AdNauseam is based on uBlock and does some extra stuff as well, in case anybody was curious. Link
The cheap fix would be to get the color-matching stretchable filler, but those are more used for holes; I think it might introduce more problems when the floor shifts.
If your NAS can handle virtual machines, that might be easier, and then set up your client device as a thin client. Check this video out. This guy's whole channel is awesome.
Is this to replace your /home/$USER ? I've never done it with a symlink, but you could actually mount a samba share to the home directory with cifs-utils. A quick search will find you instructions, such as This one.
I think the only way to do this with better performance would be to use iSCSI, which requires a little more setup but would be the best in terms of reliability and speed.
Dang it! So close to what I want. Just needed a micro SD card slot.
Also, if you use it with purpose as a motivation to complete a task, they have a term for it; Body Doubling.
You can buy them online if you just wanna try them. This seller has a YouTube channel too.
Scan through some YouTube videos of each of these recommended distros and see which one you like the look of best; They are all good recommendations.
I'd like to throw Zorin in the pot, I use it on all my devices (and servers) since it's just smooth and works without fuss or tinkering. There's a Gnome version and an XFCE version, both are very nice. XFCE is a little lighter in weight of course, which you may like or need.