PPLNS is basically a similar concept to PPS/FPPS, just applied in a different way. I mean, at a PPLNS pool you can still get paid while not finding a block yourself.

Therefore the logical conclusion from your argument would be that PPLNS is not Bitcoin mining, based on your own reasons. Maybe you get paid more, but the same principle applies.

If you want to actually solo mine and get 0 when you don't find a block, then you can try something like ckpool solo, where you only pay a 2% fee when you find a block. This is a great "pool" that was created and is operated by Con Kolivas, the person who created cgminer, one of the most popular and important miners in the open source world.

On the other side of the spectrum, if you have a tiny miner, you might want to do PPS at a pool with lightning withdrawals, like nicehash for example where the minimum lightning withdrawals are 2k sats.