Even with safewords the situation can be fraught with social repercussions. In a recent NSFW episode of Radiolab ("In the No, Part 3"), part of a series about consent - well, you can listen to it (from 16:43 to 19:46) - or skim the transcript posted there, where it begins "So like I was at a play party last weekend".
Regardless, from the sound of what happened between Viro and Koji, it went way, way beyond communication issues. Koji thought he was consenting to some kinds of power play, sure, but ended up being manipulated on a much larger scale, with lasting repercussions he didn't consent to. As for Viro's apology to Koji, assuming Koji's remarks are true, I wonder if Koji will get any financial restitution from his former partner.
Even with safewords the situation can be fraught with social repercussions. In a recent NSFW episode of Radiolab ("In the No, Part 3"), part of a series about consent - well, you can listen to it (from 16:43 to 19:46) - or skim the transcript posted there, where it begins "So like I was at a play party last weekend".
Regardless, from the sound of what happened between Viro and Koji, it went way, way beyond communication issues. Koji thought he was consenting to some kinds of power play, sure, but ended up being manipulated on a much larger scale, with lasting repercussions he didn't consent to. As for Viro's apology to Koji, assuming Koji's remarks are true, I wonder if Koji will get any financial restitution from his former partner.