With what I know now, I would probably prefer linears out of the MX line as well, although I typed happily away on MX blues for years before I discovered capacitive buckling spring, etc. Linears are about all that MX does relatively well in comparison to alternatives, in my opinion. Never tried Topre before myself, unfortunately.
I have the same concern with MX red, it seems to be a common complaint. I even accidentally actuate them when resting my fingers on them. I would be careful about MX blacks though. A lot of people, including myself, find MX blacks to be a bit too stiff for sustained typing. I'm not sure why offhand, but heavy linears seem to be more fatiguing than similar weighting switches of another type. Gateron blacks are a lot smoother, and a bit lighter than MX, and Gateron's yellow switches are just a tad lighter still. I think they would be a good compromise weight for linears that should still prevent accidental actuation. A lot of people like Novelkeys creams, Tealios, Alpacas, and Gateron inks (maybe more) for linears though (I have tried none of these myself). I know everglide's linears and tactiles are probably the smoothest I have personally yet felt myself.
Box navies and jades are wonderful (unfortunately haven't tried pinks). I see box whites as a good compromise switch, for general purpose typing if you're going to use the same board for gaming as well as typing, since the switch is very light and the tactility is sharp and crisp, but barely noticeable.
You'll do fine. Have you soldered before? If not, just watch a few in-depth how-to videos and take your time (just don't take your time in holding the hot iron on melted solder). Also don't try to tug on anything unless you know the solder is entirely melted and/or all of the solder holding something in place is gone. If you don't, that's how you lift pads. The solder pads are huge, and pretty spaced out, so keyboards are probably the best modern practical place to learn.
