i have a friend who is also a poser fan and once we got in a sort of discussion about some of the things avaiable at renderotica and dark toys. you know, those places, tend to specialize in a lot of stuff that's maybe a bit too, i don't know, maybe "over-the-top" for outlets like this one, and DAZ. torture sets and whatnot. pretty scary stuff! Anyhoot, I objected to one torture/bondage set called "the kidnappers cabin" (seriously i did not make that up!) as being patently inappropriate. But my friend said something interesting along the lines of "Well, maybe if someone plays with this type of thing, that will prevent them from bonking a real girl over the head and dragging her off to a real 'kidnapper's cabin.' " At any rate, it seems like 80 percent plus of the people who use Poser are already using it for a constructive (a relative term i suppose) sort of escapism -- fairies, medeival-type stuff and romance imagery seems to be most popular -- but without doubt there is a sizable minority who dig the bondage/violent stuff. I'm not really sure if it's because some artistic people (who use Poser) may be inclined to fantasize about that sort of thing, or if Poser becomes simply a "good outlet" for people who have that sort of inclination, if it's some kind of joke, or if it's simply an example of talented people pushing the envelope, so to speak, of artistic expression. Psychiatry-wise, though, and even in mainstream public perception, I think a lot of that sadistic imagery would raise more "red flags" and lead people to think the artist has homicidal ideations more than it would have people just sort of say, "well, this person is venting their frustration or whatever in an appropriate manner." Ultimately, I think just about everyone who uses poser is doing so for a therapeutic and/or escapist purpose, whether they are creating images of "a better world" in the future, a romantic medieval scene, the fairy world and even the controversial stuff. So really, i think it's already a therapuetic tool. it's just that the "rest" of the world probably has yet to see it that way and give it its proper respect, in those aspects. just my crappy opinion anyhow! :)later -- moxey