...WAIT FOR IT... August 28. 10 Times they are a-changing. The comic’s going on a temporary hiatus, as I have just started a new job in my career field. Things are going to be a bit scattered for me as I get adjusted to my new work schedule, and there’s just no telling right now when updates will be made from this point onward. But don’t worry, I’m not dropping the comic, you can expect to see an update probably within the next two weeks. I just can’t guarantee that I’ll have the time to work on it much in the next while. And for those of you out there who will undoubtedly start complaining about laziness and whatnot, keep in mind that at times life needs to come first. This comic is a side-project for me, and although I thoroughly enjoy working on the comic and appreciate your loyal readership, I simply must focus on my career at this precise moment. So, I apologize for there not being an update, but when I can get some solid work finished, you can count on a quality comic waiting for you. Thanks, and I hope you continue reading and enjoying Natural 1! IT'S MY NATURE August 19. 10 Ok guys, the wait is over for the new comic! Hopefully you’ll see what took me so long to get it finished. These D&D-based episodes take a lot of work, and also take a lot out of me. But, I think the end result is worth it. I consider this comic some of my best work on backgrounds I have ever done, and hope you enjoy how it brings out the tone of the environment the characters are in. Still, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no master at BG art, which is the main reason why they take me so much time to complete. It’s the quality of product I’m trying to bring you that keeps me from updating on time. But anyway, enough of that talk, I’ve got a couple of things to mention this week. Just finished the first two seasons of the show Dexter. If you haven’t yet caught this show, make sure you do. Unbelievable cast and writing. Also, I’d like to give you guys a link for an interesting video about the nature of comics. I found it interesting and inspiring, and it feel it’s worth checking out. All right, enjoy the comic! VIVA LA REVOLUCION! August 5. 10 There is a timeless question that has plagued me lately. One to which I may never find a suitable answer…What the hell does everyone have against Butter-Popcorn flavored Jelly Bellies?! Seriously! I love these things! Sure, they taste almost NOTHING like buttered popcorn, but they try, god dammit!!! Well, this comic arc’s finished. Now on to the next one. I hope none of you have trouble justifying plot holes! Enjoy! I'M SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS JULY 29. 10 Well, it’s been a busy week, but I finished the comic on time. Is it just me, or do I mention that I’ve been having trouble reaching the deadline almost every week? Meh. Going away for the weekend, so will be lagging behind as usual for next week’s issue. Hopefully it turns out the way I want it to. Anywhoo, that’s all for this week, enjoy the comic! YOU'RE A WOOD FAIRY! JULY 22. 10 Hey, everyone! Once again, a week where I struggled a bit to finish the comic, but ended up getting it to look the way I wanted in the end. The next one might be a bit of a long one, as we will have an unexpected visitor. ‘Oh my, who could it be?’ you ask yourselves…And I laugh at knowing what you do not, imagining you all writhing with suspense!!! MUAHAHAAA…Yea. OH, ok, so, if you haven’t already done it, GO SEE INCEPTION. One of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Christopher Nolan has blown my mind again (and NO, I am not speaking of his work on the Dark Knight, but of Memento). Really though, go see it. It is groundbreaking psychologically in the same way the Matrix was when it first came out. And the effects are pretty neat too. But yeah, hope you like this week’s comic! MISSION COMPRETE! JULY 15. 10 And so I return from my brief hiatus with a comic update! While I was house-sitting, I decided to pass the time (which I would have normally used to make comics using my computer) playing Mario Galaxy 2! And HOLY BALLS is it ever GREAT! Managed to rack up 108 stars playing on and off during the week, short of the 120 star total the game boasts in its first run-through. Had a lot of amazingly fun levels, with new bosses and items that made it just different enough to be as much of a classic as its predecessor. And for those of you who remember, purple coin hell is back. Shudder. But anyway, glad to be back and making updates. Hope you like this week’s comic! BIIIG KITTY JULY 1. 