So I just had an idea regarding Rohan from Part 9 that would not only be shocking, but make the entire JoJo's universe more cohesive, directly connect Part 8 to Part 9, and also explain the reason why Rohan was even written into Part 9 at all.
There are three parts to this theory. The first:

1. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Parts 1-6 is actually a manga within the universe of Parts 7-9 written by Part 9's Rohan.

In real life, the highly successful mangaka Hirohiko Araki wrote the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In Part 9, the highly successful mangaka Kishibe Rohan wrote... manga. To complete the parallel, wouldn't it make sense if Rohan also wrote the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?
Many have called Rohan a self insert for Araki based on the two's myriad of similar traits. If Part 9 Rohan is a self insert for Araki, and Araki is the kind of person to write self inserts into his manga, it makes sense that Part 9 Rohan is also the kind of person to write self inserts into his manga. In other words, Araki writes Rohan into JJBA as a self insert, Rohan writes Rohan into JJBA as a self insert. Hence why Rohan appears in Part 4.
\"Not a self insert guys\"
Araki's favourite JoJo part is likely Part 4, considering for a while his two favourite characters were Josuke and Kira, it's the part where Araki puts his self insert into, and Part 4 is the most explicitly referenced part of the original universe in the new universe. So continuing with the self insert train, Part 9 Rohan's favourite JJBA part is likely also Part 4, hence why it's Part 4 that Part 9 Rohan also writes his self insert into.
It's worth noting that in real life, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Parts 1-6 and 7-9 are actually two separate series. That's why parts on from 7 don't have "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" in the title, it's not the same ip. This makes the theory a lot more credible as there's already the real life separation between 1-6 and 7-9, so why not extend that separation into the world of Parts 7-9 also?
But this raises a big question.
Doesn't it seem like a coincidence that there are so many similarities between Part 9 Rohan's fictional JJBA manga, and the actual world of Parts 7-9?
For instance, why would Part 9 Rohan know so much/care about real life 1890s guy Johnny Joestar to then base the fictional character of Johnathan Joestar off him? How and why does he know so much information about the real life Joestar history?"

2. The reason there are so many similarities between Parts 1-6 and Parts 7-9 is because Rohan got inspiration for Parts 1-6 by looking into Jousuke's past.

First the obvious. Part 9 Rohan has Heaven's Door which works identically to how it does in Part 4 and which he first uses in Part 9 to look into someone's past to use for inspiration for his manga. So this character trait of Part 4 Rohan's is very much alive in Part 9's, and Araki wants to establish that early.
Not directly stated to be using it for inspiration (but you know that's what he's doing)
Secondly, Jousuke and Rohan are both rich Japanese men from Morioh as well as powerful stand users. As two rich Japanese men from Morioh they're likely to occupy the same spaces. They're both powerful stand users which in JoJo is shown to bring people together like gravity. It's almost an inevitability that they at least met in the 12 years between Parts 8 and 9.
Both rich and Japanese
"But how would Rohan know so much about the Joestar history from before Jousuke's birth if all his information is just from Jousuke's mind?"
Jousuke was shown in Part 8 to be super interested in researching his family's past. We know from the events of Part 8 alone that Jousuke learned about the Joestar family tree reaching back to George Joestar, as well as the record of the Steel Ball run race and Johnny being 4th in it. That's not including any more research Jousuke may have done offscreen, and that's also not including any more research Rohan might have done based off the information he learned from Jousuke.
Jousuke doing research on his family history - who's to say that curiosity didn't stick around after Jojolion?
Ever wonder why the parallels between Parts 4 and 8 are so much closer than Parts 1-3 and 7? It's because Rohan has way more information on the events of Part 8 to use as inspiration for Part 4 due to literally reading Jousuke's life story, than he does for the events of Part 7 which he can only piece together from historical documents, and as a result he's unable to be as historically accurate when writing Parts 1-3.
And this also explains little things like both universes having the earliest recorded Joestars as George, father of John__. Rohan only goes up to George, father of Johnathan when writing Part 1 because the real life Joestar family tree he saw in Jousuke's memory only goes up to George, father of Johnny.
https://preview.redd.it/kluvg5rr1t3b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba402696797018c20545d4b5cbe4c2bf94c6d8b2
I should probably bring up at this point the fact that one of Rohan's key character traits in Part 4 is that one should always use reality to base their manga off. This explains why Part 9 Rohan would want to stick so closely to real life Joestar history, because he also believes in sticking to reality.
https://preview.redd.it/401eowj76t3b1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=f6c1256672c798591ea509bff0fe4a408d35b253
If this is all true then this would mean that the Parts 1-6 we've all read were actually just one of Rohan's manga series within the universe of Parts 7-9. Meaning that technically all parts do take place in the same universe, which would be a perfect touch to add for what is likely Araki's final part of JJBA.
But in addition to that, the only reason huge elements in the original series even existed such as Johnathan Joestar, the Zeppelis, the Joestar birthmark, Erina Pendleton, Joseph Joestar, stone people, Suzy Q, Avdol, Dio Brando and The World, Josuke Higashikata, Yoshikage Kira and Killer Queen, Morioh, Hirose, Yukako and Love Deluxe, Holy Kujo, Rohan and Heaven's Door, hell, stands in general, was because it was all stuff that was in Jousuke's brain and that Part 9 Rohan thought looked cool enough to write about.
Here's the interesting part though. There are already a bunch of things in Part 9 that have also been paralleled in the original series written by Rohan, that by the nature of them being in Part 9 can't have all come from just Jousuke's mind.
A JoJo that was very likely a descendant of Dio, that's 15 years old and involved in the organised crime world. All traits of Jodio paralleled in Giorno. This means that Part 9 Rohan as of the most recent Chapter 4 of Jojolands can't have written Part 5 (and by extension 6) yet. This means that at some point Rohan will also have to use Heaven's Door to get Jodio's story.
But wait, there's more.
Jodio and Josuke were both created out of Joseph having an affair. If this aspect of Jodio inspired this aspect of Part 4 Josuke, that means Part 4 can't have been written yet either.
https://preview.redd.it/4mbtj8bqut3b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d903fa129d7234fe724dda6cb29716252e4220c
However, a bunch of the parallels to the Joestars' real history that Rohan wrote into Parts 1-4 must have come from Jousuke.
So here are the two options:

1. Rohan learned a bunch of shit about the Joestars from Jousuke which caused him to write Parts 1-3, stopped the series before Part 4 despite having like 90% of the info he would want for that part, started another manga in Pink Dark Boy, then returned years later to write Parts 4-6.

Or, what's more likely:
2) Rohan, just like Araki, wrote Parts 1-6 in one go, and simply hasn't written JJBA by the start of Part 9.
This seems more likely as it means that, assuming by the end of Part 9 there have been enough parallels to Parts 5 and 6, Rohan, having gotten all the inspiration he needs from both Jousuke and Jodio, can begin writing JJBA once Part 9 is just about over, and the final twist of the series can be that 1-6 was a manga written by Rohan and therefore all in the same universe. Which would make for a good ending to the series.
That's where the main theory ends, and if you want, you can stop reading here. However, I think there's one more twist that Araki is intending to pull with Rohan that, if true, would be the cherry on top:

3. Part 9 Rohan is Higashikata Tsurugi.

Tsurugi in 2011 was 11 years old. Part 9 Rohan in 2023 looks to be in his 20s, so the age matches up.
Both are also coloured by default with dark green and black hair.
2011-2023
Tsurugi was a boy who the Higashikatas dressed as a girl as part of a superstition to wade off the curse. Now that the curse has gone, he doesn't have to do that anymore.
We did see him still dressed as a girl in Jojolion Chapter 110, which took place on Tsurugi's 11th birthday about a week after the curse was broken, and thus the requirement for him to dress as a girl.
Chapter 110
However it's only a week after, it's what Tsurugi's been used to his whole life so he would likely take some time to change, and he's had 12 years between then and Part 9 to change as well, so I don't think it's a stretch to say he simply started dressing as a boy soon after.
"But how could Tsurugi and Rohan be the same if they have different stands?"
It's true that Tsurugi's stand for most of Part 8 was Paper Moon King - a stand revolving around the paper art of Origami.
However, in Chapter 83, the narrator talks of how a stand is a reflection of one's heart, and if one's heart changes, one's stand will as well, and that once this process starts it's impossible to stop.
https://preview.redd.it/3jbyrvcwpt3b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=8f9ccae0b9b261fa850c8a12955776e53392381c
(Citing age as the reason a stand could change)
This speech is given over Tsurugi sneaking around as the only character in the scene, and even looking directly at the audience. This framing heavily implies that Tsurugi is the one who's heart, and therefore stand, will inevitably change.
So then what would an evolution of Paper Moon King look like?
Well, Tsurugi in Part 8 was a child. Araki said that he wanted Tsurugi's stand to be childish. In Japan, 10 is considered the last year of one being a child and 11 the first of them being a teenager. Tsurugi started to lose control of his stand, as well as the narrator suggesting that his stand would evolve, in the last week or so of him being 10 years old - the last week or so of him being a child.
Paper Moon King involved a manipulation of the (often considered childish) paper art of Origami. What if, then, Paper Moon King evolved into an ability that manipulated a "more adult" paper art - manga?
Or in other words, what if Paper Moon King evolved into Heaven's Door, reflecting its user evolving into more of an adult?
Hell, the narrator even likens the transformation of (assumedly) Tsurugi's stand to "lava boiling from a volcano".
https://preview.redd.it/tsw47fl7vt3b1.png?width=300&format=png&auto=webp&s=9abb088db214e78bf9a2f0fefd2c7d704d992f60
And who do we know travelled all the way to Hawaii to study the boiling lava from volcanoes?
In addition to that, throughout Part 8 Tsurugi displays a fondness for Hirose Yasuho and a distrust for Jousuke, much like how Rohan in Part 4 had a fondness for Hirose Koichi and a distrust for Josuke.
https://preview.redd.it/rr6pya8gst3b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=61ef86a45c5e26c2c81a6450c742e12191407a57
In Part 3, you have the characters of Oingo and Boingo. Two siblings - one child, one adult. The child has a stand revolving around manga, just like Heaven's Door, and the adult has a stand that can change one's appearance, just like Paper Moon King.
https://preview.redd.it/ep7ez680tt3b1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=b46e41ce98880a4e86fbadf191302fba1d9231ff
Could these characters in Part 3 have been inspired by Rohan's own story of, inversely, having a stand that changes appearances as a child, and a stand that revolves around manga as an adult?
Finally, Tsurugi being Rohan lends way more credence to Rohan using Heaven's Door on Jousuke for inspiration.
Why would Rohan be around Jousuke? They lived in the same house.
Why would Rohan expect Jousuke to have a bunch of knowledge he wanted to use for his manga? He knows first hand what Jousuke went through.
How would Rohan get all the extra research about the Joestar bloodline? From Norisuke's office that gathered all that research in the first place.
Rohan is a rich Japanese man from Morioh? The Higashikatas were our only other example of a rich Japanese family from Morioh.
As for the name difference? Well, you can change your name. Y'know, the thing that every eldest son of the Higashikata family had been doing from Norisuke I to Joubin? Tsurugi was actually the first in 100+ years not to have to do it. Well, what if he actually did?
Hell, he doesn't even have to have legally changed his name. Rohan Kishibe could just be his pen name. Just like how Hirohiko Araki, the guy that Rohan is a parallel to, also used a different pen name - Toshiyuko Araki - when he started out as a mangaka.
Guys, it's over.

