- Exclusively Evil: The Urrts
- Fan Service: My Gods, the fan service, both male and female.
- Fish Out of Water: Mentl, although he's adapted fairly quickly and fairly well.
- Freudian Trio: Mentl with his powers barely under control is definitely the Id and Tula is the mediative Super Ego. Zona might seem an odd choice for the Ego but except when she's in the middle of battle qualifies. Pontagar, Carshik and Brantik may also form a similar group in which case Pontagar is definitely the Id.
- Functional Magic: Theurgy, Mentl's music magic (which may be unique to him) and Item Magic. Hinted that Vito uses Rules Magic but we haven't actually seen him in operation.
- Genius Ditz: Yatta-ta, while a buffoon in most cases has proven to be an excellent swordsman.
- Gentle Giant: Keltan and Liri, especially Liri when it comes to the "gentle" part of the trope.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Ginsha is half Urtt. Many members of the Snake Clan have varying degrees of Urtt blood.
- Heroic BSOD: Mentl has one after he becomes convinced that Zona only loves him because he inadvertently enchanted her
- Hot Amazon: Zona
- Hot Mom: Ipola. See for yourself. Yanora too.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Why Mentl goes back to our world.
- Invisible to Gaydar: Count Tethik. In fact although he lacks the bulk and over-the-top trappings of the usual Hard Gay he's every bit as tough. as shown here.
- Large Ham: Yatta-ta
- Manly Gay: Count Tethik
- Music Magic
- Musical Assassin: Mentl.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The ruling family of Kivallia bears an awfully strong resemblance to the Plantagents. Maldik (Prince John), Yanora (Eleanor of Acquitaine) and the absent Gudik (Richard the Lion Hearted).
- The Obi-Wan: Vito
- Our Giants Are Bigger
- Prince Charmless: Pontagar
- Maldik too. Unlike Pontagar, he's shown shades of realizing he's an abhorrent little tool. Whether or not he'll act on that insight is left to be seen.
- Proud Warrior Race: The Erogenians
- Psycho for Hire: Morcai, neh?
- Religion Is Magic: Tula gets her powers from the Moon and Earth goddesses, while Gruach gets his from Shuach.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The Big Bad's Mooks are a race of Lizard Folk called the Urrt
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Tula and Zona are both princesses of Erogenia as is Pontagar. Queen Yanora does more to run her kingdom than her son, the nominal ruler, who to be fair, is busy running a war.
- Sword and Sorcerer: Zona, Tula and Mentl form a trio version of this.
- Trapped in Another World
- The Usual Adversaries: The Urrts.