Help with my urban fantasy plot

[snowynight]

This's a urban fantasy setting set in recent day New York, with supernaturals such as faerie and mages.
There're three main characters, a social worker suddenly can see the supernaturals, a college student with faerie heritage and a mage who's also a hacker. Right now  it has two main plotlines: different vampires who compete with each other to be the prince of New York, and two factions of mages are in a magical equivalent of nuclear race. However, I can't find a way to connect them. I think of eliminating the vampire plot, but I really like the idea of vampires as a common enemy to bind my main characters together. It also allows me to have a vampire as an unreliable ally who sometimes gets my characters into trouble for his purpose, so I'd prefer to make the vampire plot a bit larger. So help?

Comments

[perfectworry]

Is there any reason one of the vampire princes(?) couldn't try to ally himself with one of the rival mage factions to get his hands on their "nukes" and beat out the other guy?

That's the best I've got right off of the top of my head… Could you tell us any more about the vampires, the mages, and particularly your hacker mage?

[snowynight]

The vampires are divided in different clans and all need to struggle to survive in their politics. Right now there're no princes (official ruler) in New York, producing a power vacuum that the younger vampires are fight to be the prince. The vampire that's going to feature most in my plot is posing as a vigilante to earn good publicity among the New York public and more importantly clean up his feeding ground. I intend for him to be the prince if he continue to exist in my plot.

The mages in my story can manipulate the reality to produce magical result. They're roughly divided into two sides. One side thinks that humanity only need small and steady changes in a controlled manner, and the others thinks that changes can be good. Currently the first group has the upper hand.

The magical nuclear race starts when the mage of both sides discover a faerie realm that you can harness the power to perform powerful magic without backslash in our world. They both send their agents to explore the realm, not knowing that they actually create a passage that the more nightmarish denizens can go into our world. The power can only be used for magic.

My hacker mage belongs to the side that thinks changes are good and his magic is to hack into the reality and rewire the universe. Currently he's working on a reality 2.0 program/magic that can help more people to be awakened to join the rank of mages. He 's a friend with other hacker mages like him.

I have it in mind that the supernaturals in my story are only vaguely aware of each other's existence because they work well to hide their existence. However, the vampire in case is getting more knowledge as he keeps track of my main characters.

[lynnoconnacht]

However, the vampire in case is getting more knowledge as he keeps track of my main characters.

Why is the vampire tracking them in the first place? If he's tracking them and becoming aware of the fact that other supernaturals exist, as you say, why wouldn't he try to use that knowledge to further his own goals?

What about what you've just said keeps these plots from connecting the way you want them to? (It does sound like the vampire plot could stand to play a larger role, though. You could easily do that by turning the vampire into a fourth main character, but that's not necessarily the best solution.)

[snowynight]

The vampire first notices my characters' existence because my characters kills a vampire drug lord, who's one of his contenders. Then my characters come into conflict with him because they suspect that he kills people. There's just one thing that makes me hesitate: the side of mages that don't like change go after supernaturals, so it will be smart for him not to work with them and I guess it's not easy for a vampire to get the trust the other side of the mage due to folklore bad rep. My vampire will try to get an edge whatever he can, but I don't know what claims he can make to get the others to cooperate with him.

[lynnoconnacht]

*nods* Okay. So you've actually already got a connection between your two plots. It's just a bit tenuous.

You're saying he poses as a vigilante, so I'm going to assume that also involves him actively saving people. He could (and probably would) use that to his advantage? Actions speak louder than words and all that. If he can't make them believe he's on their side because he's saying it, he could try and orchestrate for them to see his claims getting backed up. (Or, y'know, it could be random luck, but that kind of thing.)

Would that help any? (Sorry. I'm a bit pressed for time, so please do let me know if I'm not entirely clear. in what I'm asking and I'll try and explain better. ^-^)

[snowynight]

Thank you. It's very helpful. My vampire is getting good rep among the public for his vigilante act and I now can see that it's something he can use to his advantage. I can now work on it.

[lynnoconnacht]

I'm glad it's helpful. ^-^ If he's getting good rep among the general public, one of (or all of) your other main characters might also come to suspect he's not all he appears to be and that could intrigue them enough to seek out your vampire to see if he's willing to help their side instead of the other way around. If that works with your plot, that would actually make it a stronger one because then both sides would actively be seeking something from the other.

ysabetwordsmith makes a good point, though. If they're in the same area, they'll be competing for similar resources. Even if they can easily keep to themselves (NY is BIG, after all), they'll have heard rumours and stories of other supernatural acts, possibly even groups, in the city. All things you can use to your advantage in drawing your characters together, though!