“Three years to build a mech with specs that only a year ago I would have called impossible within this century? Would you like any other miracles while I’m praying to every deity I know of?” – [CLASSIFIED] Head of [CLASSIFIED] development, after being presented with the project’s requirements.
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First, Previous, Next.
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‘Diagnostics complete. Error zero-zero, reactor output is nil. No other errors detected. Unit 0012 is unable to perform upcoming operation. I am sorry Sustain. You will be scratched from the roster.’
Anna ‘Sustain’ Finand started swearing, first in United Earth common, then English and lastly in Arabic. Fortunately for her career and general standing among her peers, her mech’s cockpit was still sealed tight, preventing the small army of engineers and maintenance personal swarming her mech from hearing.
She swore about the ridiculousness of a reactor design that could fail with no discernible reason at the drop of a hat. She cursed about the mountain of corners which had been piled up at the feet of the killing machine that refused to power on. Lastly, she just screamed as three years of built-up frustration poured out of her lanky body.
Sustain had been a mech pilot for far longer than she cared to admit, having began by piloting her Dad’s farming mech during planting season. She would start her shift in the mech-tractor after schooled finished, and work until midnight while her Dad slept. Then she would catch some much-needed rest, only to wake up early the next morning for school and do it all over again. She never resented her Dad for the strain the season would place on the two of them, but curiously she had always found herself angry at her mother; who had left when she was only five.
When she had signed up for the military, she had told the interviewing officer that she could pilot a mech in her sleep. She hadn’t been bragging. They’d thrown her into a simulator to see what she could do, and when she told her father that she’d barely passed the exam, she’d been lying. She hadn’t wanted him to worry about the possibility of her being hand picked for the special forces, which is exactly what had happened a few months later. Sustain remembered the fight between herself and her father after that, it had been legendary, and was still something they joked about to this very day.
Still, Sustain was as stubborn as her dad, and when her special forces service had paid for his space flight to and apartment on Earth he’d admitted that he was glad to have lost that fight. Thinking about her father, and Earth, only intensified the extreme frustration Sustain was currently experiencing.
The Algeen’s had pulled in as many species as they possibly could to fight off the Tide, but they hadn’t seen fit to give humanity the same offer. It was only five years ago that humanity had learnt about the existence of the Tide, as the inter-galactic wall that had been the Algeen republic, exhausted beyond all measures, crumbled away.
It still pissed her off to think about. Had the Algeen’s included humanity and it’s six hundred worlds at the start of the war, hell even halfway through it, they would have been able to fight with the numerical advantage. But instead, the Algeen’s had kept the Tide and their war from them a secret. No one knew why but Sustain could sure as hell guess: In the past Humanity and the Algeen’s had their fair share of conflicts.
No doubt the Algeen’s had wanted to present a facade of strength, out of fear that humanity would seek to capitalise on their weakened state.
Sustain could easily see humanity negotiating favourable terms for their aid, terms which may very well have seen them rise as the dominate power in the galactic region. Much like America in comparison to England after WWII. However, by seeking to prevent this from happening, the Algeen’s may have doomed humanity in the process.
Once they knew of their existence Humanity had tried to open diplomatic talks with the Tide and had been violently rebuked. With the Algeen’s crashing down before their very eyes humanity’s leadership had realised with horror that they now had to fight a considerably more powerful enemy, and only had five years to prepare for it.
Three years ago, that same leadership had finally convinced the Algeen’s to share their technology with their new allies of circumstance, and the flood gates had poured open. That’s when Sustain had gotten involved in the cluster fuck.
Humanity knew from their past that their technology was a few years behind that of the Algeen’s. However, they also knew that their tactics and general understanding of warfare was significantly greater. But now they had to compete with the Tide, who’s technology surpassed even that of the Algeen’s, and half measures weren’t going to cut it. Humanity had set out to build a brand new mech, one which could match the Tide machines (even if it wouldn’t beat them) by combining human and Algeen technology.
Sustain had signed on as a test pilot for the project, one of a thousand such pilots. Calling them the best of the best was considered an insult to many of the test pilots. While Sustain didn’t agree with such an arrogant attitude she wasn’t so humble as to be unable to admit the truth: They weren’t the best. Or the best of the best. They were one thousand out of a billion such pilots. They were Elite in the truest meaning of the word.
But none of that would mean anything if they didn’t have any machines to pilot.
Having taken a moment to calm herself, Sustain popped the seals on her cockpit, and opened the heavy door to the clammer of voices and machinery that was the drop hanger of the Swan. The Swan was a orbital insertion carrier, designed to launch its cargo onto a planet without succumbing to gravity or weapons fire alongside them. In just two short hours they would be deploying onto Algeen Prime, one battle which made up the many overseen by operation “Sucker Punch”.
For humanity to survive it needed to push the Tide back as quickly as possible while they were still dealing with the many losses they had suffered during the Algeen war. For humanity to survive it needed to bloody the nose of those who dared to threaten the continued existence of mankind, and countless others. What better place to do that then where the most noses were located?
Algeen Prime and its surrounding systems were swarming with Tide ships and mechs, as their long conflicted was slowly ground to a pulp. Human intelligence suggested that the Tide in these locations would be running low on supplies, manpower and equipment. It was into this exhausted army that operation sucker punch would strike. It was up to Sustain and the Algeen-Human experimental mech program to be the tip of that spear. No pressure.
Sustain’s maintenance chief cut through both the volume of the hanger and her anxious recount of the events leading up to this situation.
“Sorry Captain, this one’s given up the ghost. I don’t know what is so cursed about this reactor design but when I find whoever made the mistake that causes this headache, I’ll throw the unlucky sod your way eh?”
Despite the situation the Chief’s gruff voice and jokes were enough to force the ghost of a smile onto Sustain’s face. The old, balding man reminded her of a friend of her fathers. The one who’d help occasionally with odd maintenance jobs around the house that her father was too busy to attend to. Only instead of repainting the living room he was fine tuning the most advanced fighting machine currently known to mankind. An odd idiosyncrasy to be sure, but like her the Chief was Elite.
“You’d deprive yourself of that satisfying revenge for me Tomlinson?” Sustain replied.
“Well better you go to prison then me, and I trust you to really twist the knife while you gut the fella.”
“Ah, fair.”
An awkward silence stretched between the two of them. A deep dark abyss that neither really wanted to descend into. Sustain took the plunge first.
“How many others like mine?”
Tomlinson’s eyes said all she needed to know. But he spoke anyway.
“About half of em. We’re hoping to get that down to a quarter but the timing ain’t looking so great. I hope you don’t mind me saying I’m glad yours isn’t showing any signs of life, if we got her started now we’d have to skip so many safety procedures to be ready in time that it ain’t funny… Well, it’d be a little funny. But only if you didn’t explode.”
Sustain grimaced. The constant issue with the experimental mechs was their power source. Everything else had been shaped up over the frantic past three years, but the reactors were a hurdle that seemingly couldn’t be overcome. Once they were running, they were fine. In fact, they were better than fine. Once running the reactors were a considerable improvement to their Algeen basis. It was getting them started that was the hard part.
Three years of Elite scientists and engineers working on the problem, and still it was a crapshoot as to whether the reactors would startup properly or destroy itself in doing so. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that the reactors were only designed to be run for a month before needing to be powered down for a maintenance once over.
Sustain’s mech had its maintenance once over a week ago. She would have preferred delaying the operation to ensure that all the one thousand Elite had operational machines, but replacing the reactor in the experimental mechs took weeks to do. Apparently command just didn’t have that kind of time.
Sustain spoke to Tomlinson again.
“Alright, well good effort team. Looks like the training machine’s up.”
The training machines were highly customised but otherwise unmodified Algeen machines. With the experimental one’s being so finicky the Elite had needed reliable machines to hone their skills in. The trainers had never been intended to be taken into battle, however the situation left little room for anything else. They were capable machines, and the Elite pilots were very familiar with them. Tomlinson helped her down with an odd look on his face. After a moment Sustain realised: it was a potent mix of apprehension and guilt.
“I-I” The usually steadfast chief choked on his words. Pausing to take a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry it had to be this way ma’am. I didn’t want to let you down.”
Sustain was surprised by the words, but a cocky smile soon found it’s way to her face.
“Don’t worry Chief, I like a challenge. I thought you would have known that about me by now.” She said with a wink.
That same smile danced on her face once more, as two hours and one Tide mech later she was on the battlefield in her trainer mech. The taste of victory like Ambrose in her mouth. The ranged heavy Tide mech was firing its salvo at her, but rather then attempted to doge the incoming missile or deploy her energy shield, Sustain kept her mech perfectly still. Closing her eyes and increasing the rating on her neural lace; merging her mind closer and closer to the heart of the machine.
When she opened them again everything was slowed to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second. She concentrated on the first missile, its trajectory appearing on her HUD, and lined up a trajectory of her own. The spikes the Algeen had noted on her mechs shoulders were indeed grenade launchers – not designed for offensive operation and most certainly not designed to be used as anti-missile fire. But Sustain had been training against the Elite for over three years now, most of them in this very machine, together they had all learnt more then a few tricks.
With the overclocking ability of her neural lace, (a development that neither the Algeen’s nor the Tide had access to), Sustain was able to launch the smoke canisters with unnerving accuracy directly into the path of the oncoming Tide fire. To Churk, who was watching the fight take place in real time, it appeared as though every canister had fired at the same moment. But to Sustain each and every canister had been individually targeted and fired.
The massive shockwave of so many missile denotating at once pounded into the surrounding area, causing the ground to shake, trees to shiver and Churk and his team to grab their helmets and take cover. One moment Sustain’s Algeen mech had been charging across the grassy field towards the Tide heavy, the next the entire field and some of the forest the Tide heavy was taking cover in was filled with smoke.
At first both Churk and the Tide pilot believed the smoke to be coming from the destroyed carcass of Sustain’s mech. Both were equally surprised then when with the quick flash of a blade the smoke, (and the Tide’s missile launcher,) were split in two.
The smoke in question was electro chemical in nature and caused odd pixelation and glitches to flare up in Sustain’s mechs sensors, as the scrambling effects of the smoke began to hit full force. Of course, Sustain’s mech was programmed with these effects in mind, and so was shielded from the worst of the interference. The same cannot be said for the Tide mech, who’s pilot now had to battle one insanely capable human and their own systems in order to survive. It was a battle that the mech pilot would not be able to win, however that doesn’t mean they were going to go down without a fight.
The Tide mech swung the ruined launcher at Sustain’s mech, and she used her left shoulder to block the blow, causing the frame of her machine to shake with the force of the heavy blow. In return she struck with her sword, finding the elbow joint on the Tide machine’s left arm, and slicing for everything her mech was worth. Her sword ran up the length of the Tide mech’s arm, under the heavy armour, and into the shoulder joint, whereupon (with a flick of her wrist) Sustain was able to deprive the Tide mech of its entire arm.
The Tide mech swung again with the now very pulped launcher, Sustain ducked the blow and thrust forward with her blade, intending to skewer the Tide machine on her sword. She was partially successful in doing so, creating a large and jagged rent in the chest armour of her enemy. The enemy (who was not unskilled) twisted away, preventing Sustain from penetrating the top-quality armour and causing her mech to overbalance. Instead of stepping forward to overt her fall Sustain sent her mech’s anti-gravity pods into overdrive and activated her jump jets. The mech rolled forward smoothly, in a movement that would have shredded a machine of its size and weight if not for the advanced technology of the pods.
As Sustain rolled free from her opponent’s follow up strike (an overhead blow that would have caught her on the back of her machine) smashed into empty air and then dirt. Not letting the sudden evasion get the better of them however, the Tide pilot dropped the useless and crushed launcher remains and pulled their mech’s coil gun from its thigh holster. The coil gun looked like a pistol in the mechs hand, but was powerful enough at this range to punch directly through the chest of Sustain’s mech.
The Tide pilot never got the chance to fire it.
Sustain bounced back from her roll with a speed that, even with the gravity pods maxed out, sent creaks throughout her entire machine. Her jump jets were still firing, and she leapt towards the Tide mech as it pulled its coil gun from its holster. Facing a weapon, she could not deflect with smoke grenades or armour, her only defence was speed and accuracy.
Like a shark about to earn a round of drinks by throwing their last dart, Sustain hit the bullseye at the last possible second. The Tide machine’s armour, already compromised by her previous pass, finally failed as the full weight of Sustain’s mech was forcefully shoved against it. The force concentrated through the point of her brutally simple sword and sliced deep into vulnerable inners of the machine to hit the only thing that truly mattered onboard a mech: The pilot.
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Hey ya'll, apologize if this is the wrong place; been looking to add a gravity smoker in my arsenal to put on the deck. I've got eyes for the Masterbuilt 1050 but am open to suggestions.
I do a lot of the traditional meats - Brisket, butts, ribs, beef plate ribs, but am also looking to start doing hog smokes as well (if I can somehow manage that)

