[hider=The Matrix]
[hider=In Simulation]
[img]https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/matrix-code.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.joblo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/bmyns-theanimatrix-facebook.jpg[/img]
Once upon a time Mr. Brown was a perfectly normal drone, working a standard 9 - 5 job at a corporate tower in the downtown of one of seemingly infinite nameless cities. He was never late to work and always paid his taxes. He believed that things such as the level of noise his upstairs neighbor made were of the utmost importance, and he never questioned the newspaper that he read every morning. 

This all changed one rainy night as he made his way home from his job at a software development company named INITECH, the day unrecognizable among seemingly infinite others that had played out exactly the same. Except this night, his routine was interrupted. Swarms of police officers were chasing a man dressed in all black through an alleyway. The man bumped into John Brown, giving him a book, before fleeing into the night with the police in hot pursuit.

When asked if he had interacted with the man at all by the police, for the first time in his life he lied to an authority figure. To this day he isn't sure why he did what he did, but upon returning to his apartment he discovered what he had been given. It was a book that focused on Buddhist texts regarding the impermanence of reality, and the possibility of other worlds. It also contained a CD that once put into his personal computer, allowed him to use his screen name of Aether to communicate with someone named Ghost online. 
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/474x/4b/ca/2d/4bca2df093e35698548f67c4b75dc2b0--the-assassin-skylark.jpg[/img]

They discussed many different philosophic concepts such as solipsism, impressing one another with their knowledge of theology, history, metaphysics, and more. Eventually Ghost would give John a cryptic clue; Follow the red lanterns. The following day on his home from work, he would notice a festival taking place with red lanterns strung down the streets. Following them, he would make his way through a unfamiliar Chinatown-like Asian community in the city until they led him to a Buddhist Sangha, where Ghost was waiting for him. After talking briefly and exploring the area, he would begin regularly attending and meditating in the place. 

As he became a more familiar face in the community, he would meet someone who went by the name of The Bodhisattva. He was an elderly but kind Asian man who lead the local temple, and after taking an interest in John he began to personally oversee his development. This mentor would spend much time both in talk with John, telling him many parables and stories, as well as training him in martial arts.
[hider=The Bodhisattva]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/80/a0/c3/80a0c3a0b76065f08d6c9135ea633072.jpg[/img]
[hider=His Teachings]
[hider=The Story of Yeh-Kung-Tzu]
[img]https://buddhaweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/Buddha-Weekly-HNine-Dragons-Handscroll-painted-by-Chen-Rong-in-1244-from-Museum-of-FIne-Art-Boston-dragon-Buddhism.jpg[/img]

Yeh Kung-tzu was a man who loved dragons. He studied dragon lore and decorated his home with paintings and statues of dragons. He would talk on and on about dragons to anyone who would listen. One day a dragon heard about Yeh Kung-tzu and thought, how lovely that this man appreciates us. It would surely make him happy to meet a true dragon. The kindly dragon flew to Yeh Kung-tzu's house and went inside, to find Yeh Kung-tzu asleep. Then Yeh Kung-tzu woke up and saw the dragon coiled by his bed, its scales and teeth glittering in the moonlight. And Yeh Kung-tzu screamed in terror. Before the dragon could introduce himself, Yeh Kung-tzu grabbed a sword and lunged at the dragon. The dragon flew away. 
[/hider]

[hider=The King's Elephant]
[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Blind_men_and_elephant4.jpg[/img]
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
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[/hider]
As he became increasingly disillusioned with reality, his job performance would suffer. He began being tardy to work increasingly frequently, with the quality of his irrelevant work also declining. This would attract the attention of his corporate manager, 

As management marked him for increased observation and called the police, Ghost would call John on a pre-paid cell phone delivered in a package. As the police arrived at his workplace, Ghost would explain to John that the moment for him to complete a Sādhanā and potentially transcend reality. Guiding by Ghost using the phone, he would successfully manage to avoid police detection. Upon arriving to the Monastery, he would find multiple Agents having pursued him.

Combat broke out between the martial artist Monks and the Agents, with police swarming the area and setting up a perimeter. Confusingly for John, his corporate manager arrived on the scene, but had little interest in John himself instead angrily confronting The Bodhisattva. While this happened, The Bodhisattva ordered Ghost to take John and retreat to the heart of the temple to undergo a Sādhanā and attempt to reach Nirvana and Liberation. As he fled, he witnessed his salary man superior engage in martial art based combat with his spiritual mentor.
[hider=The Monitor]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/89/04/c0/8904c03195bbb6da6e31d8518b0fd6c9.jpg[/img]

The Monitor has been a middle manager at INITECH for several decades now, despite his youthful appearance. He is not a human but a cleverly disguised machine program created to gather information on it's human employees and search for signs of defiance or awakening. All employees of the software company INITECH are people that are marked as being potentially susceptible to awakening from the Matrix, and thus under heightened scrutiny. He has a troubled past with The Bodhisattva, as the Monitor used to be an assistant to him when he was the prior Monitor before becoming a Rogue Program and leading to the promotion of the current Monitor. 
[/hider]

Fleeing into the center of the temple, he entered a small and hidden room lit by candles with thick wafts of incense. He stared at a intricately crafted and beautiful sand based mandala that had been finished by The Bodhisattva only moments prior to his arrival. Ghost gave John the classic choice between the red pill and the blue pill, and after choosing to confront a harsh reality over a more comforting lie, he began to reject the Matrix he had been born into. It was at this moment that he realized he had been entrapped within a cybernetic samsara. Reaching out and touching the symbol of duality, his very flesh would begin to be absorbed by it. Hearing the sounds of combat drawing ever closer, Ghost blew the delicate Mandala into oblivion, with John's very body and form bursting into and mixing with the dust as he did so.

