That's genre fiction - a formula, with some reader-insert gratification. A site like RR is specifically aimed at readers who want those kinds of stories.
Other fiction markets are the same. Mysteries, fantasy, thrillers, romance, all have their tropes and sub-tropes. Most don't have an RR equivalent because they're marketed through other communities, like TikTok for romance.
Original fiction that doesn't follow strict genre rules and expectations is a very hard sell today - but I'm not sure that's ever been untrue.
I'm sure you are right but it didn't use to be this bad - I remember a couple of years ago I tried to familiarize myself with the old fantasy classics, most of which certainly weren't considered respectable literature back then.
By far the worst offender of the bunch was Lin Carter's Under the Green Star - in which the sickly protagonist has his mind transported into a body of a powerful hero of legend, in a faraway realm, and rescues a beautiful princess who falls madly in love with him - at which point the teenage boy pandering became so unbearable, that I had to put the book down. This is exactly the tier wher most RR books stand at.
Other books, such as the Elric books by Moorcock, or Leiber's Fafhrd books would still qualify as genre fiction, but have far more depth and nuance to them and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
I wonder, what other sites are there for online fiction?
I only know of Wattpad, which seems to largerly focus on romance for teenage girls, and AO3, which seems to focus on smut/fanfiction.
While all 3 sites have hidden gems, it's too much of a bother for me to wade through the typical faire to bother looking for them.
Other fiction markets are the same. Mysteries, fantasy, thrillers, romance, all have their tropes and sub-tropes. Most don't have an RR equivalent because they're marketed through other communities, like TikTok for romance.
Original fiction that doesn't follow strict genre rules and expectations is a very hard sell today - but I'm not sure that's ever been untrue.