10 Well, there you have it, folks! Managed to get this one finished in time before I head to my aunt’s for house-sitting! Took me about as long as I originally anticipated, and I didn’t even get to do as many drawings as I had hoped I would. The background of the jail turned out cool though, I’m pretty proud of that. Anyway, I suppose you won’t hear from me until July 15th or 16th, so until then, I’d like to throw you guys the link to a FANTASTIC online graphic novel called The Meek. It’s got a bit of nudity in the first chapter, so a little NSFW, but it is tastefully done, NOT pornographic, trust me. I’m particularly envious of the art and character interactions, especially how the author does expressions. Very impressive. So, check it out, I think you’ll enjoy it…And please enjoy this week’s comic! NOSTALGIARIFFIC JUNE 24. 10 Ever go into a movie theater with extremely high expectations for what you are about to watch, and then have those expectations blown completely away by something spectacular on more levels than you could have hoped for? I’ve got one thing to say to you: Toy Story 3. I don’t mean to over-hype here, but that movie was spectacular. As good or even better than the original in my book…and that’s coming from someone who has been a fan of that movie since childhood. But yeah, go watch it. You’ll only hate it if you’re the kind of person who likes to drown puppies. Cause there’s none of that in there. Anyway, comic next week might end up being a little tough for me to finish because it calls for a lot of drawing again, so there MAY be no update next week, I’m not that sure yet. However, the following week (that is, the update set for July 9th) there will NOT be an update, as I am house-sitting for my Aunt that week, and won’t be able to do any work. So, just keep your eyes open next week, I hope I can pump something out for you guys. Enjoy the comic! FOR SCIENCE...YOU MONSTER JUNE 17. 10 The day of our redemption is at hand. Light has dawned on a pure, crisp morning on which Nintendo, once again, reigns supreme. Rejoice ye, my brethren, for no longer must we cower behind our old N64 cartridges and weep for the future of gaming. For by the hands of those who made us who we are, we have been given another chance for divinity. For those of you who didn’t catch the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo press conferences for this year‘s E3, Nintendo (in this writer’s opinion) blew the competition out of the water. Nearly everything they displayed was glorious, including the 3DS which seems to be better than it first appeared. And don’t even get me started on how promising the new Wii Motion Plus-controlled Zelda: Skyward Sword looks. All in all, it just seems like a promising year for good ol’ Nintendo. ‘Bout damn time. But anyway, enough preaching, let’s get to the comic. This one kicks off a little storyline that’s been brewing in my head for a good three years. Hope you guys like it! NOT TELLIN' JUNE 10. 10 We come to yet another of those weeks where I thought for SURE on Monday that the comic wouldn’t get finished by deadline, and lo and behold, finished by Wednesday night. Boo-yah. Had some really troublesome writers block late last week, which is the main problem I was having with this week’s comic. For some reason I’m finding a bit of trouble writing ‘single-serve’ comics, rather than ones with an ongoing storyline. I think that I may switch back to the story-based ones next week (though with a much shorter story arc than before), as I at least have the majority of those threads thought out. Anyway, enough about the strangeness of the contents of my cranium (if any contents truly exist), enjoy the comic! OH! And anyone who is planning to see the movie Splice should know that it is very well done…If you can get past some…“interesting” parts. CLOSE ONE, G JUNE 3. 10 Wow, so, totally nearly missed this week’s update because of a major problem with my internets. I want to extend a BIG shout-out to Stephen, who I acknowledge to be the computer master. If it weren’t for him, no update this week…And no comic site at all, frankly, as he is the one who coded all this. So, moment of revered silence for him as we bask in the glory of his awesomeness. Anyway, this issue marks the final comic in this story arc, which has lasted just about since its inception. There will be more lengthy arcs to come, but gonna do a few free-floaters, so if anyone wants to mention the comic to someone new, now would be the time as there won’t be any story commitment for a bit. And that’s that! Enjoy the comic! QUE LASTIMA! MAY 20. 10 My apologies, yet again for missing another week’s update! And this time without warning!! I took the previous week off with the full intent of getting ahead of my comic-creating schedule, but found myself devoid of motivation, and desiring a brief trip out of the country. The fact of the matter is, the last few comics have transformed what was once a constructive hobby into a second full-time job. I was in dire need of a break, and dropped everything in order to make time to relax. This time, I will not say that it won’t happen again, as the next comic I have planned looms ominously in the future, but I will be sure to give proper notice next time should I feel I need another week to complete my work. Anywhoo, enjoy this week’s comic! BETTER? MAY 6. 