Saw a floor model of the master built gravity for $499 and $699 respectively in Canadian Monopoly money. Normally priced $650 and $1200 in Canada. The 1050 I saw comes with the cover.
Was looking at upgrading my kettle to install a PID fire board drive or a pellet grill. Should I pull the plug in the Masterbuilt and upgrade the firebox for increased cook time? Really like the idea of set and forget plus the insulation.
I struggle with walking away from the charcoal because I really like the smokiness
I plan on keeping my kettle. I might consider getting the 560 instead since I rarely need to Cook that much food but the 1050 is a really good deal for $200 more. Wish it could have been the 800 and that would have been worthwhile to snap up.
Or am I better off upgrading my kettle and keeping it simple? The fire board with fan upgrade will cost me about $450 ish.

Saw a floor model of the master built gravity for $499 and $699 respectively in Canadian Monopoly money. Normally priced $650 and $1200 in Canada. The 1050 I saw comes with the cover.
Was looking at upgrading my kettle to install a PID fire board drive or a pellet grill. Should I pull the plug in the Masterbuilt and upgrade the firebox for increased cook time? Really like the idea of set and forget plus the insulation. The cost of the fire board is approximately $450 after taxes and shipping.
I struggle with walking away from the charcoal because I really like the smokiness.
Edit : I plan on keeping my kettle. I might consider getting the 560 instead since I rarely need to Cook that much food but the 1050 is a really good deal for $200 more.

Anyone have a suggestion on a 3rd party rotisserie kit for the gravity series? I have a 560. I've heard bad things about the masterbuilt add on.

I've had a small electric smoker for years but it was damaged in a recent tornado so i'm searching for a new one. I have read some mixed reviews on the Gravity series. What do yall think?
Edit: Bought it a couple hours ago. Putting it together sucked but it seasoning now.

Hi all,
I'm looking for a recommendation on what smoker / pellet grill to get? I'm not interested in a multi-purpose pellet grill since I already have a propane grill and stand-alone griddle. I'd like something only for smoking and can still fit a lot while not taking up too much space.
Initially, I was interested in the Camp Chef XXL Pro Vertical smoker due to the smoke box, compact size and large capacity but I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere. I also was looking at the Masterbuilt series. How does that compare to the Camp Chef? All recommendations are appreciated.

