Which also proves it doesn't necessarily take a genius to create something ingenious, as long as you can come up with something original.

Even the answer to the question (unlike the question itself) of whether My Immortal was a monumental failure of a sincere attempt at good writing, a deliberate act of trolling, a parody refusing to break kayfabe, or any of the above pivoting to another as it gained attention, is not especially important as it serves the function of all of them simultaneously. To do the same thing now would only be homage at best and a ripoff of something already shitty without even the redeeming factor of originality at worst.

I'm reminded of my previous comment back on an unrelated subreddit talking about the Eye of Argon. Obviously that wasn't as structural insane as My Immortal but I think the same principle holds to a degree:

"With a decent editor and several further drafts it could have been a solid, fun, entirely forgettable Conan pastiche. Instead, it's the Eye of Argon."