10 Aaand now we’re back to our regularly-scheduled…comic…reading…*cough*…FINALLY finished this puppy, took me a looong time, so I hope it was worth the wait. I’m really personally proud of the art in it, so, if you feel so inclined, let your eyes linger and wander a bit before drifting to the next frame. I hope that I never get this ambitious again, and will try not to skip another week if I can help it. Maybe one of these times I’ll do a double-update if I get really crazy ahead of myself to make up for it. Or I’ll buy everyone who reads these words cake. So, if you don’t feel like scrolling down and reading the last post I made, I also updated the Bios section to include Kayla’s character, so, check it out, lemme know what you think. All right folks, until next week, enjoy the comic! WHOAA, SHORT MESSAGE APRIL 30. 10 Hey again, everyone. Thought that I would post SOMETHING for you to read as there is no comic this week, so, check out the Misc section for Kayla’s bio page! ...IT IS TIME! APRIL 29. 10 Well, I’m afraid I must apologize to you all, but there will be no comic this week. It seems things just got too busy for me this week, and I was unable to devote the proper time to see the project through to a well-polished conclusion. However, that just means that the comic will be that much better the following week (er…hopefully), so be sure to check back again next time, as I promise you the comic shall be there waiting your perusal! Again, my sincere apologies, and I shall strive to never miss another update again! FUZZY APRIL 22. 10 Once again, this week I don’t have much to add…New comic update though! Check it out and enjoy! ...KIFF, WHAT'S THE DATE? APRIL 15. 10 Another week, another comic. I really hope you guys like this one, because I ended up working my ass off on all the drawings. I’m utterly shocked that I finished this in a week, and hope that I can keep this pace up without committing suicide in my sleep. Anyway, I’ve nothing really to add this week news-wise, as I pretty much spent every spare second on the comic this week. Time for more Pokemans. I earned my treat. Enjoy! SANDSHREW RULES APRIL 8. 10 Wow, so, I JUST BARELY finished the comic this week. Earlier I was under the impression that I was far from finishing because I got a little over-zealous with the art in parts of it, but I somehow managed to get it done nicely without having to sacrifice sleep or my sanity. And what’s more, I managed to stave off the temptation of playing too much Pokemon Heart Gold, which I got as an Easter gift (which I highly recommend to anyone who is a Pokemon fan at heart, and has no problem throwing away all dignity to play a fantastically designed game). Enjoy the comic! APRIL FAIL APRIL 1. 10 Yeah, so, totally forgot that the passing of the last day of March inexorably means that the next day is April Fool’s Day. I HAD been scheming to do something diabolically clever to the site in accordance with the delightfully mischievous spirit of the holiday, but I forgot completely about it as I dreamt of the Easter long weekend headed my way. So, to all of you who are NOT so pleasantly tied with the spirit of April Fool’s, today will hold no surprises for you on my end…though I cannot stop someone whoopee-cushioning your chair any more than I can stop Michael Bay from making shitty movies. ANYWAY, last weekend I watched How To Train Your Dragon, and HOLY BALLS, was it a fantastic movie. Easily the most lovable animated film I have seen in years, complete with action, comedy, great acting, and a less-than predictable plot. It tops by FAR the mindless, shallow tripe I have had to endure lately (ie Alice In Wonderland, Avatar, etc.), and left me feeling that I wanted to watch it again almost instantly. So, definitely give it a try if you have a love of Vikings, Dragons, Kittens or all of the above. You will not be disappointed. And with that, new comic update! Enjoy! Happy Bunny-Shaped Chocolate Day!!! BACK IN MY DAY... MARCH 26. 10 Have you ever had one of those weeks where you really regret not having bought N64 games that you rented, tried AND liked? I really miss games like Chameleon Twist, and Snowboard Kids, games that were always on the shelf at the video store to rent, but are strangely hard to find for sale these days. They weren’t fantastic games, but they were FUN and different. Games you could pick up and enjoy anytime. Hm…I’m probably starting to sound like a nostalgic old man so I’m going to just stop talking. Thanks to everyone who emailed me this week with words of praise on the comic so far! Enjoy this week’s issue! LEFT, UP, RIGHT, LEFT, UP, RIGHT MARCH 19. 