-Red-
April 19th, 10:00 A.M., The Sprawl
Looming pools of shadow enveloped the room; the noxious stench of cheap medical chems was nearly suffocating, and only made worse by the constant buzzing of low-grade medical tech. Anxiety gripped my mind, as images of airborne propellers flashed through my thoughts--finally resolving upon a severed arm laying on a cold plascrete floor. I couldn’t help but scream.
I awoke in a medicated fugue, restrained by frigid metal straps. Panic gripped my mind. My arm struggled frantically, fighting an impossible battle against an unyielding steel clasp. Twin monitors beside the bed began to beep rapidly, matching my rapidly climbing heart rate. Finally, I managed to turn my head; a bloody operating table sat directly adjacent to my bed—bearing the stump of ragged meat that I could only assume was the remains of my arm.
Fuck.
A needle plunged into my neck. My thoughts skidded to a halt—nothing mattered except for the wave of euphoria that washed over me.
“Red, nice of you to join us,” Akari said, leaning over with me with a seemingly scientific intrigue.
Her face was painted with a grim, yet accomplished, melancholy. I’d known her for years, but this expression was one I’d not had the displeasure of knowing… not until she’d chopped my arm off, and presumably saved my life.
“Did… did the other two make it out?”
“They did. Nico carried you out, allegedly ‘killing dozens’ along the way,” Akari answered, sarcastically rolling her eyes.
“It was fourteen—I counted,” Nico interjected.
“I appreciate it, without you two I’d probably be dead,” I said.
“You would be dead, no doubt about it. But you’re not, and you even got an upgrade out of it. Or you will be getting one at least.”
“Glad to hear it. Can you let me up? I gotta be honest here, doc: the bindings are setting off my claustrophobia,” I explained, as the euphoria slowly began to crumble under the crushing weight of anxiety. Whatever she’d given me hadn’t been nearly enough.
"You're stable, but the operation is not yet complete. My assistant is currently retrieving your new arm.”
"How long have I been here?” I grimaced, grinding my wrist against the steel restraints.
"Forty-three hours. It was touch and go at first, but Nico's quick thinking saved your life… alongside nearly twenty hours of stabilization and constant care," She smiled, seating herself across from me.
"I... I don’t know what to say; I owe you big time, both of you,” I replied.
The clamor of footsteps echoed behind me-- the familiar sound of oversized boots scuffling towards the operating table.
Nico.
He emerged, clutching the arm he'd severed from Cleaver’s doorman. It was state of the art chrome, Xeno-grade military ware. Whoever had owned it before me had either served in the Lunar settling campaigns or got it off somebody who had. A .50 caliber auto cannon sat loosely unfolded above the top side of the wrist and the side compartment looked like it housed some sort of melee weapon.
"Glad you're finally awake, boss; means we should be able to install asap," Nico said, grinning from ear to ear.
"The good news is, installing the receptor port should be a relatively quick procedure, likely less than an hour. The bad news is, I can't risk heavy anesthesia, you lost a lot of blood, and we're still waiting on Trodes to bring more bags," she paused, a pang of sympathy flashing behind her eyes, "you ready for this, Red?"
"Chrome me up, doc," I growled.
The next hour was a blur of pain, adrenaline, and excitement. Other than the Teleoperations Module installed in my HALO, I'd avoided chrome my whole life. I figured good combat chems could make up for the difference. I was wrong. When the port was finally installed, the new arm fit in like a glove.
I didn’t waste a second in getting off the operating table.
"Now we'll be unstoppable, boss," Nico grinned, breaking his facade of professionalism.
"What do you say, Red, want to go the target range and give it a whirl?" Akari asked, absent mindedly rifling through a drawer of medication.
"Yeah, fuck it, probably not the worst idea. You gonna unstrap me, then?" I asked.
Akari walked over, never breaking eye contact, placing a paper bag of medications at the foot of my bed, before releasing me from my bindings.
"Listen, Red, there's instructions on the pill bottles. Read them. Take them religiously, or else your bodies going to reject the new arm, spit it out in a pussy mass of infection. Understood?" Her voice lost its gentle tone, growing firm.
"Got it, doc. No puss for me," I chuckled.
Nico led me to a back-alley target range, operated by a pair of unshackled androids, who called themselves Alpha and Omega. They never said a word, just directed us to a series of safety posters, and demanded payment for our time. Nico tossed a pair of cred-sticks, and we entered a roofed portion of the alley, lined with embedded V.R. projectors and speakers.
Tires were stacked high around metal poles, sheathed in an V.R. depiction of Vorrath soldiers, clutching plasma blades and gravity cannons. As the holograms flickered to life, primal screams blared across speakers above the range; darkness blanketed the alley as the light seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Finally, ballistics dummies emerged atop tracks, zipping through the darkness before finally assuming the appearance of armed gangers.
I fired a volley from the auto cannon, tearing soup-can sized holes into a ballistic dummy’s chest. With a flick of the wrist a mono whip deployed from my forearm. The arm moved of its own volition, kicking into combat mode, and slicing a second dummy into silicone sandwich meat.
I could get used to having this level of firepower—it certainly would have come in handy during my courier days.
"Not bad, boss. Maybe aim just a touch higher. Center mass is effective, but headshots are more satisfying," Nico whispered in a tone bordering on arousal, his eyes trained on my arm.
"I appreciate the tip, buddy, but when you're shooting something that leaves holes this big? Well, I'd say you've got a pretty good chance of clipping center and chunking the heart," I replied.
"And here I thought you were a man with panache," he laughed.
"I’m a man of practicality: I'll leave the fancy shit to you," I cracked a smile, "so, what happened after I went out?"
Nico's face was electric, barely containing his excitement.
"Before I ripped his head off, Cleaver told me the vault was in the heart of the Undercity, beneath a Harvester base," He bellowed.
"Harvesters, huh? Figures the bastard would have organ leggers guarding his stash. Harvesters are no joke, though. Cleaver was tough, but I reckon they'll have at least a dozen borgs of that size, if not bigger. What about Trodes and Conway, they turn up anything?" I replied.
"Trodes will walk you through his findings when he gets back, I can't follow the technical jargon." He shrugged, "but Conway's inserted himself into Fredo's circle, and it sounds like there's trouble in paradise. He said he managed to set up your meet with B.F.U. though."
"What do you mean?" I inquired.
"Fredo and the Don are allegedly in the middle of some big falling out, looks like there's the makings of a civil war brewing in the Casa Nostra. Conway thinks we can capitalize," he replied, ushering back towards Akari's lab.
"Sounds promising, I like it." I answered.
By the time we returned to the lab, Akari had set up a transfusion station, and Trodes was knee deep in another full immersion run, his body limply twitching in the chair. Akari's eyes met mine, and I made my way to the transfusion station, sticking myself to save her time.
"Alright, guys, Trodes should be done shortly, he was just erasing his trail, I think. But, in the meantime, I have something for each of you," She paused, reaching for a pill bottle, and tossing it to me. From within her jacket, she produced a neuro chip, and handed it to Nico.
"Combat stims?" I asked.
"Something custom, it should produce effects similar to that of an adrenal implant, temporarily boosting your strength and reactions. It'll last about an hour," she turned to Nico, "once you slot the chip, it'll allow you to turn off the limiters on your cyber limbs at will, amplifying your capabilities considerably. Needless to say, both of these gifts are last resorts, don't use them unless you have to; the strain placed on your systems will be substantial."
"This is incredible, Akari. Thanks again… for everything."
"Be careful, I don't want to replace another arm,” she replied, with a joking scowl.
Suddenly, Trodes shot up in his chair, frantically ripping the wires from his body. Akari ran to the chair with practiced calm.
"Everything okay?" she asked, scanning his vitals.
"Where's the restroom?" Trodes squealed.
Hardly containing laughter, Akari pointed him to a stall in the corner. Trodes raced off with the fervor of a thousand zealots, marching towards a holy war. Moments later he emerged, projecting an air of arrogance.
“I’m glad to see you’ve finally pulled through. While you were napping, I cracked the gig,” Trodes gloated.
I stared quietly in anticipation.
"The vault's security specs were hidden within one of Fincetti's shell servers, precisely as I anticipated. The vault has a time released, biometric security system, and is hidden within an AR maze, littered with traps and turrets," he said.
"Did you uh... Find a way around the traps and turrets?" I asked, nervously.
"No, but I have their locations and functions. I may have to find a way to travel on site, and disarm them for you," he pondered.
"No offense, Trodes, but do you think that's a good idea? I mean, no harm intended here, man, but you look fucking frail. And I've seen the way you twitch, I recognize a nervous system disorder when I see one," I said, trying to keep my tone as gentle and inoffensive as possible.
"As a matter of fact, I think it's a horrible idea, one that will likely result in my death. However, there's no way you'll succeed otherwise… and success could equate to astronomical wealth. It's a chance I'm willing to take," he replied.
"Just stay behind me, little friend. The bullets won't stop me-- nothing will," Nico chimed in.
"Or, better idea, we could try to find Trodes an exo-suit, something combat rated," Akari paused, cycling through contacts in her HUD, "as a matter of fact, I know someone who has one lying around. The thing is—I don’t think he’ll willingly part with it.”
"Are you talking about old Willy?" I asked.
"The one and only," Akari answered.
"Who?" Nico asked.
"Old Willy Jensen; mean old bastard, leads the Black Powder Angels. Got crippled a couple years back, so the crazy fucker had his body fused to a pre-war military exo-suit. It's by no means top of the line, but he's modded the hell out of it, so it can definitely keep up," I said.
"Did you say the Black Powder Angels? I have a score to settle with them," Nico growled.
"Well, then it looks like we have a plan. Hopefully Conway can finish working his magic in the meantime. I wanna move on this gig quick, before Fredo beats us to raiding his brother's vault," I asserted.
"Back at it then, boss?" Nico asked.
“I don’t think so: you two are supposed to be meeting with B.F.U. in two hours, I got ahold of Conway while you were out. I’ll get more data on Willy while you’re at it, but this is important: if we try to do this alone, we’re dead. Fincetti’s forces need to be occupied when we pull the job, or he’ll bring them down on you like the fist of God,” Akari explained.

