Madevils I certainly hope not. I know quite a few romance novels with female leads that definitely don't rely on cheating and rape, though they often have the usual "rich, powerful male lead" trope. Yue Yi's story is a good example that doesn't resort to rape BS. I think quite a lot of the original, non-translated stories also don't rely on that sort of cliches too, though the powerful, rich male love interest is very dominant.

Then again, I guess poor, weak male leads don't make for exciting storylines or appealing characters.

      Madevils yes I am also sorry about the name calling. And everything else.

          Ancient_ No, I want you to stop being misogynistic and lying. Would also help if you stop spamming too.

              Ancient_ Seriously?

              Ancient_ if there's a lot of famale oriented novels all translator will start translating them because of their potential and translate less novels the males like.

              Ancient_ And yes to male oriented readers it's really is a problem. No translator will pick up any novels except romance ones

              These hyperbolic statements are definitely complaints. Unless you're being sarcastic and don't really believe what you are saying.

                      Ancient_ I don't care if you don't like a specific genre of type of novels.

                      I'm more concerned with people like you lying that translators will stop picking up male-oriented novels just because you have a few female-oriented novels in the top rankings, and behaving as if it's the end of the world because female novels are just as popular as male novels, and calling for female fans and novels to be driven out of the site just so you want male novels to dominate the site again.

                      The website is for everyone, for both male and female readers and for both male and female novels. Comprende, amigo?

                          Ancient_ You call that stating facts. That's a blatant lie.

                          I'm not offended that you call me female even though I'm male. Because there is nothing wrong with being female, and there is nothing wrong with being male. I'm just disgusted by your chauvinism and lies, and I will call you out on it.

                              Lilliny Because of male chauvinists and misogynists whose masculine ego is so fragile that they feel threatened the moment they see a female-oriented novel in the top ranking, and start their delusions about how this is the beginning of the end for their male-oriented novels, despite facts to the contrary.

                              They love to twist reality and spout lies, while pretending that these are facts. Absolutely disgusting, really.

                                  Holy shit they think you're a girl. I'm dead.

                                    Ancient_ Do you think I care why it's popular? I only raised it as an example to prove that translators will not stop translating male oriented novels, or that translators will continue to pick up non-romance novels. Which is to completely disprove the lies and bullshit that you and The10thCrow have been spouting, about how male-oriented novels will disappear from the site and translators will stop picking them up just because a few female-oriented novels appear in the top rankings.

                                    I don't give a f on what you like or don't like, on what is popular or what is not popular, or how the top novels suck or are awesome. I give a f when you start lying about how female-oriented novels threaten male-oriented novels and causing some stupid panic about how male-oriented novels will disappear from the site or translators will stop picking them just because a few female-oriented novels are popular. You are free to like and dislike whatever you want, I don't care. But stop lying and creating this whole agenda of "we must take the site back and drive female novels out of here or our male novels will stop being translated!"

                                        Lilliny He's one of those delusional misogynists who think that all men must think the same way and stick together, and any guy who calls them out on their chauvinism cannot possibly be male and must be a woman in disguise. Or just a troll.

                                        Maybe I should just ignore him from now on.

                                            Ancient_ Oh, sorry. Then it confuses me further why you think for some reason translators will stop picking up male-centric stories just because female-centric stories are making it to the top rankings. The rankings are still pretty evenly split.

                                                Ancient_ You're comparing two different sites. Webnovel translates some of the most popular stories one their QI site, and put them here.
                                                Wattpad is mostly a place for people to share stories. I'm pretty sure the people who were translating there were doing it illegally (?).
                                                You can be a woman and be a misogynist btw. It's not gender locked.

                                                    Ancient_ Right, so they are going to stop translating male-oriented novels even though they take up half the rankings, even though the number one Original and number one Translated novels are both male-oriented, even though The King's Avatar makes them a hell lot of money, because...I don't know, you think that Webnovel is the same as Wattpad. You are going to ignore the fact that many male-oriented novels continue to rank highly and make them a lot of money and claim that they will stop translating them to make more money (that has to be the most stupid paradoxical statement ever).

                                                    By the way, what makes you think male readers like CEO romance stories, and what makes you think that no female readers like fantasy xianxia stories? How did you even arrive at the conclusion? Based on your personal experience and tastes, and that of your friends?

                                                    If you can't see how delusional you are being, and insist on using Wattpad as an example (and I find it hilarious that you assume I never used Wattpad even though you know next to nothing about the writing sites I've used over the years), then I give up. What, are you going to ignore Royal Road? Did Royal Road turn into Wattpad just because a few romance stories made it to the top rankings or trending? But let's pretend that Royal Road doesn't exist because it doesn't fit your hyperbolic narrative.

