Question How to write a character betraying his best friend?

[Dacaran Sileos]

Basic Plot Outline: So Dacaran here is a CorpSec officer, and his best friend is also an agent. Dacaran generally feels unfulfilled and unrewarded by his work as a beat cop mostly solving domestic disputes, returning to his dingy apartment every night, and and strives for more. Dacaran's new partner, is a corrupt cop. He lets Dacaran in on a little extra cash from a drug bust "So what if a drug dealer who makes more than I ever will in a lifetime loses money, and that money doesn't get to evidence?" That kinda thing. Things go fine for a while, before aforementioned best friend gets suspicious and begins to investigate the pair. Dacaran tries to talk his friend down, appealing to their relationship, but best friend is unwavering in his morals (better cop than Dacaran ever was, basically) and promises to go to Internal Affairs. Corrupt guy says that the only solution to prevent him from going to Internal Affairs is to bump him off, and initially Dacaran refuses profusely. But after thinking it over for a while, and realizing the shit he'll be in if he doesn't stop his friend now, Dacaran decides to help Corrupt Guy orchestrate a crime scene on best friend's next mission to make it look like a junkie with a blaster. Of course, Dacaran will be extremely guilty for aiding in the murder of his friend, and hates himself for it, but masks it under blaming corrupt guy for getting him in the "business" in the first place. Dacaran eventually decides he has "nothing to lose" anymore, so he descends further into the criminal underworld.

How would I go about adding more layers to this plot? How would I go about Dacaran working up the courage to murder his buddy? Dacaran is inherently greedy and ambitious, but he also thinks of his friend as brother, so his morals could be compromised by his desire for more out of his life.

 

[Junko Ike]

when I want to look at betrayal Panty, Stocking and Garter belt comes to mind for surprising the best friend. Just out of nowhere.

 

[Listib Hibin]

The easiest solution is to let your character go through this thought process:

Will my family, father, mother, ect that needs credits for their problems, if I am jailed, what happens to them, will they confiscate their goods along with my own? What about the people I put into the jail, can I survive the sentence without getting killed? Or does one day, he loses it with him and makes an honest violent mistake and has to do a lot of clean up work on this? What if the Criminal Cartel has the guys number, your best friends number, and will make his life hell by killing him slowly...when in respect, you do it to make it quick and painless as possible.

My honesty, go watch the Sopranos if you have not done so already (Last one is clipped here for reference, warning this is very bloody at the end), it gives a lot of depth in backstabbing and sometimes mercy killings in the business, even how calm most are. Mafia game series also which at times, is beyond brutal, I recommend Mafia I and II on betrayals for endings with III being the most well known since the trailers for it were all over just for the Prologue, most of them based on their close friends.

My last suggestion is this, maybe make it a "Make your Bones" scenario. Yes, your character killed before...but did he kill for the Corrupted guys? Maybe he is told to be in, he has to whack him.

That is my two cents, can go buy coffee with it if you want. You need a Cartel guy to blame, I can have one of mine be the fall guy for you to blame, possibly shoot or kill to take his place. Does not matter, all up to you.
Dacaran Sileos

 

[Qae Shena]

I'll add a couple thoughts to this:

The best villains tend to be relatable. Those whose justifications are entirely believable, maybe even appeal to a thought that the audience has had previously, tend to be the ones that we can symapthise with. That's what turns it from something out of an action flick to a proper tragedy - the tragedy is that we can see the fall, and say that we might have made a similar decision in their shoes. Yes, it's absolutely easy to say that you're taking side money to start. But why - is that money for your sister's kidney transplant? There's usually a justification people take for why they choose the darker path, and bringing that to the front will absolutely help you along. What consequence started this in the first place is just as important as why you're about to off your friend. That entire journey from beginning to end will give you the reasoning you need.

Also I will absolutely second Junko Ike and their recommendation for PASWG, if you're an anime fan. Just... don't watch it around children.

 

[TheScarletDastard]

Great points from all above. Lot of Grade A writers on Chaos. Also, they like anime and The Sopranos, so you know they have class.

Dacaran Sileos
Anger, near the end of it all. I think that'll be your key here.

When we feel guilty deep down for treating our loved ones less than perfectly, we tend to bury that shame under anger and blame. The more your Beat Cop becomes convinced he can't go the straight-and-narrow route, the more he'll lash out in anger at his buddy's behavior. 'Why can't you just shut up and take a bribe? Easiest thing.' 'Wow you are unbelievable. You'd do this to me? Your best friend, couldn't do me one solid?'

Inevitably, with old friends or family or romantic partners, the past will start to get brought up. 'You always have to do things the hard way, huh? Every stinkin time!' 'Here we are again; ME, the one whose life is messed up, and YOU who's gonna set me straight again?' 'You just can't go 5 seconds without reminding me how much better than me you are, huh?' 'So typical. The MOMENT I get a good thing goin, you stroll in and start lightin fires.' 'Wow, puttin your career before our friendship?! No way, I NEVER saw this comin! Not like you've ever done it before... OH WAIT.'

Humans like to justify hurting their loved ones by inventing betrayal, even when (especially when) they are the ones doing the betraying.

For me, I like to picture the same social situation in a tv show, then a movie, then a real life example. (For an awesome movie, Dr. Strange, towards the beginning? We see Christine with Stephen through every step of his recovery, being nothing but supportive. But when he flies off the handle at her, he starts digging into their past and reframing everything she does through the lens of how it makes him feel in that moment. That's the only way he can hurt her after she took care of him for so long.)

 

[Dacaran Sileos]

I'll add a couple thoughts to this:

The best villains tend to be relatable. Those whose justifications are entirely believable, maybe even appeal to a thought that the audience has had previously, tend to be the ones that we can symapthise with. That's what turns it from something out of an action flick to a proper tragedy - the tragedy is that we can see the fall, and say that we might have made a similar decision in their shoes. Yes, it's absolutely easy to say that you're taking side money to start. But why - is that money for your sister's kidney transplant? There's usually a justification people take for why they choose the darker path, and bringing that to the front will absolutely help you along. What consequence started this in the first place is just as important as why you're about to off your friend. That entire journey from beginning to end will give you the reasoning you need.

Also I will absolutely second Junko Ike and their recommendation for PASWG, if you're an anime fan. Just... don't watch it around children.

Dacaran's motivations are entirely selfish, but still relatable. I'm sure some people would do the same thing in his shoes.