> I'm surprised nobody clones the G®apheneOS repo and simply disables the minimal handful of features which block it from working on devices.

I wouldn't recommend that. They would be denounced by GOS (which is just idealism and purism and definitely not bullying – not at all.) Anything which isn't G®apheneOS is by definition technically inferior, wicked, insecure, privacy-invading and should erased from your device immediately.