I'm glad you found quality in the concept! I definitely understand the controversy (for lack of a better term) over the waits, but they're not really meant to make you feel helpless. I put them in to have the player think about what is happening and, if they choose, to imagine Riley trying to collect themself. I definitely am still trying to think of perhaps a better way to do this, but taking them out completely I fear would give less weight (no pun intended) to Riley's words and reactions. You can't just skip through things, you have to let them chew through it.