Dots are a verb without a subject
Three pulsing dots say something is happening, but not what, how long, or whether it will end. The honest thinking state adds a subject: 'thinking…' for composition, 'searching the catalog…' for retrieval, 'writing the answer…' for generation. The label costs one line and removes an entire category of user anxiety.
Every wait needs an exit
A state that can last forever is a state the user is trapped in. The calm version pairs the indicator with a quiet way out — a stop button, or a retry that is disabled during the wait and honest about why. A still dot under reduced motion is not a loss; it is the same information without the pulse.