A part of my previous comment isn't clear: when I say I didnt have 2FA, I meant I didnt have it enabled at all, not that I had it enabled and lost access to it.
Also I was thinking about it more, why google was always suspicious of my log ins, even before I was locked out. I remembered that my settings back then deleted cookies upon browser close, blocked 3rd party cookies and pixel trackers, but because my fingerprint matched, it appeared to google that I was on a different but similar device at every log in.
When you know you password, pass the captcha, but google still doesn't trust you and you don't have 2FA, google pings every device you have that is signed into it that is on, asking you to verify that you are trying to log in on a different device. I know this well because I had to click "Yes, it's me" on my phone every time I logged into any google service on my old laptop. So that's what I meant when I didn't have my devices to confirm me. It's googles 2FA for people who don't enable it. When I degoogled, I stayed that way even till I had replaced my phone (same cell #, new device, not signed into any google service) and so google didn't recognize anything, couldn't ping me, and so it decided to just not let me in.
To your question about getting back on, yes. It was awhile ago so idr what I did, but if I had to guess, I used a family members laptop that I used at some point so it had the fingerprint and cookies, and I had my password am the ability to pass captcha. Then I could verify my new laptop from there. Google still has trust issues with my laptop now that I'm even more locked down on website/browser permissions, so I have another browser with custom settings that I use so google doesn't get upset and lets me use their services when I occassionally need them. They still don't have my number and never signed into from my phone.
Btw I like your article. I think you provided good tips for the causal internet user. I am curious when the day will come when phishers spoof the oAuth though. Personally I believe in security through obscurity, but to be obscure also means there can't be a streamline solution. So whatever fits each persons needs I guess.