-Red-
April 19th, 10:00 A.M., The Sprawl
Looming pools of shadow enveloped the room; the noxious stench of cheap medical chems was nearly suffocating, and only made worse by the constant buzzing of low-grade medical tech. Anxiety gripped my mind, as images of airborne propellers flashed through my thoughts--finally resolving upon a severed arm laying on a cold plascrete floor. I couldn’t help but scream.
I awoke in a medicated fugue, restrained by frigid metal straps. Panic gripped my mind. My arm struggled frantically, fighting an impossible battle against an unyielding steel clasp. Twin monitors beside the bed began to beep rapidly, matching my rapidly climbing heart rate. Finally, I managed to turn my head; a bloody operating table sat directly adjacent to my bed—bearing the stump of ragged meat that I could only assume was the remains of my arm.
Fuck.
A needle plunged into my neck. My thoughts skidded to a halt—nothing mattered except for the wave of euphoria that washed over me.
“Red, nice of you to join us,” Akari said, leaning over with me with a seemingly scientific intrigue.
Her face was painted with a grim, yet accomplished, melancholy. I’d known her for years, but this expression was one I’d not had the displeasure of knowing… not until she’d chopped my arm off, and presumably saved my life.
“Did… did the other two make it out?”
“They did. Nico carried you out, allegedly ‘killing dozens’ along the way,” Akari answered, sarcastically rolling her eyes.
“It was fourteen—I counted,” Nico interjected.
“I appreciate it, without you two I’d probably be dead,” I said.
“You would be dead, no doubt about it. But you’re not, and you even got an upgrade out of it. Or you will be getting one at least.”
“Glad to hear it. Can you let me up? I gotta be honest here, doc: the bindings are setting off my claustrophobia,” I explained, as the euphoria slowly began to crumble under the crushing weight of anxiety. Whatever she’d given me hadn’t been nearly enough.
"You're stable, but the operation is not yet complete. My assistant is currently retrieving your new arm.”
"How long have I been here?” I grimaced, grinding my wrist against the steel restraints.
"Forty-three hours. It was touch and go at first, but Nico's quick thinking saved your life… alongside nearly twenty hours of stabilization and constant care," She smiled, seating herself across from me.
"I... I don’t know what to say; I owe you big time, both of you,” I replied.
The clamor of footsteps echoed behind me-- the familiar sound of oversized boots scuffling towards the operating table.
Nico.
He emerged, clutching the arm he'd severed from Cleaver’s doorman. It was state of the art chrome, Xeno-grade military ware. Whoever had owned it before me had either served in the Lunar settling campaigns or got it off somebody who had. A .50 caliber auto cannon sat loosely unfolded above the top side of the wrist and the side compartment looked like it housed some sort of melee weapon.
"Glad you're finally awake, boss; means we should be able to install asap," Nico said, grinning from ear to ear.
"The good news is, installing the receptor port should be a relatively quick procedure, likely less than an hour. The bad news is, I can't risk heavy anesthesia, you lost a lot of blood, and we're still waiting on Trodes to bring more bags," she paused, a pang of sympathy flashing behind her eyes, "you ready for this, Red?"
"Chrome me up, doc," I growled.
The next hour was a blur of pain, adrenaline, and excitement. Other than the Teleoperations Module installed in my HALO, I'd avoided chrome my whole life. I figured good combat chems could make up for the difference. I was wrong. When the port was finally installed, the new arm fit in like a glove.
I didn’t waste a second in getting off the operating table.
"Now we'll be unstoppable, boss," Nico grinned, breaking his facade of professionalism.
"What do you say, Red, want to go the target range and give it a whirl?" Akari asked, absent mindedly rifling through a drawer of medication.
"Yeah, fuck it, probably not the worst idea. You gonna unstrap me, then?" I asked.
Akari walked over, never breaking eye contact, placing a paper bag of medications at the foot of my bed, before releasing me from my bindings.
"Listen, Red, there's instructions on the pill bottles. Read them. Take them religiously, or else your bodies going to reject the new arm, spit it out in a pussy mass of infection. Understood?" Her voice lost its gentle tone, growing firm.
"Got it, doc. No puss for me," I chuckled.
Nico led me to a back-alley target range, operated by a pair of unshackled androids, who called themselves Alpha and Omega. They never said a word, just directed us to a series of safety posters, and demanded payment for our time. Nico tossed a pair of cred-sticks, and we entered a roofed portion of the alley, lined with embedded V.R. projectors and speakers.
Tires were stacked high around metal poles, sheathed in an V.R. depiction of Vorrath soldiers, clutching plasma blades and gravity cannons. As the holograms flickered to life, primal screams blared across speakers above the range; darkness blanketed the alley as the light seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Finally, ballistics dummies emerged atop tracks, zipping through the darkness before finally assuming the appearance of armed gangers.
I fired a volley from the auto cannon, tearing soup-can sized holes into a ballistic dummy’s chest. With a flick of the wrist a mono whip deployed from my forearm. The arm moved of its own volition, kicking into combat mode, and slicing a second dummy into silicone sandwich meat.
I could get used to having this level of firepower—it certainly would have come in handy during my courier days.
"Not bad, boss. Maybe aim just a touch higher. Center mass is effective, but headshots are more satisfying," Nico whispered in a tone bordering on arousal, his eyes trained on my arm.
"I appreciate the tip, buddy, but when you're shooting something that leaves holes this big? Well, I'd say you've got a pretty good chance of clipping center and chunking the heart," I replied.
"And here I thought you were a man with panache," he laughed.
"I’m a man of practicality: I'll leave the fancy shit to you," I cracked a smile, "so, what happened after I went out?"
Nico's face was electric, barely containing his excitement.
"Before I ripped his head off, Cleaver told me the vault was in the heart of the Undercity, beneath a Harvester base," He bellowed.
"Harvesters, huh? Figures the bastard would have organ leggers guarding his stash. Harvesters are no joke, though. Cleaver was tough, but I reckon they'll have at least a dozen borgs of that size, if not bigger. What about Trodes and Conway, they turn up anything?" I replied.
"Trodes will walk you through his findings when he gets back, I can't follow the technical jargon." He shrugged, "but Conway's inserted himself into Fredo's circle, and it sounds like there's trouble in paradise. He said he managed to set up your meet with B.F.U. though."
"What do you mean?" I inquired.
"Fredo and the Don are allegedly in the middle of some big falling out, looks like there's the makings of a civil war brewing in the Casa Nostra. Conway thinks we can capitalize," he replied, ushering back towards Akari's lab.
"Sounds promising, I like it." I answered.
By the time we returned to the lab, Akari had set up a transfusion station, and Trodes was knee deep in another full immersion run, his body limply twitching in the chair. Akari's eyes met mine, and I made my way to the transfusion station, sticking myself to save her time.
"Alright, guys, Trodes should be done shortly, he was just erasing his trail, I think. But, in the meantime, I have something for each of you," She paused, reaching for a pill bottle, and tossing it to me. From within her jacket, she produced a neuro chip, and handed it to Nico.
"Combat stims?" I asked.
"Something custom, it should produce effects similar to that of an adrenal implant, temporarily boosting your strength and reactions. It'll last about an hour," she turned to Nico, "once you slot the chip, it'll allow you to turn off the limiters on your cyber limbs at will, amplifying your capabilities considerably. Needless to say, both of these gifts are last resorts, don't use them unless you have to; the strain placed on your systems will be substantial."
"This is incredible, Akari. Thanks again… for everything."
"Be careful, I don't want to replace another arm,” she replied, with a joking scowl.
Suddenly, Trodes shot up in his chair, frantically ripping the wires from his body. Akari ran to the chair with practiced calm.
"Everything okay?" she asked, scanning his vitals.
"Where's the restroom?" Trodes squealed.
Hardly containing laughter, Akari pointed him to a stall in the corner. Trodes raced off with the fervor of a thousand zealots, marching towards a holy war. Moments later he emerged, projecting an air of arrogance.
“I’m glad to see you’ve finally pulled through. While you were napping, I cracked the gig,” Trodes gloated.
I stared quietly in anticipation.
"The vault's security specs were hidden within one of Fincetti's shell servers, precisely as I anticipated. The vault has a time released, biometric security system, and is hidden within an AR maze, littered with traps and turrets," he said.
"Did you uh... Find a way around the traps and turrets?" I asked, nervously.
"No, but I have their locations and functions. I may have to find a way to travel on site, and disarm them for you," he pondered.
"No offense, Trodes, but do you think that's a good idea? I mean, no harm intended here, man, but you look fucking frail. And I've seen the way you twitch, I recognize a nervous system disorder when I see one," I said, trying to keep my tone as gentle and inoffensive as possible.
"As a matter of fact, I think it's a horrible idea, one that will likely result in my death. However, there's no way you'll succeed otherwise… and success could equate to astronomical wealth. It's a chance I'm willing to take," he replied.
"Just stay behind me, little friend. The bullets won't stop me-- nothing will," Nico chimed in.
"Or, better idea, we could try to find Trodes an exo-suit, something combat rated," Akari paused, cycling through contacts in her HUD, "as a matter of fact, I know someone who has one lying around. The thing is—I don’t think he’ll willingly part with it.”
"Are you talking about old Willy?" I asked.
"The one and only," Akari answered.
"Who?" Nico asked.
"Old Willy Jensen; mean old bastard, leads the Black Powder Angels. Got crippled a couple years back, so the crazy fucker had his body fused to a pre-war military exo-suit. It's by no means top of the line, but he's modded the hell out of it, so it can definitely keep up," I said.
"Did you say the Black Powder Angels? I have a score to settle with them," Nico growled.
"Well, then it looks like we have a plan. Hopefully Conway can finish working his magic in the meantime. I wanna move on this gig quick, before Fredo beats us to raiding his brother's vault," I asserted.
"Back at it then, boss?" Nico asked.
“I don’t think so: you two are supposed to be meeting with B.F.U. in two hours, I got ahold of Conway while you were out. I’ll get more data on Willy while you’re at it, but this is important: if we try to do this alone, we’re dead. Fincetti’s forces need to be occupied when we pull the job, or he’ll bring them down on you like the fist of God,” Akari explained.