10 Finished Zelda Spirit Tracks on the weekend, and holy crap was it awesome. Definitely one of the best Zelda games I’ve played in awhile. Really made me feel like playing Wind Waker over again, which is what I have been occupying my spare time with these past few days. Anyway, new comic, hope you like it! FRABJOUS FAIL MARCH 11. 10 Well, saw Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and I have to say that I was fairly disappointed. The odd thing is that I didn’t even go in expecting anything fantastic, and I was still let down somehow. I suppose a part of me didn’t enjoy seeing a marvelous literary masterpiece brutally butchered beyond repair by a director who is capable of SO much more. The only things that made the film worth it were the depictions of the March Hare, the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit, the Jabberwocky, and (oh, thank god for this) the Cheshire Cat. All voiced phenomenally, and designed beautifully…though, if you care to take the time to compare, the Jabberwocky looked a hell of a lot like Fing Fang Foom from Marvel Comics…still sweet though. New comic, hope you enjoy! MMM...SACRILICIOUS MARCH 5. 10 Ever get a kink in your neck that just won’t freaking go away? That pretty much explains my week so far. Literally. I’ve had this stupid kink in my neck for like four days. I’ve got a feeling that it just needs to be cracked, but I’ve been trying, and I just can’t seem to get it to happen…uhm, but anyway, had a bit of trouble figuring out this week’s comic, and decided it was necessary to divide it in two. I’ve also noticed recently that the comics I’ve been writing have tended to be upwards of 10 frames, something that is getting difficult for me to pull off every week. I’m not really doing it on purpose, I just write the story as it comes to me, and I usually like long lead-ups to punch lines. At this point I’m not willing to start trying to cut em down, but I’m going to keep them at least within the 15 frame mark from here on in. That way the stress won’t cause me to implode upon myself like a neutron star. Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy the comic! PRODUCT PLACEMENT? FEBRUARY 26. 10 A recent gift card splurge at Future Shop has gotten me hooked once again on the phenomenon that is Dragon Ball. I feel obligated to note here that I said ‘Dragon Ball’ the original cartoon, NOT Dragon Ball Z. If I wanted to see 70 consecutive hours of throbbing, bulging, veiny muscles, and perpetual screaming I’d probably be wearing brightly colored short-shorts and a rainbow-print tank top. On another note, Zelda Spirit tracks continues to occupy my time in a very positive way. I’m really enjoying all the extra side quests and train-building. If anyone out there has a DS and hasn’t tried this game yet, you are living a sad, lonely life until you suck it up and go buy a copy. Enjoy the comic! I'M A DICK FEBRUARY 19. 10 This week has been rather hectic for me, and I will tell you why. I have become addicted to three conflicting passions. One, working perpetually on this comic. Two, watching season 5 of House, which I recently got on dvd. And three, playing hour after hour of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Ok, not so bad things to be addicted to, considering all the available options in this messed up world, but still daunting if you want to get anything finished. All week I’ve been leapfrogging between these three addictions, not having the ability to focus long on any of them for a given period of time. I will say this though: House is amazing, Spirit Tracks is incredible for a handheld Zelda, and new comic update. Enjoy! DUH VINCI? FEBRUARY 11. 10 So, birthday was fantastic thanks to the support from a multitude of friends, and the showering of love and affection by impeccably thoughtful relatives. To any of you who are reading this, I sincerely thank you all for the great weekend! I also was given the privilege of a surprise visit to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s study of life exhibit at the Vancouver Art Museum. If anyone reading this is going to be in the area for the Olympics, I suggest you take a look, especially if you’re interested in art. Seriously amazing stuff to see, very eye-opening. Opportunities to appreciate works that have survived hundreds of years that still hold meaning today are rare indeed. So, check it out. Or I’ll find you one day. And wound you. Now, on to crap that people actually care about: new comic this week, hope you all enjoy it! HAPPY BIRFDAY! FEBRUARY 5. 10 Yeeeah, that’s right, it’s my birthday today! What a crime it is that I have given YOU the gift of this comic update when you should all be showering ME with love, affection and solid gold bars!! Shame on you all. That’s no way to treat someone on their birthday. You all owe me cake. But, in all seriousness, having people read this comic and enjoy it is the best gift I could ask for. So, thanks to all you readers, I love doing this comic, and won’t stop till my wrists break. Enjoy the comic! …And you still owe me cake. DUN-DUN-DUNNNN January 29. 