                                                        Tomoyuki I don't really care about these things anyway, somebody just said it's never gonna happen. I said maybe you don't know. And I never used wattpad.

                                                            Ancient_ ...then why are you using Wattpad to justify your...claim that this will happen here? Like, seriously?!

                                                                Tomoyuki they deleted their original comment. They admitted they just like seeing people fight. Best to just ignore them.

                                                                    well, it's kinda boring reading male mc
                                                                    most of them are just filler, filler and dam mothefaka filler

                                                                      It's the same no matter what novels you read...it's not as if female main character stories are free of filler either.

                                                                      But the whole "filler" thing is just another way for the reader to label whatever they don't like reading. The funniest thing is that they claim that filler doesn't "advance the plot" - but they are not the writers, so how do they know what advances the plot and what doesn't?

                                                                      Why even bother with the rankings?

                                                                      Just go and turn on that male lead filter or female lead filter, whichever one you prefer.

                                                                      lol

                                                                        Just stopping by to say that's it's high time that authors get a bit responsible in the stuff they write. I get it that this is a fictional universe we are talking about but it's not okay to romanticize something as heinous as rape even in fiction. I am sorry but I don't think it is. I find it even more sick that the girl/woman is made not just to stay with her rapist but also to fall in love with him later. No woman, I repeat, no woman can fall in love with her rapist. Period. It's beyond me that how people even manage to write this. It is frightening and traumatizing that people think it is not really a big deal to rape women.

                                                                          LostInFictions It's... something that shows the author's true colors (I don't know how else to put this). If the author thinks that rape is forgivable, they either live in a culture where women are objects, or sexually assault isn't seen as something 'real.' @Clowniac explained it better earlier, but it's those same authors who are obsessed with virgin women.
                                                                          Something like: women have a 'one time use.' Once they're not a virgin anymore, they should just shack up with the guy who took their virginity, no matter what.
                                                                          I can't get behind a story like that, and it's something most people grow out of because it's due to ignorance and immaturity.

                                                                              LostInFictions You know, it's actually not true? Here is an article (real stuff, not fantasy), which actually describes such scene, and the woman continued to be charmed by the guy.
                                                                              Theguardian story

                                                                              It's just something I found after 10 sec. of searching, and there would be more cases. So those books are not that far fetched. Do I agree with writing such stuff? No, not really. At the same time, people have the right to write their own stuff. When you have a fantasy novel for example, in which a male or a female is tortured (not raped). I don't see people lining up to condemn that. Even if it's really graphical including loads of gore. Hence I say that it's their freedom to write what they wish, but of course it is also my right not to read it.

                                                                                  DarkRay Yeah, it gets fuzzy once the government is allowed to censor art...

                                                                                      Lmaoooo what an interesting thread. Incels these days

                                                                                        Yeah, I feel sick whenever I read about those rape-romance stories where...the female protagonists still somehow fall in love with the men who rape them. I might be mean-spirited when I say this, but I bet that if the guy who raped them wasn't a CEO, wasn't rich and/or wasn't handsome, they would never fall for him and he will be the antagonist who ends up killed for his sins (bonus points if he's fat, ugly and/or old).

                                                                                        But hey, it's somehow okay if the guy is rich and handsome. Absolutely disgusting.

                                                                                        THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING! You don't get away with horrible things just because you're cute! At least we try not to make that the case! But in these stories its ok? Because you've got abs and your parents are rich?? It's made even worse especially when the ML's personality is as shallow as a bucket, and as mean as a whip. Its... not ok. I don't see where the popularity comes from.

                                                                                        Lilliny It's saddening to be honest but more than that, it is disappointing. I am not sure about Webnovel because I am yet to start reading here but the other platforms that I have explored had mostly women writing such stuff. I still remember there was a book that had justified (or at least the author thinks that she had) a marital rape. When a reader questioned her how the FL could forget everything right on the next day (and have romance with him) - the author's reply was - 'a hero isn't always a perfect man. A hero is the one who commits a sin, regret and redeem himself.'

                                                                                        How does one react to these words? Mistakes are forgivable but are sins forgivable? Are rapes forgivable? If we put ourselves in the shoes of that character, can we forgive the rapist? I believe, a lot of us cannot.

                                                                                        The lamest ground, people think they can justify rapes on is the rapist's past and some BS misunderstandings. How does one's past give one the right to ruin someone's life? Who doesn't have a past? We all do. Who doesn't have issues? We all do but does that mean that we go around, murdering souls?