-Red-
April 19th, 10:00 A.M., The Sprawl
Looming pools of shadow enveloped the room; the noxious stench of cheap medical chems was nearly suffocating, and only made worse by the constant buzzing of low-grade medical tech. Anxiety gripped my mind, as images of airborne propellers flashed through my thoughts--finally resolving upon a severed arm laying on a cold plascrete floor. I couldn’t help but scream.
I awoke in a medicated fugue, restrained by frigid metal straps. Panic gripped my mind. My arm struggled frantically, fighting an impossible battle against an unyielding steel clasp. Twin monitors beside the bed began to beep rapidly, matching my rapidly climbing heart rate. Finally, I managed to turn my head; a bloody operating table sat directly adjacent to my bed—bearing the stump of ragged meat that I could only assume was the remains of my arm.
Fuck.
A needle plunged into my neck. My thoughts skidded to a halt—nothing mattered except for the wave of euphoria that washed over me.
“Red, nice of you to join us,” Akari said, leaning over with me with a seemingly scientific intrigue.
Her face was painted with a grim, yet accomplished, melancholy. I’d known her for years, but this expression was one I’d not had the displeasure of knowing… not until she’d chopped my arm off, and presumably saved my life.
“Did… did the other two make it out?”
“They did. Nico carried you out, allegedly ‘killing dozens’ along the way,” Akari answered, sarcastically rolling her eyes.
“It was fourteen—I counted,” Nico interjected.
“I appreciate it, without you two I’d probably be dead,” I said.
“You would be dead, no doubt about it. But you’re not, and you even got an upgrade out of it. Or you will be getting one at least.”
“Glad to hear it. Can you let me up? I gotta be honest here, doc: the bindings are setting off my claustrophobia,” I explained, as the euphoria slowly began to crumble under the crushing weight of anxiety. Whatever she’d given me hadn’t been nearly enough.
"You're stable, but the operation is not yet complete. My assistant is currently retrieving your new arm.”
"How long have I been here?” I grimaced, grinding my wrist against the steel restraints.
"Forty-three hours. It was touch and go at first, but Nico's quick thinking saved your life… alongside nearly twenty hours of stabilization and constant care," She smiled, seating herself across from me.
"I... I don’t know what to say; I owe you big time, both of you,” I replied.
The clamor of footsteps echoed behind me-- the familiar sound of oversized boots scuffling towards the operating table.
Nico.
He emerged, clutching the arm he'd severed from Cleaver’s doorman. It was state of the art chrome, Xeno-grade military ware. Whoever had owned it before me had either served in the Lunar settling campaigns or got it off somebody who had. A .50 caliber auto cannon sat loosely unfolded above the top side of the wrist and the side compartment looked like it housed some sort of melee weapon.
"Glad you're finally awake, boss; means we should be able to install asap," Nico said, grinning from ear to ear.
"The good news is, installing the receptor port should be a relatively quick procedure, likely less than an hour. The bad news is, I can't risk heavy anesthesia, you lost a lot of blood, and we're still waiting on Trodes to bring more bags," she paused, a pang of sympathy flashing behind her eyes, "you ready for this, Red?"
"Chrome me up, doc," I growled.
The next hour was a blur of pain, adrenaline, and excitement. Other than the Teleoperations Module installed in my HALO, I'd avoided chrome my whole life. I figured good combat chems could make up for the difference. I was wrong. When the port was finally installed, the new arm fit in like a glove.
I didn’t waste a second in getting off the operating table.
"Now we'll be unstoppable, boss," Nico grinned, breaking his facade of professionalism.
"What do you say, Red, want to go the target range and give it a whirl?" Akari asked, absent mindedly rifling through a drawer of medication.
"Yeah, fuck it, probably not the worst idea. You gonna unstrap me, then?" I asked.
Akari walked over, never breaking eye contact, placing a paper bag of medications at the foot of my bed, before releasing me from my bindings.
"Listen, Red, there's instructions on the pill bottles. Read them. Take them religiously, or else your bodies going to reject the new arm, spit it out in a pussy mass of infection. Understood?" Her voice lost its gentle tone, growing firm.
"Got it, doc. No puss for me," I chuckled.
Nico led me to a back-alley target range, operated by a pair of unshackled androids, who called themselves Alpha and Omega. They never said a word, just directed us to a series of safety posters, and demanded payment for our time. Nico tossed a pair of cred-sticks, and we entered a roofed portion of the alley, lined with embedded V.R. projectors and speakers.
Tires were stacked high around metal poles, sheathed in an V.R. depiction of Vorrath soldiers, clutching plasma blades and gravity cannons. As the holograms flickered to life, primal screams blared across speakers above the range; darkness blanketed the alley as the light seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Finally, ballistics dummies emerged atop tracks, zipping through the darkness before finally assuming the appearance of armed gangers.
I fired a volley from the auto cannon, tearing soup-can sized holes into a ballistic dummy’s chest. With a flick of the wrist a mono whip deployed from my forearm. The arm moved of its own volition, kicking into combat mode, and slicing a second dummy into silicone sandwich meat.
I could get used to having this level of firepower—it certainly would have come in handy during my courier days.
"Not bad, boss. Maybe aim just a touch higher. Center mass is effective, but headshots are more satisfying," Nico whispered in a tone bordering on arousal, his eyes trained on my arm.
"I appreciate the tip, buddy, but when you're shooting something that leaves holes this big? Well, I'd say you've got a pretty good chance of clipping center and chunking the heart," I replied.
"And here I thought you were a man with panache," he laughed.
"I’m a man of practicality: I'll leave the fancy shit to you," I cracked a smile, "so, what happened after I went out?"
Nico's face was electric, barely containing his excitement.
"Before I ripped his head off, Cleaver told me the vault was in the heart of the Undercity, beneath a Harvester base," He bellowed.
"Harvesters, huh? Figures the bastard would have organ leggers guarding his stash. Harvesters are no joke, though. Cleaver was tough, but I reckon they'll have at least a dozen borgs of that size, if not bigger. What about Trodes and Conway, they turn up anything?" I replied.
"Trodes will walk you through his findings when he gets back, I can't follow the technical jargon." He shrugged, "but Conway's inserted himself into Fredo's circle, and it sounds like there's trouble in paradise. He said he managed to set up your meet with B.F.U. though."
"What do you mean?" I inquired.
"Fredo and the Don are allegedly in the middle of some big falling out, looks like there's the makings of a civil war brewing in the Casa Nostra. Conway thinks we can capitalize," he replied, ushering back towards Akari's lab.
"Sounds promising, I like it." I answered.
By the time we returned to the lab, Akari had set up a transfusion station, and Trodes was knee deep in another full immersion run, his body limply twitching in the chair. Akari's eyes met mine, and I made my way to the transfusion station, sticking myself to save her time.
"Alright, guys, Trodes should be done shortly, he was just erasing his trail, I think. But, in the meantime, I have something for each of you," She paused, reaching for a pill bottle, and tossing it to me. From within her jacket, she produced a neuro chip, and handed it to Nico.
"Combat stims?" I asked.
"Something custom, it should produce effects similar to that of an adrenal implant, temporarily boosting your strength and reactions. It'll last about an hour," she turned to Nico, "once you slot the chip, it'll allow you to turn off the limiters on your cyber limbs at will, amplifying your capabilities considerably. Needless to say, both of these gifts are last resorts, don't use them unless you have to; the strain placed on your systems will be substantial."
"This is incredible, Akari. Thanks again… for everything."
"Be careful, I don't want to replace another arm,” she replied, with a joking scowl.
Suddenly, Trodes shot up in his chair, frantically ripping the wires from his body. Akari ran to the chair with practiced calm.
"Everything okay?" she asked, scanning his vitals.
"Where's the restroom?" Trodes squealed.
Hardly containing laughter, Akari pointed him to a stall in the corner. Trodes raced off with the fervor of a thousand zealots, marching towards a holy war. Moments later he emerged, projecting an air of arrogance.
“I’m glad to see you’ve finally pulled through. While you were napping, I cracked the gig,” Trodes gloated.
I stared quietly in anticipation.
"The vault's security specs were hidden within one of Fincetti's shell servers, precisely as I anticipated. The vault has a time released, biometric security system, and is hidden within an AR maze, littered with traps and turrets," he said.
"Did you uh... Find a way around the traps and turrets?" I asked, nervously.
"No, but I have their locations and functions. I may have to find a way to travel on site, and disarm them for you," he pondered.
"No offense, Trodes, but do you think that's a good idea? I mean, no harm intended here, man, but you look fucking frail. And I've seen the way you twitch, I recognize a nervous system disorder when I see one," I said, trying to keep my tone as gentle and inoffensive as possible.
"As a matter of fact, I think it's a horrible idea, one that will likely result in my death. However, there's no way you'll succeed otherwise… and success could equate to astronomical wealth. It's a chance I'm willing to take," he replied.
"Just stay behind me, little friend. The bullets won't stop me-- nothing will," Nico chimed in.
"Or, better idea, we could try to find Trodes an exo-suit, something combat rated," Akari paused, cycling through contacts in her HUD, "as a matter of fact, I know someone who has one lying around. The thing is—I don’t think he’ll willingly part with it.”
"Are you talking about old Willy?" I asked.
"The one and only," Akari answered.
"Who?" Nico asked.
"Old Willy Jensen; mean old bastard, leads the Black Powder Angels. Got crippled a couple years back, so the crazy fucker had his body fused to a pre-war military exo-suit. It's by no means top of the line, but he's modded the hell out of it, so it can definitely keep up," I said.
"Did you say the Black Powder Angels? I have a score to settle with them," Nico growled.
"Well, then it looks like we have a plan. Hopefully Conway can finish working his magic in the meantime. I wanna move on this gig quick, before Fredo beats us to raiding his brother's vault," I asserted.
"Back at it then, boss?" Nico asked.
“I don’t think so: you two are supposed to be meeting with B.F.U. in two hours, I got ahold of Conway while you were out. I’ll get more data on Willy while you’re at it, but this is important: if we try to do this alone, we’re dead. Fincetti’s forces need to be occupied when we pull the job, or he’ll bring them down on you like the fist of God,” Akari explained.

