History Literature / OnlyVillainsDoThat

''[[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/40182/only-villains-do-that Only Villains Do That]]'' is a web serial novel by D. D. Webb (of ''[[Literature/TheGodsAreBastards The Gods are Bastards]]'' fame) updating Tuesdays and Fridays. It is an AffectionateParody of the isekai genre, and while generally light-hearted the alternate world of Ephemera is not a nice place. Expect lots of MoodWhiplash.

Unfortunately, Ephemera doesn't really need more heroes or villains. The Holy Empire of Lancor is a corrupt bureaucratic nightmare which prospers by ensuring its client states are miserable backwaters ruled by truly insane psychopaths. The 'bad guys' are divided, starving, and barely holding together as persecuted tribes trying to get by. And did we mention most of the world is literally blown up? Rather than start a conquest against entire nations, Seiji's first order of action is to help the poor and downtrodden - and then point them in the direction of the aristocrats ruling it all.

** “As it happens, I am allergic to poison. Not to impugn your hospitality, good sir; clearly you could not have known.”

** The previous Hero and Dark Lord fit this to the bill. Hara was a NominalHero who used his idol status to rape women and destroy critical infrastructure, [[spoiler:and is the primary reason Fflyr is a hellhole]]. By contrast, Yomiko was a DarkMessiah who conquered territories in order to pass judgement on corrupt nobles and promoted equality and fairness for everyone else, to the point that even some within the empires she fought against secretly hail her as a Saint. Nonetheless, Hara fought for the side that nominally believes in morality and justice, while Yomiko fought for the side that believes MightMakesRight.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Seiji's not necessarily likeable, but compared to Virya he's a saint.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Ephemera is a FantasyKitchenSink - where FantasticRacism and FantasticCasteSystem are on full blast. Half the buildings use the colorful supernatural material akhor - which can only be found in magically chaotic jungles while digging into bedrock is ''illegal'', meaning city development is even more constrained and hostile than during the Feudal Ages. Anyone can gain the ability to use magical artifacts or cast spells - but that just puts a target on your back by the nobles, who will scheme to 'fairly' send you into a bandit-built deathtrap or enslave you with debt contracts until you're resorting to prostitution. And goddesses do answer prayers, granting massive miracles - [[ControlFreak for money, at fluctuating rates they choose at their whimsy, and always for some obscured secret agenda]].

* DesecratingTheDead: Seiji drags [[spoiler:Lady Grey]]'s corpse across the dirt from where he killed her to his hideout to make a point of how vile she was. Then he decapitates her and pickles her head in a jar, and gives that to someone even more repulsive than him with a grudge against her.

* TraumaButton: After weeks of healing prostitues from the abuse their clients casually inflict, any kind of sexual thought or experience becomes this for Seiji.

** Virya won't let Seiji be ''too'' nice, but neither does Seiji actually want to be evil.

* DealWithTheDevil: Void Devils can do almost anything for their contractors, but the caveats are truly damning. Almost every deal requires the classic selling of their soul - or the souls of others. Anything the Void corrupts is lost forever, especially shrines. And Devils are so reviled that Sanorites and Viryanites will temporarily team up to defeat them, so anyone who's caught dealing with the Void will find ''no'' respite among either side.

** The eventually agree that they can be friends when it comes to fighting Void enemies; even scripture explicitly points this situation out as what the goddesses want.

* RobbingTheDead: Several artifacts that Seiji and his Allie’s get involve killing enemies who possessed them.