[hider=Kalachakra Mandala & Yin/Yang Symbol]
[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Mandala_Depicting_Kalachakra_and_Vishvamata%2C_Tibet.jpg[/img]
[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Yin_and_Yang_symbol.svg/1200px-Yin_and_Yang_symbol.svg.png[/img]
[/hider]

[hider=Welcome to the Real World][img]https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2017/1999-ectogenesis-the-matrix/d33d565502-1602632755/article-2593349-1CB824E700000578-991_634x418.jpg[/img]
[/hider]
[/hider]


[hider=In Reality]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/89/a3/63/89a363818f272563cc8f4a9704465e86.jpg[/img]
[b]Life in Zion:[/b] John was ejected from his pod and dumped into a river of toxic chemicals and corpses, with the Hovership [i]The Lethe[/i] having triangulated his position and scooped him up from the waste and sewage. He was taught the true facts of reality concerning the last human city of Zion, the sun blocking Project Dark Storm, the fundamental nature of the Matrix itself, and more. He would also come to learn that The Monitor had defeated and deleted his former mentor and rogue rival The Bodhisattva after winning their fight during John's awakening.

He had been assigned to this particular Hovership as they had just recently lost a crew member of their own, and decided to take up his old screen name of Aether. His shipmates would find it amusing that The Bodhisattva had taught him martial arts 'the old fashioned way' as opposed to simply having it uploaded to his brain like most other people. He would gradually grow accustomed to his newfound family, and begin working hard for the Resistance. He has helped guide others out of the Matrix as well as fought against security forces such as police and SWAT, though he has never dared fight an Agent yet.

[hider=The Lethe] 
[img]https://media.sketchfab.com/models/f67eca780c214e08b91038da591bd6a8/thumbnails/da7947a018bb46a8931f93427fed0980/94b726b84ce94f6e90343fb6ea924a7c.jpeg[/img]

[b]Crew Members:[/b]

[hider=Captain]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/a3/3c/44a33c472500b7f994ad758190fba26c.jpg[/img]
Ishmael is a veteran in the war against the machines. He is in his mid fifties with greying hair, and has witnessed more in his life than most. He has become jaded and grumpy in his age, but beneath his gruff exterior he cares deeply for his crew.
[/hider]

[hider=Pilot & First Mate]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/72/78/16/727816cd62b1fcef509629e8b2c7b2e1.jpg[/img]
Output is a behemoth of a traditional Maori man who has always loved to fly. He is kind and charismatic, acting like the protective big brother of the entire crew. He has a romantic relationship with Input, whom he cares for deeply.
[/hider] 
[hider=Operator]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ea/bf/17/eabf17dcdbaf7af22642c28359fbcecd.jpg[/img]
Input is a scarred woman and ranked third in terms of seniority. She acts as the Crews operator, and is the only one of the crew to have been born in Zion naturally rather than the fetus fields.
[/hider]
[hider=Engineer] 
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/a4/a0/44a4a0029045b8479e1bda59046840ac.jpg[/img]
Pirate is the second oldest member of the crew both in terms of age and in seniority. He is a heavy alcoholic and smoker. He has witnessed many of the same traumas as Ishmael and now relates better to machines than people. He knows every possible detail of the [i]Lethe[/i], and is even capable of attempting custom work capable of supercharging the shields of engines.
[/hider]
[hider=Medical Officer]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3b/e9/1a/3be91a99113a4866566db112ddfb0600.jpg[/img]
Binary is a middle aged matriarchal woman who is the de facto ship mother, saving the lives of several crew members more than once. There are rumors of romance between her and Ishmael, though nothing confirmed.
[/hider]
[hider=Runners] 
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/45/c2/f2/45c2f2cc8f06c8b93bf62b95cf25fd58.jpg[/img]
Vexsu - The male counterpart of a set of fraternal twin. He loves to quarrel lovingly with his sister, and specializes in melee combat.
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/93/07/07/9307079354d5b3843e16092814ad2380.jpg[/img]
Nexus - The female half of a set of fraternal twin. She loves to quarrel lovingly with her brother, and specializes in ranged combat.
[img]https://img.akwam.link/uploads/6MGKM.jpeg[/img]
Aether - The most recent addition to the crew, he was taught by The Bodhisattva and originally awoken through the help of Ghost. He was previously known as John Brown.

[/hider]
[/hider]
[/hider]
[b]Matrix Music[/b]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA1v207xlOw] Main Theme[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFS4zYWxzNA]Clubbed to Death[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCBL33NKvPA]Spybreak! - Propellerheads[/url]
[/hider]