First of all, pipe down you whipersnappers. If anything is worth saying, then it is worth taking a very long time to say. While these things could have been explained over 3,000 words rather than 30,000... would you really have preferred that? I could see this cut in half, but part of the pleasure in reading LORD's writing is in the moment-by-moment descriptions of his thoughts, processes, and what he is seeing.
Going from 30,000 to 3,000 would be a bit too much yes. 15,000? I'm not so sure. There's a difference between getting into the details of what Joe is doing, and repeating an explanation of every other perk (in particular the simplest and easiest to remember) and following it up with another paragraph that just rephrases that. That's just empty writing. I do enjoy getting all the little details, but it's been starting to drag even for me, and I know I have a preference for higher word-count then is normal.
And this wouldn't be a problem if there was just more plot going on in 30k words. Less details for non-critical projects, bundling 'common' crafting powers and effects together, short time-skips with quick summaries like the Dragon Battle (which was quite well executed), whatever works. Even if this is a chapter dedicated solely to buildup and the next is combat, it should cover more then just the morning hours.
For those complaining about the wordiness without advancing plot, I direct your attention to one of Mr. Jordan's published books from the Wheel of Time series (about book seven, if I remember correctly). If an average novel is approximately 220 pages of story and about 150k words, this used 1100+ (I forget the exact count, it's been a while) standard format paperback pages to advance plot development less than a day and primarily focus on world building and scenario setting. Compared to that, this is not really that much of an imposition, nor does it compare too unfavorably to pacing of other popular Worm fanfics on this forum.
Can it be cut down some? Absolutely. Should it? While a valid critique, you would lose a significant amount of context and "texture" from the story to do so.
While the episodic nature seriously cuts back on the setting immersion, doing a quick summary of upgrades might leave more readers significantly lost as to the equipment situation in the next action scene. It would also lose on the character reaction/sympathy setup of "*&(#Q! Now I have to rebuild my things. AGAIN!"
That said, I would say a decent compromise in position might be to allow charge buildup be waived during technobabble explanations unless explaining them in-story to another character (i.e. Survey as a weak possibility, or any other "main" character in Joe's association).
As someone who did read the entire Wheel of Time series back-to-back, yes, there is absolutely such a thing as too many details. This work may not have the profit motive driving it, but it does inherit some of the problems. By this point techno-babble and power interaction munchkinry are a core of the story, and utterly cutting that out in place of a summary would be a bad idea. That doesn't mean it is in anyway at an acceptable level as it is. Leaving aside word-bloat, it's not exactly the reassuring that the author feels they need to re-explain even the most simple of perks multiple times in the same chapter, much less multiple times per project. Their posting rate is fairly crazy for the chapter length so it's not like we have months to forget details, and it's even more extreme for those that are going through and reading the whole fic from the beginning.
Getting onto the topic of word-bloat, I'm concerned about how quickly Joe is gaining powers from the Forge. He's gained a lot of power, and that has already necessitated buffed and changed opposition. And chronologically its still the very beginning of his career. More then that though, the increase in words per subjective hour in story means he's gaining them faster and faster. Which means he can't keep up with his own potential, and RNG has repeatedly turned his triumphs into givens almost immediately. This is definitely good for making an OP character, but I can't say the same for the long term health of the story. The increased focus on characterization and interaction with others has definitely helped push story progression along with word-count, but it doesn't compare to time-less bloat from perk descriptions.
Now, what I'm hoping is that the new leveling power will mean there's a greatly reduced need to update Joe's gear in the future, and thus need to explain it. But failing that, a compromise is in order. Perhaps by what words are counted for point build-up (action/dialogue/interlude only for example), or for the point system itself to be revamped ('major' powers magnitudes more impacting and character changing only costing 4-5 times as much as the weakest is a bit...wonky. The same goes for end-game content only being 8-10 times as expensive as the basics. Those prices work for a limited starting budget and number of selections, not for when the budget and it's rate of increase grows over time with NO other limits).
Now, leaving all the word-count debate aside again, and focusing on the three most interesting powers. Sexual speaking, standing, and background music. I'll admit I think the music would be kinda cringe for me outside of a private setting, and as an introvert I'd think Joe would be similar. But the first two have a lot of potential, and for a lot more then the lols when Joe slips up and embarrasses himself.
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say one of the themes of this story is identity, personality, and how the two are mutable. Joe has been highly dependent on the SI-Shard throughout this fic, but also forced to recognize that dependence in not healthy, nor is the Passenger infallible. He's also had skill-sets of such depth as to be whole shifts in perspective dumped on him, followed by foreign 'memories' of training and literally fae-like crafting experience. It has, and will continue to change his, and replace his ship of Theseus. And Joe is not the only character dealing with this. Though limited by interludes, Taylor, Amy, Weld, Dragon, and even Leet have their own unique circumstances and behavioral patterns that are actively changing them or have otherwise pushed them down a path not of their choosing. So these two? Well, to start with their is a heavy correlation between physical and emotional states. People that smile are actually happier as a result. Total posture control and shifting
will have an impact on Joe's mental state. It also drives even further home a contrast that Joe has with Leet. Namely, that he is becoming more Apeiron the Tinker, then Joezef the Outcast. His mind has been warped by his expanded knowledge and perks, his fashion by his skills and companions, his body by his powers, and now finally his very behavior in and out of costume. And as almost all of these powers are tied to the Forge and his Cape identity, he's shifting more and more into
being Apeiron. It's what interests him, what he spends his time on, what is important, and his chosen method of escapism (deciding to not abandon his civvy life or not, Joe has been rather tellingly avoiding thinking about it). Whether or not this is a bad thing is up for debate, but the MC has a lot of internal and external forces of change, and seeing how that takes place will be interesting. I am also I admit, curious as to what outside perspectives will make of him. Joe's observations are biased from his own creations (and their constantly being out of date), and his nature as an introvert (everybody has warped perceptions of themselves, but nobodies got' em like introverts with depression), and until now most other characters have focused on his tech, actions, and the implications of both.
Him strutting around in a Divine masterwork designed to be professional by a master, and piloted by a body programmed for good (if suggestive) posture? Well, even perks alone mean the reception will be wildly different then his fears of edginess, much less from the normal and entirely natural difference people have with perception of themselves and others (that is to say, we're usually better at spotting flaws in ourselves and assuming others can as well when they can't, and vice versa).
Edit: To clarify, I still enjoyed the chapter in all it's massive glory. But I find the trend it represents concerning, and I know I would probably enjoy it
more if more action/interaction occurred within that same word-count.
Edit 2: To try an illustrate the contrasts I'm seeing, let's use Leet an Capes in general for comparison. Leet is traumatized, leaning into his trauma for power, and casting aside his old 'civilian' identity by choice, while being led by the nose by his ego. Apeiron is traumatized, healing his trauma because of his powers, unconsciously leaving his civilian identity behind, and having his actions dictated by his Shards vague feelings. In general, other capes must adopt behavior, clothes, and (most important of all of course) powers to standout from mundanity, great or small. Apeiron on the other hand must weaken his body, adjust his fashion, control his behavior, and mar his creations in order to seem 'normal'.