                                                                                            DarkRay You are right. I would say the same thing until a while ago - everyone has a right to write whatever he/she wishes to. However, there has been some brutal rape cases recently at my place. So brutal that I can't even put it words. It has aggravated my anger, which is the primary reason I wrote what I did. I would have just let go like I used to do earlier, otherwise.

                                                                                            Ah, I'll be very honest. Had you not shared the link, my perception to look at this entire thing wouldn't have changed. It is still extremely difficult for me to digest though. I am still trying to understand the mentality here.

                                                                                                LostInFictions I would have pointed out that the heroine isn't perfect either. She is not some Jesus-like Messiah who can simply move so and forgive just because the rapist happens to be her husband. She's human, she's fragile and it is completely unrealistic to think that she wouldn't be traumatized or at least horrified by what her husband did to her.

                                                                                                I mean...I guess you have plenty of domestically abused wives who put up with their husbands in real life, but you can see how that never ends well for them. In most cases, the wives end up divorcing or dying. The romanticization of these toxic relationships that isn't right.

                                                                                                    Tomoyuki One argues where there is some scope of discussing. One cannot argue where the other party is rigid in his/her beliefs and deletes any sort of comments that are against his/her point of view.

                                                                                                    It's awful. The woman, on the next day of getting raped, was busy wondering why the man hated her enough to rape her, why he married her, why he wanted to make her suffer! She was cooking for him. She wasn't just cooking anything random but her signature dish followed by a kitchen romance. The word 'romance' after getting raped just the ast night sounds so sickening to me. He PRESSES HER HAND TO A HOT UTENSIL ON THE GAS AND DOESN'T LET GO EVEN WHEN SHE REQUESTS HIM TO. He later tends to her hand and the woman thinks - he obviously has a heart. Why would he care about his so called wife otherwise?

                                                                                                    Do I need to say more?

                                                                                                    I have closely seen both, divorce and death cases. Perhaps, that is the reason why I am a little too sensitive when it comes to violence, abuses and rapes. Women are burnt alive by their husbands and in-laws for no apparent reason other than money issues. Women are raped in marriages and they are supposed to keep quiet - why? - because their so called husbands have the right to do everything they want with them - marriage is the license for having sex - if, when and how men want.

                                                                                                    I do not get what people want to do by promoting such stuff through their stories rather than bringing some awareness.

                                                                                                      What’s the fascination with these rapists? What’s the fascination with rapist CEO’s? And what is the fascination with the job of CEO itself? Do the people writing about it even understand what the job entails? Do they even know what it stands for? Do they realise there is absolutely nothing romantic about it? My father retired years ago, but let me break some fantasies for those romanticising the job:

                                                                                                      • VERY long hours. You will be exhausted 24/7. Do you have young children? If you’re in luck, then you’ll see them during the weekends. Because you will rise when they are still asleep and by the time you get home they will be asleep as well.

                                                                                                      • Businesses trips. Sounds like fun? No. It isn’t. You see the airport, the inside of the congress rooms, and the hotel restaurant. Not even the inside of your room, because you’ll have meetings scheduled all night. All week. If you’re in luck, then you get to buy your family some souvenirs from the airport shops.

                                                                                                      • Fancy businesses dinners, parties, receptions, etc. No. Just no. A bunch of people you don’t like talking for hours on end. It’s not glamorous. It’s exhausting. The dresses are nice, sure, and that’s the extent of it.

                                                                                                      • They are young, handsome and ripped. No. They are old. They have bad skin and thin hair due to stress and lack of sleep. They don’t have the time to exercise.

                                                                                                      I can go on for a while. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, romantic about the job. Why don’t they write about firemen and librarians for a change? Write about that cute flight attendant passing you your coat. Write about that barista that smiled at you.

                                                                                                      So you get all that,- and then some people think: you know what would make this even more atractive? If they were abusive, pretentious assholes who acted like crazed teenagers. Make them inconsiderate, rude, and vulgar. That will surely appease to my readers.

                                                                                                      I’m sorry. I’m done. I had to get it out of my system.

                                                                                                        16 days later

                                                                                                        LostInFictions just a comment on reasoning for rapes being forgivable. There are none. Rape is something that happens when someone has no self-control and commits a malicious act. Its not to protect themselves or to save someone. Murder can be accidental, rape is not. As for the stories where "the pheromones were overwhelming", "they couldn't resist the aphrodisiac", or, "they'll die if they don't have sex right this minute- no matter what!" That just feels like lazy writing. A "shock" for the reader to induce some sort of emotion. It happens in the world and too close to home, which is why I refuse to read stories that have it. (Ty, NU 😌) I think what I was trying to get to is there is never a "hero" that should be forgiven for rape. I don't want such a cruel hero.

                                                                                                            Web Novel Novel Ask