Timing and pacing

Chat feels bad when every line dumps at once. These tags control the beat.

Silent wait

She doesn't reply.
<wait-3>
…then three dots feel forever.

<wait-3> is a 3 second pause. Not saved as a chat bubble.

You can also hang a wait on a line with a hash tag:

Okay. # wait:2

That pauses after that message.

Fake typing

<fake-type-4>
sorry just got out of the shower

Shows the typing indicator for N seconds, then the next message. In group chats:

[Chloe]<fake-type-2>
[Chloe]nvm.. brb

Pass time (clock overlay)

<pass-time-45>

Pauses the chat, shows the "time passes" clock, jumps the fictional phone clock forward 45 minutes, then continues. Conversations can also set an unlock day in Studio (Mon–Sun). None means natural overnight +1 day behavior when that applies.

Use this when you want the player to feel a gap, not just a short typing pause.

Instant next message

<next-message-instant>
lol

The very next message (text or media, either side) skips typing delay and typing indicator. Good for rapid-fire or a pic that should land immediately after a line.

Unsend / delete previous

Hey hon! 😘
<wait-1>
<delete-prev-message>
Hey hon...
How is the hangover?? haha!!

Soft-deletes the previous bubble. It stays in the thread as italic "This message has been deleted". Skips system rows and stuff already deleted. If you put a <wait-N> before the delete, players can briefly see the original (that's usually the point).

Combining

<fake-type-2>
did you see this
<ben-party-pic>
<wait-2>
<fake-type-3>
delete that

Keep pauses on their own lines. Don't bury them inside choice text.