Tapas made it pretty clear they are not looking for series that are already running. If you get help and financial means to work alongside tapas on a new project, and they put forth the requirement that it has to fit the format that will be the most likely to create financial success both for you and them, then I don't see how that is a problem.
If you absolutely do not want to make mobile friendly formatted comic, then the same applies to you as those who don't want to enter a co-ownership contract. Don't apply.
As for "deserving to be paid", don't take this as an insult because it's not one it's just a reality call: you are not entitled payment from tapas until you enter an agreement with them.
It's a bit like someone is looking for someone to co-own a small burger restaurant with someone, and you apply for the position - but you refuse to cook or serve anything but sushi. The person in question says "okay, I'm not interested then" and you respond "but there are tons of good sushi chefs that deserve to be paid!!". Yes, you and many others might be very skilled at making sushi, but then you should go apply to co-own a sushi restaurant or work at one. You see how it's all the restaurant business, but the specific "medium" matters?
Similarily, if you absolutely do not want to make mobile friendly comics, but you want to enter an agreement with a publisher, then you should get busy trying to get a contract with a traditional print publisher. If you want an agreement with a digital one, then it's not "ridiculous" for that company to expect the project to be suited for the way the digital medium is going.