History YMMV / She

%%* ValuesDissonance: A good look at the main trope page will give you plenty.

* BadassDecay: In ''She'', Ayesha is an outright tyrannical [[MurderTheHypotenuse hypotenuse-murdering]] villain (though [[EvilIsSexy very nice to look at while doing it]]). Over the course of subsequent books she is softened, excuses are supplied for her excesses, and she turns out to be Leo Vincey's true soulmate.

** Likewise, the notion of a mystical UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}n kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical sorceress whose skin is conspicuously lighter than that of her subjects, calls to mind the SurrealMusicVideo for "Dark Horse" by Music/KatyPerry. (In that [[https://youtu.be/0KSOMA3QBU0 video]], many of Katy's subjects actually have [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation bright blue or red skin]], though they're clearly black under that body paint, while Katy's naturally pale skin isn't dyed.)
* OlderThanTheyThink: Speaking of plot resonance, there are a lot of similarities with ''Literature/HanselAndGretel''. Two innocents are sent out into the unknown, where they find a strange and wonderful home where a powerful witch lives. She dotes on one, whom she intends to use, and largely ignores the other. At the climax, she tries to send the one she prefers into a fire, but he protests that he doesn't know how -- in order to show him the way, the witch goes into her own flames and dies, and the innocents eventually find their way back home.

** Likewise, the notion of a mystical UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}n kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical sorceress whose skin is conspicuously lighter than that of her subjects, calls to mind the SurrealMusicVideo for "Dark Horse" by Music/KatyPerry. (In that [[https://youtu.be/0KSOMA3QBU0 video]], many of Katy's subjects actually have [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation bright blue or red skin]], though they're clearly Black under that body paint, while Katy's naturally pale skin isn't dyed.)

* ValuesDissonance: A good look at the main trope page will give you plenty.

** Likewise, the notion of a mystical UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}n kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical sorceress whose skin is conspicuously lighter than that of her subjects, calls to mind the SurrealMusicVideo for "Dark Horse" by Music/KatyPerry. (In that [[https://youtu.be/0KSOMA3QBU0 video]], many of the queen's subjects actually have [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation bright blue or red skin]], though they're clearly Black under that body paint, while Katy's naturally pale skin isn't dyed.)

* HilariousInHindsight: In this tale, which reflects sexual and gendered anxieties of its era and has more than a bit of ValuesDissonance, two travelers (at least one of whom appears to be a virgin) are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of degenerate foreigners with ways different from their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Oh, and somewhere along the line, an attempt at cannibalism occurs. Nowadays, it's hard to describe [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow that plot]] without picturing Creator/TimCurry in drag.
** Speaking of plot resonance, there are a lot of similarities with ''Literature/HanselAndGretel''. Two innocents are sent out into the unknown, where they find a strange and wonderful home where a powerful witch lives. She dotes on one, whom she intends to use, and largely ignores the other. At the climax, she tries to send the one she prefers into a fire, but he protests that he doesn't know how -- in order to show him the way, the witch goes into her own flames and dies, and the innocents eventually find their way back home.

* BadassDecay: In ''She'', Ayesha is an outright tyrannical [[MurderTheHypotenuse hypotenuse-murdering]] villain (though [[EvilIsSexy very attractive with it]]). Over the course of subsequent books she is softened, excuses are supplied for her excesses, and she turns out to be Leo Vincey's true soulmate.

* HilariousInHindsight: In this tale, which reflects sexual and gendered anxieties of its era and has more than a bit of ValuesDissonance, two travelers (at least one of whom appears to be a virgin) are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of degenerate foreigners with ways different from their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Oh, and somewhere along the line, an attempt at cannibalism occurs. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: In this tale, which reflects sexual and gendered anxieties of its era and has more than a bit of ValuesDissonance, two travelers (at least one of whom is apparently a virgin) are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of degenerate foreigners with ways different from their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Oh, and somewhere along the line, an attempt at cannibalism occurs. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: In this tale, which reflects sexual and gendered anxieties of its era and has more than a bit of ValuesDissonance, two travelers (at least one of whom is apparently a virgin) are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of degenerate foreigners with ways different than their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Oh, and somewhere along the line, an attempt at cannibalism occurs. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers, at least one of whom is likely a virgin, are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of degenerate foreigners with ways different than their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Oh, and somewhere along the line, an attempt at cannibalism occurs. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers, at least one of whom is likely a virgin, are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of foreigners with ways different than their own. The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers, at least one of whom is likely a virgin, are on a trip to revisit their past when they get captured by a mysterious, insular group of "foreigners with ways different than our own." The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre and [[TheVamp vampish]] leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* BadassDecay: In ''She'', Ayesha is an outright tyrannical [[MurderTheHypotenuse hypotenuse-murdering]] villain (though [[EvilIsSexy very attractive with it]]). Over the course of subsequent books she is softened, excuses are supplied for her excesses, and she turns out to be Leo Vincey's true soulmate.
* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers are captured by a mysterious, insular group of "foreigners with ways different than our own." The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Nowadays, it's hard to describe that plot without picturing [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]].

* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers are captured by a mysterious, insular group of "foreigners with ways different than our own." The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Nowadays, it's hard not to think of [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Tim Curry in drag]] while describing that plot.

* HilariousInHindsight: Two travelers are captured by a mysterious, insular group of "foreigners with ways different than our own." The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. Nowadays, it's hard not to think of Creator/TimCurry [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow in drag]] while describing that plot.

* HilariousInHindsight / JustForFun/SurprisinglySimilarStories: Two travelers are captured by a mysterious, insular group of "foreigners with ways different than our own." The foreigners take the travelers to their bizarre leader, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with extensive biological expertise, control over life and death, and uncanny powers of seduction. Despite the indiscriminate use of seduction as a means of control, this leader ''is'' in love with one specific man, who was previously a dead puppet but has recently come to life. The leader becomes violently protective of this lover, even going so far as to MurderTheHypotenuse and to force the man into eternal love-servitude. Fortunately, the leader dies during a strange ritual gone awry, and the travelers escape. \\
''Literature/{{She}}'' or ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''?

* FirstInstallmentWins: This book has sold 87 million copies, has been translated into 44 languages, and has never been out of print. None of the sequels even came close to that level of popularity.

* FirstInstallmentWins