What does this mean...you whisper sweet nothings into your headset
while
cranking?

How clever.

Gentle starting means knowing the throttle settings well enough so that
when the engine starts it revs up to about 800 rpm or so and stays
there.

Are you not bothered by the common hi-wear technique (instantly revving
to 2000 rpm as soon as the engine starts to fire, then throttling back
down) that a lot of mental midgets use?