Qbittorrent: you can bind the application with a network interface and ensure all the connexion will use your vpn.
bonus: you can use it as a server (without any graphical interface) and manage the torrent with your browser. This way, you can create a torrentbox on a dedicated computer.
My keyboard automatically change the keys depending of the app I'm using: closing a tab in the terminal or closing a tab inlthe browser are always the same key.
For my needs, I've build a static system with buildroot for a pi zero. No updates, no modifications on the system, no remote access. Some directories are in tempfs, and after a reboot the system is fresh again. when needed, I removed the sd card and copy a new image
I use this board for a pulseaudio/mpd player, it's not intended for a desktop usage, but I'm happy beiing able to configure a system like this one. For me, there is no maintenance, and this is exactly what I wanted
You can check this project : https://github.com/showmewebcam/showmewebcam
It's uses buildroot and it's easy to change the sources for your need (I've added the wifi support)