I'm looking at getting the masterbuilt gravity series from Costco anyone have the 800 or 900 version? pro cons how do you like it? I'm a lump charcoal person and that's why I'm looking at this one.

Welcome to my Ted Talk.
I don't know if everyone else immediately clued in on this, and i'm just late to the party, but i couldn't find any other posts here mentioning this theory directly. So here goes:
When i first listened to "Apocalypse: From Us" on Spotify, before lyric videos became available, i was left with a profound sense of nostalgia. And not just from Bon Voyage sounding very J-Rock like Dreamcatcher's early discography. "Intro: From Us" and "To. You" especially triggered my nostalgia, but i was initially not able to pinpoint why. However after listening to all the songs multiple times and reading and understanding the lyrics of each song, it finally dawned on me: "Apocalypse: From Us" is the story of Minx and Dreamcatcher! Every song makes perfect sense with this perspective.
(Insert conspiracy meme from It's always sunny in Philadelphia)
Intro: From Us: The note progression in the guitar solo is the same as in "Minx - Shut up". Once you hear it, you can't unhear it.
BONVOYAGE: The song is about Minx being happy and proud of Dreamcatcher getting the chance to live the dream they always wanted, but it's also bittersweet since Minx has to be left behind. The soft verses are Minx talking to Dreamcatcher, "every cell in me is drawn to you" and "maybe you don't, but I love you". The rock chorus is Dreamcatcher leaving Minx behind while treating every day like it's their last, and saying to Minx "tell me Bon voyage".
DEMIAN: The song is about Dreamcatcher suppressing their Minx personas during the Nightmare and Dystopia series, while their Minx personas are slowly starting to fight back and emerge. In this song it feels like the verses are Dreamcatcher talking to Minx, and the chorus is Minx talking to Dreamcatcher. Interestingly the first verse is 6 lines, like the 6 main songs in the Nightmare series, the second verse is 3 lines, like the Dystopia series. At the end the Minx persona breaks free.
Propose: The song is about Dreamcatcher and Minx merging together as one. The perspective is from Minx to Dreamcatcher. "Don't run away, you can't escape my love", "Every step you take I'll follow you, I'll be there too. Cause I wanna cherish you forever"
To. You: This song is also about Dreamcatcher and Minx merging together as one, but this time the perspective is from Dreamcatcher to Minx. "I wished for me to forget you, I locked you in the past, It's a bit late, but now I want you" "Oh, you're my gravity that pulls me, Interlocked like magnets". Interestingly the synth line in the beginning and the guitar solo in the middle have the same note progression as some parts of "Minx - I Just Like You"
I'm sure there are many more easter-eggs sprinkled in the instrumentals, lyrics and in the dance that i have missed, but i'll leave that to the rest of you to discover.

This is when I stock up. 20lb Kingsford Charcoal $20 at Sams Club
https://www.samsclub.com/p/kingsford-original-charcoal-briquettes-20-pounds-each-pack-of-2/prod22751110
$1.79/lb St. Louis Ribs at Save A Lot. (~$6 per rack) they are frozen and I buy enough to use up in 2 months.
Kamado Joe Lump Charcoal at Lowes 20lbs for $23 https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kamado-Joe-Lump-Charcoal-20-lb-Lump-Charcoal/1000349395
Home Depot has Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker for $100 off. Great deal for a cheap set it and forget it charcoal. $400
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterbuilt-Gravity-Series-560-Digital-Charcoal-Grill-and-Smoker-Combo-in-Black-MB20040220/310726723#ratings-and-reviews
If in Great Lakes area, Meijer has $2/lb 80/20 burger.

Been smoking for a while in my 1050 gravity. About to do my first brisket. Was thinking of doing overnight Friday so it'll be ready midday Saturday. Any suggestions as to beginning/end times and temps?

I've been smoking for 15 plus years now and I've had three or four smokers over that time period, all offset stick smokers. I've sold them or traded them away accept for one. That said smoker is 15 years old. I was wondering about the masterbuilt gravity series as a replacement. Pellets just don't do it for me. You can't even come close to the charcoal/wood flavor in my opinion, just not even close. That being said i am looking for something to fit in with a busier schedule with kids coming in the near future. Any of you non pellet guys have any experience with these? Thank you