Lotus

Lotus is an underground racing syndicate in San Andreas.
==General Information==
Lotus is a underground racing syndicate that was formed by four very close like-minded individuals. They are not only involved in the blooming race scene and other underground activities, they also have multiple business ventures in the works behind the scenes.
Lotus is currently staged at the Playa Vista area as they grow their numbers in the shadows. The four leaders are close to each other, coming from the same background in their pasts before the Nuclear Event, along with some of the other core members. As the city tries to pick up its feet and rebuild, Lotus has been planning how to spearhead underground activities and help curate the blooming race scene. 
Lotus' main crew color is lavender, however, the lotus flower can adopt a multitude of colors as a unique characteristic.
== Locations ==
Lotus has based their operations out of multiple locations across Los Santos including Del Perro, Rockford and in the city outskirt docks. These locations act as meeting locations for different purposes and occasions. 
==Background information==
The group was formed by Mercy Thompson, Yukio Fujiwara, Karina Takahashi, Sean Deane and Charlotte Moore. They have all known each other very well since before the nuclear event and are extremely close. As they had a large "family" reunion near the airport, they all had the idea of forming their own race crew, more specifically, a syndicate. And thus, Lotus was created.
The group decided on a name for themselves, while Karina designed the crews logo. As time went on, everyone called the group The Midnight Lotus, to marry the two divisions together. When things got more serious, the leaders agreed to call it Lotus to hide the Midnight division and keep them as discreet as possible as that side was formed to be the clean front. During their reunion, they managed to get into contact with Curse, an old friend of theirs, and got their start into the race scene with other like-minded individuals.
==Group Structure==
As of right now, Lotus has two divisions: Lotus and Midnight.
Lotus is the face of the race crew, joining in on races and stealing cars in the name of Lotus. Meanwhile, Midnight is the civilian side of the syndicate, owning businesses and having protection from Lotus if anything goes awry. Those members are never involved in any criminal activities.
==Recruiting==
Lotus and Midnight are actively looking for new members to join their ranks, so long as they meet their ideals, pass the vibe check, and go through multiple steps/phases before becoming a full Lotus member.
As a Blooming Hangaround, one must get to know the leaders and other members, understand the groups core values and their vision. While doing so, they must take part in a series of races over time, show improvement on their skills as a racer and should be able to assist other members when they need help immediately. As of May 17th, 2024, Lotus gained 5 new members (Caro, Summer, James, Jaxon and Mason to their ranks after hearing their side of what they have experienced with their old crew and how their hearts felt after leaving said crew. After a much needed discussion together, everyone felt a mutual agreement of Lotus' core values and goals, and the family-like atmosphere within.
Lotus is currently looking for their last 2-3 picks to add to their ranks for the late NA/onward hours, and they are now being selective. Each new prospect will be looked closely and will need to be accepted by Caro and the group.
== Partnerships ==
Currently, Lotus is open to partnerships/ally discussions.
== Friendly Crew Connections ==
Lotus is currently friendly with a number of race crews, known and hidden from the public. This includes *Leviathan, *Street Racing Syndicate, Kings Organization, Vengeance, and other racers.
==Trivia==
April 27, 2024: Lotus successfully hosted their first large event, *Underground Vinewood Racing Event, to bring out the Lotus name to the underground race scene, which had over 25 racers attending, and about 16 racers participating in the event. With the help of trusted individuals in the scene and trusted contacts to help organize musical acts, artists, including D-VAL, were able to perform without any issues before the races started. Overall, 5k in ruby sticks was collected and dispersed for the event. Eyes are now on Lotus for bigger and better future events. 
April 27, 2024: Sin was asked for a collaboration with another underground race crew that is lead by KC. A cash donation of 20k was also made by Viper to support Lotus towards their next event. 
June 5th, 2024: Sin was invited to a meeting with other prominent figures within the race scene to become the first few racers to create new tracks within the city to race with an unknown race dongle. The first track created from Lotus, a homage of sorts from years past: Mockingbird 
Lotus was first formed with Mercy Thompson, Yukio Fujiwara and Karina Takahashi as core leaders, along with Sean as a Shadow Leader that is also involved in the background. No one in the public or underground knows of Sean's involvement in the group. As the group evolved and decisions need to be made with a tie-breaker, the group promoted Kiku Ishimoto to a leader position and Jasper Moore to 2nd in command to help steer the group towards their vision as a whole. 
After Sin left, Caro Carlson took over Leadership to adjust the crews goals and position in the Underground Racing scene. 
==Gallery==
File:Lotus.png
File:Lotus 1 event.png|Lotus' First Event Invite
File:Lotus Event 1 Turnout.jpg|First Event Turnout
File:Lotus Sin Snow.png|Snow (left) Sin (right)
File:Lotus First Event Race Start.jpg|Lotus First Event Race Start
File:Lotus Event 1 42724.png|First Lotus Event (photo taken by xedonut)
File:Lotus Event Stage 2.png|Lotus First Event (photo taken by xedonut)
File:LotusCars.png
File:LotusMeeting2.png
File:BLK LotusJacket.jpg|Black Ice in the Black Lotus Jacket
File:BLK Z.jpg
Category:Criminal_Organisations
Category:Syndicates
Category:Racing Crews