waybar is good
scrcpy for android connectivity; syncthing to get files to and fro android (and any other linux system)
clipman for clipboard manager
wallpaper - whatever for? with a TWM you rarely see the background
emacs - because it's life (I jest)
You can't avoid IBM/RedHat - they contribute to the kernel and many, many other parts of Linux eg systemd. I have no idea what you mean by DIY distros, what a peculiar adjective in this context. Linux itself is DIY. Life is DIY.
That said, voidlinux is an independent distro without systemd or snaps based on runit for init and xbps for package management. It's also a STABLE rolling release.