There needs to be more than just aftercare in responsible BDSM. The fact that we get a safe word and the MC doesn't shows the developers are well aware of that. They're being coerced, and I don't think the game excuses it. It's okay to enjoy relationships like this in fiction - especially when it's so engaging and well-written like it is here. But if Cirrus is being billed as a caring dom he needs to discuss things BEFORE a session and give the MC an option to say no without consequences. The consent between them was dubious at best, forced at worst depending on the choices made.
I wish I stopped getting notifications to this comment because I am sick of people reminding me of what I already know. Yes, I am well aware, but as you might know, this is a dark game with love interest that are not good people ( I mean, have you seen Cirrus' bad ending? it involves human trafficking). Expecting healthy, and realistic depictions of relationship dynamics is absurd. Of course Cirrus is manipulative, that's obviously his whole thing as a character. It's made clear, by how your interactions with him are, mc's constantly 'persuaded' or 'nudged' towards him to the point of no longer being able to reject him.. Of course such an early bdsm scene would have always been dubious at best and forced at worst on the principle that their power dynamic has been unbalanced as hell FROM THE START. All I'm saying is that COMPARED TO OTHER LIS FROM OTHER DARK ROMANCE GAMES OR EVEN COMPARED TO DARK ROMANCE NOVELS, Cirrus' scenes are better written, gentler and more caring due to the integration of the aftercare session. That is all I mean.
I did say that it's okay to have "unhealthy" relationships in fiction. There's a growing purity culture that shames any media that isn't positive - especially when it comes to LGBT relationships. I just believe it's also important to have conversations like this, especially around BDSM which I think is often misunderstood. How caring he's being I think is up to interpretation since it's established he's manipulative and has ulterior motives, but I do appreciate he's making somewhat of an effort to comfort the MC, rather than just leaving them. If we're comparing this to another depiction of BDSM like 50 Shades of Grey, Cirrus is much better. The aftercare session is why I'm putting closer scrutiny towards him, since I can't just dismiss him as a total bastard if he appears to have some idea of what constitutes healthy BDSM but is still raising all the red flags. I hpe in the future these are the types of conversations he and the MC have as they grow closer together.
We seem to agree more than we disagree on these matters, so I will apologize for the angry wording I had to my previous comment since it came from misunderstanding the intent behind your original comment. Conversations definitely need to be had on how lgbt relationships are written; but also on how bdsm dynamics are more than often frequently used as complementary violence for abusive relationships (talking about dark romances books that are filled with terribly pseudo-'bdsm' initiated sex scenes, when it's just violence and abuse...).
It's just frustrating for me, since this is the first time I get to witness a dominant ( speaking outside of bdsm terms) character written in the way Cirrus is. Typically they are physically forceful in a brutish way and very demeaning and smug-ish towards the main character. I've grown to hate the characters that are portrayed in such manner from the various romance inclined media that I consume. There's an abundance of them from novels, vns and games; So Cirrus was a breath of fresh air, for me at least. I guess that's why I feel a tiny bit protective over him, even thought I'm well aware he's a trash fictional 'husband' material (lol). He did better than most male leads I've had the displeasure of reading about :). Not perfect, not even close, but better. The bar is really that low when we have no other better portrayals.
Finally, I do heavily agree with your last statement. I am hoping for the relationship to develop into something closer to the green zone, at least when it comes to intimate sessions that involves trust and consent. I'm expecting some emotional development between Cirrus and the mc to occur eventually as the devs did promised us each lis will have their own happy love ending with no 'gatcha!' moment.