10 HOLY SHIT! CHARACTER BIOS? ACTUALLY ON THE SITE?! IN THE MISC SECTION?!? Damn skippy, people. Finished the first draft of the bios, and loaded em up (thanks to Stephen!). I urge everyone, especially newcomers to the site, to check them out! A little forewarning about the comic this week: LONG. Didn’t wanna do this comic in two parts, and had a lot of time to work on it this past week, so get ready for a bit of a read. On that note, hope you all enjoy it!! R.I.P DAMPE January 21. 10 So, first off, I just wanted to thank those of you who have sent me emails about the comic! Your feedback is appreciated greatly, and I’d love to hear any more comments you have, so keep the emails coming! I’ve been working a little on getting the bios up, but it may still be a couple weeks before they’re ready to go. It’s unfortunate that this will by no means be the final draft anyway, but, still, wanna get SOMETHING up there, so, it’ll happen as soon as I can manage it. This week’s comic is a little Zelda-heavy. If you are reading this comic, and are not comfortably familiar with The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, then you need to go dust off your (or your friend’s) N64, and get that shit going. Seriously. Best game ever made. Hands down. Halo fans can kiss my white ass. Enjoy the comic! FANG-TASTIC January 14. 10 Yeeah, sorry in advance for the pun in the news post header. Lost a bit of sleep this week adjusting back to work, and that apparently makes puns happen. I miss sleep. It was cozy. So, I went and saw Daybreakers last weekend. It turned out to be a really great movie, full of action and intrigue and bloody decapitations. Also, it was refreshing to see a world where vampires reigned supreme, as opposed to one where they hide in the shadows and stalk teenage girls (thank FUCK for a vampire movie without Robert Pattinson, I had thought they had finally killed the genre with that crap). But yeah, it’s a good movie, definitely check it out if you like that sort of thing. The ending left a lot for you to think out, but, if you use that piece of grey matter between your ears, it all makes perfect sense. Anywhoo, enough about movie crap, new comic this week, hope you like it! NIGHTY-NIGHT BATS! January 08. 10 Welcome to 2010! Does any one else suspect that Dick Clark is a Lich? So, no comic last week, obviously. Was in town visiting family and friends for the holidays. Nearly didn’t make it for this one too because my roommate scored Batman Arkham Asylum for X-mas. I played it pretty much for three days straight (days which I had specifically set aside for comic-making. That shit just didn’t happen). Awesome, incredible game. I recommend it to anyone who likes having their mind blown out the back of their skull over and over. So, onward with the first comic update for the decade! Enjoy! MERRY EVERYONE! December 24. 09 Ok, early update for X-Mas! Now, I’m not sure whether I’m going to have access to my computer next Friday, since I’m heading home to visit my family for the next few days, so don’t expect a comic until I get back to work (which should be around January 4th). If I can, I’ll post one, just don’t get your hopes up. In the new year you can expect to see those site changes I’ve been talking about for ages and haven’t gotten around to yet, so keep your eyes open come January. On that note, I hope you enjoy this week’s comic, and have a merry X-Mas! …or Chanukah… or Kwanza… or whatever the hell gives you an excuse to drink and get gifts. SLEEEEP December 18. 09 Bahhhhrghhh….ok…no more zillion frame comics for awhile. This one just about killed me. Nearly didn’t make it this week. But did. Props to Chantel for her help on the concept for this one. Enjoy. Zzzz. BREATHE DEEPLY December 11. 09 Got some changes coming up for the site soon! Finally going to get those Character Bios up with placeholder images as I work on the final draft. Gonna be throwing a couple of links on the main page as well, including one to my personal art site, which you can view now my clicking here. As for the comic itself, FINALLY THE COUNCIL ARRIVES!! …Ahem…Enjoy! DO I OWE LUCASFILM MONEY? December 03. 09 Decided to do the jerky thing and make this week’s comic a cliffhanger. So, less hilarity, more suspense. Rest assured, next week’s comic you will finally see the council…if you’re lucky. On another note, Natural 1 is now on the web comic list! Huzzah! It’s a great place to find new comics and see what everyone else out there is reading. It’s also a good place to leave a comment if you’ve got one, so feel free to post something if you like (or hate, I’m not fussy) the comic! ...LIKE VULPIX? November 26. 