If such a purely aesthetic effect is the cause of so much wonkiness I wish they'd just turn it into a normal silence with some visual effects (and an MP drain if they insist).
Put a funny creature on our head like when ninjas mess up their jutsus, make some kind creature icon appear above our character or add some special effects like tiny mandragoras floating around us.
It might not be as quirky but at least it might be less janky.