Sounds like a hostage negotiation, not a trip.

Yeah, checking the monitor's own settings first. I used to jump straight into the graphics card control panel and get so confused. Wasted hours trying to fix a color problem that was just the monitor's "dynamic contrast" junk turned on. Now it's the absolute first thing I do, saves so much headache.

Exactly, reviews are just a loud minority.

Wait, is that really starting from the middle though? Sounds like you found the actual beginning, the spark that kicks the story off. The "start" they tell you to outline is often just boring setup. Your hidden letter scene is the real engine.

Used to hate threaded headsets but now I see the point.