09 Well, well, believe it or not, the Firefox problems have been essentially solved! Woot to Stephen the site programmer for that one. Still, I’m sure there will be many more problems that will crop up somehow, so don’t feel too disappointed now that you can’t tell me my site’s not 'Firefox friendly’. Apart from that delightful news, new comic is up for this week, so enjoy! INTO THE LIGHT I COMMAND THEE November 20. 09 Firstly, I would like to apologize in advance for the obscurity of this week’s strip. It is based on two very vague references, neither of which coincide naturally. However, this is the picture I had in my head when they got to the comic shop, so I decided to stick with it…and it ended up looking really cool, so, if you don’t get it, then just focus on that. Shiny, shiny. If you’re still not pleased with that explanation, then I advise you check out this youtube link, and familiarize yourself more closely with the treasure tables in the Dungeon Master’s guide. Again. Very sorry. Won’t do it again…probably… YARRR November 13. 09 Comic ran fairly long this week, so had very little time to work on the character bios page. But, have faith. I'll likely have the bios up with temporary pictures by next week. However, I've got something special planned for the home page for the bios that'll be pretty cool, which is what is going to take me a long time, so, don't expect to see it up for quite awhile. On the Roleplaying homefront, starting up a new group next week to test out the Pathfinder system, which, from what I've read, looks amazingly sweet. Also played a pickup game early this week with a different system which was very cool, and very easy to pick up and play fast. Our DM suggested a pirates game, which, of course, went down very very well. Definitely gonna be playing that one again soon. All right, that's it for this week, as always, enjoy! DAMN YOU TELUS November 06. 09 All right, new comic for you guys. Almost didn’t make the Friday deadline because Telus was screwing with my internets. Going to start working on the Character Bios page, which will be in the Misc. section of the site. It’s gonna take me a little while, but I think it’ll be well worth it. Ok, until next week, enjoy! CANDY CORN IS GROOVY October 30. 09 In honor of my love for Sam Raimi films, and, of course by association blood and gore, I’m heading to an Evil Dead musical tonight, which promises to be a spectacular show. This is not because I have the utmost faith in those appearing in the show as actors, but because the tickets I purchased were in the second row of the ‘splatter zone’, an area of the theater where one is almost certainly to be coated in fake gore and blood. A friend and I each purchased a white shirt to wear to commemorate the occasion. New comic is posted, though I have not done one to mark the fact that it is Halloween on Saturday. This is simply because I wanted there to be as few breaks in the running plot-line as possible, and I forgot it was Halloween until after I drew the comic. Oh well, maybe next year : / Enjoy! DAS FLU October 23. 09 So, as it turns out, I contracted a very nasty flu virus at the Slipknot concert I attended last week. I spent the majority of the following days bed-ridden tossing snot rags into my wastepaper basket. My roommate (who coincidentally is the website programmer of this site) picked it up this week, and is now much worse off than I was. He went to the doctor, and OH NOES! SWINE FLU! That’s right. The virus I have is none other than that scary REGULAR flu that the media keeps blowing out of proportion because no one has any antibodies for it yet. On the brink of death (lol) and still I bring you a comic? I’ll accept cash, credit and cheques as offerings to my mightyness. Oh, and since my web programmer is ill, the Firefox fixes have not been completed yet, so, just a bit more patience on that end. UPDATING FRIDAYS October 18 . 09 So, I’ve decided to try to keep to a Friday updating schedule. Hopefully it’ll be one I can stick to easily. Fixed one or two problems with the site, but there are still lots of problems to deal with, particularly for Firefox users. I’ll get em sorted out as soon as possible, promise! Saw Slipknot live on Thursday night. If you haven’t been to see them, I highly recommend it, the show is even more spectacular than you’d think. Oh, and anyone who hasn’t seen Zombieland needs to get on that ASAP. Best zombie movie parody since Shaun of the Dead. Added a new comic on October 16th , enjoy! NATURAL 1 October 14 .09 Welcome to Natural 1, the brand-new webcomic about geek culture! Now, there are still plenty of kinks in the website as this is sort of a home-brew operation, but before long I'm sure things will be fully operational...*cough*...enjoy the comics!